If the Witness Lied and Perpetual Check

FIC Cooney, Caroline B. If the Witness Lied, 213 pgs. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2009. RATING : Language – PG.
Jack’s been the good brother. He’s the one who has stayed home with his younger brother, Tris, and Aunt Cheryl. Smithy, at 14, applied by herself to boarding school in another state and got accepted. Madison ran away to her godparents. Neither sister has been home for more than a couple of days in a year. However, with the passing of the anniversary of their Dad’s birthday and death, the sisters both feel prompted to come home, arriving on the same day Jack learns about his aunt’s plan to sell Tris’s story to TV. Their family has already had unwanted media attention three times : once when their mom refused chemotherapy for her liver cancer because she was pregnant with Tris; again when she died within a month of Tris’s birth; and lastly, a year earlier, when their dad died after Tris accidentally released the parking brake and the jeep ran him over. Jack knows any renewed media interest will brand Tris as that kid who killed both his parents, permanently removing any chance of even having a semblance of a normal childhood. With the help of Jack’s neighbor Diana and armed with memories of their parents’ love and courage, the siblings overcome misunderstandings among themselves and willful deceptions by Cheryl to become a family again.

This is a touchingly sweet and simple story of courage, family love, and starting over. The children’s memories of their parents’ love and example resonated with me. I also was moved by their struggles to forgive themselves and each other for their choices since their dad’s death, and their tentative overtures toward faith in God despite everything that’s happened to them. I can overlook the coincidence of both sisters coming home on the very day Cheryl secures a TV contract because of how much I think Cooney was right on with the rest of the story.
MS – ADVISABLE.


FIC Wallace, Rich. Perpetual Check, 112 pgs. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. RATING : Language – PG13 (about 45 swear words, no f-).
This book covers the action of just one night and the following day, but it is a pivotal day in the relationship of two brothers. Randy, a freshman, has recently surpassed Zeke on the chess team as their leading player. He was seeded fifth for the tournament while his brother was not seeded. However, they have both made it to the final 16 and have been given free rooms for the night. When Zeke leaves his hotel key in the room and is out past curfew, he is forced to knock on Randy’s door and crash there. Zeke doesn’t get Randy’s humor and finds his tendency to make up words annoying. He has found it easy to follow his dad’s lead and not treat Randy well since he is also secretly intimidated by his brother's natural athletic abilities, intellect, success at getting a girlfriend, and ease in his own skin. In other words, he has a serious case of sibling rivalry. But this night, away from their dad, they have a conversation as any two not-very-close brothers might who are both competing in the same tournament, playing a game they both love, and meeting the same people. As the older brother extends this hand of friendship, the younger brother happily accepts. By the end of the tournament, they finally are able to connect to each other as brothers instead of as their father’s sons.

I liked this story. It is a very fast read at only 112 pages, but I was pulled right into this sibling rivalry. I enjoyed watching the scenes at the chess tournament and listening to their dialogue as Zeke tried to relate to Randy honestly, discarding his preconceived notions about his brother and seeing his dad for the bully he was. I also was intrigued by the ins and outs of playing chess competitively. Since I am so unable to do so, it was informative to learn a little about it.
MS – ADVISABLE.

Death by Denim

FIC Gerber, Linda. Death by Denim (Death By series, bk. 3), 211 pgs. Sleuth Speak (Penguin Group), 2009. RATING : Language & Violence – PG (couple of swear words; mild brutality).
Aphra never has a day when she forgets about The Mole and his minions who would like nothing better than to find her and Seth and take their revenge. She keeps a low profile, has no friends and no contact with Seth, and chants repeatedly the mantras her mom has taught her to help her stay safe. Still, when she realizes a man is trailing her one day, Aphra is sent into an icy panic. She and her mom avoid home, dodge the Marlboro Man, and make a call to the Agency. Thus are they suddenly on the run again, and forced to once more trust the Agency.

Not having read the first two books, I missed the set-up for Aphra and Seth’s relationship, and the initial confrontations between them and The Mole. However, this book gave me enough background information to follow the plot without trouble, and the intrigue was fun spy fare.
MS – ESSENTIAL. HS – OPTIONAL (ninth & tenth graders).

Why I Fight and Dull Boy

FIC Oaks, J. Adams. Why I Fight, 228 pgs. Richard Jackson Book (Atheneum Books for Young Readers), 2009. RATINGS : Language – PG13 (mostly contains innocuous substitutes for swear words, until the very end). Sexual Content & Violence – PG.
Set in an unnamed area, this book contains Wyatt’s narrative of his life as told to you, the reader, someone he has met on the bus at the very end of the story. The language is full of colloquialisms and grammatical errors, at times making it difficult to understand or to get into a rhythm as you read along, but which makes the story very immediate and personal. Wyatt has not had love or acceptance from his parents, and when his uncle Spade offers to take him away, he doesn’t hesitate. For a long time, he reveres Spade. However, Spade isn’t much better of a role model, moving from girlfriend to girlfriend and using everyone he knows to get what he wants. When Wyatt grows into a very large 14-year-old and punches out a pig at a pig-catching contest, Spade sees a chance to make money and has Wyatt fight bare-knuckled on a betting circuit.

Wyatt doesn’t have an education, hasn’t had positive role models, can’t articulate his needs and wants, and has only felt successful when beating up someone. He chokes his only friend from his entire teen years; he doesn’t even get a backward glance from Spade who drops him off at his parents’ house after six years of virtually no contact; and he punches out his dad on the first day of stress. Nevertheless, I am determined to remain hopeful that Wyatt will find his way in the world, that he will be able to follow his naturally tender heart and actually become a gentle, content adult. This story makes me care about him and want him to succeed. Unfortunately, the odds are working against him.
MS, HS – ADVISABLE.


FIC Cross, Sarah. Dull Boy, 308 pgs. Dutton Books (Penguin Group), 2009. RATING : Language – PG13 (over a hundred swear words, no f- word).
We meet Avery Pirzwick as he is trying to counteract all the inadvertent trouble he’s been getting into because of his powers – busting his neighbor’s car door, breaking his wrestling opponent’s arm, lying to his friends to keep his powers hidden. He ends up losing these friends, getting caught in the middle of an apparent attempted robbery, and being sent to an alternative school for troubled youth. Though he feels completely isolated and misunderstood because of his powers, others have taken an interest in him exactly because of them. Cherchette Morozov, an adult who can make ice grow as if it’s alive, is the first person with powers he becomes aware of. She contacts him during a fake robbery and promises him sanctuary away from the world. Though he is tempted by her offer, leaving his parents without a word seems a bit extreme. As he is considering what he should do, he starts his new school and meets Darla Carmine and Catherine Drake, two girls he’d noticed before at a diner. Darla wants Avery and Catherine to join their group, but Catherine resists getting close to anyone and Avery doesn’t know whom to trust. Each of these teens has unique powers, too: Darla’s a genius, Catherine has abilities like a cat, Nicholas’s chest opens into a vortex, Sophie can stick to surfaces, and Jacques can freeze things, like his mom. When Nicholas decides to run away with Cherchette, Avery and his new friends finally realize they must work together to save their friend.

