This is a bloody good book. Literally. Hansel and Gretel are the main characters, but their story is not confined to just meeting the witch with the candy house in the forest. Rather, Gidwitz mines the complete collection of the Grimm’s Fairytales and has the brother and sister show up in stories with which younger readers will probably be unfamiliar. Along the way, heads are cut off, fingers are severed, and people are cooked. Because of this reason, this book may be too much to handle for younger readers (in fact, the narrator pops in and out warning the reader to keep the younger kids away). I would definitely recommend A Tale Dark and Grimm to older readers looking for updated fairytales with a lot of blood. Grades 5+
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Brendan Buckley is a ten year old boy interested in rocks and Tae Kwon Do. He keeps a journal called Brendan Buckley’s Book of Big Questions About Life, the Universe and Everthing In It. Lately he’s had plenty of questions for that journal. While at the mall looking at a rock collection, his grandmother vigorously drags him away from an old man. Brendan realizes that the man is his estranged granfather of whom no one in his family speaks well. Using his curious and scientific mind, Brendan questions his mother and other family members in an attempt to figure out what happened between his grandfather and the rest of the family. He soon discovers that it might have something to do with his racially mixed family.I found this book pretty slow going. I just didn’t feel any real energy to the book, any real crisis that moved the plot along. I would, however, recomend it to readers who are looking for a book involving rock collecting or Tae Kwon Do. Ages 9-11 Corretta Scott King New Talent Author Award Winner 2007
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I finally got around to taking a look at some of the Caldecott finalists for this year. I truly enjoyed the lively Interrupting Chicken, but Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave has really captured me. Laban Carrick Hill’s spare prose captures the mysterious character of Dave, his art, and his circumstances. A slave in South Carolina in the 19th century, Dave spends his time making clay containers and inscribing small poems on the side of some of them. Bryan Collier’s award winning art combines painting and collage to give life to Dave’s world. As we read along, we discover that pottery is his balm and escape from his cruel circumstances. Perhaps Dave best expresses his pain and hope in this simple poem he etches into the side of a jar in 1857: “I wonder where is all my relation/ friendship to all—and, every nation.” This book gave me goosebumps. -
It is the summer of 1959 and Bobby and his brother Ricky are on a road trip with their mother and grandmother driving from Cleveland, Ohio down to Florida. The reason for the trip is to drive grandma back home, but on their way they are touring Civil War battlefields.Much farther south, an African American boy by the name of Jacob is taking the bus from Atlanta to go visit some relatives that live out in the country in Dalton, Georgia. He will spend a week there fishing with his uncle and spending time with his cousin.
Despite the seemingly pleasant circumstances surrounding both of these trips, each boy soon finds that disturbing events are beginning to affect their lives. Touring Civil War battlefields across the country, Bobby slowly realizes that his mother has decided on this trip to get them away from their abusive father and for her to decide if she wants to end the marriage. While in Dalton, Georgia, Jacob discovers that his big city behavior, his whistling and carrying on, does not sit well with the white people in the small town.
As the book progresses, the reader slowly realizes that we are watching these families geographically moving towards each other and, perhaps, to an explosion of violence. The tension soon rises on both sides. Bobby’s mother crashes the car outside of Chickamauga in a spasm of fear trying to drive away from some well intentioned black people. They will have to take the bus home. Meanwhile, Jacob has turned up missing in Dalton. His family back in Atlanta boards the very same bus in hysteria knowing, just knowing, that their boy has been killed by some country whites.
Author Tony Abbott deftly builds up each of the characters, exposing a history of violence and abuse in both families. The ending is as touching as it is painful and leaves open the questions of how these young men will continue to navigate a world and society that is fundamentally unjust. Excellent YA literature dealing with racism, family ties, abuse, brothers, and road trips.
