Book Reviews

ABC DEF GHI JKL MNO PQR STU VWXYZ

For my most recent reviews, go to my blog

Nathan is thrown out of a exclusive school when his father dies a pauper. He & his sister team up with a pirate's son (also enrolled in the school) and go to Madagascar to find the pirates's son's mother, a native. The trio gets wrapped up in the local customs and superstitions and eventually other pirates. To save themselves they must become like pirates. After a big climax, Nathan returns home while his sister and the pirate's son remain in Madagascar. This book is written with beautiful language but the first third has little action. The last third becomes exciting and the book ends up with almost a Dicken's feel. Looking back on this 294 page book, I really enjoyed it but the initial part was slow. Kids who appreciate beautiful language, other cultures (about half of the book takes place in Madagascar), and some excitement, will enjoy this book.

 

McCaughrean, Geraldine. The white darkness. HarperTempest, 2007 [978-0-06-089035-3//0-06-089035-5]

Sym is a smart girl who is obsessed with Antarctica and everything available.  In fact she even imagines conversations with the on the explorers, Titus Oates.  Even more obsessed than she is, is her Uncle who wants to find Symme’s Hole, an opening there to the center of the Earth.  Her Uncle spends his life fortune arranging a trip to Antarctica with Stephanie so he can trick people into going on a ill-fated trip to find Symme’s Hole.  I found the first three quarters of this 373 page book to be very slow reading but the excitement picks up when they get out on the ice and have a hard fight against the harsh elements.  The conditions of their survival make the book worth reading but I found Sym’s imagining so many conversations with her long-dead explorer “friend” a little tedious. He becomes a little to real to her for my taste.

McCormick, Patricia. Cut. Front Street, 2000 [1-88691-61-8]

This is a powerful book which deals with self-mutilation! As I started it, I thought I would send it to HS. After finishing it, I have decided to keep it. Fifteen-year-old Callie is put in an institute after cutting her wrists and narrates the story. More than half of the book takes place either in the private counseling or group counseling sessions in which Callie participates. The institute has youth with various "issues" including things such as issues. Because this 168 page book is told by the patient, it feels a great a lot like "I never promised you a rose garden." The book does not spend a great of time with the cutting but rather the treatment. It is an important book for 7-12 graders.

McCaughrean, Geraldine. The kite rider. HarperCollins, 2002 [0-06-623874-9]

This is a sold piece of historical fiction taking place in 13th century China. After trying to save his mother from a terrible second marriage, a 12 year-old-boy takes up an unusual to earn money. He takes up riding a kite in the sky for a circus. While traveling around the country he gets involved with many adventures which his gambling uncle and also the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. The ending of this 272 book is a very clever bit of intrigue.

McDaniel, Lurlene. All the days of her life, 1994

This is not the same as her usual book where the reader waits for someone to die. In this book a girl has to learn to live with her diabetes. In this book the idea of diabetes is stronger than the story. It reminds me of Willo Davis Roberts' "Sugar isn't everything" where it appears that the author set out to write a book about diabetes. McDaniel's book has a stronger story than the Roberts one, but not by much. I picked up this 153 page book at our book fair.

McDaniel, Lurlene. Till death do us part

All of this author's books (that I have read) are tear-jerkers. Someon has some illness and you wait for them to die while your emotions are toyed with. I have several girls who love these books -- I dislike them. In this one, April goes into the hospital with headaches and meets a boy with cystic fibrosis. I turns out that she has a brain tumor and he is medically fragile. They fall in love, plan to get married and he ends up on the hospital from an auto racing accident where they get married just as he dies. This book is 214 pages but is a quick read to is appropriate for 6th grade and up. This is one of those for readers who like to read with Kleenex.

McDonald, Joyce. Comfort Creek. Yearling, 1996 [0-440-41198-X]

Quinn's world seems to have started a free fall. Her mom went off to sing with a band, her father is moving them from her hometown to the swamps, and her father has lost his job. Also, because she changed schools, she could not be the editor of her school newspaper. In the middle of all this turmoil the county is split over the possibility of a strip mining company taking over a town to mine. This 194 page book shows how a family deals with hard times through humor, friendship, and family ties. It is a warm, cozy story about troubling times for a family and community.

McDonald, Joyce. Shades of Simon Gray. Delacorte, 2001 [0-385-32659-9]

Simon Gray, a computer wiz kid, provided test answers to several students. One night he goes into a coma after he crashes his car into an historic tree in New Jersey where a man was lynched 200 years ago. Two things now happen. Simon begins having out-of-body experiences where he ends up spending time with the man who was hanged on the tree. Also, the school finds out someone has broken into the computer network and calls the police. Now all of Simon's friends are not only dealing with his coma but also with the chance of getting caught cheating and breaking into the school's network. This powerful 245 page book is a great read with many subplots.

McDaniel, Lurlene. Time to let go, 1990

This is different than the other McDaniel title I have read. In the others, you read in agony, waiting for someone to die. In this one the story opens with Erin having severe headaches. They appear to stem from the death of her sister in the previous year. This is the story of a girl (and her parents) coming to grips with the death of a sister. This story rang home to me, having had a brother die also. It is a touching story of friendship, family relationships, and counseling. The only criticism I have of it is that it does wrap up a little too neat. I don't think any student below a mature 6th grader would like this 162 page book.

McDaniel, Lurlene._Until Angels close my eyes_,1998

This is the third in a series by her (Angels watching over me; Lifted up by Angels.) It was nice how she handled the back information. There was not the usual backtracking in the beginning of the book. The reader is just told of past information as absolutely needed while the story moves on. In this book Leah has recovered from cancer and is dealing with the cancer of her 5th step father who she really loves. In previous books she had fallen in love with an Amish boy. At the end of this book the step father dies and the Amish boy leaves. After the initial shock of the death, it is almost an uplifting experience. I am not a big fan of these heart wrenching books by McDaniel but this 242 page book does not leave you weeping and ripped apart at the end. It is comforting.

McElfresh, Lynn E. Can you feel the thunder? Atheneum, 1999 [0-689-82324-x]

Things are strange on Mic's street, not the least of all his family. There are some goofy neighbors and the many strange things going on in his house because of his deaf/blind sister. She lives at home and his mother acts as her teacher. Meanwhile Mic becomes friendly with a strange boy who moves on to his street. This story is told with humor and compassion. The family situation and interpersonal family relationships surrounding a handicapped child are told very well. -- I was special ed teacher for 13 years and know (student taught in a deaf-blind class.) The only slight criticism I have is that the sighted Mic reads braille by using his fingers -- most sighted people who read braille, do it by looking at it. This 138 page book is a wonderful story, told with humor. It is not your teary eyed, handicapped story, and important addition to most collections.

Mack, Tracy. Drawing lessons. Scholastic, 2000 [0-439-11202-8]

Rory's father had given her drawing a painting lessons to sharpen her artistic skills. She and her father were alike -- artists and free spirits. Unfortunately her father was too much of a free spirit and she caught him kissing a model. Her father moves out without saying anything and Rory stops all her painting and drawing. This is the touching story of a young girl coming to grips with her parents strained relationship -- how it affects her, her friendships, and her art. It is a 168 page book showing a young lady struggling and learning. The book has smaller pages and a lot of white space so it is touching, yet quick read.

McKinley, Robin. Spindle's end ,2000 [0-399-23466-7]

This is a loose retelling and expansion of Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty. The King and Queen finally have a child in this magical kingdom and on her naming day an evil fairy appears and warns that on or before her 21st birthday, the child will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. The child is quickly, secretly and mysteriously given to a peasant fairy to raise. For the next 21 years the child grows up not knowing she is the princess. Finally they come for her for her 21st birthday party ball where all the kingdom's fairies and magicians weave spells to protect her. Of course the evil fairy shows up and all the excitement happens. I found this 422 page book to be a very long read. The first chapter or two the author tries to hard to be clever, to the point I found it irritating. The bulk of the book takes place during the waiting 21 years where the reader learns much about magic and the world of spells and fairies. I found this section to be interminably long. The authors sentence structure is long and tedious at times. This book will only be enjoyed by upper level fantasy readers.

