Total Oblivion, More or Less - by Alan Deniro

Shop Indie BookstoresThe Lowdown:
Macy is a sixteen-year-old girl who lives in St. Paul Minnesota.  Her high school life is as normal as can be for a high school kid.  She does her thing and deals with parents and siblings as best she can.  Until things start to change:  power stops working, the horsemen come to town, and her family packs up to get out of St. Paul (now "Pig's Eye) to head down the Mississippi River to St. Louis.  As they travel down the river on a steamboat called the Prairie Chicken, Macy tries to make sense of all the strangeness she sees around her.  Worried about the plague and the strange behaviors of her brother and his dog, Macy goes into survival mode.  Her family is together now, but will they be able to make it through all that the river and world will throw in their way?  Macy is tested in more ways than a girl her age should be, and you'll have to read on to see if she makes it in this strange new (old?) world.

What I Liked:
I liked this family.  They were weird; they weren't perfect.  I liked that I got to see them make it through all the weirdness that they encountered on their trip.  Also, the relationships were complex and honest.  Macy is very honest with herself and the reader about how she feels about her brother, dad, and the others.  There's a talking dog in this book.  I loved him.  I will say, however, I wanted to know what was happening to the world.  Like The Road and other post-apocalyptic novels I've read, you don't really know exactly what is going on or why it is happening.  I guess, though, if this were reality, you wouldn't know...so experiencing it all like Macy - bits and pieces at a time - is how it would feel if the world changed like this.

***This book isn't written for teens, but does have appeal for the YA audience.  This book does contain some strong language.


Read This If...
You want to go on a really crazy trip down the Mississippi.
You want to experience a future that includes the past.
You're interesting in learning about crazy plague-loving wasps and talking dogs.
You like family stories.
You want to see what it takes for a family to make it when the world seems to be ending.

Love is the Higer Law - by David Levithan

The Lowdown: 

I've never been to New York city, and I will certainly never know what it must have been like to be in NY on September 11, 2001.  But David Levithan's book Love is the Higher Law shows what the experience was like for three teens there when it happened.  This book shows glimpses into the lives of three teens on and after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on 9-11.  Claire was at school and went to get her little brother immediately after it happened.  Peter had actually skipped school that day to get the new Bob Dylan CD at Tower Records.  And Jasper actually slept through it all and didn't wake up until noon that day.  All three had very different experiences and reactions to the events.  Afterwards they have lots to deal with and think about.  As  time passes, the stories of these three intersect.  What mattered before doesn't matter now, and they rely on each other to make sense of the world as they knew it and the world as it is for them now. 

What I Liked: 

Mainly I just like that Levithan is tackling this subject.  In his afterword to the book he says that not as many books have been written about 9/11 as he would have thought.  As each year passes, the memory of the attack becomes more distant.  Today's freshmen in high school were around 6 when 9/11 happened.  This is a great book to show what it was like for teenagers experiencing the tragedy in their own backyards.  It's important to understand grief and feelings and how we are all affected by things like this.  The book shows how each kid deals with it differently and that no one way to view the tragedy or deal with it is right or wrong...they just are.  I liked that Levithan focused on the kids and their stories as opposed to the details of the day.  This book is really real and really important as we still continue to make sense of our country and its history.  The characters in the book come together to help one another.  Hopefully as they wonder, we can always do that in our world:

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we really came together, if we really found common humanity?  The hitch is that you can't find a common humanity just because you have a common enemy.  You have to find a common humanity because you believe that it's true.

I love this idea.  And even though it's been a while since 9/11, we are still living in a world that is forever changed because of it...war, fear, government power...Levithan's book helped me look forward and try to keep this positive idea in mind:  that people can be good and helpful and that maybe out of pain we can create a better world.

Read This If...

You'd like to experience life in NY.

You want to read about relationships.

You can handle taking another look at the attacks on 9/11.

You want to believe that "love is the higher law."

You want to read about friendships.

Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman

Shop Indie BookstoresThe Lowdown:  When Charles Darwin got back from his voyage on the Beagle, he was in his twenties and had a very important decision to make.  Marry or Not to Marry??  He made a chart and started to think about the pros and cons of each side.  Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman begins here as Charles decides that having a wife would be better than a dog....and he begins his search for a "constant companion."  He decides to get to know Emma Wedgewood.  Charles has seen and learned so much over the last few years that his ideas about life and religion, in particular, have changed.  He doesn't know if he believes in the God that most others do.  He sees the world in a different way.  Will Emma be able to understand his doubts and love him anyway?  She grew up on a "free and liberal household," but will it be enough?  Charles and Emma embark on a life-long journey of love, life, loss, and learning together.  There story keeps Charles grounded as he works on his theories.  This book is just as much science as it is love...and both work together magically.

What I Liked:
Mainly, I loved this story.  I know and think about Charles Darwin only when I think of his theories, but there's so much more to the life of this man than many people know.  I love that this book exists to show young people and all readers this side of Charles.  He truly is a fascinating character.  While my husband is a science major and lover, I have been interested to learn more about Darwin from what he reads.  I hope that this book will interest young readers especially to learn more about Darwin and the fascinating life he led.


I loved the way that Deborah Heiligman wove primary sources into her story.  Cuttings from letters, papers, and journals are seamlessly woven throughout the entire story, which made her writing historically accurate and real for me.  None of the quotes got in the way of the "story" of this book either; they all served to support what was happening and make Charles and Emma even more real to me.  I loved seeing that some of the things they wrote about seemed so real and normal for people today.  Even though they lived a long time ago in a world very different from ours, their inner feelings, thoughts, and doubts are much the same as people today experience.  We can learn a lot by looking at their story.  I was also intrigued by how their journals (Emma's especially) were very "twittery" to me.  With twitter and Facebook, we record our lives in snippets of text, just like she did.  They kept track of their journey together just as we do online...the ups and downs, the celebrations, the sadness.

I also loved that this is a very honest story full of love.  Real love...not just physical attraction or "crush" love.  But real, enduring companionship.  This love story isn't a fairy tale.  There was no crazy wedding or reception.  No dramatic engagement story....just two people working it out and making a life together by respecting and supporting each other.  I think this is a very real look into what a marriage should be:  "solid land in the tumultuous seas." 

Read This If...
You like historical stories.
You like science.
You like love.
You like biographies.
You want a story of companionship.
You want to read about lifes ups and downs.
You want to see a picture of how science and love work together.
You want to know a personal side of Charles Darwin.
You want to travel to a different time and place...the England of Jane Austen and Charles Darwin.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

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I teach Hamlet to my seniors at school, and so I had to read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle so I could see how this wonderful, celebrated book connected to one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.

This book tells the story of a young boy, Edgar, who is mute. He signs to his parents, Gar and Trudy, who live with him on their farm. They breed and train their own breed of dogs simply known as Sawtelle dogs. Gar, Edgar's father, is intrigued by dogs and is trying to create a dog that is a wonderful, attentive, and trained companion. Edgar and his mother help with the dogs and all is well on their farm...until Edgar's uncle, Claude shows up. Claude is mysterious and clearly has problems with Gar, his older brother. Edgar watches and listens, but when his father dies suddenly one night, Edgar's world is turned upside down....he suspects his uncle but doesn't know what to do.

The story that follows is about how Edgar deals with his father's death with the dogs at his side. He observes and makes his own moves.

I really loved this book. It took me a while to get through, but I also really wanted to make sure to give it all the time it deserved. While I was intrigued by the adult characters, I mostly loved being with Edgar and in his mind. I loved thinking as he thought and seeing the world through his eyes. Another perspective I also appreciated and loved was the point of view of Almondine, the Sawtelle's dog. I felt that the author clearly showed what the dog was thinking and feeling.

I think that this book can appeal to YA lovers, because at it's heart, it is a story about a boy and his dogs. It's also a classic Hamlet retelling in which a son seeks to revenge his father's death. If you know Hamlet, you will love this book and enjoy making connections between the two. I hope that some of my students will choose this book when we do our fiction project with Hamlet. We'll see!

