Out of the Dust

Out of the Dust

By Karen Hesse

Published by Scholastic Inc. in 1997

Summary:

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is a book of poems that tells the story of a young girl named Billie Jo who is living in the dust bowl era in Oklahoma. She tells about her life where there are terrible dust blizzards that destroy crops and sometimes destroy families. One day, her mother as well as her new younger brother gets badly burned and they both die. Her father is devastated and won't dtalk to her about it and Billie Jo can hardly play the piano anymore that she so dearly loves, because they were burnt in the same fire that killed her mother. Billie Jo gets through these hard, miserable times but wishes more than anything that she could just leave, get away from all the sadness and drought and unhappiness because she can't play anymore and her mother is taken from her. But soon, she learns to play again and her hope returns to her.

Review:

I was very interested in this book. I learned so much about this dust bowl era. I didn't know anything about it until I read this. It was very interesting and had so much information but it went with a touching story as well. It was different to read a book in poems but I liked it. I loved the way it was written and the way that Billie Jo is, her character.

Cautionary Note:

There is death in this book.

The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner

By Deborah Ellis

Published by Group West in 2000

Summary: This book is set in Afghanistan where the Talibans have taken over the country. It is about a young girl in this culture where women are not allowed to be outside unless accompanied by a man or with a man's permission. Women are to wear Burqas whenever outisde. The young girl, Parvana, is forced to live this way until her father is arrested and her and her family have no way to make money so that they can eat and live. Parvana dresses as a boy and tries to make money the same way her father did. Parvana learns how to survive and keep her head up in these horrible times of war where they Talibans are cruel to them but they keep going and enduring.

Review: This book was interesting! I learned a lot about the Afghan culture and history that I hadn't know before. It was like I was experiencing these things with Parvana as she did. She had to take on the weight of the family and she became strong and able to handle anything. I loved her character and how she handled everything. She decided that some things werent' being mad over or she would have good priorities about things. I liked the way that Deborah Ellis wrote this book. It was about the history and culture of Afghanistan but told in a way that I completely could understand and be interested in. It was intense some parts and it made me realize how good I have it, here in America. I love reading books where I can learn about something that I had no idea about before I read it.

Hunger Games

Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

Published by Scholastic Inc. in 2008

Summary:

Hunger Games is set in Panem, a place that is all that is left of what is now North America. It is set in the far future where the world has become a place where people starve to death and they are forced to live in misery. There are 12 districts now that everything else is gone. Once a year, there are what is called "The Hunger Games," where two tributes are chosen from each district, put in an arena, and forced to kill each other off until there is one left, the winner. This year is different because Katniss's (the main girl in the story) sister is chosen to be the tribute but Katniss volunteers to take her place in the Games. Katniss goes through a very trying journey and learns all about herself on the way.

Review:

I liked this book! It took me a little while to get into it but once they were actually in the Games and things were happening, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down because it was so intense. I loved learning about Katniss and the journey that she takes while there. She is so selfless and learns to love people in the arena with her even though she is supposed to be killing them. I did not like the way that it ended though. Peeta, her best friend and "lover" in the Games is one of the characters that I loved and I liked the end of the Games, but not the end of the book. I thought it was written really well too.

Warnings:

There is a lot of violence in this book because they are all trying to kill each other to win. That is all that I would warn against though. It is a little sad when the characters die off and it's kind of bloody, some of them.

Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely

Author: Melissa Marr

Published by HarperCollins Publishing in 2007

Summary:

Wicked Lovely is a book set in the real world but has faeries and creatures unseen in it as well. It is about a girl named Aislinn who is one of the rare ones who can actually see these faeries. They are dangerous but she has to pretend as if she doesn't see them. Her grandmother's rules have always kept her safe from them but now, she is being stalked by the summer king himself who seems bent on making her his queen. He has been searching for her, the right one all his life. Now, he has found her but she does not want him. She has her own boy problems. Of course, she can not escape now that Keenan, the summer king, has set his sights on her and thinks her the one. Many other girls have had the chance to become the summer queen but they are never the right one, the one who is supposed to be her. All of those other girls are now filled with Winter's chill and can never escape.

Review:

I thought that this book was ok. It seemed a little slow when I was reading it but near the end, I liked it. It had a different ending than I was used to. I didn't really like the characters that much either. Keenan never really cared for anyone, it seemed like and Seth was a scary guy who had piercings and slept around with all the girls because "it felt good." I liked Aislinn's shy determined mannerism though. I think she deserves someone better than both of those boys but that's not how the author wanted it. The faeries were a little frightning! It also seemed a little confusing as I read it. I didn't really understand what was going on some of the time. But I did like the story line but I thought it was sad that the Winter Queen never came to realize how wrong she was.

Warnings:

There were a couple of swear words in this book. But it wasn't filled with them. There were some scary creatures in this book and they sometimes were violent. There were a couple of more mature scenes in this novel. It never really came out and said anything big but it was implied.

Stones in Water

Stones in Water
Donna Jo Napoli
Published in 1997 by Scholastic Inc.