McKinley, Robin. Sunshine. Berkley Books, 2003 [0-425-19178-8]

WOW! Once again McKinley has crafted another alternate reality to weave her book through. We are in a wold recovering a war with Vampires. There is a special police force which investigates new vampire reports. Sunshine is a baker at a popular bakery/coffee shop and she goes for a drive one day and gets involved with some vampires. After she helps one vampire, Con, he enlists her to help him eventually conquer a vicious vampire gang. This 389 page book is a wonderfully crafted story. But for middle schools, beware, there is an descriptive erotic section. I was disappointed about this and as a result I am sending the book to your H.S. This is a wonderful book but the sex is a little too much for my school.

McKissack, Patricia C. A picture of freedom [Dear America], 1997

The is the fictitious diary of a slave girl who learns to read and write by watching a tutor teach the young white boy in the "big house" while she fans them. The complexity of the diary writing does not match with what she says about herself in it. It is a good story of slavery and the underground railroad. There are extensive historical notes at the end. The complaint I have with this 195 page book is the same as the other Dear America books. They are not presented as fiction. The epilogues at the end make them feel especially real. I will not purchase another in this series unless it specifically covers an historic event which we study in our school.

 

Mackler, Carolyn. The Earth, my butt, and other big round things. Candlewick Press, 2003 [0-7636-1958-2]

Virginia is a HS girl who is over weight and does not feel good about herself. She lives by the fat girl code of conduct. Her mother is a famous psychologist and father works a lot. Her sister has moved out the house and her idea brother has just gone off to college. Everything is going great until her brother is thrown out of school for date rape. The family changes although tries to act like the "situation" never happened. The interaction between the characters is excellent and the depth of Virginia is wonderful BUT... Virginia is a HS girl.. the book opens with a descriptive make-out scene and there are other frank discussions of sex. This is an excellent 246 page book but I will be careful who I give it to.

McNamee, Graham. Acceleration. Random House, 2003 [0-385-73119-1]

Duncan has a summer job working in the lost and found in the Toronto subway system. While there he finds a diary of a potential serial killer and he spends the summer trying to figure out who the guy is, tracking him down, and... getting involved in a situation which is way over his head. This 210 page book is a good mystery.. as one of Duncan's friend says "...it's like the Hardy boys meet Hannibal Lecter." As a side note.. I found this book especially interesting because I am quite familiar with the city of Toronto.

McNaughton, Janet. The secret under my skin. EOS/HarperCollins, 2004 [0-06-008989-X]

It is 2368 and there are two groups living together in a tense peace.  "The Commission" (or the government) and "The Way" (another group.)  Blay is an orphan living in a work house with other kids when she is selected to assist the newly selected Bioindicator study for her tests.  She ends up helping the Bioindicator by cheating and doing more than she should.  In the meantime Blay finds out she has an identification chip in her skin and she wants to find out who she his.  Unfortunately, many years ago there was a techocaust which was a movement against anything technological so she has to find someone to read the chip.  This 264 page book is a science fiction tale which takes place after a ecological disaster and a "techocaust" as described above.  It will be an interesting read for your sci-fi fans.

 

Magrs, Paul. The good, the bat, and the ugly. Atheneum, 2004 [0-689-87019-1]

Let me start out with ... yes, the author's name is spelled correctly! Here we have a cross of a British sitcom and Daniel Pinkwater. Twenty years ago Jason's dad, Frank, was a famous TV puppeteer (with a bat puppet) but Frank ended his career by having a big fight with his puppet on the air. Now Frank wants to give Jason a puppet for Christmas but Jason hears the packed away bat puppet calling him. Frank goes crazy one day at a store, destroying all the puppets in a window display. We enter the crazy world of TV puppets who seem to be more in control then the puppeteers. Suddenly puppets are getting murdered (or destroyed.) Who is doing it? Why does Frank's puppet bat talk to Jason? If you have readers with a warped sense of humor they will like this 247 page book. Just one note: There is dark magic at the end of the book when we find out that early in his career, Frank sold his soul to the Devil to make his puppet talk. The devil appears at the end of the book (in the form of Punch of Punch and Judy fame.)

Maguire, Gregory. The good liar. Clarion, 1999 [0-395-90697-0]

Maria's class is studying World War II and have to contact people who lived through it. By luck she ends up writing to a man who grew up as a young boy in France during that period. The bulk of the book is a long letter (supposedly written on a word processor) describing growing up in occupied France. The book gives an feel of how a child must have felt and thought about the whole thing. The characters are real, from both the two Jews they hid in their house for a while, to the German soldier the boys secretly befriended. The three brothers in the story were known throughout their village as excellent liars but the title refers to someone else who was ultimately a better one. Although entirely fiction, this 129 page book left me feeling that I knew someone who actually grew up in that terrible time.

Maguire, Gregory. Seven spiders spinning, 1994

This is a cute story about a elementary class of students and seven prehistoric poisonous spiders which get transported and thawed out in a small town in Vermont. These 7 spiders first open their eyes and see some girls from this class and imprint on them. The bulk of the story is the spiders trying to find the girls, one at a time, and each of the spiders meeting untimely, accidental deaths before they can bite one the students. It is a fun, not gruesome tale. This 132 page book reaches a peak of frenzy at the end when the students try to save their teacher's life.

Manns, Nick. Operating Codes. Little Brown, 2001 [0-316-60465-8]

When Graham's family move into a new home he and his younger brother start to see ghosts. He does some research to find the history of the house and the possible ghost. Meanwhile his father is writing computer code for a new jet fighter and someone steals the code and his father is accused of giving away secrets about national security. This 182 page book is a mystery combined with a ghost story. What is interesting is that the ghost story and the mystery are centered around a similar theme.

Martin, Ann M. Belle Teal. Scholastic, 2001 [0-439-09823-8]

It is the early 1960s and Belle Teal's elementary school in the deep south is about to be integrated. Belle's grandmother has taught her to treat everyone the same but on the first day of school there are parents protesting outside her school and Darryl becomes one of her classmates. Ann Martin (of the Babysitter's club) has written a touching story of prejudice in the south. Belle is an outspoken young lady who deals with a stuck up girl (nicknamed HRH) and other social problems at school including her befriending the new African American classmate. This 216 page book is a good, solid piece of historical fiction.

Martinez, Floyd. Spirits of the High Mesa. Arte Publico, 1997 [1-55885-198-4]

Flavio is growing up in a rural town in New Mexico in the early 1950s. His grandfather, El Grande, is the wise man in the town who everyone turns to for advice. Electricity comes to town, the new lumber plant moves in and things begin to change in this peaceful community. Then the Gringos move in. Flavio is tossed between the new exciting things happening to this town and old wisdom of his grandfather. This 192 page book is just full of Spanish expressions which are not translated or is any glossary provided and I found myself wondering what was being said at times. But that aside, it is a touching story of the clash between the old ways and modern changes.

Martino, Alfred C. Pinned. Harcourt, 2005 [0-15-205631-9]

This is the tale of two very different young men in their senior year preparing for the state finals in NJ in two different areas of the state.  One comes from a rich family in a rich school district, the other from a blue collar community.  The reader gets wrapped up in their total commitment to wrestling.  Meanwhile they are both also having personal problems.  The rich boy's  family is going through a divorce and believes he has gotten his inner city girlfriend pregnant.  The other hates his coach and has a fright at practice and  gets thrown off the team.  Martino gets very specific about the locations in New Jersey, including street names.  I just wonder whether it would turn off someone not from NJ (I am from NJ.)  The there is a descriptive scene sexual scene with the boy who thinks he gets his girlfriend pregnant.  It is more descriptive than I would feel comfortable letting most middle school students read.  This is a powerful story for wrestlers but I would not recommend it for a middle school because of the one sexual scene -- there was no need to get that descriptive.

 

Mass, Wendy. Jeremy Fink and the meaning of life. Little Brown, 2007 [0-316-05829-7//978-0316-05829-2]

Jeremy Fink's father had died long before his 13th birthday and one month before this birthday he receives a package with contains a locked box engraved with "The Meaning of Life - do not open until your 13th birthday."  Jeremy finds out the box was prepared way before his father's early death.  Unfortunately the box is locked with 4 keyholes and no keys.  The bulk of this 289 page book is the story of Jeremy and his friend Lizzie as they go on a series of adventures to find the keys before his 13th birthday.  On the way, they meet many interesting characters.. all with their own "meaning of life."  The book has a wonderful surprise ending on Jeremy's thirteenth birthday where you find something wonderful about his dad and his dad's friends.  This is a wonderful adventure book with a touching ending. Don't miss it!

