The Dark Light

The Dark Light

Mette Newth

1995 * p. 244 * YA Historical Fiction

The Dark Light takes place in early nineteenth century Norway. Tora is 13 years old and is struck with leprosy. Her mother has committed suicide when she found that she herself had contracted it. When Tora's leprosy is discovered, the town sends her to a leper hospital in the nearest city.

She is taken to St. Jorgen's Hospital in Bergen: basically a hospital for the living dead. The conditions are horrible and disgusting. Death is apparant in everything, especially in the deformed and gruesome faces of the patients.

Tora is pretty much in a state of denial and shock. She is scared to death of dying and the possibility of the non-existence of a God or heaven for her to go to. Her doubt mainly stems from the fact that she cannot read. And therefore she cannot discover the teachings of the Bible for herself:

"The parish pastor had said that there was but one recourse to be found--salvation. She had to surrender herself to God. Surrender herself and endure until He received her, for she was one of His chosen. God chastened those He loved the most; He had given His only begotten son for mankind's deliverance. It was all in the Holy Book, the pastor had said. That Book which she herself could not read" (6).

So though the pastor tells her she was a chosen one, Tora can't understand why everyone who is healthy would treat them so cruelly, abandon them, and pretend they were dead. She wants to know:

"Would He (God) answer the question that tortured her most: Was she rejected or elected?" (7).

Since Tora is not as sick as the others--yet--she is able to work more and help the others. One patient is particularly bitter and angry--Sunniva. She is educated and her family was rich. So Tora helps and waits on her in exchange for reading lessons. Tora finds that knowing how to read has been her greatest joy, and that stories give her an escape from the pain and suffering she must endure.

This book is wonderful. It is emotionally exhausting, however. There are many gruesome accounts and descriptions of leprosy and the cruelty that is shown them by the outside world. But I highly reccommend it.

-Reading level: ages 16 & up

-References and/or small scenes of prostitution, attempted rape, suicide, a few swear words, amputations, and body parts falling off.

-Themes of faith, hope, survival, death, education, love, service, family, positivity, etc.

-Needs a more mature audience

-A few Norwegian words

The author is Norwegian and the book is translated from Norwegian. The story is a fictionalized account of an actual leper hospital in Bergen, Norway.

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Dav Pilkey

1997 * p. 121 * YA Graphic Novel

George and Harold are both troublemakers and like to play jokes on people--like putting soap in the band's instruments or pepper in the cherrleaders' pom poms.

They also love comics. They create a comic about the fabulous and heroic Captain Underpants- a superhero who wears only a cape and underwear. Everything is all fun and games with the pair until their, principal, Principal Krupp, catches them on film pulling one of their pranks. He uses the tape as blackmail to force Harold and George to behave. But George and Harold hypnotize Krupp to make him forget about the tape. They have fun playing around with making Krupp do things like act like a monkey or chicken.

Suddenly, they get a great idea: make him think he's Captain Underpants!

"Good idea," said George. Snap! "You are now the greatest superhero of all time: The Amazing Captain Underpants!"

Mr. Krupp tore down the red curtain from his office window and tied it around his neck. Then he took off his shoes, socks, shirt, pants, and his awful toupee.

"Tra-La-Laaaaaaaaaa!" he sang (55).

George and Harold think it's funny at first, but when "Captain Underpants" jumps out the window, many troubles lie ahead.

This graphic novel is silly and fun. It even has an interactive section for readers. If a young adult likes comics they will certainly enjoy this graphic novel. The author has also written sequels to the graphic novel.

-Reading level: ages 10 & up

-Appropriate except for a few references to boyish humor like potty humor, etc.

-No real theme. More of a mindless but entertaining read.

-A fast read with mainly pictures and large text.

If You Come Softly

If You Come Softly

Jacqueline Woodson

1998 * p. 181 * YA Realistic Fiction

Ellie is a white Jewish girl. Miah is black boy. They are both fifteen and meet on their first day at the expensive prep school in New York City that both their parents have chosen for them.

They connect in a moment but neither can tell why.

Miah (Jeremiah) says to his friend Carlton (who is half black and half white):

"It's like I know her--like I can look inside her and see everything. I know it sounds craz--"

"You sound like you're in love, man."

Jeremiah frowned. "Nah. I don't even know her." But he remembered that first day, bending with her to pick up her books in the hallway. Something inside him went cold that morning--cold and hot all at once. "I couldn't even tell you her last name." He was thoughtful for a moment. "But I was sitting next to her in class today--and I don't know--I felt like we. . . like we should always be next to each other. I don't know."

Carlton stood up and tucked the ball under his arm. "Sounds like love, man."

"But she's white."

Carlton raied an eyebrow. "Hello, Miah. Look who you talking to, man. It happens. And you know what? It ain't the worst thing in the world" (89).

They think about each other constantly, but it takes weeks before Miah finally talks to Ellie. From then on they are virtually inseperable. They are together during school and often walk to Central Park to talk. They have a lot in common. Both of them come from an unsatisfactory home life. Ellie's mother has left the family twice. But even though she came back, Ellie feels like she can never fully trust her. Miah's parents are divorced. His father had an affair with another woman, and he ow lives with her across the street. Both of their home lives are awkward and a little depressing.

Miah and Ellie become each other's best friend and fall in love almost instantly. But, of course, their races are an obstacle. People look at them strangely and Ellie is afraid to tell her parents.

If You Come Softly is a love story, but is innocent and not cheesy at all. It is more about two people finding a connection that helps them tackle the disappointments of life.

I enjoyed this book, although I was a little depressed afterward. But it is a heartfelt story.

-Reading level: ages 15 & up

-Needs a more mature audience to appreciate the issue of interracial relationships.

-A few swear words

-Themes of racism, interracial relationships, broken homes, honesty, communication

95 Pounds of Hope

95 Pounds of Hope

Anna Gavalda

2002 * p. 90 * YA Realistic Fiction

Gregory Dubosc is 13 years old and in the 6th grade.

"Yes, I know there's something wrong. I'll tell you right away--don't bother to count on your fingers. I stayed back twice: third and sixth grades" (4).

