Archive Page 49

Exposure by Patricia Murdoch

Published September 19, 2007 Realistic Fiction 6 Comments

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Reading Level:  Age 14 and up

# of pages: 102

RAC: No

The main character, Julie, faces a problem many girls face in junior high and high school and that is a mean girl.  Dana is Julie’s mean girl and goes out of her way to make Julie feel bad on a regular basis.  When Julie mentions it to her mom, her first reaction is to call the school or Dana’s parents.  As most girls know, this solution would only add to the problem.  Julie’s brother tries to make her feel better by telling her that the high school students make fun of Dana when she comes to their parties.  Of course, going to high school parties is something Dana is most proud of. 

Julie is given a unique opportunity when she finds some pictures of Dana taken of her at one of those senior parties.  Her best friend, Sammy, urges her to take the high road, but as Dana continues to lie and bully, Julie finds herself building the courage to give Dana what she feels she has coming.  Dana’s reaction to the betrayal is much worse than Julie could ever have predicted and Sammy gets upset that she lowered herself to Dana’s level.

The message of this story is that treating someone in a cruel manner because that’s how he or she treats people will not solve anything.  Dana was not able to handle not being in control and Julie found she couldn’t handle the role of bully.  While this is true, many young girls who are being bullied will have a hard time sympathizing with Dana’s character.  It’s much easier to tell someone to be the bigger person than it actually is to do it, especially when undergoing some truly cruel behavior.  Hopefully, this book will be comforting to those in Julie’s situation in that becoming the bully will not make you any happier than being the bullied.  No matter how you look at it, this is a tough issue with no easy answers.

 

 

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. 

Poison by Chris Wooding

Published September 7, 2007 Fantasy , Horror , RAC 8 Comments

Genre: Fantasy

Age Level:  12 and up

# of Pages:  273

RAC Book: Yes

Poison lived in a place called Gull with her father, baby sister, and stepmother.  The Gull was located above a large swamp and the town consisted of many stilts that raised the town above the swamp.  Poison was not happy here, but very few people ever left and she was fond of her sister, Azalea.  One night Poison awakes to find Azalea has been kidnapped by phaeries.  She immediately sets off on a difficult journey to see the Phaerie Lord to get Azalea back, but finds many obstacles in her way such as a scary woman who eats bones, a giant spider, and worse.

This book does a nice job of creating an original story in a genre that many students like to read.  Each step of Poison’s journey is exciting, suspenseful, and a little bit scary which keeps you reading.  The ending and ultimate fate of Poison, Azalea and the rest of Poison’s friends are a mystery right up until the end.  It was not predictable or overdone in any way and students who enjoy suspense and fantasy will enjoy it immensely. 

 

You, Maybe by Rachel Vail

Published September 4, 2007 Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment

 

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  199

RAC Book:  No

Josie is a confident, independent girl who refuses to form attachments and has her own style.  She criticizes any girl who would want to be in a couple because she feels that makes girls vulnerable and compromises their true selves  That all changes when Carson Gold decides he wants her to be the next girl he dates.  There have been many before her and even though Josie has seen how destructive these relationships are she can’t help but get pulled in by the star of the football team who drives the beautiful car.  Of course, she ends up losing or hurting all of her friends and her parents as she tries to be the perfect girlfriend to Carson.

This book was trying to show how girls let themselves get pulled in by guys and try to change anything about themselves in order to make these guys happy.  Unfortunately, Josie never sees what’s happening to herself.  Even when Carson dumps her, no surprise there, she is begging and crying for him to take her back.  She never regains any dignity in the relationship and has to go wounded back to her friends, whom she has alienated for this guy.  Girls often do fall into this pattern, but this book offers no hope for them to ever beat the cycle, stand up for themselves, and take control of future relationships.  This book makes teen dating seem hopeless.

Death at Deacon Pond by E.M. Alexander

Published August 29, 2007 Mystery , RAC Leave a Comment

 

Genre:  Mystery

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages: 189 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Kerri believes that she has psychic visions from time to time, many of which include visions of her now deceased father who died under mysterious circumstances.  Her father, a police officer, was believed to have killed himself, but everything Kerri believes coupled with her psychic visions tells her otherwise.  Unfortunately, no one wanted to hear about her psychic visions at the time and the experience was so painful she has tried to block them out ever since.

