Author
(last name first):
D'Lancy, Chris
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Orchard Books/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
8th and Up
Classification:
Fiction
This is a fictional story of David Merriman and his family. His mother was an artist whose works came to life while his father once had wings. His sister was born with the metaphysical essence soul of a dragon, and David had the ability to turn into different creatures. The world the Merriman family were a part of was governed by the Aunts. Out of the blue, the Merriman family was separated by a powerful Aunt. As a result, the Merriman family had to fight individual battles stop the Aunt's evil plans and be reunited.
This story was a welcome challenge because parallel universes, fate as a derivative of choices and metaphysical theories where intermediately wren together to make a fascinating story. Readers will be challenged to think about the world and themselves differently.
Reviewed By: Tomii Adelakum (Midwestern State University Student)
Author
(last name first):
Stone, Phoebe
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Author A. Levine Books/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
4th and Up
Classification:
Fiction
In 1941, eleven-year-old Felicity Bathburn Budwig's world is turned upside down when she is taken to her grandmother's in Bottlebay, ME becuse of the bombings in London. She slowly adjusts to her new family, including Uncle Gideon, who teaches sixth grade at the local school; Aunt Miami, who lives and breaths Shakespeare; "The Gram," Felicity's grandmother; and Captain Derek, twelve-year old adopted orphan whose dreams of military service have been dashed by having a mild case of polio which leaves one arm paralyzed.
She deals with the change by talking to her stuffed bear Wink and writing letters that can never be delivered to her parents because of the war. Felicity's homesickness only gets worse when she discovers her parents are writing her uncle letters and not her. She decides she will sneak into her uncle's office and copy the letters before he catches her but finds a new obstacle to overcome when the letters are written in code. She enlists Derek's help to decode the letters and figure out the clues to her parents whereabouts; in doing so she learns of some deep family secrets that involve her mother and her uncle Gideon.
The story is written in first person though Felicity's experiences. While I liked the story and was intrigued to find out whether Felicity's mother and father come home or not, I found it hard to read at times because the author often stops and explains what normal British children are like in the middle of a paragraph. The book would be great to use as a lesson on war in 1941. There is an AR test available for this book as well.
Reviewed By: Lila Davis (Night Circulation Manager/ Midwestern State University)
Author
(last name first):
Hinman, Bonnie
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Morgan Rynolds Publishing/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
3rd and Up
Classification:
Non-Fiction
A succinct tale of Ida B. Wells-Barnett's life. Born a slave, Ida became free with the release of the Emancipation Proclamation. Ida's stance on Jim know "laws", segregation and lynching were shaped by diverse events, which are addressed in the book. This book is a must read for children because it illustrates how one person can make a difference in the world.
Reviewed By: Tomii Adelakum (Midwestern State University Student)
Author
(last name first):
Smith, Emily Wing
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Sutton Books/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
8th and Up
Classification:
Fiction
Joy loves Zan and she is sure Zan loves her. They live in a small Mormon community called Haven. Joy recently moved to town. Zan has secrets that he doesn't want Joy to know or be a part of so as soon as he can, he leaves Haven and Joy behind.
This leaves Joy utterly heartbroken and depressed. She decides to use her Fall Break to travel back to California, where she used to live, where she knows Zan is now, to get some closure and remind Zan what she means to him. Zan's best friend Nick goes along with her.
When they finally meet Zan, he is no longer the person they knew, and no longer wants anything to do with them. Joy is forced to acknowledge what she already knew and what she has come to realize. She can be Joy without having to emerge herself into someone else and their life. She can be herself solo and she can be herself with Nick.
Reviewed By: Nicola Clement (Midwestern State University Student)
Author
(last name first):
Caravantes, Peggy
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Morgan Rynolds Publishing/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
3rd and Up
Classification:
Non-Fiction
I enjoyed reading this book because of its theme and the main character's story. The author provided a succinct, but detailed description of Ralph Waldo Emerson from birth to death.
Controversy and a belief in self reliance have a long history together. Through time, those who stand apart from the crowd and have different beliefs, ideologies and such are usually persecuted. The concept of man is a powerful, divine soul was what Emerson believed. Dependence on the self was the same as dependence on soul. Since the soul was created by God, reliance on the self was ultimately reliance on God. Even though other felt angst about Emerson's beliefs, he chose to be oblivious to them and their harsh words. The Straight forward, understandable word choice and sentence structure will appeal to children. Children will learn to trust their convictions. A child who reads this book will hopefully learn to seek help when he/she needs it. Also, children will learn to stand up for their beliefs, especially when pressured by peers to make bad choices.
Reviewed By: Tomii Adelakum (Midwestern State University Student)
Author
(last name first):
Littman, Sarah Darer
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Scholastic Press/ July 2010
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
8th and Up
Classification:
Fiction
Dani Bensimon deals with the political and economic crisis that is dragging her middle class Jewish family into poverty and her loving father into depression. Her family is still grieving over the death of her pregnant aunt and unborn child in the 1994 terrorist bombing of the AMIA building, the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. To make matters worse all of Dani's friends have left the country, including her boyfriend, Roberto. Eventually, the Bensimons relocate to the New York suburbs and Dani must work hard to remain the devoted, perfect, supportive daughter. Dani's experiences give her insight and empathy into a community suffering the aftermath of 9/11. The author intermixed English and Spanish throughout the book making it a great book to use for lessons in Spanish and English language as well as on political and economic crises in Argentina and the United States. There is a AR test available for this book so that students can earn points in reading.
