Archive Page 44

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

Published March 25, 2008 Historical Fiction , RAC 23 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

Genre:  Historical fiction

Age Level:  12 and up

# of Pages:  227

RAC Book:  yes

This story, told in poetry form, follows one of the twelve children rescued from the Lodz Jewish ghetto during WWII.  The author is related to this woman who became one of the few children who managed to survive during a time when children were considered a nuisance and expendable.  It is important for students to hear these true stories of life in the ghetto and how she managed to survive such brutal attacks on her family and neighbors. 

One main reason why she survived the war was her father.  Her father was very astute, observant, and not afraid to try risky tactics.  His bravery saved his family and many others from a certain death and once the war was over he never spoke of it again.  Instead, he went on to live a normal life as if he had never done these heroic things to save his family. 

This story tells not only of what the ghettos were like during this time, but also of family, friendship, and being willing to stick up for yourself and what’s right even if it is difficult.  Any student who reads this will be able to get something out of it sheerly because they will respond to the fact that it is a true story.  Recommended.

Marley and Me by John Grogan

Published March 13, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  303

RAC Book:  Yes

This story follows a man’s journey with his dog, Marley.  It begins with him and his wife picking Marley up at a kennel as a puppy and follows them through puppy training, their journey to start a family, and life with three kids and a big dog.  This story comes straight from the heart and does not only focus on the good parts of having a dog.  There are many issues with Marley since he is a chewer, afraid of thunderstorms, and a bit needy.  Through it all, the family continues to get attached to Marley and cannot bear to think about life without him.

This story was written after a column written by the author about the passing of his beloved dog brought such a strong response from other dog owners who have experienced similar relationships with their dogs.  For anyone who has close family pets this will be an emotional book full of funny, sad, and memorable moments that only a family pet can provide. 

Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick

Published March 11, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

Genre: Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  264

Age Level:  13 and up

RAC Book:  Yes

San Lee has been the new student on many occasions since his family has moved so much.  With each new school San would try to create a new image or persona in order to survive, since he is a geeky Asian kid who frequently gets picked on.  This time things are a little different because San is now alone with his mother and he is angry with his father for their current situation. 

On his first day of school he meets a young lady who calls herself Woody and plays the guitar at lunchtime for money.  He decides he wants to get close to her because she seems like someone who could appreciate different and unique people.  In his history class they begin talking about Zen Buddhism and before he knows it he has led the class to believe that he has practiced this religion for years.  It definitely makes him unique and original, but can he keep it up without hurting his new friends and his mother? 

This story uses Zen Buddhism to illustrate how life in most situations, but especially high school, could be improved if people really thought about their actions and words.  By using Zen, San basically creates a new way to remind students of how to treat each other and live life to the fullest.  Unfortunately, San’s failure to be honest with Woody about his past and true ambitions leads him into trouble.  Once again, Sonnenblick has created a realistic high school character who can be selfish and self-serving, while also showing the ability for c0mpassion and friendship.  The supporting characters are rich and developed to make the story engaging and even a little inspiring.

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Published March 6, 2008 Fantasy , RAC 6 Comments
Tags: , , ,

Genre:  Fantasy

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  304

RAC Book:  Yes

Cal Thompson is a carrier of the parasite that creates vampires.  He was infected against his will and is now a hunter to hunt down others who have been infected and need help.  After he chases down all of the people he inadvertently infected he goes searching for the one who forced this life upon him.  Through this process he meets Lace, a girl who lives in the same apartment building of the girl he is looking for, and discovers she has noticed that something is not right in her building.

As Cal continues looking for clues as to what is really going on in the vampire community, he finds that Lace is difficult to get rid of and demands he tell her the truth about what he does for a living.  Instead of fleeing like most people would, Lace tries to help him find the mysterious Morgan who began Cal’s journey and what she finds surprises them both.

This vampire story focuses more on the science of vampirism and other parasites that exist in our world.  It lacks some of the excitement and mystery of this world found in other series such as Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight or Melissa De La Cruz’s Blue Bloods.  It does provide a unique take on vampires, but students won’t find it as interesting as Westerfeld’s Uglies series.  All in all, a little slow moving and cautious about a popular topic in young adult lit. right now.