Gregory simply doesn't like school. His parents are fed up with his bad grades and lies about assignments. They've taken him to doctors, and the doctors say he has ADD. Gregory thinks this is ridiculous, and attests that he simply doesn't like school and that everything seems like it's taught in Chinese.

Gregory finds his joy in his Grandpa Leon's workshop. He loves to build things and create. He is truly gifted when it comes to carpentry.

But going to school is inescapable, even though he has been expelled from two schools. His parents decide on sending him to boarding school but no school will take him because of his record. But everything seems to change when Gregory becomes interested in attending a boarding school that focuses on working with your hands and exploring creativity.

The book is short but poignant. Gregory is a typical student who feels dumb because he doesnt get good grades. It is truly sad. He is a good boy and only wants to feel that he is smart and make his parents proud.

The book is honest and a real glimpse into every student's struggles to get good grades. One quote in particular made me laugh and called back memories:

"Then comes the torture of homework. If my mother helps me, she always ends up crying. If it's my father, I always end up crying" (13).

Haha. So true. Gregory is very funny and real and relatable. I didn't find the story on a whole very outstanding or literary, but it is a good choice for students who have similar school problems and need a book that is short and uncomplicated.

-Reading level: ages 10 & up

-Contains a few swear words

-A short and uncomplicated read

-Themes of self-confidence, family, school, and individuality

Jason's Gold

Jason's Gold

Will Hobbs

1999 * p. 216 * YA Historical Fiction

Fifteen-year-old Jason Hawthorn is self-reliant, ambitious and eager to prove himself to his older brothers. He has left his hometown in Seattle and is living in New York City as a newsie when the Klondike Gold Rush erupts. Gold! Everyone has dreams of striking it rich in the Klondike, even Jason.

"Klondike. Jason paused to savor the word. "Klondike," he said aloud. The name had a magical ring to it, a spellbinding power. The word itself was heavy and solid and dazzling, like a bar of shiny gold" (3).

He rushes home to claim his inheritence and set out for Alaska. But on returning home to Seattle he fnds that his older brothers have the Klondike fever and have already left, and with Jason's money!

Jason is discouraged. But he bucks up, and uses his cunning to sneak onto a ship to the Klondike. Jason's goal is to reach his brothers before some of the treacherous obstacles that lie on the path to the Klondike. But nothing proves easy, or what it seems, on the way to the Klondike, where the gold is "as thick as cheese in a sandwich."

Jason is a fictional character set against the historical event of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897. Jason takes the historic trek through the Dead Horse Trail, Chilkoot Pass, and the Yukon River. He witnesses criminal activity and animal cruelty, saves a dog, meets the infamous Jack London, has a run in with a moose and suffers a great deal.

I loved, loved, loved this book! It was suspenseful and eye-opening to read about a historical event that I knew so little about. Jason is a true hero. He is moral, kind, forgiving, and strong. King, Jason's husky, is the ultimate man's best friend.

It was wonderful.

-Reading level: age 13 & up

-No swearing that I can recall

-A few disturbing/graphic scenes of animal cruelty and an amputation

-Themes of self-reliance, animal respect, greed, perseverance, kindness, and determination.

-An adventure book that will appeal especialy to boys, but also for girls

North of Danger

North of Danger

Dale Fife

1978 * p. 72 * YA Historical Fiction

North of Danger takes place in WWII Spitsbergen, a sovereign of Norway. It is a fictionalized story based on a true event.

The people living on Spitsbergen, which is situated four hundred miles from the North Pole, fled there after the Germans started to invade Norway.

This story is about Arne Kristiansen, a 12 year old boy living in Spitsbergen. Arnes' father, an activist against the Germans, has fled to the North Pole posed as a glacialist to escape capture.

When Spitsbergen is suddenly told to evacuate because the Germans were coming, Arne refuses to leave. His father is supposed to return in 3 weeks, and will be captured if no one warns him to avoid Spitsbergen. Arne hides in the mines. Soon the whole town is evacuated and Arne is left on his own in the ghost town. He waits above the town for a week, keeping an eye out for German ships and his father. Unfortunately, the Germans arrive. So Arne must make the treacherous trek to reach his father in the dead of winter.

The story is packed with a lot of historical information and is often a little confusing with some of the Norwegian vocabulary. The characters seem a little flat and everything gets resolved a little too nicely and quickly. But the overall story is well written and a typical adventure story about a boy on his own, battling the elements...and Germans.

-Reading level: age 14 & up

-Appropriate for all ages

-A short, fast read

-A few challenging Norwegian words

-The book has no cover jacket, and may be a harder book to locate

Life Lists for Teens

Life Lists for Teens

Pamela Espeland

2003 * p. 244 * YA Nonfiction

Life Lists for Teens contains numerous lists, suggestions, tips, etc that help teens in 9 different areas: Health & Wellness, Getting Along, Staying Safe, School & Learning, Going Online, Planning Ahead, Saving the World, Focus on You, & Just for Fun.

The book can be read from cover to cover or by just perusing through it. That is the beauty of this book. Readers can pick and choose the topics that they need help with. I didn't spend much time on sections and lists about teen pregnancy and smoking, but I did spend time on perfectionism and procrastination.

The lists are also great because they address different areas of a problem. For example, there is a list of reasons why you shouldn't get a tattoo. But then following it is a list of what to be careful of if you can't be persuaded not to, etc. The book promotes healthy and moral decisions but doesn't preach.

-Reading level: ages 10 & up: teens can go to this book with many different issues and question.

-Appropriateness: it does talk about sex, drugs, tattoos, sexual harassment--but only in the manner of how to combat it, stand up for yourself, and seek help.

-Author talks well to the teen reader and relates with subtle humor.

Little Women

Little Women: Book One

Louisa May Alcott

1868 * p. 377 * YA Fiction, Pre-1920's

"Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us--and those around us--more effectively. Look for the learning."

--Louisa May Alcott.