 

Mass, Wendy. Rapunzel : the one with all the hair [Twice upon a time] Scholastic, 2005 [0-439-79656-3]

This is a fun re-telling of the Repunzel story with alternate chapters narrated by Rapunzel and the Prince.  This is a light-hearted retelling.. not like Napoli's retellings of fairy tales.   It is disappointing to me that many kids to not know the original stories.. so these are not as cute to the.  I enjoyed this 205 page book and hope she continues with the series.

 

Mass, Wendy. Sleeping Beauty: the one who took the really long nap [Twice upon a time]. Scholastic, 2006 [0-439-79657-1]

This is a cute retelling and expansion of the Sleeping Beauty story (much lighter than Napoli's books.)  It is told told in chapters alternately by the Prince and Princess Rose.  I found reading this 172 page book to be an enjoyable experience and plan to read others in the series.

 

Matas, Carol. Greater than angels, 1998

This is the story of some Jewish refugees during WWII who end up in unoccupied France where the community protects them. It is a touching stroy which has a very different feel than other Holocaust books. Had it been placed in another time with other people, it could have been the story of the Underground Railroad. This 131 page book shows some other angles to the Holocaust story.

Matas, Carol. In my enemy's house, 1999 [0-689-81354-6]

Marisa is a Polish Jew during the holocaust who happens to have blue eyes and blonde hair. After seeing most of her family either killed or taken away, she manages to get the papers of another girl and enters a work program for Poles in Germany. Now she has to live in "her enemy's house." Matas has written a thought-provoking book as Marisa goes through the horrors of the holocaust, examining her own self, and the personalities of the people she lives with. This 167 page book is a very different twist on the holocaust situation.

Matas, Carol. The war within. Aladdin, 2001 [0-689-84358-5]

Hannah lives in Mississippi during the Civil war. Her town is occupied by Union troops. Because of a order by General Grant all Jews are expelled from the area. Hannah begins to question her feelings towards slaves when she now, is treated as a second class citizen because of her religion. This 151 page book deals with a situation during the Civil War of which I was not aware and therefore was a interesting book. Would be an interesting tie-in to holocaust studies.

Mazer, Harry. A boy at war: a novel of Pearl Harbor. Scholastic (Book Fair), 2001 [0-439-36676-3]

It is early December 1941 and Adam's father is an officer serving on the Arizona. Much to his father's displeasure, Adam has some Japanese friends on the island. The morning of the attack the boys sneak under a fence and hijack a row boat to go fishing so they are in the harbor at the moment of the attack. There are some vivid descriptions of the situation in the harbor, but it is not overdone. After the attack, Adam and his mother wait word about his father. This short 104 page book would be a very good high interest reader but I would be cautious about using it with children below 6th grade because of the attack scene. There are historical notes at the end of the book which give enough background material and would spur further research. This short book shows what it must have been like on the island, before, during, and after the attack. The only other fiction book on this subject that I have read is "Under the blood-red sun" by Salisbury.

Mazer, Harry. The wild kid, 1998 [0-689-80751-1]

Mildly retarded Sammy has someone steal his bike. In the process of chasing the thief, he gets lost in the woods and stumbles upon a runaway boy who has been living in the woods for a while. This runaway, Kevin, holds Sammy captive for a while but soon they become friends. Sammy tries on convince Kevin to come back home with him. Eventually Sammy gets away and while climbing on a cliff, gets stuck and Kevin finds him and gets help -- Kevin disappears. Sammy goes home after 13 days and the 103 page book ends with Sammy waiting for Kevin to show up at his house. What I particularly liked about this book is that the story is told by Sammy with his limited reasoning and thoughts. I am not aware of another such book and it intrigues me after 13 years as a special education teacher. There are two slight errors in the book you may want to be aware of. First, Sammy is called "Down's" where the current term is now Down Syndrome. Secondly, the CIP has a subject heading of "Feral Children." Kevin is a runaway, not feral. These two things do not take away the significance of this book.

Mazer, Norma Fox. Good night, Maman, 1999 [0-15-2014683]

This book is in two parts. In the first Marc, Karin and their mother,, called Maman are Jews in France, hiding, and running from the Germans. Finally they get to Italy but Maman is so sick they have to leave her behind as they board a boat to America. There they are sent to Oswego,NY and interned at a camp for refugees. After quarantine they are allowed to circulate in the town and go to school there. Marc had heard on the boat coming over that Maman had died but did not have the heart to tell Karin who continues writing letters to her which she plans to read to her on their reunion. At the end Karin finds out about Maman, the war is over and the refugees are allowed to stay in America. This 185 page book has been praised a lot lately. I just could not get into the first half -- could not feel the pain and passion they were suffering. The second half reached me much more. There is a historical note at the end and if you are interested in the Oswego camp, their historical society has an excellent non-fiction book. It is also referred to in Yolen's Brian Rose. This is an interesting part of our WWII history.

Mazer, Norma Fox. When she was good, 1997

This is the powerful story of a girl in an abusive family. Initially the father beats the mother. The mother dies (of disease) and the father remarries and the kids (late teens) don't like the new mom and run away to live on their own. The older sister verbally abuses and beats the younger sister. The older sister is also probably not stable. She finally dies and most of the concerns the young sister on her own trying to deal with having been most of her life. This is a very heavy book which may be confusing to many students because it is not written chronologically - it jumps all around with the younger sister's memories. The book is a story of a girl struggling to rise above serious problems. This is not for elementary readers. I would not recommend it for many Jr. High students, reserving it for HS. There is some minor heterosexual and homosexual behavior in the 228 page book and the older's sister's abusive language can be foul. I will ship this book to our HS.

Meacham, Margaret. Mid-semester night's dream. Holiday House, 2004 [0-8234-1815-4]

Morgan is in 7th grade and is google-eyed over over Ben (although he doesn't know it.)  One night she sees a glowing in her room and finds out that a fairy in-training as been assigned to her.  Of course Morgan wants the fair to cast a love spell so Ben will be infatuated with her and ask her to the dance.  What follows are a series of miscast spells which create all kinds of awkward situations.  This 154 page book is a humorous story written for the wrong audience.  Much of the antics that Morgan goes through are more appropriate for a 5th or 6th grader and to top it all off, the print of the book is large which gives the book an elementary feel.

 

 

Mead, Alice. Soldier mom, 1999 [0-374-37124-5]

Jas's mom is in the reserves. Their family consists of Jas, her baby sister, and her mom. Mom's boyfriend is there on and off. Well, Sadam invades Kuwait and Jas's mom is given a couple of days notice that she will be shipped out. The boyfriend will move in and take care of the kids. This is the story of a family going through the stress of a mother away, a boyfriend in charge, and Jas being a teenager of 11 -- not getting along with the boyfriend, and problems at school with friends while taking on more responsibilities at home. The 151 page book shows the harsh realities of what it is like when a single parent is in the reserves.

Metzger, Lois. Missing girls, 1999 [0-670-87777-8]

It is the summer of 1967 and Carrie is making friends and dealing with the death of her mother four years ago from cancer. Her father is always on the road so she is living with her grandmother who was a Jew who survived the Holocaust. Carrie's mother was a child in 1939 and was sent to safety to live in Scotland. The story centers around Carries relationships with her friends who are suddenly into interpreting dreams. When Carrie hears that the man who cared for her mother in Scotland is coming to visit, it reopens a lot of old wounds. This is a touching, warm story interwoven with tales from the Holocaust. It is the story of a girl trying to adjust to the death of her mother and being around her friends who all have mothers. Although it took me a while to get into this 176 page book, by the end I was totally wrapped up in Carrie's life and thinking.

Meyer, Carolyn. Mary, bloody Mary. Scholastic, 2000 [043922756-9]

This book tells the tale of the turbulent youth of Mary, the first daughter of Henry VIII. (Please note I can not comment on the accuracy of the history in the book.) This story tells what it must have been like for individuals and whole nations to live (or die) at the whim of a King with absolute power. The book opens with Mary as Princess but when Henry VIII divorces her mother, Mary loses her title at the age of 10 and is then forced to be nurse maid to the newly born Elizabeth of Ann Boleyn. This story ends with the execution of Anne Boleyn but the reader is satisfied with historical notes at the end showing how Mary became the queen nicknamed, "Bloody Mary." The title of the 227 page book has nothing to do with the actual story but I found it to be a good read -- a period of history I never studied.