You Suck - by Christopher Moore

I loved Lamb by Christopher Moore and was excited to see what You Suck would be like.  I've of course read the Twilight books and Cirque Du Freak, but I was hoping for a funny vampire story when I started this book, and that is exactly what I got.  

You suck is about Tommy Flood who is turned into a vampire by his girlfriend, Jody.  The problem is that he didn't ask to be turned into a blood-sucking monster, and that both Tommy and Jody have captured the old vampire who turned Jody, and that old vampire wants out, AND Tommy's old friends are  trying to capture him...and the list goes on!  

Jody has been forced to leave town (San Francisco) once the cops find out that she is a vampire.  In order for Jody and Tommy to get out of town, they have to find a minion to do their bidding during the day...enter Abby Normal, a sweet freak girl who helps them out.  

Abby was what made this book for me.  Every so often the book is told from the point of view of her journal and I loved her voice.  She is really funny, but honest too.  The characters in this book were all hilarious from the Animals (Tommy's group of friends who stock groceries and go frozen turkey bowling at night) to William and his large cat (he's a homeless dude with a really big cat).  This book was a funny vampire story and not scary at all.  The only heads-up that I need to say is that there is a lot of foul language.  It's funny, but foul.  There are also a few sexual situations in the book.  So if you don't mind that and want to run around San Francisco with a bunch of vampires and vampire killers, then have at it.  I would recommend this book to older teens and upper classmen who can handle the language and suggestiveness more.  Too much for middle school. 

Grade:  B

Also Known As Harper - by Ann Haywood Leal

Harper Lee Morgan and her brother, Hemingway were both named after famous writers because her mother loves stories and literature so much.  Harper's mom is a hard-working woman who does her best to take care of the kids.  Times have been hard, thought, since Harper Lee's dad left.  Even though Hemingway doesn't remember everything about Daddy, Harper does, and she doesn't really even want him to come back.  Life gets even more complicated, though, when Harper returns from school one day to find all her family's belongings sitting in the front yard.  Their house is locked shut and they are kicked out.  They sleep in their car and then get a room in a motel.  Harper's life is turned upside down.  She writes her poems as she goes through all of this, but she'll probably miss her school's big poetry reading contest because she has to stay home with Hemingway while her mother looks for work.  

This was a wonderful book about family and making it through tough times.  I enjoyed Harper Lee Morgan as a narrator very much.  She lives up to her name by being as spunky and thoughtful as the real Harper Lee's Scout.  

Harper's poems are good and I enjoyed hearing how she experienced a situation twice, once through the narration and then again in the poem.  Harper is so observant and sharp; I appreciated her views.  

Not only was Harper a good narrator, but there were other colorful characters as well.  Winnie Rae Early is the mean girl that Harper fights with.  Loraine is a young girl that doesn't talk after she lost everything in a fire.  And finally, Dorothy was a kind old lad who looked like a bag lady at first, but Harper Lee learns there's a lot more to people than what you notice on your first glance.  

I liked this book because it was real.  Some books out there are all about getting messed up on drugs and the subject matter is extreme.  Those books are good and important, but this story just seemed pure.  Harper is there for her mom and brother.  Plush, we are all hearing about economy blues and how people are losing their jobs and that is just what happens here.  

Grade:  B

Because I Am Furniture - by Thalia Chaltas

Written in poems, Because I Am Furniture, tells the story of a high school girl named Anke who lives with her family whose life seems great from the outside...but in reality, there's a lot going on in Anke's home that no one knows about. 

Anke's father is abusive to everyone else in her family, but not her.  She witnesses her father's violent behavior but is never directly a recipient of it.  Anke doesn't talk to anyone about it and just goes to school and does her best.  She is silent and invisible.

Anke begins to find her voice, though, when she makes the volleyball team.  She meets some new friends and gains confidence.  But can she stand up to her father?  Can she help her sister, brother and mom realize that what's happening to them is not ok?

