by Markus Zusak

"It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . ."

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist- books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

Watch a book trailer at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2FGzXj-d2k&feature=related

Random House Children's Books
552 pages
Interest Level: YA
ISBN: 9780375842207
Copyright: March 2006






 

 

Written and Illustrated by Scott Goto

Review
This is a book with a good message. Although everyone wants the perfect sword that has been made, only one person truly deserves it. Taking such great pride in something you make with your hands has become rather unique in our society. This is an excellent book to share with classes when discussing personal integrity, etc. The illustrations enhance the story greatly. They tell the story as much as the written word!  

Written by Ruth White

Review
Little Audrey is a tough character for such a young person. At the age of eleven, she has to endure an alcoholic father, poverty, the death of her baby sister (and later, another family member), and hunger - along with other everyday issues, like younger siblings who still wet the bed, bullying classmates, and making friends. The story takes place in 1948 in a coal-mining town where most hope for a better life. Told in the first person, and based on the author's family, Audrey dares to imagine a better life and we are left cheering for her in the end.  

Written by James Lincoln Collier

Eugene Richards lives with his mother and grandpa during the Depression. He does not know his father and his mother and grandpa refuse to talk about him. One day on his way home from school a voice speaks to him about a bad thing that took place in the past when Gene was just a small boy. The voice wants him to investigate the injustice so that he will believe the voice. Gene gets his two friends, Sonny and Sam (Who are not on the same wavelength) to help him in the investigation. Sonny's father is killed in a freak accident and then Sam's father drives his car off the road into a tree. As the investigation continues it becomes clear that something bad did happen and many people in the town were involved in a coverup, including Gene's grandfather who was a judge at the time. The friends must work fast to find a way to keep more people from becoming victims of the mysterious voice.  

Written by James Lincoln Collier

Eugene Richards lives with his mother and grandpa during the Depression. He does not know his father and his mother and grandpa refuse to talk about him. One day on his way home from school a voice speaks to him about a bad thing that took place in the past when Gene was just a small boy. The voice wants him to investigate the injustice so that he will believe the voice. Gene gets his two friends, Sonny and Sam (Who are not on the same wavelength) to help him in the investigation. Sonny's father is killed in a freak accident and then Sam's father drives his car off the road into a tree. As the investigation continues it becomes clear that something bad did happen and many people in the town were involved in a coverup, including Gene's grandfather who was a judge at the time. The friends must work fast to find a way to keep more people from becoming victims of the mysterious voice.  

Written by Markus Zuzak

 

Written by Judy Blundell

The story ended well but I felt it was slow in developing. The story is post-World War II and most of the story takes place in Florida. There are social issues that Evie, the main character, learns to deal with. The characters were believable and sympathetic.

Review by Warren Child, Cyprus High Library Media Instructional Technology Specialist
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: High School
Winner of the National Book Award for Young Adult Literature (2008)

What I Saw and How I Lied
Scholastic
288 pages
ISBN: 978-0-439-90346-2
Release Date: November 1, 2008  

Written by Don Brown

It was a good depiction about what life would be like during the depression if you had no home. The boy, who is in search of his brother, jumps from train to train to make his way across the U.S. He knows he needs to get to Denver. It covers some of the problems that people ran into during the Depression. The chapters are short and capture your attention.

Review by Erin Tanner, Cyprus High Social Studies Teacher and School Technology Specialist
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 4-7

The Train Jumper
Roaring Brook Press
ISBN: 978-1-59643-218-5
Release Date: August 2007
 

Written by Jessica Gunderson, Illustrated by Caroline Hu

This book is an easily digestible way for children to learn a slice of Chinese History. It is also easy to empathize with the main character. He always comes in last no matter what he does. When a beautiful young princess helps him understand that it's what's inside that counts, his life turns around. I highly recommend this chapter book, especially to those who are looking for a tie-in text to their character education lessons. The only thing that would enhance it would be the addition of Chinese watercolor illustrations.

Review by Kathy Loewy, Twin Peaks Elementary Library Media Assistant
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 2-4

The Jade Dragon: A Story of Ancient China
Picture Window / Capstone Press
64 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4048-4735-4
Release Date: October 2008  

Written by Allan Ahlberg, Illustrated by Andre Amstutz

A man catches a falling baby in his hat. He goes off to sea, starting as a cabin boy and working his way up to be the captain. Back home, he marries a beautiful girl (the falling baby) and she becomes the captain's mate! Honest!

Review by Kathleen Okelberry, Woodrow Wilson Elementary Library Media Assistant
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 1-4

The Baby in the Hat
Candlewick Press
32 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3958-7
Release Date: September 2008  

Written by Markus Zusak

Who better than Death to narrate a story of World War II?  He knows all the intimate details better than anyone.  In The Book Thief, Death unburdens upon the reader a story that haunts even him, that of the girl Liesel Meminger of Molching, Germany.   Liesel, after watching her younger brother die on a train ride, is inexplicably abandoned by her mother.  She becomes the foster daughter of Hans and Rosa Hubermann.  Hans is a supremely good and patient man, while Rosa has a rough exterior and a filthy tongue that hide a heart of gold.  In the impoverished and absurd circumstances of Nazi Germany during the war, Liesel and her best friend Rudy negotiate the trials and adventures of early adolescence and develop a taste for thievery; particularly, in Liesel’s case, book thievery.  In due time, in their own dangerous and brave act of thievery, Liesel’s foster parents “steal” something of great worth from the very Fürher himself.  The world of the book is that of a very real and dangerous circumstance in which patriotism and duty to one’s country seem far distant from morality, and often there are no good choices to make.  So many innocent, decent people get caught in horrific realities because of rhetoric and definitions.  The power of words for both good and evil is a central theme of the book.

Death, in addition to telling the story with his expectedly dark and ironic humor, tired voice, and outsider perspective, also reveals to the reader that he has a heart.  This is one of those rare and precious books that, while describing dire and heartbreaking circumstances, are also filled with joy, life, humor, and humanity.  Death voices his perplexity over the paradox that so much good and so much evil can come from humanity, and, by the end of the book, I was left pondering upon the same quandary.   I highly recommend this book to any reader, probably 9th grade to adult.

Review by Joshua Whiting, GSD Library Media/Instructional Technology Assistant
Rating: ★★★★★

Interest Level: Grades 9 and up
A Printz Honor Book, 2006

The Book Thief
Random House
560 pages
ISBN: 978-0-375-83100-3
Release Date: March 2006  

Written by Kim Platt

This book was published posthumously and has a forward by Kin Platt's son, Christopher Platt. This story takes place in Concord in the late 1840s. Sixteen-year-old Oliver Puckle helps his uncle run the local newspaper, Concord Freeman. The story is rich with the historical events of this time period and includes important historical figures. Oliver roams the town gathering news for his uncle's newspaper. During one of his outings he runs into Hetta Bird, a local lady that is considered not-right-in-the-head. She chants a vision that she had concerning a death that will involve Oliver. Although shaken, Oliver dismisses the idea. With his uncle out of town, Oliver is running the paper and must get it ready for print. Henry Thoreau has been arrested for non-payment of his poll tax. Oliver has interviewed both Thoreau and Sheriff Staples and is writing an article. As he is working, a beautiful young lady enters and wishes to place an ad for employment. She has recently arrived from Boston and gives her name as Margaret Roberts. Oliver suggests that she find a room with the Thoreaus. Later, when he discovers that she is not at the Thoreaus he becomes concerned for her safety. The next morning, a horrible murder has taken place and Oliver believes it must be Margaret Roberts. However, it is the unfortunate Hetta Bird. As Oliver investigates the murder he seeks the help of Henry Thoreau and Charley, a local Indian boy that he grew up with. Together they work to solve the murder and find the missing girl. The story is interesting and weaves the local events of the day along with important historical and literary figures.

