War Horse

 
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

The first time I ever heard about War Horse, it was on Good Morning America. The London stage play, War Horse, had finally crossed the ocean and was premiering in New York. The trio of puppeteers for Joey, the titular character, brought him to life in the newsroom and I was mesmerized. What amazing talent! I am relatively certain that Joey also made an appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly. I stood spellbound in my kitchen. Oh how I longed to witness the magic for myself.

And then War Horse was made into a motion picture by Stephen Spielberg himself in 2011. I wasn’t interested. I wanted the mystical quality of the puppets on stage. But even then, I had not a clue that the play and the movie were based upon a CHILDREN’S BOOK!

No, it wasn’t until I received the 2013 Illinois Bluestem Nominee Master List last year that I did a double take. WHAT!!?? Not only is it juvenile fiction, but it is a VERY slight novel. I read it in a day in the truck driving towards Mt. Rushmore. Had I read the book as a child myself… it was published in 1982… I doubt that I would have envisioned it as the type of book that would be made into anything… It has obviously touched many lives.

I am trying not to regurgitate what so many already know about the story. I also realize that the three different versions are not identical due to the nature of the various media arts. I will tell you the way I see the story. Through a non-human participant, Joey, the reader is shown that many people, even the ones that are supposed to be our enemies, have good in them.

The most obvious example occurs when Joey is caught between two trenches, one belonging to the Germans and one belonging to the English. Both armies spontaneously accept a ceasefire long enough to rescue the injured and lost Joey from between the two sets of barbed wire. The men who enter the area known as “no-man’s-land” agree to the conditions of a coin toss and thereby Joey is saved and placed once again in safe, capable hands. The two soldiers agree that they would both rather be at home tending to their own affairs rather than fighting the battle for which they no longer understand the reason. Neither wants to be in the business of killing men.

Even at the beginning of the story, Joey’s young master, Albert, has a drunkard for a father. In fact, much of Joey and Albert’s troubles come from the father’s drinking binges. Joey was purchased out of a drunken spite. Joey is beaten out of drunken rage. Joey is forced into manual labor out of a drunken bet. Finally, Joey is sold to the army out of a drunken need for money. But when Albert’s father wakes from his drunken coma, he is regretful and remorseful and contrite to an extent. It is his vice that is evil. The reader hopes that he will learn to shun alcohol.

The story would have bored me when it wasn't bringing me to tears if not for the climax and resolution. When Albert finally finds Joey! It is BEAUTIFUL in my opinion. And I thought the ending was very clever. Recommended to boys who enjoy war stories. Too sad and depressing for my girls, I believe. And not your typical horse book either. Wouldn't recommend to animal lovers.

Close to Famous

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

I finished this 2014 Caudill Nominee on the first leg of my family’s summer vacation trip to Mt. Rushmore – the first of six books that I devoured over the course of a week. I find reading to be an excellent way to spend many, many, many hours in a truck. I feel nothing but sympathy for the poor souls who are unable to read in a moving vehicle without getting carsick.

The most interesting facet of this book is its foray into pop culture. No, there is no reference to Justin Bieber or Shake It Up or anything else with which a junior high tween would be enamored. Instead, a good portion of the book’s blueprint relies on a popular television network – The Food Network. I don’t know how many contemporary children watch The Food Network channel, but in our house it is a daily affair. We are hooked on Chopped; Iron Chef; Diners, Drive-ins and Dives; and The Next (fill in the blank.) My children would like nothing more than to host their own Chopped and I always offer to judge the contestants. Our Sunday evening ritual finds us sitting in front of the newest contest to hit the network. We get quite competitive with our favorites.

Here I had a book I could suggest to both my 13-year-old and my almost 9-year-old! And I might even get cupcakes out of the deal. Check out that delicious cover! Yes, book talks are free vacation offerings.

I like the main character that is both skilled and smart despite her major reading disability. Foster McFee barely passed the sixth grade and I wonder how she managed. She cannot read even simple street signs. So here is a gal who can waltz into the local dive and offer a sample of her delectable cupcakes and muffins in the hopes of selling them from said establishment. She wins their hearts through their stomachs and bakes to order. Yet she has never been able to read a recipe from a cookbook! She hears them on television and commits them to memory along with any tips that would be useful for future flavors.

Once I was on vacation and free from life’s labors, I truly enjoyed this novel. I thought it read very much like real life. There is never only one problem in one’s life. And we are always surrounded by people with their own unusual circumstances. It would be a rather dull life otherwise. It is the downs that make the ups soar. And it is the different people at various stages of life’s roller coaster that lend us support, encouragement and sympathy.

But I do wonder at how much a tween is able digest when even some of the adults complain. There is A LOT of drama here in 250 pages. Foster’s father died, a soldier in Iraq. Her mother is a backup singer who wishes to take center stage. The two are on the run from an abusive boyfriend who happens to be an Elvis impersonator. They end up in a town with problems of its own. A prison was built with the promise of jobs that never were offered locally. A church is for sale and the preacher’s wife sits on the steps scaring off the buyers. A boy wants to make a documentary but needs a chance as well as help. And a jilted Hollywood star lies sick in bed waiting for her next big offer. And that is just what I remember from a month ago!! I think girls who enjoy cooking and making their own drama will delight in reading Close to Famous.

Wednesdays in the Tower

Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George

Tuesdays at the Castle could have stood on its own and I would have been satisfied. I am so glad it will be at least a trilogy. I read Tuesdays to my girls over a year ago and we were enchanted. So much so that my youngest, at seven, purchased a paperback copy at the first Scholastic book sale (There are notes in the margins). So much so that my oldest wrote her first book report of her seventh grade year on Tuesdays. So much so that my youngest decided to write her own seven page summary. Her copy of the book AND the summary were either in her book bag or next to her bed the ENTIRE school year. Charmed. Perhaps enthralled.

