Archive for April, 2021

The Ghost of Five Mile Creek by Payne Schanski

Published April 22, 2021 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Number of pages: 218

JB admits right away that he has been punished severely for getting caught breaking and entering into a large house in his town. He has not offered much in the way of an excuse, and appears to be taking his punishment without complaint. His mother even made him stop playing basketball for his entire freshmen year, even in his own driveway. Throughout the ordeal he has also lost his group of friends who scattered the second he got into trouble and all went their own way in high school. He has found himself sitting with an odd bunch of students at lunch who really have no one else to sit with so they have banded together. One of the people he sits with, Marty, is someone JB feels a lot of guilt about because when he was younger he used to torment him and purposefully leave him out of things. That’s partly why he agrees to go when Marty pitches the idea of them driving out to an abandoned house that is believed to be haunted. JB knows if he got caught again it would not go well for him, but he feels like he owes this to Marty, especially when it appears that everyone else will back out. Then, surprisingly his former best friend and a popular new girl in school offer to come along and suddenly they have a group of five people going to investigate this haunted house in the middle of the night. Will they encounter any supernatural activity? Will they form lifelong friendships? Will JB get his punishment extended into his sophomore year?

This coming of age story follows a group of high school students who all agree to go to a “haunted house” for different reasons. Once they are there, they all have to face some of the things they had been avoiding such as J.B.’s resentment toward his friends for abandoning him, Marty’s past bullying, and Jennie’s loss of her sister. The ending is realistic and satisfying for a story in which the main characters are not finished finding their way. Fans looking for scary/suspenseful stories might not find enough of that here, but fans who enjoy coming of age stories will want to know more about these characters once the story ends.

They Went Left by Karen Hesse

Published April 16, 2021 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 364

Zofia survived the Holocaust camps and now is on a mission to find her younger brother, Abek, whom she promised to find once the war was over. She knows the rest of her family will not be found simply because when they entered the camp they were all directed to go left and she went right because she was considered a useful worker. She knows they never left the camp and is focusing all of her energy on finding her brother. Zofia has been recovering in a hospital for several months once the camps were liberated simply because her body and mind are weak and she often has trouble remembering things. Her first goal is to go back to their family home, but she knows there is a good chance her brother will not be there and her home might not be there. There are many people looking for lost family at this time, but she is determined to keep looking until she finds out what happened to her brother. As she sets off on her journey she finds that there are many people along the way who are all coping with the war in different ways, but are all trying to start over. Along the way, Zofia is forced to face the horrors of her past that her brain has been trying to forget, but she knows that in order to truly move forward she must accept her past, as bad as it is. Recommended for readers who like the Holocaust and historical fiction.

Stamped by Jason Reynolds

Published April 14, 2021 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Non-fiction

Number of Pages: 294

This non-fiction title is written as a non-history history book and starts back before the United States was even formed. Jason Reynolds took us through the major developments in this country regarding race, including strategies that were used both politically and socially to try and control the roles people played and the thought process they had regarding race. He really shows how the country’s thoughts and actions on race have been carefully sculpted by those people who had the power and control to do so. It shouldn’t be any surprise that money and power often controlled the events that transpired with race in our country. Reynolds does a nice job of explaining how the country came to be at the Black Lives Matters place we found ourselves in the summer of 2020. For anyone who has never studied the issue of race in the United States this book is very eye opening and encourages you to look at historical events with a different perspective. This book will stay with the reader long after reading it. Recommended.

I Know You Remember by Jennifer Donaldson

Published April 7, 2021 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery

Number of Pages: 326

Ruthie grew up in Anchorage, but moved away with her mom three years ago. After her mom’s sudden death she is set to return to live with her dad, whom she hasn’t seen since he got sober, and his new wife and stepsister. Ruthie is very excited to see her best friend, Zahra, whom she hasn’t seen since she moved away, but when she texts her to let her know she’s moving back she is surprised not to get a response. When she arrives she goes immediately to Zahra’s house in order to see her, but learns she hasn’t returned home from a big party on Friday night. By Monday morning the entire high school is buzzing with the news that Zahra is missing and Ruthie thinks it’s her job to find her, even if that means skipping school, ditching her step sister, and going against her father’s wishes. As she tries to unravel the mystery of what happened to Zahra, Ruthie begins to learn that the girl she remembers has changed a lot and she isn’t sure why. Has Zahra really changed that much or does Ruthie remember her differently than she actually was? Will she be able to find Zahra before it is too late and what secrets will she stumble across along the way?

This psychological thriller will keep you guessing until the shocking conclusion. The pieces of the puzzle are all there, but it takes awhile to put them together as Ruthie goes on her quest to find Zahra at all costs, no matter who she has to step on in the process. Along the way, Ruthie encounters a variety of interesting characters who all know a little about who Zahra really is and what might have happened to her. Fans of mysteries will be satisfied with the exciting ending.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Published April 5, 2021 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Romance/Realistic Fiction

Number of Pages: 406

Frank Li is Korean American and his parents are very serious about him marrying a Korean girl someday. This was especially made apparent when they shunned his older sister simply for marrying a black man. When he begins to like a white girl in his math class he knows it would be a problem if his parents ever found out, but his Korean friend Joy is in a similar situation with her boyfriend so they decide to form a fake relationship so that both of their sets of parents can relax and be happy. As time goes on, however, Frank begins to realize that he does in fact like Joy and he thinks it’s possible he never noticed before because he felt pushed toward her by his parents. He does not want to be with a Korean girl simply because his parents think he should be, but he can’t deny the fact that he has some chemistry with Joy. Meanwhile, he is dealing with other issues such as what college he’s going to get into, how he can better help his parents with their store, and if there is any way to reunite his parents with his sister (whom he misses terribly). Can he make his parents proud without reaching all of the high expectations they have set for him? Can he make his own way in America without losing his Korean heritage? Can he be happy with a Korean girl?

This book cleverly depicts how many pressures are on teenagers from different cultural backgrounds. They are trying to make their way through adolescence while adults around them all seem to have different expectations for them. Frank is trying to balance his Korean heritage with his American upbringing. He knows his parents’ expectations are unfair and at times judgmental considering there aren’t that many Korean families in his community, but he still wants to make them proud, especially once he begins to suspect they are keeping some big news from him. We do not see a lot of books about Asian American culture, so this is a welcome addition to the library collection.

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