Review by Robin Larsen, Matheson Jr. High Library Media Specialist
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Middle and High School

A Mystery for Thoreau
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
162 pages
ISBN: 978-0-374-35337-7
Release Date: September 2008  

Written by Steve Watkins

This is the story of Dewey Turner -- a misfit seventh grader. In Florida in the 1960s race is an issue that most people want to ignore. So, when Dewey paints his face black with shoe polish to practice for next year's minstrel show he sets himself up for all kinds of misery. The polish will not come off completely and so Dewey must begin school with his face still black. His classmates want to ignore him and the older students try to keep him out of the restrooms by making signs that read "whites only." Dewey has a hard time making friends and relating to others, but he finds a friend in Darla Turkel. Darla is a dancer and an actress who also does not fit in. Dewey, Darla, and Wayne (Dewey's older brother) begin to investigate a ghost story in the downtown area. The answer turns out to be one that neither Darla or Dewey expect. Also, Dewey and Wayne spend part of their time helping their father run for city council. Sand Mountain turns out to be a pile of sand tailing left over from mining. People in the area use the mountain like a snowboarding hill, riding down the mountain on pieces of cardboard. This book explores the racial issues of the South, as well as issues facing Vietnam veterans. The book contains sexual content that may not be appropriate for younger readers.

Curriculum Ties: Historical issues about the Southern United States and Vietnam Veterans.

Review by Robin Larsen, Matheson Jr. High Library Media Assistant
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Upper Middle School and High School

Down Sand Mountain
Candlewick Press
327 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3839-9
Release Date: October 2008
 

Written by M.T. Anderson

In the Novanglian College of Lucidity in Boston, the young boy Octavian is raised as the noble son of an African princess.  He is waited upon and receives an education in science, history and philosophy, has become proficient in Latin and Greek, as well as a virtuoso of the violin.  And yet, his every action and bodily function is observed and recorded, and his mother, though a personage of royalty, is sometimes constrained from her own will by the men of the college.  In actuality, Octavian is a slave and the subject of a scientific experiment.  The philosophers of the college wish to ascertain whether, given the same opportunities, an African has the same capacities as a European.  When the college’s longstanding patronage falls through and the slave-owning funders of the college make it clear that they want the “experimental” education of the boy to fail, Octavian becomes personally aware of and subjected to the true horrors and rigors of slavery in the American colonies.  In the midst of the turmoil of the Revolutionary War, Octavian makes his escape, but has nowhere to turn in a land where people are crying out for liberty, and yet would hold him captive.  Written as a first-person manuscript that incredibly recreates the diction and writing style of the late 18th century, as well as incorporating actual letters and documents from historical figures of the period, this is a fascinating, harrowing book with a hint of hope, as the story of Octavian continues in a companion volume, Kingdom on the Waves.

Review by Joshua Whiting, Library Media / Instructional Technology Dept., Granite School District
Rating: ★★★★★
Interest Level: Grades 9+

Winner of the 2006 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

The Pox Party (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I)
Candlewick Press
351 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-2402-6 (hardcover) / 978-0-7636-3679-1 (paperback)
Release Date: September 2006  

Written by M. T. Anderson

Kingdom on the Waves continues the fascinating narrative of the young man Octavian, describing his time in the royally controlled and besieged city of Boston, as well as his subsequent adventures in seeking out and joining the Royal Ethiopian Regiment of Lord Dunmore, exiled governor of the colony of Virginia. Dunmore has issued a proclamation promising freedom to all slaves who will escape from their rebel masters and join the King’s Army in suppressing the rebellion of the American colonists. Much of the volume recounts the battles, trials and tragic circumstances of these African-American soldiers devoted to the cause of liberty, fighting others also devoted to the cause of liberty, albeit a different liberty. This book brings back to light the real moral ambiguities of the American Revolution by presenting the circumstances from the often-ignored perspectives of royalists and slaves in the American colonies. As in the first Octavian Nothing volume, Anderson reveals himself as a master at re-creating authentic 18th Century language and tone, having immersed himself for six years exclusively in writings of or about this historical period. These are smart, challenging books that illustrate that books with the “Young Adult” label do not necessarily have to be patronizing or insulting to the intelligence and capacity of teenage readers.

Review by Joshua Whiting, Library Media Department, Granite School District
Rating: ★★★★★
Interest Level: High School / Adult
A 2009 Printz Honor Book

Kingdom on the Waves (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II)
Candlewick Press
561 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-2950-2
Release Date: October 13, 2009 (paperback)  

Written by Philip Reeve

This book is about a girl named Gwyna who is forced from her home when her village is attacked and destroyed. She becomes the ward of the magician Myrddin. She works for him for protection. He transforms her many times, first as the Lady of the Lake, then as a boy servant, and last as herself, a young woman. She travels with him and listens to his tales as he tries to persuade all to follow King Arthur. However, we find out that Arthur is not the noble king that we thought he would be. He is just a greedy, lustful man who cares little about the lives he takes or destroys. This story is told by Gwyna. If you like King Arthur stories, you will be drawn to this book. The story follows the original storyline of King Arthur. The names and events have been changed, but are similair enough that you can recognize them and relate them to the original story. It is an interesting point of view, but to me, I found the story to be disturbing. I guess I like the original story of a noble king. There is swearing in the book and talk of nudity. It may not be appropiate for junior high school students.

Review by Ruth Porter, Library Clerk, Matheson Jr. High
Rating: ★★✩✩✩
Interest Level: High School Only

Here Lies Arthur
Scholastic
339 pages
ISBN: 9780545093347
Release Date: November 2008  

Written by Anna Myers

This is a fictional account of Nathan Hales' decision to join the patriots and eventually become a spy. The story is told through the eyes of Nathan Hale and a fictional character Jonah Hawkins. The story begins in New London where Nathan Hale has accepted a position as a teacher. Jonah is one of his students whose tuition is being paid by Nathan's cousin Samuel Hale. Jonah and his sister Mercy are living with Samuel Hale because both of their parents are dead. Samuel Hale has taken them in because their father was one of his employees.  Nathan enjoys teaching and finds life in New London pleasant. He has two love interests, his step sister Alice and Betsy Lawrence, the niece of the man he boards with in New London.   It is 1774 and heated debates are taking place about the taxes that have been placed on tea and other items by the English Parliament. Torys, or loyalists, are under a great deal of pressure as patriots begin to rise in numbers. Nathan finds himself at the opposite end of his cousin Samuel, who is a determined loyalist. After Lexington and Concord, Nathan decides he must join the patriot army. He is offered a captains commission in the army and so he returns home to enlist the help and support of his friends in Coventry, Connecticut.   Samuel has taken his family and fled to New York, where he accepts a position as a pay master for the English army. As soon as he can afford it he plans to take his family, including Jonah and Mercy to London, England.

