If I Grow Up- Strasser

DeShawn lives in the Frederick Douglass Project where “daily life is ruled by drugs and gang violence.” He is a smart kid and really wants to do the right thing especially because he knows how much it would mean to his grandmother who has raised him. DeShawn is a cool kid and his friends respect what he is trying to do. They know they can trust him even if he doesn’t agree with their lifestyle. It doesn’t seem fair though when his friends start showing up with new shoes and big-screen TVs. How long can DeShawn hold out when he gets tempted from so many directions?
This comes from the jacket cover, “Strasser opens a window into the life of a teenager struggling with right and wrong under the ever-present shadow of gangs.” He gives us characters who are believable and he certainly doesn’t sugar-coat anything. It is a pretty edgy story and I’m not sure I like how the story ends, but I think it is worth reading.

The Absoluely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Alexite

Junior lives on a Spokane Indian Tribe reservation. His parents are both drunks and his family is very poor. Junior takes an inventory of where his life is now and where it is likely to end if he stays on the reservation. He decides to make a change. There is an all-white school in the neighboring town that is one of the best small schools in the state. The students there excel in sports and academics. Junior makes up his mind that he wants to attend school there. This decision creates a few major problems. How will he get to the school that is exactly twenty-two miles away? How will the kids there react? How will his friends take the news that he is leaving them and the reservation each day to go to a fancy “white” school? Especially, when he makes the basketball team and ends up playing against them?
This book is hilarious! I love the fact that the author tells that story though words and comic illustrations. It is really written for the more mature reader, one who can handle bathroom humor and some language appropriately.

All the Broken Pieces- Burg

Matt Pin was air-lifted out of war-torn Vietnam. While he is grateful for the life he has in the United States, he carries a lot of guilt about the family he left behind. Matt’s new family encourages him to go out for one of the local baseball teams. They feel that it would help him get over his shyness and make a few friends along the way. Matt’s new team -mates don’t make it easy for him. Thank goodness he has a coach and other adults in his life who are patient and are willing to help him find his way.

This book is written in free verse which makes it a quick read. Anyone who has ever felt that they were out of place or didn’t “fit-in” would certainly benefit from this story. It is so rich and really makes you think about how people for other cultures need time to go through an adjustment period.

Million-Dollar Throw- Lupica

Nate Brodie is a kid who knows what is important in life. He has a great family, great talent, and good friends. He is the quarterback of his school's 8th grade team. He seems to have everything going for him. As a matter of fact, Nate's best friend Abby, has so much confidence in him that she enters him in a contest where the winner will get to try winning a million dollars simply by throwing a football through a target at one of the Patriot's games. No pressure, right? Well guess who's name gets drawn. Nate should be thrilled, but he's not. He's not ready for everything life is throwing his way right now. He tries to keep his chin up, he knows that is what is expected....but sometimes it just gets too hard.

I can't wait until some of you football fans get a chance to read this book, especially our football players. Mike Lupica does a great job of capturing the excitement of playing in the game. He breaks down plays, explains how the quarterback knows where the offense and defensive players are, and really gets you inside the coach's head as well. He also keeps it real by throwing in a dose of real life, situations that are sometimes out of anyone's control. He uses these events as teachable moments that if you take the time to listen, you will receive some valuable advice.

When You Reach Me-Stead

Miranda and Sal have been best friends since they were babies. They have always walked back and forth to school together, past the crazy man on the corner, and avoiding the group of older boys who were always hanging out along the way. Things change when one of the boys punches Sal in the stomach for no apparent reason. Sal avoids Miranda and starts spending a lot of time alone. What should she do?

Miranda begins hanging out with a different set of friends but that is not the only thing that changes. The apartment key that Miranda and her mom have kept hidden in the same hiding place for years is stolen. Then Miranda starts finding notes in random places that are addressed to her and contain weird messages. All of this adds up to a very interesting read. I enjoyed the book but I'm a little puzzled by one event in the story. (If you read it, the thing I am referring to is on page 161. ) Talk to me so you can help me figure it out!

Mrs. G.

Notes from the Dog-Paulsen

Finn is looking forward to summer vacation. His goal is to talk to no more than twelve people all summer. His dad, his buddy, Matthew, and his dog, Dylan, that only leaves room for nine more. That all changes when Joanna enters his life. She is a college student who is house- sitting next door. She seems to know just what Finn needs to bring him out of his shell. Finn ends up working harder than he could have imagined. He also ends up caring more about Joanna then he knew he could.

