March 9th 2008
Who would like this book? Older teens (8th grade and up) who like thrillers and real life situations involving romance, family problems, and a grisly crime.
Why? Elise Broach’s first book, Shakespeare’s Secret (reviewed on this blog), is a solid mystery with an innocent romance – a great read for mid-teens. She has stepped it up steeply with Desert Crossing. The content is for a more mature audience and the pacing is relentless. In other words, get ready to lose sleep and raise your eyebrows! Here’s the setup: Lucy (or “Luce) is 14 and traveling from Kansas to Phoenix with her 18-year-old brother Jamie and Jamie’s friend Kit. It’s Spring Break, and they are on their way to spend it with their dad. As they travel through New Mexico, Jamie and Kit cavorting in the front seat, they barrel into a blinding rainstorm and hit what they at first believe is an animal. At Luce’s insistence, they turn around and find the dead body of a girl who is about Luce’s age. Did they hit her? Are they responsible for her death? The nearest house in the remote desert belongs to Beth, a 40-something artist. She, of course, must call the sheriff and then lets the three kids stay with her while the case is investigated. The course of that investigation, the consequences of their stay with Beth, and Luce’s obsession with the dead girl drive the plot; and the relationships between the characters take some surprising twists. The challenge: just try putting it down once you start reading! Some of the coincidences that connect the plot as it concludes are a bit unbelievable, but I did not care at that point. Broach had me totally hooked with the characters, their motivations, and their choices. What was Luce going to do next? What about Kit? And Jamie? And why were they making their choices? Remember: 8th grade and above.
The details: 278 p. 2006.
March 9th 2008
Who would like this book? Teens who are interested in the Inuit (Eskimo) way of life and in the question of which environment is safer for a 12-year-old girl: the village with humans or the frozen tundra with wolves?
Why? Jean Craighead George’s classic story in three parts is a beautifully written, riveting tale of adventure and survival. The first part chronicles the way in which Miyax (Julie’s Eskimo name) reaches out to a wolf pack to help her survive on the tundra, where she has become lost. In the second part, we find out why she has run away to the tundra and why she became “Julie.” The main attraction of being “Julie” is her penpal, Amy, from San Francisco, whose descriptions of life in a beautiful house in a lively city captivate Julie. The third part of the story brings the two worlds – the world of the tundra and the world of the village together, and she must make a choice. This book, first published in 1972, continues to stand up as a worthwhile read. The use of “Eskimo” instead of “Inuit” reflects its publication date. A good research project would be to find out what other details in the book are dated and also to find out about the Inuit way of life and the choices and challenges they have faced under the influence of the “white man’s” civilization. I love this thought of Miyax: “The old Eskimos were scientists too. By using the plants, animals, and temperature, they had changed the harsh Arctic into a home, a feat s incredible as sending rockets to the moon.” (p. 121)
The details: 170 p. 1972
March 2nd 2008
Zinnia Taylor lives in modern day Bybanks, Kentucky with many brothers and sisters. One summer, she finds a covered trail. She really wants to clear it. As she clears the trail, she uncovers many different things.
You would like this book if you like books about real life. People in third grade and up could read this book. I think girls would like this book more than boys, but boys might like it, too.
Review by Kylee
March 2nd 2008
Who would like this book? Teens who like Caroline B. Cooney and who have an interest in the macabre tale of Shakepeare’s Macbeth.
Why? The tragic treachery of Lord and Lady Macbeth unfolds through the point of view of 14-year-old Lady Mary in this captivating novelization of Shakespeare’s play. Mary has come to visit Lady Macbeth to help her be groomed to be mistress of her own castle. Mary’s perspective highlights the younger characters in the Scottish play, and seeing the terrible events from their point of view is fascinating. As the events unfold around her, Mary is also swept up by them. When her father betrays King Duncan, she must “disappear” into the kitchen and make her way through the castle with stealth and hard work. The danger that she is in personally gives her an added advantage in discovering what is really happening in the castle. Through Mary’s eyes, Cooney thoroughly explores the motivations and compulsions of the main and secondary characters. Though a knowledge of Macbeth would increase appreciation for this book, it is not necessary. Mary’s story stands up well all by itself! The two would be great to read side-by-side. Cooney concludes with an afterword about the historical Macbeth and about Shakespeare’s play.
The details: 288 p. 2007
March 2nd 2008
Who would like this book? Older teens who want an upbeat, funny story of gay relationships in a high school in which “P-FLAG” is “as big a draw as the PTA”.
Why? Paul, who has known that he is gay since kindergarten, narrates this story of high school life – the drama of friendships, romances, families, and school functions – with a voice that is charming, witty, funny, and captivating. Paul is honest and honestly trying to navigate through his high school friendships with respect and good humor. The plot follows the usual romance of boy gets boy, boy loses boy, boy gets boy back. Having this prescriptive plotting applied to a gay relationship makes for an enjoyable read. Paul and his love-interest Noah are charming, their friend Tony is admirable, Infinite Darlene (football quarterback and homecoming queen) is hilarious, and Joni with new boyfriend Chuck is plucky. I came to care for all of these characters and wish for a world where more schools are as accepting as theirs is. It’s unusual when a book that features characters who are gay does not also feature bullying.
The details: 185 p. 2003
March 2nd 2008
Who would like this book? Older teens (mature 8th graders and up) and adults interested in the issue of crime, punishment, and the nature of evil and who want a riveting read.
Why? Jeff Hastings, the 17-year-old narrator of this book likes his normal life in a small New Jersey town. We soon learn that he’s so happy with soccer, school, and a girlfriend because his life used to be a kind of hell when his family lived in the town where his older brother, Troy, murdered a boy and was sentenced to life in prison. When news comes that Troy is being released from prison early and plans to live with his family, Jeff’s life is overtaken by his fury and his futile efforts at secrecy. A few of the events between Jeff and Troy seem contrived, but that didn’t keep me from losing sleep while I read deep into the night. Klass got me good with this study of evil and with the decisions that Jeff had to make.
The details: 312 p. 2005
March 2nd 2008
Who would like this book? Teens and adults interested in the events leading up to and during the Revolutionary War, especially as it relates to slavery in the North. Readers need to be prepared for writing that is in the tradition of eighteenth century, educated writing and a disturbing experiment that takes the “Age of Reason” to extremes. If you want a challenging, worthwhile book, this is it!
Why? The Pox Party is Volume 1 in the series The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation. (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves comes out on October 14, 2008.) The book is an ambitious undertaking. Most of it is narrated by Octavian Nothing, a young African American slave who does not realize that he is a slave at the beginning of the book. He narrates his story in the elegant, arch style of the eighteenth century because he is being educated by the philosopher/scientists at the The Novanglian College of Lucidity in Boston. The nature of his education slowly unfolds, and it is deeply disturbing, as are the events that overtake Octavian when the finances of the College dissolve and the Revolutionary War overtakes the nation. During times when Octavian is silenced by duress, the story is told through letters, newspaper clippings, and scientific papers. The extent of M.T. Anderson’s research and his mastery of style and mood are noteworthy. It also deals with significant ideas – slavery, human rights, war, racism. It’s not surprising that this book has won a number of prestigious awards.
The deatils: 351 p. 2006