Alcott's Little Women is considered a classic YA novel and has withstood the test of time. YA novels at the time usually served the purpose of being strictly moral books to teach children lessons and the proper way to behave. Alcott's book however employs these moral lessons in a situation of love, understanding and forgiveness.

Little Women is about the March sisters--beautiful Meg, boyish and outspoken Jo, timid and selfless Beth, and pompous but young Amy. Each have their virtues and vices. They live with their mother who they call Marmee and try to make ends meet while their father is away at the Civil War. The girls love to make plays and act and have wonderful imaginations that help them stay entertained. They befriend their neighbor's grandson, Laurie, who is the same age as Jo. Laurie is mischievious and a teaser and loves the March girls as his own sisters and has a good heart.

The moral lessons of the story are included as the Marmee challenges the girls to follow Christian's example in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. A novel about a man's journey to heaven and all of the temptations he must overcome to release himself of his burden.

References to Pilgrim's Progress are made to continually.

Marmee says, "We never are too old for this, my dear, because it is a play we are playing all the time in one way or another. Our burdens are here, our road is before us, and the longing for goodness and happiness is the guide that leads us through many troubles and mistakes to the peace which is a true Celestial City. Now, my little pilgrims, suppose you begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far on you can get before Father comes home" (17).

I love Little Women. It is just a pure book. It is about sisterly love and devotion, good deeds, overcoming personal trials, and growing up in a loving home where an understanding mother is present to build you up.

Book One is more about the girls growing up over one year and overcoming trials before all of the romantic escapades occur. (That is probably in Book Two.) Meg and John Brook's affection begins and the reader is given hints of Laurie's love for Jo.

The 1994 movie of Little Women is pretty true to Book One though a lot is not included. I would reccomend reading the books first, along with Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and then watching the movie.

-Reading level: age 13 & up.

-Appropriate for all ages.

-Themes of sisterly love, overcoming personal trials, selflessness, sacrifice.

-Lengthy book, with a few vocabulary words that may need to be explained.

-WONDERFUL!

Homeless Bird

Homeless Bird

Gloria Whelan

2000 * p. 212 * YA Multicultural Fiction

Homeless Bird is the story of 13 year old Koly who lives in India. Her family is poor, but loving. Koly is now at the age where she can be married, and soon her parents come into contact with another family who wish their son to be married to Koly. They live far away and Koly has never seen her husband-to-be, Hari. Hari's parents have told Koly and her parents that he is sixteen and will be a good match. However, after they are married and meet Koly and Hari meet face to face, they discover that Hari is deathy ill and the same age as Koly, maybe younger. But they are married, and worse than a deceitful marriage, is bringing shame to the family. So Koly stays with Hari and his parents.

On their wedding night, Koly sleeps next to her sister-in-law Chandra and is not allowed to even rarely speak to her husband:

"I slept very little that night, kept awake by my longing for my home and by Hari's coughing in the next room. As I lay there in the strange house, I felt like a newly caged animal that rushes about looking for the open door that isn't there. I thought I might be able to endure one day in my new home and perhaps two, but I did not see how I could live there for the rest of my life" (24).

Poor Koly's circumstances only get worse. I can't even imagine getting married at age 13 to a sickly boy, living with in-laws that I had never met, being treated unkindly, and never being able to go home for fear of shaming my family.

Hari's parents only had Hari marry Koly to get her dowry so they could take Hari to a holy city and be cured. But Hari is not cured, and dies. Koly is a widow at 13 and must wear the traditional white widow's sari. Now, Koly must live with her in-laws. Her sister-in-law leaves and is married, her father-in-law soon dies, and so Koly is left with her cruel mother-in-law--Sass. Koly is now 17. They are destitute.

Sass and Koly head for a new place to live with Sass's brother. But they stop at Vrindiavan, a holy city. Sass gives Koly some money to buy food for them. When Koly returns, Sass is gone. She has left without her and deserted her in the holy city. Koly is all alone, with little money, nowhere to stay, no friends or family.

Homeless Bird is a wonderful book, and though depressing, it still seems lighthearted. What really struck me is that this is a modern-day book. It is not written about a character that lived in India 100 years ago. It is a realistic, mulitcutluralistic account of life for a teenage widow. Since marriage is everything, to be widowed is to think your life is over. That is the real depressing aspect of the novel: to think that your life is over at 13 and that the rest of your life will be spent as a servant, unloved and poor.

Though I won't share the end, it does end happily. It is a wonderful insight into Indian culture and many terms are use throughout the book. (A glossary of terms is explained at the back of the book.) I loved it. The text is big and the pages are small making it a fast and interesting read.

-Reading level: age 11 & up

-Easy read.

-A reference to a bhang and drug use.

-Appropriate for all ages.

-Glimpse into the Indian culture.

-Themes of hope, endurance, respect and shame.

-National Book Award Winner.

Dealing with Dragons

Dealing with Dragons

Patricia C. Wrede


1990 * p. 212 * YA Fantasy


Dealing with Dragons follows the Princess Cimorene of Linderwall. Her six older sisters have all married a prince and lived happily ever after. Cimorene, however, is anything but a proper and typical princess. She does not want to marry prince. She wants to study economics, make cherries jubilee, learn magic, etc. But all of those things are not proper for a princess to do. Cimorene is fed up, and when her parents tell her they have betrothed her to a handsome but brainless prince, it's the last straw. After receiving advice from a talking frog, she heads out for more advice, and finds DRAGONS.

Cimorene is frightened at first, but then offers herself as a servant princess to the dragons. The dragons are taken aback by this request. Usually they have to steal a princess, but here Cimorene is offering herself freely and willingly. One dragon just wants to eat her. But Kazul, a respected female dragon, says she will take Cimorene.

Cimorene loves being Kazul's princess. She gets to cook all she wants, sort through treasure, and catalogue old and supernatural books. But not everything is perfect. Cimorene has to deal with sneaky wizards, traitor dragons, fire-coughing dragons, persnickety servant princesses, and annoying and persitent princes come to rescue her.

One day, a knight shouts into the cave where Kazul and Cimorene live. Cimorene goes out to tell him to go away and they have this conversation:

"'What can I do for you?' Cimorene asked after several moments had gone by and the knight still hadn't said anything.

