The Rithmatist

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The book The Rithmatist has received such good reviews, that I felt it might be worth my time, but I have to admit, the subject did not really appeal to me.  It is about a boy named Joel whose greatest desire is to be a Rithmatist.  Rithmatists are defenders of the American Isles, and they defend the Isles by creating strategic chalk drawings that will ultimately defend them from the wild chalklings of Nebrask. Joel has a scholarship to the Armedius Academy, where they train Rithmatists.  He has missed his opportunity to become a Rithmatist, or at least he thinks he has.  When Rithmatist students start disappearing from the academy, Joel is recruited by his professor, Dr. Fitch, to help solve the mystery.   It is the mystery combined with the intriguing detail of the chalk defenses, and the light romance with Melody, a Rithmatist, that makes this story a fun read.   Definitely worth my time. 



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The Mark of the Dragonfly

The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book should become a favorite in the middle school crowd.  It is about a resourceful girl named Piper, who lives in Scrap Town # 16. The residents of Scrap Towns barely make a living from gathering objects that have fallen from the sky during meteor showers.  Piper's father died not too long ago, and she is left on her own trying to survive in the Scrap Town.  During one meteor shower, she finds an injured girl, Anna. with the "mark of the dragonfly" on her arm.  She rescues her and restores her to health.  Then a frightening man comes looking for Anna.  When Piper sees how afraid Anna is of the man, even though Anna seems to have no memory, she and Anna escape and board the 401 train out of town. They are headed to Dragonfly territory, which is the likely home of Anna.  The author does an interesting job of world building as the girls discover magical talents,in a world combining steampunk with mythical creatures. There is action, adventure, and even a little romance, as the girls make their way on the 401.  Who could ask for more?



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The Chosen One

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I missed reading this when it was on the Beehive Award list in 2012, but I'm glad I didn't miss this altogether.  It is the story of Kyra, who is part of a polygamist community.  Her father has 3 wives and she is one of twenty children.  Life is routine until she discovers the bookmobile, which parks at the edge of the community.  Reading opens a new world.  She also discovers Joshua, one of the teenage boys living in the community.  Both discoveries leave her very conflicted because they are against the rules of the compound.  When the prophet of the community announces that she is to marry her sixty-year-old uncle, Kyra feels she must leave.  It is hard not to be impressed with the natural voice of Kyra as she confronts her fears of destroying everything for her family if she leaves, and the marriage to her cruel uncle if she stays.  Emotionally moving.



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Cress

Cress by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many times I skip reading all of the books in a series because there are so many books that I should read, but I am glad I did not do that this time.  I have enjoyed the Lunar Chronicles series, but I think I enjoyed Cress even more than the other two.  Perhaps because I was so thoroughly invested in the characters by this time.  Cress, like the other books in the series is a takeoff on a fairy tale. In this case, it is Rapunzel, only the tower is an orbiting satellite. She is finally rescued by Cinder and friends, but ends up with Carswell Thorne, the prisoner who escaped with Cinder as she plummets to earth in the satellite.  All of the characters: Cinder, Wolf, Cress, and Thorne join together to stop queen Lavana's marriage to emperor Kai.  Scarlet has been taken to Luna, so she has problems of her own. The book is a real page-turner from beginning to end.  For some reason, I thought this was the last in the series, but I am delighted to find out Meyer has two more scheduled to appear in 2015.


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Dragonfly Pool

The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first Ibbotson book that I have read and I truly enjoyed it.  The story has the feel of a well-written classic such as The Secret Garden.  Ibbotson was born in 1925, and many of her books are based on her own life as a non-practicing Jewish girl during WWII, so perhaps that is why.   This book, in particular, was based on her time at the boarding school Dartington, which is named Delderton Hall in the book.  The heroine, Tally, is a kind-hearted girl, who seems totally unaware of how special she is.  After arriving, unwillingly at Delderton, she helps the school go to a dance festival in Bergania, where she meets Prince Karil.  Karil’s father, the king is assassinated, and Karil is forced to flee with the visiting Delderton group, teaching him about a life he has never known as a lonely prince.  Exciting, and heart-warming, this is a perfect middle school favorite. 