This was a fun book to read and it is well written. The author presents the story from Nathan's point of view and also from Jonah's. The final chapters of the book give a personal look at what may have happened to Nathan Hale after he accepted his mission as a spy.

Curriculum Ties: This would be a good book to read with students in a social studies class as they study the Revolutionary War. It would also be a good book for English teachers to recommend if they want students to read historical fiction.

Review by Robin Larsen, Library Media Specialist, Matheson Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Middle School / High School

Spy!
Walker and Company
211 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9742-1
Release Date: September 2008  

Written by Michael Ford

This is a sequel to The Fire of Ares. It is the continuing story of Lysander, a young helot slave who discovers that he is in fact the son of a Spartan warrior named Thorakis. At the end of the Fire of Ares, Lysander had won the games and stopped a helot (slave) uprising. At the beginning of this book he is awakened in the middle of the night and taken to the helot village where he is forced to whip his friend Timeon.

Lysander is now training to become a Spartan warrior. Spartans' must endure many trails and tests to prove themselves worthy of the red cloaks they wear. One test is surviving in the mountains for five days without food or weapons. Lysander is chosen to go to the mountains with Demaratos, a boy he does not like, and an older boy who is near manhood (eighteen) Agesilaus. Agesilaus killed his own brother in a competition and is known to be cruel. Lysander knows this will be a difficult test because he is with people he does not trust. As Lysander and Demaratos suffer the tasks that Agesilaus assigns them they become friends and begin to look out for each other. Driven by hunger, Lysander, Demaratos, and Agesilaus plan a raid on the helot village to steal food. Lysander volunteers to go because he is most familiar with the camp. As he prepares to steal food he discovers that his friend Timeon has died, not from the wounds inflicted by the whip of Lysander, but from a knife wound.

For the final test Lysander and Demaratos must kill a fish, a bird, and a wild animal. Demaratos nearly drowns catching the fish but is saved by Lysander. While they are cooking the fish Agesilaus brags that he is an assassin in training and Lysander realizes that he is the one that murdered Timeon.

As they are heading back to camp they see fire and rush to see if the forest is burning., instead they find the campfires of Persian invaders. Lysander wants to rush back to warn Sparta, but Agesilaus will not allow them to go because they have not finished their tasks.
 
During the night, Lysander steals the knife of Agesilaus and leaves to return to Sparta to warn them of the Persian soldiers. He is attacked by a wolf and he uses the knife and a tree branch to save his life. Agesilaus has caught up with him and tells Lysander that he will not live to return to Sparta. His enemies want him to die. As wolves attack, it is Agesilaus that is killed, leaving Lysander and Demaratos free to return to Sparta.

In Sparta, Lysander discovers that the Spartans think the attack is coming from the north, but the Persians fires that Lysander saw are to the south. He must convince the elders that the real threat is to the south and that troops must be sent. The only problem is that most of the troops have already gone south and only a few remain in Sparta. This forces the use of all the boys still in training, including Lysander. Lysander and his friends will now face the biggest test of their lives. Will they survive fighting the Persians and their general Vaumisa?

This is a fun story and action packed. The book is very descriptive and I would not recommend it for younger students or those that are squeamish.

Curriculum Ties: Greek history. This would be a good book to read with a group of boys, or to recommend to boys. This book has action, adventure, and gore.

Review by Robin Larsen, Library Media Specialist, Matheson Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 8-12

Birth of a Warrior (Spartan Quest)
Walker & Company
262 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9794-0
Release Date: November 2008  

Written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

This is the story of Helmuth Hubener, a young boy growing up in Nazi Germany. The beginning finds Helmuth in prision awaiting execution. Prisoners are not told their execution date and must wait from day to day for their death. Helmuth is reflecting on his life and the path that has lead him to prison. You see glimpses of his youth with his mother (Mutti) and his grandparents (Oma and Opa). He does not know his father and his mother never even married his father. He has two older brothers, Gerhard and Hans, from her first marriage. They are Mormons living in Hamburg. The story depicts the rise of Hitler and the lies he used to increase his power and authority. Because of the poverty in Germany, Helmuth is at first torn between his fear of Hitler and the promise of a better life. He hates the way Jews are treated and fears the new ideas of turning in your neighbors and family for unpatriotic behavior. Who can you trust in this new Germany?

In middle school he joins the Hitler Youth because it is expected and he does not want his family to stand out. He writes papers he does not believe in to get the grade he must have to graduate. His mother's new boyfriend, Hugo, is in the SS. He spouts Nazi propaganda and pressures the boys to be good Germans. Gerhard and Hans have moved out and returned to live with Oma and Opa. Hans helps to build submarines and will not be drafted, but Gerhard will be drafted as soon as he finishes school. Gerhard is sent to France with a work group and returns with a ham radio. The only stations that Germans are allowed to listen to are the German stations like the RRG. When Gerhard is drafted, he locks the ham radio in the closet and tells Helmuth he must not listen to it because he will get the whole family in trouble. Helmuth cannot help himself and he breaks into the closet. At night he listens to the BBC news in German. The BBC news is nothing like the German RRG. Helmuth becomes more and more disturbed about the lies he now knows the people are being told. Helmuth has read the works of Heinrich Mann and believes he must share his knowledge with others. He prepares a pamphlet called, "Who is Lying," to get the word out. Now he faces death. People are trying to save his life because of his age and his past works. Will they be successful?

Curriculum Ties: This would be a good book to read with a class about Nazi Germany, or even about the choices citizens must make when a government is hurting people. The reading level makes it easy for all students to appreciate.

Review by Robin Larsen, Library Media Specialist, Matheson Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 4-8

The Boy Who Dared: A Novel Based on the True Story of a Hitler Youth
Scholastic Press
202 pages
ISBN: 978-0-439-68013-4
Release Date: February 2008  

Written by Antonia Michaelis, Translated from the German and Illustrated by Anthea Bell

This compelling book tells the story of a young Indian girl so beautiful that a rich man (a Rajah) pays her father to take her away and make her the eighth wife in his harem. While she waits to be summoned to the Rajah's rooms, she befriends one of the male servants and tells him a story about a thief who becomes a hero as he takes the "Bloodstone" to a wealthy man to save a princess.  The story the princess tells is a weaving of Indian mythology and real-life Indian culture during the time of the British Empire.  The wily thief/hero has many adventures as he makes his way to the desert city on a white tiger.

Curriculum Ties: This could be used for a unit on World Mythology.

