Posts Tagged «coming of age»
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
by Gloria Whelan, 209 pages, Grades 6 and up
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Rosalind, an English girl growing up in India, prefers to spend her days exploring the city streets and bazaar with her friend Isha, but her parents don’t know that. Her father is away at war and her mother is still grieving over Rosalind’s brother who died while he was away at school in England. It is her brother’s death that made it possible for Rosalind to remain in India – her mother cannot bare to part with her only child now even though most British children are educated in England – but her father is becoming concerned about Rosalind’s education and behavior; her disobedient, unconventional ways might get her sent to England after all, and just as she is becoming interested in Indian politics, in particular a dynamic leader working for India’s independence through peaceful protest named Ghandi.
If you enjoy this book you may also like other titles by Gloria Whelan including: Parade of Shadows, Homeless Bird, or Angel on the Square. They are all historical fiction novels with strong female characters.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: coming of age, families, historical fiction, multicultural, prejudices, race relations
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Sunday, September 4th, 2011
by Christopher Paul Curtis, 341 pages, Grades 6-8
Elijah wishes he was not quite so fragile. He can take off running when he sees a snake, or might feel like crying when someone tells the sad story of escaping from slavery in America. His parents worry that his fragile nature might make his life difficult, but it is that very nature that turns him into a hero.
Buxton was a real town established in 1849 by an American abolitionist who hoped to give people escaping American slavery a place to live as free human beings. The story of Elijah is fictional, but things that happen are realistic for the time and place.
Even though his family thinks he is a delicate soul, Elijah finds courage deep inside himself and takes a lot of risks to do the right thing. It is a dangerous time to be African American; Elijah’s adventure is truly heroic.
Connections: Christopher Paul Curtis is gifted at creating exciting stories that happen to be set in realistic times in history. If you like Elijah of Buxton, you might also like Bud Not Buddy, or The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, both by Curtis as well.
Tags: African Americans, coming of age, families, historical fiction, identity, multicultural
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Friday, May 13th, 2011
by M. J. Auch 260 pages Grades 6-9
Travis is out on the street. His father, at his wits end after his mother’s accident, lost his temper and kicked him out of the house with nothing but the clothes on his back and his mom’s old guitar.
Not only does Travis have to worry about how to survive on the street, he is also worried about the rest of his family. His younger sister had to give up going to school to take care of their three younger siblings; the three little ones are missing their mom, and don’t really understand what has happened to her; his father is so distraught he has lost one job and cannot find another; his mother, rather than being helped to recover, has been housed in a convalescent home with a lot of people not expected to get any better.
Travis has his hands full, and his pockets empty. Guitar Boy is a different kind of survival story.
Other stories about difficult family situations are Bloomability, by Sharon Creech, and If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, by Gennifer Choldenko.
Tags: Add new tag, brothers and sisters, coming of age, family problems, fathers and sons, outsiders, realistic fiction, teens
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Friday, March 25th, 2011
by Ally Condie, 366 pages, Grades 7 and up
In a future world where no one has to fear disease, malnutrition, crime, or other problems of past cultures, people trust The Society to make the best decisions about everything: the food you should be eating, the clothes you wear and even who is best suited to be your partner for life.
Cassia has reached the age of her matching, and at the ceremony while others are paired with people from other cities far away Cassia is surprised and grateful to find her match is Xander, her best friend from childhood. She leaves the ceremony feeling confident this is her ideal mate, but when she uses the computer to find out more about her match the face of another boy she knows flashes on the screen!
This little “mistake” opens Cassia’s eyes to the possibility that The Society might not really be as perfect as she has been brought up to believe; could this doubt put everyone she knows in danger? And, who is her real match?
If you enjoy dystopian fantasy, fiction that takes place in a future that is the opposite of an ideal world, you might also like: Unwind by Neal Shusterman, or Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Crossed, the sequel to Matched will come out in 2011.
Tags: coming of age, dystopian, families, fantasy, identity, love stories, romance, teens
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Monday, February 7th, 2011
By Susin Nielsen, 229 pages, Grades 6-8
Violet is having a hard year. She almost poisons her step-sisters (unintentionally, of course), she breaks a classmate’s nose (less than unintentionally), she crashes into a movie star’s car (honestly by mistake), only to name a few of the mishaps of her seventh grade year. Really, Violet is only tying to make it through middle school, survive visits with her dad and Jennica (her dad’s new wife, who is fake in more ways than one), and make sure her mom doesn’t fall for the wrong guy again, but somehow nothing seems to go as planned. If only she could get George Clooney to write her back, she is sure he will love her mom and make her real sister’s and her life much better.
