The Boy On The Wooden Box

Title: The Boy on the Wooden Box\Author: Leon LeysonPages: 240Content: PG13Language: PGLevel: Elementary/Middle/High SchoolRecommendation:  Good Read

Summary: This powerful memoir of one of the youngest boys on Schindler’s list deserves to be shared. Leon Leyson grew up in Poland as the youngest of five children. As WWII breaks out, Leyson’s ingenuity and bravery, combined with the kindness of strangers and a bit of serendipity, save his life, time and again. The storytelling can at times meander, and the various reflections of his life in Poland during the war can result in a certain patchiness, but Leyson’s experiences and memories still make for compelling reading about what it was like to suffer through the Holocaust. 

Review:  Great book with the straightforward story of Leon, perfect for YA readers. I was impressed with the brilliant descriptions of such horrific events. Truly a moving piece of work and a must read for those interested in the holocaust.  Understated in some parts, but tells enough of the story to understand the terrible experiences without being too graphic. 

Breaking Point

Title: Breaking Point (Book 2 to Article 5)
Author: Kristen Simmons
Pages: 384
Content: PG13
Language: PG
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: After faking their deaths to escape from prison in Article 5, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.  Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper's true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Review:  Following Article 5, Breaking Point follows Ember and Chase as they continue to try to find safety and security in a dystopian society.  New characters cross their path, and they must deal with characters from their past. For kids who love dystopian, this book will keep them intrigued, and waiting for the third installment.

Darkness Before Dawn

Title: Darkness Before Dawn
Author: J.A. London
Language: PG-13 (several swear words)
Content: PG-13
Level: Upper Middle School/Highschool
Recommendation: Good read, but optional

Summary: Only sunlight can save us.  We built the wall to keep them out, to keep us safe.  But it also makes us prisoners, trapped in what's left of our ravaged city, fearing nightfall.

After the death of my parents, it's up to me-- as the newest delegate for humanity-- to bargain with our vampire overlord.  I thought I was ready.  I thought I knew everything there was to know about the monsters.  Then again, nothing could have prepared me for Lord Valentine.. or his son.  Maybe not all vampires are killers.  Maybe it's safe to let one in.

Review:  This book was a good read that kept me entertained.  There are several swear words and a few references to underage drinking that might offend some readers.  I believe the characters are developed enough to keep a students' interest throughout the series, but the genre is getting crowded with similar books.  

I Am A Seal Team Six Warrior

Title: I Am A Seal Team Six Warrior
Author: Howards Wasdin
Pages: 192
Language: PG13
Content: PG13
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  FOR YOUNG READERS—A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE BESTSELLER, SEAL TEAM SIX.  When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six—a secret unit made up of the finest soldiers in the country, if not the world. I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior is the dramatic tale of how Howard Wasdin overcame a tough childhood to live his dream and enter the exciting and dangerous world of U.S. Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers.  His training began with his selection for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world. After graduating, Wasdin saw combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. But he was driven to be the best of the best—he wanted to join the legendary SEAL Team Six, and at long last he reached his goal and became one of the best snipers on the planet. Soon he was fighting for his life in The Battle of Mogadishu. This is Howard Wasdin's story of overcoming abuse and beating the odds to become an elite American warrior.

Review: I was suprised at the limited swearing and graphic content that was in this book, considering the topic.  The book follows an elite Seal from youth to adulthood, following his training and career as a SEAL.  I knew that Seal Team Six was the best of the best, but it was unbelieveable to read all the rigorous training that Wasdin endured. This book offers a unique view into a very specialized world.

Dear Blue Sky

Title: Dear Blue Sky
Author: Mary Sullivan
Pages: 248
Content: PG/PG13
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Langauge: PG
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: A timely, eye-opening novel showing how war affects families on both sides. Ever since her brother Sef left for Iraq, Cassie has felt like her life is falling apart. Her parents are fighting over her brother having gone to war. Her smart, beautiful sister is messing up. Her little brother, who has Down syndrome, is pretending he's a Marine. And her best friend no longer has time for her. In her loneliness Cassie turns to a surprising source of comfort: Blue Sky, an Iraqi girl she meets through her blog. The girls begin a correspondence and Cassie learns that when Blue Sky says "I want my life back," she means something profound, as she can no longer venture out in her destroyed city. Cassie takes strength from Blue Sky's courage and is inspired to stop running away from the pain, and to reclaim her life.

