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Austenland by Shannon Hale

Published October 17, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Romance Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Romance, Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  15 and up

# of pages:  196

RAC Book:  Yes

Jane has had an obsession with Jane Austen or more specifically, Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, for many years.  As she experienced one horrendous boyfriend after another in her life she began to dream of the perfect gentleman.  Her great Aunt saw this and in her will arranged for Jane to visit Pembrook Park, which is a place where people dress, talk, and live like they are in Jane Austen’s books.  Jane is unsure if this vacation was for her to get the fantasy out of her system or for her to embrace it.

Upon arriving at Pembrook Park Jane is fitted with clothes and taught the rules she is to follow during her stay.  As Jane interacts with other guests and actors playing parts she begins to have trouble deciding what is real and what is part of the fantasy.  She befriends a gardener as well as the difficult Mr. Nobley.  The idea is for all women to feel like they have lived the romance, which is why Jane struggles to choose which man she really likes as well as which one, if either, truly cares for her.

Austenland is a must read for fans of Jane Austen.  The story is unpredictable, but yet contains many Austen elements, which makes it a lot of fun for those of us who enjoy those types of stories.  Jane is not the only one who would love to live this fantasy and through this book we are all led through this time with a modern eye.  This book is for all those women who love Jane Austen, her stories, her romances, and most of all her men.

Once Upon a Quinceanera by Julia Alvarez

Published October 15, 2007 Multicultural Fiction , RAC , Realistic Fiction 1 Comment
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Genre:  Multicultural Literature/Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  269

RAC Book:  Yes

Once Upon a Quinceanera follows the author, Julia Alvarez, as she explores the Latino tradition of the quinceanera, which is the celebration given to daughters on their 15th birthdays.  The story follows the specific quinceanera of Monica.  Although based on a real girl, her name was changed to Monica to protect her identity.  As Alvarez follows Monica’s big day she also discusses the tradition of quinceaneras, the growth of them in the U.S., and the impact they have on those girls who have or don’t have them.  There is a lot of discussion about the Latino culture here in the U.S. as well as the reasons behind each of the traditions such as the “last doll” and the significant change from flats to heels. 

Alvarez also explores her own life and how the pressures and expectations to follow in traditional Latina roles conflicted with her own desires such as college and becoming an author.  This book explores both sides of these parties:  the side that wants to celebrate a girl becoming a woman and the side that believes these parties are too expensive and overdone.  The explanations of how these parties have developed over the years was extensive and important for the story and is good for anyone not familiar with the tradition to know.  The quinceanera is only going to continue to grow in the U.S. and it’s important for non-Latinos to understand what it is Latinos are celebrating and respecting it for what it is, which is more than an elaborate party.

 

Silent Echoes by Carla Jablonski

Published October 12, 2007 Fantasy , Historical Fiction , Mystery , RAC Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  344

RAC Book:  Yes

Sixteen year old Lucy Phillips lives in Manhattan in the late 1800s.  Her father has trained her to be a medium and hold seances in order to make money.  One night during one of these fake seances, Lucy hears a real voice asking her for help.  The voice belongs to a girl named Lindsay who lives in present day Manhattan.  She lives with an alcoholic mother and an abusive stepfather and is having trouble coping.

Lindsay is not too eager to listen to the voices in her head, afraid that it will cause others to think she is crazy.  Lucy, on the other hand, can’t wait to reconnect with Lindsay so that she can support herself as a real medium and earn money by predicting events in the future.  Through their eventual friendship, Lucy does prosper while Lindsay’s situation worsens.  Lucy feels so bad about Lindsay’s problems that she devises  a way to help her from the 19th century.

Silent Echoes was a delightful story about two girls who could speak many generations apart from each other.  Both need the other’s help and are struggling with their current lives,  but they learn a lot about the times they live in as well as each other.  They begin to see how some girls in both settings simply do not have many chances to raise above their dire circumstances.  The book also speaks about how many rich people will do anything to stay above the poor, even if it is unethical.  Many issues are covered in this book, but the interesting and fast paced story is what many readers will enjoy.  Highly recommended.