Pretty Tough by Liz Tigelaar

Published March 4, 2008 RAC , Sports 21 Comments
Tags: , ,

Genre:  Sports Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  246

RAC Book:  Yes

Krista and Charlie are two sisters who do not get along in any way.  Krista strives to be perfect and adored at all times, while Charlie seems determined to be a loner.  The story changes perspective between the two sisters which allows the reader to understand where both girls are coming from.  Krista has a lot of insecurities which she tries to compensate for by looking perfect on the outside.  Charlie feels her sister and everyone else in school failed to stand up for her in the past and does not have time for them now.

Everything begins to change when  a new soccer coach, Martie, decides to make girls soccer great again.  She recruits Charlie, a strong athlete, which annoys Krista because she feels like Charlie is taking the spotlight away from her for her senior year.  Charlie tries out purely to annoy Krista and has no intention of staying on the team, but finds she enjoys actually fitting in somewhere.

This book covers many issues like high school life, friendship, sports, and sisters.  Both sisters learn a lot through their time together on the soccer field and come to appreciate each other in new ways.  This change in their relationship is not easy, however, and they have to jump many hurdles in order to be able to play well together.  Of course there are also romantic moments in this teen story.  A good story for girls and athletes who enjoy this type of writing.

Doppelganger by David Stahler Jr.

Published February 28, 2008 Fantasy , RAC 36 Comments
Tags: , , ,

Genre:  Fantasy

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  258

RAC Book:  Yes

The main character in this book is a doppelganger.  Doppelgangers try to survive in this world through a human body.  In order to get a human body they must kill a human and take on his or her form.  They are not able to hold forms forever, though, and must eventually find a new body. 

When the main character, who has no name, is turned out by his mother as a teenager to fend for himself he finds he has difficulty killing humans.  He finds an old man and takes his body first.  Then, one day some teenage boys decide to pick on the old man and he ends up killing a teenage boy.  He decides to become the boy, Chris, in order to see what it’s like to be a normal teenage boy.  “Chris” soon learns that life is not as perfect as he had seen on television.  His family has numerous problems including domestic abuse, his girlfriend seems to hate him, and he is supposed to be a football star and he knows nothing about it.  “Chris” must learn what it means to be human and whether or not it is worth all the trouble.

This fantasy has many unusual elements related to the doppelgangers, but they are all explained clearly by the author.  There is also a lot of violence, but it is not too graphic or disturbing.  The scenes with Chris’s family are very serious, but interesting for students to read because they have many problems but there is still hope for them to be happy together.  Mystery and fantasy readers will enjoy this title.

 

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Published February 26, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Sports 6 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Reading Level:  12 and up

# of Pages:  271

RAC Book:  Yes

Naomi was late at school one day working in the year book office when she tripped down some stairs and suffered a blow to the head.  The result was that she forgot the previous four years of her life, including everyone she met during that time.  Naomi has a difficult time trying to discover why she liked yearbook, tennis, and even her boyfriend.  At the same time she must come to terms with her parents divorce and her father’s new fiancee.

Naomi chooses to make many changes in her life because she believes that she is changed and cannot be the person she was before.  Everyone around her is unbelievably patient and understanding to her situation and never pushes her to do anything.  That does not mean that those around her, specifically her father and best friend, do not get disappointed by her subsequent actions.

The idea of this book was creative and interesting much like Zevin’s previous novel, Elsewhere, but it lacked the follow through that  one did.  The middle lagged as Naomi struggled with discovering herself, and the end was anticlimactic and boring.  No one will dispute that going through something like that would be traumatic, but Naomi seems overly selfish and mean at times to those who have been so understanding to her through everything.  All in all, a bit of a disappointment.

 

Black and White by Paul Volponi

Published February 21, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Sports 38 Comments
Tags: , , ,

Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Sports

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  185 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Eddie and Marcus have been best friends for so long that no one even qusetions the fact that Eddie is white and Marcus is black.  In fact, since they are a dynamic duo on the basketball court they actually have the nickname “black and white.”  Unfortunately, they get the idea to hold people up in order to get extra cash and a man accidentally gets shot.  As the cops slowly start to put the pieces together they need to decide just what it means to be a good friend.  Does it mean taking the blame together or keeping your mouth shut and letting your friend walk away free?