Review: An interesting view of how war affects everyone - on both sides!  Cassie has a lot to deal with, and her character has to really grow up and search herself.  An interesting read for those interested in war, who deal wtih Down Syndrome, Blog (or read blogs), or want to appreciate all that is good in their life.

Article 5

Title: Article 5
Author: Kristen Simmons
Pages: 365
Content: PG/bordering PG13 for violence
Language: PG (a few light swears)
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned. The Bill of Rights has been revoked and replaced with the Moral Statutes. There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. That life in the United States used to be different.  Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.  That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Review: For kids who like Hunger Games, Insurgent, Legend, this book will not disappoint.  Based on a very right-winged society, Kristen tried to find and save her mother.  The twists and turns keep coming. Adventure. Love. Fear. Sadness . Anxiety . Loyalty . Suspense and much more.  Great suggestion for those kids who enjoy dystopian novels.

Between Shades of Gray

Title: Between Shades of Gray
(Not to be confused with Fifty Shades of Gray)
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Pages: 338
Content: PG
Language: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Must Read

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life--until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?

Review:  One of the most heartbreaking, educational books I have read in some time.  I had NO idea what happened to these Lithuanians.  What an insight!  The story is told beautifully as it follows Lina along her journey of survival. 

Never Fall Down

Title: Never Fall Down
Author: Patricia McCormick
Pages: 224
Language: PG (sh** a lot)
Content: PG13
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: The only way to truly survive is to "never fall down." Arn learns this lesson at the age of eleven when his village in Cambodia is invaded by Khmer Rouge troops. The entire population is marched into the countryside and forced to live in labor camps. Arn finds ways to use his "smarts" and some luck to escape the worst problems. He manages to make friends, learns to play an instrument, protects others and survives against all odds. But he has plenty of struggles after the regime is conquered as he deals with his horrific memories, the guilt of many of his actions, and adjusting to a new life in America. Despite being teased and having difficulty learning English he again rises above his circumstances to become an advocate for his homeland and his people.

Review:  Tough but important subject matter, this book is a great way to learn about the Khmer Rouge.  Though there are still plenty of instances of violence, rape, and murder the worst takes place off-page or is handled deftly conveying the horrors without dwelling on them. Well-written but heartbreaking, and not for the faint of heart.

Dead End In Norvelt

Title: Dead End In Norvelt
Author: Jack Gantos
Pages: 352
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: High Elem/Middle/High School
Recommendation: Must Read

Summary: Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

Review: LOVE LOVE LOVE this book.  I began reading this book to my children (ages 12, 10, 8) on a car trip....we read for HOURS!  All of us thoroughly enjoyed this book!  I seriously can't say enough.  Quirky, Funny, Tender, Hilarious!  I want more of this kind of book!!!!!!

Insurgent

Title: Insurgent (Divergent #2)
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 544
Language: PG
Content: PG13
Level: Middle School/High School
Recommendation: Must Read

Summary: Insurgent picks up right where Divergent left off. Tris must keep the people she cares about alive while dealing with the grief of the people she has lost. War is looming and Four and Tris are at the forefront while trying to decide who to trust, where to go and exactly what it means to be divergent. 

Review:  I love that no time was lost between book one and two. Very often the second book in a series suffers, but not Insurgent. We get to see a depth to each faction and the factionless which makes this series even more believable. Definitely a must read!

The Selection

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Pages: 327
Language: PG (7 minor swears)
Content: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.  But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.  Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Review: The Bachelor meets the Hunger Games without any violence.  I began reading, anticipating an extreme dystopian society, but find although the United States has been overtaken, society is much more civilized than other dystopian novels.  There is a only a brief chapter that tells the reader what has happened to the United States to now be under the rule of a king, and leaves me wanting a little bit more history.  America, (the character, not the country) is full of vim and vigor, and I love her spunky attitude.  This book would be a good, easy read for girls, but I can't see any guys picking up this chick lit!

