The Librarian of Auschwitz

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an incredible story. I learned something new about the Holocaust-that there was a children's block at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944, and that there was a clandestine school for the 500 children there. This book is based on a number of real people who survived the death camps, including Dita Kraus, the book's main character. Sometimes it seems that people can become numb to the atrocities of the Holocaust. And then, along comes a book, about books, which can change the reader's heart once again. I loved Dita, her determination, her grit, and her love of where a book can take you. This is YA literature, but any adult who has a heart and soul will be moved to tears. The writing and translation are well done. I would recommend this for mature 8th graders through adult.


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Turning 15 On the Road to Freedom

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very interesting snapshot of an important era in our country's history. The Selma Movement in the 1960's, was a kids movement, and that came out loud and clear in this very readable book. We learn the story of one marcher, who begins the story with, "By the time I was fifteen years old, I had been in jail nine times." Very simply, Lynda Blackmon tells her story of the time before African Americans could vote in the South. There are great illustrations, along with black and white photographs to move the story along, and make it real for young readers. A good choice for all readers!


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The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine

Patina (Track, #2)

Patina by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked the first book in this series, Ghost. (My review is at www,maxsonbattlebooks.blogspot.com). That one was a definite 4 stars. This book is just not quite as good as that one. We have some of the same characters, especially the kids from the track team, but Patina and her little sister Maddie own the pages of this book. The sisters have an unusual story. They live with their Uncle Tony and his wife, who they affectionately refer to as Momly. But, their real mom is very much in the picture. She has diabetes and other serious illnesses, and so they don't live with her, but visit her every weekend and text every day. Patina is dealing with a new school, bratty girls, and trying to be the best track star ever. I felt the dialogue was not quite real, almost forced. I think it's a good pick for girls (and boys) who enjoy track, or just like to read about kids who are dealing with some stressful issues. This is an easy read for middle schoolers.


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Solo

Solo by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved The Crossover, and so I eagerly jumped into this book. Blade is the son of a has-been musical superstar, and he looks at his father's antics, including drugs and booze, as so childish, and so not what his life will be about. Blade is very much in love with Chapel, but her parents have forbidden the relationship, because of Blade's notorious family. When Blade discovers that he was adopted, he sets out to Ghana to find his birth mother. This book is funny, sad, and filled with old song lyrics. It is a fast read, and absolutely fits the 8th grade to high school library. It is written in the same style as The Crossover, free verse, which makes it great for reluctant readers.


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Beyond the Bright Sea

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was interested in the setting of this book, as it takes place in the Elizabeth Islands, which are close to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This story takes place in the early 20th century, and I wish I could say that I loved this story, I didn't, but I liked it. This is the story of a young girl named Crow, who was found in a boat washed up on an island close to Cuttyhunk. Crow is happy living with Osh, the man who found her, but she is very curious as to who her parents were, and why they gave her up, putting her out to sea. Who would risk a baby's life like that? We discover the island of Penekese, where years ago people who had Hanson's disease, (leprosy) were sent to live and die. Miss Maggie and Osh are great adult characters, and there is a mystery to be solved. This book is well written, with lots of descriptions, and you really feel the salt and wind. It is not that easy a read, but is worth it if you have the stamina.


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Review: A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of Conor, and the monster that has decided to come to him each night. Conor is already dealing with a terrible nightmare, which he will not even discuss, and, the fact that his mom is very sick with cancer. His dad has remarried and gone to live in America, and Conor is left to deal with some awful bullies at school. And now, his wicked grandmother is insisting that Conor should move in with her. The monster is scary, but so is Conor's life. There are some great illustrations that go along with this story, and now, there is even a movie about it.