Kerri’s luck does not improve as she accidentally stumbles over a body in the woods one night.  She believes the man looked at her and asked for help before she passed out.  The police confirm that he was murdered, but several hours before Kerri found him which means he couldn’t have talked to her.  Kerri decides to use her powers for good and tries to investigate the crime more carefully.  She is convinced her visions will help her solve the murder and maybe give her some closure on her father’s case as well.

This book has an exciting ending, but it seems a bit rushed at times as the mytery unfolds and ties everything neatly together.  Also, it is a little ambiguous as to how much help her visions actually were in the solving of this crime.  There is some closure given to the characters at the end, but it still seems a little unclear as to how everyone around her can move on so easily after everything they have been through.  Fans of mysteries will enjoy it, but don’t expect too much depth or surprise.

 

Vandal by Michael Simmons

Published August 28, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction 2 Comments

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age level:  14 and up

# of pages:  173

RAC Book: Yes

From the author of Finding Lubchenko comes this story about Will and his brother, Jason.  Jason has gotten into trouble repeatedly for most of his life.  Will, his parents, and his sister have tried a variety of ways to help Jason get his life straight, including family therapy, but nothing seems to work.  Will’s favorite hobby is to play guitar in a KISS cover band.  As the band grows in popularity, Will decides to offer his brother a job carrying equipment.  His parents have concerns and make Jason stay out of trouble for an entire month before they agree to it.  Unfortunately, Jason’s first night on the job yields a fight during a KISS Forever performance and much, much worse.  Jason appears truly sorry for everything he does, but continues to act without regard for people or property.  Will must evaluate his expectations for a future relationship with Will.  He must also decide if Will is maliciously hurting his family or if he really is unable to control his actions, each option is disturbing in its own way. 

 This novel does not have the clever persona telling the story that Finding Lubchenko does, which is a little disappointing.  Will seems to truly understand what it means to forgive even when it is difficult, but many readers will wonder how he can always support his brother as he continues to make poor decisions.  The fact that Jason seems unable to control himself is disturbing since everyone continues to cover for him and support him throughout the story.  It is difficult to see how he will ever be a responsible person with this safety net around him.  This book would be good for leading discussions on forgiveness and taking responsibility for ones own actions. 

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Published August 28, 2007 Fantasy , RAC 1 Comment

Genre:  Fantasy

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  275

Award Winner:  2007 Iowa Teen Award

RAC Book:  Yes

Fifteen year old Liz Hall is riding her bike to meet her friend at the mall when she is hit by a car and killed.  Liz goes to Elsewhere, which is the afterlife in this book.  In Elsewhere Liz meets her grandmother, who died before she was born and many other people who have also died.  Despite all the help she is offerred, Liz has a difficult time adjusting to life in Elsewhere.  She spends all of her time at the “observation deck” where she becomes obsessed with watching her family and friends all day long.  Eventually, Liz realizes that life does go on, just in a different way on Elsewhere and she needs to accept it and move on.  She finds a job and begins to learn about what life will be like for her while she is in Elsewhere.  There are still a few matters of unfinished business that Liz must take care of, however, which leads to trouble since contact with humans is strictly prohibited.

Elsewhere provides an interesting idea of what the afterlife could be like.  Zevin creates a unique place in which people and animals can converse and people get younger instead of older.  This book could spark insightful discussions with students about what they found most interesting or most difficult to understand.  The afterlife is something that no one can know for sure about, but this story provides a scenario that could lead students to ponder and evaluate their own beliefs.

 

Dead Connection by Charlie Price

Published August 27, 2007 Mystery , Realistic Fiction 2 Comments

Genre:  Mystery

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages: 225

 

This story is told from many different perspectives.  First, there is Murray who can speak to dead people when he sits on their graves.  As a social outcast, he thinks of these people as his friends.  One day, though, he hears an unfamiliar voice that appears to be lost.  He begins to wonder if she was murdered and if so, how he can help her without ending up in the psych ward.  Other characters include Deputy Gates who is trying to solve the case of a missing high school girl, Mr. Janochek, the caretaker of the cemetary, and his daughter, Pearl, and Robert Barry Compton who was recently released from a mental facility and is trying to get on with his life.  Robert feels that he may have seen something in the past that he should tell someone, but his meds make it hard for him to remember.

