by Francine Prose
Summary:
Bart's parents worked together in the World Trade Center. It's where they met, where they fell in love, where they worked every day even after his father left his mom for someone else. But no one knew that on the day that the planes hit the towers. On a day he had a fever so his mom stayed home to take care of him instead of going to work. So instead of losing both his parents, it was only his dad that was gone. But he was gone already, but no one quite understands. Now Bart's at a prep school on a scholarship because everyone feels bad for him, but the school is only making his life worse.
Review:
One of the more interesting aspects of Bullyville was reading how Bart dealt with his father's death. He struggles to not only accept his father's death, but to find a way to accept that despite the fact that his father left he is still allowed to grieve. The bullying at the school he attends seems a bit far fetched, however the main story is interesting. It's a good read for boys.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 5th-6th Grade
Monday, October 22, 2012
Between Shades of Gray
by Ruth Sepetys
Summary:
Lina knows things aren't quite right in the world right now, but the war going on doesn't seem like it will touch her in Lithuania. The fighting between the Germans and Russians seems far enough away that her family will be safe. Until one night in 1941, when the Soviet guards come and round up anyone who might be a threat to them as they take over the country. Lina and her mother and brother are sent to a Siberian work camp while her father is sentenced to death. But surviving is a daily challenge, and keeping your will to survive the bleak and freezing life at the camp is another. As Lina sees all her hopes and dreams for her future disappear, she somehow must find the strength to keep moving forward.
Review:
What I liked most about this book was that it was about WWII but wasn't about the Holocaust. Instead it told a story few people know about. The gulags of Russia were alive and well during the war years, and innocent people were sent there by the hundreds. Lina's story was not unique, many children saw the future they thought they had ahead of them shattered as they struggled to survive their 30 year prison sentence. It's well written and a great read for older tweens and teens.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade
Summary:
Lina knows things aren't quite right in the world right now, but the war going on doesn't seem like it will touch her in Lithuania. The fighting between the Germans and Russians seems far enough away that her family will be safe. Until one night in 1941, when the Soviet guards come and round up anyone who might be a threat to them as they take over the country. Lina and her mother and brother are sent to a Siberian work camp while her father is sentenced to death. But surviving is a daily challenge, and keeping your will to survive the bleak and freezing life at the camp is another. As Lina sees all her hopes and dreams for her future disappear, she somehow must find the strength to keep moving forward.
Review:
What I liked most about this book was that it was about WWII but wasn't about the Holocaust. Instead it told a story few people know about. The gulags of Russia were alive and well during the war years, and innocent people were sent there by the hundreds. Lina's story was not unique, many children saw the future they thought they had ahead of them shattered as they struggled to survive their 30 year prison sentence. It's well written and a great read for older tweens and teens.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade
Dead End in Norvelt
by Jack Gantos
Summary:
Norvelt, Pennsylvania has always considered itself to be a special town. Built because Eleanor Roosevelt herself wanted more places built where everyone could have a house and a job and a life, the town has always prized itself on being a place where neighbors help each other. But now the jobs are fewer and people are moving away. When Jack accidentally fires his dad's rifle (the one he wasn't supposed to even touch), his mother makes him help out Miss Volker, the town's first and only medical examiner, as a punishment. As he helps her write obituaries, Jack discovers there's a lot more to the town than he ever thought. Norvelt has a lot of secrets, and Jack is the one who gets to discover them.
Review:
Dead End in Norvelt is a great read for tween boys. Jack is adventurous and relatable, this adventures with Miss Volker amusing and inventive. The book deftly weaves in a bit of history, reminding readers that there's a lot more to the places we know than we think.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 4-5th Grade
Summary:
Norvelt, Pennsylvania has always considered itself to be a special town. Built because Eleanor Roosevelt herself wanted more places built where everyone could have a house and a job and a life, the town has always prized itself on being a place where neighbors help each other. But now the jobs are fewer and people are moving away. When Jack accidentally fires his dad's rifle (the one he wasn't supposed to even touch), his mother makes him help out Miss Volker, the town's first and only medical examiner, as a punishment. As he helps her write obituaries, Jack discovers there's a lot more to the town than he ever thought. Norvelt has a lot of secrets, and Jack is the one who gets to discover them.
Review:
Dead End in Norvelt is a great read for tween boys. Jack is adventurous and relatable, this adventures with Miss Volker amusing and inventive. The book deftly weaves in a bit of history, reminding readers that there's a lot more to the places we know than we think.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 4-5th Grade
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
by Emily Danforth
Summary:
The day Cameron Post's parents die is the day she first kisses a girl. She can't help but be relieved that they will never know about her, they will never have to be ashamed that she is gay. But when her extremely religious aunt moves in to take care of her, she finds being true to herself is a constant challenge. As she grows up, and embraces her sexuality, her aunt sends her to a religious boarding school which claims it can 'readjust' her sexual orientation. What she learns there will change her life forever.
Review:
Danforth's book about a girl who has to learn to embrace herself in the midst of a conservative community and family is both well written and timely. This is a great book not just for LGBT teens, but for any who seek to try and understand what these teens go through as they try to be themselves. The hurt and shame that Cameron feels as her aunt tells her she is going to hell for being who she is is something most teens will never go through, which is why reading a book on the topic is important. Highly recommended for slightly older tweens and teens.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9-10th Grade
Summary:
The day Cameron Post's parents die is the day she first kisses a girl. She can't help but be relieved that they will never know about her, they will never have to be ashamed that she is gay. But when her extremely religious aunt moves in to take care of her, she finds being true to herself is a constant challenge. As she grows up, and embraces her sexuality, her aunt sends her to a religious boarding school which claims it can 'readjust' her sexual orientation. What she learns there will change her life forever.
Review:
Danforth's book about a girl who has to learn to embrace herself in the midst of a conservative community and family is both well written and timely. This is a great book not just for LGBT teens, but for any who seek to try and understand what these teens go through as they try to be themselves. The hurt and shame that Cameron feels as her aunt tells her she is going to hell for being who she is is something most teens will never go through, which is why reading a book on the topic is important. Highly recommended for slightly older tweens and teens.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9-10th Grade
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