Author: Margaret Dilloway
Published: 2016 Strange things have been happening with the climate recently. Tropical hurricanes, hurricane-blizzards, frozen volcanoes, and more. One day after school, Xander is at his house with his father, his grandmother, and his best friend Peyton. Suddenly, a tsunami-like storm hits. His dad runs outside and disappears. When the boys follow, they find that their whole neighborhood is gone. They are now on a beach, and they are not sure how they got there. There is a Japanese legend of the Momotaro, a great Japanese warrior who will battle the oni (demons or devils) and save many, many people. After Xander's father disappears in the storm, his grandmother explains that Momotaro is a real story and that Xander is the next Momotaro. He must rescue his father from the oni and save the world from the oni too. The only problem? Xander is a small little guy, not a warrior in the least. He thinks this is an impossible story. However, Xander sets off with Peyton on a quest to find his father and defeat the oni. Along the way, Xander must figure out how he can possibly be this legendary warrior. Throughout the book there are sections where we read about the Momotaro legend. I really enjoyed learning about this legend. Readers who are fans of the adventure and fantasy genre will like this new book series.
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Author: Brian Selznick
Published: 2015 There are two main sections of this book. The first section consists of almost 400 pages of pictures. The next section contains all words. The first part of the book takes place in 1776. A play is taking place aboard a ship called The Kraken. Soon, a storm hits, and the ship gets caught in the middle. There is only one survivor, a young boy who was one of the actors. We find out that this boy's name is Billy Marvel. When Billy is rescued, he begins to work in a theater in London. He grows older and finds himself to be the caretaker of a child who was abandoned outside the theater. He raises the child. Soon the child grows older and becomes a famous actor. With the flip of a few pages, we learn about more and more generations of Marvels who work as famous actors in the theater. The second part of the book takes place in 1990. Joseph, a young boy in boarding school, has run away from school to find his uncle Albert, someone who he has never met before now. Joseph discovers that Albert lives a very unique life. His house looks like something from two hundred years ago. Albert invites Joseph in, and during his time there, Joseph finds mysterious objects such as a painting of a shipwreck called The Kraken and several tapes with stories and interviews of the family of Marvels. These two different parts of the book connect somehow, and I loved when I finally pieced everything together and figured it out. Author: Paul Volponi
Published: 2016 Imagine you are just starting 8th grade. Imagine that the only football games you have played in your life have been middle school football games. Now imagine that someone offers you a full-ride scholarship to play college football after high school. For Travis, this is a reality. Top Prospect starts out with Travis' eighth grade year of school. His brother has just been given a scholarship to play for the Gators at Gainesville University in Florida. The coach, Coach G., sees Travis' quarterback skills and is extremely impressed. He makes a once-in-a-lifetime offer: Travis will have a scholarship to play for the Gators after high school. Suddenly Travis has become an instant celebrity. This is a shock for Travis and his family. His brother, Carter, is excited for Travis but is also jealous from all the attention that Travis is getting because of this unique offer. A year passes, and Travis is in high school, starting as the quarterback for the team. An investigation against Gainesville University has been going on because several people have made accusations that the football players were being bribed and given money and expensive gifts just for being on the team. Then a player from the Gators dies mysteriously from heart failure. Maybe playing for the Gators isn't what either of the boys had in mind when they were recruited. Author: Kevin Henkes
Published: 2013 Billy Miller is starting second grade, and he is worried. He is worried he won’t be smart enough for second grade. On his family vacation, Billy was wearing a baseball hat. The wind blew it from his head. He was visiting a big statue of the Jolly Green Giant, and he leaned over the guardrail to to catch his hat. He went a little too far and he fell over it. The next thing he remembers is waking up in the hospital. He was lucky to be alive. Billy is worried that the bump to his head will make him less smart. This book takes place over a year. There are four sections. They are Teacher, Father, Sister, Mother. Each section focuses on these important people in Billy’s life. Billy deals with things that many kids will be able to relate to, including a younger sister who does what she wants when she wants, the need to pull an all-nighter just to see if you can do it, a competitive classmate who makes life a little harder, and more. The Year of Billy Miller is an Iowa Children’s Choice Award book nominee for the 2016-2017 school year. Author: Kwame Alexander