The story moves at a good clip and may be enjoyed by readers who like X-Men. However, the plot and Avery’s internal conflicts are pretty predictable, and the connection between the villain and the main characters is left largely undeveloped. The language will keep this title out of my middle school.
MS – OPTIONAL.

2008-2009 Reading List

Here is the list of books I've read during the 2008-2009 school year. They are sorted by call number. Included are the review dates.

1. 289.3 Eyring, Mormon Scientist (reviewed Mar 23, 2009)
2. 305.23 Naidoo, Making It Home (reviewed Oct 6, 2008)
3. 305.235 O’Brien, Afghan Dreams (reviewed Mar 9, 2009)
4. 333.72 Lasky, John Muir (reviewed Jan 29, 2009)
5. 523.8 Jackson, Mysterious Universe (reviewed May 18, 2009)
6. 590 Turner, Life in the Wild (reviewed May 18, 2009)
7. 591.77 McLimans, Gone Fishing (reviewed Feb 4, 2009)
8. 612.8 Fleischman, Phineas Gage (reviewed Jan 29, 2009)
9. 629.45 Thimmesh, Team Moon (reviewed Oct 6, 2008)
10. 741.5 Russell, Coraline (based on novel by Neil Gaiman) (reviewed Oct 20, 2008)
11. 741.5 Yang, American Born Chinese (reviewed Jan 29, 2009)
12. 808.83 Tan, Tales from Outer Suburbia (reviewed Apr 30, 2009)
13. 811.54 Pretlutsky, Pizza Pigs and Poetry (reviewed May 18, 2009)
14. 939 Woods, Seven Wonders of the Ancient Middle East (reviewed May 18, 2009)
15. 956.95 Barakat, Tasting the Sky (reviewed Nov 26, 2008)
16. FIC Anderson, Pox Party (reviewed Mar 9, 2009)
17. FIC Bennett, Cassandra’s Sister (reviewed Oct 20, 2008)
18. FIC Berry, The Amaranth Enchantment (reviewed Jun 24, 2009)
19. FIC Bloor, Tangerine (reviewed Feb 10, 2009)
20. FIC Bodeen, The Compound (reviewed May 18, 2009)
21. FIC Booraem, The Unnameables (reviewed May 18, 2009)
22. FIC Bradley, Hot Lunch (reviewed Oct 30, 2008)
23. FIC Bray, Rebel Angels (reviewed Dec 18, 2008)
24. FIC Cannon, Loser’s Guide to Life and Love (reviewed Feb 21, 2009)
25. FIC Carroll, Awakening (reviewed Apr 30, 2009)
26. FIC Cashore, Graceling (reviewed Apr 30, 2009)
27. FIC Colfer, Airman (reviewed Nov 26, 2008)
28. FIC Collins, Hunger Games (reviewed Oct 6, 2008)
29. FIC Cooney, Enter Three Witches (reviewed Jan 29, 2009)
30. FIC Cornwell, Carpe Diem (reviewed Dec 18, 2008)
31. FIC Crane, Skin Deep (reviewed Mar 23, 2009)
32. FIC Downing, Trials of Kate Hope (reviewed Nov 26, 2008)
33. FIC DuPrau, City of Ember (reviewed Oct 30, 2008)
34. FIC George, Looks (reviewed Dec 18, 2008)
35. FIC Grantz, Something Rotten (reviewed Sep 29, 2008)
36. FIC Halpern, Dormia (reviewed Jun 24, 2009)
37. FIC Harper, Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney (reviewed Nov 26, 2008)
38. FIC Hesse, Aleutian Sparrow (reviewed Jan 29, 2009)
39. FIC Kilbourne, Dear Jo (reviewed Oct 30, 2008)
40. FIC Koertge, Shakespeare Bats Cleanup (reviewed Apr 21, 2009)
41. FIC Korman, Schooled (reviewed Nov 26, 2008)
42. FIC Kostick, Epic (reviewed Spe 29, 2008)
43. FIC Kostick, Saga (reviewed Dec 18, 2008)
44. FIC Law, Savvy (reviewed Nov 3, 2008)
45. FIC Lockhart, Disreputalbe History of Frankie Landau-Banks (reviewed Mar 23, 2009)
46. FIC Lord, Rules (reviewed Dec 18, 2008)
47. FIC Lowery, Hidden Voices (reviewed May 18, 2009)
48. FIC Mahy, Maddigan’s Fantasia (reviewed Feb 10, 2009)
49. FIC Malley, The Declaration (reviewed Jun 24, 2009)
50. FIC Marr, Wicked Lovely (reviewed Dec 18, 2008)
51. FIC Marsh, Night Tourist (reviewed oct 20, 2008)
52. FIC Miller, Kiki Strike : Inside the Shadow City (reviewed Nov 26, 2008)
53. FIC Peck, River Between Us (reviewed Jan 29, 2009)
54. FIC Pfeffer, The Dead and the Gone (reviewed Sep 12, 2008)
55. FIC Reeve, Here Lies Arthur (reviewed Oct 20, 2008)
56. FIC Reeve, Mortal Engines (reviewed Feb 4, 2009)
57. FIC Resau, Red Glass (reviewed Sep 12, 2008)
58. FIC Rex, True Meaning of Smekday (reviewed Dec 18, 2009)
59. FIC Sage, Magyk (reviewed Feb 10, 2009)
60. FIC Shusterman, Everlost (reviewed Apr 21, 2009)
61. FIC Sonnenblick, Zen and the Art of Faking It (reviewed Oct 30, 2008)
62. FIC Spinelli, Smiles to Go (reviewed Jan 29, 2009)
63. FIC Stahler, Doppelganger (reviewed Oct 20, 2008)
64. FIC Stewart, Mysterious Benedict Society (reviewed Apr 21, 2009)
65. FIC Tocci, Stone Voice Rising (reviewed May 18, 2009)
66. FIC Zimmer, Reaching for Sun (reviewed Dec 18, 2009)