Reviewed By: Lila Davis (Night Circulation Supervisor at Midwestern State University)
Author
(last name first):
Myers, Walter Dean
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Scholastic Press/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
3rd and Up
Classification:
Fiction
This is a tale of five intelligent children who make and live by their own rules. They are called "The Cruisers" and they attend an academy for gifted children. The Cruisers have gifts that are not so appreciated by the assistant principal. Out of the blue, the Cruisers are sucked into working with a drug addict by the assistant principal. This particular drug addict is another student whose gifts are more valued than that of the Cruisers combined. Each member of the Cruisers then have to analyze their feelings and attitudes towards drugs and drug addicts. This is a story on what drives people to addiction and how a few are redeemed.
It is a great book because it deals with the pressures young people face and alternative ways to deal with stress besides doing drugs.
Reviewed By: Tomii Adelkun (Midwestern State University Student)
Author
(last name first):
Brody, Jessica
Publisher, Date of Publication:
FSG/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
9th and Up
Classification:
Fiction
Brooklyn is the Queen of Bad Decisions. She has been making them since she was two and fell down a mine shaft. Now she is fifteen and has made her biggest bad decision yet. She accidentally burned down her mom's model home and gotten arrested, the judge lets her off with a warning and two hundred hours of community service. Her best friend Shayne, whose idea it was to make fajitas while they were drunk, detached her and she is suddenly a nobody.
That's when Brooklyn decides to make a blog where others would make decisions for her and she promises to follow them. She also meets Brian and Hunter. Hunter is the choice she would have made had she still been Brooklyn best friend to Shayne. Brian is who she can be herself.
Brooklyn however does not know who she really wants to be. Can the bloggers help her decide?
Reviewed By: Nicola Clement (Midwestern State University Student)
Author
(last name first):
Gratton, Tessa
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Random House/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
9th and Up
Classification:
Fiction
Fictional story of the orphan, Silla, and her dabble with magic. The Tale begins with the mysterious death of Silla's parents. Silla's dad is the suspect and his death is ruled a suicide. With nothing else, but an old home and a book of magic, Silla and her brother take care of each other. With the book, Silla's hope is to unravel the mystery surrounding her parents deaths. The story is filled with twists and turns which will bewitch the reader.
Even though the plot is entertaining, the story is filled with sublime messages on sexual acts, and self cutting as a way to relieve emotional pain. The author depicts self cutting as a pleasurable rewarding act, which it is not. Young readers should understand that self cutting, for any reason, is a destructive habit.
Reviewed By: Tomi Adelakm (Midwestern State University Student)
Author
(last name first):
Marcus, Kimberly
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Random House/2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
9th
Classification:
Fiction
Liz has been forever best friends with Kate until one faithful night when Liz, at one of their sleepovers pushed Kate too far with her honesty. Liz is so angry that she leaves Kate down stairs.When she apologizes, Kate accept but continues to avoid her until Liz forces Kate to tell her the truth. Kate accuses Liz's brother Mike of raping her. Liz is shocked and does not know who to believe. She confronts Mike who tries to talk to Kate. This is when the truth comes out and Kate's family presses charges.
Liz tries her hardest to support her family to the point where she begins to lose herself and her joy and love for photography. A picture says a thousand words and the picture that comes up in her mind when she thinks of what happened that night is total betrayal of everything she believes in. This book is written in a series of scenes like snapshots.
Reviewed By: Nicola Clement (Midwestern State University Student)
Author(last name first):
Colman, Penny
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Henry Holt and Company/2011
GradeLevel/ or Age Level:
4th-9thClassification: Non-Fiction This is a biography of two suffragists who were pioneers in the fight for women's rights. The author gave an apt description of the world for women before the Nineteenth Amendment. Because they were wrongly thought to be the "weaker sex", woman were discriminated against. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were the women who chose to fight for their rights. The events that made Susan and Elizabeth who they were had similarities and differences as depicted by the author. Pictures, quotes among other items, were used to make Susan and Elizabeth as lifelike as possible.The story is succinct, and yet poignant. Readers will enjoy learning about these great woman, and how their choices changed the world for women and men as well.Reviewed By: Tomi Adelakum (Student at Midwestern State University)
Author
(last name first):
Lowry, Lois
Publisher, Date of Publication:
Scholastic INC./2011
Grade
Level/ or Age Level:
2nd-5th
Eleven year-old Amelia Pierce and her older brother, Daniel, are sent to live in the Shaker community at Sabbath-day Lake, ME, after her parents die in the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic. Lydia must become accustomed to living, working, and learning with the Shakers and other abandoned children cared for at the settlement. However, Daniel runs away, and after a hard cold winter comes back to live out his life with the Shakers. Lydia worries about him throughout the story; her time with the Shakers is marked by a sense of acceptance and appreciation for what she has. The book covers just six months of the children's lives. Lydia grows and changes, but her learning is slow and subtle, as she learns to let go of her sorrow and appreciate the simple joys in life. There are pages of historical notes and photographs at the end of the book. These notes are particularly useful in clarifying which parts of the story is real and which are fiction. This book would be great for children who are learning about the Shaker community in the 1900s. This book is definitely a page turner I had trouble putting it down. It was very interesting learning about the differences between the common knowledge about the Quaker community and then comparing it to the Shaker community. There is a AR test available for this book.
Reviewed By: Lila Davis (Night Circulation Manager in the Moffett Library at Midwestern State University)
