VVMBookBlog

Shock Point by April Henry

Cassie is a teenage girl who doesn’t like her stepfather. While her stepfather,Rick, and mother are gone, she stumbles over information that could be damaging to many teens and her stepfather’s career. She doesn’t know what to do with the information, so she takes it to a friend after she has photographed it. When she goes to get the pictures, she realizes Rick has found it.

When her mom thinks she has meth in her room, Cassie is sent to a “reform school.” This is no reform school. It is more of a prison. Two teens have died trying to escape. Although Cassie does make a friend, the supposed school is more than she can handle. She also can’t help but think of the information she found about Rick!

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yan

American Born Chinese is a highly acclaimed young adult graphic novel (A National Book Award finalist and ALA’s Printz Award winner). It is a story of someone who doesn’t fit in. Although I realize the point of the story was to show the ignorance of racial stereotypes, I had a difficult time with this novel. It is three separate stories that come together at the end of the novel. Although it’s a graphic novel, it is complicated and sophisticated.

Cracker by Cynthia Kadohata

Cracker (short for firecracker) is a dog who is sent to Vietnam when his owner Willie is not longer able to keep the dog. Dogs were an important asset in the Vietnam war because of the sense of smell. This book shows the physical and emotional pain of war as Rick, Cracker’s handler, and Cracker go on many missions. As I read this book, I kept contemplating how the book would end. Would I appreciate the ending? I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in war and/or dogs. Another excellent book about dogs and the Vietnam war (conflict) is Letters to Wolfie.