Alpha Dog by Jennifer Ziegler

Published October 10, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  321 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Katie has a history of terrible birthdays and her 17th is no exception when her boyfriend dumps her the day before she is supposed to leave for a summer college program.  He has also been cheating on her with one of her good friends and all the rest of her friends side with the friend (who is more popular than her) in the breakup and won’t talk to Katie anymore.  Katie also has an overbearing mother who constantly reminds her of how special and accomplished she was at her age. 

When Katie reaches her summer apartment she is ready to try something new and get away from her life, but her roomate constantly has her boyfriend and his friends over who eat her food and bother her.  On a spur of the moment decision, Katie adopts a dog from the rescue league and immediately has trouble with little Seamus.  He quickly terrorizes her rooomate, the neighborhood kids, and even her landlady.  In dog training classes she learns she must become the alpha dog in order for Seamus to obey her.  Katie realizes this is true for the rest of her life as well.  She does what she is supposed to do and what everyone around her tells her to do and she needs to step up and become the alpha dog in her own life.

Alpha Dog is  a heartwarming story about a girl who comes to truly love her adopted dog.  Seamus also helps her grow up and take responsibility for her life and those around her.  Once she stands up for what she wants others respect her in a new way and she forms much longer lasting friendships and relationships than she had before.  Seamus is a little bit of a handful at first and exasperating to read about at times, but anyone who has ever had a new dog knows this can be true!  The shallowness in which her friends drop her for their more popular friend and then pick her up again when they learn she knows a famous band seems unbelievable, but I think some high school students can be that shallow.  Anyone who loves dogs or has ever had a time in their life when nothing has turned out quite right and they had to make some big changes will enjoy this book. 

 

 

Vanishing Act by John Feinstein

Published October 8, 2007 Mystery , RAC , Sports Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Mystery/Sports

Age Level:  12 and up

# of Pages:  279

RAC Book: Yes

Vanishing Act follows two young reporters, Susan Carol and Stevie, whom readers might remember from Last Shot: a Final Four Mystery.  In this story, Susan Carol and Stevie are writing about the US Open.  They are staying with Susan Carol’s uncle, who is an agent.  When one of the most anticipated players vanishes between the locker room and the court complete chaos ensues. The player was originally from Russia, so her parents immediately blame the Russian mafia, but Stevie thinks that answer seems too convenient.

Susan Carol and Stevie use some creative methods for finding out information regarding their cases, but many times their plans seem plausible.  Soon Stevie becomes suspicious of Susan Carol’s uncle, which creates some tension as he is then told to find somewhere new to sleep.  This distraction, however, does not even slow these young reporters down as they try to find out the truth.

This book has all of the charm of the first and in many ways builds on the characters to create an even better mystery with many layers.  The disappearance of the tennis player is only the beginning as Susan Carol and Stevie try to find answers.  When some of the information they find is troubling or dangerous to themselves, they continue to push ahead.  Students who like to read about sports and/or mysteries will be fans of this book. 

 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Published October 5, 2007 Award Winners , Fantasy , RAC Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Fantasy

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages: 497

Award Winner:  2007 Iowa High School Award

Sequel:  New Moon and Eclipse

RAC Book:  Yes

Bella has come to Forks, Washington to live with her father.  She does not have trouble making friends at her new school, but she becomes especially interested in the Cullen family.  The Cullen’s adopted five children, who are now all going to the same high school.  Bella notices that they are beautiful and never seem to eat.  When she becomes Edward Cullen’s lab partner she notices he appears to hate her, but she later learns that he actually really likes her which is problematic since he is a vampire.  The Cullens are all vampires, but none of them practice and choose instead to feed on animals to survive.