"Well, um, if you are the Princess Cimorene, I've come to rescue you from the dragon,' the knight said.

Cimorene set the point of the broadsword on the ground and leaned on it as if it were a walking cane. 'I thought that might be it,' she said. 'But I'd rather not be rescued, thank you just the same.'

'Not be rescued?' The knight's puzzled look deepened. 'But princesses always--'

'No, they don't,' Cimorene said firmly, recognizing the beginning of a familiar argument. 'And even if I wanted to be rescued, you're going at it all wrong.'

'What?' said the knight, thoroughly taken aback.

'Shouting, 'Come out and fight,' the way you did. No self-respecting dragon is going to answer to a challenge like that. It sounds like a child's dare. Dragons are very conscious of their dignity, at least all the ones I've met so far are'" (25).

The conversation continues and its hilarious. Cimorene is outspoken but kind. She is strong and an individual. She knows who she is and what will make her happy in life.

Wrede's book is very humorous. She employs a lot of the classic fairy tale elements and lightly makes fun of them for their often ridiculous perfection. Some of them included are Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc. Cimorene is delightful and fun. The whole theme of the book is being happy with who you are and not letting anything or anyone hold you back, being an individual, and that beauty does not always equal intelligence or compassion.





-Reading level: grade 7 & up


-Appropriate for all ages.


-It was a fun, easy read that girls will most likely appreciate.

Jacob Have I Loved

Jacob Have I Loved

Katherine Paterson

1980 * p. 215 * YA Historical Fiction

"Jacob Have I Loved" follows the life of Louise as she grows up in Chesapeake Bay in the 1940s. Louise is a tomboy. She loves to go out into the bay with her father and catch crab. She has rough, large hands, is too tan, strong and stocky, and is definitely not pretty. Caroline, Louise's twin sister, is. She is petite, blonde, has a beautiful voice and seems the capture the attention of everywhere.

Louise constantly compares herself to Caroline, and throws herself a pity party daily. In the following excerpt, Louise tells about being born a twin:

"I was the elder by a few minutes. I always treasured the thought of those minutes. They represented the only time in my life when I was the center of everyone's attention. From the moment Caroline was born, she snatched it all for herself.

When my mother and grandmother told the story of our births, it was mostly of how Caroline had refused to breathe. How the midwife smacked and prayed and cajoled the tiny chest to move. How the cry of joy went up at the first weak wail--'no louder than a kitten's mew.'

'But where was I?' I once asked. 'When everyone was working over Caroline, where was I?'

A cloud passed across my mother's eyes, and I knew that she could not remember. 'In the basket,' she said. 'Grandma bathed you and dressed you and put you in the basket.'

'Did you Grandma?'

'How should I know?' she snapped. 'It was a long time ago.'

I felt cold all over, as though I was the newborn infant a second time, cast aside and forgotten" (14-5).

But though she isn't the "favored" one, as a reader you don't feel entirely sorry for her. She complains and is also often rude and possessive of others that she wants all to herself. But she is a typical teenager that is going through the growing pains of living in a shadow, feeling inadequate and experiencing the first pangs of love. Can't we all relate to that? She means well.

A few twists and turns dot the storyline: her friendship with rolly-polly, boy scout Call, the mysterious old Captain, the shock of Pearl Harbor, a devastating flood, and more.

"Jacob Have I Loved" felt very nastolgic. The descriptions of the setting of the Chesapeake Bay and life there in the 1940s is really superb.

-Reading level: grade 8 & up

-Appropriate for all ages

-Some references to puberty and becoming sexually aware of the opposite sex

-Themes of feeling like an outcast, family relationships, self-worth and confidence, pride, becoming an adult

The Arrival

The Arrival

Shaun Tan

2006 * p. 128 * YA Graphic Novel

This is the first graphic novel that I have ever "read." When I first heard the term, I thought it meant graphic as in explicit and offensive material. But a graphic novel is essentially book that is mostly drawings and read almost like a comic book.

The Arrival, however, is solely pictorial. The drawings are beautiful, whimsical, and emotional.

Tan "tells" the story of an immigrant who leaves his home for a new country. He experiences the fustrations and awe of being introduced to a new language, culture, and way of life.

No nationalities are given, except I think that the main character, the man on the front cover, is European. I think the new country is America. America is portrayed as a bizarre and beautiful planet. The new country is so foreign and strange to the man that he feels like he is in another galaxy. Tan continues this almost sci-fi feeling througout.

The following are some images from the book:

-Reading level: grade 7 & up

-Themes: Immigration, loneliness, adaptation, community

-No text, only images.

-Read the book in about half hour

-Beautiful pictures

The Westing Game

The Westing Game

Ellen Raskin

1978 * p. 182 * YA Mystery

The Westing Game is a "clue-like" mystery where 16 strangers are brought together at the funeral of a man, Sam Westing, that all claim they never knew. He has left a will and devised a game that all will play to determine the heir of his money and his murderer. Most of the characters are eccentric and have fun and unusual names like Theo Theodorakis, D. Denton Dear, and Turtle Wexler. Also, each seems to know something but hides it secretly, as well as the clues they are given in pairs.

One of the 16 strangers and heirs, Judge J.J. Ford, says the following about the Westing game:

"In his will Sam Westing implied (he did not state, he implied) that (1) he was murdered, (2) the murderer was one of the heirs, (3) he alone knew the name of the murderer, and (4) the name of the murderer was the answer to the game.

The game: a tricky, divisive Westing game. No matter how much fear and suspicion he instilled in the players, Sam Westing knew that greed would keep them playing the game. Until the 'murderer' was captured. And punished.

Sam Westing was not murdered, but one of his heirs was guilty--guilty of some offense against a relentless man. And that heir was in danger. From his grave Westing would stalk his enemy, and through his heirs he would wreak his revenge" (47-48).

I read this book when I was younger and remembered loving it. After reading it again, I found t harder to get into and really enjoy. But it is a relatively fun read.

