What is this?

Teen Scene

JANUARY 11, 2011
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
Elizabeth has been lonely going to a new high school, though a friendly teacher has helped her land a  job. She’s working as a page at the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a lending library filled not with books, but with objects. The objects range from mundane items like paper towels, to historical items like Marie Antoinette’s wig and Lincoln’s hat, to the unusual objects in the Grimm Collection, which hold magical powers. Elizabeth works most closely with three pages: Marc Merritt, a basketball star from her high school, Anjali, a beautiful girl of Indian descent, and Aaron, a major source of annoyance. It doesn’t take long before Elizabeth learns that some of the magical items have been disappearing, and strangely, some of the former pages have disappeared, too. This book is part mystery, part fantasy, part romance, and part reality, with a large dose of imaginative magic thrown in. Older fans of fairy tales and/or Harry Potter will surely find it a delight. I enjoyed this fun read, though I wish Shulman had spent as much time on character and plot development as she did on her fascinating magical world. Grades 6 and up.

Add a comment  (1 comment) posted by Mrs. Bengson

----------------------------------------------------------------

JANUARY 3, 2011
They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Susan Campbell Bartoletti, award winning author of Hitler Youth and Black Potatoes, isn’t afraid to write historical books for teens about some of the darkest eras in history. In this book, she concentrates on the origins of the K.K.K., which came into being shortly after the end of the Civil War during the Reconstruction period. Even though the end of the Civil War signaled freedom for the slaves, the country was ill-prepared for the adjustments that were required for both the newly freed and the former slave holders. It was out of this instability that the K.K.K. began. There are two versions: they began either as an innocent group that liked to pretend to be ghosts, or as a group with the intention to use any means, no matter how vile, to oppress freedmen. In short time, the group became a combination of the two, terrorizing slaves and slave sympathizers, while wearing frightening hoods and robes. This book is about not only the atrocities committed by this widespread movement, but also about the brave people, both black and white, who stood up to the K.K.K., and in some cases lost their lives for their courage. Bartoletti uses primary sources extensively, including pictures and newspaper clippings, and follows the chapters with a Civil Rights Time Line, and a list of her sources, including books for further study. This excellent book was selected as a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. While the material is disturbing, it is presented in a way that is appropriate for most readers grades 7 and up.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Mrs. Bengson

----------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe via RSS
Search
Categories  

 

 

Powered by engagedpatrons.org Powered by engagedpatrons.org