The Brothers’ War: Civil War in Verse by J. Patrick Lewis

    This book of poems is truly amazing.  J. Patrick Lewis writes eloquently, using emotionally loaded words and imagery, to speak in the voices of various Civl War participants – both real and imagined.  What I found ironic about this text is the juxtaposition of the flowing, beautiful language and the subsequent horror it was detailing.  Some examples of Lewis’s powerful imagery included in The Brothers’ War are the “sickle moon” revealed during the bloody aftermath of the Battle of Seven Pines,  the voice of a hospitalized Confederate soldier – “giving up the ghost To welcome Mr. Death,” a runaway slave describing his “bullwhip-long odds” of making it to freedom - ”a land as alien as space.” 

The Brothers’ War also includes Civil War photographs, adding visual interest to the events of the Civil War and the text.  This book is a useful resource in both Language Arts and Social Studies classes.

Podcasts of letters - written from the point of view of a concerned father and a son.  The son is a Confederate Prisoner of War.  He writes his letter home on his way to a Union prison.

Letter from Home – Father to Son

Recording – Charles Barnett, Language Arts teacher

barnettecivilwar.mp3

Letter Home – Son to Father

Recording by Cody Eldridge, 8th grade student at DR Hill

civiwarcody.mp3

Google Earth Lit Trip – View the event locations included in this book – along with supplementary information about the Civil War:

   Select icon

*You must have Google Earth installed on your computer to view this file.

Viewing – Unzip folder contents AND extract all files.  Then select the .kml document.  This should open automatically in Google Earth.  Under My Places, Temporary Files, you can select the Civil War Lit Trip .kmz file to view the tour.  In order to read the content saved under each location and to view and hear media files, pause the tour and manually click on each underlined placemark.

 4 stars

 Holly’s entire life was filled with conflict and tragedy.  After her dad died, Holly and her mom moved from one ratty apartment to another.  When Holly’s mom got fired for stealing from her workplace, they soon became homeless.  Holly never really cared about that.  Even the old van was home as long as her mother was there with her arms wrapped tightly around her.  That was before her mom met Eddie.

Holly’s mom started staying out late  – often leaving Holly alone all night in the van.  She also started acting funny, and her eyes were always shiny.  Holly soon learned that she would have to take care of herself to survive.  Not long after meeting Eddie, Holly’s mom died from a drug overdose in her arms.  Now Holly truly was all alone.

Don’t be fooled into thinking Holly’s life would become better after her mom was gone.  At least her mom loved her - though she loved heroin more than she ever loved Holly. 

Holly is bounced from one foster home to another.  She doesn’t want to trust another adult.  She feels like she can’t let her guard down again.

Holly reaches her breaking point when she is sent to live with The Benders.  Her foster father wants to be “closer” to Holly.  Holly can tell by the way he stares at her that his thoughts aren’t fatherly.  Her foster mother steals money from her husband, and then blames it on Holly.  Holly spends her nights cold, alone, and hungry – locked in a dark, damp, dirty laundry room with only a journal to keep her company.  At first Holly is angry that her teacher was forcing her to write in a stupid journal.  Soon, however, Holly finds comfort in the journal pages as she begins telling her story. 

The story will haunt you.  The pain Holly feels is achingly evident, and you will find yourself wondering how she continues to survive.

Holly decides to run away – this time for good.  Life on the streets cannot be any worse than the abusive home she lives in now…

All the pain she’s been through… nothing can shock her.  Life alone has to be better than this.

Unfortunately for Holly, she’s wrong.  Things can get much worse.

 Reading this book may make the problems you have in your life seem very small in comparison to Holly’s.  Despite the sadness the reader feels while reading about Holly’s experiences, the ending will bring you comfort.  Holly will at last find peace and happiness. 

4.5 stars -  

by Gennifer Choldenko

This fast-paced, funny book will hold the reader’s interest from start to end. 

Kirsten hates her life.  Her best friend Rory is suddenly popular and hangs out with the beautiful, but mean, Brianna.  Kirsten knows she will never be popular - she’s overweight and feels like an outcast.  Her mom and dad are always fighting now.  It seems like nothing will ever get better for her.

