Mental Health
So B. It by Sarah Weeks
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jul.25, 2009, under Battle of the Books 2009-2010, Mental Health, Real life, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? Readers grades 5 and up looking for a moving story narrated by a 12-year-old girl who knows nothing about her family and is determined to uncover the mysteries. If you like books by Sharon Creech, you’ll probably like So B. It.
Why? Heidi, 12 or 13 years old, lives in a very small world that revolves around her learning-disabled mom, and their neighbor Bernadette, who has agoraphobia. Bernie has cared for Heidi and her mom since the two showed up on her doorstep on a rainy afternoon in Reno when Heidi was a newborn, and it was obvious that her mom could not care for her. The mystery of where they came from and why no one has come to look for them nags at Heidi as she grows up even though she loves her mom and Bernie greatly. Her mom has a vocabulary of 23 words (each used as a chapter title), and Heidi is determined to find out the meaning of one of her words, “Soof.” When the photos from an old camera show someone who looks like her mom as a girl with a woman that might be her grandmother, Heidi finds a way to follow the clues. With magical luck and innocence working for her, Heidi sets out on a bus trip across the country. This book works on all levels: Heidi’s narrative voice is warm and fun to read, the characters and their dialogue are believable and engaging, and the events drive toward a conclusion that is satisfying in every way. It’s great that this book is a 2009-2010 Battle of the Books selection.
The details: 245 p. 2004 Review by Samrarian
A Battle of the Books selection for 2009-2010
The Specter by Joan Lowry Nixon
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Apr.07, 2009, under Mental Health, Mystery, Student Reviews, Thriller
Review by Zoe
Who would like this book? Nobody that’s reading it in the middle of the night, but otherwise, anybody who loves suspense.
Why? Dina is seventeen, and in the hospital with cancer. When Julie, a nine-year-old girl who was almost killed in a car accident, is moved into the bed next to Dina’s, she finally has someone to talk to. But Julie has many secrets, and claims that the accident was intentional, that she was supposed to die. Eventually, Dina and Julie are moved into a foster home, where Dina meets Dave, a boy who she becomes close friends with. One day, Julie accidentally overhears Dina telling Dave that she might die, causing Julie to reveal things about her past she had been denying for so long.
The details: 184 p. 1982 Submitted by Zoe
Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Feb.16, 2009, under Grief, Mental Health, Mystery, Real life, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? Readers who like mysteries with quirky characters, grades 5 – 8.
Why? Gilda is a wacky, blunt 13-year-old who aspires to be a psychic investigator. She’s ready for detective work, especially if it includes ghosts and the paranormal. Her old Underwood typewriter is her connection with her father who has died from cancer two years earlier. She misses him, and her longing for him motivates her to get in touch with “the other side.” Her restlessness leads her to get in touch with a distant relative of her mom’s who lives in San Francisco. Through a hilarious series of events, Gilda lands at the doorstep of her distant uncle, Mr. Lester Splinter. His house seems to be haunted by the spirit of his dead sister, and his daughter is Gilda’s age but looks almost like a ghost herself. Gilda sets about uncovering the secrets of the family and the house. The result is a story that is hilarious, haunting, and moving. I was surprised by the psychological depth that the author, Jennifer Allison, weaves into this seemingly light, fun read. It feels like being at a creepy slumber party with a perceptive friend.
The details: 336 p. 2005 ~ a Sam review
Call Me Hope: A Novel by Gretchen Olson
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Sep.27, 2008, under Abuse, Battle of the Books 2008-2009, Bullying, Mental Health, Real life, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? People who want a true-to-life story about how a 6th grade girl copes with her mom’s verbal abuse and finds meaningful relationships in unlikely places would like this book. If you like purple boots, you’ll also want to read this book.
Why? Hope, the 6th grade protagonist of Call Me Hope, lives up to her name even though her mom calls her “Hopeless” and much worse. Inspired by Anne Frank’s writing, Hope devises a point system that helps her gauge the effects of the abuse. Hope likes her 6th grade teacher and is totally excited about camping at Outdoor School at the end of the year. When a cool pair of purple boots in a second-hand shop catch her eye, she seeks to buy them and ends up with two great friends. Hope finds help in many places, but the abuse hurled at her by her mom is still heartbreaking. The good outweighs the bad in this book, and even though it made me really cry at the end, I still felt that it was more of an upper than a downer. It’s a Battle of the Book 2008-2009 selection, probably because the author is from Oregon.
