The Day it Snowed Tortillas

The Day it Snowed Tortillas/ El Día que Nevaron Tortillas
by Joe Hayes

Published by: Cinco Puntos Press


Summary: A bilingual collection of Spanish folktales, storytellers have been telling these stories in the villages of New Mexico since the Spanish first came to the New World over four hundred years ago, but Hayes adds his own nuances for modern audiences. The tales are full of magic and fun. In the title story, for instance, a very clever woman saves her silly husband from a band of robbers. She makes the old man believe it snowed tortillas during the night! In another story, a young boy gladly gives up all of his wages for good advice. His parents think he is a fool, but the good advice leads to wealth and a royal marriage. The enchantment continues in story after story—a clever thief tricks a king for his kingdom and a prince finds his beloved in a house full of wicked step-sisters. And of course, we listen again to the ancient tale of the weeping woman, La Llorona, who still searches for her drowned children along the riverbanks. Joe Hayes is one of America’s premier storytellers. He is especially recognized for his bilingual telling of stories from the Hispanic culture of northern New Mexico.

Personal Review: I loved these stories, and laughed out loud at several of them. I read them in Spanish, and it added even more to the stories, so if you can, that is what I would suggest! However, if you cannot, they are very good in English as well. Each tale is an insight into the language, culture and beliefs of hispanic people. It was a great book that would be enjoyed by children of all ages.

Here is a video of the author telling one of his stories in Spanish...enjoy!

The Pistachio Prescription

The Pistachio Prescription by Paula Danziger

Published by: Puffin

Summary: The Pistachio Prescription, written by Paula Danzinger was an excellent and entertaining novel about a teenage girl dealing with the troubles of being one. Cassandra Stevens has brown hair, brown eyes, is very tall, and 14. She has two siblings, Stephie, the typical seventeen-year-old sister; she has blonde hair, blue eyes. She has a smaller green-eyed red haired brother. Her mom is identical to her brother, and Stephie is identical to her father. She wonders if she is even really part of the family. The story is about Cassie (short for Cassandra), as she is just about to enter high school. As is typical, there's a "cool" crowd, the student council people.But this year, Cassie has a plan. An intelligent,deviousplan. Her friends all got together for a meeting discussing what they'll do, whom they will elect, and who will lead. Guess who gets chosen? Cassie for president! She feels quite insecure and does not want to do it, but gets convinced afterwards. But life is not all fun and games for Cassie, and whenever she feels angry, mad or sad, she eats red pistachios, a prescription of them is sure to get her joy back in an instant, the only bad part is that her parent's don't like the idea of her eating them. Her mother says it's not ladylike, and her father agrees with her. Cassie has to hide her pistachios wherever she can. When Cassie enters school, there's a new kid in town, Scott. They start talking and he is part of the plan to too. This book talks about teamwork, teenage troubles, family, school, and friends.

Personal Review: I enjoyed the story very much. It was written in the mid 1970s, but is a story that kids today can still relate to. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to most any young adult.

Last Shot

Last Shot by John Feinstein

Published by: Yearling

Summary: This story is set at the NCAA Final Four men's basketball tournament. Eighth-graders Steven Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are aspiring journalists and winners of the U.S. Basketball Writer's Association 14-and-under writing contest. Their prize is a trip, with press credentials and reporting responsibilities, to the Final Four in New Orleans. While exploring the Superdome, they overhear a blackmail threat leveled at Minnesota State University's star player. Threatened with a falsified transcript that would disqualify him and his team, Chip Graber is pressured to deliberately lose the final game against Duke. Stevie and Susan Carol become resourceful sleuths determined to save Chip and to expose the scandal.

