The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a scary, creepy story, and yet...it is also a story of love and caring about family. Neil Gaiman has outdone himself. I really liked Coraline, but I think this book was even better. Bod is raised in a cemetary by ghosts, which sounds unbelievable, but Gaiman's writing makes it all very real. And even though the story opens with a gruesome murder, it touched my heart.

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Elijah of Buxton

Elijah Of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is not my favorite Christopher Paul Curtis book. I love historical fiction, and this story is an important one, so I would still recommend it to middle school students. Elijah is a "fragile" eleven year-old, who happens to be the first free-born child in Buxton, way up there in Canada. The story is based on historical facts, and Curtis tries to infuse some humor while explaining about the horrors and tragedy of slavery.
P.S.
I really loved his book, "The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963".

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Harlem Summer

Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really liked this YA book because of its cast of characters. I have read many Walter Dean Myers books, and enjoyed 145th Street the most.
Harlem Summer is a great book to use when teaching about the Harlem Renaissance because EVERYONE who was anyone is in this novel, including Langston Hughes, Fats Waller, W.E.B. DuBois, and even Dutch Schultz have a role.
Mark, the main character, takes a job at The Crisis, and learns what it means to be a "New Negro", but he's not sure he wants any part of it. The story has humor, some really scary parts, and was written through the very real voice of a young man growing up in New York City during a very interesting time in history.

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girl, going on 17 Pants on Fire

Girl, Going on 17: Pants on Fire by Sue Limb


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a fun, funny book. Jess Jordan is a British teen, a little overweight, but with a huge sense of humor. Unfortunately, she gets into so much trouble on the very first day of the new school term, that it looks as if her life is doomed. Jess deals with her problems the way she knows best, by being outrageously funny. A good read for 7-8th graders. They will need to know a few British words, like loo and knickers.

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A Girl Named Disaster

A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a wonderful story and setting. Nhamo is a young girl who begins an adventure that will change her life forever. She is an orphan, and one day is told that she must marry an old cruel man who already has three wives. Nhamo's grandmother advises her to flee the village, and find her father who supposedly lives in Zimbabwe.
As she escapes and makes her way through Mozambique, she encounters the spirit of her mother and other dead Ancestors, who help her along this perilous journey.
This book would be an excellent choice in middle schools when discussing diversity, and strong female characters.

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Twisted

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Laurie Halse Anderson is really amazing. This book is so dead-on when it comes to accurately portraying high school students and dysfunctional families, and still manages to not be depressing. At one point my heart was actually in my throat, as I quickly turned the pages.
This time her main character is Tyler, who has a monster for a father. Tyler is in big trouble, for vandalizing his school, and constantly mouthing off to adults. This book is one of my top YA faves.

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The Shakespeare Stealer

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary L. Blackwood


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very enjoyable book. It is a great introduction to Shakespearean times, without being too pretentious for middle-schoolers. Will Shakespeare himself actually makes a few appearances. It has dueling and suspense, so it is appropriate for both boys and girls. Widge, the main character, is an orphan apprenticed to a man who orders him to steal Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. He is off on a dangerous adventure.

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A Break with Charity

A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials by Ann Rinaldi


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It was really cool to be in Salem, Massachusetts as I was reading this book. Rinaldi did a great job in recreating 1691-92, when 19 people were executed in Salem for being witches. I think I could actually get some 7th and 8th grade students to read this book. It is a well-written page-turner, and Rinaldi provides lots of references that add to this historical drama.

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An Acquaintance with Darkness

An Acquaintance with Darkness by Ann Rinaldi


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What an excellent choice for YA historical fiction buffs. This book tells the story of 14 year-old Emily, who is friends with the Surratt family, just days before Lincoln is shot. And, Emily's uncle is a famous doctor who robs graves to do medical research. What more can a reader ask for? It is fast-paced, well-researched, and I may even be able to get some of the Maxson students to check it out.
Ann Rinaldi is one of my favorite historical fiction writers.

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Twilight

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was not expecting too much from another vampire book, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book, and the 2 that followed , were a big hit around here last year with the 8th grade girls.

The main character, klutzy Bella is a bit overplayed, but the characters are very real and likeable. The last third of the book was a real page-turner.
I may just have to read the next book in the series.

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Looking for Alibrandi

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was one of the few books I have ever read with a setting of Australia. Also, it is one of the few YA books where the main character is of Italian ancestry. There were never books like this when I was a teen.
Josephine attends a Catholic high school, has boy problems, and most importantly, is searching for the father who is missing from her life.
It was an interesting read, and I learned a lot about modern Australian teens, but I was never comfortable with the writer's style. I want one of my savvy 8th graders to give it a try, so I can get a better perspective.

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Blood Secret

Blood Secret by Kathryn Lasky


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book was somewhat interesting, from an adult standpoint, but I don't think many young people will get in to the story. It is a story of the Inquisition, beginning in Spain, and actually coming to the new world. But, it is also a time-travel story, because the main character, a young girl named Jerry, is able to go back in time to witness her family's persecution.
I learned something new, though, that Jewish people from Spain were early settlers in the southwest. I never knew that.
Truthfully, I think this storyline is too complicated for many young people to follow.

I love historical fiction, but this book is not on my fave list.

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I Am a Taxi

I Am a Taxi by Deborah Ellis


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I never realized how bad things were in Bolivia. Children in prison with their parents, and, having to pay for your room and board while a prisoner. Whoa! This story is an eye-opener for people, especially young people 11-14. I was not thrilled with the writing, but the storyline makes it worth reading.
It is a scary adventure for the 12 year-old Diego, as he tries his best to make some money to feed his family.