It was like Christmas in July, when I marched home with Wednesdays. And my girls were just as captivated and now eagerly awaiting “Thursdays”. I will share three, no four things that I as the reading-aloud-adult noticed about the sequel. First, in a way it is utterly different from the original novel that included intrigue, espionage, pranks and assassinations. This novel is less dark and sinister. It revolves around an egg that appears in a new tower and the castle goes out of its living way to protect it and ensure that Celie, our main character from the first novel, is the guardian of the creature that hatches from it. The tone is of nurturing wonder and amazement. Life as opposed to death.

Second, the new novel goes in an unforeseen direction. In Tuesdays, the castle protects, reassures and affirms Celie’s royal family despite the horrible things that happen to the individual members. The Castle Glower lends aid in the form of found objects and secret passageways. The castle plays a supporting, yet vital role. In Wednesdays, the castle takes a starring role. The book begins to tell the story, the history, of the castle. Every new room added is a piece to a greater puzzle. The castle is laying out its history for Celie and her siblings if they only pay attention. The creature in the egg is the first clue. Oh, why don’t I? It’s right on the cover! The creature is a mythical griffin!

Next, my only complaint. I prefer books that complete a story arc within its covers. The perfect series will have one solid overreaching arc that begins in book one and finds completion in the final book. But each individual book will have its own conflict and resolution separate from the larger picture. This book doesn’t have the lesser arc. It begins an arc that ends abruptly. The last chapter is a major cliffhanger and provides absolutely no resolution. I would be a VERY unhappy camper IF the book had not taken a unique and completely unexpected turn. I am curious! I am keen to learn! Forgiven.

Finally… this book is full of the same childlike humor that the first book was loaded with. Children, forced to grow up quickly due to circumstances, but still able to retain their childlike sensibilities. Highly unusual in my opinion. Wait until you get to the part where you meet “Flat Squirrel”! I could hardly get through the sentences; we were all laughing sooooo hard!! I will highly recommend this series to girls 2^nd grade through junior high. Remember, my oldest is highly sensitive and much prefers fantasies of the mythical creature comedy variety! And I don’t blame her. This world could use a smile and a laugh now and again.

I, Emma Freke

I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

There are not many that I have come across in my reading, but I have met a few. It seems that I have met more of them in recent times. This book is one of them – a stumbling block – in more ways than one. I kid you not! This 233 page Caudill Nominee for 2013 took me more than a month to finish.

It would be fair to add on my behalf as well as the book’s that I was ridiculously busy with all things in preparation for the summer programs and then the summer programs themselves covering three separate events and two separate places. I really didn’t know if I was coming or going or even eating. Not to mention school was out and schedules completely change.

However, if the book had been remotely enticing in anyway, I think I would have been able to finish it much sooner. As it was, I didn’t even bother to finish it quickly to put myself out of my misery. In fact, I rather ignored it… Very unusual for me. Consequently, the review simply wouldn’t write itself.

Quick synopsis: Emma is freakishly tall, freakishly pale, freakishly smart and has freakishly bright red hair. She is also freakishly introverted. Her last name is Freke and saying her first and last name together, aloud, is freakishly bad form. It would not be so freakish if her mother shared any of these same traits, but she doesn’t. Not a one.

Emma’s mother is short and round and olive-skinned. She is the epitome of an Italian American woman. But she is also a free-spirited, bohemian who couldn’t find her head if it wasn’t attached to her neck. She owns a business, but doesn’t exactly run it. In fact, she relies upon her twelve-year-old daughter to keep it open, staff and organize it. Donatella is more than willing to let customers think that Emma is her employee rather than her daughter.

There is a book because this summer, Emma is invited to the family reunion of her, before now, unknown father’s unknown side of the family. And guess what? Emma’s blood relatives who are accepted happen to be tall, pale and red-headed! Cursed is the child born otherwise. Exiled is the child born with a creative bone in his body. The Freke’s are an organized routine-driven clan.

Of course Emma discovers that she loves the creatively free-spirited life in which she has been raised. But she is ultimately relieved that she is not adopted and there is a reason for her looks and some of her character-traits that obviously didn’t come from Donatella.

Wasn’t so quick was it…

So I’ll keep my personal objections to a minimum.

When the book opens up, Emma is in her counselor’s office and the counselor is asking ridiculous analogical questions regarding popularity. I have a very hard time believing that Emma would be required to see a counselor for something as trivial as lack of friends when the real problem in her life is a neglectful mother.

I also find it hard to believe that Emma is excelling in her school work no matter how smart she proves to be. She receives no support from her mother or the elderly grandfather that lives in their apartment with them. Emma also ditches afternoon classes twice a week preferring to watch her mother’s bead shop in Donatella’s forever absence. And it goes unnoticed.

The characters and situations are simply not believable.

My favorite character, for I do have one, is Fred Freke, a literal outcast. He is so different from other blood Frekes – he short, dark and he wants to be an entertainer – that the rest of the clan is required to ignore him. The reader cannot even tell who his parents are. Not believable, but delightfully rebellious nonetheless and he makes Emma more likeable and less monotonously whiney.

How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel

How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel by Cressida Cowell

PAY ATTENTION! I’m Gobber the Belch and I’m the soldier in charge of this book review!

SILENCE! Anyone to speak has limpets for lunch for the next THREE WEEKS! YES! They are a bit like WORMS and a bit like SNOT and a lot less tasty than either, but I am in charge and that is an ORDER!

