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Book Summary
Katherine and her best friend Erica decide to go to Erica's cousins house for a party. There Katherine met a boy named Michael. They didn't talk much until Michael returned to the house the next day. After spending the day together, Katherine and Michael became a couple. Michael was sweet and loving and never pressured inexperienced Katherine into having sex. When the time was right, they did and their relationship grew even more. They were in love...forever. As the school year came to a close, both Michael and Katherine's parents decided the couple needed to spend some time apart. They swore it wouldn't change a thing. Then Katherine met Theo.
My Thoughts
This book is a very light read. It is fun but not really too interesting. The story is a play by play of the teenage couple's relationship. Judy Blume does a great job of describing the feelings of a teenage girl when faced with love and sex. It is a great read for teenage girls dealing with a similar situation.
Library Usage
Forever is a good book to recommend to patrons on an individual basis. Due to the controversy surrounding this book, I would hesitate to use it in any other way.
Journal Reviews
Booklist, October 15, 1988
"Katherine and Michael's romance progresses rapidly from kissing to sexual intercourse after Katherine gets the Pill-- but will their love last forever?"
Note: This is the only review I was able to locate.
Book Summary
Stop Pretending tells the story of Cookie, a girl whose older sister has a nervous breakdown and ends up in the psychiatric ward of a hospital. The story, told entirely through poems, expresses Cookies feelings as she watches her sister disappear into a world of crazy people. As a result, her family falls apart and her friends desert her. Cookie feels helpless and hopeless. She struggles with the idea that she too could go crazy. She also learns about love, friendship, and strength.
My Thoughts
Reading a book entirely in verse was not an idea that thrilled me. Overall, it wasn't a bad read but I would rather have read it in a prose format. It was a very interesting story and I wanted to know more details than I was getting.
Library Usage
Stop Pretending would make a good book club read. It's also an excellent book recommendation for a young adult that may be going through a similar situation.
Journal Reviews
School Library Journal
"An unpretentious, accessible book that could provide entry points for a discussion about mental illness-its stigma, its realities, and its affect on family members."
Kirkus Reviews
"In a story based on real events, and told in poems, Sones explores what happened and how she reacted when her adored older sister suddenly began screaming and hearing voices in her head, and was ultimately hospitalized.To a budding genre that includes Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust (1997) and Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemonade (1993), this book is a welcome addition."
Book Summary
Fone Bone's cousin Phoney Bone has gotten himself in trouble again. In an effort to help Phoney escape the angry mobs in Boneville, Fone Bone and his other cousin Smiley Bone all run from Boneville. After traveling for some time, they realize they are completely lost. They find themselves caught in a storm of locusts which separates them all from each other. Fone Bone makes his way into a forest where he befriends many of the creatures. He also realizes that a dragon is watching over him and protecting him from the evil rat creatures who want nothing more than to eat him. Fone Bone also meets Thorn, a very attractive young girl who lives with her grandmother, a famous cow racer. Even with his newly found happy life in the forest, Fone Bone doesn't give up hope that he will find his cousins and return to Boneville.
My Thoughts
The story of Fone Bone and his adventures is truely a great read for anyone from elementary school students and up. Jeff Smith's expressive characters are illustrated so simply yet with so much emotion. This is a graphic novel series that I will continue to read and will recommend to friends and patrons.
Library Usage
This graphic novel is a great tool getting relectuant readers to start reading. I would use it on a display for graphic novels in the young adult section of the library as well as in a readers advisory pamphlet. It could also be used to help launch a library program or contest based on graphic novels.
Journal Reviews
School Library Journal
"A whimsical journey, cunningly told. It combines fable with American legend in a tale of greed, friendship, and struggle." Scott La Counte, Anaheim Public Library, CA
Publishers Weekly, February 07, 2005
"The story is something like a Chuck Jones version of The Lord of the Rings: hilarious and action-packed, but rarely losing track of its darker subtext about power and evil. This volume is the most lighthearted of the bunch, though, featuring some of the wittiest writing of any children's literature in recent memory-a few of Smith's gags are so delicious that he repeated them for the rest of the series. This is first-class kid lit: exciting, funny, scary and resonant enough that it will stick with readers for a long time."
Book Summary
Young Albert Einstein never quite fit in. He had a horrible temper but was also very focused on how things work. He never enjoyed his studies until he was introduced to math. It fascinated him. He studied math and science. He eventually grew to become one of the most famous scientists in the world.
My Thoughts
This book offers young children a great introduction to Albert Einstein and how he became a scientist. The book barely makes mention of exactly what he is famous for but as a story about a boy who becomes a scientist, it is a good book.
Library Usage
Due to its limited text and eye-catching illustrations, this book would make an excellent read-aloud for a science oriented program for elementary school students.
