The Bard's Books

The following (or previous, depending on how you look at it) 25 posts are book reviews with trailers and links to other books that I completed for my Young Adult Literature course this fall. The books were chosen from ALA lists and were read over the course of the semester. I really really enjoy reading YA lit. It is probably my favorite genre. One of the things I discovered while working on this assignment was the sheer volume of really great YA literature that is being published now. A few years ago, I was pretty up to date on all the most recent YA offerings, but this assignment had me reading many books that I have never heard of. I was able to sneak a few oldies but goodies in as well, since some of the lists included older books like The Hobbit and Ella Enchanted, but most of the assignment was one of discovery for me. While reflecting on this assignment and my coursework for my MLS during my daily walk today, I was thinking about what drew me to pursue this degree. I think i

Summary:  The second book of the Jacky Faber series is a historical fiction novel set in the early 1800s. After being discovered as a girl, Jacky is removed from her Navy ship and sent to the Peabody School for Girls in Boston, where she is expected to learn how to behave like a lady. Jacky has a hard time adjusting to the school and the strict headmistress, Miss Primm. After being arrested for dancing on the street, Jacky is expelled from the school and is kept on as a servant. Jacky believes that the Reverend Mather has murdered a servant girl. Mather believes that Jacky is the reincarnation of that girl, come to haunt him. He kidnaps her and ties her to the dead girls bed, but Jacky is rescued. A fire engulfs the church and school and Jacky rescues Miss Primm despite her protestations. She then escapes to a ship bound for London. Strengths:  Jacky's confident and cocky narrative voice make her story a memorable one. Meyer does a good job of accurately portraying the socia

Summary:  How They Croaked  describes the demise of nineteen famous historical figures in great detail. Quirky, shiver inducing drawings accompany this hilarious piece of scientific history. Readers who are interested in a well researched book about the human body, the history of medicine or just plain gore will enjoy reading this. The book includes lists of resources, notes on relevant facts between the chapters.  Strenths:  The style of this book is casual and irreverent. The conversational nature of the book lends itself well to keeping the subject matter from becoming overwhelmingly disgusting, for the most part. Cartoon illustrations add humor to the macabre. This book is very well researched with sources cited. The book also includes a further reading section for readers who want to find out more about the interesting and sometimes insane deaths of historical figures.   Bragg, G., & Malley, K. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous . New York

Summary:  Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, and hobbits are not the adventuring kind. But Gandalf has other plans in mind. Along with thirteen dwarves, Bilbo goes on a quest to take back the Lonely Mountain and its treasures from the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo finds a magical ring, escapes imprisonment at the hands of the wood elves, finds a weakness in Smaug's armor that leads to his defeat and, with the help of the men of Lake-town and the Wood Elves, manages to win the Battle of Five Armies. He takes a small portion of the mountain's treasure and returns home a wealthy hobbit. Strengths:  The Hobbit is narrated as a serial, with each section describing a new place or creature. The growth of Bilbo throughout the novel is the strong central theme, as he changes from a timid homebody to a confident adventurer and "thief". As this growth occurs, Bilbo also grapples with greed and the cost of war. Bilbo is the first voice of reason when the men, dwarves and elves fight among

Summary:  Ender is a Third in a world where families are only allowed to have two children. His sadistic older brother and a school bully make his young life miserable. Then his monitor is removed and he is taken up to Battle School. Ender is pushed by his teachers and Bonzo, the battle school bully, to his absolute max. Ender is successful in the battle room and is quickly promoted to Command School. Realizing that his accelerated promotion means that the commanders believe he may be the next great military mind, Ender feels the pressure as he realizes that winning the Bugger War and the fate of Earth both lie in his hands. Strengths:  Orson Scott Card creates a immersive future world with disturbing clarity. The government programs set up to identify gifted children and the world of Battle School are well described. The slightly more controlled, Lord of the Flies type world is believable. The story is told in third person with almost all of the narrative focused on Ender, thou

Summary:  The Lost Hero is the first book in Rick Riordan's second book series based on mythology. Jason, Piper and Leo are on a field trip when Jason wakes up without any memory of who he is or what he is doing. The trio discover they are demigods when they are attacked. Coach Hedge, their escort, takes them to Camp Halfblood where they learn they must go on a mission to save Hera. Once they complete their quest, Jason begins to gain his memory back and realizes that he is a hero from Camp Jupiter and is actually a Roman demigod. He has been switched with Percy by Hera in a ploy to try to get the two camps to band together to defeat Gaea. Strengths:  Like the Percy Jackson series, The Lost Hero combines the modern world with Greek and Roman mythology in this fantasy novel. Unlike his previous novels, The Lost Hero is told in 3rd person with alternating point of view chapters told by the three main characters, Piper, Jason and Leo. Riordan's casual storytelling style mak

