Crispin and the Cross of Lead

Crispin and the Cross of Lead
by Avi
Hyperion Books for Children, 2002, Intermediate Fiction, 262 p.
Astor's son has always lived with his mother on the edge of starvation in a small town in 14th century England.  The mother has been shunned for some reason her son doesn't understand, and he shares in her status.  When she dies of illness, Astor's son doesn't know where to go or what to do, but he soon discovers that the overseer of the manor wants him dead as well.  A kindly priest gives him a cross that used to belong to his mother, tells him his birth name is Crispin, and urges him to flee the city.  Out on the open road Crispin meets a juggler, called Bear, who takes him on, first as a servant and then as an apprentice.  The juggler is also more than he seems, and soon both he and Crispin are running from the magistrates.  Will Crispin ever truly be free?

Avi gives a "warts and all" view of life in medieval England.  Crispin is an authentic character for the time period, having grown up without any hope of ever being free from servitude.  The beauty of the book is how he slowly learns to see himself as a free soul who might choose his own path. This book won the Newbery Award in 2003 and is a great choice for  a junior high age student who is required to read a historical fiction or for anyone who likes the per-renaissance.

Lost and Found

 

Lost and Found
by Orson Scott Card
Blackstone Publishing, 2019, Young Adult Fiction, 288p
Ezekiel Bliss is a loner and likes it that way, or he did, until he meets Beth and she wants to walk with him to school.  She is a proportional dwarf, so she looks like she is about seven years old, even though she is 14.  Zeke and Beth find in each other the friend neither knew they needed and Beth and one of the counselors at school help Zeke embrace a talent, or "mico-power" he has.  He can sense lost things and instinctively knows how to return them to their owners. Although his talent has gotten him into trouble before, it now might help save someone's life.

I always associate Card with Ender's Game and the Alvin Maker series.  I was a bit surprised that this new offering from the award winning author isn't more "high fantasy." There is a fantasy element, but mostly this is a mystery and a teen relationship story.  That said, I really liked it. I don't know how a 68-year-old author channels at teen boy's mind so well.  The character of Ezekiel is spot on and his relationship with his dad is both sweet and authentic.  I also like his relationship with Beth. It is a true friendship, unfettered by romantic interest.  Although there is no romance, this is squarely a teen book because Card mentions some tough stuff related with child pornography and there is some "off stage" violence that is pretty gruesome.  Still, I think both teen boys and girls will like this one. (2019, 288 p)

The Hired Girl

The Hired Girl
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick, 2015, Young Adult Fiction, 400 p.

14-year-old Joan lives on a farm in 1911 with a cruel father and several brothers.  Her mother has died, and Joan is expected to do all the cooking and cleaning for the men.  Her only solace is a few books that a beloved teacher gave her before her father forced her to leave school.  When, one day, her father burns her books and tells her she is worthless and never likely to marry, Joan plots her escape.  Being large and strong for her age, she is able to pass as an 18-year-old and is hired by a wealthy Jewish family , the Rosenbachs, as a "hired girl"--a cook and maid. They are good to her and for the first time she has a little spending money to buy books and small luxuries. Things get complicated when she finds herself falling in love with the youngest son of her employer. Could things every work out between a poor Catholic girl and a rich Jewish boy who, against his father's will, would love to be an artist?

This title got a lot of positive reviews and won several awards when it came out in 2015 and it deserves every one.  Joan is funny, intelligent, and very much an authentic 14-year-old. All the members of the Rosenbach family are well drawn and interestingly complex.  Schlitz weaves both rye humor and serious issues into a delightful and meaningful tapestry.  This book is found the the Young Adult section, but adults who like historical fiction will enjoy it, too. 

