THE RIVER BETWEEN US

by Richard Peck
Historical Fiction; Civil War; Racism. "During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois."

Follett Library Resources

Richard Peck frames this novel as story within a story. The narrator, a boy, travels with his father in 1916 to see his grandparents. This beginning is a little slow and I wasn't sure where Peck was going. The story really takes off, however, once the grandmother takes over as narrator.The boy picks up the narration at the end, which concludes as a conversation with his grandmother and a revelation.

Truly skillful. Peck is a master! Highly recommended for both a Civil War reading list addition or just a good read.

JACOB HAVE I LOVED

by Katherine Paterson " Newbery Medal, 1981 Filled with resentment over the attention showered upon her twin sister, and awaiting the day she can leave her town behind, young Louise meets a wise old sea captain and begins learning how to let go of her anger."

Follett Library Resources

"Jacob I have loved, but Esau have I hated," Romans 9:13

This is a classic coming of age story with universal appeal. The depth of emotions may be appreciated by both middle and high school students, as well as adult readers. The book begins quietly and gently brings to life a young girl's struggle for identity in a small town in the Chesapeake Bay during World War II. Sara Louise comes alive as a complex girl with frustrations and dreams that are unique in circumstance but understood by all.

COUNTING ON GRACE by Elizabeth Winthrop

"Twelve-year-old Grace Forcier and her friend Arthur, taken out of school and put to work in a Vermont textile mill in 1910, are championed by their teacher who urges them to write the National Child Labor Committee, an action only Grace seems to realize will have serious repercussions."

Follett Library Resources

Winthrop conveys vividly the desperation, danger and hardship that families faced as mill workers. Their world is bleak and hopeless, bearable only through family bonds and caring people such as Grace's teacher and Lewis Hine, the photographer who recorded children laborers. This is a well researched, well written novel, one of my absolute favorites this year. An excellent read aloud or assigned reading choice.

Other good books on this subject are Russell Freedman's "Kids at Work" and of course "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson.

MAGYK by Angie Sage

"V"

Author, Angie Sage, is coming to visit today. This is an exciting mystery fantasy. Many students have already read and recommended this series. " Jenna learns that she is a princess found as a baby by the man she believed was her father and now she and Septimus, who was taken at birth by the midwife, are being threatened by the evil wizard, DomDaniel who intends to finish off the entire royal line."

Follett Library Resources

Angie Sage spoke to grades 5-8, courtesy of our favorite bookstore, Books, Byes and Beyond, which is located in Glen Rock, New Jersey. She showed pictures of her home in Cornwall, England and talked about the writing process. Most interesting to me was seeing the room in which she writes and the view from her window. Cornwall itself seems very magic-like with its hilly countryside and old homes. I highly recommend her as a speaker; she was relaxed, but knew how to keep the program moving. Sage pulled us into her world completely for 45 riveting minutes.

ELSEWHERE by Gabrielle Zevin

After fifteen-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to "live."

Deborah Kris, our English teacher, recommended this book as a good middle school selection. Written in the present tense, it is a quiet but intriguing read with a satisfying ending. Elsewhere addresses mortality, romance and how we decide to live our lives, all in a manageable and entertaining style.

THE ACCIDENT by Diane Hoh

"A wispy, shadowy figure appears in Megan's mirror one day begging to trade places with her for just one week. The young girl begs her to let her live again. Gradually Megan comes to realize that she must grant this request."

My fifth grade student, Lior, recommended this scary page-turner. A word of caution: make sure your reader is really looking for a VERY scary book. Betty Ren Wright's ghost mysteries are a good alternative for those not ready for this.

THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY by Susan Patron

"Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the Higher Power that will bring stability to her life."

This little Newbery has created quite a stir with its "word." Oh, the power of words! This is a beautifully crafted "small gem" (Kirkus Reviews). Patron manages to tell a complex story in a simple setting. Her language is poetic, yet so accessible. I do wonder if Lucky should have been cast as twelve instead of ten. I look forward to discussing it with my fifth through eighth grade students. I trust them to make the final judgement. My opinion? Thumbs up!

A DOOR NEAR HERE by Heather Quarles

"Four siblings struggle to maintain a seminormal home life when their single mother's alcoholism becomes debilitating."