Meyer, Kai. Water Mirror [Dark reflections #1] McElderry/Simon & Schuster, 2005 [978-0689-87787-2/0-689-87787-0]

Meyer has created a fantasy world in Venice with mermaids, magic mirrors, walking and flying stone lions, and the devil.  Two girls are taken from an orphanage to live in the house of a magical mirror maker.  While there they are involved in a battle which rocks the very foundations of Venice.  Unfortunately this 250 page book is book one in a series that is not a complete story.  To finish the tale you must read the next book.  I do not like this kind of series and although the author has created a wonderfully imaginative world, I will not purchase the next book unless a student requests it.

 

Meyer, L.A. Bloody Jack [Bloody Jack #1] . Harcourt, 2002 [0-15-216731-5]

Jacky is an orphan surviving by living with a gang in London. She decides to disguise herself as a boy and sign up as a ship boy on a departing warship off in search of pirates. She is in constant fear of being found out. One night a mean shipmate tries to rape her and is so surprised that "he" is a girl, Jack is able to stab him and push him overboard. She gets the nickname of "Bloody Jack" when she kills a pirate and returns to the ship with a blood-covered sword. Then she starts falling in love with another of the ship's boys who fears he is becoming a sodomite because he likes Jacky. When she starts bleeding, she is concerned and nearly goes to the ship doctor but then it stops. When they land she asks a prostitute about it and finds out about that and the ways of men. This 278 page book is not your usual girl-pretending-to-be-boy book. While there is nothing descriptive, there are plenty of sexual references (as I mentioned above.) It is a great adventure with plenty of sea battles which holds the reader right to the interesting end.

Meyer, L.A. Curse of the blue tattoo [Bloody Jack #2]. Harcourt, 2004 [0-15-205459-6]

In book one Jacky pretended to be a boy on the HSM Dolphin and by the time she was found out she had fallen in love with Jaime.  The crew took her off the ship and placed her in a fancy girls boarding school in Boston.  In this book Jackie struggles with becoming a proper young lady and gets in her share of troubles.  The local preacher fancies her and tries to adopt her after adopting another girl from the school who mysteriously died.  Jacky befriends girls in both the "upstairs" and "downstairs" of the school.  The ending of this 495 page book is thrilling and when you reach that point, you will not be able to put the book down.  It is a complete book but does lead into the third book in the adventures of Jacky.  It is an exciting adventure for your better readers.

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight [#1]. Little Brown, 2005 [0-316-01584-9//9780-316-01584-4]

Seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix (and her mother) to go live her father in an isolated town in Washington.  Once there she becomes interested in Edward and his family.  Something is different about them.  After she falls madly in love with Edward she gradually finds out that he and his "family" are all vampires.  He wants to stay away from her because of the problems...but he falls head-over-heels for her.  This is a passionate love story between a human and a vampire.  It is a much more heart-pounding love story than Klaus' "Siliver Kiss."  There is nothing physical about their relationship and there is not the gore of other vampire books.. although there is a big fight at the end.  This 498 page book is a love story between a human and vampire, not a vampire.  The book will be gobbled up by your thinking vampire readers.. not one's looking for gore.  It is a complete book but there is a sequel, "New Moon."

Meyer, Stephanie. New Moon [#2].Little Brown, 2006 [0-316-16019-9//978-0-316-16019-3]

Book two of this series starts off with Edward and his family of vampires have moved away for various reasons and Bella, who is head-over-heels in love with Edward is crushed.  The first third of this 563 page book is slow with Bella trying to deal with her loss and begins to get closer to a long-time friend from the reservation.  Jake, this friend, has started hanging out with a strange group and is changing himself.  Slowly she figures out that they have become a band of werewolves.  These werewolves are committed to clearing the area of vampires.... one of which from book one has come back to kill Bella.   The action suddenly picks up as Edward misunderstands that Bella has died and he can't live without her.  The last part of a book involves Edward's family and Bella from rescuing him from getting himself killed.  After that situation is resolved they come back to Washington and Bella realizes that there is major conflict between Edward (and the vampires) and Jake (and the werewolves.  This is a good continuation of the series but some readers of the first book may put it down during the slow initial part of this story.

Mikaelsen, Ben. Countdown. Hyperion, 1996 [0-7868-1208-7]

Two parallel stories meet at the end of this 246 page book. One is of Elliot, a student chosen to fly on the Shuttle. The other is of Vincent, a Massai herder who is struggling with an internal conflict of the old ways and the ways he learns from the school and hospital near his village. Near the end of the story the Massai boy is at the school and hears a Ham Radio message from the boy on the shuttle. The two fourteen-year-olds defend their own cultures and way of lives and argue in a way which gets the whole world interested. Along the way, the reader learns much about astronautics and the Massai way of life. It is a great discussion starter about the values of various cultures.

Mikaelsen, Ben. Petey, 1998 [0-7868-0426-2]

Wow, my eyes are still wet from this powerful book! Petey is born with CP in 1920 and placed in an insane asylum. Because of his lack of speech and extreme physical deformities, he is classified as an idiot. The book traces Petey's life and feelings from an early age at the institution through his final years in a nursing home. He make friends with several volunteers over the years who all leave him. The last one is a 13 year old boy who befriends Petey in a nursing home which finally understands that the now 70 year old Petey is not retarded. This is a touching story of survival of human spirit against all odds -- Petey always is pleasant. Just before Petey dies at the end of this 280 page book, 13 year old Trevor declares Petey as his grandfather so he dies having a family. This is the best book I have read in months -- it reminded me of "The man who loved clowns" by Woods. Maybe my Special Ed background draws me to these kind of books -- what must it be like to not be able to express your feelings. I will definitely check out others by this author.

Mikaelsen, Ben. Red midnight. HarperTrophy, 2002 [0-380-80561-8]

One night soldiers come and kill everyone in their village in Guatemala (including their family) except Santiago and his four year old sister. He decides to take his uncles hand-made boat and sail hundreds of miles to the US to survive and tell people what is happening in Guatemala. Most the this 212 page book is the tale of this 12 year-old boy and his 4 year-old sister on their long voyage across the sea. It is a powerful story of these children fighting against unbelievable odds for almost a month at sea.

Mikaelsen, Ben. Rescue Josh McGuire. Hyperion, 1991 [1-56282-523-2]

Josh and his father are out hunting when his father shoots a mother bear. Josh decides to rescue the cub. He brings it home and finds out that animal rescue people give such cubs to animal experimentation places. Sooooooo.. Josh runs away with the bear leaving a note saying he won't come back unless he can keep the cub and the state outlaws spring hunting of bears. The night he runs away a huge storm hits the mountains. The story hits the wires and the national media shows up. This starts a survival, adventure that only Mikaelsen can write. The reader follows the rescue team of the police, Josh's dysfunctional family, and Josh's survival with his bear cub. This 265 page book is a GREAT survival adventure story.

Mikaelsen, Ben. Stranded.. Hyperion, 1995 [0786811099]

Koby (who lost her foot in an accident) and her parents live on a boat in the Florida Keys. The parents are having marital problems and mom is over protective of Koby because of her accident. Take that and mix it up with two stranded whales, a colorful old sailor and a hurricane and you get a very readable 247 page book.

Mikaelsen, Ben. Touching spirit bear. HarperCollins, 2000

Cole is an angry kid, full of rage and always in trouble until one day he beats up a fellow student close to death. He agrees to a "Circle of Justice" where a whole group of people will decide on what is best for him. That, for him, is to be banished on a deserted Alaskan island for a year where he will be alone to think - and struggle to survive. He isn't there very long when he decides to take on a giant bear with only a knife - he is nearly killed. He ends up in the hospital for many months and eventually has to decide and accept his punishment and how he could maybe help the boy he beat near to death. This 240 page book offers so much to the reader. It starts out like Hatchet, a survival story (although much more cruel and vivid), then deals with a young man accepting responsibility for what he has done and whether he can ever make things right. Although harsh at times, this is a very provocative book which hopefully will be read by many students. It has an eye-catching cover too.