Journal Reviews
Publishers Weekly, October 18, 2004
"Writing in the present tense, the author shares anecdotes that reveal young Einstein's character. The writing occasionally becomes muddy when discussing Einstein's scientific thinking and discoveries, targeting the book more to kids who identify with the hero's personality traits than to those interested in the man's ideas. But Brown's narrative and appealingly quirky pen-and-ink and watercolor art effectively illuminate the eccentricities and intelligence of Einstein the boy and the man." Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal, October 01, 2004
"This well-crafted picture-book biography focuses on Einstein's hard-to-classify brilliance, which led to awesome scientific discoveries, but all too often left him a misunderstood outsider. Through eloquent narrative and illustration, Brown offers a thoughtful introduction to an enigmatic man. This book will pique the interest of readers with little or no knowledge of Einstein." -Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Book Summary
This book describes the events that took place on August 24 and 25, AD 79 when Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the city of Pompeii. It also tells about the excavation of Pompeii and how the story of those days was pieced together. Included are photographs of the excavation site and the plaster casts of the bodies that were found.
My Thoughts
This book does an excellent job of teaching about Pompeii and the events that have taken place there since the eruption. It is extremely informative, explaining how the excavations were done as well as how the stories of those who died were figured out. The facts are given in an interesting way so as not to loose the interest of the reader.
Library Usage
I would use this book for a display on ancient times. It would also be useful in a reader's advisory recommended informational books.
Journal Reviews
School Library Journal, December 01, 2005
"In this well-researched account, Deem retells the story of this devastating eruption, combining a lively text with photographs of the bones and artifacts that have been unearthed through the years. Dramatic photographs of the casts capture the horror of this event and help readers to envision day-to-day life in this civilization. With incredibly engrossing images and narrative, this is a powerful and poignant piece of nonfiction." -Jodi Kearns, University of Akron, OH Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Booklist, November 01, 2005
"What the text lacks in excitement is made up for by the enormous amount of information Deem offers, some of which was acquired in on-site research. But the jewels here are the numerous black-and-white (and some color) photographs, especially those featuring the plaster casts and skeletons of people in their death throes. The horizontal format, with pages looking as though they were partially bordered in marble, makes an attractive setting for the art. Excellent for browsers as well as researchers." --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2005
Book Summary
As a child born into slavery, Emma works hard to care for the children of plantation owner Pierce Butler. When Butler gambles all of his money away, he must sell his slaves in order to pay his debt. Throughout the slave auction there has been heavy rains which the slaves explain as god's tears for the horrible injustice that is taking place. On the last day of the auction, Butler requests Emma accompanies him in order to help watch over his two young daughters. Without warning, Emma is sold to a new owner and taken from her family and friends. Through stories told from each characters point of view, Lester pulls you into this story of Emma and her life as she goes from slave to a free woman.
My Thoughts
This is a very powerful book. It easily engages the reader in the story and shoves the reality of slavery in your face. It is heart wrenching to read about these families being torn apart so that a stupid man can pay off his gambling debt. Once you begin this book, it is nearly impossible to put down.
Library Usage
This book is a great way to tie together literature and history. Slavery is a fairly abstract concept in today's world but this book will help bring it to life in the mind's of young readers. Use this book in a book club setting since it will provide an excellent opportunity for discussion and teaching.
Journal Reviews
School Library Journal, March 01, 2005
"The text itself is easy to read and flows nicely. Different typefaces distinguish the characters' monologues, their dialogues with one another, and their memories. Still, middle school readers may have some difficulty following the plot until they get used to the unusual format. Altogether this novel does a superb job of showing the inhumanity of slavery. It begs to be read aloud, and it could be used in sections to produce some stunning reader's theatre." -Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Booklist, February 01, 2005
"From his first book, To Be a Slave (1968), Lester has told the history of slavery through personal accounts that relay the dehumanizing message of the perpetrators. The personal voices make this a stirring text for group discussion. Older readers may want to go on from here to the nonfiction narratives in Growing Up in Slavery." --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2005 Booklist
Book Summary
Thirteen year old Ingrid Levin-Hill has a love for acting, soccer, and Sherlock Holmes. When she takes a wrong turn on her way to soccer practice, Ingrid finds herself in the middle of a real life mystery. Cracked-Up Katie helps her get back home, then winds up murdered. Ingrid fears that she will become a suspect and returns to crime scene to retrieve the soccer cleats she had accidentally left behind. Now, having committed a crime herself by tampering with a crime scene, Ingrid feels trapped. In an effort to avoid trouble, she decides to solve the crime herself proving that she and the current suspects are innocent. All this, along with soccer, school problems and the lead role in the local theatre play turns out to be more than Ingrid can handle.
My Thoughts
Less than half way through this book, I was still forcing myself to go on and had already solved the mystery. The story seems to drag on with little to no action. Ingrid makes so many bad decisions it is impossible to like her. The relationships she has with her family & friends are completely artificial. There is not a believable character in this story.
Library Usage
This book could be used as part of a young adult book club.
Journal Reviews
Publishers Weekly
"In his first novel for kids, bestselling author Abrahams unspools a tale that fittingly gets curiouser and curiouser. The fresh dialogue and believable small-town setting will tempt fans to visit Echo Falls again for any sequels." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal
"She [Ingrid] and the other main characters are all solidly drawn, including the newest member of her family, a droopy-eyed dog named Nigel. Deft use of literary allusions and ironic humor add further touches of class to a topnotch mystery."–Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT, Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Summary