Dormia ; The Declaration ; and The Amaranth Enchantment

FIC Halpern, Jake and Peter Kujawinski. Dormia, 506 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.
After learning that he is a descendant of Dormia, a hidden kingdom in the Ural Mountains whose inhabitants possess the ancient power of "wakeful sleeping," Alfonso sets out on a mission to save the kingdom from destruction, discovering secrets that lurk in his own sleep. Traveling with Bilblox, Hill, and a magic-inducing plant, Alfonso has some wonderful adventures fighting off killer plants, competing in a relay race on a pair of decaying ships, sailing across the frozen seas, following a haunted forest path, withstanding winter storms, and entering Dormia. Once there, he must help defeat those who have infultrated this hidden world and are set on killing the founding tree that keeps them alive. Final pages include selected Dormian hieroglyphs and the national anthem of Dormia. I found the adventures creative and well written. However, personally, I just don't find very exciting the possibility of having great abilities that exhibit themselves only when you're sleeping. Alfonso has to go to sleep before he can perform at the level needed to outwit and defeat his opponents. That just seems wrong, somehow.
MS - ADVISABLE.


FIC Malley, Gemma. The Declaration, 301 pgs. Bloomsbury, 2007.
In 2140 England, the drug Longevity has eradicated old age a century previously, but as the death rate plummeted, resource shortages became critical and children became an insupportable luxury. By 16 years of age, all people have to either sign The Declaration, allowing the use of Longevity but forbidding children, or Opt-Out. This story begins as Surplus Anna finally starts writing in the journal she received from Mrs. Sharpe last year after working for her for a few weeks. Accepting gifts isn’t allowed by Surpluses, and writing is strictly forbidden, but she can’t resist. She has a perfect hiding place for it and feels both heady and incredibly guilty as she periodically writes down some of her thoughts. Anna is living at Grange Hall and training to become a house servant. She is usually obedient, trying to earn her release as a Valuable Asset where she’ll work for a Legal to make up for the resources she has no rights to but is using up nevertheless. Anna has been taught to hate her parents for breaking the law and to accept that she has no rights to any resources or personal freedoms, since she shouldn’t exist in the first place. When a new Pending Surplus arrives, Anna’s world view is challenged. Peter claims to know her parents and insists that they love her and want her back. When she overhears House Matron Mrs. Pincent speaking about her with disgust and planning to kill Peter, she realizes that Peter is right, and that they must get out before it is too late. With the sadistic catchers, the bitter and revengeful Mrs. Pincent, and a little-used escape clause in The Declaration, this story is a believable glimpse into a troubling future as well as an examination of the meaning of love.
MS, HS – ESSENTIAL.


FIC Berry, Julie. The Amaranth Enchantment, 308 pgs. Bloomsbury, 2009.
Lucinda’s loving and wealthy parents died when she was five, taking with them most of the love and all of the wealth from Lucinda’s life. Now fifteen, she is being raised by her cruel aunt and henpecked uncle and her life at her uncle’s jewelry shop mostly resembles that of an unpaid servant. Three unusual visitors in one day – the beautiful woman Beryl with the incredibly enormous and perfectly round gem needing a new setting, the initially unrecognized crown prince Gregor looking for the perfect gift for his soon-to-be betrothed, and the pickpocket Peter who enters her room’s window late that night looking for a hiding spot – and the death of her uncle the next morning send Lucinda’s life in a new direction. With some elements reminiscent of Cinderella, this fairy tale-like story is great fun, always moving, with a great mix of twists, romance, and extraterrestrial powers to keep the reader turning pages.
MS – ESSENTIAL.

Tricking the Tallyman; Pippo the Fool; Roman Diary; You Are Weird; Food for Thought; Big George; and B Is for Battle Cry

E Davies, Jacqueline; illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Tricking the Tallyman : The Great Census Shenanigans of 1790, unpaged. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.
When Phineas Bump rides into the small Vermont village of Tunbridge, he encounters residents who have mistaken ideas about the purpose of the first census of the United States and try to skew his count in their favor. After two counts that were first too small and then too big, the townsfolk persuade Mr. Bump to count them one last time when they learn that the census was to determine taxes and soldiers owed to the government as well as their representation in that government. The author includes one page of nonfiction information about the first census and types of questions asked.
EL – ADVISABLE.
List : US Birth of Nation (ERA)


E Fern, Tracey E.; illustrated by Pau Estrada. Pippo the Fool, unpaged. Charlesbridge, 2009.
When Filippo Brunelleschi hears about his town’s contest to design a dome for the cathedral, he sees the chance he’s been waiting for. His designs for peculiar machines that no one needs and sketches of outlandish structures no one wants to build have earned him the nickname Pippo the Fool, but he knows he can solve this new architectural challenge. Based on the true story of how the cathedral of Florence gained a dome, Pippo meets the challenge and becomes known as Pippo the Genius. This story has beautiful illustrations and could be used for a character-development lesson.
EL – ESSENTIAL; MS – ADVISABLE.
Lists : Middle Ages & Renaissance (ERA); Art (HOOK); TA (HOOK).


E Platt, Richard; illustrated by David Parkins. Roman Diary : The Journal of Iliona of Mytilini, Who Was Captured by Pirates and Sold as a Slave in Rome, AD 107, 64 pgs. Candlewick Press, 2009.
With a larger-than-typical page size, two-column text format, and graphic-novel illustrations, this fictional diary of a young Greek girl who works as a slave in Rome gives the reader an educational glimpse into life in ancient Rome. One learns about common practices of the day, such as the slave trade, education, public baths, social classes, military ranks, the senate, indoor plumbing, religion, gladiator fights, theater, and dining. The last six pages contain nonfiction information about all these topics, as well as a timeline of Roman history. Includes glossary and index. There are enough facts and great illustrations to make this of interest to some middle-school students.
EL – REQUIRED; MS – ADVISABLE.
Lists : Ancient Civilizations (ERA); Reluctant Readers (FORM).


612 Swanson, Diane; illustrated by Boake Kathy. You Are Weird : Your Body’s Peculiar Parts and Funny Functions, 40 pgs. Kids Can Press, 2009.
Single-spread chapters talk about unusual aspects of the human body : skin, canine teeth, appendix, and so on. Space is too limited for in-depth studies, but readers learn interesting and little-known facts about our bodies. Each spread includes a “freaky fact” and a sidebar that often contains a related experiment or observation the reader can try that relates to the topic. The illustrations have the life-like look of computer animation, and include a lot of expression and humor. Includes glossary and index.
Complete contents include : bacteria, skin, sweat glands, body hair, goose bumps, sinuses, wisdom teeth, canine teeth, eyeballs, wiggling ears, nose, appendix, plantaris and palmaris (superfluous) muscles, tail bone, finger nails, and toes.
Language, Sex, Violence – G.
EL – ADVISABLE; MS – OPTIONAL.
Lists : Factoids (FORM); Health & Medicine (HOOK).