This story discusses the differences in how African American and Caucasion people are treated in the court system.  This story is based on interviews conducted by the author with people who have been caught in similar situations.  Students will like this story because it discusses friendship as well as choices.  At our school we stress how important it is for students to be aware of the choices they make because each one can change the course of your life. 

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Published February 19, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction 8 Comments
Tags: , ,

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  259

RAC Book:  Yes

Matthew writes a letter to his younger sister, Emmy, about what life was like with their physically and emotionally abusive mother.  Matthew wants Emmy to understand why he and their sister Callie ended up looking for ways to leave their mother.  He recounts how he and Callie constantly tried to protect Emmy from their mother’s outbursts and mood swings and how certain incidents escalated to physical danger and neglect at times.

In many ways this letter was meant to help Matthew understand what happened in his childhood as well.  He is not even sure he will ever give it to Emmy, but he wants to have a clear account of the home they left behind just in case Emmy ever expresses confusion about leaving her biological mother.  Simply by writing it, Matthew forgives himself for some of the measures he took to ensure their safety and for some of the people who were hurt along the way.

Students who found A Child Called It interesting will also want to read this story.  Since there is more emotional than physical abuse, they worry about trying to leave home because they fear they will get split up or immediately returned to their abusive and unpredictable mother.  A realistic portrayal of life with someone who has mental issues.

Can’t Get There From Here by Todd Strasser

Published February 14, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction 33 Comments
Tags: , , ,

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  198

RAC Book:  Yes

2008 Iowa Award Winner

Maybe lives on the street with several other teens.  They have all been forced into a life on the street and survive by panhandling and digging through dumpsters.  Every time they are approached by someone who wants to help them get off the street they ignore the help and choose to stay in their position.  Due to the extreme circumstances and bitter cold they start dying one by one. 

Tears is a twelve year old girl who was kicked out of her house when she reported that her stepfather was abusing her and her mother failed to believe her.  Maybe begins to see how living on the streets is not a choice after all, but the final solution when the other choices have been exhausted.  She decides to make sure that Tears does not face the same fate as many of the other teens.

This book tries to show teens what it’s like to live on the street with the cold, panhandling, disease, and the way people mistreat the homeless.  Although many of them have had terrible people take advantage of them in their lives and feel like they can take care of themselves, it still seems unbelievable that these teens would choose to freeze under a bridge instead of going to a shelter when the opportunity arises.  The lives of these homeless and abused teens are so far from what many students know that I’m not sure they will be able to really understand these characters.

Sold by Patricia McCormick

Published February 12, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction 7 Comments
Tags: , , ,

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  263

RAC Book:  Yes

Lakshmi is a child living in Nepal.  Due to poor farming conditions and a gambling stepfather, she is sold into prostitution.  Her and her mother believe she is going to work as a maid in a nearby city in order to send money home to her family.  When she makes the difficult journey and learns that she is to be held against her will in a house full of prostitutes, she tries to escape.  Lakshmi quickly learns, however, how difficult it is to break out of this situation.

McCormick did a lot of research on this situation in India and spoke to girls who have escaped.  This is a real issue that many students are not aware of.  In this fictional story, the reader is not shielded from the horrors of this young girl’s life, but there is a sense of hope as well.  Not all students will want to read about such a serious topic, but those who do will learn a lot.  Well written.

Hard Ball by Will Weaver

Published February 7, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Sports 3 Comments
Tags: , , ,

Genre:  Sports Fiction

Age Level:  12 and up

# of Pages:  240 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Billy Baggs has been enemies with King Kenwood ever since he can remember.  They are both strong baseball players, but Billy lives on a farm far out of town and King lives in town in a big house.  Their fathers have clashed for many years and they both have a crush on the same girl.  There are numerous reasons why they have failed to see eye to eye over the years. 

Right before they begin high school they get into a big fight and their baseball coach says they have to spend one entire week together or else he won’t let them on the team.  When King stays on the farm he pitches in and helps with the chores.  He begins to see how difficult life is for a kid on a farm.  He has to get up early and do chores before getting on an hour long bus ride to school.  He does it all with minimal complaining, however. 