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Friday Society

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In Friday Society we see a new side to the steampunk novel with three feisty heroines, whose lives become intertwined as they end up working together on what begins as a murder mystery. but becomes something much larger.  The girls, Cora, Michiko, and Nellie are all apprenticed to different men: Cora, as an intelligent lab assistant to Lord White, an inventor, Michiko a would-be Samurai to the swindler Sir Callum Fielding-Shaw, and Nellie to the magician, the Great Raheem.  All are talented in their own way, which comes in handy as they try to solve the terrible crimes that are happening in London beginning with their mutual discovery of the murder of a scientist.  The story provides plenty of fun, intrigue, and romance as the girls learn to use their talents working together.   There are a lot of anachronistic elements in dialogue and mannerisms for the Edwardian setting, but I doubt the audience of middle school girls and higher will notice them.  In fact, middle school girls should really enjoy this fun adventure.


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One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is briefly about a silverback gorilla who is stuck in a cage in the Big Top Mall and Video arcade.  He has been there so long he has forgotten about his life in the wild and is somewhat content to watch television and talk with his friends in the Big Top Mall, Stella the elephant, and Bob, the stray dog.  When a new baby elephant, Ruby, joins the group, Ivan discovers his natural role as a protective silverback as he tries to keep his promise to the dying Stella, to save Ruby from being doomed to the fate he and Stella have endured.   He launches a plan using his skills as a gorilla artist to save Ruby.  Although this book was on display for several months last year, it didn’t receive many checkouts.  But, it is an excellent story.  Like many Newberry winners, it is not one that students clamor to checkout, but they usually are pleasantly surprised when they do.  They will enjoy it is a compelling story that is easy to read. Teachers should consider using it for a read aloud in the classroom because chapters are short, and there are many discussion points along the way.



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The Boundless

The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Will Everett is the son of a Canadian Pacific Railway executive, who made his way to the top by saving the life of Cornelius Van Horne, the railway’s president, from an avalanche.  The story takes place with Will and his father on the maiden voyage of the Boundless, a 1,000 car railroad train, as it travels across the continent.  When the train makes a 4 hour stop, Will gets off the train and gets caught in the middle of a fight between evil men who are trying to get the key to the funeral car inhabited by the now deceased Cornelius Van Horne, and the many treasures Van Horne wanted to be buried with, including the golden spike. Will ends up with the key, and barely makes it back onto the caboose of the train before it leaves, separated by about 7 miles from his father’s quarters.  Because he now has the key, he is the target of evil men determined to steal the contents of the funeral car.  Also, aboard the train is the famous Zircus Dante, a traveling circus with the star Marvelous Maren.  Will had met Maren, a girl his age, 3 years earlier, and had been looking for her ever since that time.  Mr. Dorian, Maren, and others in the circus become involved in protecting Will from the brakemen determined to get the key from him at any cost.  Action and adventure abound as the story moves forward, with just that hint of romance between Will and Maren.  Opel has created another magical plot that middle schoolers will love.

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My Family for the War

My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Originally published in German, My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve will be a wonderful addition to the holocaust curriculum for our 7th graders.  Franziska Mangold lives in wealthy Berlin prior to the war with her family.  She has been raised Protestant, although she has Jewish ancestry.  She and her friend, Becca, have to run from the bullies who chase them for being Jewish, although she knows nothing of the Jewish religion. After her father is arrested on Kristallnacht, she is able to land a coveted place on the kindertransport.  Her mother doesn’t want to leave her father in prison, so off Ziska goes to England and is eventually place with an Orthodox Jewish family, where she learns about her Jewish heritage.  Ziska is now called Frances by her Jewish family, and eventually creates strong bonds with this new family.  This makes her feel torn about her allegiance to her real parents as she seems to grow fonder each day of her new family.  Many things happen to Ziska as the war progresses and she struggles to find her place in this new world.  This book will definitely be part of the book talk for holocaust books for the 7th graders next year. 



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Dangerous

Dangerous by Shannon Hale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Dangerous, by Shannon Hale is certainly a change of pace from Hale’s usual fairy tale.  In this story, the heroine, Maizie Danger Brown, is a science nerd born with only one hand.  She dreams of becoming an astronaut and is surprised when one day she wins 3 weeks at a space camp operated by Bonnie Howell, the woman who built the only space elevator.  She finds she absolutely loves the camp and is even more elated when she is selected with four others as the team Howell will take for a short trip into space.  While in space, the team is exposed to alien “tokens” which enter their bodies and give them super powers.  Of course, one of the team members is the extremely “hot” Wilder that Maizie cannot help but be attracted to.    Each of the super powers the teens are given work uniquely together under the power of Wilder, who is given the power of the “Thinker” in the group.  The super team seems destined for amazing things until one of the members dies.  The group unravels as fellow humans decide they can exploit the powers of the individual remaining members.  The book is action packed, and the touch of romance definitely adds to the story.  But, as a reader, it seemed there were too many things happening making the book seem choppy in places.  However, middle school readers and above should enjoy this new genre by Shannon Hale. 