If you enjoy realistic fiction with a bit of humor like Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison, or Absolutely Normal Chaos, by Sharon Creech, then Dear George Clooney… might be for you.
Tags: brothers and sisters, coming of age, divorce, families, family problems, friendship, Hollywood, humor, middle school, realistic fiction, step_siblings, teens
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Monday, November 29th, 2010
By Neil Shusterman, 335 pages. Grades 7-9
It is the future, and if you are between the ages of thirteen and eighteen you worry every day about becoming an “unwind.”
When no one won the terrible civil war between the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life groups there was a compromise. It was decided that all babies would be born, that children would be untouchable from birth to 13, and that between 13 and 18 any child could be unwound. Every single body part goes on living in another body, so it is not considered death. The unwound teen continues to live in different places.
In this version of the future there are no doctors, only surgeons. There is a transplanting process that works so well, people just replace parts that are damaged or diseased instead of trying to cure them. The technology is great for people who lose a limb, but you can also “correct” things like baldness with a transplanted scalp full of hair, or replace your crooked teeth with a brand new set.
Connor is trouble, and his parents have had enough. Risa has no parents, and the state homes need to make space for the new babies being “storked,” left on their doorstep. Lev is a “tithe;” he has been raised since birth to be unwound as a sacrifice to god. “Unwinds” are outcasts whom no one wants to help, so how can they escape their fate?
Connections: For other survival stories full of adventure try: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, or Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. Another edgy science fiction adventure is Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
Tags: coming of age, creepy, family problems, identity, science fiction, survival, suspense
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Friday, November 26th, 2010
By Jody Feldman, 332 pages Grades 5-8
What is as exciting as a candy company that hides a few golden tickets offering a lifetime supply of candy and a tour of the mysterious factory? How about a toy factory with a puzzle and stunt contest where the winner receives untold riches and fame? The Gollywhopper Games starts with a stadium full of children and teens answering questions and brainteasers, in hopes of becoming one of the ten semifinalists. To twelve year-old Gil, the contest is also a chance for his family to have the money they need to leave town and find a fresh start. Once inside the magical world of the toy company, the contestants are faced with life-sized mind games and physical challenges, initially requiring teamwork but eventually singling out a winner. Are you ready for a few brain teasers?
Connections: The magical toy company setting and contest will appeal to those who enjoyed Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For those who enjoy the puzzling mind games, try reading the Puzzling World of Winston Breen series by Eric Berlin, The Mysterious Benedict Society books by Trenton Lee Stewart or Blue Balliett’s art mystery books that start with Chasing Vermeer. Be sure to check out the Jody Feldman’s fun website.
Tags: coming of age, conduct of life, contests, games, puzzles, toy making
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Friday, November 19th, 2010
by Mark Shulman p. 230 Grades 7 and up.
Tod Munn has a bad reputation; he has been known to steal the wimps’ lunch money, push his way into the front of the lunch line and shove people into the lockers when they least expect it. He is not someone you want to mess with if you don’t want to get hurt. Naturally Tod has landed himself in detention, and this time it is for something really bad, but he is not outside raking leaves with his “droogs,” instead he is spending time one-on-one with the school counselor, Mrs. Woodrow.
For detention he has to write in a journal every day after school. He spends weeks with the counselor in a hot school room writing and writing until it feels like his hand might fall off. Tod thinks the counselor is trying to “fix the bad guy,” and he doesn’t think it is going to work, either. Who do you think is right; is the bully really a bad guy, or is there more to the story than meets the eye?
Connections: If you like books about tough kids you might like Small Steps by Louis Sachar or if you enjoy books written in journal form you might also enjoy Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech.
Tags: coming of age, family life, family problems, friends, high schools, identity, misunderstanding, outsiders, realistic fiction, teens, Young Adult
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Thursday, November 4th, 2010
By Blue Balliett, 306 pages mystery for Grades 5-8
Zoomy is legally blind, but he can see things if he holds them close up. He loves to read and play games on the computer, and he also loves to investigate and collect things.
He arrived on his grandparents’ front step when he was a newborn baby. They love him and take him in; they know their son, Zoomy’s father, can’t take care of a baby, because he is running wild; an alcoholic who is always in a lot of trouble with the law.