When Billy stays in town he sees that life isn’t as easy for King as he thought.  His mother drinks and his father works long hours, so King is responsible for making all the meals in the house and cleaning.  Also, his father puts a lot of pressure on him to work out and practice baseball in the hopes of getting a scholarship someday.

Both boys end up finding that they need to understand more about where the other one is coming from before passing judgment.  They also learn how to work together in order to improve their current situations before they both crack under all the responsibilities heaped upon them.  A good book about sports and high school.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

Published February 5, 2008 RAC , Sports 66 Comments
Tags: , , ,

Genre:  Sports

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  313 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Mick Johnson wanted to be the starting running back on his football team from the moment his father put a football into his hands at the age of four.  Mick was raised to believe his father was a tremendous football player who played for the NFL, but later realizes he did not get the full story.  He vows never to make the same mistakes his father made.

In junior high Mick starts to really gain speed and agility, but finds he is not as strong as he would like.  He starts to lift weights constantly, but he has a difficult time exceeding his past personal goals.  His father offers to get him some time with a personal trainer at a nearby gym and Mick goes, despite his coach’s concerns that it would be better to work out with his own teammates.  His personal trainer, Peter, offers Mick some steroid enhancements that he refuses.  After Peter assures him that they are harmless and will give him unimaginable strength, he relents and vows to stop taking them when the football season begins.

Mick loves the power and strength he gets when he takes the steroids, but when it comes time to quit he wonders if he has the strength to do that.  Carl Deuker is one of the most popular sports writers around because he combines exciting sports moments with real people who have real problems.  His books are interesting for anyone, despite their athletic ability, and this one is another hit.  Recommended

Heat by Mike Lupica

Published January 31, 2008 RAC , Sports 2 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

Genre:  Sports

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  220 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Michael Arroyo was born in Cuba and immigrated to the United States with his father and brother when he was younger.  His entire family is obsessed with baseball and they love living in the Bronx, which is so close to Yankee Stadium.  Michael also plays on a Little League All Stars team and they hope to go to the World Series.  Michael is a strong pitcher and a little big for his age, so as his team starts to do well other coaches feel the need to question his date of birth.  Unfortunately, Michael is not able to locate his birth certificate, which causes some problems for him and his team.

Meanwhile, Michael and his brother, Carlos, are hiding a terrible secret that they are afraid will break their family up.  Despite the fact that Michael doesn’t seem to have anything going right in his life, he always has his friends and baseball to get him through.  He wonders whether he will get to continue to play baseball or if his dream will end forever over a dispute about his age.  This was a good sports story, but it also shed some light on difficult issues like immigration and poverty.  Boys will be a fan of this book.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Published January 29, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction 24 Comments
Tags: , , , , ,

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  371

RAC Book:  Yes

Annabel Greene is beginning her senior year with a sense of dread.  She is afraid that no one will talk to her and she will have no friends, which is exactly what ends up happening.  She eats her lunch alone and the school outcast is the only one who will even come near her.  Her former best friend has now turned everyone in the school against her based on something that happened early in the summer that is not revealed for a long time.

Annabel has two older sisters, one who is currently taking classes in New York, and one who is at home recuperating from an eating disorder.  At one time all of these girls worked as models, but now Annabel is the only one who still does it.  As she realizes she would like to end her modeling career, she also realizes that this will be yet another thing she keeps inside and doesn’t tell anyone.  Annabel does not like to upset people or disappoint anyone, so therefore never tells anyone what she truly thinks or feels.

Owen is the outcast who sits with her at lunch and eventually they begin talking.  He has a radio show in which he plays very untraditional music.  He demands honesty at all times and Annabel begins to think he might be someone she could really confide in.  The question is whether or not she will let herself actually tell anyone about what happened on that fateful summer day that forever changed her life.  This story is well written and will be a favorite with many teenagers.  This book encourages teenagers to take control of their lives in order to plan what they want to do in the future instead of what their parents’ plan for them.  In today’s society it can be difficult to break away from a parent’s protective guidance.  Recommended.

 

Archives

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started