Three Black Swans

Title: Three Black Swans

Author: Caroline B. Cooney

Year: 2010

Genre: Suspense, realistic fiction

Age: 6th grade up

Summary: When sixteen-year-old Missy Vianello decides to try to convince her classmates that her cousin Claire is really her long-lost identical twin, she has no idea that the results of her prank will be so life-changing. (Summary from Follett Titlewave)

Review: Ever have a friend who felt like a sister? Cooney expertly plays on this feeling in Three Black Swans. The cousin/sister/twins each have a distinct personality and background, making it easy to relate to one or all of them, but the real star here is the story. It's tightly woven and in the end offers up a great twist. The only part of this book that really grated on me was the quote the title comes from. It's from the Wallstreet Journal and each set of parents reads it out loud to their daughter and have an awkward discussion about it. I'm sure Cooney meant it to tie the novel together, but instead it took me out of my reading experience. Each time it came up I rolled my eyes, but kept going for the plot.

I recommend this book to those who liked The Face on the Milk Carton and anyone girl who has a friend that feels like a sister.

Sold by Patrica McCormick

Title: Sold
Author: Patricia McCormick
Year: 2006
Genre: Realistic fiction
Age: 8th grade up

Summary: Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Her family is desperately poor, but her life is full of simple pleasures like raising her pet goat and doing her schoolwork by lamplight. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family's crops, Lakshmi's stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.

He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid working for a wealthy family in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi undertakes the long journey to India and arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. (From Patricia McCormick's Official Website)

Review: This is another 'I didn't mean to read it all in one day' book. McCormick's use first person narration really connected me to Lakshmi, who tells her story in beautiful little snippets, none more than three pages. She's poor and hungry in body but happy in soul Nepal and poor and destroyed in body and soul in India. I cried for Lakshmi because she didn't know what was happening to her and was so hopeful about her future. McCormick doesn't fall into sensationalism here, only alluding to the horrors visited upon Lakshmi, never describing them in detail.

A beautifully told story about the horribly true practice of human trafficking, I would recommend this book to almost all of my 8th graders (who are the same age as Lakshmi) and all of my fellow teachers.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Year: 2007
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age: 8th grade up

Summary: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. (From official website)

Review: I didn't mean to read this book in one night; I sat down to read for a bit before bed. Well past my bed time I was still reading and stayed up to finish the last page. Asher presents a very difficult subject in a way that is deeply moving. He doesn't shy away from suicide and how it makes those left behind feel. They're angry, confused, lost. They just want to know why. Hannah Baker explains it to them. This book is fantastic if you want to shed some tears. I would recommend this book to almost all of my 8th grade girls and anyone who wants to read about real life drama.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling

Title: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling
Author: Mary Rose Wood
Year: 2010
Genre: Historical fiction/ fantasy / faux Lemony Snickett
Age: 5th grade up

Summary:Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children. Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the forests of the estate? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners in time for the holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische? (From the official website)

Review: This book is adorable. Miss Lumley displays powers of remarkable calm in the face of chaos and mayhem. Did I mention mayhem? Well, what do you expect when children are raised by wolves.

I recommend this book to anyone needing a smile. Especially fun for adults who loved Jane Eyre, with it's gentle ribbing of the governess genre.

Gregor the Overlander

Title: Gregor the Overlander
Author: Suzanne Collins
Year: 2004
Genre: Fantasy
Age: 4th-6th grade

Summary: Gregor and his toddler sister Boots fall through a shaft in their laundry room to the Underland, a world beneath our own populated by enormous bugs, rats, bats and even (regular sized) humans. Now the problem is, how will he and Boots return to the surface?

Review: An amazing book. A bit slow to start--world building takes time--once you hit the first battle scene this book takes off. Gregor is beautifully flawed and easy to identify with. The plot is a great adventure and the characters really grow and blossom. I especially liked the interesting politics of the Underland and the interplay of various societies. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves adventure tales.

The Mortal Instruments Trilogy

Title: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Year: 2008
Genre: Fantasy
Age: 7th grade up

Summary: Clary is just a regular girl in New York City, until she realizes she sees things others can't.

