La Linea

La Linea
Ann Jaramillo
March 15 2006 by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:
La Linea is a book about a hispanic boy named Miguel and he lives with his grandmother in Mexico but his parents have left for America so that they can find a better life. Miguel desperately wants to go and join his parents and finally, on his fifteenth birthday, he has the opportunity to go and so he starts the trek across the border. His sister, Elena, secretly follows him and at first, he tells her to go back and buys her a ticket home but then he gets the ticket stolen and he takes her with him. They have to jump trains and try to stay away from the people that would take them back to Mexico and also from gangs. They have to make a long trip across the desert. They encounter many obstacles on this trip across the border. They "cheat death" many times but eventually make it across and to their parents.

Review:
I liked this book a lot. I liked learning about Miguel and the kind of person that he becomes. In the beginning, he is very selfish but he learns about himself and how to care for others and not just about himself. I liked Elena's personality as well. She was strong and stubborn and knew what she wanted and tried to do all she could to get it. I liked their journey together. They learn about each other and the importance of family.

Cautionary Note:
In this book, there is some gruesome images. People die and it can be disturbing to read about them and the kinds of things that go wrong with their lives.

The White Darkness

The White Darkness
Geraldine McCaughrean
Harper Collins Publishers in 2005

Summary:
This book is about a girl named Sym who is obsessed with Antarctica and also Captain Titus Oats, who lived years earlier than her but is still "alive" in her mind. He is her best friend who she tells everything to. Her obsessed uncle Victor takes her to Antarctica to find "Symmes's Hole," presumably the center of the earth. Everything starts to go wrong when Uncle Victor does things that puts them in danger because he cares more for finding this hole and his theories than that they actually survive through it. Sym starts to learn secrets about her uncle and the whole expedition. Sym goes on this adventure through the cold and scary place of Antarctica where no one really knows where she is and she has to find a way to survive and escape from the crazy man who she knows as her uncle and find out who her real friends are as well.

Review:
This book took me awhile to get into. The first half kind of confused me because I didn't really know what was going on but then when I got farther into it, I was amazed at what was happening and how the author wrote this book. I love Sym because I feel like many people and young adults could relate to her and her personality. I love how she continually grew throughout the novel. She found out who she was and she figured out who her real friends are and it made her all the more stronger. The book was crazy as I got farther in- but in a good way. It took me by suprise so many times. Things just kept happening that I never expected to. I really liked this book and the character that Sym grew to be.

Cautionary Notes:
There was some swearing in this novel and some insinuation about certain things. Also, some people die in this novel. Death and profanity are a part of the book so if you don't like that at all, this would not be a good book to read.

Stargirl

Stargirl

By Jerry Spinelli

Puplished by Alfred A. Knopf in 2000.

Summary:

This is a book about a girl named Stargirl who comes to an ordinary school where everyone has conformed to be the same as everyone else. She shows up and at first, no one really knows what to think about her but then they start to accept her and are enchanted by her. She is different. So different that eventually people start to shun her and Leo, the narrator of the book because he is with her. In the end, she becomes so different that he can't stand all of the people shunning him that he eventually leaves her as well so that he can become accepted again but eventually, the entire school is changed forever, not just in that year or the year to follow but for years and years after.

Review:

I really liked this book because she is so different from everyone but in such a good way. She is genuinely kind and never thinks about herself. It makes me want to be better and to become a better person, like she is and that even if everyone shuns you and no one will be your friend, that you can still be happy if you always think of others and what you can do for them and not for yourself. I was a little disappointed in Leo because he eventually breaks down and can't take the shunning and so he leaves her to be accepted back into society. I loved the ending, how she never ever came away from who she truly was and always always thought about others.

Stuck in Neutral

Stuck in Neutral
By Terry Trueman
Published by Harper Collins Publishing in 2000

Summary:
This book is about an almost fifteen year old boy who has a condition called cerebral palsy where Shawn can't control his movements but he is completely intelligent inside of his brain. He understands things perfectly and he knows what people are saying and even how to read but because he can't control his muscles, he is in a wheel chair and he can't communicate to his family. It is like he is stuck inside of his own body. Shawn's father loves him very much and it kills him to think that his son is maybe suffering inside. He decides that Shawn would be much better off if he weren't alive to suffer through his condition. It is heart wrenching to know that Shawn is bright and loving and alive inside of his body and that his own father can't tell if he is happy or not. His father thinks Shawn is suffering but that he doesn't have to.

Review:
This book was intense! My heart ached for Shawn when experiences happened but that Shawn couldn't move his body or tell his family how he felt, no matter how hard he tried. I loved learning about Shawn's personality. My own brother passed away from epilepsy and so it was very interesting to see how Shawn's story played out and how he coped with his disease. Shawn was happy even though he couldn't control himself. It taught me a lesson that I can be happy no matter what! And I have complete control over my body. It was a side of this condition that I had never thought of before, that he could be so intelligent but not be able to tell anybody his thoughts, his wishes, and his dreams.

Cautionary Note:
There is quite a bit of swearing for my taste in this book but I think that that is all.