Suddenly there’s a new student named Walk who transfers to Kirsten’s school. 

Kirsten’s life is about to become much more interesting.  

She discovers who her true friends are – and finds out the shocking secret her parents have been keeping – one that brings Kirsten closer to Walk than she ever could have imagined.

4.5 Stars   1/2

Fascinating information, includes great pictures of Houdini, his family, and several of his magic tricks being performed 

Everyone has heard about Harry Houdini.  What you may not know is how he became legendary in the world of magic. In this book, the author does not reveal Harry’s magic secrets.  Sid Fleischman, a well-known author and himself a magician, would never break the magician honor code.  The author does give the reader a whole new view of the man behind the legend.  During his lifetime, Harry basically recreated himself – where he was from, his heritage, and even changed his own birth name. 

He builds a wildly successful career despite very poor, humble beginnings.  Harry always believed that the show must go on – and he shows this iron-clad will and determination literally until he takes his dying breath.  Harry wanted more than the ability to entertain the world.  He wanted to ensure his name would be kept immortal in the world of magic. The book chronicles Harry’s life, his love for his wife, Bess, and his talent for inventing (or sometimes “borrowing”) innovative and daring magic escapes.  The photos highlight amazing feats and also demonstrate that the great Houdini was a pretty extraordinary man – one whom was not without flaws, however.

Readers will enjoy this book, and may even develop their own interest in magic as a result.

5 stars  –

 Heat caught me by surprise.  I’m really not a big sports fan and in general, not a lover of sports fiction.  Though the love of baseball is definitely a central theme throughout the book, the novel is not just sports-centered.  The book is really a story of great courage and determination.  This is a feel good story that has the struggling young hero winning at the end, despite the great odds against him.  This has the makings of a great movie – though any shortened film adaptation will be weak in comparison to the book.

Michael is only twelve years old, but his pitching skills rival professional adult ball players.  His competitors are no match for Michael, and they (along with the coaches and jealous parents) know it.  Before long, a few people band together to take the matter in their own hands.  Michael is asked to produce his birth certificate in order to continue playing in the Little League.  This will show his true age and prove his American citizenship.  Ordinarily this situation would be a cinch for Michael.  His father would know who to contact in Cuba in order to obtain the proper documentation.  Then Michael could go back to the game – the sport that was his passion. 

There’s a big problem.  Michael has a secret.

One that could not only end his promising future in baseball, but that could tear him away from the only family he has left.

You will find yourself rooting for Michael and will learn through his example that with enough hard work and determination, any dream is possible.

3.5 stars  -  1/2

- Not my favorite, but will appeal to many readers

 This is What I Did has been highly recommended in several professional journals.  To me, this book was a bit of a disappointment for several reasons.  One may be because it has bullying as one of the main topics.  I understand why it’s important that writers include stories of bullying – it certainly has become a central issue in today’s world – even in cyberland.  We all know about true stories of terrible tragedy occurring as a result of bullying in schools, on MySpace, Facebook, etc.  That being said, it seems that young adult authors, however, frequently jump on a hot topic bandwagon - this novel being no exception.  To be fair, the book is about more than a young boy being harassed…

Logan was always a bit of an outcast at school and even within his own family.  Things began to look up when he met Zyler.  Though Zyler and Logan come from two very different backgrounds, they hit it off from the start.  Logan quickly learned not to ask Zyler too many questions about his background, particularly regarding his drunken, mostly absent father.  Logan overlooked the bruises on Zyler’s face and never questioned his stories of how he had broken his arm or his collarbone.  As much as Logan tried to not get involved, he soon found himself in the center of controversy…

Upset over a fight at his own home, Logan sneaks out of his house to go over to his Zyler’s.  What he sees in Zyler’s window, at first, angers him.  Cami, his crush, is sitting on Zyler’s bed.  They are talking about him, laughing over Logan’s hang up calls to Cami’s home.  Then they are kissing.  KISSING.  His best friend and the girl he loves!!  Logan, disgusted, turns to leave when he hears a door slam.  Zyler’s father storms into his bedroom in a violent, drunken rage with an evil glint in his eyes.  What Logan sees next he will never get over – he will never forget.