Zoomy’s life is going along just fine until the summer his dad shows up in a stolen truck and dumps a stolen box in their garage. His father’s mysterious appearance is the beginning of Zoomy’s life spiraling out of control. First, his grandparents let him investigate the contents of the stolen box, then his dangerous dad threatens Zoomy while he is alone at the library, then his grandparents are visited by a mysterious stranger, and finally there is a big fire at his grandparents’ shop that doesn’t seem like an accident.
What will happen to Zoomy? Could it all come down to the contents of the stolen box?
If you enjoy this book you might also like: A Dog for Life, by L.S. Matthews, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon, or The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly.
Tags: adventure, coming of age, Darwin, endurance, families, family problems, fathers and sons, friendship, identity, mystery, visually impaired
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Monday, October 25th, 2010
By Julie Bertagna, 345 pages Grades 7 and up
Sometime in the not-to-distant future, the world as we know it has mostly drowned under the rising ocean from the melting ice caps. Fifteen year-old Mara’s island home is just about to disappear under the waves when her vision of sky cities prompts the village to sail off on dangerous seas in search of a safe haven. When they reach the high-tech city, they find that they and the thousands of other refugees aren’t welcome. Instead, they must fight for their lives and for scraps from the city in the sky.
Connections: For another story of a society threatened by global warming, try reading First Light by Rebecca Stead or read the sequel to Exodus called Zenith. To read about the author’s inspiration for the story, check out her website.
Tags: altruism, coming of age, floods, friendship, global warming, journeys, leadership, science fiction, survival, voyages and travels
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Monday, October 11th, 2010
by Leslie Connor, 330 pages – Grades 5-8
A sudden oil crisis leaves Dewey and his older sister to run the family’s bike shop and care for their younger siblings while their parents are stranded up north. The crunch has made the bike shop incredibly busy, and to make matters worse, a thief is stealing precious precious parts, but Dewey has a plan to identify the culprit.
Connections: Check out the author’s website. If you like mysteries with an environmental theme, try reading Gloria Shurzynski’s National Park series.
Tags: bicycles, brothers and sisters, coming of age, energy conservation, family problems, green team, oil crisis, self-reliance, speculative fiction, survival
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
By Lian Hearn, p. 305 – adventure
Takeo has never known his father, who died many years before, and he has been growing up in a remote and peaceful Japanese village surrounded by the rest of his loving family. The rest of Japan is not so; it is a time of warlords, and secret societies in the middle ages, and Takeo’s home is attacked and destroyed by a warlord named Iida who is threatening to take over the whole country. When Takeo returns from a walk in the woods and sees his village burning, something inside him takes over. He scares the warlord’s horse and causes Iida to fall to the ground. Understanding his fatal blunder, he runs back into the woods chased by the warlord’s soldiers. They all run into a man on horseback who fights for Takeo, cutting off the arm of one of Iida’s best warriors. This mysterious man turns out to be a lord of the Otori clan, another of the powerful families of Japan.
Takeo’s life changes completely from this day forward. He is adopted by the Otori and he discovers his father was a famous assassin. He also finds out his real heritage is the Tribe, a kind of secret ninja society; he possesses some of the Tribe’s extraordinary abilities. He can hear details across a crowded courtyard, or through a wooden door, he can make himself “go invisible” and become as silent as a ghost.
In these turbulent times, talents like these are desired by many, and Takeo finds himself pulled in different directions, but he is determined to complete the final task for his adopted father: kill Iida, the same lord who burned his village and killed his family. The trouble is the only way to reach the warlord in his palace is to cross the nightingale floor, a huge room covered in a floor that sings whenever anyone touches it. How can he cross the nightingale floor and avenge his family?
Connections: For other stories taking place in medieval Japan try The Samurai’s Tale, by Erik Christian Haugaard, or The Sword that Cut the Burning Grass: A Samurai Mystery, by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler.
Tags: adventure, coming of age, families, fantasy, historical fiction, identity, love stories, orphans, outsiders, survival, teenagers, teens
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Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
By James Howe, 189 pages Grades 6-8
<!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–>“Being who you are isn’t a choice.” Although he had always lived this life lesson, it wasn’t until his favorite aunt gave him a button printed with these words that thirteen, year-old Joe really thought about what it meant for him, as a gay 7th grader, as well as for his schoolmates. Joe’s family and friends have always encouraged him to be himself (including dressing-up in dresses, playing with Barbies and cooking in an Easy-Bake oven) and he has always embraced his originality even when it led to teasing. Through an alphabiography project for his teacher, Joe shares his growing awareness of himself and his friends.
