Tuesday, June 1, 2010
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Scout Finch is the daughter a big lawyer, Atticus Finch. Scout, her brother Jem, and their dad live in a small town in Alabama during the depression. Her mother passed away before she could remember her and she has grown up in a household of men. She has become somewhat of a tom boy with all the male influence in her life.She does, however, have one female influence in her life - their cook and nanny, Calpurnia, and African-American woman. The story is about Scout and Jem and a few years in their life. They face a number of obstacles and challenges including the following: friendship, curiosity, puberty, judgment, persecution, and racism.
This is my all time favorite novel. It is perfect. And I don't say that often. It presents serious issues through the simple eyes of a child. I feel like anything I say about it to boast it will not be enough. So just know that it is wonderful and that every single person should read it.
Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe
This is a story I had never heard before. It would have been a story no one would have ever heard very easily, but thankfully, it is not. The story of Emmett Till and his brutal murder changed history, and, in effect, initiated the civil rights movement. This novel is his story; a biography written by Chris Crowe. The book is filled with facts and information, but it is portrayed in a way that is interesting to all audiences. It is filled with pictures of Emmett, his family, and the time period. It also includes a graphic picture of the open casket funeral service (that lasted three days and attracted swarms of people). His body was beaten and destroyed beyond recognition. That picture, and others like it, shook the world. It helped people see their wrong.
I was so grateful to have been able to take in this part of history through this book. It really shed a new light on the civil rights movement and what this country was like before it.
The Devil's Arithmatic by Jane Yolen
Hannah is a twelve year old Jewish girl, who, like most young girls, is embarrassed by her family. She, however, is embarrassed because they are Jewish. Her grandfather survived the Holocaust and is constantly, and sometimes obnoxiously, attempting to relate his account. He wants Hannah to remember. Despite her families efforts to engage Hannah in their family heritage, she resists. During their celebration of the Passover, Hannah is chosen to open their front door as a tradition to "let Elijah in." When she opens the door she is transported to another time and place - Germany during the Holocaust.
I have always loved stories about the Holocaust. I think they are fascinating. This book did not fail to meet that expectation. It added another dimension to the history of the Holocaust. It made the event more real through it's portrayal of Hannah, a modern character, in the heat of it. I loved this book and would definitely recommend it.
Angels Watching Over Me by Lurlene Mcdaniel
Right before Christmas, while her mother was away on her honeymoon with husband number five, teenage Leah Lewis-Hall is admitted to the hospital. Her pinky finger hurt and they discovered it was broken and that they need to run some tests. They give her a room to stay in while she waits for the tests. Her roommate is a young girl, Rebekkah, who happens to be Amish. When Rebekkah's family come to visit her they meet Leah. Leah is amazed and intrigued by this Amish family, especially Rebekkah's older brother Ethan. When they meet he hardly looks at her, looking everywhere else to avoid eye contact. She quickly becomes friends with the family, but it takes some time to break Ethan. When she finally breaks him he expresses his love for her - and she returns it. The story is sweet and heart-felt. It is not only about new love, but about family love and friendship as well. When Leah finds out that she has cancer all bonds are tried.
It's a pretty good book. I decided to read it because I remember everyone in my class in eighth grade loved it and I never could get it from the library because it was always checked out. I think I would have liked it better then though. It was a little too sappy, but mostly good.
Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson
Scribbler of Dreams is a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Kait comes from a poor family and her father is in jail. They cannot afford their private school anymore and are forced to attend their rival school. It's not only their rival in sports and academics, it's her families rival in life. A long past family feud has driven the Crutchfield family and the Malone family apart and has caused a rift and a hatred between them. This hatred is so deep that Kait and her sister cannot safely go by "Malone." She is a quiet girl who likes to write. During lunch she finds a secret place to sit and write alone. However, her solitude is disrupted when a boy sits down a little ways away from her. To her surprise the boy, who she had noticed and recognized his extreme popularity, is just seeking solitude as well. She bonds with him silently as they both work in their sketchbooks. He finally breaks the space between them one day to present a picture he had drawn of her. The boy, Bram, and Kait quickly fall deeply in love. However, she soon finds out who his family is, and, in keeping with Shakespeare's plot, he is a Crutchfield. Family bonds are tried, and love is put to the test.
