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   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!

Important lessons of tolerance, compassion, loyalty, and true friendship

My Greatest Fears:

1.  Fifth Grade

2.  Duke Evans

3. Frankie Carmen

 Gabriel King did not want to graduate.  He didn’t want to go to 5th grade.  Why bother?  Attend 5th grade just to be beaten up by Frankie and Duke every day?  Gabriel’s best friend Frita is determined to help Gabriel conquer all his fears.  She gets him to make a list of all his fears, and the unstoppable Fritaeven comes up with a few herself!  Each day, Gabriel finds the courage to overcome one of his greatest fears.  Soon Gabriel and Frita find that both of their greatest fears are not even included on their lists – fears they must both face with determination and strength.  Gabriel and Frita find the bravery within themselves  – even when confronted with racism, threatened violence, and deep hatred.  Would you be willing to risk everything in order to save your best friend?  Read The Liberation of Gabriel King to find out what tests their friendship, and the fear they both face  – one that will change the rest of their lives.

 South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee- 2007-2008

 - 2 out of 5 stars rating – Fails to engage reader, characters not well-developed

Mother dies.  Father is absent – physically and emotionally.  Main character must learn to survive on his own….Sound familiar?  This is a plot line that is becoming a bit repetitive in ‘tween lit.  Remember The Young Man and the Sea by Philbrick – also, a SCJBA nominee from 2006-07?  The difference between Young Man and the Sea  and this story, however, is the plot in the former engages the reader and the main character, Skiff, is very likable and admirable.  I do not feel the same way about the plot in Chicken Boy or the main character, Toby.

The action in the novel is pretty much nonexistent, and many of the characters are not well-developed.  The main character, Toby, was less interesting to me than his granny, a wacky in-your-face spitfire, and Henry, Toby’s classmate, who has developed a fascination of chickens and speaks with a voice much more mature than his young years.  To me, the book leaves so many potential conflicts undeveloped – the relationship between Toby and his young teacher, the tension between Granny and his father, Toby being torn between his new caring foster parents and the dysfunctional family in which he was raised, the relationship between Toby and his juvenile delinquent siblings, the teasing Toby endures with his classmates until he finally begins to prove himself…..

I guess I am missing the appeal of this novel.  I think there’s much more interesting realistic fiction that is not on this year’s list.  This book may appeal to some reluctant male readers, but overall, I think students will find it boring.

   1/2     Adventure, Great humor, Mystery

A secret spy?  Little Lucy Wickwright – the poor, orphaned mistress to Pauline, the future Baroness of Cant?  Lucy was fairly content with her plot in life…that is until she suddenly finds herself engaged in a secret plot against the Barony.  Suddenly Lucy finds herself drawn into a world of danger, intrigue, mystery, and even (maybe…hopefully…romance)!!  Lucy realizes in the end that she’s not poor, nor is she an orphan.  She emerges as a strong heroine – pretty impressive for an 11- year – old!  This funny, exciting adventure will have you hooked from the very beginning.   

      What the cool kids are reading….

This SCJBA nominee is actually the third book in a series though the reader can understand events with no prior knowledge. 

I found this book interesting but overall felt the plot was a bit underdeveloped.  The mystery begins with the murder of Lord Inaba.  Everyone is baffled as to how someone could sneak into his castle, slip unnoticed into his heavily guarded room and murder the king in his sleep.More mysterious is the bloodstained origami butterfly left behind.  When 14-year-old Seikei (a Samurai in training) and his sponsor, Judge Ooka, investigate the murder, they find themselves  treated poorly by the royal court.  What secret are they hiding?

Faced with a journey that includes great physical challenges, intrigue, and danger, Seikei is ready to prove himself worthy of the title of “Samurai” – even if it means losing his life in the pursuit of justice and honor.

     Students who enjoy Japanese culture, ninjas, shoguns, and samurai stories will enjoy this mystery/adventure.  I feel that the companion books should be read in order for the reader to really connect with the text.  This genre is rapidly gaining popularity with young teens.

   - A book so important, it should be required reading for all students in middle school - Russell could not believe how much his life changed when he started Parkland Middle School or Darkland (which is what everyone else called it).  Not only does Russell feel deserted by all of his friends, he also has to deal with being stalked by the scariest, meanest bully in the entire school.  Would you put up with being beat up and tormented every day?  Well, Russell decides he’s not going to, either!  He teams up with two other seventh graders who are also being harassed by bullies.  Soon they devise a plan to begin an “underground” publication distributed to the student body on the school’s network server.  The letter, called The Revealer, details other students’ experiences and how they have been teased and mistreated by bullies at Parkland Middle.  When the letter is sent to the student body and they begin reading about how terrible students feel when other people tease them and the way it destroys lives, suddenly being a bully becomes very uncool and not acceptable.  Russell, Catalina, and are actually able to make a difference…that is, until they falsely accuse a student of cheating in their newsletter.    

