Thursday, August 22, 2013

Someone Else's Life

by Katie Dale

Summary:
Rosie watched her mother die of Huntington's disease. She was her caregiver in the months that preceded it, keeping it a secret from friends. When she decides to get tested for the disease herself, because there's a 50% chance she's inherited it, she finds out that her mother was not really her mother. When Rosie decides to track down her real birth parents she finds that the truth is not always the easiest thing to find. She must decide whether the truth is worth destroying another's life, even if it has the power to save it too.

Review:
Huntington's disease is an absolutely terrible disease. For those at risk, the decision to be tested is one of the most difficult ones of their lives. It dictates everything they do, deciding life choices, whether to have children, to go to school. Rosie's story is heartbreaking, but she's a strong character who does not just whine and complain about her problems. It's a marvelous book about family and the power of moving on.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

In Honor

by Jessica Kirby

Summary:
Just days after Honor found out her brother Finn was killed in Iraq, she gets a letter from him. Now that the funeral is over, she's going to do what the letter asked. As she sets out to drive to California to go to a concert of a superstar that they both loved, she runs into Finn's best friend Rusty who decides to come with her, against Honor's protests. What starts as a journey to fufill Finn's last wish just might turn into a way for them both to heal a bit from losing him.

Review:
This book was fantastically written. Honor's struggles to both grieve and heal, to let herself live even though he joined the Army in order for her to go to college, are heartbreaking yet so easy to identify with. The characters are all well drawn and pull you in. It's a book that is extremely apt given how many people died in the Iraq war leaving behind their families. It's a great read for anyone who likes realistic fiction, though best for the slightly older set as it does feature some drinking.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

17 & Gone

by Nova Ren Suma

Summary:
Lauren can see the missing girls. She knows they are trying to tell her something. They want her to find them, to solve their cases, because they are gone. The only link between them is that they are 17, just like Lauren. As she follows the clues that they leave behind for her, she has to wonder, is she next? Or perhaps she is already gone.

Review:
17 & Gone is not a story about the missing girls. It's a story about a girl descending into schizophrenia. The girls she is seeing aren't real, neither are the clues, but no one around her recognizes that. What was most powerful about the book is how long it took anyone to realize that something was really wrong with Lauren. So much was dismissed as just odd, or a one time occurrence, just like it would be if you were seeing it in real life. Ultimately Lauren gets the help she needs, but it's interesting to see the progression it takes for her to get it. Definitely realistic in it's portrayal, this is a book for teens interested in psychological realistic fiction.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

The Running Dream

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Summary:
Imagine you had just set a school record for running, you were excited that you had beat your own time. Imagine that happiness and joy. But then imagine that on  your way home there was a horrific accident and  you've just woken up in a hospital bed. Minus one leg. For Jessie it was all too real. Now she has to learn to live with the results of that accident, realizing that she's still the lucky one, one of her teammates died. She'll have to learn to live with her disability. A disability that might just make her realize more of her life than she ever would have otherwise.

Review:
The Running Dream realistically portrays how a girl might cope with such a sudden loss of a limb. Jessie at times comes off as a bit selfish, but it's hard to fault her for that since she's going through such a traumatic time. One of the more interesting things the book touched on was the insurance issues that inevitably follow an accident like this, and the stresses that puts on relationships. The relationship Jesse develops with Rosa puts an inspirational spin on the book that is sure to touch anyone who reads it. It's ultimately a story about rising about your challenges and persevering.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Silence of Murder

by Dandi Daley Mackall

Summary:
What if your brother had been accused of murder? Would you stand by him? Accuse him? Stay to the side and do nothing? Hope knows that her brother didn't murder Coach Johnson. But her brother has always had  problems, developmental ones that were just a part of his life. But now those problems are what has caused the town to turn against him, and his unwillingness to talk about the events of that night might result in him going to jail for a crime he didn't commit. Unless Hope can find a way to unearth the truth.

Review:
This was an excellent read about a girl who's never been given a break, a family that has been torn apart so many times they don't know how to stand together. Its realistic portrayl about how mental disbilities are misunderstood by those who are scared is well done. It's a whodunit with a great twist at the end, but at it's core its about the staying power of family in terrible circumstances. Definitely a good read for those who like murder mysteries.

