Speak

Speak

Laurie Halse Anderson

Scholastic Inc., in 1999

Summary:

Speak is about a girl named Melinda who gets raped at a party. She is a shy girl who is too afraid to tell anyone what happened. After the party, she called the police because she didn't know what else to do. She is an outcast for doing that, for calling the cops and ruining the party that everyone was at. Everyone at her school hates her and Speak is about how Melinda deals with it and how she gets through it and how she learns to find her voice about the whole thing.

Review:

I really liked this book. I didn't know what something like that could do to you. I felt so sad for Melinda and how she felt like she couldn't tell anybody what had happened, not even her parents. She didn't have any friends and she couldn't speak. I love how Melinda develops and how she comes to realize that it wasn't her fault what happened and that she can get through it.

Cautionary Note:

There are a few swear words in the book.

Bomba The Jungle Boy The Underground River

Bomba The Jungle Boy, The Underground River

Roy Rockwood

Clover Books Publishing in 1953

Summary:

Bomba is a boy who was raised in the jungle, even though he is white. He has never known his parents and all he has known is an old man who took care of him and an old witch woman who tells him of his parents, and his two faithful servants. Bomba goes on a journey to find out who his parents are. He follows this map that the witch woman gave him to help him find the chest where he can find out more about his parents, who he is desperate to find out about. While following this underground river, he encounters many obstacles, coming close to death many times but with the help of his faithful and loyal servant, Gibo, he overcomes these obstacles and manages to find the chest and survive.

Review:

This book is not one that I would normally read but it was very interesting. It seemed like there was always something new and unexpected that comes up that tests Bomba and Gibo's strength and bravery. It seemed like a little bit too much but I liked it. I liked how loyal the two friends were. I liked Bomba and how brave he was, and how he was trying to so hard to find his parents.

Godless

Godless

Pete Hautman

Simon and Schuster, Inc., 2004

Summary:

Jason is a boy that doesn't believe as his father does. His father is a big Catholic and he wants his son to be like him, and believe just like him. But Jason makes up this own religion- Chutengodianiasm, where they believe that the water tower, or the ten-legged one, is their God and that they are the disciples. He and his friends climb the water tower. They swim in the water tower. They get in trouble because of the water tower. Henry, one of his friends, gets hurt and his other friend goes crazy because of everything having to do with the water tower god. They all have to decide what is real and what can destroy them.

Review:

I read this book really quickly. I liked it because it was so interesting and crazy. It was crazy that Jason would create this new "religion" and that Shinn would really believe that the water tower spoke to him. I liked the kids and how different each of them were. I was amazed at the book and how it made you think about life and about how other people really think and what can really get you into trouble.

Cautionary Note:

There is some swearing in it.

Inexcusable

Inexcusable

Chris Lynch

Simon and Schuster Publishing in 2005

Summary:

This book is about a boy who has raped a girl. He thinks that he hasn't done it and tries to convince the reader that he didn't. He tries to tell everyone that he is a "good boy" and he really believes it. He is a very unreliable author because he has raped someone! He tries to say that he maybe has done some things that he shouldn't have but that he would never rape somebody.

Review:

I didn't really like this book. It was hard to get past the kind of person that he is, that he would rape someone and not really think that he did it and that it was ok. I didn't like how he made all this stuff up and really thought he was a good guy. I did like how it was written though. How you don't really get the full story until the end. It keeps you in suspense because you don't really know what he did or what happened for sure until the end.

Cautionary Note:

This book had a few swear words in it.

The First Part Last

The First Part Last

Angela Johnson

Simon and Schuster publishing in 2003

Summary:

This book is about a boy named Bobby who has to take care of his baby. He made a mistake with his girlfriend that he fell in love with and she ended up pregnant. Bobby has to figure out how to take care of his own baby when he himself is only sixteen years old. He finds out the hard part about being a father but also the love he feels for feather, his baby. Bobby becomes a man and takes care of the baby as best he can, even if he shouldn't have to be doing it yet.

Review:

I loved how this book was written. How you don't actually find out what happened to the mother of the baby until the end and how you see the pain and frustration that Bobby has to go through to figure out how to take care of his beautiful mistake, feather. I love Bobby and even though he is not ready, he takes on the challenge and figures out how to love this baby and how to take care of it and also himself. I love how you get to see so much of what Bobby is really thinking about everything. I really liked this book a lot.

Cautionary Note:

There is some swearing in this book.

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear

Ben Mikaelsen

Harper Collins in 2001

Summary:

Cole Mathews is a young boy that is angry- with the world and his family and himself. One day, Cole takes out his anger on another boy named Peter Driscall. He smashes Peter's head against the sidewalk and Peter ends up with almost permanent brain damage. As punishment for Cole, he has to go to an island in Alaska for a year so that he can learn how to heal and to let his anger leave. At first, Cole destroys the shelter that was built for him and tries to swim an escape. He can't escape that way and is brought back to the island where he is mauled by the great Spirit Bear. He is left to die. During this time, he learns a lot about himself and changes. Cole learns how to release his mind and roll his anger away and how to do the animal dances and how to carve and how to forgive. He learns so much about himself and about life and others.

