November 5th 2009
Review by Michael
Who would like this book?
Why? The Graveyard Book is about a boy whose family is killed by a man named Jack. The baby got away because he crawled out of his crib and out the front door. The baby (unkown name) crawls to a graveyard and is taken in by the ghosts. The ghosts name the boy Nobody Owens, Bod for short, and he is given freedom of the graveyard. A man named Silas is appointed to be his guardian. Silas is very mysterious and he is not dead and not alive. Bod’s biggest problem is Jack, but for a long time while he is growing up Bod does not even know he has an enemy. Bod enjoys growing up in the graveyard and being able to walk through walls, fade, and dreamwalk. Read this book and you will be amazed at how good it is.
The details: 301 p. 2008 Submitted by Michael
August 27th 2009
Who would like this book? Anyone, grades 6 and up, who are interested in the history of Cuba, piercing free verse, or struggles for freedom will definitely want to read this short, powerful book.
Why? From 1850-1899, Cubans fought three wars with Spain in an attempt to gain their independence, only to be taken over by the United States in 1899. Engle chronicles these struggles using free verse in the voices of four narrators. Rosa, a traditional healer based on a real woman, tells the greater part of the story. She and her husband Jose, another narrator, provide shelter and care for runaway slaves and army deserters (Cuban and Spanish). One of these escapees is the young Silvia, another narrator who idolizes Rosa and learns the traditional ways from her. Rosa’s aid to the refugees makes her an enemy of the slaveholders and the Spanish. The fourth narrator, aptly named Lieutenant Death, acts for both these groups and desperately seeks to kill her. The alternating voices of these characters combine to tell a vivid, searing story of slavery and colonialism with powerful words. The book is worth reading both for its poetry and its history. Engle includes an Author’s Note, An Historical Note, a Chronology, and References. It’s not surprising that this book is a Newberry Honor Book (2009) and the winner of the Pura Belpre Award.
The details: 178 p. 2008 Review by Samrarian
June 20th 2009
Who would like this book? Readers, 11 and up, who want a glimpse of life as a foster kid in the inner city.
Why? Woodson tells this moving, powerful story through the authentic voice of a girl living in Queens, New York, and growing from 11 to 13 years old. At the beginning of the story, she tells us the end: “The summer before D Foster’s real mama came and took her away, Tupac wasn’t dead yet.” In a series of short chapters, she spins back in time to the day that she and her best friend Neeka were just hanging out when D showed up. D’s life is a mystery to them, and D is at first not ready to fill in all the details. Slowly, the girls become fast friends, calling themselves “Three the Hard Way,” and we learn about all three of them. The narrator and Neeka have families with problems and demands; D has a foster mom with minimal expectations. The contrast between having a family and not having a family is vividly drawn, as is the “family” that evolves through friendship. Woodson uses an inner city dialect effectively. Here’s D’s description of her mom: “I know my moms is like three fries short of a Happy Meal, but she my moms, so I take what I get.” If you like that line, read this book! It is a 2009 Newberry Honor Book.
The details: 160 p. 2008 Review by Samrarian
May 30th 2009
Who would like this book? Anyone aged 9 and up who has an interest in a community in Canada for former slaves during the mid 1800s. It’s also a perfect book for anyone who has read and liked other books by Christopher Paul Curtis or if you like books that will make you laugh and cry.
Why? Elijah is known in Buxton as the first baby born in this Canadian settlement founded in 1849 for former slaves. (He is also locally famous for an incident involving Frederick Douglas.) Elijah narates the story with humor, honesty, and empathy. Christopher Paul Curtis uses Elijah’s dialect, making this book a great choice for a read aloud. In the first chapters, Elijah tells funny, meaningful stories about his family and the Buxton community, including their tradition of welcoming new runaway slaves to their settlement. Elijah also shares about a raucous adventure to a traveling circus with the preacher, a man of questionable character. When this preacher is too eager to help one of the Buxton neighbors to buy his family out of slavery, we have been amply forewarned to brace for the worse. Through the series of subsequent events, the horrors of slavery are made clear. Elijah’s discovery of what his parents had experienced as runaway slaves is powerful and moving. This book deserves its many awards: Newberry Honor 2008, Coretta Scott King Award 2008, and a Young Reader’s Choice Nominee for 2010 in the Junior Division.