     When their principal finds out about their letter and the student’s father threatens to sue for slander, she restricts the entire school body’s Internet access.  Just when Russell, Elliot, and Catalina find acceptance, they again are the outcasts - the ones responsible for everyone losing their Internet privileges.  At first, Russell feels beaten.  He then makes the decision to not go down without fighting.  He has a plan - though it’s risky, he knows he must be brave and be willing to reveal even more secrets than before.  Can Russell win back everything he has lost?-  

     The Revealers is a thought-provoking book that will engage readers until the end.  Even if you have never been bullied, we all can identify with some aspect of these three seventh graders’ lives.  This book should be read by every teacher and student.  It will make teachers think twice about dismissing “harmless” teasing and will cause students to think about the way they have treated their fellow classmates.

 1/2 – It’s , Like, OMG…I totally know how this main character feels!  This book is 2 funny!

Tam and Allie – BFF?  In Sixth-Grade glommers, norks, and me by Lisa Papademetriou, Allie thought that her middle school years would rock.  She soon finds out that she seems to be destined to be a total loser – a nork, even!  Her childhood friend Tam never wants to hang anymore.  Suddenly, Allie has no idea of who she really is – or where she belongs.

 Middle school students, especially girls, will appreciate the new slang, hip dialogue, details of first crushes, and the drama of friendship conflicts.

      Great Read!

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is sure to appeal to a variety of readers, especially fans of Harry Potter.  In the novel, Percy is an unlikely hero.  He has been diagnosed with ADD and has never done well in school.  He has even been expelled several times.  Percy has to live with his gross stepfather – Smelly Gabe, and he doesn’t have a clue as to who his real father is……how shocked Percy is when he discovers his father is not a human at all – he’s a powerful Greek God (betcha wanna know which God he is – but I will let you discover that for yourself!)  Not only does Percy have a God for a father, he has superhuman powers himself!  Now Percy has to attend a training camp for the children of the Gods, called Half-Blood Hill.  He finds out that it is up to him to complete a very dangerous quest to save the world.  Will he be able to save mankind?  Or will he be forced to sacrifice the person he loves the most?  Check out this hip, edgy, fun, humorous adventure.

      5 Shining Stars – Easy to read, but not easy to forget

Julius Lester, in Day of Tears, weaves together the haunting story of an actual historical event occuring in Savannah, Georgia - the largest slave auction in American history.  Pierce Butler auctions off the majority of his slaves because of his mounting gambling debts.  The slaves have lived on the Butler plantation with their families for generations.  Through dialogue, Lester effectively relays the horrors of slavery and the tragic aftermath that occurs to all of the people who participated that day.  Lester’s writing in this novel may seem simple at first, but it quickly becomes emotionally charged.  The reader will feel as if he is experiencing the emotional losses, the degradation, the sorrow,  and the cruelty as he reads about the experiences of several people attending the slave auction from multiple viewpoints :  the slaveowner, slaveowner’s ex-wife, slaveowner’s children, slave seller,  several slaves sold at the auctions (young and old), the mother and father of a slave sold, a slave couple desperately in love who are separated, etc.  Lester uses both historical fact and fictitious details to demonstrate how all people were deeply impacted by that fateful rainy day on March 2nd and 3rd, 1859.

This book is highly recommended.

       Definitely worth checking out 

Bethany always knew her parents were different.  They were older than other parents.  They also were so overprotective – homeschooling Bethany for years, never letting her out of their sight.  Bethany just accepted things for the way they were  – until…….

Bethany’s parents, clearly distraught, drive across country to leave her with an aunt she has never met.  Suddenly Bethany realizes that she doesn’t know anything about her parents past at all.  Why is everyone in town so shocked when they see her?  Why is she always being compared to “Elizabeth?”  Who is Elizabeth? Some people say that everyone has a twin – someone who looks just like you.  Bethany’s life begins to spiral out of control when she learns that she looks just like Elizabeth, her sister who died years earlier.  Not only does she look just alike this sister Bethany never knew existed - they share the same exact DNA.

How is this possible?  What other secrets have her parents been keeping?

Double Identity is a very suspenseful book.  I could not put it down until all of my questions were answered.  My only complaint is that the ending is a bit of a let down after all of the suspense and excitement.  Overall, this is a great book that I believe all students will enjoy reading.

8th graders Steven Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson cannot believe their luck.  They won the sports writing contest and now will get to attend the NCAA Final Four with press passes!  The excitement for Steven, though, soon turns to fear.Steven and Susan accidentally overhear a conversation between Chip Garber, Minnesota State’s University star player, and a professor from the school.  They learn that Chip is being blackmailed to deliberately lose the game to Duke.

  Five out of five stars – Hold on tight to this one!When I saw the title, I immediately thought..ewww…..another middle school princess story!  Don’t be thrown by the title – this is not the stereotypical chick lit.Princess Academy is a delightful book!  Hale takes the reader away to the poor but proud mining community called Mount Eskel.  Here, it is announced that a prophecy has decreed the royal prince from the wealthy lowlands will soon arrive to select his bride.  The mountain girls chosen will have to attend the Princess Academy in order to learn proper etiquette and to become suitable young women before the prince’s grand arrival. Miri finds herself among the chosen.  At first, she is excited about the prospect of living among the wealthy, traveling to exotic places, and being provided with the opportunity to offer her own family a much better life.  When it appears Miri will be chosen, she suddenly feels torn.  She realizes there is no better life than the one she has.  How can she love a prince when she has already given her heart to another?  This beautifully written book contains several unexpected twists and turns that will engage the reader throughout.  I love Hale’s simple prose, and the beauty in her words and descriptions.