I will be leading you through this book review, although I am, admittedly, completely useless for this job. I will do it because I was ordered to by Stoick the Vast, O Hear His Name and Tremble, Ugh, Ugh, the CHIEF of the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, and that’s the way things go with us Vikings. Where do you think you are, the REPUBLIC OF ROME? Anyway, that is the least of your problems today. You are here to prove yourself as a Viking Hero. And it is an ancient tradition of the Hooligan Tribe that you should … … FIRST CATCH YOUR DRAGON!

WAIT!

That’s the dragon initiation test … … FIRST READ THE BOOK!

You see, this is the story of how to become a hero the HARD WAY! And if you are smart, you have already read all of the books in the How to Train Your Dragon series. You would have to be IDIOTICALLY STUPID not to have done so.

Sometimes, becoming a hero the hard way involves a little bit of BRAINS and a whole lot of PERSEVERANCE. Sometimes it requires being banished into EXILE and living alone with your two itty bitty dragon friends who live in your waistcoat. Sometimes it requires wearing a helmet that is far too LARGE for you and gets in the way of your line of sights. And FINALLY, sometimes it requires wearing a fireproof dragon suit.

Becoming a hero the hard way might mean facing the two most important personages in your life. In this, the book numbered TEN, my one time STUDENT, and now my KING, must stand up to both his mother, Valhallarama, and his father, Chief Stoick. He must prove that … … (i cannot believe i am saying this) … … sometimes, OCCASIONALLY, brains can overpower brawn. Loyalty outweighs self-preservation. And faith will see you through, EVEN THROUGH A DESERT SEA OF RED SAND WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST AND YOU ARE STANDING AT THE ZERO HOUR!

Finally, sometimes the scariest thing in the archipelago is not a DARKBREATHER, MONSTROUS STRANGULATOR OR A BURROWING SLITHERFANG. No, sometimes the scariest thing in the archipelago is a little girl with black hair and big, doomy eyes, dressed in a BEAR SUIT!! EEEEEEKKKKKKKEEEEEE!

WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT … … READ THE BOOK!

How to Train Your Dragon

 

The Apothecary

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

I remember the day I started this book fondly. School was still in session and I was taking a day off, probably because I had just worked a Saturday or I was getting ready to work a full weekend. I was ready to splurge! I had just finished a lackluster novel and was excited to try again. I was curled up on my black leather recliner with a “cat” blanket wrapped around my shoulders. My shoes were kicked off. The dog was at my feet. The cat was in my lap. My coffee was next to me. A glass of water was within reach. I was only missing some delicious pastry…

And I dug in!

I recall exclaiming, “This is brilliant! Lovely! Delightful!” over and over and over. The book was unique and sucked me right in. I was in paradise in more ways than one. An adult Janie Scott was looking back on her childhood and recalling the spring of 1952 in which her memory drew a blank. She was able to share her memories only through her very diary that had finally been returned to her. She recognized her diary merely because she recognized her own handwriting.

What had happened in 1952 that had caused her to lose her memory? Magic!

Rereading the first chapter or two, I see why I was so entranced. The book begins as historical fiction covering an era I know less about – America during the age of McCarthyism. Janie’s parents were Hollywood screenwriters who were blacklisted for their liberal ideas. When U.S. Marshall’s began to follow fourteen-year-old Janie, her parents decide it is time to leave. They take a job in London and move the family. Janie drags her feet all the way!

I remained captivated through the family’s move to London and Janie’s miserable first day at the elite St. Beden’s Academy where she met a perfectly perfect rich girl and witnessed a rebelliously charismatic boy. I fell in love with the local Apothecary who recognized Janie’s homesickness and prescribed an antidote that might even work if you were willing to try it.

And just when the fantastical begins to take place and one would think there will be ever more glorious adventures…

Well

It

Just

Fell

Flat

How sad.

I don’t quite remember when I became bored with the book. Ne w and interesting characters were introduced including a show-stealing Dickensian street urchin named Pip who claims the lovely rich girl for his own. There are spies and double agents and even a scar faced man. There is a Chinese chemist who has discovered how to capture radiation in mass quantities and protect the people from such atrocities as the atomic bomb.

There is so much here to like. In the end, I believe the problem with this novel is that it tries to do too much. Be too much. It is quantity over quality in my opinion. There is magic… but not enough. It is historical… but not enough. It is mystery… but not enough. Perhaps picking one genre and sticking with it would have produced a stronger novel. If it would have just been about the cold war, I would have been fascinated. And I love the idea of apothecaries being a secret society of alchemists trying to protect the world from harm.

I really wish I could have loved it. I won’t have to recommend it. It is a nominee from the Rebecca Caudill 2014 list.

Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris

Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by R. L. LaFevers

Two family-reading books ago, I read the second Theodosia novel to my girls. They were both extremely eager to begin it. Every evening they were impatient to continue it. After each chapter, they begged for one more. Sometimes they hid under the covers. And I confess, sometimes I instigated the hiding… The talent of reading ahead while reading out loud is exceptionally useful for drawing greater suspense as well and preparing to frighten unsuspecting children. HA HA HA HA HA!!!

I enjoyed this book for the pleasure it gave to my girls. Anything that gets them into their pajamas quickly is a winner in my book. Whatever gets my girls to brush their teeth in a timely fashion gets an A+ in my records. I will read through dull and boring and lackluster if they ask. Really, I will. I am glad that I don’t have to because they both have fine tastes. They recognize inferior writing… It will fall to the bottom of the pile. Five thumbs up for the second Theodosia. They loved it… I was not as enthralled myself.