The details: 288 p. 2007
So. B. It by Sarah Weeks
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on May.28, 2008, under Humorous, Mental Health, Real life, Student Reviews
Who would like this book? I think everybody.
Why? It’s a great story because she is trying to help her mom who is challenged. So Heidi is trying to find the mystery behind her mom and faces many challenges herself trying to find where her mom exactly came from.
Submitted by Taylor
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on May.26, 2008, under Abuse, Mental Health, Real life, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? What would it be like to be in a wheelchair unable to communicate? What if you were a genius but without a way to let anyone know? What if your famous father thought that killing you might be the best way to love you? Read this book if these questions catch your interest.
Why? Shawn McDaniel, the narrator of this short, tightly-written book, is fourteen but cannot be a normal teenager. He IS normal in his feelings, desires, and observations, but he is “stuck in neutral,” stuck in a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy. He listens, thinks, remembers everything; he just cannot control his muscles. His relationships with his mom, his brother and sister, their friends, and his dad give a full perspective of his life and the central issue of the novel: What makes life worth living?
The details: 128 p. 2001
Invisible by Pete Hautman
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Apr.24, 2008, under Mental Health, Real life, Student Reviews
Invisible is about two high school kids, Andy Morrow and Douglas Hanson. Douglas built a miniature town named Madham, which has a lot of trains running through it. Together Andy and Douglas get in trouble with matches and an incident at the Tuttle Place. What is the incident? Read the book to find out.
I would recommend Invisible to older teens who like Pete Hautman.
Submitted by Henry F.
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Apr.03, 2008, under Abuse, Bullying, Mental Health, Real life, Romance, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? Older teens, especially girls, who like to read about real-life situations and problems with friendships, family, and abusive people.
Why? Annabel, the sixteen-year-old narrator of Just Listen, has had a traumatic incident that has sent her life into a tailspin. Her previous “best friend” Sophie calls her names and goes out of her way to be mean. Other friends don’t talk to her. Isolated, Annabel eats her lunch on the wall with another loner, Owen. Their unlikely friendship, focused on music and honesty, is the catalyst for change in Annabel’s life. Problems with her family life, including her modeling and her sister’s struggle with anorexia, work well with the main plot. I loved her friendship with Owen and appreciated his perspective. It takes her a long time to wake up, so be prepared to get frustrated with her silence.
The details: 371 p. 2006.
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.28, 2008, under Adventure, Grief, Mental Health, Newbery, Real life, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? Young teens interested in real life situations, what makes a family a “family,” and what might happen if a young girl without a family tries to find one.
Why? Hollis Woods was abandoned at birth and has been through the foster-home route. We get glimpses of a happy time with one family but know that this time ended sadly. Part of the draw of the story is that Patricia Reilly Giff, through Hollis as the narrator, slowly reveals why Hollis thinks that she has “messed up the whole family.” These flashbacks are interspersed throughout the book as fourteen “pictures,” pictures that Hollis is painting (and describes for us) as her memories come into focus. This unfolding of her memories is set against her current relationship with Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher who is her new guardian. They have an immediate bond with art and quirkiness, a bond that gets complicated when Hollis realizes that Josie has Alzheimer’s and needs help. Hollis is a resourceful, engaging character; her story is a most worthwhile read!
The details: 172 p. 2002
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Nov.25, 2007, under Abuse, Fantasy, Mental Health, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? Lois Lowry fans and fantasy fans who are fascinated by dreams, nightmares and their impact on humans.
Why? Lowry lets us see one world from two perspectives in this fascinating tale. From the fantasy side, we meet the dream-givers Littlest and her mentor, Thin Elderly. Littlest is learning the art of gathering memories from the homes of humans and weaving them into happy, helpful dreams that she can bestow with compassion on her appointed human. From the real side of the story, we get to know one of the dream-givers’ humans — a lonely, elderly woman who takes in a troubled foster son, John. The arrival of the vicious Sinisteeds, the bringers of nightmares, is the conflict that brings the characters to crisis and redemption.
The details: 144 p. 2006