Published: 2014 Josh Bell is in middle school, and he is great at basketball. He also goes by his nickname, Filthy McNasty, a nickname he got from his father. Josh has a twin brother named JB who also is a star basketball player. The boys got their talent from their father, a famous basketball player. He has retired since then because of a knee injury. There is no bigger supporter of the boys' basketball career than their, but he also is their biggest critic. Josh and JB have always been close. This year, a girl steps into the picture. The new girl at school is interested in JB, and for the first time Josh feels like he is being left out. Meanwhile, the boys' mom is worried about their dad's health. Their grandfather had high blood pressure and died from heart disease, and their father is now showing the same signs. Josh takes out his frustrations on JB during a game, and JB is angry and hurt and refuses to talk to him. It feels like Josh's world is falling apart. This book is written in verse. There is a rhythm to the words, almost as if it was meant to be read aloud. I really enjoyed this book. The ending is such a surprise. Readers who love sports will be able to connect with the love of the game that Josh and JB have. Author: Jeremy Whitley
Published: 2015 This is book one of the Princeless series. It starts out with a cute, traditional fairytale about a princess stuck in a tower. A brave and handsome prince must come and rescue her. You turn the page and we get to hear from the main character, Adrienne. "That story is complete hogwash," she says. She doesn't understand why the princess was put up in the tower in the first place. Years pass and Adrienne, a princess herself, is put in a tower to be rescued by a prince. Adrienne is not your typical princess. She has made friends with her dragon, who she named Sparky. Adrienne's five older sisters are also up in their own towers waiting to be rescued by a prince. Adrienne believes this method of finding husbands is dumb. She decides to save her sisters from their towers with the help of her friendly guard-dragon Sparky. Along the way, we meet a unique blacksmith named Bedelia and Adrienne's younger brother, who is viewed as too wimpy to be the next prince by his father. When Adrienne's father discovers that Adrienne is missing, he thinks that she was killed by her dragon, and he wants revenge. This graphic novel is hilarious and full of feminism! Adrienne is such a strong character. She knows what she believes, and she just doesn't understand why some of these sexist traditions exist. I found myself laughing out loud at certain parts of the novel. I am very excited to read the next book! Author: Ann E. Burg
Published: 2016 Grace and her family are slaves who live in a small cabin on their owner's property. Because Grace has very light skin, she is called upon to live and work in the Big House as a kitchen assistant. This devastates her because she doesn't want to leave her family. Her mother used to always tell her to keep her eyes up, but now that Grace is about to go live in the Big House, she makes Grace promise to keep her eyes down and her mouth closed. In the Big House, Grace works with Aunt Tempie, the cook. Aunt Tempie is kind, but she goes above and beyond to make sure that Master Allen and the Missus are happy. Grace has thoughts about what is right and what is wrong. She knows that owning someone else is wrong, and she doesn't understand why other people can't see that. She doesn't like that Aunt Tempie seems happy to serve the Master and the Missus. Grace sometimes can't keep her "rightiness" inside, and she lets slip her feelings to the Missus. She overhears the Missus and Master Allen talking about how they need to keep Grace because of her light skin, but that they are going to sell her mother and her younger brothers at the auction to teach Grace her place. In order to save her family and keep them together, Grace plans their escape. They risk being killed in order to find Freedom. Their Freedom turns out to be a little different than Grace expects. The journey Grace and her family went on is an actual journey slaves went through in order to be free. This novel, written in verse, will really will open readers' eyes to how people of color were treated back then. Author: Erin Entrada Kelly