As Bella finds herself drawn to Edward she discovers that he always seems to be right there whenever she needs help getting out of bad situations and wants to genuinely protect her.  Her new friend, Jacob, from the nearby Native American reservation does not fear Edward but his people do not trust vampires and are not allowed on Native American property.

One day another group of vampires comes through town and becomes obsessed with getting Bella, which leads to a very dramatic and exciting ending.  Although this book is about vampires it is not gory or scary.  The story draws readers in until they have to find out what happens to Bella and Edward.  Students love this series and are hungry for more.  Highly recommended.

 

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Published October 5, 2007 Fantasy , RAC , Romance 1 Comment
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Genre:  Fantasy, Romance

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  563

RAC Book:  Yes

In this sequel to Twilight, Bella must learn to cope when Edward and the rest of the Cullens choose to leave because they believe it is too dangerous for Bella if they stay.  Bella falls apart and only begins to heal when her and Jacob Black become closer friends.  Bella also learns that if she is doing something dangerous she can head Edward’s voice in her head, which she finds reassuring.  When Jacob reveals some surprising news it becomes very clear that the two of them will not be able to remain friends if Edward comes back.  At the same time, Bella learns that Edward has received some false information that has prompted him to risk his life.  Can she save Edward?  Can she help Edward and Jacob to get along?

 This second installment was as good as the first.  In this book we learn a lot more about Jacob and his family as well as why they do not trust vampires. Edward is not in it as much, which is unfortunate, but the story is not boring in any way as we wait for him to return.  Those who enjoyed the first one will love this one as well.

Shelter by Beth Cooley

Published October 3, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  211

RAC Book:  Yes

Lucy, along with her mother and brother, Jimmy, is still recovering from the death of her father.  As her mother delves into their personal finances she realizes that things were not as her husband had led her to believe.  They had a lot of debt, no life insurance, and no way to pay their bills.  Her mother had always stayed at home and had no degree or work experience.  They soon had to move out of the house in favor of a duplex, which turned into a motel, which turned into a homeless shelter.

As Lucy adjusts to life in the homeless shelter and a new public school, she must also help her mother who is struggling in her new life.  Once Lucy stops mourning her old life, she begins to see that the other people she lives with have all endured hardships and are struggling hard to overcome them.  She meets teenage single mothers trying to earn their GEDs.  She meets women who had to fight to get their kids back.  She even meets a mail order bride who fled her abusive husband. 

Lucy decides to make the best of things and gets an after school job.  Her brother adjusts really well and enjoys playing with the other kids.  Her mom tries to take some classes, but does not do well at them and begins to wonder what she is going to do to pull her family out of this situation.  Lucy too begins to realize that her situation may not have been as temporary as she had hoped.

Shelter is a good story to help students understand what it would be like to live in a shelter.  The teenage protagonist is believable in her feelings and actions in this environment, which students will identify with.  As scary as things seem to be for this family, however, they never fully lose hope and neither do those around them.  This book helps us all to remember that there are so many ways to make a difference and help those around us because little things like donations and volunteering helped many of the characters in this book to get back on their feet.

Incantation by Alice Hoffman

Published October 1, 2007 Historical Fiction , Multicultural Fiction , RAC Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Historical Fiction/Multicultural Literature

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  166

RAC Book:  Yes

Estrella is living in Spain in 1500.  During this time in Spain anyone who was Jewish or converted to Christianity has the possibility of being persecuted in court.  As some neighbors of Estrella’s are taken away and she hears the charges against them she comes to the realization that she too is Jewish, but her family pretended to be Christian in order to survive. 

Once Estrella learns she is really Jewish, her entire world comes crashing down as she realizes that nothing in her world is really what she thought it was.  Her best friend betrays her when Estrella falls for the boy she had planned to marry.  She learns many secrets about her family and what they have had to do in order to ensure their secret stay hidden.  Finally, she learns that she has not even known her real name until now.

