YA Book Reviews January 9, 2007
From CRBSLS
Contents |
Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pies
by Jordan Sonnenblick review by Judi Stott
Steven's life is rather ordinary-school, girls, his drums. Until October 7, the day his five-year old brother is diagnosed with leukemia. Then nothing is ordinary. No matter how hard he tries. His mother is consumed with hospital visits and treatments. His father builds a shell around himself to hide in. And Steven tries to go on as if everything is fine, playing his drums to cope. As his school work and relationships deteriorate to the breaking point, he finds out that maybe he does have friends he can count on. That even though he can't change the situation, he can change himself. Sometimes that's enough.
A touching and humorous handling of family crisis. The story is told simply, in an easy-to-read style. Boys may also like the fact that Steven is a great drummer and that the book itself is fairly short. Always a plus! Sonnenblick's second novel, Confessions of a Midnight Driver, is also excellent and tells it's story with compassion as well as humor. Loved them both.
Firegirl by Tony Abbott
Life in 7th grade for Tom and his classmates will never be the same from the moment Jessica appeared at the door of their class. It was shocking to see someone so severely burned. No one knew how to act or what to say to her. It was only Tom who slowly reached out to her and tentatively began a friendship. This book shows how even the smallest of gestures can have a powerful impact on someone's life. Recommended for gr. 5 - 8. Reviewed by Sheila Di Maggio
Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks
Jamie heard that bad things come in threes so,after his cat, Mister, dies, his father leaves, and his Aunt Sapphy has an accident that causes her memory to skip, he hopes his life will go back to normal. But one more bad thing happens to Jamie (something he wishes he could forget) and he feels like a stranger to himself. He tries to help his Aunt Sapphy's memory "jump the scratch" - like the needle on her favorite Frank Sinatra record - but it is Aunt Sapphy who helps Jamie unravel the mysteries of memory and "jump the scratch" in his own life. By the author of So B.It, readers will care about Jamie and the redemptive qualities of remembering. Recommended for gr. 5 - 8. Reviewed by Sheila Di Maggio
Search and Destroy by Dean Hughes
Rick Ward isn't sure what to do after high school. He doesn't really have money for college but he is anxious to get away from his abusive father. He enlists in the military during the Vietnam War, hoping to experience life and become a man. What follows is a gripping and graphic account of an unpopular war and its impact on all involved. Recommended for grades 7-10. Reviewed by Mary Jeanne Dicker