The details: 352 p. 2007 Review by Samrarian
April 29th 2009
Review by Garrett
Who would like this book? People who like mystery and fantasy while staying in a real life will probably like this book.
Why? This book is about a boy who gets raised by ghosts and the likes after his family is murderd by a mysterious organization. The ghost of his mother asks the Owens, a married ghost couple, to raise her boy, Bod. Nobody Owens, Bod for short, has a guardian named Silas who has a close connection to the dead. I liked this book because it showed the adventures throughout his life.
The details: 312 p. 2008 Submitted by Garrett
April 24th 2009
Review by Moranda
Who would like this book? Anyone who needs a good page turner!!!
Why? Stanley was wrongly accused of a crime and given two choices–camp or jail. He chose camp. This is the story of his journey to becoming stronger and wiser as he learns the truth about his family history.
The details: 233 p. 1998 Submitted by Moranda
April 7th 2009
Review by Zoe
Who would like this book? Anybody looking to be convinced that the world isn’t too chaotic.
Why? In Jonas’ community, everything is perfect. There is no war, no pain, no bad weather, and no choices. Coming from that, there is no sunshine, no animals, and even no color. When the children turn twelve, they are assigned a career which they will be bound to until they are old enough to retire. When Jonas receives the assignment of Keeper of Memories, he learns so much about the world that he would never have guessed. He learns about snow, colors, and sailing, but also hunger, war, and violence. He can see why the community chose to be protected, but he has his doubts. Jonas learns many terrible things about his own community, too, and is forced to make a desicion: stay and never experience violence and pain, or save a life to find Elsewhere, a place of both danger and beauty.
The details: 180 p. 1993 Review by Zoe
February 7th 2009
Review by Sofie
Who would like this book? I think anyone would like this book.
Why? This book is about a teenager who lives in a community where everybody has a job, and everybody does that job. The whole day is planned out. If you live in that community, your whole life is planned out. The teenager Jonas gets given the job of The Memory Keeper, but Jonas isn’t satisfied with this way of life. To find out what he does, you’ll have to read the book. 
The details: 180 p. 1993 Submitted by Sofie
January 27th 2009
Review by Chance
Who would like this book? This book is for people who enjoy sad, and adventurous tales! All Ages (312 pages)
Why? There is a reason “The Graveyard Book” won The Newberry Medal, with its deflective dialogue, and its twisty plot, it so obviously spun around the critics heads drawing them in to the story, and the characters.
It did exactly the same for me, embracing my love for a good book and delivering high above my first expectations.
With a tragedy like no other, and a world none, (except Gaiman), have imagined, The Graveyard Book deals with death, and otherworldly actions, as normal par takings. Especially Bod, the main character in this haunted story, who was the only survivor in an unexplained raid, where his family was tragically murdered. Read The Graveyard Book and see what happens to Bod and his ghostly friends!
The details: 2008, 312 p. Submitted by Chance
October 5th 2008
Who would like this book? Lots of people would like this book, because it has something in it for everyone. Romance…lunatics…death…adventure…
Why? This story is about 13-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle, usually called Sal. She unwillingly leaves her family’s farm when her mother dies, and goes with her father to an entirely new state to live, where she meets all sorts of new people, including Phoebe Winterbottom, a slightly crazy girl overly obsessed with cholesterol and lunatics, and Ben Finney, her first boyfriend. But the actual story is technically Sal going on a trip to visit her mother’s grave with her “interesting” grandparents, and she tells them the story of Phoebe and Ben and Phoebe’s lunatic (really her half-brother…) on the way there. Okay, that’s all I’m going to tell you.
P.S. this is probably my most favoritest book that’s not Warriors!!!
The details: 280 p. 1994 Submitted by Zoe H.