There were many elements that I appreciated significantly. There were three separate plot lines that I would have loved to stick with. My favorite was seemingly unfinished. Grandmother Throckmorton is on the hunt for a governess for Theodosia. She interviews them and then brings them to the Museum of Legends and Antiquities to meet and teach Theo. We meet three of them in this volume. Each is funnier in their manners than the next. It is Theo’s mission to run them off. Hilarious in my opinion, but not the main plot and never completed. I loved it, but it isn’t really necessary to the plot even… just extra added laughs.

My second favorite plot line involves another secret society! The Arcane Order of the Black Sun is the “most secret of societies, dedicated to studying and understanding the wisdom and power of the ancients.” The Museum’s nervous and bumbling Third Assistant Curator is a member. Unbeknownst to Theo, he has been watching her and her peculiar brand of magic – removing black curses. And he is bringing her before his secret Order because he believes that she is the Queen of all goddesses reincarnated! The Black Suns wish to worship and protect her! I haven’t laughed so hard for a while. But again, is this plot necessary or just more laughs thrown in?

Finally, the main plot line! Very enjoyable once… but three times? All of the mummies in London are disappearing! And they can be found… you guessed it! At the Museum of Legends and Antiquities! They seek out the Staff of Osiris which happens to be in the “catacombs”. Theo uncovers it herself, puts it back together and discovers its power all on her own. She also devises as plan to prevent the mummies from returning a fourth time. It is imperative! Or her father will be thrown in jail!

Still recommending to the 5^th through 8^th grade crowd, particularly girls. We shall read the third and fourth as well. I will not deny my two!

Book 1: Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

The Madman's Daughter

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Most disappointing …

I was reading reviews of Young Adult books and ran across this title. It is a spin-off of one of my favorite classics… The Island of Dr. Moreau. Read the book eons ago and adored it – my heart belongs to science fiction. And I actually liked the 1996 movie despite its disappointing reviews. I will admit it probably has more to do with Val Kilmer being in it than anything else. Needless to say, as soon as I realized the Madman of the title was Dr. Moreau, I immediately requested the novel and then saved it for my enjoyment in between my tasks.

I was in heaven for the first 6 chapters – the first 62 pages. While the novel remained in London, the atmosphere was gothic, dark and foreboding. Juliet Moreau was an intriguing character – the abandoned orphan child of the mad doctor. The London professionals ran Dr. Moreau out of England. Dr. Moreau left behind his wife and daughter who quickly became destitute. Juliet’s mother supported what was left of her family by becoming a mistress to a wealthy man. When she died of consumption, Juliet was left with nothing.

A friend of the family managed to find her work as a maid at the King’s College of Medical Research where she easily fit in having grown up around her father and his experiments. Juliet does not mind the sight or the smell of blood. She would have lived out her days in the darkened halls of King’s College if it were not for two events. The first, she finds a manuscript of her father’s that leads her to hope that her father is still alive. The manuscript leads her to a former servant of her family. The second, a professor forces himself upon Juliet and she maims him in self-defense. She can no longer stay in London, but she does have a trail that might lead her to her estranged father.

I should have put the book down then. The next four chapters are spent on an ocean voyage from London to islands off the coast of New Zealand. Granted that would be a long trip even in these days, but it is far too long, boring and uneventful. The only happening of note is the crew picks up a castaway before reaching their destination. Between the former family servant, Montgomery and the mysterious survivor, Edward, we now have the dull love triangle that becomes the demise of the book.

Despite the fact that the Isle of Dr. Moreau could be both fascinating and dangerous, the book does not spend too much time in developing the scenes and atmosphere. No, from the time Juliet sets foot on the island, two questions resonate in her pretty little head. Do I love Edward or Montgomery? AND Is my father mad or a genius? She might wonder if she is mad as well a few too many times. Juliet loses her logical mind and becomes a lovesick girl. I would wonder why either of the two men would be attracted to her at all for anything other than her looks.

I will not be reading the two intended sequels. I will not recommend. Huge disappointment!

Trust No One

Trust No One by Linda Sue Park

Okay, okay, okay, okay. So I said I was through, I know! I have no real excuse except that maybe I am a glutton for punishment. Or perhaps I already had this volume waiting at home. Or perhaps I cannot leave anything incomplete or unfinished. I can leave no stone unturned.

The good news is that this volume is far better than the previous, Shatterproof. The bad news is that it still has a lot wrong with it. There are inconsistencies that probably cannot be avoided with so many authors contributing to the series. They do not entirely bother me because I read so many other books in between that they do not blatantly stand out. However, I do believe that they tend to be responsible for the confusion between books. The inconsistencies make it harder to remember accurately what is important and what is at stake.

My favorite part? The terrific cliffhanger at the very, very end. No, I will not spoil it, but for once, the rest of the book is worth the wait. And yes, I have Book 6 at home waiting for me.

The lackluster parts? The Cahills knew there was a mole. They thought it was Ian. They finally discover the truth. And the problem is resolved nearly immediately. All of that suspense building for a disappointing outcome.

The Vespers are building a world-destroying machine, and all Amy can think about is… Ian and Jake. Which one does she love? Which one does she belong with? Is she cheating on Ian by kissing Jake? Is she misleading Jake? It won’t matter if the world is destroyed Amy. Snap out of it already!

But rather than snapping out of it, Amy actually pulls a 180. No longer is she a tough, fighting machine. No, now she is depressed. Amy is throwing in the towel. Amy is withdrawing from the world. Amy is slowly giving her responsibilities over to her brother Dan. Dan does not always make the best decisions.

But Dan does make the most interesting decisions!

If you have followed this far, we might as well continue together. I certainly won’t miss the next volume. But if you have managed not to get caught up in the media machine that is the 39 Clues. Don’t!!!! There is SOOOOOOOOOOO much better out there! Do. Not. Bother! Turn away! Go Back!