Connection: Joe and the other characters were first introduced in Howe’s novel, The Misfits. For other stories where characters share their life experiences through school writing assignments, try reading Love That Dog or Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech, Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge, or Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls.
Tags: coming of age, family life, friendship, homosexuality, middle school, multicultural, realistic fiction, schools
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Sunday, March 21st, 2010
By Lynda Durrant p. 171 Grades 5-8
What is perfection? When Rosemary Elizabeth arrives at the Shaker community of Pleasant Hill, she has plenty of delicious food to eat, spotlessly clean, white clothes to wear and beautiful surroundings. She also gets to leave her drunk, abusive father and knows that her younger brother and sister are safe, too. But, can Rosemary Elizabeth live up to the Shaker ideal of perfection with all of the rules about eating, sleeping, dressing, working, praying and talking? Even if she can, does she want to?
Connections – Other stories that depict the impact of the Civil War on the youth is Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells and The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick.
Tags: abandoned children, brothers and sisters, Civil War, coming of age, community life, historical fiction, Kentucky, multicultural, self-reliance, Shakers
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Sunday, March 21st, 2010
By Fran Cannon Slayton, 162 pages Grades 6-10
The B&O Railroad passes just outside Jimmy Cannon’s window, and since his dad is the foreman, the engineers hit the whistle every time they pass. Jimmy has learned to sleep with a pillow over his head, but on Halloween night in 1943, his brother Mike snatches away the pillow so they can sneak out and follow the Society to learn their secrets. On Halloween night, 1944, and Jimmy and his buddies (the Platoon) are planning to use some rotten cabbages to get revenge against the local bully, Stubby Mars. On Halloween night, 1946, Jimmy and the team are playing in the championship game of the first undefeated season in Rowlesburg High school history. Halloween happens to be Jimmy’s dad’s birthday and through Jimmy’s teen years the day (and night) always bring him something, including mysteries, antics, and heartache.
Connections: Another historical fiction book about working on the railroad is Dragon’s Gate by Laurence Yep. For another book set in the country, try reading Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech. Tony Johnston’s Bone by Bone by Bone is another historical fiction title with a complicated father and son relationship. To learn more about the book, the author or the railroad, check out the author’s website.
Tags: coming of age, country life, death, family, fathers and sons, historical fiction, railroads, West Virginia
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Sunday, March 21st, 2010
By Audrey Couloumbis & Akila Couloumbis, 229 pages Grades 5-8
Before the Germans invaded their village in Greece, Petros fought with his brother, played marbles with his buddies and loved hearing stories about his heroic cousin fighting in the war. Now, people have left the village, neighbors can’t be trusted, and friends need help. In these trying times, twelve year-old Petros finds that even his services are essential to the war effort.
Connections: Hitler’s Canary by Sandy Toksvig and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry are other stories of kids involvement in the resistance during World War II.
Tags: brothers, coming of age, Greece, historical fiction, occupation, resistance, underground movements, World War II
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Sunday, February 21st, 2010
By Peg Kehret, 197 pages Grades 5-8
“Most people who have a life-changing experience survive a terrible injury or disease. My life was transformed by a craving for Twinkies.”
Twinkies remind Sunny Skyland of her twin sister who she hasn’t seen since their mother and grandmother died in car accident when they were 3 years-old. A sudden windfall provides the funding for Sunny to set off, alone, on a cross-country journey to find her sister, Starr, with only an old photograph to guide her. Along the way, she picks up a four-legged traveling companion and braves challenges from both man and nature.
Connections: For other stories about kids in foster care, try reading The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson or Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson.
Tags: coming of age, foster home care, journeys, realistic fiction, runaways, sisters, twins
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Saturday, January 30th, 2010
By Terry Pratchett 367 pages Grades 7-10
The tsunami seemingly washed away their distinctly different worlds and left them both stranded. After the wave, Mau returns by dugout canoe from his coming of age quest to his village (the Nation) gone, and the trail of destruction leads him to the grounded wreck of the Sweet Judy, the ship that was to bring Daphne from her home in Victorian England to join her father in the “South Pelagic.” With supplies from the wrecked ship and Mau’s knowledge of the land, the two start to rebuild the Nation as wounded survivors start arriving from other islands and as Daphne holds out hope that her father will come find her. Daphne (known as the ghost girl), with her curious customs, strange clothes and white skin, struggles to communicate and fit in with her new community while Mau, the very young chief of this new Nation, is called the demon boy for having no soul without the completion of his manhood ceremony. As this group struggles to survive, they live in fear of the inevitable arrival of the Raiders.
