What better way to write about a poet than to use poems? That is exactly what Stephanie Hemphill does in her response to Sylvia Plath’s work. Using voices of Sylvia’s husband, Ted Hughes, her friend, Anne Saxton, and her teacher, Robert Lowell, Hemphill writes poems to and about Sylvia. Her welcoming images invite young readers to share her connection with the poet who captured her attention in high school.
This is a terrific book for students and teachers interested in poetry, especially personal or confessional poetry. Multiple voices encourage writers to explore how different people may see the same event. Hemphill developed the book, “by taking a line from a Plath poem and journaling in poetry – writing out my thought and feelings starting with one of her images or ideas.” (page 247) What a creative way to help young writers respond actively to poems. I recommend this book for the home and middle and high school libraries.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer City, State and Country: Timonium, MD US
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The Traitors' Gate by Avi
Avi’s new book The Traitors’ Gate is a very compelling read. Avi uses many adjectives and describes each character with detail and brings each plot to life in your mind. Because of the immense detail the book is harder to read, and takes patience. But your patience will pay off as the plot goes on, and all the story’s loose ends come together and are explained. The book follows a very likable boy whose situation is grave, as everyone in his family depends on him, and their fate rests in his young hands. The story takes you on a journey, through the busy streets of England into the poorest slums, but it also takes you on the boy’s journey within himself. It is also a bit of a mystery, and all in all, makes for a good read.
The book starts with a prologue that describes a scene that will only make sense to you later in the story. Then the true story starts with an in-depth look into John Huffman’s everyday life, which already is tough on him. Things only get worse for the 14-year-old and things only get more confusing. With so many new characters being introduced each chapter, it is easy to get a little lost. But, towards the end of the book events begin to make sense. Connections are made, identities are exposed, and the best chapters of the book begin toward the conclusion of the story. The story is recounted by John, and so is written in first person. This style works for the book’s plot as it gives us a chance to see what John thinks of such a muddle. I enjoyed the book and think its hint of mystery makes it more interesting. Certain plot twists clear mysteries up, while others are surprising. I think Avi creates solid, likable characters and gives them personality. Each of his characters has a certain persona that can be matched to your own life, like a mean teacher, an unlikable relative, an annoying acquaintance, or a care-free friend. The ending felt a bit incomplete and the final quote from the traitor a bit confusing, but in the very last two pages, Avi sums it up nicely. I would recommend this book. When you get to the good stuff, it’s hard to put down.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: South Pasadena, California USA
The book starts with a prologue that describes a scene that will only make sense to you later in the story. Then the true story starts with an in-depth look into John Huffman’s everyday life, which already is tough on him. Things only get worse for the 14-year-old and things only get more confusing. With so many new characters being introduced each chapter, it is easy to get a little lost. But, towards the end of the book events begin to make sense. Connections are made, identities are exposed, and the best chapters of the book begin toward the conclusion of the story. The story is recounted by John, and so is written in first person. This style works for the book’s plot as it gives us a chance to see what John thinks of such a muddle. I enjoyed the book and think its hint of mystery makes it more interesting. Certain plot twists clear mysteries up, while others are surprising. I think Avi creates solid, likable characters and gives them personality. Each of his characters has a certain persona that can be matched to your own life, like a mean teacher, an unlikable relative, an annoying acquaintance, or a care-free friend. The ending felt a bit incomplete and the final quote from the traitor a bit confusing, but in the very last two pages, Avi sums it up nicely. I would recommend this book. When you get to the good stuff, it’s hard to put down.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: South Pasadena, California USA
Competition's A Witch by Kelly McClymer
After being moved from her perfect, mortal life in CA, Pru finds herself in Salem, surrounded by witches. Her mother sends her to a Agatha's, a private school just for witches, so that Pru can learn magic. Unfortunately, things just don't work out that easily for her. She gets landed in remdial magic, which embarasses her as her younger brother is already an expert in all things magical. She makes the cheerleading team, but her teammates don't seem to like her very much. And she just doesn't seem to have any luck with guys, mortal or magical. Pru needs to get her priorities straight, and with a little motivation, her life takes a turn for the better.