-Reading level: grade 7 & up

-Fast and easy read

-Appropriate for all readers

Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850

Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850

Susan Campbell Bartoletti

2001 * p. 172 * YA Nonfiction

Black Potatoes gives a history of the potatoe famine in Ireland. I learned much. One of the phrases that struck me was that it was a "man-made famine." It wasn't that there was no food, but rather that people didn't have any money to buy food.

Bartoletti explains many circumstances around the famine: the tension between England and Ireland, between Protestants and Catholics, between Landlords and laborers.

There are many quotes and experiences that are included by Famine survivors and relatives, most of them heartbreaking. For instance, an account of a woman that begged for money to buy a coffin for her dead infant. It is truly a humbling book. I will never look at a bag of potatoes the same again.

So many politics, and political mistakes by England, escalated the famine. An airborne, foreign fungus rotted the potatoes literally overnight. Since harvesting potatoes is what farmers survived on, most were left desitute. Everyone, mostly the laborers, were starving. When they tried to eat corn that England imported for them after months of starvation, the kernels ruptured their sensitive intestines and killed many of them. Landlords evicted residents from their homes. People ate whatever they could find: rats, cats, dogs. Disease spread. And much, much more. Truly, horrible.

The book is informative without feeling like a textbook. There are many illustrations included, most of them sketches from newspapers that reported on the famine.

-Reading level: grade 9 & up

-Big words are explained and have pronunciations

-Many illustrations

-Some disturbing details and stories

-A good segue into talking about the Irish Famine or as a supplementary text

Witch Child

Witch Child

Celia Rees

2000 * p. 260 * YA Historical Fiction

Mary is a witch. She and her grandmother (also a witch) live in 1659 England. The novel begins with Mary's grandmother being seized by the townspeople, thrown into the pond to see if she'll float, and then is hung for witchcraft. Mary is then quickly taken by a stranger and thrown into a carriage with a mysterious and regal woman. The woman barely talks, but has her bathed, fed, and dressed in new clothes. The woman then tells her that she is to be put on a ship to America with a Puritan group.

She is terrified to leave, but has nothing to stay for. The woman tells her that it will be safer for her in America. (The woman's identity is a suprise to Mary; you'll have to read!) So Mary sails to America with the Puritans and is welcomed and companioned with a woman named Martha. On the ship, Mary hopes that she can keep her secret and not run into trouble. She is fearful of being caught and looks forward to reaching their destination: Salem!

I loved this book. What is really interesting, is that Mary was supposedly a real individual who left behind a journal that Celia Rees has fashioned into a fictional novel based on her life.

Mary is a good witch. She is more like a gypsy who works with herbs and has special gifts and talents. She never uses them for evil, and sometimes her powers and visions come even if she doesn't want them. When she suddenly sees a friend's future, and how he will die, she comments:

"The visions came to me unbidden, just as they did to my grandmother, but I knew the gift did not come from her. It comes from my mother. This is art of a different order, beyond my grandmother's power. I felt it settle about my shoulders like a weighty mantle" (83).

The novel is very realistic, suspenseful, and twists and turns many times. I was a little perturbed at the ending. I had questions that weren't answered. But I still loved, loved, loved it.

-Reading level: grade 9 & up

-References to witchcraft (evil witchcraft done by others)

-Pregnancy out of marriage

-A hanging scene (though not detailed)

-A great segue way into teaching about the Salem Witch Trials, or as a bridge to Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath

Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath

Stephanie Hemphill

2007 * p. 248 * YA Poetry/Biography

Stephanie Hemphill tells the story of iconic poet Sylvia Plath through her own poetry. She writes the poems through the eyes of those who knew her: her mother, husband, numerous boyfriends, friends, therapists, associates, neighboors, etc.

It is really captivating. I must admit that I knew very little about Sylvia Plath. This verse portrait is really eye-opening and after you read it, you really feel like you know her through Hemphill's interesting and creative biographical approach.

Sylvia Plath was truly a unique woman. She was beautiful, popular, and brilliant. She was also boy-crazy, sexually repressed, self-harming, self-critical, eccentric, and depressed. Sylvia Plath committed suicide on February 11, 1963. It is a tragic, tragic story. But...really interesting.

Under most of the poems that chronologically tell Sylvia's life, there are brief, but more detailed explanations, facts, and quotes about her. (They really help explain and give the reader a break from so much poetry.) One I read was very interesting and I think really explains Sylvia's nature:

"The author Ronald Hayman asserts in his The Death and Life of Sylvia Plath that Nancy (Sylvia's friend and college roommate) felt that Sylvia sometimes counted on 'crises to give her creative inspiration,' and that 'for the sake of her poetry and her stories she [took] risks and [depended] on other people to rescue her from dangerous situations'" (93).

This novel is really unique. It is all poetry, but for a few clarifications and side notes, but it is easy to read and straightforward, with no guesswork. I really liked that Hemphill also wrote her poetry about Sylvia in the style of some of Sylvia's poems and connected them through the periods in her life. Really interesting.

-Reading level: grade 11 & up

-An emotional and serious read

-References to sex, promiscuity, drinking, smoking, suicide, adultery, self-harm

-A great segue into a study of Sylvia Plath's poetry

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

E.L. Konigsburg

1968 * p. 162 * YA Fiction

Claudia, the oldest of four children, decides that she wants to run away. She is 12 years old and feeling under appreciated by her parents. But she has no money. She spends it all on fudge sundaes. So she decides to pick her favorite brother, Jamie (9), because he is rich and saves all his money. (which he mostly earns by cheating at cards on the school bus.) They keep their plans a secret, and runaway to the Metropolian Museum of Art in New York City.

The sibings hide in the museum as it is closed every night. They sleep in antique French furniture, bathe in the fountain, and roam the museum. When a new addition to the museum comes, Claudia is spellbound. It is a small statue of an Angel. The rumor is that it was possibly carved by Michelangelo. Angel becomes the siblings' obsession, particularly Claudia's. She must find out if Michelangelo carved it, or she will go home humiliated.

