OCTOBER 31, 2011
The Shadows: The Books of Elsewhere Volume 1
Three talking cats, people who walk in and out of paintings, and an unsolved mystery about Ms. McMartin, makes this a perfect Halloween read.
11 year old Olive Dunwoody and her parents have moved into the old McMartin place. Mr. and Mrs. Dunwoody are content with their computers and their mathematical problems. Olive, however, prefers to explore the old stone house. On one of her discoveries, she finds an old pair of spectacles. When she wears the glasses, she is able to go into the paintings. Olive is now in Elswhere. She heavily guards these glasses, for without them she can’t go back to the real world. She becomes friends with a little boy, Morton, who keeps trying to escape out of the painting. Olive learns that people and cats aren’t always what they seem. Readers who liked Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, will enjoy this book as well. This story is a quick read, the black and white illustrations add to the spookiness. I look forward to reading other books in this series. Recommended for students in grades 3-6, read if you dare!
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OCTOBER 20, 2011
Eight Keys by Suzanne Lafleur
Entering middle school, sixth-grader Elise is unhappily dealing with more challenges than solutions. Her life-long best friend, Franklin, suddenly seems very "uncool," the games they used to play babyish, schoolwork overwhelming and her locker-mate a bully who smashes her lunch each day while calling her rude names. Orphaned at three, Elise has been raised by her father's brother, Uncle Hugh and his wife, Aunt Bessie. Their advice to her is "tell an adult at school what's happening at your locker." No help there, because she knows that tattling would finish her forever with her classmates. At the same time at home a mystery has developed. Someone is leaving keys one at a time which unlock various rooms and closets in the upper story of the family barn. Each is devoted to and full of memorabilia that her deceased father wished to share with her "when she is ready." Each unlocked area also includes a statement vital to her personal development. Incredibly, as she is encouraged to reflect upon these, her problems at midddle-school begin to sort themselves out. Many readers in grades five and six will identify with Elise and Franklin and the challenges that they face.
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OCTOBER 20, 2011
The King of Mulberry Street by Donna J. Napoli
Even though immigration into the United States is much in the news these days, the stories associated with the great waves of immigrants of the 19th century are seldom chosen as background for juvenile fiction. An exception is The King of Mulberry Street. Set in New York in 1892, it recounts the difficulties and challenges faced by a nine-year-old Jewish boy who crossed the Atlantic from Italy as a stowaway. He had been smuggled aboard the freighter by his mother who hoped thereby to give him a better life in America, the land of promise. Arriving without money or acquaintances or knowledge of even one word of English, Dom (the name he adopted) guided by the last bits of advice from his mother, managed to be true to her instructions yet also enterprising enough to get food and eventually shelter for himself. Eventually he overcame serious setbacks, made friends, and at last became reconciled to life in America where his mother wanted him to be. Readers grades 5 - 8 will identify with the King's brave spirit and his triumph over the overwhelming odds against him.
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OCTOBER 16, 2011
The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier
Twins Keira and Minerva (Minni) are sent to their Grandmother Johnson’s house in North Carolina for 10 days to compete in the Black Pearl Beauty pageant. They are a bi-racial family, with a white father and black mother . The twins also look that way since Keira is black and Minni is white. There are other differences too…Minni is an A student while Keira struggles from dyslexia. But Keira is outgoing and excited about the pageant, while shy Minni wishes she didn’t need to participate. And staying with their strict grandmother is going to be a trial in itself, not only because she makes them drink buttermilk and dress and act the way she wants them to, but because of her obvious favoritism towards Minni, who in her eyes has the perfect hair and skin. But the girls are best friends and have always supported each other; they have resolved to see it through together. The pageant is a wake-up call for Minni to experience how it feels to be one in the minority. Also, the pageant begins to tear them apart, forcing them to address difficult issues. Told from Mini’s point of view, the subject of race and what it means to be black to someone who is white in appearance is prevalent. Also, relevant is Grandmother Johnson's own perceptions of being black and the way they affect her actions towards the girls. This is appropriate to readers in grades 5-7, but girls will relate to the pageant subject more than boys. Highly recommended.
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OCTOBER 4, 2011
Torn by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The year is 1611. Explorer Henry Hudson and his crew have been out to sea for months. They have been searching for the elusive Northwest Passage and are in the middle of nowhere. It is cold, food is scarce, and tempers are short. There is talk of a mutiny.
Enter in Jonah, and his sister, Katherine, 21st century kids, who have been unwittingly thrown back into the past to save history. They were most recently in the year 1600, but due to a former “friend,” Second, and a tricky Elucidator, Katherine and Jonah are trapped in 1611. It is up to them to secure the fate of Henry Hudson, his son John, and the entire crew, or time as we know it could end forever!
This gripping tale (the 4th in The Missing series), is one that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Haddix does it again, successfully interweaving historical details with science fiction. Additional historical information is provided at the end of the book. Recommended for grades 5-8.
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OCTOBER 2, 2011
Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Jane's love for animals began with a gift of a stuffed toy chimpanzee. Jane affectionately named her little toy chimpanzee, Jubilee. Jane and Jubilee spent much time outside observing details of bird making nests, spiders spinning webs, and squirrels chasing one another. Jane and Jubilee even waited patiently watching as a hen laid an egg. Jane began reading books about animals in particular, she studied the chimpanzee. Jane loved to read books about Tarzan and his experiences with the apes. Jane dreamed of life in Africa like the Jane in the Tarzan stories. One day her dream came true. As an adult, Jane Goodall went to Africa and studied chimpanzees as her profession. Jane is well known for her work with chimpanzees. She leaves the reader with a positive message at the end of the book about making a difference in your world.
This book is written in a simplistic fashion and most suitable reading for those in grades K-2 and a wonderful read aloud for preschoolers.
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OCTOBER 2, 2011
Finding Family by Tonya Bolden
In a small town of West Virginia approximately in the early 1900's, a young girl of twelve (soon to be thirteen years of age) named Delana is about to find out some life changing information regarding her family roots. Dear Aunt Tilley, who raised Delana along with her Grandpa, has just died. Delana's birthmother died at Delana's birth. Delana's father was a "rambling man" and took off out west when Delana was born. This is what Dleana had been told. Now Delana is looking at all the family photos in the basket of the parlor and wondering who Grandpa will choose to finish "raising" her. Aunt Tilly told Delana about all these folks who are now coming to Aunt Tilley's funeral. One of Delana's cousins gives her some added information about her mother and father. This begins a quest for Delana to understand herself and know more about the parents she always had questions regarding.
The story is sensitively written with characters speaking in the vernacular of Southern African American people during that period of time. The story is one that people of any culture can identify with in one's search for their roots. The author, Tonya Bolden, wrote the story based on old photos she collected over time and includes them in the book to make the characters appear as real. A family tree is illustrated in the back of the book to clarify characters in the complicated development of family members. This historical fiction book is most suitable for readers in grades 4-6.
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