Mills, Claudia. Losers, Inc., 1998

Ethan and his best friend consider themselves losers. In fact they have formed a club called Losers, Inc. But during their 6th grade year in Middle School things begin to change. They get a student teacher who they both form a crush over, Ethan has a girl fall in love with him, Ethan reads a thick book for the first time and even cares about the Science Fair project. These changes begin to make the road for this life-long friendship a little rocky. They grow up a lot that year. Claudia Mills knows how to write a fun school story with some meaning behind it and has done it again with this 150 page book.

Mills, Claudia. Lizzie at last. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000 [0-374-34659-3]

Lizzie loves poetry and wears frilly lacy dresses but she will starting 7th grade. Her aunt takes her to the mall and they go shopping for new things. Lizzie decides to change her image so she can fit in with the "in crowd." In this 151 page book, the reader follows Lizzie discovering herself and what is important to herself. It is a well written story which runs true to what many kids this age are going through. It is follow up to the characters in "Losers, Inc." but not really a sequel.

Mills, Claudia. Standing up to Mr. O., 1998

Seventh grader Maggie's favorite teacher is Mr. O., her science teacher...until he introduces dissection. She is a good student but takes an F each time she refuses. In English she writes an essay against dissection which is judged in a contest by other teachers (including Mr. O.) Everyone agrees she had written the best essay but she doesn't even place. Maggie also gets involved with an rebellious student who leads her down a troubled path. This 165 page book is a multi-dimensional story. I was especially touched by it because I have experienced first hand how an idolized teacher can unknowingly crush the esteem of the student by doing "what is right."

Moore, Robin. The man with the silver oar. HarperCollins, 2002 [0-380-97877-6]

Fifteen-year-old Daniel stows away on the ship of his sister's fiancé. This ship is a pirate hunter out get a particularly vicious pirate. This book 181 page book contains some gruesome descriptions of battles and pirates cruelty - but hey - it is a pirate book! The ending of the book has an exciting twist which makes the story have a very satisfying ending. I have a feeling this book will be an easy "sell" after this summer's popular pirate movie.

Morgan, Clay. The boy who spoke dog. Dutton, 2003 [0-525-47159-6]

Jack is shipwrecked and washes up on a deserted island. There was once a sheep farm on the island and the people have left (or died.) The sheep and sheep dogs still live there. To survive, Jack has to befriend the dogs who still guard the sheep. There are also dogs on the island who have gone back to being wild. This is not a cutesy story where a boy speaks in dog talk (so the title is misleading.) In this 165 page book (told by both Jack and one of the dogs, Moxie) Jack learns to communicate with the dogs and they with him. After a long time when someone finally comes to rescue him, will Jack want to leave the island and the dogs. This is a touching tale of survival and friendship between animals and one human.

Morgan, Nicola. Chicken friend. Candlewick Press, 2005 [0-7636-2735-6]

When eleven-year-old Becca's eccentric family moves from London to the countryside, Becca has a hard time adjusting.  First of all, her author father decides to pull her and her twin brothers out of school to home school them.  Then of course, there is the chicken coop with collection of their newly purchased chickens (and rooster.)  Her mother is a crazy inventor.  So, with all this things added up, Becca has trouble meeting kids and making friends.  When she finally does meet two strange girls, she hides the fact that she has diabetes from them.  The new girl friends organize a wild birthday party for Becca at our house, out in the back shed.  Well, with little supervision from her unusual parents, the party gets out of hand.  At the end of the 148 page book Becca realizes that she does not need to change herself to make new friends.  This is a fun book about friendship and self-image.

Morris, Gerald. The squire's tale, 1998 [0-440-22823-9]

This is in the time of King Arthur. Terrace had been raised by a great magician, not knowing who his parents were. When Gawain shows up on his way to Camelot to become a knight, Terrace goes as his squire. They meet King Arthur who knights Gawain and they go out on a series of quests assisted by Terrance's help from people from the faery world. At the end, they break a spell by Gawain's mother which is killing Arthur and we find out that Terrace is much more than he appears. This is a fresh and witty retelling of Gawain's story from Camelot, not just knights going off on quests. There is much humor and tension is the writing. I really enjoyed this 212 page book.

Morris, Gerald. The savage damsel and the dwarf. Houghton Mifflin, 2000 [0-395-97126-8]

With her family's castle besieged by a knight wishing to marry her sister, Lady Lynet decides to sneak out and head to King Arthur for help. On the way she meets a mysterious dwarf who tries to help her. This tale of adventure has the two of them running into all sorts of strange people and unusual circumstances. The surprising ending wraps up a lot of confusion in this 213 page book. It is a sequel to "The squire, his knight, and his lady" but is a complete story on its own. (I have not read the previous book.)

Murphy, Jim. The Journal of James Edmond Pease, 1998

This is part of the subseries of the Dear America Books, called My Name is America; books written by boys. This journal follows a Union soldier for a portion of the Civil War and describes the conditions that the soldiers lived, fought, and died under. They lived with a great deal of "hurry up and wait." Eventually this soldier is left for dead in Confederate territory and has to find his way out. He is helped by some African Americans. There are many purposeful misspellings to illustrate the writer's lack of education. At the end of the book there is large section of historical notes as in the other titles of the series. This 173 page book is a good piece of historical fiction, giving a good feel for the people and the time.

Myers, Anna. Assassin. Walker, 2005 [0-8027-8989-7]

This piece of historical fiction is told in alternating chapters by two people.   One is a fictitious girl and the other, John Wilkes Booth.  It is a very readable tale of the prelude to the Lincoln assassination and gets into the mind of John Wilkes Booth and his rationale for his deed.  This 212 page book is much more approachable by more students than Rinaldi's "In an acquaintance with darkness" which partially covers the same period.  If you school studies the Civil War, this is a must-have piece of historical fiction.

 

Myers, Anna. The keeping room ,1999 [0-14-130468-5]

Joseph's father leads the colonists of South Carolina off against the British. His forces are defeated and he is sent off to jail. Joseph's home is taken over by Cornwallis as a headquarters but just before the British come, Joseph hides a gun in the keeping room. Over the next 11 months Joseph and his family experience the horrors of British occupation but also VERY slowly begins to realize that some of the British are just doing their job and are not monsters. He learns of the drawing a quartering of some American rebels and sees almost daily hangings on the gallows erected in their garden. This 135 page book shows the agony of the colonists under British occupation and feels very much like many civil war books. This is the first one I have read that deals with such occupation during the Revolutionary war and feel it is important because of that.

Myers, Edward. Survival of the fittest. Montemayor Press, 2000 [0-9674477-2-0]

Jodie, Matt and their cousin Rus travel to the Peruvian rainforest to visit their father and their small plane crashes. They must learn to get along with each other and learn to trust each other while they try to either escape from the rainforest or get rescued. This 172 page book is a study in interpersonal relations and rainforest survival. Each of the children provide resources for the group along with providing problems. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have only one criticism - the typeface. It appears to be bold face and I kept waiting for it to get to normal typeface.

Myers, Walter Dean. The Beast. Scholastic, 2004 [0-439-36841-3]

Anthony, "Spoon" lives in Harlem but in his Junior year of High School he gets a chance to attend a prep school in Connecticut through a scholarship. When he comes back at Christmas to his family and friends... he looks at Harlem though different eyes. The girl he loves is now using drugs (the beast) and he provides her emotional support. His friends are all getting in trouble.. everything is just different. His dreams and loves of his life in Harlem suddenly change. This 170 page book looks approachable for younger students but it deals with a meaty topic. I would not recommend it below 7th grade.

Myers, Walter Dean. Game. HarperTeen, 2008 [978-0-06-058295-1]

Drew is one of the leads on his Harlem High School basketball team.  The game is his life and also his ticket to college.  One day a white boy comes to school and becomes the coach’s pet and Drew is no longer where he wants to be in the game. This new boy is taking attention away from him when the scouts come to watch the games. Can Drew and this new team member resolve their conflict for the better of them both?  This 218 page book got a little too wrapped up in the games… to the point where it started to lose me.  It would be a great book for someone wrapped up in basketball.