641.3 Robbins, Ken. Food for Thought : The Stories Behind the Things We Eat, 45 pgs. Roaring Brook Press, 2009.
Robbins relates famous stories, anecdotes, historical highlights, and nutritional tidbits for several common foods : apples, oranges, corn, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, pomegranates, grapes, and mushrooms. Four pages devoted to each food, this book leaves the reader with some interesting and, most likely, previously unknown trivia. Each chapter is illustrated with photos and paintings.
EL – ESSENTIAL; MS – ADVISABLE.
Lists : Factoids (FORM); Foods (HOOK).


973.4 Rockwell, Anne; illustrated by Matt Phelan. Big George : How a Shy Boy Became President Washington, unpaged. Harcourt, 2009.
This picture book introduces the reader to George Washington, from a shy boy, through his teens and brother’s death, to his time as a young officer during the French and Indian War. By the time the American Revolution begins, Washington has the best experience, and is the best prepared to accept the responsibility of leadership. It talks about his innovative battle tactics and touches on the Delaware crossing, Valley Forge, and Yorktown. The author’s note includes additional information about the stain on the flag of this new country – slavery.
EL – ESSENTIAL.
Lists : US Birth of Nation (ERA); Picture Book (FORM).


973.7 Bauer, Patricia; illustrated by David Geister. B Is for Battle Cry : A Civil War Alphabet, unpaged. Sleeping Bear Press, 2009.
For each letter, Bauer has written a four-line stanza that introduces a topic related to the Civil War and also would work as a verse in Stephen Foster’s Civil War-era song “Hard Times Come Again No More.” The more significant portion of the text fills the outer third of each page and provides explanatory information about each of the 26 topics. Accompanied with beautiful paintings, this text is a very satisfactory introduction to the Civil War. The actual stanzas, however, are too choppy and forced to work well as poems, and without a copy of Foster’s song, it is impossible to see how well they might work as a song. Contains glossary.
EL – ESSENTIAL; MS – OPTIONAL.
Lists : US Civil War (ERA); Factoids (FORM); Picture Book (FORM).

F Tocci, C. Lee. Stone Voice Rising, 411 pgs. Harcourt, 2009.
The other kids all laugh at Lilibit because she talks to stones. Todd gets the same reaction when he talks to birds. So Todd pretends for five years not to hear the birds talking. Lilibit, on the other hand, draws the attention of the Decreator, known currently as Syxx, who has her kidnapped and used as a research subject to the point of death. When Lilibit is kidnapped again, away from Syxx, and placed in the same foster care home as Todd, the stones she offers as gifts aid Todd and the other orphans as they try to find their way to Kiva, a place the kids hope is real but may very well turn out to be imaginary, while alluding the very real Reclamation Teams. Set in a magical world with elements of native American symbolism and tradition, this story is great fun with lots of action, dangers, and new friends throughout.
Language – G. Sexual Content – G. Violence – PG (battles).
MS – ESSENTIAL.
Labels : Worldbuilding Fantasy.


F Lowery, Pat. Hidden Voices : The Orphan Musicians of Venice, 345 pgs. Candlewick Press, 2009.
Anetta, Luisa, and Rosalba take turns telling about their lives in an orphanage in early 18th-century Venice, studying and performing music under a young Antonio Vivaldi. Their musical gifts have spared them a life of mindless drudgery, but they chafe under their constant supervision and are relentlessly pushed to work hard and perform well for the maestro. This is a story about young love, and the limited options available to these young women to make choices for themselves about their future. When flirty Rosalba sees a chance to arrange a clandestine meeting with a handsome young man she’s been spying on for over a year, she naively makes a play for love, with disastrous results. Luisa is sent to the countryside to recuperate from a serious bout of fever and finds sweet, reciprocated love with the local farm boy, while Annetta struggles to understand her own secret feelings of love and to be a good friend . I think the author throws too many kinds of young love into one story that, subsequently, ends up feeling too contrived, the plot too manipulated. I also think that Venice is not portrayed well enough to be vividly imaged by a reader unfamiliar with this incredible city.
Language – G. Sexual Content – PG13 (rape, gay character). Violence – PG.
MS, HS – OPTIONAL.
Labels : Medieval & Renaissance Era. Connections to Music & Art.


590 Turner, Pamela S. A Life in the Wild : George Schaller’s Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts, 104 pgs. Melanie Kroupa Books, 2008.
Born in Germany. George comes to the United States as a 14-year-old with his family at the end of World War II. He studies zoology and anthropology at the University of Alaska and goes on to pioneer the practice of studying wild life in their natural habitat. He makes great contributions to our knowledge of gorillas of Africa, tigers of India, lions of Africa, big cats in the Himalayas, pandas in China, and hoofed animals on the Tibetan Plateau. He was a life-long advocate for preserving wild spaces and showing respect to both animals’ lives and habitat. Each chapter describes his family life at the time, and his professional challenges and contributions, enabling the reader to gain a better sense of his work as a zoologist and of the life of the animal under study. Contains index, sources, internet and multimedia resources, and information for getting involved.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
MS – ESSENTIAL.
Labels : Nature & Environment. World Cultures & Geography.


523.8 Jackson, Ellen; photographs and illustrations by Nic Bishop. The Mysterious Universe : Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes, 58 pgs. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
This book follows around Alex Filippenko, an astronomer, on a few nights’ work using some of the world’s most powerful telescopes. Sprinkled throughout is information about supernovae, the Big Bang theory, the size of the universe, dark energy and dark matter, white dwarfs, black holes, and other topics related to telescopes and space. Visually appealing, the text illustrates how astronomers spend their time, and explains how they are helping answer some of the questions about our universe. Contains an index, glossary, bibliography, resources for students, websites for teachers, and related clubs and organizations.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : Space & Technology Nonfiction. Connections to Business.


939 Woods, Michael and Mary B. Woods. Seven Wonders of the Ancient Middle East, 80 pgs. Twenty-First Century Books, 2009.
This book provides background, highlights, and current status of seven architectural wonders : the ziggurat at Ur, the library at Nineveh, Persepolis, King Solomon’s Temple, Petra, Hagia Sophia, and Krak Des Chevaliers. Each chapter contains photographs, a map, pull-out quotes and sidebars, and the current situation of the site. It is a good introduction to this area of the world, and some of its history. Contains an index, further readings and websites, bibliography, source notes, glossary and pronunciation guide, choose an eighth wonder activity, and timeline.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : World Cultures & Geography Nonfiction. Ancient Civilizations Era.