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Review: Cleopatra's Moon

Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A really good book for high school and very mature 8th grade students. This book was so well done, that I think it could definitely be read by adults and teens alike. This is the story of Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene, and I must say, I didn't really know anything about her story. The book begins in the tranquil days before Rome had sacked Alexandria, and the descriptions of that city and life in the palace are well done. Cleopatra Selene is a young girl when we meet her, with a twin brother and a baby brother. She loves her mother and father, and longs to grow up to be as powerful as her beautiful mother. Of course, the Roman empire gets in the way, and as a 13 year-old, Cleopatra Selene and her siblings are brought to Rome as prisoners. Lots of great characters and adventure follow, with a love story woven in between.

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Review: The Secret of Sarah Revere

The Secret of Sarah Revere by Ann Rinaldi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just love the way Ann Rinaldi turns a piece of history into a really good story, especially written for grades 7-10. This is the story of one of Paul Revere's daughters, Sarah, and a dark secret she harbors in her heart. The reader gets a glimpse of life in Boston at the very beginning of the Revolutionary War, with actual characters straight out of the pages of history. I love Boston, and I have visited the Revere house and Bunker Hill, and other historical places, and it made the reading of this story even more enjoyable for me. There is action, suspense and romance. what else could you ask for?

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Review: Ruby on the Outside

Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you judge a book by its cover, you would not choose this book to read. But, when I read the inside cover, I decided to try it, and I'm glad I did. This is the story of eleven- year-old Ruby, who is starting middle school in the fall. She has no real friends, and, she lives with Matoo, which actually stands for Ma, #2. Ruby's real mother is in prison, and has been since Ruby was five-years-old. Ruby has always kept kids her own age at a distance, so that she will never have to explain that Matoo is her aunt, and her real mom is locked away. Now, at the beginning of summer, she meets Margalit. They become good friends, but Ruby is very worried. When should she tell Margalit the truth? This is a very good story, that allows the reader to discover the heartbreak and anguish that kids go through because of the mistakes of their parents. Very real.

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Review: Ender's Game

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know where I was when this book was first published back in 1986, but I'm very glad I found it in the Maxson MS Library! This book is awesome! I could not put it down. The writing was brilliant, as the battles and training games were so well done, that I could actually picture them so vividly in my mind. This is the story of Ender, and his forced journey to become a Battle commander, even at the young age of 11. I know, it seems far-fetched, but the author, Card, makes it quite believable. Ender is special, he has been monitored from a young age by the powers that be, as someone who is destined to be great. Ender has a vicious older brother, who torments him and his beloved sister, Valentine. But at the young age of 11, Ender is taken away from his family to head to Battle School. The world is in danger from an alien attack, and Ender might be the only one that can save it. And so it begins!

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Review: The Boy Who Saved Baseball

The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H. Ritter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yes, I really loved this book! First, you must know, I love baseball, and I love stories of teams who are not quite the best. (I am a die-hard Mets fan, and have been for a long time.) And when you have a book that has characters named Cruz de la Cruz, and Dante Del Gato, you can not go wrong. This is the story of Tom, not a great player himself, but with a lot of heart. Tom lives in a town way out in California, and his team is going to play the game of their young lives. Their town will change forever if they can not win this big game. This is a great, beautiful, baseball story.

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Review: Gym Candy

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a different kind of high school football story, though there is plenty of action on the field. This is the story of Mick, who has played football all his life. His father was a star player in college, and expects Mick to follow in his footsteps. Mick loves football, but it seems as if his father is pressuring him to make first string as a freshman in high school. When his father takes him to a gym so that he can really get a good weightlifting workout, he meets his new trainer. And then, things change for Mick. He decides he needs to be bigger, stronger and faster, and his trainer knows just what to prescribe for him. A very timely story. Football plays are described in detail.

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Review: Ghost

Ghost by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book! Castle Crenshaw, who goes by the nickname "Ghost", is always running. It all started when his father went kind of nuts, and began shooting at him and his mother. Now, his dad is in jail, his mom is working hard to take care of them, and Ghost has inadvertently joined a real track team. He had never, ever thought of running as a real sport. Coach tries to teach Ghost the finer points of being a runner, but with troubles in school, and making a really bad choice in a store, Ghost is fighting an uphill battle.
This book is well written, with real characters and situations that any middle school kid can relate to. I loved Coach, and totally loved Ghost.