Lovely War

Lovely War
By Julie Berry
Viking, 2019, 468 pg., Historical Young Adult Fiction

1942 : Hephaestus set the perfect trap. He would catch his wife, Aphrodite, and his brother, Ares, in their affair and place them on trial. But he is surprised when Aphrodite decides to defend herself by telling the stories of two of her greatest masterpieces. So begins the stories of Hazel, a quite piano player from London, James a brand new British soldier off to fight in the Great War, Colette a heartbroken orphan from Belgium, and Aubrey a African American Ragtime playing soldier. Aphrodite describes how she helps each of these young people to find and build their love stories. Through it all she seeks to make her husband see her for who she really is. She strives to show that what makes human love so great is their ability to love beyond and because of their scars.

This is a great romance. Told from multiple perspectives the characters endure the struggles of the Great War (WWI). I loved how I was able to get pulled into the stories and had to keep reading to find out what the characters were going to do next. A book that can pull you in like that is special. I also liked that this was such a clean romance, no sex scenes. This would be a great read for anyone who is a fan historical fiction or romance, fans of books like Blackmoore or Edenbrooke, older fans of The War That Saved My Life, or even fans of stories involving Greek Gods (Percy Jackson anyone?).

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
Harper Collins, 2008, 312 pg., Young Adult Fiction

"Sleep my little babby-oh
Sleep until you waken
When you wake you'll see the world
If I'm not mistaken...

Kiss a lover 
Dance a measure,
Find your name
And buried treasure...

Face you life
Its pain,its pleasure
Leave no path untaken"

Nobody Owens began his life as a totally normal boy. But soon his life changed. When his family is murdered in their beds Nobody is adopted by a ghost couple in the local grave yard. He is given the freedom of the grave yard and is protected by those who "live" there. A boy who lives in the graveyard has many great adventures, from encountering ancient spirits, to dancing the Macabre, befriending witches, and falling through Ghoul Gates. But someday Nobody will have to meet the  man Jack who killed Nobody's family ... and who still wants to kill Nobody Owens.

There is a reason why this book won the Newbery Award in 2009. Neil Gaiman has crafted a story that is both spooky and heartwarming. This book was inspired by Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. One thing that I really enjoyed in this book was how much research Gaiman did about death rituals and beliefs throughout history in England. I also enjoyed that this book was spooky and creepy without being grisly horror novel. In fact the only truly bloody part is at the beginning. The Graveyard Book also has some fascinating lessons about life and what gives it meaning. This would be a great book for adults, teens, and some older children who enjoy a good ghost story.

Parent/Child Book Club: The Giver

The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Houghton Mifflin, 1993,Young Adult Fiction, 225 p.
Jonas lives in a perfect community.  There is no hunger, no crime, no discontent.  On the day that Jonas goes through the ceremony of 12's and he is chosen to be the new "Receiver of Memory" his whole world view starts to change.  He begins to see that there is so much more to life than he had ever imagined, both of good, and of evil.

The first time I read this book I ended up thinking about it for days.  The story line is fast paced, the world building is intriguing, and Jonas is a complex and sympathetic character.  The real magic of the story, however, is the ethical questions that is presents, in a very palatable manner, to a young mind. It certainly deserved the Newbery Medal that it garnished in 1994. This is the Parent/Child Book Club choice for November.  If you wish to know more about the Parent/Child Book Club, or to register, check out the Library's Eventbrite page.

The Hate You Give

The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
Harper Collins, 2017, Young Adult Fiction, 444 p.
Starr Carter lives in the slums of large city, but attends an upscale private school where she and her brothers are the only black students.  One night she is in a car when one of her black friends, Khalil, is unjustly shot by a white police officer.  Starr gives her testimony to the police detectives, but that is not the end of her story.  Activists seize Khalil's death as an opportunity to spotlight racial profiling and protests break out across the country.  Starr is torn between her desire to live a normal life, and a growing sense that in order for Khalil to receive justice, she will have to abandon here safe anonymity and speak out.

I read this book for two reasons.  It received starred reviews in every major review journal the year it came out, and it was the most often banned book the year it came out (and it was national Banned Book Week.)  It is no surprise that it was frequently banned. The density of swear words is approaching 10% -20 %.  I must admit, it was hard for me to read.

