VVMBookBlog

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

This is an intelligent, funny, thought-provoking book for intelligent female adolescents. Frankie Landau-Banks, a tenth grader, has blossomed over the summer. She has gone from a geeky looking girl to a gorgeous teen and has gained the attention of Matthew, a popular senior. As the school year progresses, Frankie becomes more engaged with Matthew and his friends while keeping her best friend Trish. They all go to a high school boarding school which has its traditions. Without looking for trouble, Frankie has uncovered a secret boys group which Matt is involved. Trying to prove herself worthy of him and his group, Frankie pulls some incredible pranks.

This is an enjoyable read with wonderful vocabulary. Use context clues, but keep a dictionary handy. Read to learn more about relationships, friendships, and thoughtful pranks.

Two Minute Drill by Mike Lupica

Although Mike Lupica is one of ESPN’s featured sports reporters, he also has a career writing sports novels for young adults. His novel Two Minute Drill is about football. Actually it is about more than football. It is a book about friendship and popularity. Scott Parry is the new kid at school and is having problems with a bully until Chris Conlan, the school’s quarterback befriends him. Even though Scott is known as “the brain” and Chris doesn’t do well academically, the two have more in common than it would appear.

Students who like football will enjoy this book, but students who are not football fans will also find something entertaining about this book.

Theo has always been interested in space, especially now in 1977 when NASA will be launching the Voyager 2 space probe that will travel to Jupiter and beyond. His science teacher adds to his interest by asking each class member to come up with one thing or idea that would explain us to another space being.

His quest to come up with just the right statement leads him to try to explain some other mysteries in his life, like why his father never came home from fighting in Vietnam. Since it’s 1977, most soldiers from Vietnam should have come home unless they were POWs (prisoners of war) or MIA (missing in action). So maybe that’s the explanation! He doesn’t get any answers from his family because it’s a subject too painful for his mother to talk about. But how about his grandmother, JeeBee (Grandmother Bernadette)? Maybe she can help him out.

Readers interested in space and also readers interested in life after the Vietnam War will like this book. It’s a fast read but deep enough to help the reader feel Theo’s frustration and his mother’s sadness.

Capricorn Anderson, “Cap” for short, is in 8th grade and in a real school for the first time in his life. He’s been living in a ’60’s-like commune with only Rain, his grandmother, as his only parent, teacher or friend. When Rain hurts herself falling out of the plum tree picking plums, Capricorn has to enter school, and real society, for the first time.

As you can guess, the reaction of the students at Claverage Middle School wasn’t good. The tradition was that the geekiest kid in 8th grade would be elected class president and then would be the subject of bullying and wedgies for the whole year, or as long as he/she could take it. The tradition held true for Cap as he quickly found himself named class president and in charge of the big Halloween party! But as naive and innocent as Cap was, the whole “tradition of mean” just wasn’t working on him. In fact, other students were starting to LIKE HIM! Now what?

This book reminded me a little of Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja, but wasn’t as violent. And since Gordon Korman is the author, it’s very funny. If you like to see the underdog come out on top, this is the book for you. The fun part is how he gets there!

It’s 1849 in London, England, and this latest book by Avi made me feel like I was in the middle of a Charles Dickens book. In fact, the latest selection from a book by Dickens played a part in this book, as did living conditions in Victorian England such as poverty, bad air and water quality, and people just trying to survive.

John Huffman is 14 and when his father is suddenly sentenced to debtor’s prison for not paying his gambling debts, John has to take on the responsibility for the future of his mother and sister. But who is his father really? Is he the “gentleman” he claims to be and what about his job as a clerk in the Naval Ordinance Office where he works with secrets concerning weapons and their use? And who are all of these people following him? Is there anyone he can trust to help him? He thought maybe he could trust Sary the Sneak but will she let him down, too?

The Traitors’ Gate is the gate prisoners accused of treason against their country went through from a boat on the Thames River and up to the Tower of London where they would most likely be killed. Is John’s father really a traitor?

I really got caught up in the mystery running through this book, trying to figure out who the “good guys” were. I became pretty disgusted with John’s whiny family members–mother, sister and father. He seemed too good for ALL of them! But read it and see what you think. And decide how you would like to live in mid-19th century London!