Review: This book is a wonderful distraction. The characters are a bit slow on the uptake (you might be yelling DUH! when they finally figure things out) but they're still a lot of fun to hang out with. There are twists and turns in the plot and great moments with zingers and descriptions of totally original fantasy elements. I would recommend this to those who enjoyed the Twilights.

Big Mouth and Ugly Girl

Title: Big Mouth & Ugly Girl
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Year: 2002
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age: Teen
Summary: Matthew Donaghy (Big Mouth) has always had a big mouth. But it never got him into trouble — until one day when two detectives escort him out of class for questioning. The charge is that Matt has been accused of threatening to blow up Rocky River High School. Although he is innocent of the accusation, people shun him, and many adults, including the principal of Rocky River High School, get suspicious.

Ursula Riggs is a strong athlete at Rocky River High. She secretly gives herself the proper name “Ugly Girl.” Ursula has no time for petty high school distractions like friends (except for her friend Bonnie) and dating. Ursula is content to mind her own business. She hardly knows Matt Donaghy at the start of the novel.

But Ursula knows injustice when she sees it and is not afraid to speak out.

“Big Mouth & Ugly Girl.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Nov 2009, 22:37 UTC. 18 Nov 2009 .

My Thoughts: This book is a fun read on a topic that most people probably never give a thought to: being on the inside of the newspaper headline. It is about high school gossip, and how strong of a person you need to be not to get sucked into it. “Ugly Girl” is an incredibly strong female character, who I think many girls could relate to. I especially love how she compares herself to a horse throughout the story…it is just such an apt way to describe how insecurities can make you feel sometimes.
More than just the obvious, I loved how Oates shows how easily people can be thrown into hysterics, and how they are usually tricked into it by the most unreliable source. She highlights how the Salem Witch Trials happen again and again in our society, just disguised as something else.

Millennium Trilogy

Title(s):
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2005)
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2006)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2007)
Author: Stieg Larsson
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Age: Mature High School Students
Summary: This series follows the story of two main characters Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, an introvert with a photographic memory. The two meet through unlikely circumstances, and are kept together by even unlikelier circumstances.
My Thoughts: I had to be heavily persuaded to read this set of books, so I am a little late on the "I love the Millennium Trilogy" bandwagon, but I am there now.
I have to admit, it was difficult for me to get into the first book because roughly the first hundred pages are an introduction that involves many Swedish references that left me lost in the dust. Luckily, I had many people encouraging me to keep reading because from there on in it was like going down the most fantastic roller coaster. Each novel in the trilogy has the most sophisticated sets of twist and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat from one novel to the next.
Larsson is a master of not revealing too much at once. The stories are so complicated and well written that it takes the reader a while to realize that Larsson is 5 steps ahead of you.
I do offer one warning before picking up one of these books: there are a few graphically violent scenes throughout the trilogy, so if something like that would offend or upset you, these aren't the books for you.

Vampire Academy

Title: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Year: 2007
Genre: Fantasy, Vampires
Age: 7th grade up

Summary: Best friends Rose and Lissa are sent back to their vampire boarding school after two years as run aways. Readjusting to not only school but vampire politics takes its toll on the two.

Review: What a fantastic vampire book! Mead gives us a new take on vampire myths with a big helping of high school drama. But more than that, the damsel in distress does a bang up job of trying to rescue herself, and when rescuers actually come? That hero is a girl, not a love interest. Girl power, vampire power, romance-- this book is fantastic. Better than that, there’s more, an entire series! Look for it this fall in the middle school.

BOOM!

Title: Boom!
Author: Mark Haddon
Year: 2010
Genre: Adventure, Sci Fi
Age: 5th-8th grade

Summary: Jimbo and Charlie overhear their teachers speaking in a strange language and set out to investigate. They get in far too deep and Charlie is kidnapped (to another planet) and Jimbo must rescue him.

Review: Haddon is British and this book is VERY British. Words that Americans won’t understand unless they’ve watched quite a bit of BBC will throw off many readers. Even I, a complete Anglophile, had a lot of trouble figuring out what on Earth was happening at points. Other than the language barrier, this is a quick little read. I recommend it to those who love British culture and science fiction.

Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz

Title: Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz
Author: Eva Kor and Lisa Rojany Buccieri
Year: 2009
Genre: Holocaust Memoir
Age: 7th grade up

Summary: Eva details her captivity as a 10 year old in Auschwitz with her identical twin.