 

Myers, Walter Dean. Monster, 1999HarperCollins [0-06-0280078-6]

Sixteen-year-old Steven is accused of being involved in a Drug Store robbery in which someone dies. This book is the story of his trial. What makes it interesting is that since he is in a film class at school, most of the book is written as a screenplay. The rest of it is his thoughts printed with a handwritten font as if he had written them on a pad. The book does a good job depicting how Steven feels helpless in the situation and how scared he is. What I found fascinating, is that although the reader finds out the verdict, you don't really know what actually happened at the robbery. This is an important book, powerful in its message -- a must for both Middle Schools and High Schools. Although the book is 281 pages, it is not a long read because the handwritten font is large and there is much white space in the screenplay. I have one strange criticism. The paper jacket is "artsy" and only covers the bottom two thirds of the book. I had to photo copy the actual cover and tape it to the partial paper jacket so I could put plastic over the jacket.

Mryacle, Lauren. The fashion disaster that changed my life. Dutton, 2005 [0-525-47222-3]

Allison intended seventh grade to be her year of change.  She was going to be noticed.  Unfortunately she was noticed the first day of school when static cling made her mothers undies stick to her pants.  Luckily she had her two true friends and the three of them helped each other trough anything until...Allison gets assigned to a partner in Science.  Her partner was one of the "in crowd" and suddenly she has two sets of friends.  This 135 page story is fairly common in literature.  One of a set of friends finds new friends, gives her old friends less attention, they get mad, the new friends turn out to be jerks, then she has to go back to her former friends.  Although it is a familiar plot, the author handles the life of seventh grade girls nicely and I am sure the book will be popular.

 

Myracle, Lauren. ttyl. Amulet Books, 2004 [0-8109-8788-0]

Zoe, Maddie, and Angela are best friends as they enter 10th grade together.  This book follows their lives, friendships, boyfriends, feelings, troubles, fun, parties, and life at school.  What is special about the book is that it is entirely told in instant messages between the three girls.  To make it easier to follow, each of the girls' messages are printed in a different type face. It is amazing just how wrapped up the reader can get in the lives of these girls just through their instant messages. This is a fun and heartwarming 209 page book but realize that it is about High School girls and they talk about concerns of girls that age so the book is not appropriate for elementary students.  The author has another book, ttfn, written in the same style with the same girls. NOTE: Because of one paragraph early in the book, I have decided to send the book over to our High School. The book has a cute presentation which attracts 6th graders but there are things in the book (besides this one paragraph) just not appropriate for them.

 

Namioka, Lensey. Den of the White Fox, 1997

A masterless samurai and his student wander into a valley which is in political turmoil. There is a group of renegades led by the White Fox. These two get involved in the local mess and try to find out the identity of the White Fox. This is a great action-packed tale in a different culture. It is especially interesting now because a masterless samurai is call a ronin and there is a movie just out with "ronin" in its title. I purchased this 216 page book because of the reviews.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Beast. Atheneum, 2000 [0-689-83589-2]

This another expansive re-telling of a fairy tale by Napoli. In this one we meet a Persian Prince who angers a female god who turns him into a lion. The curse stated that he would "never know a woman" unless one accepts him as the beast. He wanders around until he goes to France and shacks up in a deserted castle from which the tale of Beauty and the Beast continues. In this one he has no magical powers. This 260 page book is not for younger readers. There is much discussion of Islam and Persian customs. Some of the vocabulary gets confusing but there is a glossary at the end. At times I felt that Napoli was trying to give the reader too much of the Islamic and Persian traditions while losing the story but the way the story is told, it cries out for the background. When the prince first becomes a lion he does mate with two lionesses. Although there is very little direct discussion, I found the tale strangely erotic. Of course they live happily ever after. This is a great story for Jr. High and up.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Changing tunes, 1998

Eileen knew her father was moving out of the house when she was at school that day but she was heartbroken when she got home and he had taken the piano. She has to practice piano in the school auditorium after school after that. This is the touching story of a ten-year-old girl coming to grips with her parents separation. Much of it is expressed through music. The reader really feels the pain and confusion Eileen feels going though this life changing situation. It is a memorable 130 page book.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Crazy Jack, 1999 [0-385-32627-0]

This a love story wrapped around the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. The first half of the story deals with Jack's father disappearing and the hard luck the family goes through because of it. Jack's girl from very young begins to separate from him now because he is going crazy because of his father's disappearance. When the family is on their last leg, Jack sells their cow for the beans, climbs the beanstalk and has adventures with the giant. Eventually with the changing treasures Jack gets from the giant, he wins back his girl after years of struggling. This adaptation of a fairy tale did not work for me as well as her others have. I found it annoying each time the giant actually says the "fee fie fo fum..." line each time Jack appears. As a long-suffering love story, this 134 page book is fine but in total, the combination of Jack with it, is not smooth.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Bound. Atheneum, 2004 [0-689-86175-3

It is ancient China and Xing Xing's parents have died so she is bound to her stepmother.  They live together in a cave with her step sister, Wei Ping who is suffering through the agony of having her feet bound.  The story tells the horrors of what it was like to suffer through having your feet bound to make them small (and beautiful.)  Xing Xing does the chores and fetches the water daily for her "family" who treat her like a servant.  One day she finds a dress and pair of golden shoes hidden by her mother before shoe died.  When Wei Ping and stepmother go off to the festival, Xing Xing puts on the dress and shoes and follows.  Of course, by now you realize that is another of Napoli's fairy tale expansions.  Just like in Cinderella, Xing Xing rushes home and loses a shoe and the local prince decides to marry whoever the shoe fits.  In this 186 page book, like Napoli's others, you get wrapped up in the story before you realize it is a retelling of a fairy tale.  China is one of the many cultures that have a Cinderella type story in their folklore.  This book is good on many fronts, especially the depiction of what it must have been like to have your feet bound.

Napoli, Donna Jo._Daughter of Venince._Random House, 2002 [0-385-32780-3]

It is 1592 and Donata is the daughter of a privileged noble. She is never let out of the house on her own so she decides to do so by sneaking out dressed at a boy. In the meantime she falls in love with a Jewish boy in the ghetto and is broken hearted when she is betrothed to a man of her father's wishes. The last part of this 274 page book is an adventure sent into motion by Donata. Unfortunately the story often drags down with descriptions of historical Venice. At times the reader feels the author is almost bragging about how much research she did about the period. Historical fiction is important... but utmost is the story and it should not be lost.

Napoli, Donna Jo. The magic circle .Puffin, 1993 [0-14-037439-6]

This is the tortured story of a young lady who starts out as a midwife, then is convinced to be a healer or sorceress by casting out devils. She does this by protecting herself in a magic circle. Well she is tricked out of the circle and the devils turn her into a witch who has the craving to eat children so she runs and hides in the enchanted forest and becomes a vegetarian. Well, lo and behold two children show up -- Hansel and Gretel. She befriends them but the urge to eat them is so strong she finally tricks them into pushing her into the oven in order to protect them. As with her other, Napoli has made an interesting expansion on the fairy tale but be warned -- this is a witch who deals with devils -- can your community deal with it? The witch tries so hard to be good and at the end sacrifices herself. Although only 118 pages - this is not a book for elementary students.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Sirena, 1998

This is a warm, touching love story which happens to involve a mermaid and a Greek soldier on his way to the Trojan War. There is a lot of mythology ad Greek history intertwined with the story but it in no way "shouts out at you." A mermaid (Sirena) needs to make love a to human in order to become immortal. Her sisters all use their beautiful singing to lure ships to wreck and then to lure their lovers ut Sirena rebels and goes off on her own. She befriends a man and they fall in love without her singing. Now she is immortal and he isn't She gets upset when she sees his first gray hair. This 210 page book is a very touching love story with history and mythology in the background. It has made me want to do some reseach. Once again Napoli has done a great job treating a subject with an unusual twist.

Napoli, Donna Jo and Richard Tchen. Spinners, 1999 [0-525-46065-9]

This is a dark re-telling of Rumpelstiltskin and is not for elementary readers. It opens with a young couple making love (not descriptive at all.) The young man must ask her father to marry her but he does not really want it so the young man says he will make a dress of gold. He spins straw into gold and makes the dress but in the process, becomes crippled. The girl ends up marrying someone else (a miller) and gives birth, dying in the process. The young man never recovers from being crippled. His daughter (the miller doesn't know it is not his own child) is raised by the miller who becomes a drunk. She ends up supporting him by becoming an excellent spinster. Eventually a King likes her spinning and her drunken father (the miller) brags she can spin straw to gold. Of course when she is locked in the room her real crippled father appears and spins for her, eventually making a deal with her for her fist born child which she doesn't know is his grandchild. There is the arrangement to guess his name which she does and he gets so mad while stamping on the floor with his crippled leg, it gets stuck in the floor and he rips it off running away "bleeding from the groin." This 195 page book is an powerful adaption of a fairytale but only for 7th graders and up. Like her Zel, it is a heavy book!