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Monday, August 19, 2013

Sold

by Patricia McCormick

Summary:
Girls all over the world are sold into prostitution by their families. Sometimes the families don't know where the girls are going, but they are desperate for the money and believe they are giving them a chance at a better life. Once they arrive at their new 'home' the girls are spun into a constant cycle of debt, working off the money their parents were paid for them, working off the food they eat, working off the cost of a cot to sleep on, of medicine when they get sick. Sold is a fictional story of how one girl found herself thrust into this life, and how she found the courage to escape it.

Review:
Sold does a marvelous job of tackling the issue of child prostitution in an age appropriate way. While better for slightly older teens, the book shows the cycle these unwitting girls are trapped in. While Lakshmi is lucky enough to meet an American who runs an aid organization, most girls are not. The book does a good job of explaining that while all these girls should have Lakshmi's option of escape most don't or are too afraid to take it. It's a book that will stick with the reader after they put it down, and perhaps inspire those who read it to help in whatever way they can.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

A Matter of Days

by Amber Kizer

Summary:
What if a virus mutated so that it was immune to all known cures? What if it was engineered to wipe out most of the population? It could happen. And it's what happened. It's now 56 days since the virus known as Blue Star was unleashed, and it's killed most of the population. Nadia and her brother were protected by a shot given to them by their uncle, one of the military's top doctors, before the virus hit but now are alone and must make their way across the country to their grandfather's compound. Not knowing if he's alive, and forced to avoid the gangs of people who survived, they must try to survive and figure out who to trust.

Review:
While there is a lot of post-apocalyptic type novels out there, Kizer's does stand out. Nadia and Rabbit are resourceful, but they get a lot of their knowledge about how to survive from previous lessons from their KIA military commando father and from books, which makes it more realistic.  They are smart kids who have to use their instincts on who to trust, and while they do have a bit of luck following them, generally the book is pretty believable. It's a good read for those who like disaster fiction, and will drive more than one teen to a book on survival preparedness.

Genre: Disaster Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Back Home

by Julia Keller

Summary:
Rachel's father went to war not to be a hero, but to help people. But when he returned injured from the war in Iraq, her entire family has to cope with a lot of changes. She never asked for him to go to war, but now that he's back, missing limbs and acting like a different person, she has to learn how their family will live now.

Review:
Back Home is the struggle of one family dealing with an injured veteran, not only from physical injuries like missing limbs, but also from the mental injuries associated with at TBI. With so many parents coming home from the wars injured, this book is a great one to have on hand to give to their children. Rachel deals with not only shame about his injuries, but also confusion about how this will impact her life. The guilt she feels about wanting to be 'normal' is an expected part of life, and how she works through it all with her family is both realistic and poignant. It's no happily ever after tale, but a good realistic read for younger teens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 5th Grade

Just Ella

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Summary:
Just Ella is not your average fairy tale story. Picked by Prince Charming out of hundreds of other girls to be his wife, Ella is now living in the palace learning to become a princess. But as the wedding approaches, Ella is finding herself struggling to adapt to palace life. Charming only likes her because she's beautiful. Her instructors want her to remain inside doing nothing but needlepoint. She thought becoming a princess would mean freedom, but instead she's just found herself in another cage. Will she ever be able to lead her own life?

Review:
Haddix's novel is a great book about what happens beyond the fairy tale. In this book Charming is completely spoiled and self absorbed. Ella is treated like a china doll. The fairy godmother thing is revealed to be a hoax, it was just a random set of circumstances that got her to the ball.  A good read for young girls who like romance, but who might need a little reminder that there is life after the fairy tale ending.

Genre: Fairy Tale
Age Level: 5th Grade

The Testing

by Joelle Charbonneau

Summary:
Cia has always hoped she's be chosen for the Testing. It was the only way that she'd get to go to college, the only way to make a better life for herself. But the testing isn't just about making sure only the best and brightest succeed. It has a darker purpose, and Cia will have to figure out how to do more than she thought in order to pass.

Review:
The Testing is a well written story about a society which has corralled it's people into neat little pegs. It's fairly typical in it's plotline- you think the government is protecting you, turns out they are not, with a strong female character who has her beliefs challenged and has to survive based on her wits and knowledge. It's a solid read for those who like the dystopians that have been so popular, and will prove engaging for both younger and older teens.

Genre: Dystopian
Age Level: 7th Grade