by Katherine Howe
Summary:
When girls at Colleen's high school in Danvers start having seizures, losing their hair, developing tics, and more, it starts off a panic. At first it's just a few girls, but as more and more develop symptoms that can't be explained by any disease, it becomes clear that maybe something else is at work. What few people remember is that Danvers wasn't always called Danvers. It used to be Salem. And maybe the witchcraft that once infected Salem village is back.
Review:
Told in alternating perspectives by Colleen and Ann Putnam from Salem village in 1706, Howe's story is remarkable because it is based on true events. Ann's story is told verbatim from her confession about the accusations from the Salem Witch Trials. Colleen finds herself in the middle of a modern day bewitching, and while she doesn't believe that the girls are really ill, falls prey to the illness herself. It's a shocking tale because it's based on a story that actually happened just a few years ago, but it's also a cautionary tale about just how much pressure high schoolers are under. Great for slightly older teens, or those who have an interest in the Salem Witch Trials.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Showing posts with label Illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Illness. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
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
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
Monday, August 19, 2013
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
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
Monday, June 10, 2013
In the Shadow of Blackbirds
by Cat Winters
Summary:
In San Diego in 1918, the deadly Spanish flu is spreading. Coupled with the fact that World War I continues to take the lives of so many young men, it's no wonder that many are looking to seances and spiritualism to cope. Mary Shelley Black has been sent to San Diego after her father was arrested for anti-war activities. After she finds out her best friend was killed in the trenches, his spirit begins to haunt her. For a girl that doesn't believe in ghosts, she is forced to find a way to help the boy she loved find peace.
Review:
As a native San Diegan, I was excited to read a book set in my hometown. The book was pretty accurate (at least from what I know) in describing the city as it was in 1918. While I was a bit skeptical about the spiritualism angle of the book, Winters writes in a way that makes it believable. The era the book was set in was wrought with change and terror for people. Between the flu and the horrors of the war brought about by changes in weaponry it is easy to see why people were so willing to believe in spirits. A good read full of interesting characters and history.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Summary:
In San Diego in 1918, the deadly Spanish flu is spreading. Coupled with the fact that World War I continues to take the lives of so many young men, it's no wonder that many are looking to seances and spiritualism to cope. Mary Shelley Black has been sent to San Diego after her father was arrested for anti-war activities. After she finds out her best friend was killed in the trenches, his spirit begins to haunt her. For a girl that doesn't believe in ghosts, she is forced to find a way to help the boy she loved find peace.
Review:
As a native San Diegan, I was excited to read a book set in my hometown. The book was pretty accurate (at least from what I know) in describing the city as it was in 1918. While I was a bit skeptical about the spiritualism angle of the book, Winters writes in a way that makes it believable. The era the book was set in was wrought with change and terror for people. Between the flu and the horrors of the war brought about by changes in weaponry it is easy to see why people were so willing to believe in spirits. A good read full of interesting characters and history.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
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