Fire From the Rock

Fire From the Rock by Sharon M. Draper


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A good story for young people, that explores the changing world of integration during the 50's. Sharon Draper gets inside the head of an 8th grade girl, who has been "chosen" to go to Central High in Little Rock. The young lady loves her friends, and really wants to go to the "colored" high school, where she would be able to participate in clubs, go to the dances, and so on. She is also afraid that she is just not brave enough to be up to this task.

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Devil on My Heels

Devil on My Heels by Joyce McDonald


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The setting is 1959, central Florida. Dove is a teenager, and her life has become quite complicated. She is good friends with a young black man, and that is not a good thing, because the KKK is a force to be reckoned with in her town. Lots of tension, drama and suspense in this page-turner, as she deals with suspicions about her own father. Is he a member of the dispicable KKK, too?

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Al Capone Does My Shirts

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this book back in 2008, but never got around to discussing it in my blog. This story is both funny and serious at the same time. The setting is during the 1930's, when Al Capone is a prisoner at Alcatraz. Well, curiously enough, the guards and their families really lived on the island of Alcatraz at that time, and this story is about a young man, and how he copes with a sister who has major problems (autisim?) and how he makes friends at his new school. It's a good read, with the family problems, gangsters, and Alcatraz looming in the background.

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An Unlikely Friendship

An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley by Ann Rinaldi


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was another incredible work of historical fiction by Ann Rinaldi. I learned some very interesting facts about Mary Todd Lincoln's childhood, that really added to my better understanding of the wife of my favorite American. Rinaldi gives the reader a look at life in the south from two very different perspectives, a young girl of privelige, and a young slave named Elizabeth. Elizabeth had an amazing life, overcoming all kinds of obstacles, to become a friend to the First Lady. A wonderful read.

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The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow! I began this book last Sunday, and could not put it down. What an exciting, suspense-filled roller-coaster of a read. This futuristic story of an evil government that pits 24 young people against each other to the death, introduces us to a memorable young woman named Katniss. Her bravery and resourcefulness as she takes her younger sister's place in The Hunger Games makes her an unforgettable character. This was an amazing book.

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This Full House

This Full House by Virginia Euwer Wolff


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I so enjoyed this final entry in the "Make Lemonade" trilogy. I started this series a few years ago, when LaVaughn was an innocent 9th grader who knew she wanted to go to college, no matter that she and her mom were struggling to make ends meet. This novel begins with LaVaughn in her final year of high school, trying to do her best in a special women in science program, that will help her get into college. There is an interesting turn of events involving Jolly, the young mother she has been babysitting for since 9th grade. Great story!

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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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