F Booraem, Ellen. The Unnameables, 316 pgs. Harcourt, 2008.
Medford Runyuin and Prudence Carpenter are friends. They spend many afternoons together on Bog Island. But the time of their naming approaches and Medford’s adoptive dad, Boyce Carver, says they shouldn’t hang out there together anymore. It is not a useful thing and people are beginning to talk. No use, no name, the Book says. On the day of naming, Medford is denied a name by the Counsel for another year, and Prudence becomes a Learned, one who studies the Archives and teaches others from the Book. Their friendship is further strained when Medford meets a Goatman and has to add this acquaintance to the many other Unnameables he must hide. Reminiscent of The Giver, this story examines a community that lives strictly by the writings of a book and how such a community might react to an outsider with different traditions, or to a new idea from someone within their community.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : Keeping Secrets. Touched with Magic. Politics & Rulers.


F Bodeen, S.A. The Compound, 245 pgs. Feiwel and Friends, 2008.
Six years ago, the world succumbed to a nuclear holocaust, but Eli’s billionaire father had been planning for that day for years. Within the forty-minute window, most of the family was safely sealed within the Compound, an underground complex with all the luxuries of home. Grandma and Eddy, Eli’s twin, didn’t make it. Now, however, the food is running out, and the longing for a sea breeze, memories of Eddy, and a yearning for something – anything – out of the routine are tugging on Eli’s spirits. But the outside world won’t be safe for another nine years. Or will it? The suspense of what’s behind the yellow door, and what the father is really up to kept me reading this fast-paced story to the end.
Language – G (two swear words). Sexual Content – G. Violence – PG.
MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : One False Move. Keeping Secrets.


811.54 Prelutsky, Jack. Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry : How to Write a Poem, 191 pgs. Greenwillow, 2008.
Including many stories from this children’s poet laureate’s childhood, Prelutsky shows how experiences can lead to poems. He shares twenty writing tips, such as “write what you know,” and “always carry paper and pencil to write down your ideas at once,” and “make lists,” and “exaggerate.” This entertaining and quick read also offers explanations and examples of various literary conventions, such as voice, point of view, irony, rhythm and rhyme, and poetic license. I can see language arts teachers using it to introduce a lesson, and kids enjoying the anecdotes and resulting poetry. Includes table of content, glossary, and index to the poems.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
EL, MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : Poetry. Biographies & Memoirs. How-Tos.

F Cashore, Kristin. Graceling, 471 pgs. Harcourt, 2008.
With the Grace of killing, people fear and despise Katsa. She hates it too, and dreads having to do the king’s bidding who uses her to bully people. But she’s found a way to live with herself. With the aid of Giddon, the king’s underlord and spy, and Oll, the king’s captain, she forms the Council, a secret organization devoted to righting injustices with as little harm to others as possible. It’s intriguing to enter this world of seven kingdoms where Graces are used as weapons, and to watch Katsa learn more about herself, her Grace, and how Graces affect relationships and kingdoms. Though I disagree with Katsa’s conclusions about marriage, I found Cashore’s world and Katsa’s adventure completely engrossing.
Language – G. Sexual Content – PG13 (brief depiction of first sexual encounter). Violence – PG13 (brief descriptions of torture and hand-to-hand combat).
MS, HS - ESSENTIAL.
Label : Worldbuilding.


F Carroll, Michael. The Awakening (Quantum Prophecy, bk. 1), 264 pgs. Philomel Books, 2006.
Colin can’t believe how fast Danny moved to saved Brian’s little sister from that school bus. Could he be a superhero, even though everyone says they all disappeared 10 years ago? It would be so cool, he thinks, to be a superhero. But when he starts developing his own superpowers, he realizes that superpowers don’t mean you make good choices or that you know who to trust. This adventure story has some great characters, great action, and great twists.
Language – G. Sexual Content – G. Violence – PG.
EL, MS - ESSENTIAL.
Label : SciFi-Computers & Governments


808.83 Tan, Shaun. Tales from Outer Suburbia, 96 pgs. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008.
This collection of 15 short stories – some very short, only a paragraph or two long – are combined with illustrations that relate stories about events and characters in a most unusual suburb. There is a water buffalo that offers directions, stick figures whose presence confuses the other residents, an amnesia machine, and a missile in every back yard. Brothers travel to the point where the map ends; a family takes in a foreign exchange student; grandpa relates the events of his wedding day. From curious to thought-provoking, these stories offer interesting reads. Could be used to discuss relationship between text and images, or to practice predictions.
Language – PG. Sexual Content – G. Violence – G.
EL, MS - ADVISABLE.
Labels : Flights of Fantasy.  

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge, 2003.
Rating : Liked
LA hook (poetry, diary)
Sports (baseball)
Character development & growth
Overcoming – Death and Grief
Overcoming (sickness)
Careers (writer)
When Kevin must spend several weeks recuperating from mononucleosis, he sneaks a poetry book out of his dad’s home office and practices writing different types of poems. He reflects on his relationships with his dad, especially since his mom has died, and with his teammates and past girl friends. He surprises himself when he continues writing even after he is back playing baseball. It helps him process what’s important and what’s not as he struggles to regain his strength and meets a new girl.

I read this for an upcoming Literature Selection Committee discussion because a teacher would like to use it as a read-aloud. I finished it in an hour or so, and I am not a fast reader. I liked the insights OK. The poetry references sound a bit gimmicky to me, but may help introduce the material without resorting to a textbook.




Everlost by Neal Shusterman, 2006.
Rating : Loved
Fantasy
Death
Adventure
After a fatal car crash, two teens collide into each other while heading toward the light at the end of a tunnel. They knock each other out of the tunnel, and end up in Everlost, a place between life and where they are going. Allie and Nick slowly realize they are dead, and, with the help of another afterlife known as Leif, learn the ways of Everlost enough to try to make their way to their families. They get sidetracked when they encounter Mary Hightower living in the ghost Twin Towers and caring for several children. Though Mary tries to convince them to stay with her, Allie is determined to leave and convinces Leif and Nick to visit the Haunter with her to learn more secrets of Everlost. Their encounter proves disastrous, and Allie must get on the ghost ship Sulphur Queen and confront the monster McGill to save her friends from an eternity inside a pickle barrel.