Review: This book outraged me and warmed my heart equally. That such atrocities happen to children, being experimented on by a ‘doctor’ after their families have been killed, will make you cry. That the twins survived, helped each other, kept each other human and whole will make you cry with joy. English is not Eva’s first (nor second, nor third) language and the book suffers a bit for it, but it’s still compulsively readable. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust or who would like to know more about what happens inside the camps after reading Anne Frank.

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You

Title: I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Year: 2007
Genre: Adventure, romance
Age: 6th grade up

Summary: Cammie Morgan goes to your typical all girls boarding school. Well, typical except that it’s a training ground for spies. Cammie tries to incorporate some romance in what becomes her hardest operation: dating.

Review: This book is bunches of fun. Superspy girl geniuses have one thing weakness: teenage boys. Boy is a language they don’t speak and a code they want to crack. Romance takes the front seat here and leaves you wanting to know more about the school itself. The stakes aren’t high, as they are in Carter’s most recent book Heist Society, so you’ll feel free to sit back and enjoy the ride. A great book to read at the beach or by the pool.

Heist Society

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Year: 2010
Genre: Adventure, thriller
Age: 7th grade up

Summary: Katarina Bishop uses the skills the family business taught her to con her way into the best boarding school in the world. The family business? World class thievery. Just as she’s getting used to classes and gym instead of casing museums and running from cops, Kat’s family history rears its head and sucks her back in. What follows is a globe trotting adventure with Kat planning the biggest heist of her life to save her father.

Review: I would call this book a young adult version of Ocean’s Eleven with a feisty teen girl in the George Clooney role. And instead of a casino, our group of misfit heroes is stealing art. It’s a super fun, fast read with short chapters and action that never stops. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fast adventures or Carter’s other books.

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
Year: 2007
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age: 8th - 12th Grade
Award(s):

• Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards: Fiction and Poetry
  
• California Young Reader Medal: Young Adult
  
• National Book Award for Young People's Literature
  
• National Book Award for Young People's Literature
  
• New York Times Notable Books - Children's Books: 2007
  
• New York Times Notable Books - Children's Books: 2007
  
• School Library Journal Best Books: 2007
  
• School Library Journal Best Books: 2007

Summary: This story is told in the first-person, from the viewpoint of Native American teenager and budding cartoonist Arnold Spirit, Jr. (better known by the nickname “Junior”). Detailing Arnold’s life on the Spokane Indian Reservation and his decision, upon encouragement from a reservation high school teacher, to go to an all-white high school in the off-reservation town of Reardan, the novel deals with issues such as racism, poverty, and the following of tradition.
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Dec 2009, 00:22 UTC. 23 Dec 2009 < http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part-Time_Indian&oldid=329572826>.
My Thoughts: As I started reading this book, it struck me, I don’t think I have ever read a book with a Native American as the protagonist. Well, I was in for an interesting peek into a world not readily available to most. This story was full of heartache that somehow made me feel hopeful, but that seems to be an Indian theme. Junior is a 14 year old struggling to better his life without turning his back on the only world he has ever know, which is a world filled with much sorrow and many struggles. It was interesting to read about the alcohol abuse of almost every resident of the “rez” because that is a prevalent stereotype of Native Americans. I was glad the author put the positive role models of Junior’s Grandmother and mother, who can help break the stereotype, and possibly give hope to young Native Americans who read this.
The best part of the book…the cartoons. Junior is a budding cartoonist, and his drawings are either hilarious or perfectly encapsulate a beautiful moment.

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

Title: The True Meaning of Smekday
Author: Adam Rex
Year: 2007
Genre: Science Fiction, Humor
Age: 5-8th grade
Summary: Tip Tucci fends for herself after the Boov (aliens who take over the Earth and rename it Smekland) abduct her mother. With only a flying car, a cat named Pig, and a Boov named J. Lo, Tip must relocate to Florida, find her mother, and save the world.


Review: Possibly the most humorous book I've read in the past 5 years. Rex--who previously illustrated books and whose original art work is featured in this novel--brings an alien invasion to life. Jokes range from crude to sublime, with everything in between. This story really shines when Rex is describing the various aliens and their possessions. Watch out for a short comic within the book, authored by Tip and J. Lo, relating a brief history of the Boov.