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Sold

Sold by Patricia McCormick


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was beautifully written, but tells such an ugly story. Lakshmi is a 13-year-old girl from Nepal. She is poor, but loves her life in the mountains. Unfortunatley, she is sold (unbeknownst to her)to a brothel in India, and must endure this life, or die.

Patricia McCormick writes in an almost free-verse style, simply giving Lakshmi a voice which breaks the readers heart.
I believe this would be a great book for middle school students, because it is not too graphic, but tells this very realistic story in a compelling way.

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a great first book! What a great book for boys (CAUTION: older boys). My favorite subject once again, Native Americans, and with funny, comic-like illustrations. Junior's decision to leave the Rez and go to a white school has a major impact on the many loving people in his life. I laughed and cried.

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Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Looking for Alaska, by John Green, is a well-written story of Miles and his friends at a preppie boarding school, and how they deal with Alaska's death. The five students have formed a close relationship, but when Alaska is killed in a terrible car accident, Miles and the Colonel are left with the not-knowing why, and the guilt of their part in it. This book is funny, serious and a wonderful story of understanding and coping with the death of a dear friend.

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Whirligig

Whirligig by Paul Fleischman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have just finished reading two books that deal with death and teens, and both books were wonderful. The first one, Whrligig, by Paul Fleischman was a short novel about Brent, who has gotten very drunk at a party, then is humiliated by a girl he thought he liked. He drives away recklessly, and decides to kill himself by crashing into the highway divider. When the accident is cleared, he has taken the life of an 18-year-old girl. Brent has to learn how to go on living with this terrible guilt, and on his journey makes some remarkable discoveries about life.

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The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A very good story, but not a great story. The setting is Venice, and of course, we have 2 brothers who have run away from a mean aunt. They are able to get to Venice on their own, and join a group of homeless children. It just was a little bit too hard for me to believe.
Interestingly, the author is German, and her books are translated. I do want to read Inkheart, to see what all the fuss is about.

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Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie

Drums, Girls, And Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a terrific story, it had me laughing and crying. The author totally understands the middle school boy's mind and manners. It deals with a serious subject: a younger brother has leukemia. The author does a great job of showing how a family really copes with all that this means.

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New Boy by Julian Houston

New Boy by Julian Houston


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a very interesting book about the end of segregation, told by a high school sophmore from Virginia in the late 1950's. Rob has enrolled in an all-white Connecticut boarding school,but he feels that he doesn't "belong" anywhere. Rob has some eye-opening experiences during this very history-making school year. He meets Malcolm X on a walk through Harlem, and participates in a lunch counter sit-in back home in Virginia.

My only problem with this book is that the writing is a bit stiff. I don't know if middle-school students would get in to it, but perhaps high school students might.

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The Ever-After Bird

The Ever-After Bird by Ann Rinaldi


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really like Ann Rinaldi books. She does such a great job with historical fiction, making it very palatable for young people.

This story takes place before the Civil War. Cece, a thirteen year-old girl, does not understand or care about the Abolitionist Movement.

When her father is murdered because of his Aboltionist views, Cece's world is turned around. She gets to travel through the South, to witness slavery firsthand.

Once again, Rinaldi does not write "down" to her young readers. This is a great way to help teach about the Abolitionists, while also telling a story with adventure, danger, and romance.


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A Step from Heaven

A Step From Heaven by An Na

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a small gem of a book that touched my heart. It is the story of a girl who emigrates from Korea with her mother and father, and with each chapter, or really, vignette, she is growing up. The author is a first generation Korean American, and the agonies and lies that Young Ju has to deal with are painfully real.



It is a wonderful book that gives the reader a clear understanding of the trials of being a stranger in a new country, but the writing makes it a work of art.


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New Moon

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was very disappointed with this book. I really enjoyed Twilight, and the way some of the 8th grade girls raved about this series, I guess I just expected more.



I found it repetitious and a bit boring, until the last fourth of the book. But, here is the question, should I read the next volume?


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The Seer of Shadows

The Seer of Shadows by Avi

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I like Avi's historical fiction, like The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. The Seer of Shadows is not as exciting, but rather, is eerily suspenseful. The setting is New York City, just after the Civil War, when the art of photography is in its infancy. It is the story of a ghost seeking revenge, and the two young people who try to stop her.


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Cut by Patricia McCormack

A very timely topic for today, Cut tells the story of Callie, a high school girl who is in therapy for cutting herself. The setting is a residential treatment facility, where Callie remains silent. She can not, or will not, talk. We hear her thoughts, her observations, of all the other girls who are there with her, and all their dysfunctions.

A complicated story, but written in a simple, quiet style.

Sold by Patricia McCormack

This book was beautifully written, but tells such an ugly story. Lakshmi is a 13-year-old girl from Nepal. She is poor, but loves her life in the mountains. Unfortunately, she is sold (unbeknownst to her) to a brothel in India, and must endure this life, or die. Patricia McCormick writes in an almost free-verse style, simply giving Lakshmi a voice which breaks the readers’ heart. I believe this would be a great book for middle school students, because it is not too graphic, but tells this very realistic story in a compelling way

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

I must be starved for more Harry Potter, because I really enjoyed these tales, and especially enjoyed the commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Once again I marveled at how J.K. Rowling was able to intertwine these tales with HP.
I have a great idea for JKR. Why doesn't she write about the early years of Dumbledore and his brother? She really just touched on them in the books, but I know she could turn it into at least 3 volumes. I really miss Hogwarts and Harry and Hermione.