VVMBookBlog

Kenny is 13, new to his school and neighborhood, and has secretly given himself the name “Cricket Man.” The name comes from his summer project saving nearly-drowned crickets from the pool in his back yard.  Rescuing crickets and becoming “Cricket Man” starts him thinking about other ways he can rescue people in his life.

He does some of his best thinking when sitting out on the roof at night outside his bedroom window.  It’s from that place that he sees 16-year-old Jodie, his neighbor across the street, also sitting on her roof but looking very sad.  What’s going on with her and why would she be sad?  She has everything–car, boyfriend, lots of friends.  How can “Cricket Man” find out what’s wrong with Jodie?

Sometimes authors write using characters that just seem like they would be nice to know, and Kenny is one of them.  He is kind, caring, nice to his younger brother, and is willing to stand up to adults in his life when they are being unreasonable.  Read  to find out how he became a super hero in his own life.

Shelby is 13, has three sisters and a mom who happens to be Japanese-American, and who has led an “interesting” life–Shelby and her sisters all have different fathers.  They have all been taught by their mother that what’s important in life is how they look.  That causes Shelby some concern because she doesn’t feel as pretty as her sisters.  What value does she have if she isn’t pretty?

Everything and everyone gets tested when Shelby’s mother is in a bad car accident and ends up in the hospital for a long period of time recovering from disfiguring facial wounds among other physical damage .  Since none of the sisters are old enough to be responsible on their own, they all have to go live with their own fathers, and some of the fathers aren’t so great.  The months spent with their fathers teach them all, including the fathers, what a strong bond the sisters have with each other and the relative importance of “outside beauty” in their lives.

This story really presents a different type of “family” and I’m not sure a similar family in real life would get along as well as these sisters do.  Perhaps I’m being too judgmental and difficult situations bring children together.  What do you think?

Remember how good Among the Hidden was?  Well, this is by the same author with the same possibilities for LOTS of sequels in the future!

Jonah is 13, knows he is adopted and has a younger sister–not adopted–named Katherine.  His friend who lives across the street, Chip, is also 13 and just finds out NOW that he is adopted.  And the other thing they have in common is that they are both receiving mysterious letters in the mail with a one-line message saying, “You are one of the missing.”  The second message that says “they” are coming back to get them–Jonah and Chip–is even more disturbing.  They start asking questions about the adoption agency that placed them and getting very little information. All their questions led Jonah and his parents–and sister–to a meeting with an FBI agent and then things REALLY got crazy–people and documents appearing and disappearing, mysterious meetings with people, and why were their names on a list of “survivors.”  What did they survive?

I can’t say any more about the story but get ready to stretch your mind and your understanding of time and all the possibilities of moving through time that we can’t even imagine.

This book comes with a couple starred reviews and is probably for more mature readers willing to get involved in the lives of three high school friends.  T.C. loves baseball and his mother died when he was 6.  At that time he became friends with Augie who helped him over his mother’s death, and they officially became “brothers” for all time.  T.C. is also in love with Ale (Alejandra) Perez, daughter of a Mexican diplomat and an aspiring stage actress.  Augie is also in the beginning stages of figuring out that he might be gay, even though everyone else has figured it out.

We get to know these people as a result of a junior year English assignment where they look back on their 9th grade year using email messages, diary entries, and letters to favorite celebrities, Jacqueline Kennedy, and T.C.’s deceased mother to record the year’s events.  Through T.C. we also get to know a 6-year-old deaf foster child who is obsessed with Mary Poppins and hoping she will come and take care of him, too, someday.  Every chapter is written by a different character and each one gives us more to like in these characters.  Lots to feel good about in this book!