Book 1: The Medusa Plot
Book 2: A King's Ransom
Book 3: The Dead of Night
Book 4: Shatterproof

Bamboo People

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins

I apologize as I slowly plod through yet another review of a Rebecca Caudill 2013 nominee that I finished two months ago before my life got busy with preparing for summer events. I assure you that it didn’t take me this long to get around to writing because the book was bad. On the contrary, I truly enjoyed this novel despite the fact that it is contemporary realistic fiction… not normally a fan.

I enjoyed this book tremendously because I learned something new. Rather, I learned about a culture that I was not familiar with – Burma/Myanmar. I confess that I was nearly, completely unaware of the oppression in that far away country. Children’s fiction has been somewhat obsessed with the Middle East in recent years. I have read about Iraq, Afghanistan and India, but not yet Burma. In fact, I needed to do a quick Google search so that I could picture where I was and what I looked like. (The Karenni are an ethnic group within Burma. Karenni women are the ones that traditionally put copper rings about their necks to elongate them.)

This novel is a book about two boys on opposing sides. It is unique because the first half is written from the perspective of Chiko, the son of a Burmese Doctor. The second half is written from Tu Reh’s perspective. Tu Reh is a Karenni refugee living across the border in Thailand. The Epilogue of the book returns to Chiko as is most fitting. He is the protagonist who gains the readers’ hearts.

Before the story begins, Chiko’s father has been imprisoned for resisting the government. Chiko has been in hiding within the walls of his family’s home lest the Burmese soldiers force him into the military. Chiko’s dream is not to follow in his father’s footsteps although that is what he was being groomed to do. No, Chiko wishes to be a teacher. And when the call comes for people to interview for teaching positions, Chiko is willing to leave his home to take the chance at the opportunity of a lifetime.

Unfortunately, the interviews are a lie. They are a trap to capture boys to grow the Burmese army. Chiko is not military material. He is fortunate to meet a streetwise boy named Tai who has learned to survive on the streets. Tai teaches Chiko how to fake his way through a beating without injury. In exchange, Chiko teaches Tai how to read. In this way, they protect and eventually save each other.

Tu Reh is a Christian Karenni who is faced with the words of Ecclesiastes 3:3, “a time to kill and a time to heal,” when he finds a wounded Burmese soldier on his first patrol. His instinct is to kill his chosen enemy. Tu Reh’s father wisely advises him to reconsider. The soldier? Chiko. When Tu Reh returns to the refugee camp with Chiko, he must face his elders and explain why he brought a wounded enemy soldier back with him. By this time, Tu Reh is inclined to save a life. It is harder to kill an individual person than a nameless… faceless enemy.

This is an intriguing book about boy soldiers, but there is so much more within the covers. Education and street smarts are shown to both be advantageous. Healers and dictators both play important roles. Good as well as bad people are on both sides of the conflict. In addition, there are strong female characters, including quite a bit of romance. Recommending to 5^th through 8^th graders who enjoy learning about the lives of children in foreign countries.

Mockingbird

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

If I could only get through these last several Caudill nominees for 2014, I might feel home free. Instead, I am actually rather bored. It feels as though the books have been chosen, not for their merit as well-written novels, but more for their topics. Topics hand-picked to let the children experience life through someone who has it more difficult than the average American 4^th-8^th grader, whether the protagonist is foreign or disabled.

Mockingbird belongs to the second kind of protagonist, disabled. Caitlin is a ten-year-old girl with Asperger’s Syndrome. That would make for an interesting book in and of itself. It would join the ranks of the many others that currently line our shelves. It is a trendy topic and with good reason considering the rising numbers in the Autism Spectrum. But although Asperger’s is important to the book as a whole, it is not actually the main focus.

The book was written in response to the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007. 33 people were shot in the author’s “own backyard” according to the Author’s Note. The author believes that if we could understand each other better, it would go a long way towards ending the violence. The book would explain what it is like for a child with Asperger’s to cope with tragedy when they do not show or see feelings the way other children and even adults do.

Caitlin’s mother died when she was very young, perhaps a baby. She has been raised by both her father and her older brother Devon. Devon was instrumental in her upbringing. As a child himself, he was able to impart to Caitlin, the behaviors that were considered normal so she could fit into her environment better. But now, Devon’s gone. There was a shooter at his junior high. A teacher and two students lost their lives. Devon was one of them.

Caitlin’s father is lost and depressed and unable to care for Caitlin in the manner that Devon did. In fact, Caitlin’s dad does more harm than good. In his own sorrow, he covers up everything that reminds him of Devon. He goes so far as to shut the door to Devon’s bedroom preventing Caitlin from entering. And Caitlin desperately needs Devon in any form/manner she can find him. She understands “dead”, but when asked what she wants, she can only answer with the truth. She wants to spend time with her brother. Her answers are too complicated for anyone else to understand.

Caitlin, on her own, was both intriguing and enlightening. I began to understand how she operated. I certainly felt for those around her and cringed when she was doing something that wouldn’t be accepted as normal. But the book was WAY too heavy. When I first realized that there had been a school shooting in the book, I shook my head. Too much. Too many bad things and not enough good. Caitlin’s own healing would have been sufficient. Instead, Caitlin had to somehow heal the mourning community. And it was simply too much.

An educational book, certainly. Not anything I would recommend for pleasure – or summer reading.

The Running Dream

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Effortless. That is the word that keeps coming up in my head when I think about this 2014 Rebecca Caudill Nominee. It was effortless to read. I remember when I finished it, I thought, “she pulled that off effortlessly.” She would doubtless disagree. It was probably work to make it seem so effortless. She is a seasoned professional who loves her job, I am sure. But I fell right into the story and nothing shook me out.