I reread this book because it is our current selection for our school’s Brown Bag Book Club. What a fun story! Very original and thought-provoking. What makes us us? How would we retain our humanity if all the rules have changed? Great read.




Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, 2007.
Rating : OK
Adventure
Mystery
School story
Science fiction
Friendship
After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. My sister loved this story, but I found it slow moving and couldn’t complete it at this time.

Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, 2008.
Rating : Liked
National Book Award finalist
Printz Honor book
School story (Alabaster prep school)
Romance & Relationships
Humor
Girl Power
Discrimination (sexism)
Frankie returns for her sophomore year 20 pounds heavier in all the right places. The senior boy she has had a crush on, Michael, asks her out and they begin dating. She enjoys this relationship, finding him funny and adorable and generous. She likes hanging out at his senior table, but realizes she isn’t satisfied with just that. She wants him to consider her his equal. When she learns about his membership in the same all-male secret society that her father belonged to (the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds), she wants in. However, she must settle for the only option available to her – to infiltrate it in secret. She sees her chance when the Basset King, Alpha, is off campus for a long weekend. She manages to organize a great prank – bras on all the portraits and even a giant one on the library’s dome – by issuing orders through an email that uses Alpha’s name. Her first prank is so successful, that upon his return, Alpha takes credit and continues to take credit as Frankie has the hounds do one prank after another. Alpha continues the deception until he is catch, accused of being the mastermind, and threatened with expulsion.

Though I found the whole prep-school setting off-putting, Frankie is an interesting and funny character who recognizes her own intelligence and doesn’t want to be daddy’s little “bunny rabbit” any more. It’s a little unbelievable that these students would go to such effort for the pranks, but perhaps that is the culture of the rich and adolescent.



Skin Deep by E.M. Crane, 2008.
Rating : OK
Delacorte Press Prize for first YA novel
Character Development & Growth (coming of age, self-confidence, interpersonal relations)
Overcoming : Death & Dying
Animals : Dogs
Friendship & Best Friends
Andrea is a spectator at school and home. She is an observer and thinks she has things figured out about who’s who, and how she should act, such as why she shouldn’t risk talking to her neighbor who shots hoops on his driveway and always says hi. But during the year when she’s 16 years old, her world changes. Her homeroom teacher kills himself in the teacher’s bathroom, and she accepts a job to help out a reclusive neighbor who is sick, throwing both her school and home life into unpredictable activity. People stop fitting into the neat categories she has for them, and she has to rethink her old assumptions and habits.

I found the premise of this book more interesting than the execution. The writing was too choppy to pull me into the story, though I think Andrea is a very realistic character with all her insecurities and pat explanations for things. I got the gist of the story and its tone without finishing it. I like the idea of the story without wanting to read more.




Mormon Scientist : The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring (289.3) by Henry J. Eyring, 2007.
Rating : Loved
Biography
LDS Church
Science and religion
Eyring was one of the preeminent scientists of his day. He was awarded every top science award except for the Nobel Prize, and his most significant theory, known as ART for Absolute Rate Theory, is still influencing science today. He was also a strong Latter-day Saint, born into a polygamous family in Mexico at the turn of the 20th century, and active in the church throughout his life. This biography is organized into three sections covering his legacy, heritage and paradoxes. He left his mark in the fields of science, his LDS faith, and as a friend. His upbringing instilled in him strong positions about love, ambition, belief, and fear. Finally, he exhibited seemingly paradoxical contradictions in several ways. He was confident yet humble, disciplined yet creative, free yet obedient. He aspired for reasoning, but not reasons. He built upon the fundamentals, but not conventions. He worked with and always esteemed people, but not public opinion.

I read this biography as part of a church book group, and really enjoyed the story. I knew very little about Eyring yet seem to agree with almost every point of faith and doctrine he advocated. It was also fascinating history to me since my grandfather was born in the exact same setting and time period and is Eyring’s first cousin, though when you have 240 of them, that doesn’t denote a particularly close relationship.

Pox Party (Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing : Traitor to the Nation, bk 1) by M.T. Anderson, 2006
Rating : Loved
National Book Award winner
Historical Fiction (Boston, Revolutionary War)
Discrimination : Slavery
Science
Octavian is being raised in a home with his mom and several men, none of whom claim to be his father. He is taught Latin, Greek, music, science, and all subjects taught to the most privileged of the day. He is always expected to be an Observer and often asked to use his reasoning to make logical arguments. When he finally decides to trespass into the one room forbidden him, he begins his journey of becoming fully aware of his status in this house of philosophy and science.

Most of the story is told by Octavian in diary format with very period-type syntax and vocabulary. Thrown in are some articles, manuscripts, letters, and other artifacts written by various people that relate to Octavian’s story. A significant portion of the last quarter of the book is composed of letters written by Private Evidence Goring, who considered Octavian his friend. This story is totally captivating, from the first observations of the innocence of childhood in general, through Octavian’s slow realization that he’s a scientific experiment and a slave, to the final brutality against him by Mr. Gitney.




Afghan Dreams : Young Voices of Afghanistan (305.235) by Tony O’Brien and Mike Sullivan, 2008.
Rating : Liked
Geography (Afghanistan)
Careers (photojournalism)
Biography (Afghan teens)
Though recorded in a country that has had countless invasions, the interviews in this book reflect the hope these teens feel for the future. From street workers to female students in newly formed academies, from children who work in family businesses to pickpockets who steal from visiting photographers, these are the faces of young Afghans who universally wish for peace in their neighborhoods, in their country, in their lifetimes.

The interviews are simple, short comments about how these teens spend their days and what they hope for the future. Easily read within one sitting, the collection leaves one with a glimpse into a country that has known much of war, hardship, and poverty. No one story makes a big impression, but the stories together reach out from one part of our world in the common voice of humanity.

Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by A.E. Cannon, 2008
Rating : Loved
Character Development & Growth (identity)
Friendship & Best Friends
Romance & Relationships
LA Hook (based on Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Utah Connection (set in SLC)
Over the summer, Salt Lake City high school student Ed McIff works at a video story wearing a name tag that reads Sergio. When a beautiful girl comes into the story, he decides to take on a new, more suave identity to match his name tag, resulting in a series of misunderstandings and star-crossed encounters. The story is told in alternating chapters in the voices of Ed, his good friend Quentin, his female co-worker and friend Scout, and the new girl Ellie. This is a funny story that is loosely based on Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The local setting makes it even more accessible and enjoyable.