Review by Linda Douglas, English Teacher, Cyprus High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Middle School and High School

Tiger Moon
Amulet Books
448 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8109-9481-2
Release Date: November 2008
 

Written by Celia Rees

This is the story of Sovay, a young English girl who is searching for her father. John Middleton has gone missing, and there is a warrant for his arrest. Sovay must figure out who is trying to ruin her father while she searches for him. She poses as a highwayman, at first on a whim to discredit her fiance, and then later to seize letters and information about her father. She meets the daring highwayman Capitan Greenwood. He is captivated by the daring young girl and becomes a protector of her in her search for her father. She is also helped by Virgil Barrett, an American spy. As Sovay searches for her father in London, she meets Toby, a young boy trapped in a house of prostitution. He is also good at opening locks. Sovay learns that a powerful Englishman is behind her father's problems. Dysart is after more than the ruin of her father. If his plan works, England would be thrown into a violent revolt, and he would seize power with a group of like-minded men. In order to put a stop to Dysart's plan, Sovay must travel to France to gain information against him, and to recover her father. In Paris, Sovay faces the danger of arrest as a spy. She finds that her father is in prison awaiting the guillotine. But, she has a supporter and protector, the handsome Leon. Will she be able to save the people she loves? This story takes place in England and France during the French Revolution. The characters in this book are interesting and the story is interesting and compelling. However, this is a romance story, and it may not be for every school.

Review by Robin Larsen, Library Media Specialist, Matheson Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 9-12

Sovay
Bloomsbury
404 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59990-203-6
Release Date: August 2008  

Written by Beth Levine Ain

Sixteen-year-old Sabine Durand, daughter of aristocrats, thinks of nothing but donning exquisite ball gowns and being seen at all the right parties in Paris. When she secretly rekindles a forbidden friendship with Michel, he spirits her away to her first salon and she meets the revolutionary Ben Franklin. Fueled by ideas of change, Sabine is determined to take control of her life as it spins toward an arranged marriage to a salacious aristocrat. But how can she break free of her social-climbing mother's cruel grasp? Perhaps the secret lies in her portrait, recently painted by Fragonard, and her new understanding of love.

I thought the story was interesting about love and how she wasn't supposed to have these feelings. I would hate to have an arranged marriage so I can feel for her situation. It wasn't so great to be an aristocrat because of all the rules. I am a free spirit like she is so that would be terrible.

Reviewed by a student at West Lake Jr. High
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 7+

The Revolution of Sabine
214 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3396-7
Release Date: September 2008
 

Written by Richard Farr

This is the fictionalized telling of a true story about a man who wanted to study penguins. The book is filled with facts about the trials they encountered in the icy environment. This book would probably be of greater interest to those who wanted to find out about this topic. I thought it was a little dull and slow.

Reviewed by a student at West Lake Jr. High
Rating: ★★✩✩✩
Interest Level: Junior High

Emperors of the Ice: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910-13
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
201 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-374-31975-5
Release Date: September 2008
 

Written by K. M. Grant

A Blue Flame was lit at the moment of Christ's death. It has become more important than the Holy Grail to the knights of the 13th Century. Parsival's son is charged with keeping the Flame safe until such time as it is needed. He kept it for forty years.

Yolanda and Raimon, young friends from different social classes, have complete freedom to roam the countryside outside Castelneuf. They are aware of the legend of the Blue Flame and its power, and believe that it will save their country from being laid siege against by France.

As these two friends discover there is more than friendship between them, they become entangled in the historical events of the Inquisition, the problems between the Cathar and the Catholic religions, and their own desires to save their country, remain loyal to it and each other, and to stay alive.

Review by Linda Douglas, English Teacher, Cyprus High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 6-12

Blue Flame (Book One of the Perfect Fire Trilogy)
Walker & Co.
241 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9694-3
Release Date: October 2008
 

Written by Catherine Jinks

Babylonne is a miserable sixteen year old girl living in exile with female relatives who are anything but normal.  Because of the religious beliefs of the "Good Christians," all the women of the household hate and even revile anything associated with the Catholic church.  When Babylonne plots her escape from her abusive relatives, she ironically must accept help from a learned Catholic priest who can tell her about her parents who, she thinks, are long dead.  The Priest attempts to get Babylonne to safety in Campostele, but there is a vicious war going on between the French and the Good Christians, making it a deadly trip even with the protection of the priest.  Babylonne has a venomous tongue, and she curses those she fears and hates in creative, sometimes vulgar ways. Her sense of humor and identity make her a heroine who is real and yet admirable.

Review by Linda Douglas, Language Arts Teacher, Cyprus High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 8-12

Babylonne
Candlewick Press
382 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3650-0
Release Date: November 2008  

Written by Justin Richards

Another vampire story...which proves for popular reading. In this tale a mummy is unwrapped, and as the ceremony proceeds, some blood is dripped on the mummy which then comes to life and exits the building. Vampires are all over London and people are disappearing or turning up drained of blood. Vampires are everywhere, especially in places high in government and more. It's up to a very few of the main characters to find out how to stop them. It's quite an adventure and dangerous time as they try to win against a literal army of vampires.

Review by Fay Mason, Library Media Specialist, Churchill Jr. High
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 7-10

The Parliament of Blood
Bloomsbury
358 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59990-140-4
Release Date: November 2008
 

Written by Beth Kanell

Molly Ballou lives in Vermont in the 1920s. She hates April because the river fills with water. The river took her sister Gratia years earlier and is now forcing her family to leave their home due to the dam being built. Racial issues in Vermont wanting to rid the state of "poor citizens" makes Molly nervous because of her Abenaki/ French lineage. Her mother becomes ill and loses the baby, and eventually her life, under the supposed "care" of the government nurses. Molly relies on her inner strength and the support of friends and a fellow Abenaki friend Harry to get her through her loss. I thought this was an interesting book, quick paced and a great story! I will recommend it as a good read.

Review by Jennifer Merkley, Library Clerk, Churchill Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 7-12

The Darkness under the Water
Candlewick Press
304 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3719-4
Release Date: November 2008  

Written by John Ibbitson

The book begins with Ben Mercer finding out how much he truly loves music... especially the violin. He is shown music and the love of music by his parents. In the second chapter, he is playing the violin out in the barn so the adults can't hear it, because "Henry" can't stand the noise. You are left wondering why--what has changed? Ben thinks he knows exactly how his life will play out-- including his music. The book is set during the depression. Life isn't great for anyone, but Ben and his family manage to hang on to their possessions. The ending of this book is a bit shocking. It forces Ben to analyze his values and what really makes up a person. The book has some historical fiction make-up. It is a fairly easy book to read and understand. It was not a page thriller, but analyzed what makes a person grow up.

Review by Erin Tanner, Teacher, Cyprus High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 6-12

The Landing
Kids Can Press
160 pages
ISBN: 978-1-55453-234-6
Release Date: September 2008  

Written by Mary Finn

Orphaned Anila, daughter of an Indian mother and Irish father, takes a physical, emotional and spiritual journey to discover her roots and to find her father. Take place in 18th century India.

