Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad

Written by Ann Petry

Published by Amistad in 1995

256 pages.

Genre: History, Nonfiction.

Summery: This book tells the story of the remarkable woman named Harriet Tubman. It tells about her childhood as a slave, how she ran away as a young woman, her many years rescuing slaves, and her work as a spy in the Civil War.

Response: I enjoyed this book. I knew a little about Harriet Tubman, but this book helped me appreciate and admire her a lot more. Well-written as a story, not as dry as some history books.

Word of Caution: Tells about her sometimes violent life as a slave.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing

Written by M. T. Anderson

Published by Candlewick in 2008

384 pages.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Violence, Journey.

Summery: This is the story of a young male slave in pre-revolution America. He is raised in a scientific household, not knowing as a child that he is as much of an experiment as the strange chemicals. He is treated as brilliant at first, being taught latin and greek, science and mathematics. But then times change and he is, after all, a slave.

Response: Honestly, this book could make me hate historical fiction. The first part was freaky weird, but by the middle......it was still freaky weird. I skimmed a lot of it because it was gross and parts of the plot dragged. I don't think I would recommend it.

Word of Caution: Violence, slaves are treated as slaves, some language, graphic description of nasty things, and sexual references.

Foreign Exchange

Foreign Exchange

Written by Mel Glenn

Published by HarperTeen in 1999

144 pages.

Genre: Multicultural, Mystery/Suspense, Social Issues

Summery: For one weekend, students from a big-city highschool are staying with host families in a small, rural town. While staying there, one of the local girls (the prettiest, most popular) is murdered. Through the brilliant poems, we find out who killed her and how the people from both sides deal with the event.

Response: Loved it. So brilliantly written. I think that the poetry works better than regular prose would. It examines prejudices, stereotypes, rivalry, ethics, and family.

Word of Caution: Murder, obviously. Sex. Some language.

Split Image

Split Image

Written by Mel Glenn

Published by HarperTeen in 2002

160 pages.

Genre: Multicultural, Social Issues, Family

Summery: Laura Li's family moved to the US from China. Her father is always gone on business, and her mother never lets her have any fun. She has to stay home and take care of her handicapped older brother. She is the most beautiful girl at her highschool; all the boys love her. She is a model student, and an excellent student librarian. No one can see the pain that she's hiding. A fascinating and haunting story told in free verse.

Response: I loved this book. The poems are clear and descriptive. The story is gripping and unpredictable. I recommend it very highly.

Word of Caution: Suicide.

Trouble

Trouble

Written by Gary D. Schmidt

Published by Graphia in 2010

300 pages.

Genre: Multicultural, Family, Adventure

Summery: Henry Smith's father always said, "If you build your house far enough from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you." That was true for the first 14 years of Henry's life. Then when Henry's older brother Franklin is hit by a car, Henry has to learn to deal with Trouble. He feels called to climb Katahdin, like he and his brother had planned to do. The journey to the mountain is enlightening, to say the least. This is a story of racism, forgiveness, grief, family, history, war, and love.

Response: I loved this book. I think I might buy it. So wonderfully written and sincerely genuine. It pulls heartstrings and tickles funny bones. (That last sentence was incredibly cliche. Sorry.) It's tragic, but still uplifting. It starts out a little slow, but by a few chapters into it, I was hooked. Read this book.

Word of Caution: Describes some rather violent scenes. I don't remember any bad language, but there might be a little.

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Published by Square Fish in 2008
240 pages.

Genre: Graphic Novel, Multicultural

Summery: Jin Wang is a typical kid. Except his parents are from Taiwan. He has the usual middle school experience: being picked on, sitting by himself, having a crush on a pretty girl etc. He also has the typical tough experience of being an American Born Chinese. The whole book is a comic strip, which is remarkably effective for the story.