In the end, Logan feels he is the one who betrays his best friend – and he betrays himself.

This novel will hook most of its readers.  You will want to know – what did Logan see?  What happened?  Why did Logan’s family have to move to a different town.  Be prepared for the shocking answers AND the unanswered questions at the end.

The Reading Rocks blog has moved to a new location!   Our district is now hosting wordpress blogs for our teachers and staff. You can find us here.

Tom thought it would be a regular school day.  He would meet Jeff after school to goof off and continue making plans to hang out the following weekend with Jeff’s uncle.  Jeff and Tom were going to take a ride in his dream car – a Cobra. In the meantime, Tom could continue fantasizing about the hottest girl at his middle school, Courtney. Tom’s world gets turned upside down when a new student arrives – Jessica.  Jessica was involved in a fire – none of the students know the particular details.  She has been horribly disfigured.  Most of Tom’s classmates can’t stand to even look at her.  Suddenly Tom finds himself torn between his friends – and a loner girl he finds a connection with.

This book doesn’t have much action in the plot – but it serves an important purpose.  Students will realize the importance of accepting others.

Neal Shusterman creates a fascinating setting in this novel - the story takes place in a world known as "Everlost."  This is an appropriate name because the world exists for children (aged 14 and under) who have died – yet their body and souls remain.  They are, in a sense, ghosts -but not the haunting kind you typically read about in most fiction. 

Nick and Allie are involved in a horrific car crash.  Rather than surviving the accident or finding themselves in another "higher" place, they wake up to this mysterious world.  Caught between the living and the deceased, Allie and Nick find themselves searching for answers and eventually fighting for their sanity and freedom.  The author manages (once again) to create a fantastic story that extends beyond your imagination and makes it realistic for the reader.  The characters in the story are complex.  The reader will question which people in Everlost are actually evil – seemingly sweet Mary who takes in all the children and provides them with a home or the "evil" McGill who traps Everlost children and leaves them dangling (literally!) for all eternity in his pirate ship?  Will Nick and Allie find themselves a place in this world?  Will they ever reach their final destination?  Read Everlost to find out!

 Penny hates her life.  While it seems that everyone else is enjoying their high school years, all Penny dreams of is an escape.  Why not leave forever and never look back – just as her mother did after Penny’s 4^th birthday?  She would never be as pretty as her sister Tara.  Or as popular as her friend Elaine.  In The Geography of Girlhood,  Penny chronicles her life in verse: including the death of  an ex-boyfriend,  the remarriage of her father, trouble with the law and the birth of new, exciting friendships.  Penny spares no details about how truly difficult her journey is to young adulthood– the pain, the happiness, the joy, the fear, the hate.  In the end, the reader realizes that Penny has triumphed after all just by accepting her life for what it is – and all the imperfections that includes. 

 If you enjoy fast-paced mysteries, Acceleration will have you hooked from the first page.  Seventeen-year-old Duncan hates his job.  He has to sort through lost and found articles at the Toronto Transit.  He works in a dark, grim basement with no one to keep him company except, Jacob – a seventy-something, cranky, quiet old man.  Soon Graham finds he has more excitement than he can stand.  One of the lost items is actually a diary.  A diary kept by a madman and wannabe serial killer.  In the diary, the man describes three women he has been stalking.  He has plans to hunt them all.  Frantic, Graham looks for clues in the diary for the man’s identity.  He even takes the diary to the police – but they don’t take him seriously.  Graham realizes it is up to him to save these women before it’s too late.  Maybe, just maybe, by saving three lives, he can make up for the life he has lost.  The one person he could not save.  The girl who haunts his dreams every night.Acceleration is impossible to put down.  The story has many twists and turns as you learn more about the stalker through his diary – as well as Graham’s not so innocent past and the guilt that haunts his every waking moment.  The title of this novel has more than one meaning.  The most important is that Graham’s life is at a standstill.  Solving this mystery before any crimes take place is the only way Graham will be able to move forward – to accelerate.  Not only is this book exciting, the reader will appreciate the humor in Graham’s voice and the relationship he has with his two best friends.  Check it out!  You will be glad you did.  