While this book was entertaining, it is more appealing to younger readers than older ones. The choice of words chosen didn't really appeal to me, such as the word "kewl". The main character, Pru, was an interesting character to follow. I didn't read the prequel, but I felt like I understood enough of what was going on in the story. Overall, the story itself was fun to read and I would probably pick up another book by the Kelly McClymer if I happened to come across one.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA
While this book was entertaining, it is more appealing to younger readers than older ones. The choice of words chosen didn't really appeal to me, such as the word "kewl". The main character, Pru, was an interesting character to follow. I didn't read the prequel, but I felt like I understood enough of what was going on in the story. Overall, the story itself was fun to read and I would probably pick up another book by the Kelly McClymer if I happened to come across one.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA
The Whole World Full of Stars by Rene Saldana Jr.
The Whole Sky full of Stars is about two best friends that as seniors are going through adult issues that they have to face alone. One of the friends, a boy named Alby, owes a violent gang a lot of money. The other is trying to support his mother through hard times. Then Alby gets an idea. Enter a boxing competition! This book is about feeling sorrow, anger, happiness and mostly trust.
I thought this book had a lot of potential. I thought all of the ideas were very good. I thought a lot of the side characters like all of the parents and the guy doing the wrestling competition were very deeply written. I just did not like Alby. I thought he was unsympathetic and mean. Until the end he doesn't really care about anybody else. I did really like Barry's character. The idea of a strongly religious young boxer whose dad is dead is already complex. Add in every thing else and it's almost overly complex. But it never gets hard to understand what's going on.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8R
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: San Francisco, California United States of America
I thought this book had a lot of potential. I thought all of the ideas were very good. I thought a lot of the side characters like all of the parents and the guy doing the wrestling competition were very deeply written. I just did not like Alby. I thought he was unsympathetic and mean. Until the end he doesn't really care about anybody else. I did really like Barry's character. The idea of a strongly religious young boxer whose dad is dead is already complex. Add in every thing else and it's almost overly complex. But it never gets hard to understand what's going on.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8R
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: San Francisco, California United States of America
The Raven League - Buffalo Bill Wanted by Alex Simmons and Bill McCay
Buffalo Bill's Troupe is coming to town and guess who's going to the show? Wiggins, Jennie, Dooley and Owens. Well, if they can figure out a way to get past the guard&
A copper is critically hurt, but you wouldn't believe who the top suspect is.
Are the good guys really bad and might the bad guys be good? You will just have to find out!
When I was younger I read lots of mystery books. As I got older I expanded what I read and really never got back to a good old mystery. I was thrilled to pick up this book! It took me a little bit to get into, but once I did, I was in for a wild time. Buffalo Bill Wanted is the second book in the Raven League series, but it can stand alone. Unexpected twists and turns frame this pleasing story.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , Idaho USA
A copper is critically hurt, but you wouldn't believe who the top suspect is.
Are the good guys really bad and might the bad guys be good? You will just have to find out!
When I was younger I read lots of mystery books. As I got older I expanded what I read and really never got back to a good old mystery. I was thrilled to pick up this book! It took me a little bit to get into, but once I did, I was in for a wild time. Buffalo Bill Wanted is the second book in the Raven League series, but it can stand alone. Unexpected twists and turns frame this pleasing story.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , Idaho USA
The Walton Street Tycoons by Jim Lesczynski
Mark Hoffman with his younger brother, Sam, are financially-minded twelve- and eight-year-olds. They start their own business in their hometown, specifically on Walton Street. The entrepreneur bug quickly spreads through all the kids of the city, and soon everybody who matters has a business of their own. Even sooner, Mark and Sam are raking in 500 to 1,000 dollars each day with their dessert business, Desserts Express. This is all going on while the adult economy is dying. Their father is in jail, and their mother is living with a formal boyfriend, Frank. Mark absolutely despises Frank, and later on realizes that Frank is worse than he thought.
I found this book to be a pure page-turner. With the financial world combined with a regular kid's world, "The Walton Street Tycoons" was a refreshing view. It exposed the laws that didn't make sense, and at the same time kept up a fast-paced personal story of a twelve-year-old. It showed how the past can be mingled with the present, how a child's view differs from an adult's, and the complications that one relationship can accumulate. I think the whole family would enjoy this one.