Review:

I have read this book before and I think that it is a pretty good book. I like how Cole changes so drastically and that you know why and how he changed so much. I like the drastic differences between the Cole then and the Cole at the end of the book. I liked the people that tried to help him, Garvey and Edwin, who were always there to help him through his trials and to care about him. I like how there were some lessons in the book that everyone can learn- about love and trust and anger and revenge.

Cautionary Note:

This book has a lot of gross things in it. He eats things that people wouldn't normally eat and he as well as Peter get beat up pretty bad, which explains how they were beat up and the damage it caused. The mauling of the bear was really violent and bloody.

Uglies

Uglies

Scott Westerfeld

Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing in 2005

Summary:

Tally is an Ugly. Everyone is an ugly until they turn 16 which is when the have the big operation and turn Pretty. Tally meets a girl named Shay, who doesn't want to turn Pretty so she runs away to join the other Uglies that didn't want to turn Pretty. The government, or the people who are in charge, the Specials, take Tally and tell her that if she wants to be a Pretty, then she has to go and find Tally and bring the Specials to them so that they can get them back to "where they belong." Tally doesn't want to do this to her friend but she goes and finds she likes it there, in "The Smoke." Tally accidentally lets the Specials know where The Smoke is and they come and take most of the people away. Tally tries to rescue them but she may need rescuing herself.

Review: I really liked this book! It was interesting and I loved how it had romance as well as character. I loved Tally. She came to realize what she really wanted and who she wanted to be, or not to be. I liked seeing her change and grow throughout the book. I liked Shay, who showed her the way and I liked David, how he really grew to like her a lot. It was a really good book.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

By E. Lockhart

2008 by Hyperion

Summary: Frankie is a sophmore at a boarding school when a senior boy starts to take interest in her that she has had a crush on for a very long time. Matthew, this senior, takes her into his circle of friends and they start to date. Frankie learns that Matthew is a part of this secret club called the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, which is an all-male society and which Frankie feels very excluded from. She takes on a fake identity and starts to participate in the tricks that the club does.

Review: I think that this is my favorite book of the ones that we have had to read this semester. I love how Frankie doesn't simply sit back and let Matthew tell her what to do or what not to get in to. She takes charge of things and doesn't let herself be underestimated. She sticks up for what she believes in and what she wants. I love Frankie's character and the kind of girl that she is.

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl

Eoin Colfer

Published in 2001 by Hyperion Books

This book is about a twelve year old genius who captures one of the dangerous fairies so that he can get a ransom for her. He is so smart in the way that he does this. He captures her and learns all of the fairy secrets. He goes about trying to get this gold and he uses his wits and cleverness to make sure that his plan goes perfectly. Even the dangerous and smart fairies cannot outdo Artemis in this novel of danger and suspense. 

I liked this book a lot! I had never considered a twelve year old that could be as smart as Artemis Fowl is in this book. It was strange because he was the bad guy but I liked him a lot! I liked his personality and I loved his butler and Butler's little sister. I loved his personality and how he was so smart. 

There was a little bit of swearing in this book and some violence. 

A Long Way From Chicago

A Long Way from Chicago

Richard Peck

Published in 1998 by Scholastic Inc.

This book is about these two children who go to their grandmother's house every summer to spend time with her and their many adventures that they go on with her. They go on these crazy adventures with their crazy grandmother and learn all about themselves and the people that they are. 

This book was really funny! It was full of stories that always kept me entertained and I loved learning about all of the different characters. I loved how hilarious all of the stories were and all of the things that they went through during the summer with their grandmother. 

Beauty

Beauty

Robin McKinley

Published in 1978 by HarperCollins Publishers

Beauty starts off with a young girl that is named Beauty. She has two other sisters and her mother has died so it is only her father is still alive. Her father's business has a horrible disaster occur where they are left with nothing. They travel to a different town to start life over, as a poor family in the country. One day, her father leaves to check on one of the ships that was lost in the disaster. He comes back telling a tale of how he had come upon an enchanted castle and had tried to pick a rose for Beauty because that is what she had asked for when he left. The beast, the master of that castle, took him and told him that he had to give him one of his daughters or he would take him instead. Beauty volunteers to go to the Beast and take him up on his offer. She goes to the castle and learns to love the beast. In the end, she decides that she truly does love the beast and he is turned back into a man and they are married. 

