YA Book Reviews for October 17, 2007
From CRBSLS
Warriors #1: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter
I chose to read this book because my brother met "Erin Hunter" (not her real name) while driving her on a bus trip and has struck up a correspondence. It's a little young for my students, good for maybe grades 5-7, but an engaging tale, if somewhat formulaic. It involves a "kittypet" or housecat who ends up joining a group of feral cats that live in the woods. He becomes a warrior for them against another clan of cats who are trying to invade their territory and steal their kits. The characters and society are well-imagined although the sophisticated reader will easily be able to see where this is all headed. Part of a large series. Reviewed by Marion Burghart
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine
A powerful book, accessible to a broad range of readers. "The summer of 1972, before I turned nine, danger began knocking on doors all over China." Ling is an only child, doted upon by her parents, who are both professionals. But when Comrade Li moves into their apartment (quite arbitrarily), their world begins to unravel.The author vividly portrays a society falling apart, where gangs roam freely and justify all their (irrational) actions by claiming ("Long Live") Chairman Mao approves. Ling's father is arrested, her mother struggles daily to find food, and suffering surrounds them. But Ling is a feisty girl, and her spirit shines through. Although this book is historical fiction, it is based on the author's own experience as a child during the so-called "Cultural Revolution." Reviewed by Ann Sayers
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian A Novel by Sherman Alexie Art by Ellen Fourney
"I'm fourteen years old and I've been to forty-two funerals. That's really the biggest difference between Indians and white people...all my white friends can count their deaths on one hand." Sherman has written a brutal but wonderful book here, which tells the "truth" about what it's like to grow up on an Indian reservation, through the voice of "Junior/Arnold," an oddball kid who survived infancy against the odds, and is now a bright, awkward kid whose best friend is violent, angry Rowdy. When Junior decides to attend a nearby all-white school, his life changes completely. Funny, tragic, and bound to go places, this book is a keeper. Junior wants to be an artist, and the book is interspersed with his whimsical, dark-humored illustrations. Reviewed by Ann Sayers
The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman
The tale of this book is not only humourous, but if you stop and think, truly a hard-hitting story about invisibility. The Schwa, so named because of his elusive nature, feels insignificant after his mother left him in a grocery store when he was young, and since then, he has become invisible to everyone: his father, his friends, even his teachers in school overlook him. Even Antsy has to try hard to remember him and he sees the Schwa during their "community service" at a cranky old man's apartment every day! But things turn slightly more serious as the Schwa finds out (through Antsy's investigation) what happened to his mother so long ago. How this new knowledge impacts the Schwa plays a key role in what happens to the Schwa at the end of the book. Does the Schwa disappear from everyone's mind? Or, did the billboard proclaiming "The Schwa Was Here" work to make the Schwa infamous? Though some serious issues are tackled, it is definitely a cheeky, fun read, especially for boys. (Reviewed by Alicia Abdul, Albany High)
Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar
Scott isn't going to write in a diary, but he has no problem writing down his tips for success in high school to his unborn baby brother. Hysterically written, it is a true story of how a little humor can go a long way, especially in high school. Scott has to deal with homework, chasing around his elusive crush, handling friendships as they come and go, not to mention the tension at home: his mom is pregnant and his underachieving older brother is in and out of the house constantly. Yet, Scott takes it in stride and ends up meeting another great girl, one he wouldn't have expected, while mastering his first year in high school with a sense of humor. Boy and freshman alike will get a kick out of the one-liners, tips for success, and un-diary like entries from Scott as he battles his way through high school. (Reviewed by Alicia Abdul, Albany High)
Contents |
Other "What's so Funny?" YA books
Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb
A cheeky look at Jess's life living with her grandmother and mother, while trying to cope with friends, a crush on Ben Jones, and surviving school. But, it's hard when her best friend, Fred, is ignored her and she's not sure why. The most entertaining parts of the book include the title to each chapter which are provided by her absent father who emails her funny horoscopes each day and a rather offensive subplot about a party, a video camera, and a bathroom. All you think is poor Jess, but girls will relate to Jess... minestrone anyone? And if you get attached, there are two more books that follow Jess from 16 to 17 years old. (Reviewed by Alicia Abdul, Read for 2007 Bookfest)
Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
By no means a laugh-out-loud read, Curtis changes his typical novels into a darkly humorous tale of Luther and his overbearing and manipulative mother "Sarge." Luther is taken advantage of repeatedly by his mother through her dealings running a men's home and as a landloard, but it's her shading dealings that leaves Luther responsible for a group home, driving at 13, and forced to defeat his mother at her own game. It's Luther's voice and philisophical view that keeps his spirits and attitude positive and provides entertainment for the reader. (Reviewed by Alicia Abdul, Read for 2007 Bookfest)
Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt Holling
Hoodhood happens to be a Presbyterian. This isn’t a bad thing, except it means he’s the only one left behind with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, on Wednesday afternoons, when his other classmates are off to their religion classes. Mrs. Baker isn’t too happy about this either. At first, she gives him mundane jobs to do for her, but then she induces him to read Shakespeare and lots of it! It grows on him and pretty soon she convinces him to perform it on stage. Much happens to Holling in this 7th grade year, including rescuing his older sister who runs away, attending opening day at Yankee Stadium, and trying to stay one step ahead of the bullying Doug Swieteck. Despite all of this, there are many hilarious moments involving escaping rats, freshly-baked cream puffs and Holling in a Puck-like outfit riding the city bus! The ongoing conflict in Vietnam also has an impact on Holling as he hears Walter Cronkite every night on the news, a Vietnam refugee comes to his school, and Mrs. Baker’s husband is an MIA. Schmidt has delivered a wonderful coming-of-age story sure to appeal to middle schoolers. (Reviewed by Sheila Di Maggio)
Thwonk by Joan Bauer
Poor A.J., an aspiring photography student who only wants the approval of her father in a boringly typical household that many can relate to. But, A.J. gets what she wants in love. Peter falls madly in love with her after a cupid doll comes to life and grants her one wish: he shoots Peter straight through the heart with an arrow. But, when Peter becomes crazy and madly in love with her, A.J. realizes her split-second wish isn't what she really wants. At times the story is so realistic that you can almost forget a cupid doll coming to life to inject some difficulty in A.J.'s life, which is the only weakness in a story filled with likeable characters. (Reviewed by Alicia Abdul, Read for 2007 Bookfest)
Kipling’s Choice
Geert Spillebeen, trans. Terese Edelstein. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
In the sense of choice-as-decision, the title might better be Kiplings’ Choice, since this slim book reflects the joint choice of Rudyard and John, father and son, to experience the glories of war, by any means necessary. Both had terrible eyesight that kept them from military service, but father, denied his own shot at glory, pulled enough strings to get son a commission in August of 1915, just in time to get son killed the next month during his very first battle.
The book is stylistically complex and painfully immediate, written in the present tense with a careful assortment of fonts to clue readers of shifts from effusive descriptions of events leading up to John’s enlistment, to horrific explanations of John’s mortal injuries as the battle unfolds around him, and the terrified voice of John’s own confused thoughts in the long hours before his death.
The story continues back home in England, as the Kiplings receive news that John is missing and presumed dead. They continue the quest to find out John’s fate, returning to Loos three times in futile attempts to learn their son’s fate. Ironically, in 1992, the War Graves Commission was able to make a positive identification of the body of an unknown lieutenant in the Irish Guards. He is John Kipling. “But by this time Rudyard Kipling had been dead for years. He had passed away in 1936, a broken man."
This one is not for softies. It is a powerful read for those who enjoy historical fiction with a strong factual base. Reminiscent of Johnny Got His Gun, like Trumbo’s book, it shines a fierce light on the motives, ideals, and consequences of getting swept up by idealized notions of war. Upper middle school or high school readers. (Reviewed by Donna Phillips, School at Northeast)
The Poet Slave of Cuba : A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano
Margarita Engle, art by Sean Qualls. New York : Henry Holt, 2006.
Though titled a biography, its form is unconventional. (It reminds me a little of Marilyn Nelson’s Carver : A Life in Poems.) The story is told in brief, first-person poems from multiple points of view. The language is reminiscent of Manzano’s own work, a handful of which are included in the book, both in their original Spanish and English translations that remain true to the thought, though not the original meter and rhyme.