Magyk (Septimus Heap, bk 1) by Angie Sage, 2005Fantasy : Epic & Good vs. Evil
Family Relationships
Politics & Rulers
Rating : Loved
When Jenna learns she is the princess and whisked from her home by the Extraordinary Wizard Marcia, she and her adopted family are pursued by the evil forces that killed her Queen mother ten years earlier. The Heaps are “magykal” and have been well respected, even related to a White Witch Zelda, but the custodians of the castle have a new leader - dark magyk DonDaniel, who is determined to destroy any magyk not subjected to his own. The world is richly imaged with characters and magical items, such as Assassins, Hunters, Confidential Rats, Boggarts, Brownies, White Witches, Ordinary Wizards, Custodians, Shield Bugs, Magogs, Dragon Boat, scrying duck ponds, and so.

Our good friends, the Fletchers, recommended this series, and I found it very entertaining. When newborn Septimus Heap dies in the first chapter, I knew something was up. The seventh son of a seventh son, and the namesake of the series, my suspicions hardly required extraordinary insight, but I was more than happy to keep reading to discover how it was going to all work out. I will be reading the next book soon.



Maddigan’s Fantasia by Margaret Mahy, 2007Fantasy : Space & Time Travel
Family Relationships
Rating : OK
In a world where a great ancient catastrophe has created shifting and dissolving roads, traveling around as a member of a circus family is always precarious. When Garland’s Fantasia allows two brothers to start traveling with them, their lives just got much more complicated and dangerous. The two brothers Timon and Eden can perform real magic and contribute to the circus’s livelihood, but are pursued by enemies from the future who will stop at nothing to steal their magic talisman.

I think at another time I might enjoyed this story. It promises to be quite good, but after 230 pages (not quite halfway), I cannot keep my mind on the story, and so I will not finish it at this time. The plot is interesting, the world they live in is creative and original, the dangers and scraps are entertaining. Perhaps the voice of the New Zealand author is just enough unfamiliar to throw me, or perhaps there are too many characters to keep straight in the time I’m giving it.



Tangerine by Edward Bloor, 1997Family Relationships
Sports (soccer, football)
School Story
Diversity: Hispanic Am
Nature & Environment
Rating : Loved
Paul Fisher’s older brother is a high school football star, and his parents and everyone else who enters Erik’s orbit become part of the Erik Fisher Football Dream. Paul’s own sport, soccer, and his success at it are ignored. When the family moves to Florida, the golden sunshine obscures some very serious problems. For instance, their new large-home neighborhood, build over old orchards, is infested with termites, has a standing water and mosquito problem, and constantly smells of a muck fire that cannot be put out. When Paul’s neighborhood school sinks into a mud hole, he is given an option to enroll in the town’s school, which he does so he can play soccer. His one friend from the neighborhood school follows him, but does not know how to survive in the minority-strong environment and shortly returns home. While Paul is playing soccer, writing science reports, and helping save young fruit trees from a freeze with his new friends, he slowly remembers some experiences relating to a serious eye injury he had as a child, and confronting his fear of his brother.

I saw this book on the shelf at King’s English, and didn’t realize it was older until I saw it again in my library. I figured it must be good if it’s still on the bookstore’s shelves, and I was not disappointed. This story has many layers written in a compelling way. The soccer scenes are as exciting as any quiddich scene from Harry Potter, and the interactions between Paul and his new classmates are awkward, intimidating, enlightening, and hopeful all at once. (This new cover image is awful. The kid is too young, and most middle schoolers wouldn't pick it up. The original is much better.)

Gone Fishing; Mortal Engines

Gone Fishing : Ocean Life by the Numbers (591.77) by David McLimans, 2008
Nature & Environment (Ocean life)
Picture book
Rating : Loved
Told in black, white, and blue, this book is about ocean life that is endangered or in danger of becoming endangered. On each page, the author illustrates a member of the featured species in a fanciful interpretive style to represent the numerals 1-10, and then includes a realistic sketching and some basic facts about the species’ class, habitat, aquatic regions, treats, and status. The front half is black and white on a blue background and counts from 1 to 10, while the second half is blue and white on a black background and counts from 10 to 1. The middle spread includes ocean facts by the numbers – exponents of 10 from 100 to 109. At the end, the author includes more information about each featured species and more stats about our oceans.

I’ve looked at a lot of number books this year, and this one is as good as any I’ve seen. It is a great introduction to ocean life, habitat threats, digits, powers of 10, and statistical information.



Mortal Engines (Hungry City Chronicles, book 1) by Philip Reeve, 2001
Science Fiction
Adventure & Espionage
Rating : Liked / Loved
Set in a post-apocryphal world where America is a waste land and most technologies are lost, cities travel about on giant tank tracks and practice Municipal Darwinism where larger cities consume smaller ones, stripping them of their resources and using their inhabitants as slaves. London, one of the great traction cities, has left its self-imposed exile and returned to the hunting grounds. Organized by guilds – Engineers, Historians, Navigators, Merchants – Tom Natsworthy, a Third Class Apprentice in the Historian guild, saves his hero, Thaddeus Valentine (archeologist and head of the Historian guild), from a murder attempt by a mysterious and severely disfigured girl, Hester Shaw, only to find himself thrown from the city and stranded with Hester in the Out Country. As they struggle to follow the city, they encounter slave dealers, an aviatrix and anti-tractionist Anna Fang, a floating city AirHaven, a Resurrected man or stalker, a pirate city called Tunbridge Wheels led by Peavey who wants Tom’s help to become a gentleman, an island city that defeats Tunbridge Wheels, and the Shield Wall that protects anti-traction cities from the hunting grounds and rivals the beauty of London – experiences that make Tom question his ideas about Municipal Darwinism and form a strong connection with Hester. Told in alternating chapters is the story of Katherine, Valentine’s daughter, who slowly learns the truth about her father and the Lord Mayor’s plans to destroy the wall and open up new hunting grounds. Tom and Hester working from without and Katherine and her Apprentice Engineer ally Bevis Pod working from within, the two stories come together at the end when the evil designs of London’s rulers blow up in their faces.

I like science fiction, and this one is no exception. The universe of the story is well crafted, and the characters are engaging. I liked it enough to pick up the sequel, something I don’t always do, but my rating hovers between Liked and Loved because it didn’t completely absorb me.

