Johanna Kelly's Book Review

Right Behind You
Gail Giles
4.5 stars

Isn't it amazing how one's life can change based on one impulsive choice? One choice that was made because of jealousy and pain. One choice changed Kip McFarland's life forever. Kip McFarland murdered a seven year old boy when he was only nine.

Right Behind You is a strong emotional story about guilt and pain. The story is different from most young adult books that I've read because its told from the point of view of the 'criminal' rather than the victimized. Its a great page turner!

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

I loved this!, September 17, 2009

OK, I confess, this was only the second or third graphic book that I've read. And the first and only memoir. It really was amazing how David Small used the art to convey the helplessness, anger, angst, and pain felt by a young boy who really didn't understand the life he was living or the condition he had. At age 14, a large "cyst" and a vocal cord were removed that left him basically mute and sent him on a dangerous trajectory in his young adult years. His parents were borderline fruitcakes and I'll let you discover why so as not to spoil it for you.
Thank heavens he had his artistic talents to give him some way to communicate.
I love David! This was a lovely story and I am so happy that the author was able to tell it. Very fast read.

High interest and drags in even the most reluctant reader.

Mrs. C.

Fantastic YA Fiction -- this is an example of the best!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins -- sequel to The Hunger Games

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this one now and reserve the next!,

This book is YA at its best. Rarely do I wait with this much anticipation for a sequel. After reading Hunger Games - one of the most circulated books in our school library -- I couldn't imagine that Suzanne Collins could duplicate that success with the second volume in the series. I was so wrong! This book was fantastic, and before you read the rest of this, go ahead and place your order for the book!

I really wasn't sure where the author would go with this second book in a planned trilogy. Where The Hunger Games left off, I thought we'd be back in District 12 planning a wedding or something. I didn't expect what transpired. So as to avoid spoilers, I can't say much more than that this novel is action packed, emotionally constructed, and brilliantly written. Suzanne Collins is a superb writer. The scenes are vividly described, the characters are the type that you want to take home, hug, and raise as family. I love Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and the entire cast and crew of this world of Panem.

Hey out there -- this would make the best movie! I was glued to the pages and raced to the end of this novel -- sad when it ended on a cliffhanger because I don't know if I can bear to wait for the next volume in this saga.

I had preordered this novel for our high school library and bought copies for my nieces and nephews. Honestly -- this is futuristic fantasy at its best. Don't miss out...and yes, you must read the prior novel in the series before you read this one to get the full impact from it and the pleasure.

READ IT NOW!

The Amanda Project: Invisible 1 by Stella Lennon and Melissa Kantor

The start of a new series?

This is obviously the start to a new series and I would say that, given the content and the ages of the teens, this book might appeal to your average female middle school student. I believe that high school students might find it a bit too juvenile. Definitely doesn't contain any inappropriate content and isn't edgy in any way.

The mystery: where is Amanda? In fact -- WHO is Amanda? Seems that these three new high school freshmen have each met a different "Amanda" and now she has disappeared. None of them knew that she was friends with the other. As they talk, they discover that she was either concealing certain facts or was not being very truthful about where she lived, her family situation, and her background. When the three classmates, who are not friends, are called to the vice-principal's office, they are drawn into the situation by clues and hints that seem to appear out of nowhere. Is Amanda watching them try to find her? Why has she vanished and what does she want? Callista, Nia, and Hal find themselves trying to trace Amanda's activities and seek to discover what she wants from them. Along the way, they begin to discover that Amanda is drawing them together and they are beginning to figure out who they are as they piece the details together.

Some of this novel defies credulity given the ages of the teens. Their freedom to come and go seems a bit extreme and some of their escapades are a bit unbelievable, all things considered. There is more to the story besides the mystery of the missing Amanda as the author sets the stage for at least one upcoming sequel.

If you like your teen novels to have a clear purpose and a satisfactory ending, this book might not be the one for you. By the time I got to the end of the book, I really didn't care much about Amanda.

Ms C.

Walking on Glass by Alma Fullerton

Teens looking for a quick, superficial read should NOT pick up this book.

Although it is short, only 131 sparse pages of free verse, the depth and range of emotion expressed by the main character is heartrending and poignant. The theme of the book is about being caged -- by dreams, by choices, and by circumstance.

I actually read through this book several times -- it doesn't take long as there is really not much on the pages. It's only when I stopped to think about it that I started having questions.

Our unnamed narrator tells the story of the day he came home to find his mother swinging from the chandelier, broken glass all around. Nearly dead, she is rushed to the hospital where she lies day after day on life support. Meanwhile, the young man tries to go to school and continue on with his life though he feels trapped by his mother' s suicide attempt and his father's inability to deal with the situation. He starts to question whether turning off the machines that keep her heart pumping is really murder, and he analyzes how he missed the important clues and ignored the needs she had even as he mourns her loss. For a moment I wondered if there was the best friend Jack mentioned in the novel -- or was Jack really our narrator -- used to convey behaviors and thoughts that our narrator was too frightened or embarrassed or ashamed to admit to.

The tale left a lot more questions than it answered. Resolution was not simple. The reader is left wondering, "what would I do?"

Ms C.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

A bit of a new twist on werewolf lore, August 30, 2009

I confess, I read the reviews on this book before I started reading it so I was perhaps expecting it to be a bit "more" of everything because of the high ratings it was given. My analysis after finishing: the story was a predictable and contrived, somewhat interesting but finally merely banal. I thought it was a little better than OK and I would recommend it to any teen girl who likes reading werewolf stories or sweet, paranormal romance. The tale involves a girl named Grace who falls in love with a werewolf named Sam. They can't be together while he is animal, but for a time they share human love during the waning days of summer and throughout some of autumn in Minnesota. Supposedly it is cold weather and climate changes that make the wolves turn from animal to human and vice versa.