Response: I enjoyed it, but I don't think I really got it. There's a few storylines going on, and maybe I was too distracted by the comics to catch it all. It's brilliantly done. The pictures are bright and expressive. A delightful book-if you like comics.

Word of Caution: Bullying.

"Love Is a Missing Person"

Love Is a Missing Person
Written by M. E. Kerr
Published by Trophy PR in 1990
141 pages

Genre: Family, Social Issues, Multicultural

Summery: Suzy Slade is 15, and she's not the favorite child. Her parents are divorced, and her father chose her sister, Chicago. Of course he did. Who wouldn't pick beautiful, charming Chicago? But Suzy's life takes some twists and turns when Chicago shows up and wants to trade parents. And then it takes some more twists when her father remarries. And then it takes some more twists when there's a robbery in town. The ending......well, I'll let you read it.

Response: This was one of those books. The kind that makes you think on the last page. Except you're thinking, "Now what was that all about?" The book is very short, but there's a lot to it. I just don't know what it is yet. I'm going to read it a few more times.

Word of Caution: Some bad language.

" The Wednesday Wars" - Gary D. Schmidt

"The Wednesday Wars"

Written by Gary D. Schmidt

Published in 2007 by Sandpiper

264 pages

Genre: History, Friends/Social Issues

Summery:

The main character is Holling Hoodhood, a 7th grade boy in the 60's. He is the only Protestant kid in his class; everyone else is Jewish or Catholic. So on Wednesday afternoons, he's left with his teacher while all the other kids leave for their religious classes. His teacher, Mrs. Baker, has him read Shakespeare. As the Vietnam War drags on, his sister runs away to join other flower children, his father loses a business deal, he has a crush on a girl, and the pet rats escape, Holling finds truth and strength in the words of Shakespeare and Mrs. Baker.

Response:

Loved this book. La la loved it. Holling is a delightful and well-written character. The story made me laugh out loud many, many times. It helps readers understand the world of 1967 and the Vietnam war in a new way. While it's very funny, there is a underlying current of the fear and grief that the war brought. It's an easy and engaging read; I sat down and read it cover to cover in a few hours. It's a delightful book. Read it.

Word of Caution: Several of your responsibilities may be neglected due to this book.

"The Moves Make The Man" - Bruce Brooks

Hello, and welcome to the first real post!

The Moves Make The Man was published in 1984. It tells the story of Jerome Foxworthy, a black kid. Set in the 60's, the work explores multiculturalism through the eyes of a Junior High student. Jerome's hometown is required to desegregate, so they expand the school district by one block. And guess who is the only black kid on that block? Yep. Jerome.

The work is full of sports: mostly basketball. Jerome lives and breathes basketball; he hates the summer when all the kids play baseball. But his opinion changes a little when he meets Bix. Bix is a shortstop, and the way he plays fascinates Jerome.


I could not take my eyes off that shortstop. He was the only kid I had ever seen who seemed to know with every part of himself just what to do on every single play. His feet were always placed just right to go along with his throwing motion or his gloving, his head was always turned the right way, his steps never left him on the wrong foot when he needed a jump or spin. (pg 21)

The boys eventually become best friends.

The book also examines family relationships. Jerome's father died when he was very young; he looks to his two older brothers as his examples. His mother plays a key role in the story as well. She is the wise, loving force of the family. The Foxworthys are a very close-knit happy family. Bix's family is a stark contrast to the Foxworthys. Bix is an only child. His mother is insane and lives in an asylum. Bix lives with his stepfather, who doesn't like him. All family scenes and conversations are full of tension and distrust. Both of the families learn and change throughout the book.

Themes of honesty, friendship, loyalty, and character are woven into this entertaining sports story.

Personally, I loved this book. It kept me hooked from the first chapter, and I stayed up until a ridiculous hour to finish it. It is remarkably well-written and funny. I absolutely recommend it.

Word of Caution: One instance of attempted suicide by a minor character.

Read it if you love sports, boys, humor, and real life stories.