It is also notable that I finished reading this novel the day after the Boston Marathon bombing. I was listening to the news in the background and it was poignant. I was moved. I was filled with a sense of hope. I wanted to share this book.

Sixteen-year-old Jessica is a track star. She runs the 400m. She runs. A. LOT. every morning, in fact, with her dog Sherlock. Her running is effortless. She loves it. She cannot imagine NOT running. Something that I don’t entirely get myself most of the time. Sleeping always wins. But this book reminds me of what is good when running. Thinking. Hard. And working through the difficulties. It certainly burns the clutter away.

Jessica has just set a personal record at a track meet before the book opens. On the track team’s ride home, their bus is t-boned. One classmate loses her life. Jessica loses her leg. When the book opens she is just realizing what has happened and what it will mean. She is a runner who cannot run. It would be like me losing my sight and not being able to read. But there is always a way. Jessica must learn to accept her new reality and decide how much she is going to let her lack of limb slow her down.

The good news is that Jessica is an athlete in excellent physical condition. She has the ability to recover quickly – record time in fact. She will be ready for a prosthesis in a matter of weeks rather than months as long as she follows the doctors’ instructions. But although Jessica’s body is prepared to meet the challenge, Jessica’s mind is battling depression. In the beginning, she even believes that her classmate, who lost her life, received the better deal. Jessica suffers from the Running Dream. While she sleeps she can maintain her past. Waking up is a jarring crash with reality.

In the end, what helps Jessica the most is an enthusiastic best friend, a demanding track coach, a supportive track team, a new friend in an unexpected place and a boy who is drawn to Jessica’s strength. Jessica’s best friend, Fiona, instinctively knows just when and just how much Jessica needs to be pushed, pulled or prodded to get back into the rhythm of life. She takes her out to eat for the first time after returning home. She arranges the back to school party. She organizes and arranges a system to help Jessica catch up on her school work including bargaining with the teachers. She’s an amazing friend and I would have a hard time believing in her, if I didn’t know at least one person just like her.

Jessica’s track coach is the person who discovers that there is such a thing as a running prosthetic leg called a blade. There is absolutely no reason why Jessica can’t run again if she is determined. The only thing standing in the way is $20,000. And Coach and Fiona rally the Track Troops to begin fundraising in the hope that Jessica will run again! It isn’t long until the entire community is involved.

Perhaps my favorite storyline involves a freshman named Rosa. Rosa is brilliant at math and is in the same math class as sophomore Jessica. Rosa has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. She is forced to sit at a table at the back of the class. When Jessica returns to school, she starts off in a wheelchair and is required to sit alongside Rosa. A quiet friendship begins through notes passed during class. Jessica struggles with math and Rosa offers to coach her. Their friendship becomes something more. The ending of the book revolves around Jessica’s determination to give something special back to her new friend.

The ending of this book was so full of hope. It was so uplifting. I recommend it to girls 5^th grade and up. Adults can learn a lot from it as well. Boys will have to steer clear. Much too girly.

Prodigy

Prodigy by Marie Lu

The first book in this two-so-far-book series, Legend, was simply terrific. There was edge of your seat suspense, characters written against stereotype, plenty of action and a touch of electric chemistry. It was written from the point of view of two protagonists who happened to be each other’s antagonists. It was an adrenaline rush to find something new in the realm of the plethora of new dystopian literature. Read the review and then read the book!

Then call it a day because the much anticipated sequel is a hollow shadow of the original. Does anyone read these before they are published? Seriously!

June was this amazing fifteen-year-old prodigy who could predict ahead of everyone else, read the intentions of others before they acknowledged their decisions themselves, and complete impossible missions on a day to day basis. She was a convicted professional and the reader believed. In Prodigy, June does not display any of her superhuman intelligence or physical prowess. Everything that made her special in the beginning is missing. There is one section where her deductive reasoning is thrown in as a bit of an afterthought. Then it is gone again.

Day was the number one criminal against the Republic. He sabotaged the Republic’s missions and weaponry. He robbed from the rich to support those in need. He was the elusive hero… a post-apocalyptic Robin Hood. Now that June has helped him to escape from the Republic’s firing squad, they are on the run together. And he is no longer the man in charge. Instead, he hands himself over to the Patriots – enemies of the Republic – and lets them take charge of the situation… After years of refusing to join their cause. The Day of book one would never have given over his control. He is a reclusive leader of the people.

June and Day are not the only characters to become irritatingly, whiney shells of their former selves. Day’s young ward, Tess, finally finds her niche among the Patriots as a medic. But that is not good enough. Now she wants Day for herself and plants the seeds of distrust in Day against June. The new Tess is so far off from the original Tess that it is unbelievable. No reason for the drastic change is shown. Besides, June and Day are uncertain of each other enough as it is.

This sequel has fallen into the same disastrous blueprint that so many other sequels suffer from. Book one culminated in the union of star-crossed lovers. Once the sexual tension is overcome, or given into, the chemistry tends to disappear. There is absolutely no chemistry whatsoever in book two. And that is almost all right. Neither character feels themselves worthy of the other. I would almost prefer the two to end up with their socially similar counterparts.

And finally, I have found a deus ex machina in the form of Kaede. Her first appearance came as a bar tender claiming to be a Patriot. Then she is a Patriot who claims the Colonies as her place of origin. Her final incarnation comes in the form of the best Patriot Pilot – well actually, a Colony-trained Pilot which comes in handy when the main characters need to escape from the Colonies in a Colony jet! She just pops up whenever she is needed and they continue to trust her for some unknown reason. Surprise!