Bystander-Preller

Griffin Connelly is a bully. Everyone knows he is a bully but no one wants to stand up to him. Really, because standing up to him might just make you his next target. Who wants that kind of trouble? He has quite a group of followers. They always seem ready to carry out Griffin's orders.

Eric is the new kid at school. He has just moved to town with his mother and younger brother after his dad left the family. Eric is struggling with the fact that his father is suffering from a mental illness. It doesn't make him any less angry at his father for leaving them but he is trying to understand things.

David Hallenback is Griffin's main target. Eric hates how David is being treated but is afraid to get too involved. What should he do? Should he be a bystander or possibly the bully's next target?

One of my favorite lines in the book comes after a class meeting on bullying. The quote is, "In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." I looked it up. This quote is from Martin Luther King, Jr. I will remember it always!

The Watcher-Howe

While the book was published in 1997 the message is still very relevant today. James Howe has written a story about child abuse and the impact on the victims. The characters are interesting individually but even more so once their lives start to intersect. He makes a point of showing us that things aren't always as they seem.

SLOB-Potter

Owen Birnbaum is a bully-magnet. Kids make rude noises and snide comments every time he walks by. To make matters even worse his PE teacher loves to find ways to humiliate him. It could be because Owen is the fattest kid in school, he also happens to be one of the brightest. He is trying to do something about his weight but the one thing he won't give up are his favorite cookies at lunch. Someone has started stealing them right out of his lunch bag each day. Owen can't catch a break. Owen's family suffered a tragedy two years ago and it still haunts him. He is working on an invention that he hopes will help him get some closure and allow him to move on. Now, he has a mystery to solve as well.

Jerk, California- Friesen

Sam Carrier used to be "normal" until the the jerking and twitching began. Then, not only did Sam's life change but the way people reacted to him began to change as well. His abusive stepfather, Old Bill, (who has some issues himself) is always ready to make Sam feel worse about having Tourette's by bashing on Sam's father. You see, Sam's father also had Tourette's. The only thing his father gave him before he died.

Running is Sam's release. He loves running and is really good at it but Bill would never allow him to "waste" time after school so he can't try out for the track team. One day as Sam is running home from school he meets another runner on the path. Naomi becomes very significant to Sam as the story progresses. Another key character is an old "coot" named George. It is through George's persistence and kindness that Sam learns about himself and the true story of his family.

I really enjoyed this story. I was somewhat surprised to learn that the author, Jonathan Friesen, has Tourette's Syndrome but you could tell from the writing that he was speaking from his heart. The emotions that Sam expresses are very real.

Summertime Reading!

Wow, I didn't realize how much time has gone by since I last updated on this blog! It's not that I haven't been reading...far from it. Let me tell you about a couple books I've read this week. Then I will go back and write about some of the others I have read and enjoyed! Can't wait to hear about what you are reading this summer.

Mr. G.

Jump the Cracks-DeKeyser

What would you do if you saw an innocent baby with bruises being yanked around by his mom? Would you walk away and say to yourself, "Not my problem"? OR would you take a giant leap and do what you could to protect the child? This is the situation Victoria encounters while she rides the train from Connecticut to New York to visit her father. While Victoria watches the young boy's mom leave him on the train when they reach the station. Why would she do that? What should Victoria do? Read this exciting and heart touching story to see if there will be a happy ending.

Just Listen-Dessen

If you were to drive by Annabel's glass house and look inside you would think you were looking at the perfect family. The ideal family without a care in the world. Annabel would be the first to tell you that looks can be deceiving. She and her sisters are very beautiful and they all have modeled for the same agency. In her latest commercial, Annabel plays the all-American girl: top student, popular cheerleader, prom queen. Who would know that in real life she feels like the girl who has nothing. Her best friend now wants nothing to do with her. What happened during the summer that changed Annabel's life?

The events in the story could happen to anyone. The author, Sarah Dessen, takes a life altering event and teaches young people the importance of reaching out to the ones you love for support. She lets you know that it is okay to trust yourself and your instincts because you ultimately know how to do the right thing.

Bravo Zulu, Samantha! - Duble

Samantha has to spend a month at her grandparents house this summer and she is dreading it! He grandfather is a retired military pilot and he is one crabby fellow. What is she going to do? The answer to that question comes up very unexpectedly when Samantha finds out that her grandfather is keeping a secret. Once Samantha discovers his secret her summer becomes much more exciting and she gains a whole new respect for her grandfather.