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Review: The War that Saved My Life

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! I could not put it down! This is the remarkable story of nine year-old Ada, and her little brother, Jamie. They are extremely poor, and live in a one room apartment with their Mam. Ada was born with a club foot, and her Mam treats her horribly. She is not allowed to leave the apartment, she can only crawl around on the floor, and her mother really abuses her, both verbally and physically. When England goes to war with Germany in 1940, the children in London are sent to the country in order to be safe from the bombing of London. Ada's mother refuses to let her children leave, and that's when Ada comes up with a plan to escape. Ada and Jamie are taken in by a lady named Susan, and in the country, all their lives are changed forever. Great story.

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Review: The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century

The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is really a 3 1/2 star review. I have always been fascinated with Lizzie Borden and her story, ever since I was a kid and learned the lurid rhyme: "Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one." I have read tons of articles, and have even watched a ghost hunter show that takes place in her house, the scene of this awful crime. This book is takes us through the crime scene, and the author lets her readers know what life was like back in Fall River, Massachusetts 1892, with lots of sidebars and actual photographs. Some of the descriptions of the crime scene are totally gross. There were parts of the book I did skim over, because it got a little technical. That being said, this book is not that easy to read, so I would recommend it for 8th grade and up. As an aside, the author actually slept in Lizzie's bedroom, as the house is now a Bed and breakfast!

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Review: Nightbird

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Twig is a young teen who has moved from New York City to a quaint little town in Vermont. She lives with her mom and older brother, James. Her brother, because of an old family curse, stays hidden. He has huge black wings, and can fly! His mom is worried that the government will discover his "strangeness" and take him away. Because of all of this, Twig can never have close friends, and this gets to be difficult when a new family moves in to her neighborhood. She makes friends with Julia, a girl her own age, and they discover that this curse involved Julia's family, too. Things get even more complicated when Julia's older sister sees James, and they fall in love. Witches curses, spells, and monsters.

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Review: No Ordinary Day

No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very slim novel, but tells a story that may be surprising to some middle school students. The setting is India, and we learn of the plight of Valli, who doesn't go to school because she picks (or steals) coal for her family. When she finds out that she is adopted, she runs away to Kolkata. She makes her way as a homeless girl, but then runs into some difficulty. She meets Dr. Indra, who tries to help Valli. Dr. Indra has discovered that Valli has leprosy. This is a very different kind of story, but a great way to learn how children survive in different cultures around the world.

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Review: Orbiting Jupiter

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed some of the other books that Gary D. Schmidt has written---they have always been a bit touching, and very real. This storyline is very different. Jack and his parents have decided to take in a foster kid named Joseph. All that Jack knows about him is: he tried to kill a teacher; he won't wear anything orange; he won't let anyone stand behind him; he won't let anyone touch him; he won't go into rooms that are too small; and, he has a daughter. Whoa. The writing is beautiful and simple, the two boys will creep into your heart, and you will feel your heart break. Good story for both girls and boys, adults, too.

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Review: We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler

We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read many of Russell Freedman's historical nonfiction books, which are all well-researched and full of photographs, and this one is another to add to the collection in the Maxson MS library. The setting is Nazi Germany, and our heroes are young college students who defied Adolf Hitler and his notorious regime. The White Rose student movement was founded by Hans Scholl and a few friends, and soon included his sister, Sophie Scholl. In a time when children turned against parents, and neighbor against neighbor, Hans and Sophie Scholl were able to inspire a brave group of college students, and distribute thousands of leaflets condemning the Nazis. Freedman brings their story alive, and gives the reader wonderful photographs to leave a lasting image on our hearts.

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