I liked this book alright. It wasn't one of my favorites because it seemed pretty cheesy and just like another one of those fairy tales that are told a million times. I did like the characters in it though. I liked Beauty the best because she didn't really care that she wasn't as beautiful as her other sisters, she just knew that she could make up for it in other ways and she believed in herself to do things that she needed to do to help her family and to be happy. She was a strong character and I loved her for it. I liked the arrangement of the story. It was like Beauty and the Beast but a little bit different and I liked it but I feel like this kind of story is told all the time but it was told well, even if it was a little cheesy.

Becoming Naomi Leon

Becoming Naomi Leon

Pam Munoz ryan

Published in 2004 by Scholastic Inc.

This book is about a girl and a boy named Naomi and Owen. Naomi is a quiet girl and Owen is her little brother. They both live with her grandmother until their mother shows up and decides that she wants to take Naomi with her to Las Vegas but while she is there, for that little time she is, Naomi and Owen see that she is a bad mother- she drinks alcohol and she slapped her daughter and she is not very nice. She scares her children. She's left them once before and only wants to use Naomi. Naomi, Owen, and their grandmother travel to Mexico to find the children's father and so the judge, who is overlooking this case as to whether or not Naomi should go and live with her mother, will decide that it is best for them both to continue to live with their grandmother. They go to the festival where they carve from radishes and they find the children's father and he sends a letter with them so that they can live with their grandmother and they find out that their father really does still love them and wants to be with them but can't so he will help so that they can live with someone who will love them and care for them. 

I loved this book! It was very well written and I loved all of the characters in it. They were all so different. I hated that mother and I loved Owen and Naomi. They all grew to be the kind of characters that anyone would want to be- strong and confident in themselves. I liked how Naomi never lost track of what she wanted. She stayed strong and never let herself get down but she went through a lot of tough times. 

I don't think that there is anything to warn against in this book. It was really good!

Black Storm Comin'

Diane Lee Wilson

Pubished in July of 2005

Black Storm Comin' is about a boy named Colton Wescott. Him and his family are moving to California to live with his mom's sister. His mom and his aunt are both black and they are going to take the freedom papers to her and go to live with her. On this journey, his father runs off and never comes back. His mom has a baby, which dies soon after birth. His mother becomes very ill and she needs a doctor. Colton gets his family to a town with a doctor and knows that he needs to make money somehow so he gets a job with the pony express. It may seem like a simple job but it is full of danger and cold and he has a hard time with this job, although he loves it. 

It took me awhile to finish this book and also to get into it because I don't read many westerns so I wasn't used to the kind of writing that it was in and I couldn't really get used to the story line and the horses and everything that are in westerns. I liked it in the end though. I learned about Colton and I loved how he always stayed strong, even from the beginning. 

This book had some swearing in it but that is about all that I would warn about. 

War Is

War Is

Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell

Published by Candlewick Press in September of 2008

War Is is a book about war. It is a collection of articles about war and what it means and what goes on in war and how certain people feel about war. But most of the articles were about our own American soldiers. It is a book about what people feel about war and what war entails. It is telling everything that anyone would want to know about war. It talks about the truth about war and it is for young adults who need to know about war from people that have experienced it first hand. It is people's thoughts and experiences from wars that they have been through. It tells what people say is the truth about what war really is and that everyone should read it and know about all of the things that is talked about.

I can't decide if I like this book or not. I read it and was amazed at what I had read. I had not known a lot of the things that were talked about. I hadn't realized what was going on when people talked about war and I hadn't realized what sorts of things real people had to go through when they experienced these kinds of things. I think that the things talked about are things that every person should know about so that they can make better decisions about going to war or signing up for something that they don't know about entirely.

This book has  a lot to warn against. There is a lot of violence and a lot of swear words. There are a lot of images that are hard to ignore as well. 

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

Gail Carson Levin

Published in September 19998 by HarperCollins Publishing

Ella Enchanted is about a girl named Ella who, when she was born, was given a "gift." A fairy gave her the gift of obedience. She had to do whatever anyone ordered her to do. Her mother died from an illness and only her and their cook/fairy god-mother knew of the curse. One cruel girl learns of the curse though and forces her to do things against her will. This cruel girl named Hattie's mother marries her father and Hattie makes her life miserable. Meanwhile, Ella falls in love with the prince, Prince Char. He is the only spot in her life that is not miserable. She wants to marry Char but knows that it would never be good for him because of her obedience, which could create problems so she tries to find the fairy that gave her the curse so that she can take it away. 

I really really liked this book. It was a nice fluffy read and I liked how it wasn't a dark, deep book but just a fun one that was easy to read. I loved Ella's character. She was strong and tried to fight her curse. I loved that even though she tried to break the curse before and disobey, she could never truly do it until Char, the prince that she falls in love with, is in danger because of her curse. I liked seeing how Ella's character changed throughout the book- she started out strong and became stronger. I wish I could be more like her. I liked this version of Cinderella a lot. 

This book doesn't really have anything to be cautionary about. I would recommend it to anyone. 

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.

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.