by J.C. Carleson
Summary:
When her father is killed in a coup, Laila flees to the United States with her mother and brother. As she struggles with daily life in the States, Laila begins to discover the truth about her father's regime. While her mother schemes and plots for them to have her younger brother inherit the country's rule so they can return to the country, Laila is left trying to figure out what her path is. Does she have to return to a county where she will have no real rights again? Should she stay in America even though life here isn't as easy as they might have thought? What is true in a world where everything she was told was a lie? An interesting read about a girl from a sheltered past coming to terms with truths she was never told.
Review:
This book mildly frustrated me. There were times when I wanted to yell at Laila that family loyalty should only go so far. The mother's plots to return to their country and put her young son 'in charge' and have a family member as regent angered me, mainly because you can see this kind of scheming today and in our recent past. The human rights atrocities that were touched on were equally frustrating as you watched the mother ignoring them to try and continue to live the life she wanted. It's a good read that gives some insight as to what it would be like to grow up in that environment.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Showing posts with label Immigrants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Immigrants. Show all posts
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The Tyrant's Daughter
by J.C. Carleson
Summary:
When the news talks about dictators on the other side of the world, it's easy to forget that they and their families are real people. It's hard to feel sympathy for them when their regimes fall, because we've heard the stories about how many people have died because of them. But what if you were the daughter of a dictator? Sheltered from the outside world, unaware of what was happening in your own country. And then you had to flee to America after a hostile takeover. And are now thrust into a world completely different than your own. Startlingly realistic, the Tyrant's daughter is difficult to separate from real life happenings.
Review:
This is a completely fascinating look at not only the consequences of a dictatorship, but also at the intricacies of modern political power-mongering. The many layers of intrigue played by the CIA, the royal family, and current despot in Laila's home country are scarily realistic in their nature. Laila herself is a teenager struggling to adjust to life in a country so completely opposite from her own. She is a strong girl who takes on the challenge by observing and imitating those she sees. In the book we see her grow from a girl who was completely sheltered to one who faces the difficult decisions and acts. It's a great modern read to give to any teen with an interest in the world. It probably has more interest for older teens because of it's many references to today's political landscape.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Summary:
When the news talks about dictators on the other side of the world, it's easy to forget that they and their families are real people. It's hard to feel sympathy for them when their regimes fall, because we've heard the stories about how many people have died because of them. But what if you were the daughter of a dictator? Sheltered from the outside world, unaware of what was happening in your own country. And then you had to flee to America after a hostile takeover. And are now thrust into a world completely different than your own. Startlingly realistic, the Tyrant's daughter is difficult to separate from real life happenings.
Review:
This is a completely fascinating look at not only the consequences of a dictatorship, but also at the intricacies of modern political power-mongering. The many layers of intrigue played by the CIA, the royal family, and current despot in Laila's home country are scarily realistic in their nature. Laila herself is a teenager struggling to adjust to life in a country so completely opposite from her own. She is a strong girl who takes on the challenge by observing and imitating those she sees. In the book we see her grow from a girl who was completely sheltered to one who faces the difficult decisions and acts. It's a great modern read to give to any teen with an interest in the world. It probably has more interest for older teens because of it's many references to today's political landscape.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Test
by William Sleator
Summary:
Every student knows that they need to do well on tests in order to do better in the long run, to help them get into a good college and get a good job. But what if one test was what decided your whole life? What if you only had one chance to make it in this world, and if you failed you're only path was a lifetime of dangerous minimum wage jobs and struggling to make ends meet. As Ann finishes school and prepares to take the test which will decide her future, she stumbles onto a scandal which just might be able to stop the testing forever, provided she can avoid the guys who are trying to kill her for finding out.
Review:
While Test has an interesting premise, on the whole the book was poorly written and not very engaging. Sleator doesn't really develop any of the characters well, and the relationship between Ann and Lep just seems to happen without any sort of explanation. He presents a world where this test has become the be all and end all of a student's life, as well as a way to sort out any potential criminals, but no one outside the students know how important it is. Perhaps a good read to recommend for those really into societal control or conspiracy theory books, but on the whole there are better books out there on a similar topic.
Genre: Futuristic Fiction
Age Level: 6th Grade
Summary:
Every student knows that they need to do well on tests in order to do better in the long run, to help them get into a good college and get a good job. But what if one test was what decided your whole life? What if you only had one chance to make it in this world, and if you failed you're only path was a lifetime of dangerous minimum wage jobs and struggling to make ends meet. As Ann finishes school and prepares to take the test which will decide her future, she stumbles onto a scandal which just might be able to stop the testing forever, provided she can avoid the guys who are trying to kill her for finding out.
Review:
While Test has an interesting premise, on the whole the book was poorly written and not very engaging. Sleator doesn't really develop any of the characters well, and the relationship between Ann and Lep just seems to happen without any sort of explanation. He presents a world where this test has become the be all and end all of a student's life, as well as a way to sort out any potential criminals, but no one outside the students know how important it is. Perhaps a good read to recommend for those really into societal control or conspiracy theory books, but on the whole there are better books out there on a similar topic.
Genre: Futuristic Fiction
Age Level: 6th Grade
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