I’m used to ending bad reviews with something to the effect… I don’t want to read the next volume of the series, but I probably will anyway to see how it ends. But I honestly think I am ready to throw in the towel. I thought I saw a grand sacrifice in the works and was actually eager to see some real tension and suspense towards the end of the book. But the author utterly dropped the ball. In fact, she turned her back on it and refused to catch it. And I’m not even talking about the horrible cliché of an ending. The only way I see this series being saved is through the taboo. Forget a love triangle. Let’s try a threesome. Yes, I just said it. Elector Anders is showing considerable appeal at this point. And he certainly has a position for a true prodigy. A position the June would be an idiot to ignore if she holds any trace of her former convictions.

Not recommended!

The Lions of Little Rock

 The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

This novel first came to my attention in early January. It was receiving some serious Newbery attention. Even though it didn’t receive a Newbery medal, it still made the Rebecca Caudill 2014 list. It is the first Caudill Nominee I have read that reminds me of something I would have read when I was in 5^th through 8^th grade. I’m struggling to put the “why” into words.

This is the story of Marlee Nisbett, a seventh-grader in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1959, the year after the Little Rock Nine made headlines. She is the daughter of two teachers. She is the youngest of three children. Big brother, David, is away at college. Big sister, Judy, is in high school and has moved out of the girl’s shared room and into their brother’s newly vacated room leaving Marlee feeling that her circle of people she can talk to is shrinking. Marlee is exceptional at math and a failure at speaking.

It is the beginning of the school year and the number one concern on Marlee’s mind is how quickly she can convince her new teachers that she simply will not talk beyond a curt numerical answer to a math question that she is convinced will be right. Big sister on the other hand requires that Marlee attempt at least a five-word sentence. Marlee has three surprises in store for her the first day. Number one: she speaks five words nearly effortlessly. Number two: she speaks them to a new girl. Number three: the boy she has had a crush on since forever asks her to tutor him in math.

Two of the three surprises progress towards good things. Marlee gains a new friend, Liz, who understands that Marlee has the right to be quiet. Liz is more than happy to fill the silence. Liz also recognizes that Marlee is a hard worker and asks to be her history partner. Liz is determined that Marlee will help her give a presentation in front of the entire class. And Liz is willing to prepare her in advance. The third surprise… JT doesn’t really want a tutor. He wants someone to do his math and Marlee just isn’t strong or vocal enough to take a stand and say “no.” That is where her criminal activities begin – cheating.

Everything above is what made this novel comforting to me as well as an easy read. A healthy helping of a supportive family, an appropriate dose of junior high academics, an intriguing new friendship topped off with a spritz of dare I say… romance. This is real life in my experience.

The novel becomes extraordinary when Marlee goes to school to discover that Liz has been pulled from school and won’t be back. Liz is a colored girl passing for white. And that makes their friendship extremely dangerous for everyone involved. Both girls are forbidden to reestablish a friendship, but neither girl listens. This is sticks of dynamite dangerous. This is a most enjoyable read for junior high girls. Can you imagine… finally finding a friend who complements you and then being banned from seeing them. Maybe in the past, but now?

Boys Without Names

Boys Without Names by Kashmira Sheth

I really do hope that I am at the end of the contest to write the most tragic, although true, tale. This is my fourth Caudill Nominee for 2014, and aside from Ghetto Cowboy, each is more heartrending than the last. Access to these books is rightly important for our privileged children. They are essential for us to read in order to see the picture of the world at large. Such novels would hopefully provide at least an ounce of perspective to the child who declares, “I’m bored.” Alas, I am not too terribly hopeful. The masses will continue to wind their way to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate. These poignant stories can be a hard sell to the majority of their intended audience.

Gopal is the oldest son of an onion farmer in rural India. A young son might think that one year’s bumper crop would guarantee next year’s planting. The laws of supply and demand will prove him wrong. Gopal’s family never had much money to begin with, but now the small family is not only impoverished, but also deeply in debt to the money lenders. Baba, father, decides that the family must move to the big city, Mumbai, to live with an uncle while working towards a better future. What is more, the family must sneak out of their rural village without saying goodbye to friends in order to escape the punishment of the money lenders.

Young Gopal does not seek charity. In fact, he wants to find work to help support his family. His uncle works hard to ensure that Gopal will have a place in school next term. Uncle supplies clothes and notebooks. The more that is given to Gopal, the more he feels compelled to earn his own way. When a charismatic, yet strange young man mentions factory work, Gopal is intrigued. He doesn’t want to lose the opportunity to help his family. Gopal takes the bait as well as a cup of tea that is laced with a sedative.

Gopal wakes up in the “factory.” It is a small, two story shack. The boss has an office downstairs. There is a hole in the ceiling where a ladder can be placed. Upstairs are five more young boys sitting at desks gluing colored beads onto frames in a specified pattern. Gopal joins them. They work most of the day and sleep in the same room at night. They come downstairs for tea and meals when they have worked hard and caused no trouble. They get a bath once a week from a bucket that they share. No one talks. No one knows anyone’s name.

Gopal, a practiced storyteller brings a little life and laughter to the dismal group, but the joy brings pain and punishment. The boss’s job is to keep the boys at odds and in factions to prevent mutinies. There are beatings, lashings, humiliations and withholding of food. Some of the boys lie to acquire rewards as small as a cup of tea or a bite of bread. But in the end, the stories win and they hold the small, powerless group together long enough to survive. It is an amazing thing – the power of a name as well as the power of story.

It is stories like these that make me want to keep my own children in sight. This is a great book to support any discussion/education of child labor in third world countries or the slave trade of children. It is nice that the book has a happy ending. I am sure most stories like this one do not.

