Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue, Lois Lowry
Delacorte Press

Also by the Author:
The Giver
Messenger
Number the Stars (tween)
Gossamer (tween)


Summary: Kira, newly orphaned and lame from birth, is taken from the turmoil of the village to live in the grand Council Edifice because of her skill at embroidery. There she is given the task of restoring the historical pictures sewn on the robe worn at the annual Ruin Song Gathering, a solemn day-long performance of the story of their world's past. Down the hall lives Thomas the Carver, a young boy who works on the intricate symbols carved on the Singer's staff, and a tiny girl who is being trained as the next Singer. Over the three artists hovers the menace of authority, seemingly kind but suffocating to their creativity, and the dark secret at the heart of the Ruin Song. With the help of a cheerful waif called Matt and his little dog, Kira at last finds the way to the plant that will allow her to create the missing color--blue--and, symbolically, to find the courage to shape the future by following her art wherever it may lead.

Personal Review: The mystery of this civilization kept me reading. I wanted to find out what was going to happen to Kira and Thomas, and what had happened to these mysterious people who were taken to “the Field” and taken by “the beasts”—especially since many people started saying there weren’t any beasts. I also thought it was an appropriate metaphor that the beasts were actually human beings, acting like animals. An interesting book.

Cautionary Notes: None unless talk of death would bother someone.

Stargirl

Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
Laurel Leaf

Also by the Author:
Eggs
Loser
Maniac Mcgee (all three ages 9-12)


Summary: Stargirl is the new girl in school, but she is different. She wears long pioneer dresses and plays the ukulele at school. She has a pet rat, and spends her time doing nice things for perfect strangers. She is weird, and Leo falls in love with her. At first, so does the entire school. It takes some time, but they are soon following her lead, and making her a cheerleader. However, when she starts cheering for the BOTH teams, and showing up at stranger’s funerals, the student body turns on her. They start to shun her, and Leo, as her boyfriend, is shunned as well. Although she seems oblivious to it, Leo is very much affected by the shunning, and tries to get her to be “normal.” She loves him so much that for a time she tries it, but it doesn’t work, so she goes back to being who she was before. It ends their relationship because Leo needs acceptance from others too much to be shunned. Stargirl continues to be who she is, and at the end of the year, she disappears after a fantastic showing at the Commencement dance. She leaves an impression on all who knew her, however, especially Leo.

Personal Review: I loved the portrayal of Stargirl as someone who is different, and how the whole school changed for the better when they accepted her. It is a lesson many teenagers could learn from at the difficult stage in life called high school. This book made me want to be more like her in some ways, and made me recognize myself in Leo, and in the other students. It was a quick read with a powerful message.

Cautionary Note: None, unless you are offended by quirkiness.

Here's a little preview for the sequel Love, Stargirl...the story from Stargirl's point of view!

Girlfriend Material

Girlfriend Material, by Melissa Kantor

Hyperion Book CH

Also by the Author:

The Breakup Bible

Confessions of a Not It Girl

Summary: Kate is a high school junior forced to travel 3,000 miles away to Cape Cod to stay with her mother and her "best college roommate", Tina, for the summer. Her mother is having marital problems, and just needs some "me time"...but Kate is along for the ride. And she isn't exactly best friends with Tina's daughter, Sarah. It is shaping up to be one of the worst summers of her life...far from friends, writing clubs, tennis and fun in Salt Lake City. That is, until Sarah's cute, witty friend Adam starts drawing Kate into the fold--and seems intrigued. With Adam around, Kate feels like she just might have a bit of heartbreaker potential. But when a breezy summer romance quickly grows more complicated can Kate keep pretending her relationship with Adam is just a carefree fling? Or will she take the risk and tell him her real feelings? Suddenly Kate is asking herself a question she never thought she'd stoop to: Is she girlfriend material?

Personal Review: This is a fun book to read about teenage relationships, both romantic and familiar. Kate is insecure with her "coolness" factor, but is able to relate to a new group of friends by just being herself, and talking about what she enjoys. Teenagers would be able to relate to this book, especially the awkward and real relationship parts.

Cautionary Note: None that I can see.

War Is...

War Is...: Soldiers, Survivors and Storytellers Talk about War

by Marc Aronson (Editor), Patty Campbell (Editor)
Mass Market

Summary: In his provocatively titled introduction, “People Like War,” Aronson writes: “If we ask people to fight for us—as we always have and always will—we owe them the respect of listening to them.” Though differing (passionately) about war’s inevitability, his coeditor, Campbell, feels likewise, and joins him in presenting a gathering of reminiscences, interviews, letters, published articles, and literary works that brilliantly convey war’s terrible appeal as well as its realities and lasting effects on those whose lives are personally touched by armed conflict. Contributions include Ernie Pyle’s eloquent account of wreckage on a D-Day beach, a Vietnam vet’s nightmarish memories of combat, jokey letters home by Campbell’s naive doughboy father, scathing accounts of sexual harassment in Iraq and elsewhere from several female ex-GIs, and a disturbing indictment of recruiting practices in today’s high schools. Anyone considering enlistment will find these pieces (not to mention the many titles provided in the ample but not indigestible lists of war fiction and nonfiction at the end) to be mesmerizing reading. With this collection, Aronson and Campbell have provided an uncommonly valuable source of hard information and perceptive insight.