Napoli, Donna Jo. Stones in water, 1997

This is a powerful piece of World War II historical fiction. The book opens in Italy where some friends go a movie. One is Jewish but so they can go together, he removes his armband. In the middle of the movie German soldiers come and take everyone and put them on trains to be sent to work camps in Germany. Most of the friends get separated except for Roberto and his Jewish friend. They endure the extremely harsh conditions of the work camps, seeing death and suffering all around them while hiding the one boy's religion. Finally the Jewish boy dies from a beating and Roberto escapes having to struggle on his own to get back to Italy. This 209 page powerful book demonstrates life in work camps, the bond of strong friendship and the ability to persevere over all kinds of conditions living in horrid day-to-day conditions. This book show again how versatile a write Napoli is.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Zel, 1996

This is a retelling of the Rapunzel tale. It starts out slow but the reader becomes entwined in the mindset of the three characters. The ending is powerful. I am not sure students will like this one even though I did.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Achingly Alice, 1998

It has been a while since I read an Alice book but I fell right back into the whole story again. We have really seen Alice grow up! Once again the writing is very enjoyable and the story is well put together but Alice is now growing up too much for my middle school. So much of this book is great but when she ventures into the discussion of her friend's first pelvic exam and why she gets wet "down there'" how the doctor says that it is okay to touch herself there, how she asks her father about masterbation at the dinner table, and how the girls experiment with the douche in the bathroom, Mrs. Naylor crosses over into the uncomfortable zone for my library (5^th - 8^th grade.) The book is thin (121 pages) and would most definitely be picked up by a 5^th grader in my school. Don't get me wrong, this book is a wonderful continuation of the Alice story - relationship with her father, his girlfriend, Alice's experiences with dating - but you will have to make your own decision. There are several other Alice books planned but I think that the Alice story has ended in my middle school.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Boys against girls, 1994 [0-375-80673-3]

The Hartfords have four boys in their family from 6th grade down when a family with three girls moves into town. A competition between the two groups begin on who can play the best prank on each other. Meanwhile a mysterious animal, nicknamed the Abaguchie, is scaring people around town. This 147 page book is a fun story about some kids having a good time. This book is one of a group of stories about this group of kids. The only minor criticism I have is I am not sure whether four brothers of that age would team up together.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Boys in control. Delacorte, 2003 [0-385- 32740-4]

This one of a series of books concerning the Harford boys and the Mallory girls. As in the elementary years, the boys and girls don't get along and are always playing pranks on each other. In this 145 page book, the girls find a series of embarrassing photographs of the boys and threaten to blackmail them... can the boys get something to hold over the girls' head? This is a fun, playful book appropriate up to about 6th grade.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Jade Green. Aladdin, 2000 [0-689-82002-X]

Fifteen year old Judith is an orphan who goes to live with her Uncle in South Carolina. She is told not to bring anything green. It turns out there is a ghost in the house and becomes active when any green is in the house. The ghost appears because Judith brings a green picture frame which she can not part with. The ghost haunts Judith trying to tell her how she died a couple of years before Judith arrived at the house. This 169 page book is a good suspense/ghost story.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Sang Spell, 1998 [0-689-82007-0]

Josh's mother dies in a car wreck and he is to go live with his aunt so he decides to hitch hike from the northeast to Texas where his aunt lives. On the way he is mugged - beaten nearly to death and left in the Tennessee woods to die. He is found and nursed to health by a group of Melungeons (real people, look it up) who live deep in the hills. Josh soon learns that there is no way to leave this strange place -- each time is leaves, he ends up retracing his steps back to the community. The people don't hold him, but rather the place does. He is told he must "go backward to go forward." After spending several weeks with these people, he figures out a way to leave and accept what his new life will be with his aunt. There are no explanations about how he was able to leave -- he is suddenly out and on his way to his aunt's. This is an intriguing 176 page book. I would have REALLY would have enjoyed it if he passed out walking away from the place and then woke up, leaving him and the reader wondering what had happened (kind of like the Giver) but this is still a very good book.

Nelson, Theresa.. The empress of elsewhere. DK,1998 [0-78942498-3]

Jimmy and his younger sister agree to help a very wealthy neighbor care for her monkey. In the process they meet her nasty granddaughter, J.D. and an interesting servant. J.D. is so nasty he nearly quits several times but he needs the money and becomes interested in the strange things that have happened with the rich family over the years. This 278 page book is slow at times but is a mystery, a tale of friendship, and of growing up. The child characters really come to life.

Nelson, Theresa. Ruby Electric. Atheneum, 2003 [0-689-83852-2]

The story opens with Ruby, her mom, and little brother waiting at a restaurant for their divorced father to show up. He apparently has never shown up at such a meeting since the divorce. She knows little of why her father left. Ruby sees her life as a movie and part of the book is the movie screenplays she is writing. One day Ruby gets in trouble and has to do community service with two wiseguys at her middle school. Meanwhile her little brother has lost his stuffed dinosaur. Should she and her brother try to locate their father? Should the confront their mom to find out the truth about him? This 261 page book is an interesting book dealing with a challenging single-parent situation.

Nielsen, Virginia. Batty Hattie, 1999 [0-7614-5047-5]

Harriet's single parent mom gets a chance of a lifetime to tour with a dixieland band for a year so Harriet ends up living with her single Uncle who is a scientist studying bats in an old mining town. Harriet has trouble making friends and the kids tease her calling her Hattie living with batman and eventually Batty Hattie. One night her Uncle takes her to the cave and makes her promise not to touch bats but Harriet secretly brings back a baby one and feeds it for three weeks. She eventually brings it to school for a science project and gets everyone mad at her. At the end her bat is released to the wild and she makes some new friends. In the process of reading this cute 142 page book, the reader learns a lot about bats but that never overpowers the story.

Nix, Garth. Abhorsen. HarperCollins, 2003 [0-06-027826-9]

In this sequel to Abhorsen continues in her excellent fantasy world of two kingdoms, one of magic, one not. Lirael suddenly becomes the Abhorsen-in-Waiting along with Sam, a strange dog, Mogget must travel to stop the Destroyer and the necromancer Hedge from getting the two orbs together and releasing the final evil. This 358 page book is a part of a wonderful, classic fantasy. The reader gets immediately sucked into this believable world. Your high fantasy readers will love this series.

Nix, Garth. The fall [Seventh tower series], 2000

This is a new series by Garth Nix. As usual, the author does an incredible job creating a totally new world. Here was have a world in the dark where light is very important. One group lives in a huge castle in hierarchal classes (based on colors of the prism.) For light they carry sunstones and have them around the building. Everyone has a shadow guard -- a strange kind of morphing creature (like a shadow) that protects them. Various sunstones are status symbols and when Tal's father disappears with the family's main sunstone, he has to get a new one. After failing to get one in an accepted manner, he climbs one of the huge towers of the castle, up above the darkness, to get one that is being made in the sunlight. He falls and his shadowguard helps him glide down but far away from the castle where he meets a tribe of strange people. In a great adventure one helps him get back to the castle. To be continued.... This 195 page book (and series) has great possibilities as a fantasy/sci fi adventure series. It is written so upper elementary/middle school kids can fully appreciate it -- as opposed to his more intense books like Sabriel and Shade's children. NOTE: I read an "uncorrected proof for limited distribution." This title is scheduled to be released in June 2000.

Nix, Garth. The Ragwitch, 1990

Paul and Julia find a rag doll and get sucked into another dimension of evil and magic. Julia becomes part of the essence of the now Ragwitch and Paul must go on a quest to get four magic items to stop this evil Ragwitch. Once again Nix weaves a very enticing fantasy world dealing with magic and evil. The read gets entirely wrapped up in the experience. He is an excellent author for your older readers. I purchased this 312 page book because I thoroughly enjoyed the others by this author.

Nix, Garth. Sabriel, 1996

This is a first rate fantasy about two kingdoms, one of magic and forces of evil and another more like our world. The main character is a female necomancer (someone who goes back and forth between the different levels of death to help people.) While it seems strange to say, this is a high fantasy which has many aspects of more realistic fiction. There is a good strong female characters for those looking for that. I picked this 491 page book up at our book fair. It is a solid read -- for good 7th graders and up.