The book is engaging and easy to read. Although it was a romantic page turner, it was pretty predictable and cliche.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak is about a young girl, fifteen or so, named Melinda who is hated by everyone. Every single person in her school almost hates her with a passion. Unfortunately, she ,too, hates herself. But not in the same way everyone else does, or for the same reason. She is beginning to close herself off from the world. She has lost her friends and can hardly talk with her family. She finds a closet behind the janitors closet in her high school where she hides. She is removing the world from her and the world is removing her too. The novel is all about her insights and observations, all revealed through her thoughts only.
It is a beautiful novel. I would recommend it to almost anyone, with the warning that it includes some sexual themes.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Moving to a new town is tough. You have to make new friends, deal with new teachers (and old curriculum), and start dating anew. It's even harder when you hate the rain and the cold and your new town if Forks, WA. Bella is dealing with just that when she decides to move in with her dad so her mom can travel with her boyfriend. A new girl in the high school in Forks doesn't happen very often so when she arrives everyone welcomes her graciously (mostly out of curiosity for the anomaly). The boys swarm her and practically throw themselves at her. The girls, too, adore Bella. But one person pays particular attention to her, in the worst way possible. He seems to hate her. He doesn't even know her and he hates her. His hatred for her is obvious, but no one knows his reasoning. However, his hatred is quickly turned into love, and his love for her is just as strong as his hatred was. Why he hates her and even why he loves her happen to be along the same lines - reasons you'll have to find out by reading the book.
This book seems to release two audiences - those who absolutely LOVE it and go to bed wishing they didn't have to fall asleep. And those who HATE it with their very being. The two polar opposites seem to think that their opinion of the book (and the series that follow it) is the only correct opinion and they will fight anyone who opposes them to the death. But I will openly admit, I am in the middle. I'm a fence sitter and neither side will ever pull me down. Although I lean more toward "hate" on the three novels that follow Twilight, I am dead center for the first. It really was a fun read. I was constantly engaged and it drew a fair amount of emotion from me. But the cheesiness and the hype keeps me in the center. I would not recommend it or NOT recommend it. I am Switzerland.
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Life was simple for Janie Johnson. She had loving parents, good friends, and a handsome love interest. Nothing could be better. One day while sitting in the cafeteria with her friends Janie notices a little girl on the back of a milk carton. The face of the child looks incredibly similar to herself. She becomes convinced that the girl is her and that she must have been, at some point, kidnapped. She begins to search for other evidence and quickly finds it. She realizes that there are no pictures of her before three or so, her parents won't show her a birth certificate, and she finds a chest in the attic with another girls name on it. The mystery only deepens when she finally confronts her "parents" about this. They have an answer for her, but you'll have to read the book to find out what it is and what happens after that.
This was a re-read for me. I read this novel once before in eighth grade. I was captured with the characters and plot the first time, being lead along by the mystery of the novel. I was worried that since I knew the ending I wouldn't enjoy it as much, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was till a fun and exciting read. I would recommend it to anyone.
Incantation by Alice Hoffman
This story is about a young girl, Estrella, in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. Her family has been secretly practicing Judaism without her ever even knowing it. Her whole life she practiced Judaism in private and Catholicism in public. When the law begins to really crack down on Jews everyone in the city goes mad. Everyone begins accusing his or her neighbor of being a Jew and eventually the accusation falls on Estrella's family. The story is about the bonds of friendship, first love, family unity, and the persecution of religion.
I love this novel. I listened to it on a trip with my husband and we've been talking about it ever since. the subject matter is controversial, but tastefully portrayed in the novel. The author writes prose like poetry - it's beautiful.
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
In an uptight private school where the teachers rule with an iron fist order gets unraveled when a student breaks the rules. He doesn't actually break any written rules, but the unspoken rules of both the school and the gang of students that actually governs the school. A secret society called the Vigils have quietly run the school since it began. The students that make up the group are the leaders of their society, and of those around them. When a teacher has the opportunity to become the dean of the school if he creates enough sales in the school's annual chocolate sale, he turns to the Vigils for help. The Vigils begin creating assignments for each student to follow in complete secrecy. When a task falls on the main character and protagonist, Jerry, he follows the orders without hesitation. However, when the task is supposed to end, Jerry doesn't quit. When they order him to quit the task, he refuses the order. One simple word - "no" - begins a full out war within the school.
I don't say this about very many books, but I hated it. I felt that the characters were underdeveloped and so was the plot. It built up to the climax the entire time and then there never really was one. It was a big let down and I would not recommend it.
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