Connections: For other tales of shipwrecks or deserted island survival, try reading Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, Overboard by Elizabeth Fama or Seaborn by Craig Moodie. For more background on the book and the process of writing it, watch this video interview with the Terry Pratchett.
Tags: adventure, coming of age, outsiders, prejudices, race relations, survival, Terry Pratchett, tsunamis
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Monday, January 18th, 2010
By Patricia Reilly Giff, 147 pages. Grades 4-7
Who is Wild Girl? Is she the skittish filly from South Carolina or Lidie, the twelve year-old girl from Brazil. After being raised by her aunt and uncle for the past five years, Lidie moves to New York to join her father and brother, who train race horses for a living. Her dad and brother are expecting the pink and Disney loving seven year-old that they remember from back home in Brazil, and Lidie is having a hard time showing them the strong, capable young woman that she has become. While Lidie struggles with her new life in a new home, new country, new school and new language, the filly is also having a hard time getting comfortable in her new home.
Connections: For other stories sharing the immigrant experience, try reading Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, or Nory Ryan’s Song also by Giff. For other horse stories, try reading Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan, The Georges and the Jewels by Jane Smiley, or Season of Ponies by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Tags: Brazil, brothers and sisters, coming of age, family, growing up, horse racing, Horses, immigrant experience, New York, realistic fiction, school
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Friday, November 20th, 2009
by Neil Gaiman, p. 312 – Grades 5-8
“There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife,” and so begins the story of orphan, Nobody (Bod) Owens, who has been raised by the inhabitants of the graveyard since the night his family was murdered when he was just 18 months old. Given the freedom of the graveyard, Bod lives his life in the company of the dead, and finds adventures and dangers within its walls, involving ghouls, the undead and even a human playmate, Scarlet Amber Perkins. As long as he stays in the graveyard he enjoys many non-earthly freedoms and remains safe from the man Jack who was still looking to kill him, but he longs to learn his story and explore the wide world beyond.
Connections: For other great fantasy books dealing with the dead, try reading Sabriel by Garth Nix (in print and audio), The Seer of Shadows by Avi, and Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurly. Watch “The Graveyard Book Video Tour” to see/listen to the author reading the book chapter by chapter while on his national tour.
Tags: adventure, cemetaries, coming of age, dead, fantasy, Neil Gaiman, supernatural, suspense
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Friday, November 13th, 2009
by Ellen Booraem. p. 318 Grades 6-9
In a world where things and places are simply named for what they are and people are named for what they do, how would you expect a boy named Medford Runyuin to fit in? He doesn’t. Instead the people of Island are wary of him and the children teasingly call him Raggedy or Plank Baby because of his messy look and his arrival on the island tied to a plank when he was a baby. To make matters worse, Medford has a secret that he is trying keep hidden from the people of Island, and the mysterious arrival of the stinky Goatman is likely to blow his cover, literally.
For other stories of characters fighting the unfair rules/laws of their world, try reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Among the Hidden or Running out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
To learn the story around the creation of the crazy character the Goatman, check out the author’s website http://www.ellenbooraem.com/evolution.html
Tags: change, coming of age, Ellen Booraem, friendship, individuality, outsiders, satyrs, science fiction, utopias
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Sunday, September 20th, 2009
by Ingrid Law, p. 342 Grades: 5-7
Change can be scary, but as Mississippi Beaumont (aka Mib) approaches her thirteenth birthday, she can’t wait to see what special savvy (magic power) she will possess. Her oldest brother Rocket’s electric savvy keeps the car going and the lights on, but blows light bulbs and causes blackouts when he can’t scumble (control it). Her other brother Fish’s savvy caused a hurricane on his 13th birthday that forced the whole family to move to the Kansas/Nebraska border from their coastal home in Mississippi to avoid large bodies of water. The other changes that come with turning 13 (changing feelings, friends, fashion, etc.) prove to be more challenging for Mib. When her father ends up in the hospital after a car accident, Mib is determined to get to him and prove that her savvy will save the day.
