by Alan Gratz
Summary:
When Kamran's brother is accused of being a terrorist, he doesn't believe them. Even when videos come out showing his brother leading attacks on American bases and embassies, Kamran knows it can't be true. When he realizes that his brother is sending him secret messages in the videos, proving he's innocent and working undercover against the terrorists, it's up to Kamran to try and clear his name. Even if it means going against the government in order to save America.
Review:
A great premise, but it does absolutely require a complete stretch of the imagination that any of this could even slightly occur. I do like the idea of the 2 brothers having a code that enables them to figure out the other's plans-though who can remember childhood games in such detail! It's a great action read that packs a lot of twists and turns in it. Great for those who like Andrew Smith or Trent Reedy. There is a bit of violence in there-terrorist killing and talk about a beheading, but little language.
Age Level: 8th Grade
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Showing posts with label Brothers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brothers. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Rot and Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry
Summary:
It's been 14 years since First Night, the night the dead came back to life. Now 15, Benny reluctantly agrees to join the 'family business' and become a zombie hunter like his brother Tom. But life in the Rot and Ruin isn't anything like Benny thinks, and he's about to discover that the zombies aren't the only monsters out there. Just because the world ended doesn't mean that the only people left are good.
Review:
A diferent kind of zombie book. Tom addresses the zombies not as 'monsters' but as the people they used to be, which is not something you normally see. It's a good read even for those who don't like the genre.
A diferent kind of zombie book. Tom addresses the zombies not as 'monsters' but as the people they used to be, which is not something you normally see. It's a good read even for those who don't like the genre.
Age Level: 7th Grade
Genre: Horror
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Bot Wars
By J V Kade
Summary:
Trout St. Croix didn’t want
any trouble. When he recorded the video and posted it online he was just trying
to find out what happened to his dad. His dad who went missing two years ago
when he went off to fight the Bot Wars. Now there’s an uneasy peace, and robots
have been relegated to their own territory. But this video has sparked more
than just a search for his father. It’s become the thing that will start a
movement, a movement to show that the government has been lying about robots
and the people that support them.
Review:
I picked up this book with low expectations, thinking it would be kind of a low budget transformers type novel. However, Kade has created an Asimov like universe where robots are more like humans and the interactions between the two are as natural as can be, though currently that peace only exists in part of the world. The big brothery nature of the rest of the world, where robots are banned and seen as terrorists, is also believable. Trout is a great character that will appeal to both boys and girls alike. Overall a good read not just for those who like sci-fi, but those who like adventure novels with a relatable hero.
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am
by Henry Mazer and Peter Lerangis
Summary:
Ben had it made. He was accepted at a great college, popular at school, had a great girlfriend he just proposed to. No one could understand why he chose instead to enlist in the Army. Why he wanted to go serve his country when he knew he was going to deploy to Iraq. Then the unthinkable happens. He is severely injured in an attack over there. But once his body recovers, his family must cope with another reality. That while he can physically recover, his mind, his memories, might be gone forever.
Review:
There are not a lot of books which address this aspect of war for children or teens. What is interesting is that the book tries to address the reasons for which Ben feels compelled to serve, despite coming from a background where the most common path is college and a white collar job. It could do a better job on that, but it does at least try to address it. The book is about the aftermath of an injury, one which is affecting more and more soldiers in a war where IED's are the most prevalent interaction with the enemy. The impact this has on Ben's family is both real and sad, the guilt and anger felt by them and his fiance are understandable and relatable. Overall a good read, but not one for a tween looking to read about the action and adventure of being a soldier.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Summary:
Ben had it made. He was accepted at a great college, popular at school, had a great girlfriend he just proposed to. No one could understand why he chose instead to enlist in the Army. Why he wanted to go serve his country when he knew he was going to deploy to Iraq. Then the unthinkable happens. He is severely injured in an attack over there. But once his body recovers, his family must cope with another reality. That while he can physically recover, his mind, his memories, might be gone forever.