Nix, Garth. Shade's children, 1997

This is an awesome fantasy which takes place in the future where Alien Warlords rule the Earth with creatures made from body parts and brains from humans. There are no human adults and the children live in dorms until they are 14 and are salvaged for "parts." The story centers around a group of escaped children who work like an underground to defeat the horrible monsters and warlords to regain control of the Earth. They are led by a human adult computer intelligence called Shade. This is a power 309 page book which I purchased because I enjoyed Sabriel. Shade's Children is a meaty read - good for 7th graders and up. Note that this book has some very harsh language.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. Don't scream, 1997

Here is another great suspense/mystery book by Nixon. The reader starts out by knowing that somewhere in this story is a boy under the witness protection program who has been cruel to animals and has murdered someone. The story then moves to another town. Two new guys show up at Jess's school and there's something strange about both of them. The reader is tossed back and forth in figuring out which of the boys is dangerous and is in the witness protection program. There are very few Nixon books that I don't like.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. The haunting, 1998

This book is an excellent mix of mystery and ghosts. Lia's parents inherit Graymoss, an haunted, evil home which has been in her family and vacant since the Civil War. Her parents don't believe in ghosts and want to occupy it. Before going there, Lia gets voodoo protection. She tries to convince her parents not to move in but eventually realizes that she is the key to finding out why the ghosts are they and how to get them to leave. There a many people in the town who want the house to remain haunted or to be just demolished which makes the reader think it make be a fake haunting. Eventually Lia solves the mystery of the ghosts and the evil spirits leave. I really enjoyed this 171 page book.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. Nightmare. Delacorte, 2003 [0-385-73026-8]

Emily has had nightmares for a long time about a dead body. She will not tell anyone what they are about. Her parents only know she has nightmares. Her parents send her to a camp one summer to help her with her grades and strange things start happening. Could someone be trying to kill Emily? Does it have something to do with her nightmares? Once again Lowery has written a great suspense story. The only thing that seemed strange to me (unless I missed something) is how Emily ends up going to a camp where the murderer (in her dreams) happens to work. Besides that, it is a great story.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. Nobody's there. Delacorte, 2000 [0-385-32567-3]

Because of problems at home Abbie gets involved in some mischief and she is sentenced to community service. She is to spend her time with this cranky old lady who decides to spend her time investigating and intervening in crimes. Suddenly this lady ends up in the hospital and Abbie feels it is her job to figure out who did it and what happened. In these 200 pages, Mrs. Nixon has written another good mystery book.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. Playing for keeps. Delacorte, 2001 [0-385-32759- 5]

Rose's grandmother invites her on a cruise; Ricky is a teenage baseball star from Cuba who is trying emigrate illegally to the US. They meet on the cruise ship and Rose tries to help Ricky.. then there is a murder. Will Rose be able to solve both problems? This 197 page book is a great mystery which also involves illegal immigration and international relationships with Cuba.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. Spirit seeker, 1995 [0-440-22685-6]

Holly's father is a police detective and never at home because he is working on cases. One day her boy friend's parents are murdered and he is accused of it. Holly's father, who is working on the case, is sure Cody did it but Holly is sure he didn't. Holly tries to prove Cody's innocence and gets mixed up with a neighbor who claims to be clairvoyant. They try to contact the spirits of the dead parents. (The reader is never really sure whether this happens or not.) With the twist at the end, this 197 page book makes a good mystery.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. Who are you?,1999

Mrs. Nixon frequently writes a good YA mystery but I could not put this one down. It starts with Kristi and her parents arguing in the living room when the doorbell rings -- it is the police. A man was just shot in the face (not killed) and the police found a file in his home with news articles and photos of Kristi throughout her life. She and her parents never heard of the man. The police and Kristi investigate the situation. There are several more murder attempts and Kristi digs up all sorts of things about her mother's past during the story. I loved this 184 page book.

Nolan, Han. Dancing on the edge, 1977

This is a very powerful book for 7^th graders and up. It is the story of a girl who lives in a very dysfunctional family which ends up making her disturbed. This first two-thirds of the book shows us the family and its many strange interactions. At times I found this section slow but... the last third describes her treatment from the eyes of the girl. She and the reader slowly discover what is really happening in her family and why they have such strange relationships. This part of the book reminded me of "I never promised you a rose garden." This is an important book but I repeat.. this 244 page book is very powerful and not for younger children. This right audience will just "gobble" it up.

Nolan, Han. Send me down a miracle, 1966.

This book deals with religion much like "A fine white dust" by Rylant. Here we have a 14-year-old daughter, Charity, of a preacher in a conservative town and an artist moves in. The artist decides to go through sensory deprivation for a month, locking herself in her house. During this time she sees Jesus sitting in a chair. When she comes out and tells the community, they begin to pray to Jesus in the chair. Charity has always been a good daughter but now this religious fever in the town has got her questioning a lot of things. Her mother has moved out (maybe for good), people die who have been praying to the chair, there is a suicide, her father, the religious leader of the community, becomes more eccentric. After all the turmoil, she thinks she wants to stay with her father. This tale has a collection of interesting characters, many of which the reader gets to know well. I enjoyed this 250 page book though I think it will only have a limited audience.

Oates, Joyce Carol. Big mouth and ugly girl. HarperTempest, 2002 [0-06-447347-3]

Sixteen-year-old Matt is falsely accused of threatening to blow up his HS and is suspended. All his friends and classmates turn against him.. all except one individualist and outspoken girl. This 266 page book is the take of a friendship between two unlikely friends and how a silly joke can be turned against someone totally changing the life of him and his family. Note that this book takes place in a High School and some things discussed may not appropriate for elementary students. I purchased this book last year and there instantly was a waiting list for it so I had to wait for the summer to read it.

Oates, Joyce Carol. After the wreck, I picked myself up, spread my wings, and flew away. HarperCollins, 2005 [978-0-06-073525-8/0-06-073525-2]

Jenna and her mother in a terrible accident on the Tappan Zee Bridge.  Her mother dies but Jenna survives with many injuries.  Just before the accident her parents divorced so did does not want to go with her father in California and ends up with her Aunt and Uncle.  Jenna likes the feeling of being "in the blue" but when she is finally taken off the pain medicine she doesn't know what to do.  She is a loner in her new school until she meets Crow on his motorcycle who ends up leading her to Trina, a rich girl who is into partying.  Jenna no drops into a long spiral of drug use and partying with Trina.  Her Aunt and Uncle don't see (or ignore) the signs.  On Christmas Eve she overdoses.  Now Jenna sees a psychiatrist.  Nothing or no one helps her and finally she ends up at a party with Trina with boys in their 20's.  Trina is beaten up and raped and Jenna just barely makes it next store to call the police.  At the end of the story she meets up with Crow again who helps her face what she he been dreaming and wondering about the accident.  This 292 page book is a harsh book about someone spiraling into self-destructive drug abuse and finally meeting someone who helps her see her demons and help her face them.

 

Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn. HaperCollins, 2004 [0-06-053180-0]

Oppel has created an incredible alternate reality where dirigibles rule the sky of transportation. Matt is a cabin boy on a very elegant one. The book opens with them finding a lone hot air balloonist mumbling about incredible flying creatures that were not birds. He dies on the ship. On a later cruise the granddaughter of this balloonist appears on the ship as a rich passenger and Matt and she get involved in searching for the incredible "cloud cats." To add more excitement, sky pirates raid the ship. This 355 page book is an incredible read and I can't wait to read the follow-up book. This book is a complete story on its own.

Oppel, Kenneth. Skybreaker [Airborn #2]. EOS, 2006 [0-06-053227-0]

The book opens with Matt now a student at the Airship Academy where apprenticed on a ship with a crazy captain. Someone spies the mysterious Hyperion ghost ship and the captain takes the ship up beyond this ship's limit to capture it and its gold. As people are passing out from lack of oxygen, Matt takes the ship back down... a scandal to countermand a captain. When the story gets in the papers, Matt gets involved in a serious attempt to rescue the ship (which was made and flown by a Howard Hughes type character) and its contents. Of course there is someone else who wants the ship also. This 369 page book is a great adventure in this alternate reality where airships are still luxury flying liners. I hope there will be more.

Oppel, Kenneth. Silverwing, 1997