5 Stars –

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was given to me by Mr. Barnett. It was also recommended by Mrs. Cantrell. At first, I was not eager to read this book because I knew it was a Vampire story and thought it was probably more for high school students versus middle school pre-teens. I was actually wrong on both accounts.

The more I read of this novel, the more I wanted to know. I have not read many horror books or vampire stories. When I was in high school I was a Christopher Pike addict, but now I tend to prefer less gruesome, violent reading. I have read Darren Shan’s Vampire Mountain. This book is nothing like the Cirque du Freak series. Much less gore – much more emotion. Much better written.

This book includes mystery, action, suspense, romance, and all the conflicts involved with teen angst. The reader will identify with Bella. Bella never feels she belongs. She is accident-prone – terrible at all sports and often trips over her own feet. Her parents are divorced, and she finds herself pushed into a situation where she has to live with a father that she really does not know.
Surprisingly, Bella actually does fit in at her new school. Boys like her. She is suddenly popular – the new girl that everyone wants to know. Everything seems to slowly fall into place. That is, until Bella meets Edward.

Edward Cullen and his family are the most beautiful people that Bella has ever seen. Edward, in particular, catches Bella’s eye. Not because he seemed to like her so much. Bella cannot understand why he glares angrily at her with such hatred in his eyes.
Bella soon finds herself drawn into a romantic relationship with Edward. Though he tries to push her away, even Edward cannot resist the connection and attraction he has to Bella.

Edward is willing to sacrifice his life, put his own family at risk, anything to be with the one he loves. Though he feels that he has waited his whole life to meet someone like Ella, Edward also must fight a horrific temptation….the never ending desire to end Bella’s life.

This book will appeal to sophisticated readers who enjoy fantasy, suspense, and romance.
I admit I may have to buy the sequel, Eclipse. You will fall in love with this story – and will never want it to end.

   1/2  Great autobiography – inspirational story

Bethany had it all:  she was the all-American beautiful blonde teen who lived in sunny Hawaii.  To top it off, she was gaining recognition and awards for her surfing skills.  Bethany even had companies willing to pay her to sponsor their products. 

Everything in Bethany’s life changes when she was 13 years old.  Bethany goes to the beach with her family and her best friend.  While surfing the waves, Bethany suddenly feels a tug and sharp pain.  She has been attacked by a shark!  Bethany looks down and sees her arm is missing.

Against all odds, Bethany survives the attack, but her arm is lost forever.  Despite the horrific accident, Bethany is determined she will surf again. 

     You will be greatly inspired by Bethany Hamilton’s strength, positive attitude, faith in God, and perservance.  The book also includes several pages of color photographs of Bethany’s friends and family; readers will consider her a friend by the end of her story.

I first read this amazing novel in October 2006 and could not stop singing its praises to everyone I knew.  This book is an amazing story.  Highly recommended!!!

Xing Xing is bound – a mere slave that is trapped in horrific surroundings.  She is bound to her late father’s cruel second wife and selfish daughter. Xing Xing is bound to a life of servitude as a young girl in ancient China, where a woman is valued less than livestock and has no control over her life and her future. It would seem that Xing Xing is bound to be alone, with no parents to arrange for a suitable husband. 

     Xing Xing spends her days taking care of her half sister, Wei Ping, who cannot walk because of her foot bindings, the painful tradition for girls who are fit to be married. Even so, Xing Xing is content to practice her gift for poetry and calligraphy, and to dream of a life unbound by the laws of family and society.

But all of this is about to change as Stepmother, who has spent nearly all of the family’s money, grows desperate to find a husband for Wei Ping. Xing Xing soon realizes that this greed and desperation may threaten not only her memories of the past, but also her dreams for the future.

   When Xing Xing discovers her mother’s beautiful green gown and decides to dress up and go to the festival, her beauty and grace catch the eye of the handsome prince.  He must find the beautiful girl at the festival because he knows that she alone is his one true love. Soon Xing Xing’s life will change forever.