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his is an incredible book. Kehret has the reader hooked within the first few pages. I actually got queasy reading about how polio took over her 12 year old body. Little Peg is moved from hospital to hospital as the symptoms from polio overtake her. The reader watches as her fever eventually subsides, she is taken out of an iron lung, and she is subjected to therapy treatments that seem nothing short of torture. The most touching part of the book are the friendships that she makes in the hospital. Recommend for grades 4+ -
A wonderful, modern twist on Hansel and Gretel. Sol and Connie have moved with their father and stepmother to a new town. The neighbor next door, Ms. Holaderry, seems a bit funny, especially when Sol realizes that her dog has been gnawing on a human femur! After a few visits to their local public library (!!), the children surmise that she is indeed an evil witch.I truly enjoyed this book. McGowan is able to preserve the simplicity of the old tale while also updating it for a modern audience. For such a quick read, the book still manages to build the characters so that the reader becomes invested in them. One especially strong point of the book is the old lady at the local curiosity shop. She is the “good witch” of the story who is able to indirectly aid the children in their attempts to evade Ms. Holaderry. I truly enjoyed this delightful fairy tale. Ages 9-11
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Ten year old Anya has a secret that she wants to keep: she’s wearing a wig. Her real hair has begun to fall out due to an auto immune disease known as Alopecia Areata. School is hard enough, but when you don’t have hair, the thought of facing your peers is almost unbearable. Anya struggles to maintain her composure in the face of various obstacles: the constant itching of her scalp, gym class, and the stares of the class bully Steph Englewood. Margaret Peterson Haddix does an excellent job presenting how children feel as outsiders. I enjoyed reading this sometimes painful glimpse into the world of people that don’t fit in. Ages 8-11 -
During this entire book, I was awaiting for two things: 1) for Sam to die and 2) for the protagonist Tim to pick a side in the Revolutionary War. But Sam doesn’t eat it until page 208! And Tim never makes up his mind whether he wants to be a Tory or a Rebel.The first half of this book is rather slow. Much of it takes place in the town of Redding, Connecticut during the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Tim’s brother Sam has decided to defy his father’s wishes and enlist in the Continental Army. Tim feels torn over who which side to support and his ambivalence only increases when his father is kidnapped by Rebel outlaws and a group of British soldiers brings havoc to Redding. The last third of this novel is worth the slow beginning. Younger readers may be rattled by some of the graphic violence. Overall, a great historical fiction read for ages 9 to 12. It truly earns its place as a Newberry Honor Book of 1975.
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There’s a new boy in Frannie’s class. He’s different. For one thing, he’s white, which is a big deal on this side of town. The other noticeable difference is that he has long hair down to his shoulders. The kids in the class dub him Jesus Boy.Frannie is interested in the new boy, but she has plenty to think about at home. Momma is pregnant again and Frannie is praying that this time they don’t lose the baby. Her brother Sean is deaf, but has begun to discover the world despite his disability.
The bully at school, Trevor, doesn’t help Frannie’s to calm her mind either. He’s constantly trying to stir up trouble, including provoking Jesus Boy. All of these anxieties cause Frannie to ruminate continuously on the nature of relationships, God and hope.
This was a Newberry Honor book in 2008. To me, this book seemed a bit meandering, as if Jaqueline Woodson wasn’t quite sure what type of book she wanted. The writing is strong, but the storyline could use a bit more pop to grab younger readers. Recommend to ages 10 to 13.
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Jerome Foxworthy is a black high school student growing up in the sixties in Wilmington, North Carolina. Jerome is smart, athletic and lucky enough to have a strong family. Basketball is Jerome’s passion and every evening he spends out on a basketball court on the edge of town practicing his moves.
When Jerome is tasked to integrate an all white high school, he is pressed for friends. Enter Bix Rivers, a complicated, troubled, but extraordinarily gifted baseball player. With trouble at home eating at him, Bix seems destined to lead a solitary life.
One evening finds both boys at the lone basketball court. There, under the light of an old railroad lantern, a friendship will grow that will test the limits of both of them.
This is one of the best YA sports books ever written. Even if you don’t love sports, you may love this book. Tender and unforgettable, Bruce Brooks’s novel will touch you.
chrisholliman 