I enjoyed this book.  I kept turning pages because I wanted to find out what Anke did and what she experienced.  This was a fast read and I think many young adult readers would like it.  It really shows details about living in an abusive home  that might look ok from the outside.  

Grade:  B-

Return to Sender - by Julia Alvarez

I really learned a lot about illegal immigration from this book, and Tyler and Mari are still in my head.  The book wasn't preachy at all, just a glimpse into how illegal immigration affected these characters.

Tyler is about to turn 12 when disaster strikes his family farm in Vermont.  His grandfather dies, his older brother is leaving for college, and his dad is hurt badly in a tractor accident.  With no one to work the farm, Tyler's family hires three Mexican men for help.  The only problem is that these men are illegal immigrants.  Mr. Cruz, one of the men, also has three daughters, one of whom, Mari, is in Tyler's class at school.

At first Tyler is very unsure of all these changes.  He knows that his parents should have hired these men, but he sees how much they help him and his family.  They are angels that help save the farm.  Tyler learns about them and from them and develops a very strong friendship with Mari.  

Each chapter is told from each Tyler and Mari's point of view.  It was nice to see how each of them interpreted different events. 

I liked how this book just showed a story of two families trying to make it in America.  No matter what the government says or what the news or t.v. people say, this issue affects good people and children and is important.  Some immigrants help us here and others do not.  We must hear their stories and understand as much as we can. 

Grade: B

Wesley the Owl - by Stacey O'Brien

I haven't read an animal story in a long time, and this one was amazing.  It touched my heart and taught me things about nature and animals that I didn't know before.  

Wesley the Owl is about a young woman named Stacey who is given the opportunity to take a baby barn owl home and raise him.  The biologists at CalTech where she works can't keep him, and Stacey could learn a lot about him and record he findings for them while raising him at home. She agrees and takes the baby owlet home and they live together and develop an amazing relationship for the next nineteen years.

I was blown away by the things that this bird did.  He was so cute and his antics were adorable, hilarious, weird, sweet, and a little scary every now and then.  A lot of us have dogs and cats as pets, but this owl seemed to be more like a person, like a thinking, feeling being than any dog or cat I have yet to meet.  

I usually don't read a lot of nonfiction...but I raced through this book, eager to follow Wesley's growth and watch the two become closer and closer.  You will love this book if you pick it up - no doubt about it.  It is sweet and heartwarming.  If you are bored and blah here during these last weeks of winter, pick up this book and it will warm you right up.  

Grade:  B

Dope Sick - by Walter Dean Myers

Fiction

186 pages

Dope Sick tells the story of a young man named Lil J who has gotten himself into a world of trouble.  How he ended up in an abandoned, rat-infested building with a strange man named Kelly is a long story, and Myers's book shows you glimpses into Lil J's life that show us how he came to be stuck in this run-down place and how he plans to escape from the cops outside...if he escapes at all.

After a drug deal gone bad, Lil J's friend Rico ends up shooting a cop which sends Lil J on the run.  When he runs into Kelly he thinks that man is just some homeless dude, but Kelly turns out to be much more.

Kelly talks to Lil J about his life and throughout the book Kelly takes Lil J back to important moments from his past.  Lil J sees mistakes that he made and Kelly offers him a chance to look back at his life and decide what he should change. 

I liked this book.  Lil J and Kelly live in a rough world of drugs and gangs.  Myers captures the language of the street with these characters and others, but also helps readers and Lil J himself take a good objective look at the life choices Lil J made.  Kelly doesn't push Lil J at all; he just shows him how his life went, and we along with our main character can see things that Lil J did wrong that he could go back and fix.  It's tough to read about some of Lil J's drug use, but it's also good to understand why he felt driven to do such things.  Lil J isn't glad about the decisions he's made, but he alone has the power to change them.  No matter how bad things get, we always have a choice of what to do next.  Hopefully we can move away from bad choices and make better decisions.  What will Lil J do?  End it all?  Try to get better?  Keep on down the same path?  Kelly helps him see the different stories of his life and hopefully he will make the right decision.  Read to find out.

Grade:  B-