Review by Althea Bennett, Library Media Specialist, Wasatch Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★✩✩
Interest Level: Junior High / High School

Anila's Journey
Candlewick Press
305 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3916-7
Release Date: October 2008



 

Written by Caroline Lawrence

Roman Chariot horses are bolting during races and the consequences are deadly for some drivers. Four friends prove adept at solving the mystery. The language in the book would be difficult and a stumbling block for our students. The print in the text is also far too small for elementary students. Unless students are into this series, I wouldn't buy it. In a tight budget year, we can't afford to buy anything "average". Although the reading level isn't as high, "The Time Warp Trio" series is much better.

Review by Kathy Loewy, Library Media Assistant, Twin Peaks Elementary School
Rating: ★★★✩✩
Interest Level: Grades 4+

The Charioteer of Delphi (Roman Mysteries Series, #12)
Roaring Brook Press
224 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59643-085-3
Release Date: October 2007  

Written by John H. Ritter

This reminded me of a tall tale, incredulous but entertaining, especially for boys. The story is about an orphan who, with a young Billy the Kid, represent their small California mining town (in the 1880s) in a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox. I do think that some of my junior high school's boys will enjoy this book.

Review by Althea Bennett, Library Media Specialist, Wasatch Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★✩✩
Interest Level: Grades 5-8

The Desperado Who Stole Baseball
Philomel / Penguin
257 pages
ISBN: 978-0-399-24664-7
Release Date: March 2009
 

Written Katy Moran

Essa, a 14 year old boy, is caught up in the warring tribes in England in 731. The Wolf folk are in danger of being destroyed by the evil King Penda of Mercia.  Essa is unsure of his bloodline and the role he is supposed to play.  Essa has a special power that, if he learns to use it, will help him save his people.

Review by Kathy Roach, English Teacher, Cyprus High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Junior High / High School

Bloodline
Candlewick Press
297 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4083-5
Release Date: February 2009

 

Written by Howard Whitehouse, Illustrated by Bill Slavin

This is the third installment in the series of "the strictest School in the World." This new adventure takes place at the home of Emmaline Cyley and her family. We are introduced to a newly adopted family member, the ferocious Princess Purnah of chiligrit who attended the terrible school for girls with Emmaline. They are going on a 'holiday' traipsing across Scotland, having hilarious misadventures with pirates, a robot called Angus and are forced to help lunatic inventors with even more lunatic inventions. This fun-filled adventure is illustrated with great pen and ink drawings. A great read-aloud book for the elementary student.

Review by Dayanne Coombs, Library Secretary, Granite Peaks High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 3-6

The Island of Mad Scientists
Kids Can Press
262 pages
ISBN: 978-1-55453-236-0
Release Date: September 2008
 

Written by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

This is a historical fiction book about an orphan boy named Owen and a floating circus. The book is an old fashioned adventure story that encompasses the history of America between 1870 and 1906 (Floating circuses and orphan trains). The story starts with Owen leaving the orphan train hoping his brother will have a better chance of becoming adopted without him and steals onto the floating barge at night. The adventures begin as the barge leaves Pittsburg on its way to New Orleans. A fast paced novel for the elementary students grades 4 through 6.

Review by Dayanne Coombs, Library Secretary, Granite Peaks High School
Interest Level: Grades 4-6

The Floating Circus
Bloomsbury
198 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59990-185-0
Release Date: July 2008
 

Written by Kirstin Levine

This book talks about a 12 year old boy name Dit who lives in Moundville, Alabama in 1917.  When the town's postman leaves, a new postman comes.  Dit is excited because he had heard that the new postman has a 12 year old son. When the train arrives with the new postman, everyone is excited and decides to wait to see him and his family.  The first person to come out is a 12 year old girl.  Dit is shocked because he thought a boy was going to come not a girl. But he wasn't the only one who was shocked; turns out nobody in town thought that the new postman was going to be colored.
During their stay Dit befriends Emma ( the postman's daughter) and her family. He doesn't understand though why some people treat her bad and also call him names because he hangs out with a colored girl. Their friendship is challenged in many ways and leads them to save a condemned man. This book talks about friendship, honesty, prejudice, and trust. Anyone who likes to read about country life or wants to know more about how colored people were treated will appreciate this book.

Reviewed by a Student, West Lake Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 7+

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had
Putnam / Penguin
266 pages
ISBN: 978-0-399-25090-3
Release Date: January 2009  

Written by Marcia Williams

Flossie Albright is a sister book to Archie's War. It is told in a diary/scrapbook format. She writes about her feelings about her father going off to fight the war, while she lives in the countryside.

Flossie's thoughts and experiences give an interesting view of World War II in England. The author uses illustrations, snapshots and paper craft (fold-outs) around the written entries. The book is interesting, but quite long. Much of it is written in cursive, so it takes a bit more effort to read.

Review by Kay Thomas, Librarian, Eastwood Elementary School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 3-6

My Secret War Diary, by Flossie Albright
Candlewick Press
142 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4111-5
Release Date: Nov 2008

 

Written by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Crossing to Paradise is a companion book to Crossley-Holland’s Arthur trilogy. Gatty, a supporting and beloved friend of Arthur, is chosen to accompany Lady Gwyneth and seven others on a pilgrimage from Wales to Jerusalem. Gatty is an unlearned and unrefined peasant girl but she is full of spunk and spirit and possesses a beautiful singing voice. The other members of the pilgrimage find her both exasperating and endearing. The details of medieval life are vividly portrayed as they travel from Wales to London, France, Venice and Jerusalem. The journey is rife with danger and the travelers come to appreciate and depend on Gatty’s courage to survive. Not all on the pilgrimage survive, and Gatty’s return and reunion with Arthur is a satisfying conclusion. This coming of age story will appeal to girls looking for adventure and romance. The current problems of the Middle East are more clearly understood as the reader sees the clash of the Christian and Saracen cultures during the time of the Crusades through the eyes of Gatty on her two-year pilgrimage.

Review by Carol Burmester, Library Media Specialist, Evergreen Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 7-9

Crossing to Paradise
Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic
339 pages
ISBN: 978-0-545-05866-7
Release Date: Sep 2008  

Written by Deborah Noyes

In this book the setting, the Kerfol Estate, is the centerpiece of the story. The book is separated into five different stories, all of which take place in the home at Kerfol. The first story, where we are introduced to the character that will become the ghost, was very interesting. I found it a little more difficult to read the remaining stories. It was a nice, quick read. It is appropriate for high school students.

Review by Cindy Dunn, Elementary Library Media Specialist, Granite School District
Rating: ★★★✩✩
Interest Level: Grades 9-12

The Ghosts of Kerfol
Candlewick Press
176 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3000-3
Release Date: Aug 2008
www.deborahnoyes.com


 

Written by Julie Danneberg, Illustrated by John Shelley

Mary has a fun loving father who's a miner. After a tragic accident he becomes depressed and has a hard time finding work. Mary has a lot of spunk and challenges her father and his "learned helplessness" when no one else will. This is an excellent example of how creativity and "looking outside the box" can solve problems. Students who are interested in history would probably enjoy this book. It's a quick read.