That said, my main problem with the plot is that so many questions are left unanswered and left dangling at the end of the book. We are also given a trite explanation for Grace's continued human existence despite the fact that she was bitten by a wolf. The characters -- mostly wolves -- are stereotypical good guys and bad guys. Not much depth of character development there. Except of course for Sam who is the lovesick wolf, the "best" of the pack.

Now I must say that the part that bugged me most about the book, however, was the complete absence of adults in the lives of almost all of the teens in this novel. I realize that there are parents who are self absorbed, but I think the author of this tale got a little carried away and made them completely worthy of a visit by the local child protective services. Not only were they physically not present in their homes much, but they didn't interact with their children nor were they consulted when events transpired that might have necessitated a legal guardian being available. It just didn't ring true but then again, this wasn't probably meant to be realistic fiction -- more like fantasy!

Although not my cup of tea, I think the intended audience -- teen-aged girls -- will probably like this book a lot. The chasteness of the relationship between Grace and Sam, the longing and angst over their too short period of togetherness, will appeal to those who like that tension and who hope for a happy ending with true love conquering all.

Ms C.

Do you have a free hour? Need an elective?

Sign up for LIBRARY SCIENCE!

This course is designed to acquaint students with the organization and operational procedures involved in running a school library. Students gain skills in use and maintenance of the online library catalog, including data entry, check in and out, and materials management. Daily activities include assisting other students with research, book location and copy needs. Experience is given in shelving and processing books, displaying periodicals, fine collection, reference clipping, vertical files maintenance, and book repair. In addition, students learn how to use standard online research data bases and how to acquire materials through outside library systems. Assignments include reading a wide variety of young adult and other literature, writing reviews, and posting on the Celtic Librarian web page blog. Students also attend the OHS Book Club meetings and will facilitate at least one of the book discussions. Students contemplating taking this class should be highly motivated, very organized, love to read and talk about books, and be eager to learn more about research methods and the internet.

Contact Ms Crawford for further information.

To tell the truth...

The challenge: Micah wants to tell you the truth. She really does. Problem is, she's a self confessed liar. She lies about everything -- big things and small things. Deliberate wild lies -- like the time she told her classmates she was an hermaphrodite -- or when she pretended for two days that she was really a boy. She tells little white lies and and then admits to lies of omission. So what's the reader to think?

This is a wild story with an evolving narrative that is half revelation, half concealment. Is Micah to be trusted as she tells us what happened to her 'after hours boyfriend' Zach? Can we believe her when she describes her childhood and the strange events that shape her life and make her into what she is? Are we sure that things happened as she says they did? What of her parents? her friends? her favorite teacher?

I think teens will really enjoy this very fast-paced novel with some surprises and some "gotcha" moments along the way. Can't say much more without revealing a spoiler or two. Let's just say, the questions mount and some of the answers may perplex you.

Mature themes and content.

Ms C.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

"On July 16 and 17, 1942, 13,152 Jews were arrested in Paris and the suburbs, deported and assassinated at Auschwitz.” Those Jews were drug from their homes in France by FRENCH police following orders given by the Nazis. On the day that she was rounded up by French police, 10 year old Sarah Starzynski had locked her little 4 year old brother Michel in a cabinet telling him that she would be back to let him out when the police let them come back home. The families of men, women and children (most between the ages of 2-12 and most BORN in France) were not allowed to return to their homes; instead they were taken to the Voledrome d’Hiver and sequestered there in abominable conditions. They were separated by sex, husbands taken from wives and even worse -- mothers were torn from their children. These confused, hungry and mistreated citizens were loaded on cattle trains and taken in convoys to the camps.

This fictionalized account of the roundup and of the relationship of two families connected through an apartment on Rue de Saintonge in Paris is haunting and memorable.

The novel shifts from past to present with chapter changes, moving between scenes of Sarah as she is imprisoned in Vel D’hiv to American born, now French citizen and journalist, Julia Jarmond Tezac who is assigned the story when that tragedy is to be memorialized on the 60^th commemoration of the Vel’ d’Hiv’. Julia soon discovers that the French are largely ignorant of this deplorable event and their embarrassment at knowing that this was done keeps them from remembering those lost families – and in fact, many French families simply took over the homes and possessions of the former Jewish occupants. Sarah’s story affects Julia in ways she never imagined and completely alters her views of herself and her life. Julia becomes consumed with knowing what happened to Sarah and her family and begins a mission of discovery. What she learns provides a lesson and an admonishment for us all: Zakhor. Al Tichkah. (Remember. Never forget.)

Highly recommended - read with [[ASIN:0156031663 Those Who Save Us]] by Jenna Blum and [[ASIN:0307394964 Skeletons at the Feast: A Novel]] by Chris Bohjalian -- two other incredible novels that provide additional insight into how the horror of the Holocaust affected all of Europe in those very dark days of World War II.

Ms C

Johanna Kelly's Book Review

My Sister's Keeper

By Jodi Picoult

3 - 1/5 stars

Anna was born, not as a mistake, or a surprise, but made to save her sister's life. Anna's sister, Kate, has a very deadly form of leukemia; if Anna weren't an exact match for blood and bone marrow transplants, then Kate would die. Now, Kate needs a kidney. Anna does not want to help her sister anymore.

I was glued to this book, every chapter is from a different character's viewpoint. I went between wanting Anna to just give up the kidney to wanting to hug her and say its all over. My Sister's Keeper deserves 3 1/5 stars because the author seemed to throw in things that weren't needed and that didn't make sense. On June 26 the movie will be released, read the book first, then see the movie!