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
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Crossing to Paradise
by Kevin Crossley-Holland
Summary:
Gatty has been a field hand all her life. She's never left the estate where she's grown up, and never imagined she would. When she is chosen to accompany Lady Gwyneth on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem, she's ecstatic for an opportunity to see the world. Though she never imagined it would be so big. As Gatty and her companions make their way across the world to Jerusalem, she finds the world is a fascinating if scary place. She'll learn to read, visit far away places, and have adventures she's never dreamed of. But will she manage to find her way home?
Review:
Crossing to Paradise gives a fairly accurate portrayal of life in the 15th century. Gatty is an uneducated field hand who gets the chance to travel to the Holy Land, learn to read and write, and experience things most people who lived in her position could never dream of. The book is well written, but the historical accuracy the author strives to create with Gatty's language makes the book a little hard to understand at times. The book is overall a good story, though fanciful in terms of how lucky Gatty is throughout the story. A good read for those who like historical fiction, though better for older readers due to the difficulty in understanding the language at times.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade
Summary:
Gatty has been a field hand all her life. She's never left the estate where she's grown up, and never imagined she would. When she is chosen to accompany Lady Gwyneth on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem, she's ecstatic for an opportunity to see the world. Though she never imagined it would be so big. As Gatty and her companions make their way across the world to Jerusalem, she finds the world is a fascinating if scary place. She'll learn to read, visit far away places, and have adventures she's never dreamed of. But will she manage to find her way home?
Review:
Crossing to Paradise gives a fairly accurate portrayal of life in the 15th century. Gatty is an uneducated field hand who gets the chance to travel to the Holy Land, learn to read and write, and experience things most people who lived in her position could never dream of. The book is well written, but the historical accuracy the author strives to create with Gatty's language makes the book a little hard to understand at times. The book is overall a good story, though fanciful in terms of how lucky Gatty is throughout the story. A good read for those who like historical fiction, though better for older readers due to the difficulty in understanding the language at times.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Dreams of Significant Girls
by Cristina Garcia
Summary:
Ingrid, Shirin, and Vivien could not have come from different backgrounds. But at a summer boarding school in Switzerland these three girls, a German-Canadian, a Cuban-American, and an Iranian princess, become roommates. Not only must they navigate through cultural differences, but over the three summers they spend together they learn the true meaning of friendship.
Review:
Dreams of Significant Girls is a novel about friendship and growing up, about first loves and first heartbreak, about hope and despair. Though set in the 1970's, it is easy to relate to the girls without any real disconnect in the time spans. The subplot between Ingrid and Vivien's father's is very interesting, though the book could elaborate a bit more on that (Ingrid's father was a Nazi soldier who spared Vivien's Jewish father during the raid on the Warsaw ghettos.) One thing I liked about the book was that it did not have a happily ever after, best friends forever ending. The book's epilogue checks in with each of the girls, and we discover that while they still think of each other, life has kept them apart. The book overall had a similar feel to The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade
Summary:
Ingrid, Shirin, and Vivien could not have come from different backgrounds. But at a summer boarding school in Switzerland these three girls, a German-Canadian, a Cuban-American, and an Iranian princess, become roommates. Not only must they navigate through cultural differences, but over the three summers they spend together they learn the true meaning of friendship.
Review:
Dreams of Significant Girls is a novel about friendship and growing up, about first loves and first heartbreak, about hope and despair. Though set in the 1970's, it is easy to relate to the girls without any real disconnect in the time spans. The subplot between Ingrid and Vivien's father's is very interesting, though the book could elaborate a bit more on that (Ingrid's father was a Nazi soldier who spared Vivien's Jewish father during the raid on the Warsaw ghettos.) One thing I liked about the book was that it did not have a happily ever after, best friends forever ending. The book's epilogue checks in with each of the girls, and we discover that while they still think of each other, life has kept them apart. The book overall had a similar feel to The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Madeline L'Engle
While everyone reads 'A Wrinkle in Time' not as many readers discover some of Madeline L'Engle's other works. My favorite series involves the Austin family, and in particular their eldest daughter Vicky. This series is a classic coming of age book, where a young girl faces events that change and shape her life. She falls in love, learns the difference between loving and liking someone, faces the loss of a grandfather and the challenges of growing up.
The books are:
Meet the Austins
A Ring of Endless Light
Troubling a Star
The books are:
Meet the Austins
A Ring of Endless Light
Troubling a Star
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