American Born Chinese; John Muir; Phineas Gage; Aleutian Sparrow; Smiles to Go; Enter Three Witches; River Between Us

American Born Chinese (741.5) by Gene Luen Yang, 2006
Diversity – Asian Am
Discrimination
Myth, Fairy, Folkt, Legd (Chinese fable)
School Story
Comic Book format
Prinz Award winner, National Book Award finalist
Rating : Liked
This book intertwines three, seemingly unconnected stories. The first one is about a monkey king that is adorned by his subjects but wants to be hailed as a god. The next one is about Jin Wang. When his family moves from San Francisco’s China Town to a new neighborhood, he finds himself the only Chinese-American at school. He is picked on by jocks and bullies, has hardly any friends, works hard to fit in, and falls for an all-American girl. The last story is about Chin-Kee, exhibiting every ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, and his cousin Danny, a basketball player and popular kid. Every year Chin-Kee comes to visit, and every year Danny must change schools to escape the shame. Only on the third cycle of stories do the stories begin to intertwine in unexpected ways.

Being a graphic novel, I didn’t enjoy the reading of this book very much. Moving back and forth between the images and the words was choppy and unsatisfying to me. However, I liked the story and its messages. The crudeness, especially for a graphic novel, was minor and I thought the author used the negative stereotypes to good effect as well as capturing the angst of being a teenager AND a minority.


John Muir : America’s First Environmentalist (333.72) by Kathryn Lasky, 2006
Science – Nature & Environment
Biography
Picture Book
Rating : Liked
Muir, originally from Scotland, was an adventurer, living in the wild with the song of wind and the beauty of snow flakes for company. He grew up in Wisconsin and spent most of his adult life in the west. Though he didn’t get much formal schooling, he read widely and invented many things in his early adulthood. To avoid fighting in the Civil War, he spent some time in Canada. He is largely responsible for the National Park designation for Yosemite and Sequoia, and influenced Pres Teddy Roosevelt who did a lot to preserve open lands. He developed the theory that glaciers sculpted the mountains, an idea that sounded preposterous at the time.

This book is a nice introduction to Muir and his life’s work, but it left me feeling like I didn’t get to know enough about him to feel I’ve met him as an individual.



Phineas Gage : A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science (612.8) by John Fleischman, 2002
Science – Health & Medicine
Biography
Rating : Liked
This book weaves together Gage’s personal story with the science of brains and the evolution of the medical profession and common practices. Gage became one of the first case studies for brain science when working on the railroad, his iron tamping rod – 13 pounds, 3 feet 7 inches long, 1.75 inches diameter on one end and a sharp point on the other – was blasted upward on a trajectory that took it though his face and out the top of his head. Though he walked away conscious and talking, Gage’s personality was forever changed. The author describes how and why he survived the spearing and the consequent infections, as well as how his particular case influenced the debate surrounding the theory of brain function at that time.

The details of the accident are completely riveting, while the details of brain science are presented within the context of understanding at that time. It is a very interesting read.



Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse, 2003
Historical Fiction – World War II (Aleutian Islands, Alaska)
Discrimination
Overcoming
Poetry (novel in verse)
Rating : Loved
With simple, free verse poems that rarely extend beyond a page and woodcut images illustrating the five main sections, this book tells the story of Vera, one of thousands of Aleut villagers who were forced to leave their homes for their own “protection” when the Japanese occupied some of this island chain at the beginning of World War II. The displaced people feel suffocated by the forests after a life time in the open, wind-swept grasses and endless vistas of open sea. They are helped occasionally by folk in the town eight miles away, but mostly their needs are ignored, their way of life disparaged, and their character slandered.

The history of this people is largely unknown, and this story captures their suffering and lose in a memorable way. Though there are not many words on each page, the author gives you many images and much to think about.



Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli, 2008
Family Life
Character Dev. & Growth
Best Friends & Friendship
Romance & Relationships
School Story
Science Hook (photons, astronomy)
Rating : Liked
Will Tuppence's life has always been ruled by science and common sense but in ninth grade, he is shaken up by the discovery that protons decay. His little sister Tabby is always bugging him. She drops all her black jelly beans into the garbage can, for instance, because she knows they are Will’s favorite. His weekly game of Monopoly with his two best friends, Mi-Su and BT (Anthony Bontempo), is disrupted when he sees them kissing at the star-gazing party. He shares his angst with a lot of humor when he talks about his new romantic feelings for Mi-Su, his little sister’s annoyances, trying to defend his chess championship, and the uncomfortable uncertainty that comes with decaying protons.

There is growth, there is humor, there is teenage angst, there is romance anxiety, there is annoying little sister who gets hurt and really just wants big brother’s attention. Good story, but nothing that really grabbed me.



Enter Three Witches : A Story of Macbeth by Caroline B. Cooney, 2007Historical Fiction – Medieval & Renaissance Era (Scotland)
Politics & Rulers
Language Arts hook (dovetails with Shakespeare’s Macbeth)
Rating : Loved
Young Lady Mary's future suddenly becomes uncertain after her father is killed for being a traitor while she is living as a ward of Lord and Lady Macbeth, and she must use all her wits and skills to figure out how she should proceed. Her betrothed is killed in battle and she becomes betrothed, for the third time, to Seyton, a man who is loyal to Macbeth. She still has property, but is forced to serve Lady Macbeth as a maid.

I liked Mary. She was resourceful and thoughtful, without being unrealistically so. She was living in an age that didn’t give women any rights, but she uses what she can to be true to herself and find safety in a corrupt world. Cooney tells a good story. I liked looking back and seeing how each Macbeth quote fit in with the actions of Cooney’s story, though reading them at the beginning of each chapter interrupted the flow of the story too much for me.



The River Between Us by Richard Peck, 2003Historical Fiction – U.S. Civil War (Illinois)
Family Life
Discrimination - Slavery
Rating : Loved
The story begins with a road trip in 1916 in a Model T Ford touring car when Dr William Hutchings takes his 15-year-old son, the narrator, and younger twin sons to southern Illinois to visit with his family. Living together on the old homestead is Grandma Tilly and her husband, the first Dr William Hutchings, and Tilly’s twin brother, Noah, with his wife Delphine. Once the boys arrive, grandma Tilly begins telling her story of life on the Mississippi River across from the slave state Missouri during the Civil War. During the early days of the War, Tilly’s family took in two mysterious young ladies who had fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois. One fair and one dark, these women brought strange social customs and attitudes with them that were completely foreign to this small northern town. When Noah runs off to war, Tilly’s mom can’t cope, and Tilly and Delphine go to try to bring him home, witnessing some of the harsh conditions of a soldier’s camp at that time.

Because the history of these two women is morally edgy, I decided not to use this book for our school’s historical fiction book club, but the story is engaging, and the voices of the characters totally realistic. The mystery is worth the wait. I also liked how the story begins with the road trip and then moves into the grandma’s story. The reader gets a taste of both eras through the excellent skills of the author.