Incantation shows students that Jewish persecution did not just happen in Nazi Germany.  Jews have been persecuted for years for their beliefs and this story sheds some insight onto what it is like to have everything taken from you because of the faith you believe in.   While this story has many sad moments, it is also comforting that through it all Estrella has hope that somewhere there is a place where she could live as she is free from persecution.

 

Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa by Micol Ostow

Published September 27, 2007 Multicultural Fiction , RAC , Realistic Fiction , Uncategorized 1 Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Multicultural Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  200

RAC Book:  Yes

Emily Goldberg has been called to Puerto Rico for her grandmother’s funeral.  She has never met her grandmother or anyone else on her mother’s side of the family.  Her mother came to the U.S. to go to college, became a professor, married Emily’s father, and never went home.  Once they get to the funeral, her mother has a difficult time dealing with her estrangment from her family and asks Emily if she will stay with her in Puerto Rico for the summer, while Emily’s dad and brother go home.  Even though she was supposed to go on a road trip with her friends, Emily can’t refuse her mother in this time of need and chooses to stay. 

She finds that not everyone in the family is happy to see them and she learns more about her mother’s estrangement from her family.  Family, knowledge, tradition, and communication are all themes in this story as a family tries to come together after the death of a matriarch.  Emily learns a lot about her heritage and the strength of her mother to fight for what she believes in.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Published September 20, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment

Genre:  Realistic Fiction 

Age Level:  14 and Up

# of Pages: 192

RAC book:  Yes

Deanna Lambert was caught in the back seat of a boy’s car by her father when she was only thirteen.  She is embarassed and sorry for her behavior, but in her small town no one wants to let her forget it.  Of all the people who won’t forget that night, her father is the one with the best memory.  He won’t look at her the same way or trust her with anything.  Now Deanna is sixteen and still struggling with what happened three years earlier.  Her older brother is living in their basement with his teenage wife and baby, which causes more tension at home.  When Deanna decides to get a job to help out at home she realizes that her reputation has preceded her yet again and the only place she can find work is a run down pizza place where the infamous boy who tainted her reputation works.  She must decide how much she wants to make money in order to leave town. 

Story of  a Girl focuses on the idea of forgiveness.  How long should someone be punished for making a mistake?  How long should a person hold a grudge?  How long can a person stay mad for his or her life not turning out like it was supposed to?  No one has the ideal life in this book.  They have all made mistakes and must learn to take responsibility for those before they can move on and make a better life for themselves.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Published September 17, 2007 Historical Fiction , RAC , Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Genre:  Historical Fiction/WW II Germany

Reading Level:  Age 14 and up

# of Pages: 550

RAC book:  Yes

This story, narrated by Death, follows Liesel, a young girl during WWII in Germany who is sent by her mother to live with foster parents.  Her brother was supposed to go too, but died on the journey.  Liesel feels abandoned, but soon learns to love her new father.  He is kind and sits with her when she has nightmares.  He also plays the accordian for her.  Her new mother is harsh and uses poor language, but as time goes on Liesel comes to appreciate that times are hard and her new mother does indeed care about her. 

The story follows many different aspects of this time including Hitler Youth, concentration camps, rations, Kristallnacht, and the pressure to join the Nazi party.  Liesel’s family hides Max, a Jew, for awhile as a favor to a friend of her foster father’s who died in WWI.  When her father makes the mistake of showing compassion for Jews who are marched through town from a concentration camp he is punished by getting drafted into the war.  When her best friend, Rudy, is summoned to serve in the war, his father refuses and he is drafted as well.  Liesel tries her best to follow the rules, but she becomes bitter at what the party has done to her friends, family, and herself.  She begins to steal books so that she can learn new ideas different from those fed to her in Hitler Youth.  Her books help her survive many difficult times that lay ahead for her.