Review:
There are not a lot of books which address this aspect of war for children or teens. What is interesting is that the book tries to address the reasons for which Ben feels compelled to serve, despite coming from a background where the most common path is college and a white collar job. It could do a better job on that, but it does at least try to address it. The book is about the aftermath of an injury, one which is affecting more and more soldiers in a war where IED's are the most prevalent interaction with the enemy. The impact this has on Ben's family is both real and sad, the guilt and anger felt by them and his fiance are understandable and relatable. Overall a good read, but not one for a tween looking to read about the action and adventure of being a soldier.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Also Known as Rowan Pohi
by Ralph Fletcher
Summary:
Bobby Steele used to be able to blend in. People didn't used to know his name. But after that incident with his father, that landed all over the papers, everyone seems to know who he is, and it's not to his benefit. But he might have found the perfect escape from his normal life. It began as a joke, with he and his friends applying to an elite prep school as new transfer student Rowan Pohi. But when Rowan's acceptance letter arrives, Bobby realizes he may have just created a perfect out, a way to become someone else. Someone cool. But is he really going to be able to outwit an entire school?
Review:
Fletcher has created a great character in Bobby. Bobby is recovering from the aftermath of witnessing his father beat his mother, of his father going to jail, and of his mother leaving him and his little brother behind in her effort to escape his father. Bobby is struggling to understand and deal with his anger and hurt over the entire situation, when he finds a way to use his creativity to escape. Not to escape like his mother, but to escape in a small way that he can use to better his situation. Bobby is a great character for boy tweens, witty and popular, able to turn any situation to his gain. A fun read.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Summary:
Bobby Steele used to be able to blend in. People didn't used to know his name. But after that incident with his father, that landed all over the papers, everyone seems to know who he is, and it's not to his benefit. But he might have found the perfect escape from his normal life. It began as a joke, with he and his friends applying to an elite prep school as new transfer student Rowan Pohi. But when Rowan's acceptance letter arrives, Bobby realizes he may have just created a perfect out, a way to become someone else. Someone cool. But is he really going to be able to outwit an entire school?
Review:
Fletcher has created a great character in Bobby. Bobby is recovering from the aftermath of witnessing his father beat his mother, of his father going to jail, and of his mother leaving him and his little brother behind in her effort to escape his father. Bobby is struggling to understand and deal with his anger and hurt over the entire situation, when he finds a way to use his creativity to escape. Not to escape like his mother, but to escape in a small way that he can use to better his situation. Bobby is a great character for boy tweens, witty and popular, able to turn any situation to his gain. A fun read.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Unwanteds
By Lisa McMann
Summary:
Alex and Aaron are twins. While they are alike physically, their personalities are different. Alex is the creative one, while Aaron is studious and a strict rule follower. Normally this wouldn't be much of a problem, but in Quill being creative is a death sentence. As they both turn 13 they are separated, with Aaron being deemed wanted in society, and Alex being deemed unwanted and thus sentenced to immediate death. But death isn't what is waiting for him. Instead he finds that creativity itself can be his salvation.
Review:
The Unwanteds is not just another dystopian novel. The book combines the depressive characteristics of this type of novel (a city full of neutral colors, no fun, and rigid societal roles) with fantasy (mixing in magic and pronouncing that creativity can overcome any obstacle). The book is well written and good for tweens of all ages, as it broaches topics like war but has little tangible violence.
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 4th Grade
Summary:
Alex and Aaron are twins. While they are alike physically, their personalities are different. Alex is the creative one, while Aaron is studious and a strict rule follower. Normally this wouldn't be much of a problem, but in Quill being creative is a death sentence. As they both turn 13 they are separated, with Aaron being deemed wanted in society, and Alex being deemed unwanted and thus sentenced to immediate death. But death isn't what is waiting for him. Instead he finds that creativity itself can be his salvation.
Review:
The Unwanteds is not just another dystopian novel. The book combines the depressive characteristics of this type of novel (a city full of neutral colors, no fun, and rigid societal roles) with fantasy (mixing in magic and pronouncing that creativity can overcome any obstacle). The book is well written and good for tweens of all ages, as it broaches topics like war but has little tangible violence.
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 4th Grade
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The Compound
by S. A. Bodeen
Summary:
While the rest of the world has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb, Eli and his family are safe in an underground compound built by his extremely wealthy father. Trapped underground for the last 6 years with no communication with the outside world, 16 year old Eli is beginning to question his survival. Why has he and his sisters survived while his twin perished outside? How are they going to leave when it's finally safe outside? As their food supply diminishes faster than anticipated, Eli is forced to confront everything he believed in, only to discover that nothing is actually as it seems.
