VVMBookBlog

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!

Violet is 11 and looking forward to going into 7th grade with her next door girlfriend, Lottie, and her friend-who-is-a-boy, Eddie.  Then Violet’s world gets shaken up when Melissa’s family moves to the neighbor from the big city of Detroit.  When Violet sees that Lottie and Melissa are becoming friends, too, Violet gets threatened and comes up with some sneaky and not-so-sneaky ways to remind Lottie about their friendship and show Melissa she isn’t welcome there.  A thunderstorm produces a bolt of lightning that strikes Lottie’s house, bringing changes to all their worlds.  How will Violet handle this event?

Violet is full of heart and all the qualities that make people human.  Knowing how hard it can be for three girls to be “best friends,” I enjoyed reading to see how the author tells the story of these four friends.  Great book for girls who enjoy reading about girls!

Princess Rose and her eleven princess sisters have a big secret.  Every night at midnight they are compelled to go dance for the evil King Under Stone, but magically, the only evidence of this curse to others in their kingdom is the girls’ worn out dancing shoes and their visible exhaustion.  And they can’t tell why or the curse will make life worse for them!

So Galen, home from the war and now a gardener’s apprentice at the palace, has made the dangerous decision to follow the princesses and find out what’s happening to them.  Some magical gifts and messages he received on his way home from war now give him extra powers and courage to find out the secret of the dancing princesses.

I really enjoyed this retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, even though fantasy stories aren’t usually my favorites.  I think readers who like the Cinderella-type stories will like this one, too.

Mastepiece by Elise Broach

Marvin is a beetle who lives in James’ house. Although the two do not know each other at the beginning of the novel, they become a set of unusual friends, boy and bug. James’ mother is a bit overbearing as is his stepfather. His father is an artist who gives James a pen and ink set for his birthday. This is how Marvin, the beetle, enters into James’ life. This turns into a mystery concerning missing art. Readers will learn more about a famous artist (Durer) and follow the unlikely pair of friends on an adventure.