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R. L. LaFevers

It was that time again. We were out of books to read at bedtime. Forget the fact that I had forty plus books stacked beneath my bed representing the cream of the crop. I had Caudill nominees and Newbery winners, but nothing that looked or felt like family story time. There was nothing that fit the bill – no fairy tales, dragons or comedies that I could see. What they wanted was another Beastologist and that was the one thing I couldn’t provide.

I remember the day I set out to find something new. Something similar. Something appropriate. There wasn’t anything close to the Beastologist that I could find that didn’t have something wrong with it. Too old. Too scary. Someone dies. And, confidentially, I wanted something new myself. Something I hadn’t just read. Something I wanted to read when I had time. And what I finally chose, the only thing I actually brought home, was Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos.

In the end, I chose it because it is written by the same author who wrote the Beastologist series. I adored the character’s name… my middle name is Theodora. And I had begged for a reason to read it. I was still concerned however. While I was relatively certain that my younger daughter would relish it – she grows to be more like me every day, I was also fairly confident that my older daughter would shy away from it. It is everything she doesn’t like.

You see, Theodosia can see black magic and ancient curses. She practically lives in a museum where sinister forces lurk in dark hallways. Her mother, an archeologist, brings an artifact back to the museum that is cursed more and worse than anything Theodosia has ever witnessed. And of course, it is up to Theodosia to remove the curses and return the artifact to its resting place… in Egypt. If she fails in her task, Britain will fall into chaos and the rest of the world will follow.

So I am completely and utterly stunned, although thrilled beyond all measure, that this book received a resounding SIX THUMBS UP! And there are already three more in the series! They are begging to begin book two! I’m completely flummoxed. Theodosia can be every bit as dark and sinister as Harry Potter, especially the latter volumes of the series. People are attacked and killed. Theodosia herself works Egyptian “voodoo” magic to slow the villains down.

Theodosia is an Hermione Granger from the 1920’s. Although she should be in boarding school, she has chosen to stand her ground and stay home. She teaches herself hieroglyphics. She reads ancient Egyptian tomes, studies Egyptian magic and creates magic amulets to protect herself and her loved ones from evil. When a recipe for an antidote doesn’t exist, she takes her quite substantial knowledge to create her own antidote from scratch!

Despite the fact that Theodosia has a gift as well as a natural talent for the art, her parents and their colleagues view her as a child without much to offer. And that irks and irritates her. It isn’t until she discovers a secret organization on the side of good against the Serpents of Chaos, that she is finally seen for the asset that she is. It is a blooming shame that she has to keep the organization and her ties to it a secret!

Recommended to girls 5th through 8^th grade. The protagonist is young, eleven-years-old, but the book reads older in my opinion. I am guessing there will be a large dash of World War I conflict added to the mix in the future!

Ghetto Cowboy

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri

When I first saw this title on the Caudill Nominee List, I couldn’t help but chuckle. The title is made up of two seemingly disjointed words. “Ghetto” makes me think of the inner city and concrete and tall chain link fences. “Cowboy” makes me think of wide open spaces, traveling and horses. I couldn’t imagine any two things less alike. And the people who are cowboys would hardly wish to be in the city and vice versa. Fish out of water. But I recognized the author’s name, G. Neri, unforgettable. He wrote Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty and won a Coretta Scott King Author Honor. I started to look forward to it.

At 218 pages; with many, full-spread, eye-catching, black and white illustrations; and short chapters that dig right into the action and move forward lightning fast; this book is aimed directly at the African-American reluctant reader – specifically boys. The conflict begins page one and the reader is hooked. I raced through the first three chapters until I was halted with my first jarring image.

The novel starts with Cole and his mother in their car traveling from Detroit, Michigan to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother has just found out that Cole has missed the last four weeks of school. Not only has he been lying about it, but he has been destroying all evidence that the school has been attempting to make contact with her. He tells her that he hasn’t been doing anything wrong, however he hasn’t been doing anything right either. And Cole’s mother is at her wit’s end. She is driving Cole to stay with a father he has never met, much less even known about.

Is he ever in for a surprise! Cole’s father is a cowboy in inner city Philly. In fact, Cole’s mother left him because he loved his horses and his work with horses more than he loved his wife and newborn son. His father, Harp, saves up his money to purchase horses that are retired from racing. He rescues them from being made into dog food. He stables the horses in a part of the city that has been run down and left abandoned. He encourages inner city kids to learn how to care for and ride the horses to keep them off of the street corner and out of no good. Despite a lack of funding or support from the city, the program is successful, but now the city is looking for a way to shut Harp down and reclaim the land to make money.

Cole doesn’t want to stay with a stranger. Cole wants a second chance at home. But he makes an uneasy friendship with a new horse and in no time, his heart is invested in the animal. When Animal Control removes the horses stating that they are malnourished and ill-treated, Cole is spurred into action. He learns to live the Cowboy Way, “no matter what, never ever give up fighting when the chips are down. Real cowboys never give up.” And he spurs the old-timers, including his father, into action.

I really hope this book’s cover catches some eyes. I truly enjoyed it. Makes me wish we had some horses downtown to take care of and ride – especially for the kids. My only complaints were as follows. I wish it were longer. I wish it hadn’t moved so fast. As an adult, I had a hard time believing everything happened so quickly. (Cole went from being afraid of the horses and wanting nothing to do with them to falling in love with one overnight.) But the book wasn’t written for me. And the kids it is meant for will appreciate getting to the meat quickly without a lot of fanfare.

(This book was an exceptional treat that I didn’t anticipate. Even the quality of the paper of the novel was luxurious. Pick one up. This is the way books are supposed to feel!)