Summary: Stones in Water begins with a boy named Roberto and his friends as well as his brother head to the movies. While there, German soldiers come and cart the boys there off to a camp. They make them come with them and are taken on a train to some camps where they were forced to work in the freezing cold. Many died and some survived. Only Roberto and his jewish friend Enzo/Samuele stay together throughout the novel. The two boys live to see and help a jewish woman and her sister who are brought into a camp and nearly starve to death until Enzo is beaten to death, at which time Roberto makes a run for it and tries to escape. He lives in the whild for a couple of days until he comes to a town that has seen the war and many of the people are dead. He meets a Ukrainian boy who helps him escape from another town they reach. Roberto finds a boat and sails for awhile until he is "captured" by an Italian soldier who has deserted his cause and his place in war. Together, they travel to find a better life, to serve in the war but for a better cause than they have both experienced.

Review:
I liked this book when I first started but as it kept going, I didn't like it as much which is a little wierd because that's not usually what happens when I read books. I did love how Roberto found out more about himself as the novel went on. He became a brave boy who does everything he can to help himself and Enzo stay alive. This isn't all he does though. He helps the girl who is starving when he himself already does not have enough to eat. He never gives up. That is what I love about this book. Roberto did all it took to keep going and enduring even when there was no reason to keep going. His best friend died and he is dying of cold and hunger, yet he keeps going even when he meets a wolf and soldiers and is captured by a village. He doesn't seem to think that he has much courage but I don't know if I could have done what he did. I thought a lot of it was so sad and I didn't really like the ending because it didnt' seem to really end for me. You knew where they were headed and that is probably a different journey but it wasn't a definite ending. So all in all, I loved Roberto's courage and the friendship that he showed to not only Enzo but to the boy he meets in the village and the soldier in the boat with him. I wish I could learn to be like Roberto. I'm glad I read this also because I was able to learn more about World War II and the other side of it, more than the holocaust view of it. I learned a lot when I read this. I am glad that I did.

Warnings:
There is some violence in this book because it is about war time. There are people who die and people who are beaten. Some of the characters experience horrible times of cold and hunger. Sometimes, it can be hard to take it all in, all of the terrible things that happened to these people.

Snow

Snow
By Tracy Lynn
Published in 2003 by Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division

Summary:
Snow is about a young girl who's mother dies giving birth to her and now her father remarries to a cruel woman who becomes jealous of Jessica/Snow's beauty. When Snow accuses a boy of attacking her, she is forbidden to speak to or see any of the boys that she is friends with. Snow is soon locked away. She is warned by a friend to run away before her step mother tries something awful. Snow runs away and joins an unusual group called the Lonely Ones. She is much happier as their maid but soon, her stepmother finds her and tries to trick her to become her "experiment."

Review:
I really liked this book even though it seemed like it took me a little longer than I thought it would to read it. It was an interesting rendition of the story of Snow White. There were a lot of twists and turns I wasn't expecting. I liked the brave and caring Jessica/Snow who only wants to be loved and feel like she has a family. I really liked the Lonely Ones as well because they were all so very different from each other. I liked this book a lot and would definitely read other books that are in this series.

After the First Death

Author: Robert Cormier
Published in 1979 by Dell Laurel-Leaf

Summary:
After the First Death is a book about a terrorist act. Kate, who is filling in for her uncle as a bus driver, has a bus full of four and five year olds when it is hijacked by four men who force her to drive the bus to the middle of an abandoned bridge where they demand some things in return for the children. These terrorists drug the children and one of the dies from it. Kate tries to escape once and fails because the bus stalls. The terrorists make a deal with Gov. Briggs, who offers his son to take the demands to the bus and this is where all of the shooting happens...

Personal Review:
I still am not sure whether or not I like this book. It was really sad for me because of the characters that I got to know died. It was brilliantly written and I honestly appreciate Cormier's work but it was a little disturbing. I loved Kate and how brave she was in trying to escape with the children. I liked learning about Miro and his internal struggles. I felt so bad for Ben when he was tortured but I guess that is what a great book does. The audience can relate to the characters and see the story that is presented and learn from it. I was amazed by his writing and the story he told.

Cautionary Note:
This book is pretty violent and has a few swear words.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney
Published in 2007 by Amulet Books

Summary:
This book is a very comical graphic novel about a boy named Greg who is in school and has many problems, just like many people who attend middle school. He is in sixth grade and telling of his adventures among "the cheese," which is not to be touched by anyone unless they want "cooties." He tells in his journal, not his diary, as he makes perfectly clear to the audience, about his experiences of being in a play, getting chased by highschoolers on Halloween night, and his pathetic Christmas presents. Greg runs for treasurer at his school and becomes a safety patrol where Rowley, his best friend, is accused for something that Greg had actually done. Greg does not do the right thing and later regrets it when Rowley doesn't want to be his friend anymore. In the end, Greg makes it up to him and they are friends once more.

Personal Review:
I really liked this book because it was a very fast read. It was entertaining and there was never any boring parts. I loved Greg's character and cheered him on to do the right thing and be the best person he could. Yes, he messed up a few times but that can show the audience that everyone is human and that they can fix their mistakes. Greg was very humorous and it was a cute novel.