Summary:  After his grandfather's murder, Jacob Portman follows clues that his grandfather left behind to travel to Wales in an attempt to find out about the man's past. There he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an orphanage where children with special powers live together in a time loop, which keeps them safe. Jacob learns about the monsters who killed his grandfather called hallows. The hallows are killing people in the area and Jacob discovers that he is also "peculiar" and is the only one who can stop the killings. The time loop at the orphanage fails and the children must leave their home for their safety when Miss Peregrine is trapped in bird form. Strengths:  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children has a Victorian steampunk feel to it that is emphasized by the use of creepy, black and white vintage photographs throughout the book. The characters are all very well developed. The plot twists are unexpected and dark and keep th

Summary:  Hazel meets Augustus at a cancer patient support group. She has thyroid cancer that has metastasized to her lungs and Augustus lost his leg to bone cancer. They exchange favorite books. Hazel's favorite has a cliffhanger ending, which leads Augustus to contact the author to try to find out what happens at the end. He manages to arrange a meeting and surprises Hazel with plane tickets to meet Van Houten, the author. When the pair meet him, they discover that Van Houten is a bitter drunkard. Augustus confesses his love for Hazel and also reveals that his health is not as good as he had told Hazel. Augustus dies from his cancer and Van Houten attends his funeral to apologize to Hazel for his actions and explains to her that it is impossible to avoid being hurt, but we can choose who we allow to hurt us. He says that he is happy with his choices and hopes Hazel is as well. Hazel ends the book by saying that she is happy with her choice. Strengths:  The Fault in our Sta

Summary:  Most kids at school think Dwight is pretty weird. One day Dwight folds an origami Yoda puppet to give the kids at his middle school advice. Now everyone wants to know if Yoda is really one with the force or is Dwight just pretending. Tommy decides to build a case file to get to the bottom of the mystery. He has other students write about their experiences with Origami Yoda and Tommy's friend Kellen illustrates the file. Meanwhile, Harvey tries to disrupt their case and constantly insults and belittles everyone else. Strengths:  The plot of this story is reminiscent of several middle school novels but the story is presented with a variety of sketches, handwritten sections and several different typefaces, making it an aesthetically interesting book to read. Geek chic is now incredibly popular, so the gimmick of the origami Star Wars characters adds an attention grabber to a story that may otherwise seem predictable. The book also includes directions for making your o

Summary:  Finn was injured in a freak accident that killed his mother and left him scarred when he was little. If that wasn't bad enough, his dad wrote a book and made Finn the main character. Now everyone who meets him thinks of him as a character and not a real person. His best friend Cade is the only one who treats him normally. When Finn's girlfriend moves away leaving him heartbroken, he goes on a road trip with Cade that leads to Finn finding some independence and a sense of free will while facing a flood and becoming a bit of a hero along the way. Strengths:  100 Sideways Miles is offbeat and somewhat absurd and that's one of its strengths. The plot is as quirky as the main character. The unpredictable nature of the story and the humor throughout makes it a clever and fun read. Finn's voice is warm and real and this narrative style means that the reader cheers his successes and mourns along with him at his failures and heartbreaks. The symbolism in the boo

Summary:  Glory's mom committed suicide when she was four years old. She's about to graduate from high school and while everyone else is making plans for their future, she wonders if she will even have one, or if she'll die like her mom. One night, she and her only friend drink the remains of a petrified bat and they gain the power to see the past and the future of the people around them. The future she sees is full of war and erosion of women's rights. As she works to try to prevent that future, she learns about her own past and that of her family. Strengths:  King's story is rooted in a realistic world but with a little bit of magic mixed in. This element of almost realism is intriguing and interesting. The theme of the book focuses on feminism and the idea that doing nothing can sometimes cause great harm. Glory is without direction until the visions begin and she realizes that doing nothing will cause a whole lot of terrible somethings to happen. The idea