Review:
The Compound is a book not only about a monstrous betrayal, but about what people will or won't do to survive. Eli's father is a cunningly evil man, who has turned his family into a great experiment in survivalism. Eli himself shows remarkable fortitude in grasping the situation as it develops, and is a character that many teens will identify with. Overall a really good book that was hard to put down.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 8th Grade
Summary:
While the rest of the world has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb, Eli and his family are safe in an underground compound built by his extremely wealthy father. Trapped underground for the last 6 years with no communication with the outside world, 16 year old Eli is beginning to question his survival. Why has he and his sisters survived while his twin perished outside? How are they going to leave when it's finally safe outside? As their food supply diminishes faster than anticipated, Eli is forced to confront everything he believed in, only to discover that nothing is actually as it seems.
Review:
The Compound is a book not only about a monstrous betrayal, but about what people will or won't do to survive. Eli's father is a cunningly evil man, who has turned his family into a great experiment in survivalism. Eli himself shows remarkable fortitude in grasping the situation as it develops, and is a character that many teens will identify with. Overall a really good book that was hard to put down.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 8th Grade
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Good Brother, Bad Brother: the story of Edwin Wilkes Booth and John Wilkes Booth
by James Cross Giblin
What if you were born into a family of actors? What if you were able to travel around the country performing with your famous father? What if you, along with your brothers, were famous all over the country for your stage performances? What if one of those brothers was John Wilkes Booth? What happens when your brother becomes the most hated man in America for assassinating President Lincoln? This is the story not of John Wilkes Booth, but of his older brother, Edwin Booth. This is the story of how one family lived before John committed that terrible act, and how Edwin fought to keep his family together and safe after.
This presents an interesting look at the life of the family of one of America’s greatest villains. I think that it is especially interesting as a lot of times one tends to assume that just because one person has committed a terrible act, those around him are guilty too. This book focuses mainly on Edwin’s life, both before and after the assassination, as well as at the events going on in America and how they affected the family and John. Overall a really excellent book which gives a different look at such a notorious figure.
What if you were born into a family of actors? What if you were able to travel around the country performing with your famous father? What if you, along with your brothers, were famous all over the country for your stage performances? What if one of those brothers was John Wilkes Booth? What happens when your brother becomes the most hated man in America for assassinating President Lincoln? This is the story not of John Wilkes Booth, but of his older brother, Edwin Booth. This is the story of how one family lived before John committed that terrible act, and how Edwin fought to keep his family together and safe after.
This presents an interesting look at the life of the family of one of America’s greatest villains. I think that it is especially interesting as a lot of times one tends to assume that just because one person has committed a terrible act, those around him are guilty too. This book focuses mainly on Edwin’s life, both before and after the assassination, as well as at the events going on in America and how they affected the family and John. Overall a really excellent book which gives a different look at such a notorious figure.
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Great Wide Sea
The Great Wide Sea
Author: M. H. Herlong
Publisher: New York : Viking, 2008.
Plot Description:
After Ben’s mom died, his father decides to take him and his two brothers on a year long sailing trip in the Caribbean. It’s the last thing Ben wants to do, but as his father sells their house and packs up all their possessions and buys the boat, he realizes that he’s got no choice but to go. As they settle into life on the sea things begin to even out a bit for Ben, and he realizes that a year isn’t too bad. But then one morning he wakes up to find his father gone, and a storm brewing on the horizon. Together he and his brothers must fight to keep their boat afloat in the worst storm they’ve ever seen and then survive on the island they crash into. As they fight for survival and hope for rescue they face tougher choices than they imagined.
Review:
A well written and engaging read about the way a family copes with a tragic loss and comes to find balance again. Ben is a well written character who will appeal to both genders of tweens. The skills the boys learn on their year long voyage are what enable them to survive on their own. They realize more and more during the trip that family is what is truly important, and that being together is what keeps them safe.
Genre: Survival Fiction
Reading level: 7th-9th grade
Similar Books: Hatchet, Holes
Reader’s Advisory:
Personal thoughts- Really good book about brothers surviving together
Subjects/themes- Adventure, Survival, Loss, Brothers-
Character names/descriptions-
Ben- wanted nothing more than to turn 16 and get a car, but instead must keep his
brothers alive when they are stranded
Dylan- The middle child and incredibly resourceful
Gerry- the youngest who proves adept at spear fishing
Annotation: Ever wish you could run away from your problems? Ben’s dad thought so, and now he is stuck on a boat for the next year.
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