Review by Kathy Loewy, Librarian, Twin Peaks Elementary School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 4-6

Family Reminders
Charlesbridge Publishers
112 pages
ISBN: 978-1-58089-320-6
Release Date: Jul 2009

 

Written by Sherri L. Smith

This is a fictional book based on the story of the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots).  Ida Mae Jones has been taught by her father to fly. He is gone, but her dream is to continue flying and get her pilot's license. She passes the test easily, but is refused the license because she is female.  Not only that but she is black.  When the call comes for women to fly planes for the army, Ida decides to help in the war effort by enlisting. She leaves her mother and family, forges her father's license to show her name and picture and joins the WASP. Training is in Texas and "Jim Crow" laws would have her hung if she is ever found out because she passes herself off as white. She claims she is Spanish to explain her slightly darker complexion. The book is full of exciting flight episodes and also the danger and joys Ida finds as she is trained and makes close friends in the WASP. Excellent reading. 

Review by Fay Mason, Library Media Teacher, Churchill Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★★
Interest Level: Grades 6-12

Flygirl
Putnam / Penguin Group
275 pages
ISBN: 978-0-399-24709-5
Release Date: Jan 2009
www.sherrilsmith.com

 

Written by Ann Rinaldi

Historical Fiction. Claire Louise lives in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1863 during the siege by the Union Army. Her family relies on her strength during the 47 days of this Civil War period. Once again Ann Rinaldi makes history come alive. This book is short so it's a great introduction to historical fiction.

Review by Kimberly Jensen, Librarian, Diamond Ridge Elementary School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 4-7

My Vicksburg
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
152 pages
ISBN: 978-0-15-206624-6
Release Date: May 2009
www.annrinaldi.net



 

Written by Nancy Springer

This is the third book in the Enola Holmes Mystery series.  Enola is the young sister of Sherlock Holmes. In this book Dr. Watson has gone missing and she follows the clues to find him. For some reason that is not explained in this book she is hiding from her brothers. The mother has left her and only communicates through codes in the personal ads of the newspaper. The mystery was good but I was confused by the side story, having not read the first two books. Some of the language was Old English and a little hard to understand.

Review by Jane Walton, PTA Board Member, Diamond Ridge Elementary School
Rating: ★★★✩✩
Interest Level: Grades 5-8

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets
Puffin / Penguin Group
170 pages
ISBN: 978-0-14-241390-6
Release Date: May 2009


 

Written and Illustrated by Patricia Polacco

I loved her other books. It is great to have history of what it was like during time of the Nazis and to see how friendships developed. It was based on a true family history.

Curriculum Ties: World War II, history, friendship

Review by Liz Goodwin, Library Media Assistant, Silver Hills Elementary School
Rating: ★★★★★ 
Interest Level: Grades 4-6

The Butterfly
Puffin / Penguin Group
44 pages
ISBN: 978-0-14-241306-7
Release Date: Feb 2009 (reprint)


 

Written by Carolyn Marsden and Philip Matzigkeit

Eban is a white American living in 1960s Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). His parents are Methodist missionaries and pacifists. While they live on a black mission, Evan attends an all white school in town. Evan is torn between his friends at the mission and his friends in town and what he is being taught at school. When the school mandates that all students must become cadets and fight against the black uprising, Evan must decide which side he is on.

Having just read the Kite Runner I was a little bit leary to read this book. There were some of the same kinds of themes, but they were handled on a level that is appropriate for an elementary child to read.

Review by Jane Walton, PTA Board Member, Diamond Ridge Elementary School
Rating: ★★★½✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 4-8

Sahwira: an African Friendship
Candlewick Press
189 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3575-6
Release Date: Apr 2009


 

Written by Margarita Engle

This book is written in a poetic format from the point of view of several of the characters. Daniel has been placed on a ship by his parents to escape Nazi Germany because he is Jewish. His parens hope to someday meet up with him in New York, but the ship was turned away from the US and finally landed in Cuba. There Daniel is alone and in poverty. He discovers corrupt officials like his friend's father who accepts bribes from those who want to land in Cuba. Nazi spies are also present in the country. An interesting glance at the difficult life of survival for these refugees and their life in Cuba.

Review by Fay Mason, Library Media Teacher, Churchill Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 6-9

Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba
Henry Holt
198 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8936-3
Release Date: Mar 2009


 

Written by Julia Golding

Join Cat Royal on her first adventure. She'll make new friends, dodge villains, and hide the Diamond of Drury Lane. Who is Captain Sparkler and why is he in trouble? The plot is well carried and the author does a wonderful job of bringing the time period to life. This action-packed frolic will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Review by Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 5-9

The Diamond of Drury Lane (A Cat Royal Adventure)
Roaring Brook Press
424 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59643-351-9
Release Date: May 2008
http://juliagolding.co.uk/


 

Written by Julia Golding

The theater of Drury Lane is closing.  All of Cat's friends are off traveling or finding new means for survival. Will Cat land on her feet? Will her bemusing find an audience? This new installment of Cat Royal's Adventures does not lack the twists and turns or tight spots we've come to expect. Set in the time of the French Revolution, Cat is in for all the adventure the 18th century has to offer. This is a series not to miss.

Review by Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★★ 
Interest Level: Grades 5-9

Den of Thieves (A Cat Royal Adventure)
Roaring Brook Press
417 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59643-444-8
Release Date: Apr 2009
http://juliagolding.co.uk/  

Written by Clara Gillow Clark

It is a sequel to Hattie On Her Way, but it can stand on its own.  It is about a girl who is sent to live with her grandmother.  As her grandmother's financial situation worsens, Hattie is forced to atten a "common school" in the late nineteen hundreds, where she stands up to a show off girl and shares embellished stories.  It is a cute book for a young girl to read.

Review by Diane Scott, Western Hills Elementary School
Rating: ★★★★★ 
Interest Level: Grades 3-5

Secrets of Greymoor 
Candlewick Press / Random House
166 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3249-6
Release Date: May 5, 2009


 

Written by Carolyn Meyer

This is the story of Charley Darwin growing up in Shrewsbury, England. The story begins with Charley as he enters the Shrewsbury School for boys. This is his first time away from home and family. He hates his classes, the food, and Garnett, his roommate. He makes friends with other boys that share his passion for collecting everything from rocks to bugs. But as he advances in levels, Charles finds that school is tedious and his grades begin to drop. The question for Charles and his father is what profession will best suit his interests and intellect. His father wants him to be a doctor, but Charles does not enjoy the coursework. Perhaps a parson will suit him, but maybe not. I found this book very interesting because of the way it describes life in England during this time. The final part of this book is the adventures of Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle. This was to be a two year commitment and turned into five years of exploration. A fun book because of the historical content and the images of England and Darwin's trip aboard the Beagle. Carolyn Meyer has written a book that is informative and interesting.

