March 30th 2008
Listen to a Bookcast by Sam!
Who would like this book? Teens – both guys and girls – who want a gripping adventure story that is based on the events of World War II and highlights the racial discrimination that took place against Japanese Americans.
Why? If you have read Graham Salisbury’s Under the Blood Red Sun, you won’t want to miss Eyes of the Emperor. They both focus on the experience of Japanese Americans in Hawaii during World War II, and they both draw on the experiences of his own family as well as on eye-witness accounts given to him by other Japanese Americans. Salisbury is convincing as he weaves this historical information into the lives of his fictitious characters. In Eyes of the Emperor, young Eddy Okubo enlists in the army after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Instead of being sent into combat, he and his fellow Japanese soldiers are sent to a remote island in Mississippi where they are faced with a terrifying, top-secret assignment. The spirit and courage of the Japanese soldiers, their loyalty to each other, and their way of coping with impossible situations with humor combine to make this book a powerful tribute to them and a reminder of the dangerous consequences of faulty, racist thinking.
The details: 229 p. 2005
March 28th 2008
Summary
Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is supposed to die earlier then he expected. His life is saved by a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. Arthur is safe, but the world is not so safe. Some creatures from another realm brought a plague to Arthur. Arthur, being very desperate, ventures into a mysterious house that only he can see. In the house might be the secrets to the key.
Recommendation
If you like adventures, then this is the book for you. It is a very suspenseful book. Middle schoolers will like this book. Young kids might not like, but I liked it a lot!
By Natalie L.
March 28th 2008
Summary
Among The Betrayed revolves around a girl named Nina who is an illegal third child who must hide from the Population Police. When she is betrayed by a trusted friend she feels her cell is nothing but a nightmare. Then the Population Police tell her to learn the secrets of three other third children and if she doesn’t they will kill her. During Nina’s secret meetings with the Population Police she stumbles upon the key to her cell. Will she bring the other kids with her or run for herself and leave them there to die?
Recommendation
If you like intense moments where characters can’t make up there mind on tough decisions, Margaret Peterson Haddix is the author for you. I love her series and this book and I suggest you read it. You are in for an adventure! I think many people of different ages would like to read this book especially if you like sneaking around, hiding, and breaking into things. If you don’t like prisons, don’t read this book.
By Nellie
March 28th 2008
Summary
Massie is a rich girl that goes to a private school with a lot of other rich girls. All is well until Massie’s dad’s old friends show up with their daughter and son. Their daughter Claire is the same age as Massie. Claire’s family isn’t as rich as her so Massie treats her badly. Massie has her own clique, which rules the school. Claire who lives in Massie’s guesthouse has ongoing problems with Massie and her friends, and her gossip. How does Claire deal with it? Read and find out.
Recommendation
I recommend this to anyone who likes to get stuck in a read. Also, for girls who are going through high school and middle school. Also, for preteen girls.
By Madison Z.
March 28th 2008
Summary
Invisible is a book about two best friends that are always getting into trouble. One, Douglas McArthur Hansen, is a dork, obsessed with model trains, and really likes this girl that barely knows he’s alive except for when he stares at her for a long time. Two, Andy Morrow, is a popular football star at his school, does theater, and everybody wants to be like him. As you can tell they’re nothing alike but they always get along and can talk about anything, except what happened that one fateful night at the Tuttle place.
Recommendation
Readers that are older boys to young adults that like stories with multiple events would like this book. Also big fans of Pete Hautman would really like this book because this is my favorite of all of his books.
By Ben S.
March 28th 2008
Summary
Miracle on 49th Street takes place in Boston. The main characters are Molly Parker, Josh
Cameron, and Sam. The conflict is that Josh Cameron doesn’t believe Molly when she said she was his daughter that he never knew about. Her mom has died, leaving a note to her that said that Josh Cameron was her dad. Josh Cameron is a MVP who plays in the NBA.
Recommendation
I highly recommend this book to people who love books that are related to sports and mysteries.
By Devyn
March 28th 2008
Summary
This book takes place in Hogwarts. The main characters are Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione. When Voldamort was a child, he split his soul into seven pieces and Harry Potter has to destroy all of them in order to kill Voldamort.
Recommendation
I would suggest this book to people who like reading about witchcraft and wizarding. It is a good book for boys and girls in the age group of 8 years old to 16 years old.
By Jonah S.
March 28th 2008
Who would like this book? Teenagers young and old who love books, libraries, booklore, and real life situations that are alive with fantastical adventures.
Why? Endymion Spring is a boy – an assistant to Johann Gutenberg in 1452 – helping to print the first Bible with a printing press. Endymion Spring is also a book – a legendary book that locks itself, chooses and guides its keeper, and is rumored to hold the world’s knowledge. In our current world, this book has selected Blake, a young teenager who is at Oxford with his professor mother and his know-it-all little sister, Duck. Skelton alternates between the world of 1452 and the current world, linking the events and characters through the magic of the book. I love the premise of this book, but some of the subplots (Blake’s parents’ marital problems) and some of the characters detracted from the main plot. It’s worth reading, though, especially for the bone-chilling descriptions of the depths of the library at St. Jerome’s College in Oxford. Newly nominated as a YRCA selection for 2009.
The details: 392 p. 2006.
March 28th 2008
Who would like this book? Adults who want a funny, moving novel from the point of view of Jacob, a 90 – or 93-year-old, who is looking back to his coming-of-age with the circus.
Why? I picked up this book with hopes that it would be a good choice for middle school students. Because of some scenes that are violent and overtly sexual, it fits best for high school and older. Though I realized this age restriction early in the book, I could not put it down. As he narrates the story, Jacob is either 90 or 93 (he can’t remember and doesn’t care), trapped in a nursing home that he disdains. His current, depressing situation is juxtaposed with his coming-of-age story. One week short of graduating from Cornell as a veterinarian, Jacob’s parents are killed in a car accident, he discovers that they have left a pile of debt, and he walks away from his final exams. His walk does not stop until he hops a train that happens to be carrying a circus: Jacob’s real education has begun. Set against the great depression, Water for Elephants made me care deeply for Jacob, Marlene, and Rosie the elephant. I am so glad that I took the time to finish a non-middle school book because I loved the ending.
The details: 335 p. 2006
March 13th 2008
Who would like this book? Teens (8th grade and older), especially guys, who like football, don’t mind descriptions of violence, and appreciate sarcasm and “What if?” wit.
Why? It’s the year 2076, the United States has become the United Safer States of America, 24% of the population is in prison working for conglomerates such as McDonalds, and 16-year-old Bo Marsten has an anger problem. His dad and brother are in prison because of anger explosions, and he is headed to follow the family tradition. Bo gets blamed for a rash outbreak at his high school, and then makes the rash decision to let himself be baited by the punk who is trying to steal his girlfriend. Bo ends up at a prison in the far north making pizza, with a roommate whose offense against society is being obese. When Bo and his roommate get recruited for the prison’s clandestine and violent football team by the sadistic prison warden, the study of a futuristic society in which safety is first changes gears and becomes a sports thriller in which human lives can be tossed to the bears (literally). Some of the plot moves are over the top and the sarcasm gets heavy handed, but I was willing to overlook these annoyances because of Bo’s narrative voice and the ideas that the plot introduces.
The details: 256 p. 2006