I love both Claudia and Jamie's characters. I love a part in the book where they are looking at Angel and Claudia says she wishes she could hug it.

"I still say that it's too bad we can't touch her," Claudia complained.

"At least we're living with it. We're the only two people in the world who live with it."

"Mrs. Franweiler did, too. She could touch..."

"And hug it," Jamie teased.

"I'll bet she knows for sure if Michelangelo did it."

"Sure she does," Jamie said. He then threw his arms around himself, leaned his head way back, closed his eyes, and murmured,"Every morning when she got up, Mrs. Frankweiler would throw her arms about the statue, peer into its eyes, and say, 'speak to me, baby.' One morning the statue ans..."

Claudia was furious. "The men who moved it last night hugged it when they moved it. There's all kinds of hugging" (89).

Claudia is the typical know-it-all big sister and a spendthrift and schemer. Jamie teases, is a penny-pincher, and loves complications. :)

I read this book in either 6th or 7th grade. I could barely remember it before I read it again just a few days ago. I wish I could stow away in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, swim in a fountain, and hug a statue.

-Reading level: grade 6 & up

-Completely appropriate

-Themes of becoming an adult, self-sufficiency, becoming an individual, enjoying learning

-Contains illustrations

-Won numerous awards

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

Patricia C. McKissack

1992 * p. 166 * YA Supernatural

The Dark-Thirty is a collection of stories, tales, legends that come from the South from as early as 1868 up to modern day. A lot of them deal with slavery, racism, persecution, etc as all of the subjects, heros and heroines are African American.

None of them are extremely scary, but more eerie, mystical, and creepy. For example, there is a tale about a woman who begged a bus ride from a white driver on a snowy, chilling night. She needed to get her infant to the hospital, but because she had no money, the driver refused to let her on. She and the baby died in the storm, and began to haunt the streets and bus every year on the night she died.

The author recommends that the tales be told around the campfire at twilight when the spirits come out.

-Reading level: grade 7 & up

-Referenes to the Ku Klux Klan, drinking, a hanging. But nothing detailed or gruesome. I would reccommend it for all YA ages.

-Fast read

-Ideal coupled with the history of slavery, Civil Rights, racism, etc.

I personally would have loved the book more if it was a tad bit more suspenseful.

Stargirl

Stargirl Jerry Spinelli

2000 * p. 186 * YA Realistic Contemporary

Leo is a typical, fairly popular, high school student in Arizona. His life seems normal until Stargirl walks into his life. Stargirl (yes, that is her name) has been homeschooled before coming to Mica High School. She wears pioneer dresses, plays her ukulele at lunch, know everyone's birthday and sings them "Happy Birthday" at school, has a pet rat that rides along in her purse, and is totally friendly.

Everyone thinks she is just strange and fascinating at first. Soon she becomes the most popular girl in school.

"How did it happen? ... Was it the cheerleading?...The last football game of the season was her first as a cheerleader. The grandstand was packed: students, parents, alumni. Never had so many people come to a football game to see a cheerleader.

She did all the regular cheers and routines. And more. In fact, she never stopped cheering...She ran straight across the fifty-yard line and joined the other team's cheerleaders. We laughed as they stood there with their mouths open. ... At halftime she played her ukulele with the band" (8).

But everyone's enthusiasm for her fades as her wild and unpredicatable nature is still an enigma. They can't figure her out. She is now an outcast. Leo is drawn to her still, however, and when Stargirl gives him a Valentine card telling him she loves him, his world changes forever. But now Leo must struggle between becoming an individual himself or keeping to the status quo.

The novel was charming. It was innocent. Stargirl is eccentric but genuine. She does nothing but good. She is constantly doing service for others, most of the time complete strangers. She never thinks of herself.

Stargirl is utimately about individuality and acceptance.

-Reading level: grade 8 & up

-Easy, fast and uncomplicated read

-Themes of individuality, acceptance, service, popularity, first love, selflessness

-Completely appropriate for all readers

I would reccommend this book to any, and all readers. I believe there is also a sequel: Love, Stargirl. I haven't read it yet, but I plan on it.

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm Polly Shulman

2007 * p. 208 * YA Contemporary

Enthusiasm follows best friends Ashleigh and Julia. Julia is the main heroine and told from her point of view. She is referred to as a "stringbean", tall and thin and pretty. She is level-headed and constantly embarassed over her best friend's newest obsessions.

So Julia is mortified when Ashleigh's new obsession is for all things Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice. She speaks in "Austen" language, wants to wear only empire wasited, period dresses, and determines that they both need to find their own Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. So the two 15 year olds decide to crash the Forfield Boy's Academy's dance. The boys wear uniforms (almost like period suits from Austen's novels). Julia is embarassed but plays along.

They pretend to be on the guest list for the dance and are pleased to find that two gentleman-like boys come to their rescue, Ned and Par.

The novel dances around the doings of the quartet, love triangles, a musical, first kisses, and misunderstandings.

I actually listened to this novel as an audiobook. The audiobook is about 7 hours long. I was actually irritated listening to it because the narrator's voice drove me mad as she attempted to do all of the characters' voices. Shulman also has a hard time relating to the reader and creating characters that are cared about and probable. It was a very silly, syrupy, and almost ridiculous "potato chip" fiction.

-Reading level: grade 8 & up.

-The book does involve quite a bit of the "Austen" language and takes a little more effort to understand with all of the big and seldom-used words that we hear today.

-However, it does make it a good bridge to Austen's classic, Pride & Prejudice. The book should stir interest about why the ain characters love the classic so much that they would want to relive it.

-A reference to condoms and birth control.

-A couple of swear words.

-Potato chip fiction: mindless reading, mere entertainment.

After Enthusiasm, I would suggest reading Shannon Hale's Austenland. It is for a more adult reader but also plays off the idea of finding your Mr. Darcy. Austenland is more realistic and not as silly. Compared with Enthusiasm, Austenland is definitely the favorite.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly

I Never Saw Another Butterfly Celeste Raspanti

1980 * p. 35 * YA Historical Fiction

I read the one-act cutting of the full-length play by Raspanti.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly tells the story of Raja Englanderova, a young Jewish girl who has been sent to the Nazi Camp Terezin during the Holocaust. Terezin is historically the Nazi Camp where many Jewish children were sent.

