VVMBookBlog

Life As We Knew It

Students often come in asking for “scary books.”  Deciding what is “scary” varies from person to person, but this story is very scary to me.

A large meteor is on track to collide with the moon.  Shouldn’t be a huge deal since it’s the moon and not Earth, right?  But then it happens and day by day they began to find out how the moon’s influence on the Earth through tides being messed up and the resulting tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcano eruptions  around the world, turns everything into chaos.  Communication was affected when cable TV went out and cell phones stopped working.  Then real problems began when they realized the climate was affected and winter was coming on sooner than usual.

This is the kind of book where I put myself into the story and wonder how I would react as a mother trying to take care of my family.  When supplies of food, fuel and other necessities get low, how will people behave so that they can all get through the crisis and on to hopefully better days?  Read this book and find out.  Then read the sequel, The Dead and the Gone, to see what happens next!

The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

Honor doesn’t fit in with the other ‘H’ kids in her class. Part of the reason is because her name doesn’t start with the ‘H’ sound. This is not the only reason she doesn’t fit in. Her parents have had a second child which is not OK in this new community. The corporation has taken over this community and made life better by protecting people from the changes in weather. Although Honor doesn’t fit in, she does conform and is learning what the corporation wants her to learn in school. When she meets a boy Helix, she soon realizes his parents are nonconformists like hers, but his parents are taken away making him an orphan. What will happen to Honor and her little brother?

This book is recommended to those who liked City of Ember and/or The Giver. It is a futuristic novel.

RD is 15, Latino, and looking forward to an easy school year as he will be repeating 8th grade–not by choice!  His home life is not easy–his mother is in prison for dealing crack and he never knew his dad.  He lives with his grandmother and her boyfriend, Earl.  But then his grandmother hits the road with a new trucker friend, leaving RD with Earl who is suffering the effects of Agent Orange exposure from the Vietnam War.  One day soon after school starts, RD comes home and finds Earl dead in the bathroom.  Now RD is alone  and needs to figure out how to do many things, starting with what to do with Earl.  Next comes challenges to survive hunger and other basic needs, and mostly to do it all without anyone finding out he is there all by himself.  If the authorities find out, his next home will be a foster home!

I really liked reading about RD.  I liked the first person narrative that let us into his head to see how he thought about things and figured out solutions to his problems.  I think our students will like this book because of how RD and his friends talk to each other and relate as friends…or sometimes NOT as friends.

It’s 1847 and Kathleen “Kit” Byrne’s family is living a day-to-day struggle to survive Ireland’s Great Hunger of 1845-1859.  Written by an Irish emigrant, this story shows the members of Kit’s family and their neighbors as strong people willing to do just about anything to survive the potato famine.  Kit especially risks her life and her freedom to help her family.

I’ve read several other young adult books written about this period in Ireland’s history, and know that it was a horrible time resulting in many people leaving Ireland to come to the United States.  This book, however, had lots of action and suspense up until the end of the book.  Another good example of great historical fiction!

Cherry Heaven by L. J. Adlington

Cherry Heaven has a Lexile of 830 and proves to be a more difficult read. It is a futuristic story of two worlds (two societies?). People are separated because of their DNA. The prejudice separates these worlds. Luka (Bottle Seal 55) lives a horrible, ghost like life while Kat and Tanka live a better life. These stories mirror each other in events yet are opposite. It’s a complicated novel which comes together at the end. This is a novel for those who appreciate science fiction and a bit of mystery. The theme of intolerance is woven throughout the novel as these girls live their lives near the Hydro factory.