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Far Far Away

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Since I listened to the audio version of this book, I'm not sure if the excellent narration by Morgan W. Sheppard made me bump this to 5 stars or just the unique story.  The story is of young Jeremy Johnson Johnson, who hears voices.  And, not just any voice.  He hears the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one of the Brothers Grimm of fairy tale fame.  The ghost, as narrator, tells the tale of Jeremy and his friend Ginger Boultinghouse, who absolutely charms not only Jeremy but many other boys in town.  Jeremy is taunted by his peers for being so “other worldish,” but Ginger is intrigued by him, especially after she eats the magical “prince cakes,” and they become good friends.  After playing a trick on the jolly baker, Sten Blix, Jeremy is shunned even more by the people in the town of Never Better.  But, he and Ginger become even better friends.  I think this was the appeal of the story for me.  It combined the unique ghost as narrator, with some believable small town characters, and the shadow of Grimm fairy tales together in a haunting story with all the twists and turns of the Grimm tales.  Grade six to adult will love this book. 



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The Caged Graves

The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Verity Boone returns to Catawissa, Pennsylvania, her birthplace, to marry Nathan McClure.  Although she knew him as a child, which she doesn’t remember, this will be the first time she has seen him face-to- face since that time.  She will also be reunited with her father, who sent her away after her mother died.  Things are awkward at first with Nate and her father.  Her father seems distant and things don’t go as well with Nate as she would like.  She wonders if Nathan just wanted to marry her because of his interest in her father’s farm.   Things are further complicated by the fact that the young doctor in town is openly attracted to her.  Her discovery that her mother and her aunt’s grave are inside cages and located in unhallowed ground outside the cemetery leads her on a quest to understand just why that would be so.  She makes some dangerous discoveries that put her life in peril, but help her to understand her heart.  The book is great middle school and high school reading, but probably more for girls.  The story is placed in 1867, so teachers could use the book as a free reading book in connection with Civil War study. 



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Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This has to be one of my all time favorite books.  The story is of a twelve-year-old genius named Willow Chance.  She lives in her own little world studying plants, and diseases, and about everything else.  Needless to say, she has a difficult time fitting in with her peers, but she is happy in her world.  Then her parents are killed in an automobile accident.  She is adopted, has no next of kin, and is likely a candidate for a group home.  Fortunately, she meets a group of people who become very protective of her, and she very unpretentiously changes their world as she changes her own.  Truly uplifting.




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Curveball: the Year I Lost my Grip

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jordan Sonnenblick is always an entertaining, but thought-provoking read, and Curveball was no exception.  Curveball take us into the life of Peter Friedman, a freshman in high school, who is a star pitcher for his baseball team until he injures his arm so badly that the doctors tell him he will never pitch again.  He is also an excellent photographer, thanks to his grandfather who has carefully taught him the tricks of the trade. When his grandfather gives him all of his professional photography equipment, he turns his attention to photography, but also worries about his grandfather.  Why would he give him his equipment?  He soon realizes his grandfather is suffering from early signs of Alzheimers, but his grandfather has told him not to tell his parents.  It is a heavy burden for him to carry, but he figures he can handle it.  Add to that a new girlfriend, who is also into photography, and a job on the school newspaper, and we see some real character growth in Peter during this freshman year, as he learns that keeping secrets is probably not a good idea. Middle School and above boys and girls should enjoy this book.