 The Book Thief is a wonderful story about a girl trying to survive Nazi Germany.  She never fully recovers from losing her mother and her brother, but nevertheless finds some happiness through her foster parents, best friend Rudy, new friend Max, and finally through her books.  The idea of knowledge and power are strong themes in this book and reflect how Hitler stripped his people of these in order to take control.  This story is powerful  and will stay with a reader long after he or she has finished it.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Published September 14, 2007 Fantasy , RAC , Uncategorized 3 Comments

Genre:  Fantasy

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  302

RAC Book:  Yes

Schuyler comes from a well distinguished family, but they have lost their family wealth over time.  She does not feel the need to fit in at school and seems content to go through life as an outcast.  Bliss, on the other hand, is a new girl from Texas who has been given the opportunity to hang out with Mimi Force, one of the popular Force twins.  She belongs to the popular crowd of thin, beautiful, and rich young people.  When she meets a boy she likes she wonders if she can give up her popularity to be with him.  Both of these girls come to learn that they are Blue Bloods.

In this book, the Blue Bloods are vampires and the Red Bloods are humans.  Most people are not told they are a vampire until they are teenagers.  All of those beautiful, rich, thin people are vampires and as such cannot be killed…or so they thought.  When a classmate is murdered and all of her blood is drained, some of the teens begin to wonder if someone is out there killing vampires.

Vampire books are popular with my students right now.  This one was not as good as the series by Stephenie Meyer, but it was entertaining.  Each vampire book has a different set of rules for explaining their existence and this book is no exception.  Some of the details given about vampires in this story are interesting and thought provoking.  The characters do not have as much depth as the Meyers series, but for those students who like to read about the wealthy and powerful this will be a hit.

What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles

Published September 12, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and Up

# of Pages:  211

RAC Book: Yes

Kyle Kirby has planned to kidnap and bury Cass McBride alive.  He plans to do this because he believes she is responsible for the suicide of his brother, David.  Shortly before his suicide, David asked her out on a date and she declined and went on to write a note to her friend calling him some terrible names and questioning why he would think he was good enough to date her.  Of course David finds this note.  As David’s story begins to spill out we learn that David has had a very difficult life living with his mother and Kyle now feels guilty that he wasn’t able to save David.  Cass begins to realize a lot about herself while she is buried in the box as well and doesn’t like what she sees.

This is a powerful story about child abuse, high school hierarchies, parent/child relationships, guilt, revenge, and remorse.  Most readers will walk away from this book with a lot to think about regarding how they treat others and how they demand others treat them.  This book is very relevant to high school life and will continue to be so for many years.

Stumptown Kid by Carol Gorman and Ron J. Findley

Published September 10, 2007 Historical Fiction , RAC Leave a Comment

 

Genre:  Sports/Historical Fiction

Age Level:  12 and up

# of Pages:  224

RAC Book:  Yes

Award Winner:  2007 Iowa Teen Award

Charlie Nebraska lives in Holden, Iowa in the year 1952.  Charlie loves to play baseball and wants to make the town team, but his tryout fails to impress and he is not chosen for the roster.  An African American man had wandered by during tryouts and watched.  On the way home Charlie meets Luther Peale, a former player in the Negro Baseball League.  Luther offers Charlie some advice and Charlie asks if he will watch his friends play too so that they can improve their baseball skills. 

The people of Holden, Iowa are a little nervous about an unknown African American man playing with their children, but the children persist until they allow it with the stipulation that one parent chaperone each game or practice.  Charlie’s mom likes Luther and often has him over for dinner, but her boyfriend feels that it is inappropriate due to his race.  Eventually Luther agrees to coach a new team with the players who didn’t make the first team, but that is overshadowed when Luther’s past catches up with him and Charlie learns why Luther is on the run in the first place.

This story shows how small town Iowans felt and still feel about change in their town.  They eventually came around, but many of them do not trust what they do not know.  At the same time, the presence of Luther in this setting shows how difficult life was for African Americans during this time.  He was a former professional baseball player and often did not feel safe traveling alone due to his race.  This story will help students understand how far we have come in race relations as well as being entertaining for all those baseball fans. 

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