Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with others who post their favorites. I'm sharing many books today, combining some new ones with others I want to be sure to share in case they are new to you readers.
Thanks to Charlesbridge for the copy of this terrific book!
Jade Levy is tired of Tiveda, Colorado. Everyone leaves and her family was supposed to also until her dad got sick. She struggles to make friends, at least is tired of making new ones, so she writes herself a friend in a special notebook! Now she's in command, able to have fun with a friend who won't leave until Jade herself wants her to. Then this friend, Zoe, appears for real across the street and the experiences with her and other kids at school become a bit strange but really fun, at first.
Reading the story and its underlying sadness made me sad, too. Jade does need a friend, especially now that her dad is ill, stays in a chair most days and her mother doesn't seem able to stop being busy. Change hurts kids more than they might ever tell their loved ones and this feels like someone keeping too many secrets until finally, she does find someone who cares. However, even that takes a while for her to trust this boy she knows, until she discovers he has a secret, too. There are strong voices all the way through the story, making me hope that readers who find this story will find needed connections and some hope, too.
Thanks to Charlesbridge for the copy of this terrific book!
Reading the story and its underlying sadness made me sad, too. Jade does need a friend, especially now that her dad is ill, stays in a chair most days and her mother doesn't seem able to stop being busy. Change hurts kids more than they might ever tell their loved ones and this feels like someone keeping too many secrets until finally, she does find someone who cares. However, even that takes a while for her to trust this boy she knows, until she discovers he has a secret, too. There are strong voices all the way through the story, making me hope that readers who find this story will find needed connections and some hope, too.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book by Gae Polisner.
Some may believe this is "make-believe", but Gae Polisner's new story, out next April, shows one girl's life in all its reality; all its hopes, some horribly dashed; yet, she keeps on, making choices that are "right" for her. Will you agree with every part? Perhaps not, but in the turmoil of this young teen whose father is away for work longer and longer, whose mother is drifting away in a heart-breaking mental disorder, and whose bestie Aubrey has drifted on to other girlfriends, readers will cling with her as they wish her better days.
JL writes her story in a long journal/letter to Aubrey about everything that has happened since the two stopped being friends. It moves back and forth in time, layer upon layer. JL Markham is fifteen, now finding some pleasant hours with the tropical butterflies she has recently been raising, and in Max, a new love, but an older senior who'll be leaving town soon. The age gap is of some concern, but Max seems JL's only anchor at this time. The plight of a young girl with few people to turn to fills us readers with worry, something we all might consider if we have the time to take with a young person. Polisner has offered much to ponder in this book!
Questioning, questioning is part of what Gae Polisner shows JL doing: Should she leave with Max? Can she leave her mother without anyone to care for her? How can she find her special friendship with Aubrey again? How far can she go sexually to show she loves Max? The inner turmoil shown with JL telling her story is poignant, feels very real to me, although I suspect teens hide problems too well from the adults in their lives, perhaps the biggest tragedy? And perhaps adults should be reading this story, too?
I had this on my Kindle and read most of it on the plane coming home last weekend. This is a fast read and I imagine most middle school readers will like it, full of adventure and about a thirteen-year-old Irish boy stuck in Berlin during World War II. His father is the ambassador to Ireland and what Michael O'Shaunessey doesn't know until the night of Kristallnacht is that his parents are spies. Ireland was neutral in this war and was often criticized for that decision, but in his author's note, Gratz explains that after the war it was discovered that many Irish in this situation served as spies and helped the Allies in the war. I didn't care for the book as much as the others I've read by Alan Gratz. It felt too fabricated, too "all works out". Like Gratz's others, however, it is based on historical truth. The parts about the indoctrination of Hitler Youth are frightening. It is hard to believe that such actions might happen with a thirteen-year-old taking care of his own spying responsibilities. I will say that those times are not today and sadly, they probably happened more than I can imagine.