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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