Review by Robin Larsen, Library Media Specialist, Matheson Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★½ 
Interest Level: Grades 7-12

The True Adventures of Charley Darwin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
321 pages
ISBN: 978-0-15-206194-4
Release Date: Jan 26, 2009


 

Written by Michael Ford

This is the third book in the Spartan Quest series. In this book Lysander seeks the aid of the Oracle in answering questions he has about his family, birth, and future. With the Oracle's answer in hand Lysander returns to camp only to find his barracks has been chosen to complete a dangerous mission to the town of Taras in Italy. The town has been taken over in a revolt and the Spartans need help to regain control. Lysander and his friends once again prove themselves equal to the match. Lysander is always torn by the fact he is not a full blooded Spartan. He relates to the plight of other people, but he remains loyal to his oath as a Spartan. This is a great book for boys that like war and adventure, but it is also very graphic in the descriptions of battle and death.

Review by Robin Larsen, Library Media Specialist, Matheson Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★½ 
Interest Level: Grades 7-12

Legacy of Blood (Spartan Quest Series)
Walker and Company
298 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9844-2
Release Date: May 12, 2009


 

Written by Kate Thompson, Illustrated by Jonny Duddle and Robert Dress

A young lad holds faithfully to the reins of a horse. Unknown to the lad, Black Bess was left in his charge by the infamous Dick Turpin, a highway man.  The lad is flattered when the man says "Hold the mare for me, lad. And when I come back, I'll give you a golden guinea." The lad was trusted and treated kindly by the man. He relished the responsibility and trust he'd been given. The lad withstands many who want to buy or steal the horse.  There are good lessons in trust and responsibility.

Review by Debbie Robinson, Library Media Assistant, Arcadia Elementary School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 3-4

Highway Robbery
Greenwhillow Books / HarperCollins
118 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-173034-4
Release Date: May 26, 2009


 

Written by Jane Cutler, Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully

In Canada early in the twentieth century, Ben, the youngest in a family of Jewish immigrants strtuggling to make ends meet, decides to help out, but when a hat maker gives him a chance, disaster strikes... 

This is a simple story explaining the hardships of immigrants in the early twentieth century and how Ben feels it his duty to help, though his efforts are rather fruitless.  It is a story that has so much more to tell as well and leaves that to our imagination. Ben's accident leaves me wondering how things turned out, but realizing he had an epiphany that left him feeling a bit "immortal." The pen and ink illustrations are wonderful.

Review by Leanna Griffiths, Library Media Assistant, Crestview Elementary School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 2-6

Guttersnipe
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
27 pages
ISBN: 978-0-374-32813-9
Release Date: Apr 15, 2009


 

Written by Michael Cadnum

This story takes place during the time of the Spanish Armada's raid on England. Queen Elizabeth encouraged and tolerated pirates or Privateers. This helped keep the English crown with money. A young book writer, Sherwin Morris, finds himself floating in the sea when the merchant ship he is on catches fire and sinks. He is taken aboard the pirate ship the Vixen and in order to survive he must sign on as a member of the crew. The captain of the ship is a man named Fletcher. A man with many views and changing moods. A person difficult to figure out. Sir Anthony and his daughter Katharine have an estate called Fairleigh that has fallen on hard times. Lord Pevensey wants to regain this land and has purchased the debts of the Fairleigh estate. Sir Anthony and Katharine seek help from the pirate Fletcher and his crew on the Vixen to stop a ship at sea and keep the merchandise from being taken away to pay the debt to Lord Pevensey. All this plays out with the Spanish Armada approaching England. It is a great story wtih drama and story twists.

Review by Robin Larsen, Library Media Specialist, Matheson Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Jr. High - High School

Peril on the Sea
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
245 pages
ISBN: 978-0-374-35823-5
Release Date: May 26, 2009


 

Written by Anna Myers

This book is about the Salem Witch Trials. The two main characters are fictional, but the rest of the characters really did live. Drucilla and Gabe were born just minutes apart but Drucilla's mother dies right after she is born. Drucilla and Gabe are raised as siblings until Gabe's parents die and they are put in separate foster homes. Although Drucilla and Gabe remain close, their foster families are feuding.
Then a few young girls start accusing people of being witches. Gabe is accused of witchcraft and Drucilla must find a way to save him. The story really brings to life the Salem Witch Trials and how just the power of suggestion and hysteria overpowered reason. An excellent YA historical fiction story.

Review by Cindy Moyle, District Library Media Specialist, Granite School District
Rating: ★★★★★ 
Interest Level: Grades 8-12

Time of the Witches
Walker & Co.
197 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9820-6
Release Date: Sep 15, 2009


 

Written by Afua Cooper

This story is based on the autobiography of Henry Bibb, who lived from 1815 to 1854. Henry's slavery was in the state of Kentucky. This story emphasizes the cruelty of slavery and the abuses and beatings slaves were subjected to. It focuses on their treatment as property without any rights and how they were often treated with disdain.

Review by Cathie Cox, Library Media Assistant, Plymouth Elementary School
Rating: ★★★½✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 4-7

My Name Is Henry Bibb: A Story of Slavery and Freedom
Kids Can Press
160 pages
ISBN: 978-1-55337-813-6
Release Date: Sep 1, 2009


 

Written by Scott R. Welvaert, Illustrated by Brann Garvey

This was an OK book. I had a hard time following everything that was going on. Buck and Agate are the main characters. They try to prevent the Mosquito King from taking over. Buck and Agate are spirit hunters. They belong to a group that has special powers and they are once again faced with an old enemy named Coyote. It may have been easier to follow if I had been more aware of old indian legends.

Review by Karen Manning, Library Media Assistant, Lincoln Elementary School
Rating: ★★★✩✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 5-8

The Mosquito King
Stone Arch Books / Capstone Press
105 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59889-857-6
Release Date: Sep 1, 2007


 

Written by Charles Dickens, Introduced by Roddy Doyle

A tale between two cities, one in the midst of a bloody revolution, and one man caught between two worlds. Charles Darnay flees from France to escape the revolution, but returns to save a dear servant from death. By doing so, he puts his own life at risk and gets captured. He needs to escape, but who does he trust in a world where everyone wants you dead. A gruesome but fairly entertaining book to read, readers will be disturbed, entertained, and made curious about the French Revolution by this book. People like Madame Defarge, who knits her enemies’ names into whatever she’s knitting, and Jacques Three, who is a member of a corrupt tribunal with the only goal to see how much blood they can have running through the streets of France, increase the appeal of this book even more to whoever reads it. With a funny, but true to Charles Dickens’ style of writing, introduction, Roddy Doyle makes readers think twice about the events that happen in this book. With a glossary of terms and a who’s who guide to the characters in the book, readers will be able to not only enjoy this book and all it has to offer, but understand it as well.

Review by Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★✩✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 7+

A Tale of Two Cities
Puffin Classics / Penguin Group
446 pages
ISBN: 978-0-14-132554-5
Release Date: Mar 5, 2009 (reprint)


 

Written by Laura Whitcomb

 

Written by Alan Gratz

This book has an interesting format. The author has written nine stories (or "innings") about life growing up in Brooklyn and how baseball has effected the lives of the people living there. The story focus on successive generations in one family for over a century and a half. The story begins with a 10 year old boy, Felix Schneider, that is an immigrant from Germany to America in the mid-19th century. Felix is a fast runner on the baseball field and uses his running talent to help the family earn money. Then his legs are injured during a warehouse fire in 1845 and it spirals his family into a downward turn. The next inning of the story focuses on Felix's son. The stories not only follows the family, but it also follows the changes in baseball, from the girls league during WWII, to the Negro league, to more current baseball history.