Raja is the only member of her family left alive. When she first comes to Terezin she is quiet and scared. But Irena, a Jewish woman who has been allowed to stay with the children, befriends her and helps her to know she is not alone. Irena teaches the girls when they aren't being watched by the Nazis.

Raja also befriends a boy named Honza. He sleeps in the boys barracks, and so they try to sneak out at certain times and meet and talk.

The biggest fear of all the children at Terezin is that they will be sent to Auschwitz where they will face certain death. The Nazis take a busload of children every now and then and they never come back.

RAJA: Honza, a sausage--you're wonderful--and sausage, I haven't--but where did you get it?

HONZA: I liberated it...

RAJA: Liberated it? Honza...

HONZA: Actually, I took it.

RAJA: Stole it. No wonder it tastes so good--you're so brave! (They hold hands and run together to another area.)

HONZA: I won't be here--for a few days...

RAJA: Why? Where are you going?

HONZA: Don't take any chances--coming to meet me, I mean.

RAJA: (frightened). Honza, what is it?

HONZA: Nothing. A special detail to build something outside the fortifications. They're picking the strongest--I'll be chosen.

RAJA: But--what if something happens?

HONZA: There'll be a chance for extra food. Maybe another sausage.

RAJA: I don't care about sausage...Honza, I'm afraid!

HONZA: Don't worry...they want the job done--it's some kind of walled courtyard...nothing much can happen...Well, I have to go.

RAJA: Goodbye then...Goodbye. I'll be waiting...waiting...waiting...Please come back.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly shows the horrors that Jewish children faced at Terezin. It is sad, but I think a good eye-opener for youth to understand the history of the Holocaust. It also has a little romance. After reading the one-act cutting I want to read the entire play.

-Appropriate for all readers

-Reading level: age 12 & up

-An easy read, but depressing themes that might be better discussed with more mature readers

-A good bridge to discussing WWII and Holocaust history

Speak

Speak Laurie Halse Anderson

1999 * p. 198 * YA Realistic Contemporary

Speak is about a girl named Melinda who starts high school as an outcast. No one will speak with her, not even her, now ex, best friend. She is totally alone and depressed, and her homelife isn't helping. Something happened over the previous summer before her freshman year that has labeled Melinda as an outcast and a target of rude remarks.

Melinda herself won't talk about what happened that summer. But as the novel goes on, you discover that Melinda had attended an end of the summer party with all of her friends. She has a couple of drinks and ends up being raped by a senior. After it happens, she calls the police but is too shocked to explain exactly what happened. The police come to the party, break it up, and arrest a few of the party-ers. Everyone blames Melinda as a taddle-tale, and never know that she had actually been raped and was trying to call for help.

The context of the novel sounds depressing, and it is. But it really impacted me. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. One of the most terrifying aspects of the story are when Melinda sees, or is near, IT: the boy who raped her. Anderson, the author, portrays her terror and depression so well. It is a very emotional book only because Melinda herself refuses to be emotional about it or even recognize that it happened.

But she is still careful about where she is and with who. She becomes paranoid of everyone and everything. When the only person who is nice to her, a boy, invites her to hang out with him and some friends, she immediately says "no" and makes up excuses. On the way home, she has an argument with herself:

Melinda One: "Get a life. It was just pizza. He wasn't going to try anything. His parents were going to be there! You worry too much. You're never going to let us have any fun, are you? You're going to turn into one of those weird old ladies who has a hundred cats and calls the cops when kids cut across the her back yard. I can't stand you."

Melinda Two waits for One to finish her tantrum. Two carefully watches the bushes along the sidewalk for a lurking bogeyman or worse.

Melinda Two: "The world is a dangerous place. You don't know what would have happened. What if he was just saying his parents were going to be there? He could have been lying. You can never tell when people are lying. Assume the worst. Plan for disaster. Now hurry up and get us home. I don't like it out here. It's too dark." (132)

I truly loved this book. It was impactful and powerful. Anderson's portrayal of high school, the "lingo", scenes, and inner struggles is genius. It is genuine and realistic. This novel has been censored/challenged by a few schools because it deals with rape, but it is so piercing that I think every girl should read it to see an example of the dangers of drinking, rape, and even worse, keeping it to yourself and not seeking help.

-More appropriate for high school age.

-Has a scene of rape, but is not detailed or needlessly graphic.

-A few swear words.

-Themes of dealing with rape, denial, ostracism, unsatisfying home life, finding own identity, and "speaking up."

Laurie Halse Anderson has also written: Fever 1793, Catalyst, and Prom. I plan on reading Fever 1793 next.

The Perilous Gard

The Perilous Gard Elizabeth Marie Pope
c. 1974 * p. 280 * YA Fantasy

The Perilous Gard is set in 1558 Elizabethan England. The author, Pope, studies Celtic and English traditions/legends/myths/folklore/ballads, and has weaved a delicious and myserious plot around the Celtic ballad "Tam Lin."

Kate Sutton and her sister, Alicia, are ladies in waiting to the Lady Elizabeth. The dramatic and ridiculous Alicia sends a complaint letter to the Queen Mary, and Kate is blamed for her sister's impertinence. You get the feeling that Kate is constantly being blamed for Alicia's blunders, because Kate takes it graciously and seems happy to get away from her. Kate's punishment is that she is exiled to the Perilous Gard, an antiquated Tudor castle far away owned by Sir Geoffrey Heron. Sir Geoffery is kind but must follow the Queen's orders to keep Kate almost on house arrest. She is not allowed to keep company and must stick to the castle grounds and the nearby adjoining village.

One morning Kate walks to the village. She plays with a littlle boy who has fallen next to her:

"There you're not hurt, " she said quickly. "Don't be afraid; it's only--" and suddenly realized that something was wrong. A redheaded woman drawing water at the well had straightened up and was staring at her. Everybody was staring. . . .