Peak-Smith

Peak Marcello is an adventuresome fourteen-year-old. He had decided to climb skyscrapers in New York City. That’s right, climb up the outside of those tall vertical buildings. The only problem with this quest is that it is quite illegal and unfortunately Peak gets busted. Not a happy phone call home if you know what I mean. As a result of this little “incident”, Peak gets a chance to get reacquainted with his long-lost father who is a world famous mountain climber. He was preparing to climb Mount Everest when he heard about Peak’s arrest. He interrupts his climb to come to Peak’s aid in New York. Now you would think his father would be very angry about this but as it turns out he wasn’t. As it turns out he has some plans for Peak.

Chains-Anderson

Many of you are already fans of Laurie Halse Anderson. She has written Speak and Fever 1793. In the book Chains, she tells a very powerful story of a young slave girl named Isabel. This historical fiction account takes place during the Revolutionary War. Isabel and her younger sister, Ruth are orphans and their latest owner has just died. They are taken by their owner's nephew and sold in a tavern to the highest bidder. That degrading event takes Isabel and Ruth from their home in Rhode Island to New York City where they are to work for a couple who are very loyal to the King. They have money and wealth like Isabel has never seen but her mistress is one of the meanest, most demanding people you could ever imagine.
While many of the characters in the story are fiction, the humiliation, cruelty, and danger that Isabel endures is not. Her life means nothing to the soldiers who use her as a spy and messenger between the Loyalist and Patriots. The story is very emotional and moving. I was happy to see that Isabel's story will be continued in another book. If you have been reading any of Angel Johnson's books I recommend picking up this story.

Skullduggery Pleasant-Landy

Stephanie Edgely was unaware of just how much her life was going to change as she sat in the lawyer's office that day. Her uncle had passed away and she was there to hear the reading of his will, not that she expected to gain anything, but because she had been requested to attend. Stephanie was curious about a stranger in the room who must of been a friend of her uncle's because he certainly wasn't family. As it turns out Stephanie inherits her uncle's house and that is where her troubles begin. On the first night she decides to stay there alone someone breaks in and threatens to harm her. During her struggle to get away she hears the front door explode open and the stranger from the lawyer's office comes in and sends the intruder running. The stranger, as she later finds out, is Skullduggery Pleasant, a well dressed, living-dead, wizard-detective who knows a little something about the intruder's reason for being at the house.

As it turns out there is a war brewing between to opposing forces and the evil "Faceless Ones" are gaining strength which would be very bad for Stephanie, Skullduggery, and the rest of the world. The intruder stated that he was after a key so now Stephanie and Skullduggery had a mystery to solve. They need to find the key and figure out how it was going to be used by the evil forces.

I enjoyed the humor in the story and was caught up in the adventure from the beginning. I like the pace of the story and look forward to the next book in this series. I can't wait to hear your opinions of this book!

Mrs. G

Airman-Colfer

If you are looking for a book that will take you on an adventure back in time this is it! The 1890's was a time of Queens and Kings, sword fighting, honor, dishonor, pirates and a time of discovery. Conor Broekhart is a young man who shares a dream of flying with his very knowledgeable tutor. Together, they are working on designs for an aircraft that will allow man to fly. Due to the untimely death of his tutor and the death of the king, both of which Conor is blamed, Conor spends some time in a very tough prison far from home. The story is well written and the pace keeps it interesting.

I took this book with me on vacation and could not put it down! The author, Eoin Colfer, is also known for his Artemis Fowl series.

Savvy-Law

What if your thirteenth birthday meant you were going to receive a very unusual gift, not one that you could ask for but one that was given by nature. The Beaumont family members are always a little nervous about turning thirteen because that is when they learn about their special gift, their savvy.Mibs is convinced that her savvy is going to be the kind of gift that will help her bring her father out of a coma. She goes on quite an adventure as she learns about her true savvy and meets some very interesting characters along the way. The author uses this humorous story to teach us the importance of accepting people for who they are.

Maximun Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports -Patterson

Max and her flock are on the move again! This time serious issues occur and they split up and go separate ways. How is that going to work for Max when it comes time for her to save the world? Oh and one more thing, we meet somebody's parents. I won't tell you who but I know they wouldn't be voted "Parents of the Year".