Review by Cindy Dunn, District Library Media Specialist, Granite School District 
Rating: ★★★★✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 6-10

The Brooklyn Nine: A Novel in Nine Innings
Dial Books / Penguin Group
299 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3224-7
Release Date: Mar 5, 2009


 

Written by Lisa Klein

Lizzie was not sure how she felt about her cousin Rosanna moving to Gettysburg. Over time they become the best of friends and are the one person that each can depend upon. As the Civil war sets in and the South is fighting against the North, their friendship faces difficult times. Rosanna loves Richmond and the life she had there, but fears the secrets that she left behind. As Rosanna's relationship with her sister falters, she makes a decision to leave Gettysburg and makes it look as though it is Lizzie's fault. This is a compelling story that tells the effects of the war on the women that were left at home. It also shares how the tragedy of war can effect families.

Review by Cindy Dunn, District Library Media Specialist, Granite School District
Rating: ★★★★★ 
Interest Level: Grades 7-12

Two Girls of Gettysburg
Bloomsbury
390 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59990-105-3
Release Date: Oct 14, 2008


 

Written by Susanne Dunlap

Theresa lives in the time of Prince Nicholas Esterhazy's court in eighteenth century Vienna. Her father is a violinist for the famed composed Franz Joseph Hayden, who is her godfather.  However, her father has been murdered and his valuable violin is missing. Theresa is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death. At first her mother is incapacitated by her husband's death. Then, as she recovers, she is insistant that Theresa, at age 15, now be married and hires a matchmaker for that purpose. The mother is depending on her brother, Theresa's uncle Theobold Wolkenstein, a counselor to the court, to save them from destitution with a dowry for Theresa. The uncle turns out to be the vilain in the story, and Theresa faces several dangerous situations because of him. A good adventure from a historical time and through the eyes of the court musicians.

Review by Fay Mason, Library Media Specialist, Churchill Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★½✩ 
Interest Level: Grades 7-10

The Musician's Daughter
Bloomsbury
317 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59990-332-3
Release Date: Dec 23, 2008



 

Written and Illustrated by Matt Phelan

In his first graphic novel, established children’s illustrator Matt Phelan depicts the story of Jack, a boy growing up on a forlorn Kansas farm in the midst of the American Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Without rain, there is nothing much for Jack to do on the dead farm. His sister is sick with dust pneumonia, his father will not allow him to help with anything, and he is bullied by older kids in town. While dejected and exploring one day he finds something mysterious and truly frightening locked in the neighbors’ abandoned barn. Will he confront this menace and save the town?

The book consciously echoes the Jack stories of American folklore and Baum’s Wizard of Oz tales, all while making a bridge from these through its comic strip format to the stories of Superman and other comic book superheroes, which had their origins in this same time period. Although there is text, this is a story told mainly through pictures. The sketched illustrations and subtle colorings are extremely evocative of the desperate landscape and the even more desperate people. In an afterword, the author/illustrator describes his indebtedness to the “stark black-and-white images” of the WPA photography of the Dust Bowl Years. The roughness, intensity and raw emotion of the times are all on display here.

This is a fascinating and unique work that really brings this period of history to life, and will be a great pull for reluctant readers/students. Recommended for jr. high and even upper elementary, but be aware of one unfortunate minor swear word in the first pages (a character curses the “damn dust”) and some violence (Jack is beat up by bullies, and there is a meant-to-be-disturbing scene of violence against animals).

Review by Joshua Whiting, Library Media Department, Granite School District
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 5-9

The Storm in the Barn
Candlewick Press
204 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3618-0
Release Date: Sep 8, 2009

 

Written and Illustrated by Matt Phelan

In his first graphic novel, established children’s illustrator Matt Phelan depicts the story of Jack, a boy growing up on a forlorn Kansas farm in the midst of the American Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Without rain, there is nothing much for Jack to do on the dead farm. His sister is sick with dust pneumonia, his father will not allow him to help with anything, and he is bullied by older kids in town. While dejected and exploring one day he finds something mysterious and truly frightening locked in the neighbors’ abandoned barn. Will he confront this menace and save the town?

The book consciously echoes the Jack stories of American folklore and Baum’s Wizard of Oz tales, all while making a bridge from these through its comic strip format to the stories of Superman and other comic book superheroes, which had their origins in this same time period. Although there is text, this is a story told mainly through pictures. The sketched illustrations and subtle colorings are extremely evocative of the desperate landscape and the even more desperate people. In an afterword, the author/illustrator describes his indebtedness to the “stark black-and-white images” of the WPA photography of the Dust Bowl Years. The roughness, intensity and raw emotion of the times are all on display here.

This is a fascinating and unique work that really brings this period of history to life, and will be a great pull for reluctant readers/students. Recommended for jr. high and even upper elementary, but be aware of one unfortunate minor swear word in the first pages (a character curses the “damn dust”) and some violence (Jack is beat up by bullies, and there is a meant-to-be-disturbing scene of violence against animals).

Review by Joshua Whiting, Library Media Department, Granite School District
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 5-9

The Storm in the Barn
Candlewick Press
204 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3618-0
Release Date: Sep 8, 2009

 

Written by Donna Jo Napoli

Mona Elisabetta’s mother plans for the blessed party for her noble daughter to come of age. Despite her mother’s attempts at encouraging her daughter to act nobly, Mona still helps her father keep his silk business thriving. Upon her mother’s sudden death, her party is canceled and Mona reverts to cooking to console herself. On a visit to Florence, Leonardo da Vinici, a family acquaintance, introduces her to Giuliano de’ Medici, the youngest son of Florence’s ruling family. Giuliano is immediately captured with “Mona Lisa’s” smile. This story behind the famous portrait is weaved with well-researched history that paints both the triumph and tragedy of the Italian Renaissance.

Review by Lindsay Fidler, Library Media Department, Granite School District
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 9-12

The Smile
Speak / Penguin Group
272 pages
ISBN: 978-0-14-241492-7
Release Date: Sep 3, 2009 (paperback)



 

Written by Gary D. Schmidt

Great historical fiction: easy to read and entertaining. Characters are developed well and you are rooting for Anson all the way through.

Review by Jeff Curran, Library Media Specialist, Granite Park Jr. School
Rating: ★★★★★
Interest Level: Grades 5-12

Anson's Way
Sandpiper / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
213 pages
ISBN: 978-0-547-23761-9
Release Date: Apr 2009 (reprint)










 

Written by Jenny Moss

I loved this book. I enjoyed being in a small town for a while to learn first-hand what life was like during the first World War. It was interesting to experience with Winnie the helplessness she felt about life, death, and her relationship with her mother and grandmother. I will definitely recommend this book to students.

Review by Linda Lamoreaux, Library Media Clerk, Wasatch Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★✩
Interest Level: Grades 5-10

Winnie's War
Walker & Company
178 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9819-0
Release Date: Feb 2009