In the jacket copy, Margarita Engle, a Cuban American poet, writes that Manzano’s life “haunted her for years” before she decided to write the poet’s life in verse, using among her sources contemporary translations of Manzano’s original autobiography. It’s a harrowing story of freedom promised and betrayed, especially at the hands of his second owner, the capricious (perhaps paranoid) Marquesa de Prada Ameno, who has him beaten, locked up, and worked nearly to death at every provocation. Between bouts of abuse, she pretends to be a beneficent mistress. Her son attemps to soften the damage, but his mother inevitably wins, sometimes at a terrible cost to Juan’s health and happiness. This is especially true at the point in the story where Manzano’s biological mother dies, leaving him a box with a secret compartment containing a couple gold bracelets. Knowing he cannot keep them, Juan takes them to the church and exchanges them for candles burned in his mother’s memory. The marquesa's retribution is fierce and relentless. In one of the most complex and moving poems, Don Nicolas, the kind son of the slave owner, muses:
What was he thinking, / defying my mother? / what did he expect? / taking the gold bracelets / selling them / burning those candles / all the gold bracelets vanishing / strange alchemy / worked in reverse / changing jewelry / to flames / rising from candles / flight of air / life of dreams / melting wax
This book is accessible to younger students, but rich enough in style and themes to challenge older students as well. For the same reasons, it would be an excellent choice for ELA or social studies classes. It illustrates well that in many cultures, poetry is a potent political weapon. (Reviewed by Donna Phillips, School at Northeast)
DAIRY QUEEN by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
D.J. is thinking, quite a bit, and decides maybe her life is no better than that of the cows on her family farm. They just go along with whatever they're told to do. She's like that, too. Working the farm before and after school to help her father , playing basketball because she's tall and athletic, pretending everything is fine because her family doesn't talk about problems. Everything starts to change when she's asked to help train a rival team's quarterback. While working on his attitude, hers starts to change. Maybe she can do something for herself and shake things up a bit. D.J. is a high school student but the book is accessible to junior high students. A little romance, humor, sports, family and, of course, cows. J. Stott
'"THE UGLIES"'''' by Scott Westerfeld''''
Tally is looking forward to her 16th birthday when she will become a "Pretty", and flit around "Pretty Town", partying, laughing, having all sorts of fun day and night. What a contrast from her current existence at the grey dingy Ugly dorm rooms. Shortly before all this is about to happen, Tally meets Shay and they become fast friends. They sneak out of the dorms night after night to explore on their hoverboards, and each time, they go further and further beyond the city limits. Shay's coming up on her birthday but she shares with Tally that she's not going to have the operation and is going to run away to be with David. Tally's never met David and isn't even sure he exists. Shay so wants Tally to join her but ultimately leaves on her own. Just when Tally is being taken in to get her "Pretty" operation, she is whisked away by Special Circumstances unit and given the option of spying for them and then becoming pretty, or remaining an Ugly for the rest of her life. All she ever wanted was to be pretty but she is very limited in the choices that they give her. After giving them all the information that she had, she sets out in the wilderness to find Shay and David. They outfitted her with a device that will give the Specials her location, thus the location of all the people who have made lives for themselves outside of the Ugly/Pretty community. Even though Tally wants to be pretty more than anything, once there she realizes the true meaning of friendship and loyalty. Can she betray these people who have helped her survive and adapt to life in the wilderness, accepting who she is, Ugly and all? Linda Fasano, Schalmont Middle School [Recommended for 7th - 9th grade]
"THE BOOK THIEF" by Mark Zusak [I wrote this more as a booktalk than a review but feel free to use as is in the classroom or library...]
Imagine this... your little brother dies right before your eyes and to make matters worse, you are travelling to stay with a new foster family. And worse yet, there's a war going on and you cannot have any say as to your own well-being. Meet Leisel Meminger, a 10-year-old book thief, who knows that reading and words will one day save her. World War II is raging, and in the small town of Mulching, Germany, Leisel and her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Huberman, are just trying to make a life for themselves in the wake of devastation all around. None other than Death narrates this story. He has visited so many before this time, but it was so prominent during World War II. Who are the souls he will have to carry on to the next life by the time you reach the last chapter? Only Death knows, and you will too, if you choose to read this powerful book! Linda Fasano, Schalmont Middle School [Recommended for 8th grade and up]
Dead Connection by Charlie Price is a page turning murder mystery. Anti-hero Murray seeks refuge from an unhappy home at the local cemetery. Having few friends at school, he has developed an ability to communicate with some of the inhabitants of the cemetery, such as "Dearly Beloved". Pearl, the caretaker's daughter, tries initially to evict Murray, but eventually realizes that his unique abilities may be useful in solving the disappearance of a local cheerleader, Nikki. Sure enough, Murray begins to hear "a new voice' in the cemetery. Possible suspects include a former boyfriend, a mental patient who was the last to see Nikki,an alcholic cop, and an older brother with "issues". Reluctant readers will enjoy the short, punchy chapters. Recommended for 8th grade and up. Lisa Correa, Koda Middle School
The Killer’s Tears by Anne-Laure Bondoux
The Killer’s Tears took me by surprise…I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. This is a truly remarkable and emotional story about Paoblo Poloverdo, a young boy of unidentified age who ends up being raised by his parents' murderer and a weathly stranger who stumbles upon his home in rural Chile. These unexpected suggorate parents try their best to teach and love Paoblo against the odds – even while battling their personal demons. This story explores our understanding of fatherhood, redemption, forgiveness, and love. I really don’t want to provide too much detail because this book is definitely worth reading. I am looking forward to reading more books by Anne-Laure Bondoux. Suitable for high school students. Recommended by Sonji Greenaway, Albany High School
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
A boy starts out mowing a few lawns during the summer. He works hard and invests his money with a "stockbroker" in the neighborhood. The neighbor coaches him on the principles of capitalism as his business expands. Before you know it, he has a fleet of employees and a stake in a prizefighter's career. Very fun introduction to the basics of economics that is short and easy to read. Reviewed by Mary Jeanne Dicker, Farnsworth Middle School