Follett Library Resources

Publishers Weekly (January 24, 2000)

PW's starred review said, "A candid narrative voice joins with skillful pacing" for this story of 15-year-old Katherine, who tries to conceal her alcoholic mother's incapacity from authorities to prevent the family from being split up. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

My Young Critic, Molly recommended this book to me. I stayed up too late last night finishing it. I kept hoping the children could pull off their secret, which indicates how convincing their perspective is conveyed. As a reader, however, I saw the inevitable disaster unfolding yet hidden from others. Very powerful. Thank you, Molly, for telling me about this compelling novel.

TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer

Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural, Vampires, High School

498 pages.

Description

"When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human." (Follett)

My Comments
A great vampire romance for Valentine's Day! This is a romantic page turner with a cliff hanger ending. A current favorite in Morrow House. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, New Moon.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd

Realistic Fiction, African American, Families, Coming of Age, High School

301 pages

Description

"Teenagers; Women; Racism; Beekeeping. "Fourteen-year-old Lily and her companion, Rosaleen, an African-American woman who has cared from Lily since her mother's death ten years earlier, flee their home after Rosaleen is victimized by racist police officers, and find a safe haven in Tiburon, South Carolina, at the home of three beekeeping sisters, May, June, and August." 

My Comments
A poetic journey with passages that make you pause and read again. It is a manageable and riveting read for older students, grade 8 and up. This is a great discussion book for a reading group or class.

LIFE OF PI by Yann Martel

Psychological Fiction, Survival, Adventure

High School

319 pages

Description

"Pi Patel, having spent an idyllic childhood in Pondicherry, India, as the son of a zookeeper, sets off with his family at the age of sixteen to start anew in Canada, but his life takes a marvelous turn when their ship sinks in the Pacific, leaving him adrift on a raft with a 450-pound Bengal tiger for company." (Follett)

My Comments
This currently ranks as one of my favorite books of all time. It is breathtaking, brutal, tragic and humorous. This is a challenging read, but deserves to be included as a suggestion for advanced readers. Not for the fainthearted. Consider listening to the audio version as I did. The narrator is superb.

THE WISH GIVER by Bill Brittain

Fantasy, Magic, Scary, Wishes

175 pages

"When a strange little man comes to the Coven Tree Church Social promising he can give people exactly what they ask for, three young believers-in-magic each make a wish that comes true in the most unexpected way."

Follett Library Resources

A good choice for that fifth grader who wants a "scary" book. The reader knows Thaddeus Blinn's offer must be a devil's bargain, but it is too tempting for the characters to resist. The results are predictable, but still compelling. Good discussion book and choice for students looking for a manageable page-turner.

WOLF RIDER by Avi

Mysteries and Detective Stories, Horror, Suspense

202 pages

Book Description

"After receiving an apparent crank call from a man claiming to have committed murder, fifteen-year-old Andy finds his close relationship with his father crumbling as he struggles to make everyone believe him." Reading Level: Young Adult" (Follett)

My Comments
This is a terrifying story of a boy's increasing involvement with a killer as he tries to protect a girl from murder. You feel his frustration, isolation and desperation build when no one will listen. He becomes obsessed with stopping what he believes is inevitable and is himself accused of stalking. A great recommendation for students who are looking for a really scary book. Just make sure they can handle it!

THE LAST DRAGON by Silvana Di Mari

Grades 5-8; 361 pages; fantasy. 

 "Translated from the Italian. After his village is ruined by a flood, Yorsh, the world's last elf, reads writing on ancient ruins and realizes that in order to stop the torrential rains, he must find the only remaining dragon." :

My Comments
I am in the middle of this charming, funny and poignant book. The elf is the show stopper. He is exasperatingly passionate and firm in his convictions, but entirely lovable. Entertaining, poignant and humorous. I want to find out what will happen - a good sign.

THE GREEN GLASS SEA by Ellen Klages

Historical Fiction, Los Alamos, World War II, Manhattan Project

321 pages.

"While her father works on the Manhattan Project, eleven-year-old gadget lover and outcast Dewey Kerrigan lives in Los Alamos Camp, and becomes friends with Suze, another young girl who is shunned by her peers." :

Follett Library Resources

The intriguing title and cover alone drew me to this book initially. The perspective of a child in the Los Alamos community during the Manhattan Project years is matter of fact, concerned more with the immediate concerns of absent parents and bullies. The Project's influence looms on the periphery, but the story centers on one child's life and that is the startling effectiveness of this story.