The Book Thief

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Pages: 576
Language: PG-13
Content: PG-13 (Death Themes)
Level: Middle School/High School
Recommendation: Must Read

Summary: It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quiet a lot of thievery...


Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich.  Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist--books.  With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.  


This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Review:  This book is one of those books that everyone in existence should read.  The insight into the innocent German mentally during WWII was very refreshing.  Liesel Meminger is one character that will stick with you for a very long time.  The novel is written through Death's point of view and therefore would not be suitable for a younger reader.  The character also use the occasional profanities.  These complex themes would be fantastic for discussion in any type of group or classroom setting.

Nine's Legacy (Novella)

 

Title: I Am Number Four: The Lost Files, Nine's Legacy

Author: Pittacus Lore
Pages: 96
Language: PG
Maturity: PG13 (Violent)
Recommendation: Definitely

Level: Middle School/High School

Summary: In this novella, Number Nine is introduced and his background comes into perspective. Number Nine and his Cepan live a luxurious life in a Chicago penthouse where they spend their days training to defeat the Mogadorians. But when a mysterious girl enters Nine's life everything gets turned around.

Review: I wasn't sure if I wanted to get into Nine's head. I loved his mysteriousness when he was released in The Power of Six and was apprehensive to see how he became so "kick-butt". Reading this novella turned out to be the right decision. The growth of Nine from the beginning to the end is amazing and seeing how he became the strong character that we get a glimpse of in The Power of Six really whets your appetite for the third installment in the Lorien Legacies. 

Six's Legacy (Novella)

 

Title: I Am Number Four: The Lost Files, Six's Legacy

Author: Pittacus Lore
Pages: 87
Language: PG
Maturity: PG13 (Violent)
Recommendation: Definitely

Level: Middle School/High School

Summary: How did Number Six get so powerful? Where did she learn to control her legacies so magnificently? In this novella we discover what is behind Number Six, what happened to her cepan, and how she managed to meet and save John just when he needed it. 

Review: Honestly, the majority of the information in this novella is depicted in The Power of Six, but I would definitely read it anyway. The actual events that Six describes to John and Sam are told from Six's point of view and are much more detailed. In fact, if you haven't read The Power of Six, I suggest reading this first as you will go into book two with a better understanding of what Six has been through. I enjoyed this novella and can't wait to read about Number Nine!


Note: As far as I can tell, this is only available electronically.

The Power of Six

Title: The Power of Six
Author: Pittacus Lore
Pages: 416
Language: PG
Maturity: PG13 (Violent)
Recommendation: Definitely

Level: Middle School/High School

Summary: In this thrilling second installment in the Lorien Legacies Series, we follow Sam, John and Six as they try and stay ahead of the Mogadorians and the FBI. Their goal: find the remaining four before the Mogadorians do. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Number Seven who is convinced John Smith is one of the Garde, but is stuck in Spain with a Cepan who has forgotten her reasoning for being on Earth. With love twists, epic battles and devoted friendship, this book is a definite page turner that will leave you wanting!

Review: Amazing sequel! I've decided that Six is probably one of my favorite book characters of all time. In this book, we learn more about Six's past and how she became the kick-butt girl we now know. I also enjoyed being introduced to Marina (Number Seven) and loved following another point of view from a different member of the Garde. If you liked I Am Number Four, then you will thoroughly enjoy The Power of Six!

Girl of Fire and Thorns

Title: Girl of Fire and Thorns
Author: Rae Carson
Pages: 432
Language: G
Mature Content: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Must Read


Summary: Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.Elisa is the chosen one.But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will.Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.Most of the chosen do.

Review: I truly enjoyed this book. The main character really has to dig deep and discover who she is and what she is made of, and learn who and what is truly important. Through perilous war times, kidnappings, and tight situations, she remains true to herself. What a GREAT heroine!!! What a GREAT page-turning book!!