It has some kissing and killing in parts.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, OR USA
I found this book to be a pure page-turner. With the financial world combined with a regular kid's world, "The Walton Street Tycoons" was a refreshing view. It exposed the laws that didn't make sense, and at the same time kept up a fast-paced personal story of a twelve-year-old. It showed how the past can be mingled with the present, how a child's view differs from an adult's, and the complications that one relationship can accumulate. I think the whole family would enjoy this one.
It has some kissing and killing in parts.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, OR USA
Wizards by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois, eds.
Wizards is a unique compilation of short stories from many critically acclaimed science fiction/fantasy authors. Stories from authors such as Eoin Colfer from the Artemis Fowl series and Orson Scott Card who wrote Ender's Game are in this book and have never been published. From ancient times to magic in the modern world, Wizards has a tale that can appeal to almost any audience. This book is one in a series of short story compositions edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois, and the topics of these books are very wide in variety. So if wizards are not a subject of interest, read a book from the series with a more appealing theme.
I have always enjoyed books that group stories from many different authors, and Wizards did not let me down. Many people have a very narrow view of a wizard, but once you read this book, that view will be significantly stretched. My favorite story was "Zinder," by Tanith Lee. It was about an "ugly duckling" that becomes something marvelous during the night. However, each story brings something new to the reader that leaves his/her appetite for imagination fulfilled. This book is highly recommended for all the Harry Potter fans out there and for those who enjoy fantasy.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States
I have always enjoyed books that group stories from many different authors, and Wizards did not let me down. Many people have a very narrow view of a wizard, but once you read this book, that view will be significantly stretched. My favorite story was "Zinder," by Tanith Lee. It was about an "ugly duckling" that becomes something marvelous during the night. However, each story brings something new to the reader that leaves his/her appetite for imagination fulfilled. This book is highly recommended for all the Harry Potter fans out there and for those who enjoy fantasy.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
In the Serpent's Coils by Tiffany Trent
Corrine has been having nightmares. In them, a mysterious and frightening man called "The Captain" has been calling to her, and soon she begins to see him when she's awake, too. When her uncle sends her to a decripit boarding school in the South, she hopes to have escaped the man and her dreams . . . but soon she is caught up in a tumult of intrigue and magic. And it's up to her to stop it.
I can't quite figure out whether I liked this book or not. I applaud the author's choice of the book's post Civil War setting and her creative choices of names (I was especially fond of "Corrine"). It had an engaging plot and characters, but was also dark and rather creepy. Perhaps it was a bit more gothic than most of the fantasy novels I'm used to reading. I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up the next book in the series, though. I look forward to finding out more about Corrinne, her friends, and the mysterious world of the Fey.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID USA
I can't quite figure out whether I liked this book or not. I applaud the author's choice of the book's post Civil War setting and her creative choices of names (I was especially fond of "Corrine"). It had an engaging plot and characters, but was also dark and rather creepy. Perhaps it was a bit more gothic than most of the fantasy novels I'm used to reading. I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up the next book in the series, though. I look forward to finding out more about Corrinne, her friends, and the mysterious world of the Fey.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID USA
Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
12-year-old Milada Kraliĉek loved her life in Lidice, Czechoslovakia with her family and best friend, Terezie. But in June of 1942, everything changed. Nazi soldiers stormed their home and took the women and children to a school gym. As later stated, all the men were immediately shot. It was here that her grandmother told her: "Remember who you are, Milada. Remember where you are from. Always." However, she was taken away from her family, and trained to become a German ideal citizen. She was told that her eyes, hair, head, and nose all fit the Aryan ideal for her to become the perfect citizen. She was to forget that she was ever a young Czech girl by the name of Milada, and was given the new name Eva. At a Lebensborn center in Poland, she spoke German every day, and soon forgot her native language of Czech, and for a while, forgot her name. Two years later, she was adopted by a Nazi family, and she had a new sister, brother, mother and father. However, she still missed her old family, and hoped they will one day come back for her. Finally, in June of 1945, three years after they were first separated, Milada and her mother were reunited. Her grandmother's words guided Milada back to her mother, and she will forever remember who she is.