THE MOORCHILD by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Fantasy

241 pages.

Book Description
"Feeling that she is neither fully human nor "Folk," a changeling learns her true identity and attempts to find the human child whose place she had been given." Newbery Medal/Honor 1997 :

My Comments

I read this book a few years ago and list it as one of my favorites. I am reminded of it as I continue to listen to Summerland by Michael Chabon during my morning and afternoon commutes. Both stories tell a fascinating story of fairies and changelings, a story of worlds in peril, and a longing for identity. The Moorchild is timeless and complex, a good choice for advanced elementary through adult.

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Dystopian, Science Fiction, Diaries

High School

321 Pages

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer "Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions."

Follett Library Resources

I found this book at our annual book fair and was hooked immediately. It's the kind of book you keep thinking about. Pfeffer manages to keep the suspense and hope alive even though the family's world keeps shrinking. This book could generate some great discussions on what's important in our lives.

SUMMERLAND by Michael Chabon

Middle-High School, Baseball, Fantasy

500 pages.

Book Description

"The ferishers, little creatures who ensure perfect weather for Summerland, recruit Ethan Feld, one of history's worst baseball players, to help them in their struggle to save Summerland, and ultimately the world, from giants, goblins, and other legendary, terrible creatures."

My Comments

This is a book of amazing one-liners. Michael Chabon is a genius at crystallizing a universal truth, or at least a zinger, a "YES" in a single sentence. I have resolved to start a web page, a list of fabulous sentences that capture the essence of my favorite books. Here's a good one:

"You better be ready kid," said a voice just behind him. "Pretty soon now you going to get the call." Chiron Brown (Ringfinger) page 21.

What a fabulous book. It just got better and better. A GREAT CHOICE for one of those long car rides or a read-aloud or a read alone! Now, I HAVE to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay!

THE BOOK WITHOUT WORDS by Avi

Fantasy, Evil, Magic

Book Description

The Book Without Words: A Tale of Medieval Magic (2005) "Thorston, an alchemist who has spent his life trying to decipher the secret to immortality contained in the Book Without Words, is on the brink of realizing his dream when he drops dead, leaving Odo, a talking raven, and Sybil, a servant who was about to be sacrificed to Thorston's plan, to reap the rewards of his work."  (Follett)

My Comments
Avi is a safe bet as recommended reading for most people and I am personally addicted to him. I always make sure to offer one of his books to browsing students. This is not one of my favorites, as I don't feel drawn into the plot or very interested in the characters, except perhaps the talking bird, Odo and the servant girl. Are the characters too simple in this story of greed? That said, I'm still looking forward to reading it later tonight. There you go; Avi should be a staple for all reading diets!

INKHEART by Cornelia Funke

Fantasy, Book Arts

Horn Book Magazine (January/February, 2004)

Who hasn't dreamed of it--characters leaping from the pages of a book to interact with the reader? Or, better yet, the reader transported--quite literally--into the make-believe world of a novel? In this tale of adventure and fantasy by the author of The Thief Lord (rev. 11/02), twelve-year-old Meggie and her father Mo live in a house overflowing with "small piles of books, tall piles of books, books thick and thin, books old and new." But it's one particular book that brings a stranger named Dustfinger to their house one rainy spring night. Meggie learns that many years earlier, while Mo was reading aloud a novel called Inkheart, his voice somehow brought many of its characters--including Dustfinger and the evil despot Capricorn--"slipping out of their story like a bookmark forgotten by some reader between the pages." Now Dustfinger (who longs to return to his fictional origins) wants Mo to read him back into the book, while Capricorn (who likes it here just fine) wants Mo to use his powers to read gold and riches out of stories such as Treasure Island and summon a malevolent, immortal character called the Shadow from the pages of Inkheart. Thanks to Harry P., kids may not be scared off by this volume's heft, though they may wish the pacing wasn't quite so leisurely--even the novel's many chases and hostage-takings are related in a deliberate fashion. But bibliophiles will delight in a story that celebrates books (each chapter begins with a literary passage ranging from Shakespeare to Sendak), and the conclusion is especially satisfying.

My Comments

I have to mention both of these books as 'must-reads' for anyone who loves fantasy. I was completely pulled into the world of Inkheart and didn't want to come home!