The idea of talking to the dead is not new, but this story puts a new spin on it as Murray must go to the grave in order to see and hear the people buried there.  He is not psychic, but has a way of reaching beyond to talk to these people.  The characters in this story and well developed in a short amount of time so that you know who they are, what their motives are, and why they act the way they do throughout the story.  The mystery takes longer to solve than it first appears and will keep readers guessing right up until the end.

 

The Braid by Helen Frost

Published August 27, 2007 Historical Fiction , Poetry , Uncategorized Leave a Comment

   

Genre:  Poetry and Historical Fiction

Age Level:  Age 14 and up

# of pages: 88

RAC Book: No

The Braid is set in Scotland during the 1850s.  During this time, landowners in Scotland found out they could make more money by using their land for grazing than for renting it out.  Many families were told to evacuate overnight.  In this story, Sarah and Jeannie are the oldest two children in a family told to evacuate.  On their last night together, Sarah braided some of their hair together so that they will each have a piece when they start their separate journeys.  Jeannie evacuates with the family and Sarah stays with her grandmother.  The braid they each carry binds them through their difficult times ahead.  The story alternates between sisters and integrates the use of poetry.  Even though they are separated they will still influence each other’s lives over the years due to their connection with the braid of hair.

This story accurately portrayed the hardships of the times through its depiction of evacuation, sea travel, sickness, unwed mothers, and homeless families.  Through it all there is always a ray of hope as the two girls remain optimistic and strive to reach outside their comfort zones in order to stand up for what they feel is right.  Despite the hardships both girls endure, they never stop hoping that things will work out for themselves and their sister.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Published August 23, 2007 Fantasy , Mystery , RAC Leave a Comment

Genre: Fantasy and Mystery

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  759

RAC Book: Yes

Other books in the series:  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of  Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

         In this final installment of Harry Potter, Harry is on the run trying to find the remaining horcruxes that will enable Voldemort to die.  Ron and Hermione accompany him, after they all attend Bill Weasley’s wedding.  At this time, the wizarding world is a dark and desolate place to live as everyone constantly lives in fear.  Snape is now the Headmaster of Hogwarts, which makes life hard for everyone Harry has left behind.  As Harry begins to put together the past that makes up Voldemort he begins to learn a lot about his own past as well.  The life Harry has chosen for himself this year is very difficult due to the constant danger, frustrations, and isolation.  Also, he is always unsure of who he can trust.

     Rowling shows that the wizarding world is ready to defend itself against the imminent threat of evil and reveals the inner strengths of all the characters, some of which have not been tested before.  Some favorite characters are not depicted as much in the book as some readers would like, but their contributions to the outcome are meaningful.  The ending is exciting, surprising, suspenseful, and gratifying all at once.  Readers will come away from this story feeling happy about how they are leaving life in this magical world.  Rowling manages to pull everything together into a lovely, if not maybe a little too long, story. 

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Published August 22, 2007 Fantasy , RAC 2 Comments

 

Genre: Fantasy   

Reading level: 12 and up

# of pages:  629

RAC Book: Yes

Other books in the series:  Twilight and New Moon preceded this third installment

      Eclipse, the third book in this series follows Bella and Edward as they finish off their senior year.  Bella is determined to do whatever it takes to be with Edward forever, even if that means having to undergo the difficult and painful transformation into a vampire.  Jacob, her best friend who also happens to be a werewolf, is trying desperately to make up with Bella so that she might consider him as a possible choice as well.  Edward wants her to go to college and have more human experiences before undergoing the transformation.  He does see her as joining his family of vampires in the future, but doesnot want her to rush the process.  Bella must make some very difficult decisions this year as she decides what to do after graduation.  Plus, there have been a series of mysterious murders in nearby Seattle where Edward’s family believe some young vampires are loose.  This book continues Bella’s story flawlessly making everything continually more complicated.  Meyer does a great job of making the reader feel sympathy for everyone involved in this crazy love triangle.  Definitely introduce this series to your students or friends.  Once you start, you cannot put it down!

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