I am glad I persisted. I kept telling myself that to truly understand someone you need to "walk a mile in their shoes".  That is what reading the book does, it allows you not only to see but to feel a little of what it is like to have grown up as a racial minority in an underprivileged community.  It helped me understand why some groups are so full of rage after decades of maltreatment.  It also showed me that in the "slums" people, despite their troubles, can grow close and make great sacrifices to try to support each other.

Fifteen

Fifteen
By Beverly Cleary
Harper Trophy, 2007 (Reprint Edition), 238 pg., Teen Romance

There is nothing quiet like being fifteen. Jane just wants to meet a boy, but instead she is stuck babysitting the most notorious toddler in the neighborhood. When she runs into the new boy, Stan Crandell, it seems that all her dreams will come true. Perhaps he will like her and give her is identification bracelet! But Jane feels like she keeps messing things up! She looks like "Miss Muffet" next Marcy when they all go on a group date to the city. Then when the first big dance of the year comes she feels like she makes a fool of herself. How can a simple girl make a wonderful boy like Stan ever like her?

Written in 1956 this Beverly Clearly classic is still wonderful today. Set in the 1950's (which was contemporary when it was written) Clearly managed to capture the timeless feelings of being fifteen and in love for the first time. I wish I could ask her "How - How did you do it?" However she managed it, she encapsulated the thrills and  heartaches of being fifteen in the pages of a book. This book is about experiencing your first love, but it is also about learning that being just who you are, and that being proud of that fact, is what makes you attractive. This romance, while simple and maybe silly to some, is fantastic(and clean). For me, it was a reminder of what is was like when I was fifteen. I think that teen girls will love this and I think that adult woman will enjoy it too. Maybe it will remind you of how it felt the first time you seriously liked a boy.

Long Way Down

 

Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds
Atheneum, 2017, Young Adult Fiction, 306 p.
This book in free verse starts when Will sees his brother, Shawn, get shot on the streets of an inner city. As he is left by himself to deal with his grief he remembers "the three rules"; don`t cry,  don't snitch and get revenge. He manages the first and the second, and tries to steel himself to do the third. He believes he knows who killed his brother so he finds his brother's gun and gets into the elevator to go out and do the deed.  As he starts down, the elevator door opens on different floors admitting people from Will's past who all died through gun violence. As they tell their stories the reader sees the senseless loss that results from following "the rules".

This is the first time in a while that I finished a book and had to say "Wow!"  I have enjoyed several Jason Alexander books before but this one was Amazing!  It has such a powerful message written in totally accessible language.  It is rich in imagery too.  This is one an English teacher could really sink her teeth into, but even a reluctant teen reader could enjoy.  It truly deserves all the awards it received when it came out in 2017.

I Am Princess X

I Am Princess X
By Cherie Priest
Illustrated by Kali Ciesemier
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2015, Young Adult Fiction, 227 p.

Dead friends don't write super popular web comics. Logically May knows that this is true, but what other explanation does she have? How else can she explain why the character she and Libby created years ago is suddenly all over Seattle when Libby has been dead for three years? Unless Libby isn't dead. If Libby survived, is Princess X the way to find her? May is determined to prove that Libby is really alive, but she is not the only one looking for Libby. Someone else wants to find her too, and they will kill anyone who tries to get to her first.

Priest's thriller novel is action packed, with mild violence and swearing, but otherwise clean. Set in the city streets of Seattle, Washington this story ties together the internet, science, comics, and friendship. Parts of the web comic are mixed into the novel as part of the storytelling. What emerges is a gripping and exciting book that is great for both teens and adults. It's a good choice for anyone who has enjoyed graphic novels, also known as comics. This would also be a great introduction for someone who has never tried graphic novels, but is interested in testing one without picking up a book that is completely in comic format.