Personal Review: This is a story that any young basketball fan will enjoy. There is enough about basketball to keep them interested, but it is also a mystery. I enjoyed the fact that the kids aren't at the game just as fans, but as writers, and the book shows how writing can be enjoyable and very diverse, and even get you into some pretty good seats at the game. :)

The Smile

The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli

Published by: Speak

Summary: The identity of the woman the world calls Mona Lisa has ignited speculation since Leonardo da Vinci created her portrait and left it untitled, unsigned, and undated. In this richly embroidered romance set in Renaissance Florence, Napoli imagines the young life of the woman behind the famous smile. Thirteen-year-old Elisabetta, the daughter of a wealthy silk merchant, is starting to think of marriage when Leonardo da Vinci, a family friend, introduces her to young heir Giuliano de’ Medici. The teenagers share an instant attraction that deepens into friendship and, finally, love. Political turmoil that escalates into war threatens the young romance, though, and Elisabetta is caught between her passionate attachment to Giuliano and her dutiful obligations to her family. Napoli skillfully draws readers into the vibrant settings, from opulent Florentine palaces to rustic hillside villas, with tangible, sensory details that enliven the novel’s intriguing references to history and art. Elisabetta’s strength and individuality, as she grows into marriage and motherhood, will captivate readers, as will her wonderment over love’s complexity.

Personal Review: This book is beautifully written, and well researched. As is typical with Napoli, the reader will feel as if they are witnessing an actual event in history, through the beautiful descriptions and details. However, these details are not overwhelming, or distracting. The story was beautiful, and addresses deeper issues than just money and luxury, but also death, marriage, love, politics and social class. A very good book.

The Taking of Room 114

The Taking of Room 114 by Mel Glenn
Published by: Dutton Juvenille


Summary: This story is a "hostage drama" written in poetry form about a crazy history teacher who takes his class of seniors hostage on the last day of school. The poems--five from each student, one for each year of high school, and the last composed on the day of the crisis--reveal the thoughts, dreams, and fears of contemporary teens in an urban classroom.





Personal Review: The poems were not very deep, but Young Adult readers will enjoy and likely be able to relate to the story and the characters. Each character represents a different point of view: a student being pushed by their parents, another pushing themselves, on girl who is pregnant, another who barely speaks English. I enjoyed reading it, and it was also very quick to read.





Cautionary Notes: None.

Interstellar Pig

Interstellar Pig by William Sleator
Published by: Penguin Group USA

Summary: This story is all about Barney and the neighbors he meets one summer at the beach. They're mysterious people who apprear different to everyone who sees them and are oddly fascinated by the island not far from the their rented house . . . and a game called Interstellar Pig. When Barney becomes a player, he has no idea that the game he's getting into is real -- and possibly deadly!

Personal Review: I enjoyed this book, and though it was science fiction, it was (as the best sci-fi books are) fairly believable. The mysterious past of the neighbors, and their interesting game are imaginitive but also plausable, and the facts and details all fit together smoothly.

Cautionary Note: None, except the creatures can be violent at the end of the book.

The First Part Last

The First Part Last

by Angela Johnson

Published by: Simon Pulse

Summary: At 16, Bobby is scared to be raising his baby, Feather, but he's totally devoted to caring for her, even as she keeps him up all night, and he knows that his college plans are on hold. In short chapters alternating between "now" and "then," he talks about the baby that now fills his life, and he remembers the pregnancy of his beloved girlfriend, Nia. Yes, the teens' parents were right. The couple should have used birth control; adoption could have meant freedom. But when Nia suffers irreversible postpartum brain damage, Bobby takes their newborn baby home. There's no romanticizing. The exhaustion is real, and Bobby gets in trouble with the police and nearly messes up everything. But from the first page, readers feel the physical reality of Bobby's new world: what it's like to hold Feather on his stomach, smell her skin, touch her clenched fists, feel her shiver, and kiss the top of her curly head. Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again.

Personal Review: This was a fast read (took me about an hour) but it is so real. This is not a romantic view of teen parenthood. This is real life, and Bobby is dealing with it. It is an honest approach, and an interesting twist as the father is raising his infant baby. The twist at the end that explains why Nia is not present is tragic, and a little much for me, but the story is beautiful and well written.

Cautionary Note: There is some language in this book, but not much.