JUNE 25, 2009
Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
This has become one of my favorite books of the year. 15-year-old Ruby Jacinski is forced to quit school to work packing pig's feet into jars after her mother becomes too ill to work at the factory. But after getting a tip from bad boy Paulie about a better paying job, she starts work as a taxi-dancer at a local dance hall for ten cents a dance. She gets to keep half of it, along with tips and gifts lonely men give her. Suddenly, Ruby is able to pay the back rent her family owes, as well as provide her mother and sister with much needed clothing, food, and other necessities. Ruby intends to make enough money to move them out of her run down neighborhood into a better place in Chicago. Keeping up a double life as the good girl telephone operator her mother thinks she is and the reality as a taxi-dancer who keeps fish on the line to pay her money, take her out to afterhours clubs to listen to sizzling jazz, and hanging out with Paulie who wants to score big like the Policy King, Ruby's life, however, becomes more than she can manage. Set during the brink of World War II, this story is highly recommended for high school readers grades 10 and up, and adults due to the mature themes involved.
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JUNE 17, 2009
Lincoln through the Lens by Martin W. Sandler
Excellent! The author hooks the reader on the first page with a story telling how no photo had been ever been found of Lincoln at Gettysburg until a startling discovery was made in the National Archives in 1952: a photo Lincoln in the crowd at Gettysburg! The book then goes on to chronicle Lincoln’s life and the role the newly emerging technology of photography played in it. Each page is illustrated with photographs or illustrations. The text and photo captions are not only informative but also compelling. Once I started the 95 page book I did not want to stop reading until I finished the book. This book is excellent for classroom use, for information, or simply reading for pleasure. Lincoln through the Lens is appropriate for all ages, but is especially good for the teen reader because it gives quality information in a quick and appealing format.
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JUNE 16, 2009
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
This book won the 2009 Prinz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. A manuscript about a two-car accident on the Jellicoe Road tells of Tate, Webb, and Narnie who survive and rescued by Fitz. Jude later becomes the fifth member of this close-knit group. Twenty-two years later, Taylor Markham, previously abandoned by her mother at a 7-Eleven on Jellicoe Road when she is eleven, reads bits of this manuscript at the house of her house mother Hannah. Life at the Jellicoe School involves territory wars with the Townies, the local kids from Jellico, the Cadets, who come do maneuvers for 6-weeks each year, and the House kids from Jellico School. Taylor is head of her house as well as leader of all the Houses - not with full support since she ran away with the Cadet leader three years previously in attempt to find her mother in Sydney. This is a complicated, yet engaging story of grief, loss, and longing set in Australia. The flashbacks to the the story about the kids in the car accident and the Australian school system, as well as some Australian slang, was confusing at times. However, the mystery about Taylor's past and the current territory wars with enemies who become friends is intriguing. Extremely well-written. Highly recommended for teens in grades 10 and up.
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JUNE 13, 2009
Heartsinger by Karlijn Stoffels
Highly recommended for high school students! Heartsinger beautifully portrays a variety of loves both sad and happy through the journey of Mee, a young man orphaned by the early death of his deaf and mute parents. Although Mee’s parents could not hear or speak, Mee had the most beautiful voice in all the land. He also had the gift to see what was in a person’s soul and create a song to eulogize their life. This made him highly sought after when there was a death. In his journeys he comes across many different people, and their love stories are shared. Although Mee’s heart was broken beyond repair by his mother’s early death, a young lady, Mitou helps him learn to love again when they save a princess. This novel is written by an author from the Netherlands and is translated into English. It has the feel of an old world fairy tale. The literary merit is excellent.
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JUNE 2, 2009
The Freedom Business by Marilyn Nelson
This book is the heart-wrenching story of the life of a slave named Venture. Readers follow him from his childhood in Africa, to his kidnapping and voyage on a ship to America, to his freedom from slavery, which he bought for himself and his family. This book is the effort of three fine artists: Venture, a slave who lived in eighteenth century, the acclaimed poet Marilyn Nelson, and the prominent artist Deborah Dancy. The left hand pages of the book are Venture’s account of his life, originally published in 1798. The right hand pages are poems based on Venture’s life, written by Nelson. While Venture’s accounts are riveting and emotional reading, Nelson’s poems add another level to the story, picking up small emotional hints in Venture’s text and amplifying them. Through the use of sparse, abstract images and a drab color palette, the watercolor and collage illustrations by Deborah Dancy emphasize the tone of Venture’s story, Highly recommended. Ages 12 and up.
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