This beautiful story has so many wonderful elements – rich details written in poetic prose, the Cinderella story combined with fascinating details about ancient Chinese culture, and Donna Jo Napoli’s development of the main character Xing Xing.  Readers will admire and envy her strength and the simple contentment she seems to embody despite the unfair, harsh life forced upon her.  I admit I shed a few tears while reading this book!  Check it out – the story will touch anyone who reads it.

   1/2  Provides historical information about the Civilian Conservation Corps established by President Roosevelt during the Great Depression.  Readers will want Moss to be successful and persevere (they won’t be disappointed).

Moss Trawley had big plans – leaving his home, attending college, becoming a radio broadcaster,  and marrying his girl, Beatty.  During the Great Depression, however, even the best-laid plans go awry.  When Moss is laid-off from his job, he has to postpone all his goals for the future.  Right now he is concerned with his family’s survival.  Moss knows he must locate his father, though he had deserted Moss and his family years ago.  They now need his father’s financial support to survive.

     Moss does locate his father, but is disappointed to learn that his dad is a bumbling alcoholic who cares nothing about Moss or his mother.  Moss knows he must now become the man of the family.

Desperate for money, Moss signs up for the Civilian Conservation Corps.  Moss earns much more than free meals during his experience.  He learns true friendship, loyalty,  and leadership skills.  Moss finally learns to stand up for himself – no matter the cost.  He truly has become a man.

     1/2  Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this novel

Eddy decides to join the US army although he is underage.  Not only does his father disapprove, he will no longer even look or speak to Eddy for this act of rebellion.  Eddy feels it is his duty , though, to show his loyalty to America by joining the United States military.  When the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurs, suddenly Eddy’s intentions are questioned just because he is of Japanese heritage.  Why are he and his friends treated so badly by their superiors just because their parents were born in Japan?  Isn’t it enough that they are all willing to sacrifice their lives for their American homeland?

Eddy expected to join the other soldiers in fighting against the Japanese and Germans when he suddenly learns he and the other American soldiers of Japanese heritage are assigned a secret mission.  They will live on an island, far away from friends and family, with little contact with the outside world.  Here they will help train dogs to attack their enemies – only Eddy and his friends are not the dog trainers.  They are the dog bait – “impersonating” the Japanese enemy so the dogs will learn to attack and kill.  Are their own lives in danger?

Graham Salisbury merges fact and fiction in this historical World War II novel.  Most novels for teens feature Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.  This is an interesting account that details the horrific treatment that many Japanese Americans had to face after Pearl Harbor – despite their allegiance to America.  Based on a true story, this book highlights the great courage and loyalty of the soldiers partaking in the “experiment” held on Cat Island.

  1/2  Realistic plot, characters you care about

      Wonderful, magical story

Can you keep a secret?  Even if the secret is dangerous?  What if you had to keep secrets as part of your profession?  Fiona’s mother, Damiana is employed as a safe-keeper.  People travel far and wide to her home in order to unleash their burdens by telling Damiana their innermost thoughts and secrets.  Damiana, in turn, must keep their secrets safe.  Even when a mysterious stranger dressed as royalty appears in the middle of the night bringing a newborn baby and tells Damiana she must raise this child as her own, she does not reveal to anyone that the baby has been abandoned nor tells who the parents of the baby are – not even to her daughter, Fiona.

Fiona accepts her life, as unusual as it may seem to others.  She knows her mother must dedicate her life to listening to others’ secrets.  She also does not question who her father really is or where her brother really came from on that dark mysterious night.  All she knows is that she too will one day be a Safe-Keeper, guardian of secrets.  What Fiona does not know is that her mother has quite a few secrets of her own – secrets that will change the course of Fiona’s life forever.

This book (book one of a new series) combines mystery, love, magic, and fantasy to create a charming tale that will leave readers guessing up to the very end. 