Connections: Other books with seemingly normal kids having magical talents or in magical situations include: The Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, The Anybodies by N.E. Bode, Five Children and It by E. Nesbit, and Half Magic by Edward Eager
Tags: adventure, brothers and sisters, change, coming of age, Ingrid Law, magic, self-realization, talents, tall tale, voyages and travels
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
by Ruth White, p. 197 – Grades 4-7
In Way Down Deep, WV during the summer of 1944, a cute, red-headed toddler was found on the courthouse steps. Raised by Miss Arbus, the owner of the local boarding house, Ruby Jane spends the next ten years living a comfortable life in the quiet little town filled with lots of quirky, loveable characters. When a bank robber and his family are taken in under the collective wings of the townspeople, Ruby Jane starts to piece together the puzzle of her mysterious past.
Connection: For other books with quirky characters set in a small town, try reading Richard Peck’s A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder or Susan Patron’s Higher Power of Lucky.
Tags: coming of age, community life, foundlings, identity, magical realism, orphans, Ruth White, West Virginia
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
By Nora Raleigh Baskin, p. 195 – Grades 4-7
Twelve year-old Jason, a creative writing whiz, is easily able to point out the differences between his “neurotypical” peers and autistic self but struggles with filtering out the noises, sensations and smells that distract him and make it hard to behave the way people expect him to. He is most comfortable when logged into his favorite story sharing website, Storyboard. Through the site, Jason starts a friendship with a girl, Rebecca, who admired one of his stories. He even goes so far as to describe her as his girlfriend. Jason gets the opportunity of a lifetime when his father offers to take him to the Storyboard conference but panics when he realizes that he might meet Rebecca in person.
Connection: For other stories with a protagonists on the autism spectrum, try reading Siobhan Dowd’s The London Eye Mystery or Suzanne Crowley’s The Very Ordered Existence Merilee Marvelous.
Tags: autism, coming of age, family life, multicultural, Nora Raleigh Baskin, schools
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Monday, June 15th, 2009
By Neal Shusterman, p. 247 – Grades 6-9.
If you enjoyed meeting Antsy (Anthony Bonano) in the Schwa Was Here, you’ll love encountering him again in this humorous teen novel in which he gives Gunnar Umlaut a month of his life. When classmate Gunnar tells Antsy that he only has six months to live, Antsy draws up a contract giving Gunnar a month of his life, which earns him the attention and a kiss from Gunnar’s gorgeous older sister. Soon other kids and even the principal want to donate months of their lives to Gunnar. Time passes, and Gunnar isn’t showing symptoms. What’s up?
Connection: Other humorous novels where schemes get out of hand are The Schwa Was Here by Neal Schusterman, The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian, and Peeled by Joan Bauer.
Tags: coming of age, family problems, friends, friendship, high school, humor, Neal Shusterman, New York City, teens
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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
by Patricia C. Wrede, p. 344 – Grades 6 & Up
Eff and her twin brother Lan live in a magical, alternative version of the the western frontier. Eff is born the thirteenth child, a position that is thought to bring bad luck to the family, while her brother is lucky 14 and the 7th son of the 7th son, a position that brings extraordinary magical power. The family moves from the civilized and secure east to the western frontier where a magical border keeps dangerous creatures like the dreaded steam dragons away from the settlements. Despite her difficulties learning and controlling magic, Eff’s teacher Miss Ochiba teaches her not only Avrupan magic but also the Hijero-Cathayan and Aphrikan styles. An expedition to the settlements outside the Great Barrier Magic tests her magical skills.
Connection: For another story that brings a magical alternative to a historical setting, try reading The Water Mirror by Kai Meyer.
Tags: brothers and sisters, coming of age, family life, fantasy, frontier and pioneer life, magic, Patricia C. Wrede, schools, twins
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Monday, April 27th, 2009
by Louise Erdrich, p. 193 – Grades 5-8
This third book in the series that started with the Birchbark House can stand alone. Omakayas is twelve as her family is forced, by increasing numbers of white settlers, to move westward through northern Minnesota from their original home on Madeline Island. The story picks up quickly with Omakayas and her younger brother being swept far down river through raging rapids. The family faces many dangers (human, nature and animal) while Omakayas moves through the uncharted territory of womanhood (changing relationships, responsibilities and romance).
Connection: Another story of personal growth along with voyages and travel is Sharon Creech’s Ruby Holler. –CRW
Tags: 19th century, adventure, coming of age, historical fiction, Indians of North America, Louise Erdrich, multicultural, Ojibwa Indians, voyages and travels
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by Gloria Whelan, 209 pages, Grades 6 and up