Marc Aronson thinks war is inevitable. Patty Campbell thinks war is cruel, deceptive, and wrong. But both agree on one thing: that teens need to hear the truthful voices of those who have experienced war firsthand. The result is this dynamic selection of essays, memoirs, letters, and fiction from nearly than twenty contributors, both contemporary and historical — ranging from Christian Bauman's wrenching "Letter to a Young Enlistee" to Chris Hedges's unfl inching look at combat to Fumiko Miura's Nagasaki memoir, "A Survivor's Tale." Whether the speaker is Mark Twain, World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, or a soldier writing a miliblog, these divergent pieces look war straight in the face — and provide an invaluable resource for teenagers today

Vietnam War (Best Images Ever!) - The most popular videos are a click away

Personal Review: Reading this book really affected me. I had not considered before the deep and lasting affects war can have on the soldiers forced to participate in it. I have several friends who are in various branches of the military, and after reading these personal accounts I felt very deeply for these people, and wish that we were mature enough to avoid war. I used to think like Mr. Aronson and believe that war was inevitable, but it really is a horrible thing that must be avoided at all costs.

Cautionary Note: This book is about war, and contains graphic descriptions of the horrors of war. It also contains language commonly used by soldiers.

Dramarama

Dramarama, by E. Lockhart
Hyperion Book CH

Also by the Author:
The Disreputable History of Franki Landau-Banks
The Boyfriend List


Summary: Sarah is a big-boned girl with an awkward style, living in Brenton, Ohio. Then one day she meets Demi, a kindred spirit. Though he is black and gay, they find they have a lot in common, one thing being their love for the theater. They both apply for and are accepted to a summer drama camp, where they are free to either be who they really are, ore re-invent themselves. Demi, finally able to revel in his gayness, explodes in the lime light, showing how talented he really is. Sarah, however, changes her name to Sayde and tries to become someone new. She ironically auditions with the piece "Popular" from Wicked, but soon realizes that she is not as talented or experienced as the other students, is put in the straight Shakespeare play, and begins to feel inferior, especially to Demi. This is a story of discovering who you really are, and accepting or rejecting that. It twists and turns through interesting characters, love, lies, friendship and drama as the characters learn lessons only drama camp can teach them.




Personal Review: I really enjoyed this book, and was caught up in all the drama and excitement. I love the theater, and can also relate to Sayde very well as I sometimes don’t feel good enough, or like I fit in. But it is a good book about friendship and being who you really are, and would be a good message to high school students. Many could likely relate to Sayde, especially if they love drama.

Cautionary notes: It discusses teenage sexuality in many parts of the book, and isn’t shy about it. It doesn’t get graphic, but those parts may offend some readers.

Hurricane Song

Hurricane Song, by Paul Volponi
Viking, Penguin Group

Also by the Author:
Black and White
Rooftop
Rucker Park Setup


Summary: In the wake of his mom’s remarriage, Miles moves to New Orleans to be with his father, a professional musician, who lives and breathes jazz. Miles, who has always resented his father’s single-minded devotion to jazz music, focuses on making his new school’s varsity football team and dreams of someday playing a cichampionship game in the Superdome. That dream becomes a nightmare when Miles, Pop and his uncle Roy must seek refuge there from the advancing storm that will become Hurricane Katrina. The story describes the horrors that take place in the Superdome, and the destruction that they find outside when they finally get out.



Personal Review: I thought this was a well written book that described the horrors of the hurricane. I have seen first hand the aftermath of a hurricane, and cannot imagine what those people went through in Katrina which was much worse than the one I went through. Also this is a very descriptive narrative of what those people went through who were unable (or too stupid) to get out before it hit. It made me feel for them.

Cautionary Notes: Contains language, and gang violence, and is very descriptive of the horrible situation they were living in, such as the bathroom situation, etc.

The Chocolate War

The Chocolate War,

by Robert Cormier
Pantheon Books

Also by the Author:
Beyond the Chocolate War
I Am the Cheese

Summary: Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives? This novel does not end happily ever after, it ends with reality, that those who are in power can abuse it, and remain untouched.
See a video book trailer here.



Personal Review: I liked this book, and even the fact that the good guy got beat up in the end. It is an interesting tale of abuse of power, and what happens when you stand up to those in power.

Cautionary Note: There is language, teenage boys fantasies and references to masturbation.