The Knife of Never Letting Go 7/7/09

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World.

WOW! This made my favorite booklist! It is funny and sad and suspenseful. I couldn't put it down. It is a huge book (450+ pgs) but reads fast. The characters are very easy to like. You're sure to get a laugh from Todd's dog Manchee!

Newbery--Slave Dancer--1974

Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

7/5/09

Won Newbery in 1974

Kidnapped by the crew of an Africa-bound ship, a thirteen-year-old boy discovers to his horror that he is on a slaver and his job is to play music for the exercise periods of the human cargo.

This book is juvenile fiction and deals with slave trade between America and Africa.
It would be good for grades 5th-8th.

The story has a very good conclusion. The story’s end is both tragic and heroic.

The story is told from the point of view of teenage boy Jessie who is kidnapped from the streets of New Orleans and forced into service on a slave ship making a round trip from the South to Africa and back. Even though Jessie grows up in the South, he is not sympathetic to the slave trade, especially when he witnesses its horrors first hand.

This is a very intense book. Jessie, who doesn’t have an easy life in New Orleans, is forced to grow up even more aboard the slave ship. The story is action-packed.

Lock and Key 5/10/09

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

When she is abandoned by her alcoholic mother, high school senior Ruby winds up living with Cora, the sister she has not seen for ten years, and learns about Cora's new life, what makes a family, how to allow people to help her when she needs it, and that she too has something to offer others.

I do like Sarah Dessen's novels. However, sometimes they seem so much alike. The teen girl is in trouble somehow. She's stuborn and pretty. She moves away from her home for one reason or another. Things work out in the end. Pretty much the way this book unfolds and ends. I do like Dessen's writing style however.

The Sword in the Stone 5/3/09

The Sword in the Stone by T.C. White

We have all probably heard the tale of Wart and Merlin whether it be in a book or the Disney movie. I purchased it on a whim from audible.com because I love the Disney version of "The Sword in the Stone". So for a half hour each morning as I put on my make-up I would listen to the things Merlin changed Wart into and the adventures they had together. The book goes into much more detail of course than the movie. I enjoyed the little bits that were not in the movie.

My Dog

This isn't an entry about reading. This is my new dog Po. I named her Po after my last favorite hero that I read about. From the book Graceling. She is a the sweetest dog! She's a sweetheart!

Graceling 4/15/09

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

I didn't think I would like this book at first but after the first 3 chapters I was hooked. Cashore's writing style is very nice. I really enjoy reading writing that is thought out and written that way throughout the book. Sex is implied but not written in detail. The relationship between Po and Katsa is a true romance but not in the fluffy way one would think. It is an enjoyable book to read and the end opened up for a sequel. Yeah!

Newbery--Out of the Dust 1998

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Date of review: 4/15/08

In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.
This is a juvenile fiction book dealing with Oklahoma & history in poetic fashion.
Recommended for grades 5th-8th. The conclusion fits the story, which shows a girl’s very hard life. The bittersweet ending does give hope. The viewpoint of the story is told through teenage girl Billie Joe, a hard-working girl who, like others living during the Depression and Dust Bowl, must face adversity daily.

This book was very fast to read and teaches you a bit of the history of Oklahoma during this difficult time.

Reviewer: Christine I.

Newbery--A Gathering of Days 1980

A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32 by Joan W. Blos

Date of review? 03/23/09

This is the journal of a 14-year-old girl that was written the last year she lived on the family farm. In the journal she records daily events in her small New Hampshire town including her father's remarriage and the death of her best friend.

The book is juvenile historical fiction best for grades 4th through 8th.

Since this book is a journal and not necessarily a story, the main character's life goes on and there is not really a firm conclusion. The end of the book includes a letter from the main character when she is in her 80s written to her granddaughter and there she summarizes what happened to the other characters highlighted in the journal she wrote when she was a teenager.

The story is told from the point of view of Catherine, a 13-year-old girl at the beginning of the story/journal. She lives in a rural home in New Hampshire and is the oldest female in the home until her father remarries.

I would describe this story more as educational and well written, not necessarily entertaining. The journal demonstrates the normal ups and downs of a teenager who works hard with a few larger events thrown in. It's very easy to read and fast to finish; at times I wanted a little more action. Those who enjoy books such as Little House on the Prairie will enjoy this book.

Savvy 3/17/09

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

I did not fall in love with this book. I really didn't like it. The whole "savvy" phenomenon was a little much to swallow. Law's writing style is okay but some words were very made up. As a Newbery Honor Book, I expected more.

Best Thing I've Read This Week

From Neil Shusterman's "Antsy Does Time":

"--that's when I realized that prayer isn't for God. After all, He doesn't need it. He's out there, or in there, or sitting up there in His firmament, whatever that is, all-knowing and all-powerful, right? He doesn't need us repeating words week after week in His face. If He's there, sure, I'll bet He's listening but it doesn't change Him, one way or the other.

Instead, we're the ones who are changed by it.

I don't know whether that's true, or whether I was just delirious from lack of sleep...but if it is true, what an amazing gift!"