   Amazing epic adventure

Jack lives in a Saxon village with a father who is always disappointed in him and a beautiful, slightly obnoxious younger sister who is the family’s favorite.  It seems that Jack will be destined to live his days as a poor farmer, just as his bitter father was once forced to abandon his own dreams and accept a more simple life as a peasant.  Jack’s fate dramatically changes, though, when he is asked to be become an apprentice to the revered Bard…Jack?  Why not the other town boys who seem much brighter and stronger?   Jack does not realize that the Bard foresees great promise in his character, and the Bard believes Jack is the only hope for their town’s survival. 

Jack internship is violently interrupted when the wild r raid his home, capturing both Jack and Lucy and forcing them to leave their home far behind.  Soon Jack finds himself embarking on a mysterious, dangerous journey.  He must fulfill a seemingly impossible quest – and quickly!  If not, his beautiful, beloved sister will be brutally offered as a sacrifice.

This book provides great humor and spine-tingling adventures (dragons, spiders, and vicious trolls – Oh My!).  The greatest aspect to this book are the numerous life themes Nancy Farmer addresses – loyalty, faith, love of family, ambiguity of good and evil, and many more.  Jack emerges from this adventure as a true Bard in his own right.

Nancy Farmer is an amazing writer.  Hopefully the long length will not discourage any readers – once started, you will eventually wish the story had never ended!

    Thought I was going to hate this book - but found myself actually, totally loving it!  No down-time at all in this nonstop action/adventure, mystery.

 When I first saw the cover of Roland Smith’s Cryptid Hunters, I must admit I was not very enthused about reading this book.  The front cover has pictures of two prehistoric creatures.  Hmmmm….a dinosaur book?  Yes, prehistoric creatures are a subject of this novel – but it has so much more to offer and the information about cryptids (mysterious creatures whose existence has never been scientifically proven) is actually very interesting.

When twin siblings Marty and Grace find out their parents are missing and presumed dead, they find their world radically changing overnight.  Sent from their private boarding school to live with an uncle named Wolfe, whom they never even knew existed, the twins soon found themselves surrounded by multiple mysteries.  Why didn’t their parents ever tell them about Wolfe?  Why does Wolfe get so nervous around Grace?  The house has very high tech security, and the twins are told to never leave Uncle Wolfe’s compound unattended.  Will they ever learn Wolfe’s secrets?

When Uncle Wolfe plans to go on a dangerous trip to the Congo to deter his arch enemy, Dr. Blackwood, from poaching cryptids, the twins are supposed to go back to their boarding school until he returns.  Due to a freak accident, Marty and Grace find themselves stranded in the Congo as well – fighting for their survival.  Contestants on the show Survivor have never faced such wild, dangerous elements as these 13-year-olds do. 

While waiting on her uncle to find them, Grace is surprised that she knows her way around the island, and all of her surroundings seem vaguely familiar.  She will soon learn that her past, and everything she thought she knew about her parents is not true.

You will be shocked when you learn all the secrets that this book holds!  Give this book a try – you won’t be able to put it down! 

      Mystery, humor, suspense, and surprises until the very end.  Very enjoyable book

In Shakespeare’s Secret, there’s a great mystery that needs to be solved – the mystery of the missing diamond – a diamond once believed to be owned by British royalty – and, to make it even more interesting, it happens to be worth at least a million dollars!

The main character of this book, Hero, cannot believe her family has moved again, and now she has to start another new school.  It was hard enough for people to accept the name “Hero.”  Having a sister who was very beautiful and popular no matter where they lived did not help Hero much either.  Soon Hero’s life takes a dramatic turn.  She thought her old neighbor Miriam was nice – a tad boring, though, and not to mention OLD.  Suddenly Hero finds out that Miriam has many exciting stories to share, such as the story of the diamond necklace that was stolen and possibly hidden by the previous owner of Hero’s new house.

Suddenly Hero finds herself trying to solve the mystery of the hidden diamond with only a short written clue left to guide her.  She doesn’t have to solve this mystery alone, though.  Danny Cordova, the most popular, hot guy in 8th grade joins Hero on the hunt.  Together they find a prize that means more than a diamond ever could.

This book captured my attention from beginning to end!