Summary:  When Ben finds out that he has a blood disease and only has a year left to live, he decides to keep it a secret. He is an 18 year old high school senior who chooses to live his last year to its fullest. He spends that year training to be a star football player, going after the girl of his dreams and working to make his community and the people in it a little bit better. Along the way, Ben discovers that he's not the only one with secrets and learns that maybe keeping those secrets isn't always the best choice. Strengths: Crutcher writes incredibly good sports actions scenes. The sports parts alone will be enough to draw many readers into the book. In addition, Ben's voice is authentically teen. His sometimes glib, often humorous and sometimes sober reflections on his own mortality are thought provoking but realistic when considering that he is a teenager. The overarching theme of how people keep secrets is relate-able, even if some of those secrets are less

Summary:  Jackie moves from the North to Greenville, South Carolina when her parents split up so that her mother, siblings and she can live with her maternal grandparents. Though the South is in the midst of the Civil Rights movement and people aren't always kind, Jackie loves Greenville and living with her family there. When her mother moves back North and takes the children with her, Jackie befriends a Puerto Rican girl in New York named Maria and decides she wants to be a writer. Every year, Jackie visits her grandparents back in Greenville and as she grows up she becomes more aware of the changing social and political climate and the continuing Civil Rights movement. Strengths:  Brown Girl Dreaming is written in verse. This reflects Jackie's love of words and phrases and they way they come together and the rhythm they create. Many lines are beautiful by themselves but together they are heartachingly so in places. Because the book is a historical fiction piece, Woodso

Summary:  Persepolis is a history of Iran and the Islamic Revolution told through the eyes of Marji, a ten year old girl. It is an autobiographical graphic novel that begins in 1980, when Marji begins to feel the effects of the new regime in Iran. Marji is astute and becomes increasingly aware of the world around her and becomes rebellious. Scared for her safety, her parents send her to school in France when Marji becomes more outraged and fearless in her opposition to the fundamentalist regime. Strengths:  The choice to tell this story through graphic novel is one of its strengths. It apologetically portrays the events of the Iranian Revolution, the horrors of war and the effect of the Islamic Revolution on the citizens of Iran, particularly women. The main theme of the book is Marji's willingness to fight for what she believes in, even when it becomes extremely dangerous for her to do so. The portrayal of Iranian culture is also a strength of this book, as there are very f

Summary:  Gabi is a high school senior who is pulled in all directions. Her diary chronicles the sixteen year old's senior year of high school. Her best friend is pregnant, her other best friend is kicked out of his house after he comes out to his parents, her father is a meth addict and her mother nags and disapproves but is still supportive. Gabi's diary is full of teenage thoughts, poetry and her looking toward the future that she hopes will happen at Berkeley.  Through the novel we see Gabi learn and grow as she deals with the world happening around her and her social and environmental awareness as well as sense of self grows. Strengths:  This book gives a voice to a young, Latino woman in a genre that very rarely features that sort of character. As a result, there are issues discussed in this book that you won't find in very many other young adult books. Gabi struggles with racism, her weight and the problems of the people she cares about. The narrative of her d

Summary:  Twelve year old Todd is the last boy in Prentisstown. There are no women or girls and Todd is the only male under the age of 12. Todd is told that when settlers landed, a germ took over that killed all the women. The men were not killed, but the germ made it so that all of their inner thoughts could be heard. Just before his thirteenth birthday, Todd learns that this is not completely true. The germ did not kill the women. In fact, women were unaffected by the Noise that plagued the men. As a result the men in Prentisstown killed all of the women and were cut off from the rest of the New World for their crime. When a girl crash lands outside Prentisstown, she and Todd set off to try to warn the rest of New World that Prentisstown has world domination in mind. Strengths:  The main strengths of this dystopian young adult novel lie in the plot's creativity. The settlers have discovered a world very similar to Earth but the idea of a native germ that has a detrimental

Summary: 16 year old Steve Harmon is in jail awaiting trial for being an accomplice to murder during a store robbery. During his trial, his attorney, Kathy O'Brien, works to defend him while unsure whether Steve is innocent or guilty. Steve is accused of standing as a lookout for two others during the robbery and can be sentenced to death if found guilty. The book is narrated by Steve and is partially written as a script, as Steve is part of his high school film club and wants to become a filmmaker. This book takes a hard look at the criminal justice system, overt and hidden racism and peer pressure. In the end, Steve is found innocent and released and continues his film making. Strengths:  This book left me feeling unsettled, which seems to be the intent. The themes in the book are complex - underlying and systemic racism, the effects that being part of the criminal justice system has on young men, particularly those of color, the strengths and weaknesses of the judicial sy

