Little Rock Girl 1957

Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration by Shelley Tougas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration, by Shelley Tougas, tells the story of how the photograph of 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford trying to enter Little Rock Central High School amidst jeers of white students and other white people from the community captured the racially charged moment for all of history.   Photographer Will Counts, a local newspaperman, dressed deceptively in a plaid shirt instead of a suit, was able to move in very close to his subjects.  He recounts, when he “saw Hazel Bryan’s contorted face in the camera’s viewfinder; I knew that I had released the shutter at an important moment.”  The other black students who were assigned to integrate Little Rock Central High were called collectively “The Little Rock Nine.”  They were eventually successful in entering the school that year, but paid a great price because of the way they were treated at the school.   The book also covers the fact that years later, Hazel Bryan, the white teen yelling racial slurs at Elizabeth in the picture, tried desperately to redeem herself from the damaging photo by trying to befriend Elizabeth Eckford.  This powerful non-fiction book would make a great Common Core pairing with Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. 



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Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip M. Hoose

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The non-fiction book Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip Hoose is one that I hope science teachers can use as they talk about climate change and extinction of animals.  Although the subject of this book, B 95, a rufa red knot, has survived20 years at the writing of the book, the species itself is threatened because of changes in places along his migration path.  The book explains the changes and the great effort that has been mounted, even by young people, to save the species.  The information about the bird itself is fascinating.  B95 weighs approximately 4 oz., but he has flown roughly 325,000 miles in his lifetime.  On one leg of his migratory journey that he makes each year, he flies 5,000 miles without stopping.   The book may be too information rich for many middle school readers, but for those with interest, it is fascinating.



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Sweet Venom

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Sweet Venom was a surprisingly fun book.  One of the girls at Union read it, and really liked it, so I decided to give it a try.  It is the story of Grace, Gretchen, and Greer, triplets who were separated at birth.  Grace has just moved to San Francisco with her family to attend a new school.  She has led a sheltered and happy life.  When she gets to San Francisco, things change.  She starts seeing minotaurs and other ancient Greek Monsters.  This is amazing enough, but when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight a monster, her whole world turns upside down.  She finds out about Gretchen, who is her sister and endowed with special talents to fight these monsters.  When Grace starts doing some research about their parentage, they find out they are not twins, but triplets, ancient descendants of Medusa.  This is where their socialite triplet, Greer comes in.  The three are destined to keep the world safe from the monsters escaping from the portal, not an easy job.  I do think my middle school girls will love this book, just as the girl who told me about the book loved it.



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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Riggs debut novel takes an interesting twist to the current "monsters in our daily lives," genre.  Sixteen-year-old Jacob is doubting the stories his grandfather told him as he was growing up.  He can no longer accept that there were children, as seen in the photographs his grandfather shows him from his childhood, that were endowed with strange gifts and abilities.  He still loves his grandfather, however, and is devastated when he witnesses his grandfather's death at the hands of a horrible monster.  No one believes Jacob's story about the monster, so he is sent to a psychiatrist to help him through this fantasy and his shock at losing his grandfather.  In order to confront the monster fantasy, he goes with his father to Cairnholm island, off the coast of Wales, where his grandfather was raised in a home under the hand of Miss Peregrine.  The hope is that he will see first-hand that there is nothing magical in the home where his grandfather grew up, and perhaps help him to deal with reality and dismiss the thought of his grandfather being murdered by a hideous monster.  He does find the home, but here is where the story takes an unusual twist and Jacob finds himself among the "peculiar children."  The story is a fun ride with enjoyable characters.  It should be a good choice for male or female middle schoolers and above. 



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The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is my new favorite.  I'm not sure whether it was the skilled reader (listened to the audio version), great story, or much improved writing of the author, or all three, but this book had me hooked from the very beginning.  The story is of Blue Sargent, the daughter of a psychic, and the only non-psychic in a family of psychics.  She does have a gift though, that of being able to amplify others psychic powers.  We are introduced to Blue in the beginning of the book with the statement, "Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she'd been told that she would kill her true love."  And, the story has you hooked, even if she has no love interest at the time, and doesn't plan on finding one.  After she meets the boys from Aglionby Academy, an all-boys school for the rich, boys that she normally disdains, the story gets deliciously intriguing.  I couldn't wait for my commute to and from work to listen to this book.  Sadly, yesterday it ended.  Now, I can't to read (or listen to) the sequel, The Dream Thieves.  The caveat is that it is probably for only my more mature middle schoolers because of language issues.



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The Son

Son by Lois Lowry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This conclusion to the Giver series did not disappoint.  Although it contained many of the characters from the series, it works pretty well as a stand-alone story. (It was a long time ago that I read the Giver, and I didn't remember too many details).  The story is of Claire, the birthmother of Gabe, who   at the beginning of the story is introduced just as she is to give birth, at age 14.  There are problems with the delivery causing the child to be delivered by Caesarean section. This disqualifies Claire from continuing on her designated path as birthmother.  She is sent to the fish hatchery for work, but in the confusion, the pills that keep her from having emotions are overlooked and she starts to long for her son.  She finds a way to visit her son in the Nurturing Center, and can think of little else.  When circumstances demand that her son, who does not adjust as he should to the nursery, be eliminated, Josh kidnaps the baby, and Claire follows.  She ends up in a small village with no recollection of her former life.  Little by little memories surface, and Claire realizes she has to find her son.  With help she develops her strength and is able to leave the village and find Gabe and Josh, his kidnapper.  But, she encounters the Trademaster, who demands a she make a bargain with him before she can find her son.  It is a high price, but Claire cannot refuse.  I found myself thoroughly involved in the story, but I'm not sure my middle school students would have the same involvement.  Those who read The Giver, might, but not many would relate at this point in their lives to the longing of a mother for her son.  Still an interesting conclusion to The Giver. 



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