Published: 2016 Soledad and Ming used to live in the Philippines with their father, their mother, and their other sister Amelia. Then, there is a horrible accident and Amelia dies. The family has plans to move to the United States, but soon after, their mother passes away as well. The girls' father has no idea how to take care of little girls on his own, so he marries a woman named Vea and they all move to the United States together. Vea is mean. She is a real-life evil stepmother. She locks the girls in the closet and physically hurts them. Soledad and Ming's father goes back to the Philippines with a promise to return shortly, but he never does, so they are stuck with Vea. In addition to feeling like she is on her own, Soledad is dealing with the guilt she feels over the death of Amelia. With no one else in their lives, Soledad and Ming must rely on each other. "My mother once told me that sisters were bound by invisible ribbons, and these ribbons held them together until the end of time, no matter what" (p. 200). The girls fight, but they also know they love each other and will do anything for the other. The connection these two sisters share is something that many readers will be able to relate with. Authors: Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely Published: 2015 "Zoom in. Zoom in more. A little more. A boy, grainy. Facedown on the pavement. A man above him. Fists raining like stones. Howling. Lights and sirens. Blood on the street. The boy is still moving. And then he is not." All American Boys starts with these powerful words. This book is full of powerful words.
Half of the book is told from Rashad's point of view. Rashad is an African American high school student. The other half of the book is told from Quinn's point of view. Quinn is a white high school student who goes to the same school as Rashad. One day, Rashad stops at a convenient store to pick up some chips after school. He needs to text his friend, but his phone happens to be in his ROTC uniform in his duffel bag. He sets his duffel bag on the floor and tries to find his phone. While he's doing this, a woman in the store accidentally trips over him. Suddenly, the cashier accuses Rashad of trying to steal the chips, and the police officer attacks Rashad. Rashad doesn't try to resist. He only wants to explain what happened, but the police officer beats him senselessly. Quinn witnesses this brutality. The problem is that Quinn's good friend is the police officer's brother. He doesn't know what to do, so he runs. Rashad is put in the hospital. He has a broken nose and broken ribs, and he is in a lot of pain. He doesn't understand why the police officer did that to him when he did nothing wrong. Rashad's friends and others at school start a movement. Rashad was absent again today is spray painted on the sidewalk in front of school while he's in the hospital. There is a protest march planned. #RashadWasAbsentAgainToday becomes a hashtag on Twitter. This story is all over the news. We witness Quinn's moral dilemma. Does he stay on the side of his friends and family or does he fight for what he knows is right? Readers get to see how Quinn views what happened throughout the book. We get to see how he comes to terms with his privilege and how he comes to do what he feels is right in the end. This book was so powerful and extremely relevant in our society today where so many black people are killed unnecessarily. This book can open so many eyes. They mention the quote by Desmond Tutu that is so important to remember: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." Author: Ruta Sepetys
Published: 2011 It is 1941, during World War II , and Lina and her mother and brother are arrested by the Soviet secret police one night in Lithuania. They have no idea why they are being arrested. Lina and her famiy are forced into a cattle car with a crowd of other people. There they sit for hours and hours in this crowded and uncomfortable car. Lina's father was not with them when they were arrested, so her family is worried about him, wondering if he is safe or not. When they finally start moving, no one has any idea where they are going. They do not stop for bathroom breaks, and they occasionally get a bucket of water and a bucket of mush to share. Lina, an artist, tries to leave a trail of pictures for her father to find his way to them. On their long journey, some are beaten, killed, or sold. Some, like Lina and her family, are sent to work in camps farming potatoes and beets. The conditions are awful, and the guards are abusive and mean. Eventually, Lina and many others are sent away again. This time they are sent somewhere to live in conditions that are clearly intended to kill them all off. The book has flashbacks to before Lina was taken prisoner. The memories are connected to the events in her life now. This is such a heartbreaking read. I did not know much about how Stalin kicked people out of their countries and their homes. Reading about Lina and what happened to people like her is devastating. |
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