Summary: This is the definite book on puberty, sexuality and health for preteens and teens. Full of accurate information and illustrations that are both accurate and accessible without being intimidating, this book handles all the questions that a young adult may have about their changing bodies, how to deal with the opposite sex and things that they may not be comfortable asking aloud in a frank and positive manner. The book was originally published in 1994, but a recently published edition has added sections on internet safety, emergency birth control and gender identity. An excellent book for a home, public or school library. Strengths:  I read It's So Amazing  for a children's literature course that I took earlier this year and was blown away by what an amazing book it was for delivering accurate information that adults may be squeamish about with frankness and ease. This book follows along that same path. The main strength of this book is simply its accuracy. Harris

Book review by LifewithBeth Summary: George knows that she is a girl. But the rest of the world sees her as a boy. When George finds out about auditions for the school play, "Charlotte's Web", she desperately wants to land the role of Charlotte so that the rest of her world will finally acknowledge that she is not a boy. Slowly, George starts to let her family and school know that she is really Melissa, and that her body doesn't match her sense of self. The process is rocky and sometimes painful, but in the end, George delivers a hopeful and poignant reflection of the life of a transgender child.  Strengths:  One of the strengths of this book is that it is one of the few books for its genre. There isn't a whole lot of literature out there about trans characters and there are virtually none that are targeted for middle readers, like this book is. Gino's use of pronouns in the book is deliberate, with female pronouns when Melissa is talking about

Summary:  Originally published in 1982, Annie On My Mind  is a story of two girls from two very different worlds who meet at a museum and become friends. Eventually, that friendship develops into a tentative romantic relationship. When their relationship becomes known to Liza's school and their parents, the girls struggle to cope with the fallout, eventually separating and moving to opposite sides of the country to attend college. Liza reflects on their relationship as she tries to write a letter responding to the many that Annie has sent her from college. As Liza comes to term with her sexual orientation and relationship with Annie, the two reconcile via a phone call. Strengths: The fact that this book has not been out of print since its publication 33 years ago is a testament to the way it resonates with young adult readers. This coming of age story centers around the complex process of examining ones own sexuality and sexual orientation and dealing with the reaction of so

Summary:  When 4 year old Cece gets meningitis, her parents are scared. But she recovers and everything seems like it is going to be just fine, until they discover that Cece has suffered permanent hearing loss. Told through a graphic novel, Cece Bell's somewhat autobiographical story stars a world of bunnies where Cece navigates her first grade year while dealing with her deafness, wearing a hearing aid and making friends. She copes by creating an alter ego for herself, "El Deafo", the hearing aid wearing superhero. In the end, Cece gains confidence and learns to be more assertive with other people who just don't understand how their interactions with her can have an effect. Strengths: This graphic novel is geared towards a younger set of readers than most of the books I will be reviewing this fall in this blog, but it still has some value and strengths for the young adult reader. The theme of dealing with being different will resonate with young adult readers,

Summary:  Melinda is an outcast. The summer before beginning high school, Melinda breaks up a party by calling police. Everyone knows she did it, but only two people know why and now everyone hates her. Speak  is Melinda's personal narrative of what happens as she tries to cope with her private trauma and public shame during her freshman year of high school. Unable to talk about the circumstances that led to her police call, Melinda finds solace and grows in strength through her silence and art until she is finally strong enough to reveal the true events of one life changing night and set herself free. Strengths:  Speak 's narrative style is jarring, disjointed and fragmented, which reflects Melinda's feelings and thoughts. This style is one of the big strengths of the book, as the parallels between the style and the plot draw you into Melinda's thoughts. Also, the subject manner, while difficult, reflects some of the challenges young adults face in reality. Inte

Summary: "Junior" Arnold Spirit is a Native American teenager living on the rez in Spokane, WA. His coming of age story focuses on the poverty and alcoholism that goes hand in hand with living on the reservation. Junior is frustrated with the unfairness of the inequity between his school and other off reservation schools and his diary follows his decision to transfer to a different high school where he feels he can find better opportunities to improve his future and the problems and triumphs that arise as a result of this decision. Strengths: What I really found compelling about this book was how Junior's frustration and his world view is so well communicated. Junior sees the obvious disparity between his life and the life of others outside the reservation. He is keenly aware of the effect of alcoholism and poverty on the lives of his family and friends. Unlike many in his situation, instead of shrugging it off as "the way things are," Junior takes his li