Kate stared back at them in bewilderment. The village was so far off the beaten road that she would not have been suprised to find the people shy of outsiders--silent, awkward, suspicious even--but she was entirely unprepared for the sort of fear and hatred that had swept over their faces when they saw her with the little boy. . . .

The next instant there was nobody left on the path except Kate herself and the priest, still standing his ground by the church porch. He was an old man, with a careworn, gentle look; but he held himself very straight, and his faded blue eyes met hers sternly, full of repudiation and horror. Then he raised his hand and made the sign of the cross on the air between them" (45).

Kate later meets the "redheaded woman" again, and learns that the village people believe the castle occupants are evil and in cahoots with the Fairy Folk: a group of magical pagan/heathens who live in the Hill by the castle and snatch little children for their human sacrifices. Kate does not pay attention to the superstitious gossip until she finds out that Sir Geoffery's daughter Cecily is missing. Geoffery thinks Cecily is dead because his brother Christopher did not watch her carefully and she fell into the Holy Well.

Christopher blames himself as well for Cecily's "death" and does not believe the tales about the Fairy Folk. But one day Kate and Christopher meet a loony minstrel who claims to have been taken by the Fairy Folk occasionally to play music for them. He shows them a tiny shoe he found while there. It is Cecily's shoe! Christopher runs off for the Holy Well planning to find and convince the Fairy Folk to let Cecily go and take him instead for the human sacrifice on All Hallow's Eve.

I loved this book. Pope does a wonderful job of producing an ancient aura to surround the legend. The book is classified as a fantasy but seems more suspenseful and mysterious than a typical fantasy. It is a perfect fantasy book for readers who do not particularly care for the genre and want something more serious.

-Completely appropriate for all readers

-Reading level: ages 14 & up (some diffiuclt vocab and style)

-Appeals to both young men and women

-Themes of self-confidence, bravery, determination & references to Christianity and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

After the First Death

After the First Death Robert Cormier

c.1979 * p. 233 * Y.A. Realistic Contemporary

After the First Death follows three teenage narrators: Ben, the General's son; Kate, the kidnapped bus driver; and Miro, one of the terrorists over the kidnapping. As part of their cause, the terrorists plan to highjack a bus full of preschool children, kill the old man who drives the bus, take it to the bridge, and make their demands. Miro, eager for his initiation as a man in the group, has been given the honor of killing the bus driver, his first personal kill. However, Miro is a little rattled when they highjack the bus and find that the driver is really a teenage girl, Kate. Now she must do everything she can to stay alive and protect the children.

Meanwhile, Ben's thoughts weave through the story as he remembers that day on the bridge. The reader never knows what exactly happens to him (until the end), but the trama he suffered is apparent as he contemplates ending his life once he confronts his father, the General, over the incident on the bridge.

This is the first of Cormier's novels that I have read. The story and tone of the plot are undoubtedly realistic and shocking. At first, I was a little disturbed at the seemingly hopeless aura of Kate's situation, but found it intriguing, personal, and suspenseful as themes of honor, bravery, innocence, fear, and war come through the wholly realistic teenage characters and their interactions with each other and with adults.

Here is a brief excerpt from the novel:

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, trying to keep any harshness out of her voice, needing to seem friendly and interested. By this she meant the bus, the children, the highjacking, this enire nightmare.

Miro knew her meaning. "It's what we must do," he answered in his carefully measured English, as if he were walking a verbal tightrope. "Our work, our duty."

"You mean your work is to kidnap children, hurt people, terrorize them?" The hell with trying to appear docile, let the chips fall.

"It's the war. It's all a part of the war."

"I haven't heard of any war." (118-119)

Cormier does a wonderful job of keeping the terrorist's nationality a secret. It takes away all political propoganda and lets the situation just happen. The novel is well-written and the characters are easy to relate to and grow to love. After the First Death was a breath of fresh air and tells a shocking story without unneccesary graphic violence.

-Depressing, but thought provoking

-Can appeal to both young men and women

-An easy read, but with good literary depth

-No foul language

-Some sexual inuendos and violence

-More appropriate for high school juniors and seniors

Cormier has written many other novels. Some of his that I plan on reading, and have heard many reccomendations on are:

I Am the Cheese,

The Chocolate War

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine

c. 1997 * p.232 * Y.A. Fantasy

Ella Enchanted takes the classic tale of Cinderella and enlivens it with spunk, humor, and personality. At Ella's birth, a rather overzealous fairy named Lucinda blesses her with the gift obedience. From then on, she must do what she is commanded, whether she must do her chores, eat her entire birthday cake, or kill, Ella is powerless against the will of her "gift." When her mother suddenly dies, Ella is left to be cared for by many non-caring persons: her often-absent and greedy father, her voluptuous step-mother, and horse-faced and devious step-sisters. But Ella's tenacity keeps her fighting for her own free will as she searches for a way to relinquish Lucinda's gift.

Ella's adventurous and charming nature keeps you smiling for the entirety of the book as she challenges hungry ogres, tricks her evil-stepsisters, tracks fairies, slides down castle banisters, and falls for the dashing Prince Charmont. Levine incorporates the iconic elements of the Cinderella tale, such as glass slippers, a pumpkin coach, and the infamous ball, while breathing life into the surrounding plot and characters. It is a novel that I could read again and again, and has instantly become one of my favorites.

-Would be nicely paired with the classic tale as stepping stone to YAL
-An ideal princess book for girls
-Movie was heartbreakingly disappointing and entirely untrue to the book
-A fast and uncomplicated read

-Junior High Ages

-Levine has written many other novels that are classic princess tales with a twist:

Fairest with elements of “Sleeping Beauty”;
The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales, a four book collection that includes elements from fairytales like “Toads and Diamonds," "The Princess and the Pea," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Princess on the Glass Hill," "Puddocky," and "The Golden Goose";
The Two Princesses of Bamarre; The Wish; etc.

-I have read Fairest. Like Ella Enchanted it follows the quest of a female protagonist who must accept/discover her true identity and self-worth. In Fairest, the challenge is embracing your own beauty.