Even though Wolf put powerful flows of emotion into the book, I believe that it is not quite enough. World War II was a devastating war, from all points of view. Therefore, the feelings in this book should be strengthened to make the story fully effective. However, this book opens up a different point of view: from the Germans. Usually, books about WWII are about the Jewish people, but this book is different. It is mainly about the daily lives of the Nazis throughout most the book. The research is very well done, and it was inspired by true stories. At the beginning, it was kind of easygoing, and rather simple. For example, the birthday party at the beginning seemed unnecessary. However, as the story went on, I got more engaged with the book, and it gets a little more exciting. At the end of the book, Milada went home to her mom without saying goodbye to the family that took care of her for a full 13 months. That surprised me a little, even though I knew that Milada didn't really like the Nazi family. The story never really reached the point where I thought a story about WWII should be. When I compare this story about WWII to others I've read, this seemed a bit simpler, and fit for early middle school readers. Overall though, this book was accurate, and a reader can learn a lot about the war from reading it. I enjoyed reading the book, and I'm sure others will too.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Milpitas, CA USA
Even though Wolf put powerful flows of emotion into the book, I believe that it is not quite enough. World War II was a devastating war, from all points of view. Therefore, the feelings in this book should be strengthened to make the story fully effective. However, this book opens up a different point of view: from the Germans. Usually, books about WWII are about the Jewish people, but this book is different. It is mainly about the daily lives of the Nazis throughout most the book. The research is very well done, and it was inspired by true stories. At the beginning, it was kind of easygoing, and rather simple. For example, the birthday party at the beginning seemed unnecessary. However, as the story went on, I got more engaged with the book, and it gets a little more exciting. At the end of the book, Milada went home to her mom without saying goodbye to the family that took care of her for a full 13 months. That surprised me a little, even though I knew that Milada didn't really like the Nazi family. The story never really reached the point where I thought a story about WWII should be. When I compare this story about WWII to others I've read, this seemed a bit simpler, and fit for early middle school readers. Overall though, this book was accurate, and a reader can learn a lot about the war from reading it. I enjoyed reading the book, and I'm sure others will too.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Milpitas, CA USA
QUAD by C.G. Watson
Quad is a gripping thriller by C.G. Watson. An unknown shooter is shooting out in the school quad while six students; Ranger, Christopher, Ken, Sage, Maggie, and Calvin are hiding in the student store. The book is about the events leading up to this shooting and how a person can only stand so much pressure before they snap. The book is written in first person point of view and deals with the perspectives of students from six different cliques in their high school; freaks, jocks, preps, techies, drama queens, and choirboys. Each chapter deals with a different clique, alternating between the cliques and the quad.
In my opinion, Quad is a remarkable book that showcases raw feelings and expressions. It portrays the pain and grief some cliques inflict upon others and shows what can happen when a bottle of emotions inside a person pops. I thought that the book was very moving and illustrated just how cruel people can be, how sometimes people can be heartless and completely unsympathetic. The book itself was very well written and had a suspense to it that kept you reading until the very end. The only part of the book that was a little disappointing for me was the ending. I think that C.G. Watson should have showed us the feelings of each clique once they found out who the killer was and who died. That would have made the ending a bit more complete, even though it was already pretty good. Overall, the book was a wonderful eye-opening read that everyone should read, at least everyone old and mature enough.
The language is strong and isn't appropriate for some ages.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Champaign, Illinois USA
In my opinion, Quad is a remarkable book that showcases raw feelings and expressions. It portrays the pain and grief some cliques inflict upon others and shows what can happen when a bottle of emotions inside a person pops. I thought that the book was very moving and illustrated just how cruel people can be, how sometimes people can be heartless and completely unsympathetic. The book itself was very well written and had a suspense to it that kept you reading until the very end. The only part of the book that was a little disappointing for me was the ending. I think that C.G. Watson should have showed us the feelings of each clique once they found out who the killer was and who died. That would have made the ending a bit more complete, even though it was already pretty good. Overall, the book was a wonderful eye-opening read that everyone should read, at least everyone old and mature enough.
The language is strong and isn't appropriate for some ages.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Champaign, Illinois USA
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