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Belle Epoque

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth  Ross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross was captivating.  I had to wonder how Ross came up with the story of an agency where plain girls were hired as foils to make the rich look more beautiful.  In the author’s note she explains that the inspiration came from a short story by Emile Zola called “Les Repoussoirs.”  Ross began imagining what it would be like to be such a girl and thus created Maude Pichon, the narrator of Belle Epoque.  Maude has run away from her home in Brittany to escape an arranged marriage to the butcher.  She dreams of a glamorous life in Paris, but soon finds it difficult to find a job.  She ends up as a repoussoir, who as in Zola’s story are hired to make privileged young girls trying to find suitable husbands look good by comparison.  Maude is hired by Countess Dubern to befriend her strong-willed daughter Isabelle to help her to look all the more beautiful in public accompanied by plain Maude.  Maude does become friends with Isabelle and struggles with loyalty to the job she desperately needs and her loyalty to Isabelle.  It is a well-told story that middle and high school girls should find a favorite.  Highly recommended.




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Scarlet

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Marissa Meyer’s sequel to Cinder, Scarlet, made me doubt my premise that the sequel usually isn’t as good as the first in the series.  Scarlet was every bit as fun as Cinder.  And, I think middle and high school readers will think so too.  The story of Scarlet, a flaming red-haired girl with freckles, begins as she is trying to find her grandmother, who has disappeared.  Her grandmother has been gone for three weeks, and no one seems to have any clue as to where she has gone.  She meets up with a handsome street-fighter named Wolf who offers to help her find her “grand-mere”   In a parallel story, we are taken back into the life of Cinder, who is able to escape from prison with another prisoner.  Captain Carswell Thorne.  Captain Thorne quite fortunately has a spaceship they can use for escape.   Meyer has the paths of Cinder and Scarlet cross and we discover the connections between Cinder, Scarlet and her grandmother.  The story is definitely action packed.  And I, for one, look forward to finding out if the third in the series can be just as good as the first two.   



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Born of Illusion

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Born of Illusion # 1 by Teri Brown is one of the Beehive Book Award Nominees for 2014-2015, and rightly so.  The story, rich in detail from 1920 New York, unfolds as teenage Anna Van Housen, and her mother Marguerite finally find financial success with their mentalist and magic stage show that they perform for the very elite of New York thanks to a new manager, Jacques.  Their life to that point has been one of traveling from place to place.  Anna’s mother is a master showman, but doesn’t really have magical powers.  Anna, on the other hand, has special extrasensory powers, and is a gifted magician.  Perhaps that is due to the fact that she may be the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini.  She finds her extrasensory powers magnified when she meets a young Englishman, Cole, who also has special powers.  Another potential love interest, Owen, charms her, but leaves her wondering whom to like and whom to trust.  She soon finds out, however, as things unfold to an exciting conclusion.  Girls in middle school and above should find this an exciting series.



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Doll Bones

Doll Bones by Holly Black

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Doll Bones by Holly Black was the perfect middle school read.  The story has that “scary” element that most middle schoolers just love.  Doll Bones begins with 3 friends, Poppy, Zach, and Alice (who have been friends forever) in the middle of a make-believe adventure.  They like to play with action figures and make up elaborate stories surrounding the characters the action figures represent.  The problem is they are getting older, and some people (like Zach’s dad and basketball team) think that maybe he is getting too old for this sort of thing.  But, then a real-life quest presents itself.  Poppy has been having mysterious dreams about an antique bone-china doll that is locked in the family cabinet.  They call the doll “the Queen.”  In the dream, the ghost of the girl whose ashes reside in the doll communicates to Poppy that her spirit cannot rest until she is buried in the proper grave.  So, the three begin an adventure where nearly everything goes wrong, and the doll convinces them of her ghostly presence.  The cover could have more male appeal rather than the doll because I think boys would like the book as well as girls.      



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Dodger

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Dodger, by Terry Pratchett, was an interesting step back into time, Victorian England.  Pratchett does a good job of helping us see this time period through the eyes of Dodger, a “tosher.” A tosher is one who frequents the underground sewer system in hopes of finding detritus that might have worked its way into the sewer system.  Dodger is particularly good at this.  He also is good at making his living on the street, although he has found shelter living with an eccentric Jewish fellow named Soloman.  Dodger enters into a whole new world when his good heart drives him from the sewer to intervene in the beating of a young girl.  He rescues the girl, and soon becomes involved with Charles Dickens, Disraeli, and other prominent figures as they discover the reason why someone wants the girl named Simplicity, dead.    It is hard not to be charmed by Pratchett’s vivid description of the sordid aspects of Victorian London.  He really captures it. The story is quite involved and may lose some middle school readers for that reason, but for exposure to this time period, it can’t be beat.  



