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Marley and Me by John Grogan

Published March 13, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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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. 

Heat by Mike Lupica

Published January 31, 2008 RAC , Sports 2 Comments
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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.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Published January 22, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Romance Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Romance

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  374 p.

RAC:  Yes

Sixteen-year-old Macy is still trying to cope with not only the loss of her father, but the guilt she felt over the circumstances surrounding his death.  Her older sister has since moved out and gotten married and her mother has thrown herself into her work.  Meanwhile her boyfriend, whom she thinks is so perfect and smart, plans to spend the summer at Brain Camp.  She is supposed to take over his job at the library where his friends are incredibly mean and cold to her.

One fateful night her mother throws a business party and the caterers have some minor mishaps, which makes her mother very unhappy.  Macy is recruited to go check on them and finds them fun and willing to take on challenges.  Delia, the owner, is very pregnant and trying her best to keep things together.  Bert and Wes are brothers who lost their mother to Cancer and only have each other to take care of.  Kristy and Monica are sisters who couldn’t be more opposite as Kristy is friendly and outgoing and Monica only speaks one word at a time.  Macy feels drawn to this crazy group in some way.

When Macy’s boyfriend decides to “take a break” for the summer, she finds herself contacting the catering company for a summer job.  Taking the catering job makes a huge difference to Macy as she tries to deal with her own feelings of grief and those of her mother’s.  At the same time, she grows closer to Wes and wonders if she needs someone who doesn’t make her feel unwanted.

The characters in this book are so believable and captivating that it is hard to put down.  The issues Macy and the others are going through are so real that anyone can connect to them  in some way.  Family, friends, loss, closure, and communication are all themes in this book that help remind us all how important it is to take control of our own lives and not let anyone else do it for us.   Highly recommended.

Right Behind You by Gail Giles

Published December 12, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction 1 Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  292 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Kip murdered a child when he was nine years old and had to spend many years in psychiatric facilities in order to help him come to terms with that.  He was the youngest person in Alaska history to commit such a violent crime. Why did he do it?  Is he capable of doing something like that again? 

While Kip was trying to deal with his own feelings he was shielded from the outside world and was shocked to learn the torture his father had been put through.  Their house has been burned down and he had had to change jobs often.  As Kip prepares to enter the real world again he needs to decide if he can shed his old life and begin again as Wade.   Can anyone really leave their past behind or does it always catch up with you? 

Right Behind You tells the story of a boy trying to deal with the demons from his childhood, while also trying to live his life.  He needs to decide whether or not he deserves to live a normal life when the child he killed cannot.  He needs to decide what made him do it and whether or not he can refrain from such behaviors again.  Can he begin again or is he his own worst enemy?

 

The Noah Confessions by Barbara Hall

Published October 29, 2007 Mystery , RAC Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Mystery

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  215

RAC Book:  Yes

Lynnie Russo is disappointed when her father fails to give her a car for her 16th birthday like everyone else at her California private school gets.  She rebels by skipping school to go surfing and in response her father gives her a letter written by her mother when she was Lynnie’s age.  Her mother died when Lynnie was in elementary school in a car accident.  As Lynnie starts reading her mother’s story, she starts to realize why she has never met any of her parents’ family and why they ran away to California.  As Lynnie begins to piece together the terrible events from her mother’s childhood she begins to wonder how she can go on without changing her entire outlook on life.  Lynnie also begins dating a young man she meets at her mother’s cemetary.  He is not like the boys at her private school, but as time goes on she begins to think that maybe that is a good thing.

Lynnie’s story is a little slow at times, but many readers will want to know what big secret her mother is hiding.  Although parts of the story seem unclear or impossible, the author does a fair job of explaining it in the end.  This is not the most compelling mystery out there, but readers who like quick picks will enjoy it.

 

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

Published October 25, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Romance Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Romance, Realistic fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  250

RAC Book:  Yes 

Luke and Ella are working at the Disney World theme park as characters while the real characters are on strike.  Ella plays Cinderella and Luke plays Dale of Chip and Dale.  They feel a connection to each other, but Ella starts dating her Prince Charming (Mark) and Luke starts dating his Chip (Cassie).  They are each spending the summer after their high school graduation grappling with some issues.  Ella tragically lost an older brother around Christmas and her parents completely checked out and moved to another country leaving her to cope alone.  Luke has a built in career with his father’s business, but he’s not sure it is what he’s meant to do.

Ella and Luke seem to be able to ask deep emotional questions that they are coping with and only the other is able to respond.  As Cassie sees Luke and Ella’s connection growing, she becomes territorial and defensive.  Mark, on the other hand, is a true Prince Charming and does not want to hinder Ella’s happiness for his own.  The true story is about Luke and Ella coming to terms with their as yet undecided futures and deciding where to go once the strike inevitably ends.

Although this book has many Disney facts and references, this book is much more than people who work as Disney characters.  Ella and Luke grapple with death (through two different incidents), ambition, goals, healing, choices, and happiness.  The two help each other learn how to move on in a way they can manage without feeling forced or unhappy.  Many teenagers or adults who are making major life decisions and/or are dealing with personal tragedies will find this book interesting and insightful. 

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.

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