VVMBookBlog

Two young people from two different worlds are brought together when a deadly tsunami wave destroys Mau’s island and its inhabitants (the Nation), and Daphne’s British ship is swept from the sea and destroyed on Mau’s island.

Mau was just returning from his coming-of-age experience and would be coming home to the island ceremony initiating him into manhood.  Daphne (real name Ermintrude) has escaped living with her very proper and controlling grandmother and was on the ship heading to be with her father on another British-owned island.  Then the tsunami hit and now they’re alone on the island, forced to learn each other’s language so they could help treat the other tsunami victims who found their way to the island.

I expected to read just another fantasy book by Terry Pratchett.  Instead I found a book that takes place in a parallel universe, and looks at what human beings can do when everything else is taken away, and all customs, traditions and rituals need to be examined for what they really mean.  When the anger Mau feels at his gods who might have caused the tsunami and the death of his people, he can open his eyes to other realities on his island, along with Daphne whose curiosity and accumulated knowledge help make sense of the secrets they find.

Lots of adventure, especially when the Raiders led by British mutineers arrive on the island to cause problems.  It’s a thick book but one I just couldn’t put down until it was done.  And now I’m left with much to think about when people can change how they see the everyday things around them.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

Shift is a good name for this novel for three reasons: 1) It involves two teenagers who bike across the United States. 2) It shifts from bike trip (present) to college (future). 3) One of the characters could be considered “Shifty.” When Chris and Win graduate from college they decide to take bike (pedal) across the United States. Along this bike trip, Win leaves Chris. Chris continues on his own and returns in time for his first day of college. Suddenly the FBI is talking to Chris about Win’s location. Win has not been in contact with anyone, and his family is worried. Shift is a mystery in the sense that the reader must read and figure out what happened to Win and how Chris is involved. It is also a story of friendship, family, and most importantly adventure. The book also follows the teenagers bike adventure across the United States.

As this story begins, DeShawn is 12 and living a large city housing project with his grandmother and older sister–his mother was killed earlier in the crossfire of neighborhood  gang warfare.  Even at 12, DeShawn has seen much evidence of gang violence and knows many friends and relatives who are now dead or in jail because of gang activities.  He’s smart enough to know that he wants and needs to stay away from gangs, and a couple of his teachers try to help him get enrolled in a special school that would improve his hopes for the future.  Unfortunately, life for him, his family and friends depends so much on the activities of the rival gangs in his neighborhood that trying to escape it is nearly impossible.

The book is divided into sections based on DeShawn’s age until he reaches 18, and his life becomes more and more complex and challenging.  I had to keep reading to see what would happen to DeShawn, all while feeling the hopelessness of his living situation, which was the author’s purpose in writing this book.  I think students who enjoy reading our “street lit” books will like this one, even though the dialogue and language didn’t seem very authentic–”school-safe” maybe but not authentic.

The author says we as a country need to do something soon about the problems of inner-city youth and families, and gives information and data to support his message. It’s a hard topic to read about and harder still to experience.

First there was Hoot, then Flush and now we have Scat!  Maybe because it’s been a couple years since Flush, but I think Scat is my favorite Carl Hiaasen book so far.  Again there’s an environmental scare–this time it’s a sighting of a very rare Florida panther in the Everglades.  And again there is the greedy business–this time an oil company wanting to drill an illegal oil pipeline on protected state property NEXT to their own oil-less property.

There are many heroes in this story, most very surprising so I can’t tell you who they are here.  I can say that very-scary Biology teacher, Mrs. Bunny Starch, takes her class, including good guys Nick and Marta, to the Black Vine Swamp and ends up disappearing very mysteriously.  While on the field trip, Nick is on the lookout for a panther, but then the trip is cut short by a wildfire of mysterious origin that scares them all back to the buses. And where is Duane Scrod, Jr., aka “Smoke,” whose last class interaction with Mrs. Starch ended badly!

So many great characters in this story, and lots of good side stories to keep you reading and wondering how it’s all going to turn out.  Hoot, Flush, Scat…what will come next?

Maya is 11 and has been raised by her very overprotective grandmother in California since her parents were killed in a car accident.  When her grandmother dies of a stroke, Maya goes to live with her mother’s family in Wyoming and discovers her love for horses and rediscovers her memories of her mother who was disliked by her grandmother.  As she overcomes her fears and becomes acquainted with her grandfather, uncle and Aunt Vi, she learns about her mother’s love for horses and a particular horse by the name of Artemisia.  A violent earthquake brings Maya and Artemisia together one day, forcing them to help each other to safety.

Chapters alternate between hearing the story from the point of view of both Maya and Artemisia. The reader gets to know Maya and struggles with her as she patiently survives her life with her domineering grandmother and then adjusts to her new life with her mother’s relatives.  Animal lovers, especially those who like horses, will really enjoy this book, but so will anyone who just wants a good story.