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The Testing

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Testing, by Joelle Charbonneau, is yet another dystopian novel.  Whenever I feel I have reached a dystopian saturation point, I run across a book like The Testing that I cannot put down.  The outline of the book is typical. The world has nearly been destroyed by the Seven Stages of War.  Vast areas of the country are desolate wastelands.  A select few are chosen by the United Commonwealth to set the country right again.  There are a series of tests that chosen candidates must complete in order to attend the United Commonwealth University.  Cia’s father was a candidate for the University years ago, but no one has been chosen from Five Lakes colony where Cia lives for many years.  Then after high school graduation, when she had given up hope at being chosen, she finds out she is a candidate for the testing, and that she will leave her family and travel to Tosu city.  Her father takes her aside before she leaves, and tells her to trust no one and alludes to some terrible experiences that he had that are in his nightmares, if not in his memories.  The Testing has a Hunger Games feel to it, but it is unique.  I think most will feel themselves totally in the world of Cia and the other candidates.  Great read for 7th grade and up. 



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The Eye of Minds

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In typical James Dashner fashion this book takes off at a gallop and never slows down.  In fact this would be my complaint with the book, there is no situation where the reader can "catch his breath" a little and at least hope things will be okay. In this way it reminded me a lot of Dashner's Kill Order.  But, I doubt that many middle schoolers would have this complaint.  The story is geared for middle school or high school age group with the main character being an ultimate gamer in this future world where gaming is more a part of life than the real world. Michael enters the "coffin" everyday to join his friends in the VirtNet. He and his friends are great at making and hacking code, so they are able to move through games with ease. This is true until they forced by VirtNet Security to hunt down Kaine, who is taking over the Virtual World and destroying people in and out of the VirtNet.  Again the action speeds along from one harrowing situation to another.  I doubt many of our middle school or high school gamers will be able to put it down. 



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The Boy on the Wooden Box

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This memoir by Leon Leyson gives a look into the life of a young Jewish boy during the Holocaust.  It is of particular interest because Leon was chosen as one of "Schindler Jews" and was protected by this powerful man.  It is clear in the book, that even though his father was able to arrange very carefully for his wife and some of his children to be on Schindler's protected list, they still were not protected from the atrocities felt by Jews during Hitler's reign.  But, it is clear just how much Schindler risked protecting and trying to feed them as his factory workers.  He even had little Leon stand on a wooden box to operate the machinery to show he was working in his factory, hence, the name of the book.  Leyson didn’t share his story until after the movie Schindler’s List came out, but as a reader, I am grateful that he did.



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A Bag of Marbles

A Bag of Marbles by Joseph Joffo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of our teachers has asked to have her students check out free reading books in connection with a unit on courage and the Holocaust.  In gathering books for this book talk, I came across a recent graphic novel that will be a nice choice for these 7th graders.  It is the story of two Jewish boys living in France during the war.  When the boys’ mother sews a yellow star on their clothing, they find that everything about their life changes.  But it isn’t until they are beat up at school, that their father decides they must go away to the free zone of France.  He gives them money, and 10 year old Jo and his older brother Maurice have to grow up fast as they make their way alone, one step ahead of the Nazis.  Based on the 1973 memoir of the same name by Joseph Joffo, this book conveys an important picture of children during the war in an easy to comprehend format.  





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The Reluctant Assassin

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Although the book was a little difficult to get into, it turned out to be another enjoyable read by Colfer (Artemis Fowl). The story begins with Riley, an orphaned boy in the late 1800’s in London.  He is apprenticed to Albert Garrick, a paid assassin, and is expected to make his first killing.  Fortunately, he is saved from this task because the victim turns out to be a scientist from the future, a member of FBI’s WARP (Witness Anonymous Relocation Program).  When he is about to commit the act, he finds himself instead transported through the “wormhole” to modern day London.  Unfortunately, Garrick follows him through the wormhole.  After arriving in London, Riley meets up with a seventeen-year-old FBI agent guarding the wormhole, Chevron Savano, assigned to the task after she botched a previous assignment.   Since Garrick is intent on finding Riley, Chevie and Riley end up together trying to escape the evil Garrick.  The story moves between modern London and historic London through the wormhole.  There is plenty of violence and vivid descriptions of a sordid London of the past as the story moves on at an exciting pace.  Sequel to come, but there is a nice resolution.  Middle School boys and girls should find this a favorite.  



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