Category: Book Review

All Book Reviews

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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

 

Synopsis

Esperanza lives in the projects in Chicago. She knows she’s poor, but not as poor as many of her neighbors. She knows the streets can be dangerous, and she fears people of a different color. She sees the abuse endured by some of her friends. Someday, Esperanza’s talents will help her escape the poverty and the violence, but she will never forget. This is her mission: to advocate for those who cannot leave Mango Street.

Recommended for children older than ten.

 

Pros

  1. The book’s setting will resonate with any child who lives in the setting of inner city poverty.
  2. The story is simple. It’s pithy. It grabbed this reader so she could not turn away. The author succeeded in her message and challenges us to do good for others where it is in our power to do so.

Cons

  1. Cisneros writes in short vignettes, which I normally do not enjoy, but these are tied together so well, I didn’t mind.
  2. I’m not sure if this story works for a middle grade reader, at least, not for a protected middle grade white girl like I was. The real life scenario of the inner city reads more like urban fantasy to kids who don’t live in the culture.

Discussion questions

  1. How is your life at home the same or different from Esperanza’s?
  2. How is your neighborhood the same or different from Esperanza’s?
  3. Esperanza meets several different kinds of people in her neighborhood. Who was your favorite, and why?

    Conclusion

Sandra Cisneros keeps Esperanza’s promise. While the story is not autobiographical, it does reflect the culture of her childhood. But I can’t help believe that the promise itself comes straight from the heart of Cisneros.

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The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer is a fun science fiction novel with historical elements, and is aimed at young teens and up.

Synopsis:

Riley, a teen who is living in Victorian London, is an apprentice to Albert Garrick, a malicious and evil assassin, who misuses his illusionist conjuring skills to gain access to victim’s dwellings. During an assassination attempt, Garrick brings the reluctant and nervous Riley to commit his first murder. Their intended victim however turns out to be a scientist from the future, sent back in time as part of the FBI’s Witness Anonymous Relocation Plan (WARP).

Riley shrinks from his task so Garrick takes over. However, a protective pendant comes to life and transports not only their fatally stabbed victim but also Riley to a time capsule in modern day London via a wormhole. Chevron Savano, a nineteen-year-old FBI agent, who’d had some disastrous operations to her name as well, guards the capsule.

Riley and Chevie must now escape an infuriated Garrick after he also finds his way through the wormhole to modern London. Garrick is not only evil, but also possesses new skills and intelligence as a result of mutations from being transported. He is determined to track Riley and Chevie down to ‘silence them forever’ and gain their timekey so he can return to Victorian London and change the world to his benefit.

Pros:

  • I found the book engaging from the start to finish. The action was well paced, and the scenes’ descriptions pulled you in.
  • The characters were well developed and believable. Even the bad guy was not two dimensional, and he had a past that showed character development.
  • Colfer’s details of Victorian London seemed well researched and fascinating.
  • There are a few steam punk elements that will broaden the appeal for teens.
  • Colfer uses a sharp wit to keep the reader thoroughly entertained.

Cons:

  • I’m not a fan of the omniscient point of view and the head-hopping broke up the smooth story for me. I really wanted to get to know one character a bit better rather than all of them.
  • The beginning of the story is a bit grisly, but not overly. There were no horribly graphic murder scenes, and the rest of the story was just about the MC’s Riley and Chevie fleeing Garrick.

Overall comments:

I have read many Eoin Colfer books, but most enjoyed his Artemis Fowl series. He has a wicked sense of humour and a gift for engaging action in his stories. This book is the first in the WARP series. Personally, I enjoyed the Artemis Fowl series more than this first book, but am definitely going to carry on, as Colfer is an amazing writer who never disappoints me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Killing Kennedy – The End of Camelot

Killing Kennedy on Amazon.com

Killing Kennedy – The End of Camelot

Killing Kennedy – The End of Camelot is an excellent historical account of the Kennedy administration . While the other books in this series that have been reviewed, Killing Jesus and Killing Lincoln, have been rated as suitable for middle grade up. Like Killing Patton and Killing The Rising Sun should categorized as new adult because the book was not written for children. There is more mature content in Killing Kennedy. There is language and content that is not appropriate for younger and more sensitive readers. Along with this, there are some violent and graphic description. Another aspect is the sexual innuendo and exploits of President Kennedy and others surrounding him.

Pros

Killing Kennedy goes into detail about the Kennedy administration including  behind the image of Camelot and the powerful Kennedy family.  O’Reilly and Dugard go into great detail about the political and social climate of the early 1960s including civil rights and the cold war.

The book focuses not only on President Kennedy and his family but also Lee Harvey Oswald and the planned assassination of the President. The premise of the book is going into detail of the Kennedy. Robert Petkoff instead of Bill O’Reilly narrates the audio version of Killing Kennedy, and I highly recommend it. He is an excellent narrator and does a good job of including the footnotes to make them fit seamlessly into the text.

Cons

There are a few, which is why I categorized Killing Kennedy as New Adult. President Kennedy and other historical figures of the time were colorful characters. With this there are some swear words, innuendo, coarse language, crude behavior, and discussion of extramarital affairs. While not graphic, this makes the content more mature. This book goes into graphic detail of Kennedy’s assassination that might bother some sensitive readers or listeners. However, it is less graphic than Killing Patton or Killing the Rising Sun.

Rating

3.5 Stars. Overall, Killing the Rising Sun is well-written and engaging. Like the other “Killing” books, it rates 5 stars on the content and execution. New Adult allows for a bit more mature content, but even with this caveat, there is a fair amount of coarse language, behavior, and innuendo, even more than in the WWII based books. As with the other books in the series, the historical details especially about the social and political climate of the time are the highlight of this book. My husband and I listened to the audiobook. Bill O’Reilly narrates and has an engaging voice. However, I suggest reading or listening to the book before deciding if it’s appropriate for your children, students, etc.

Personal Opinion

We have listened to all of the O’Reilly-Dugard “Killing” books, and this is the fifth in my series on these books because I think each of them offers fantastic insight into the social and political climate at the time. However, this one did not carry 5-star ratings even though the writing quality and level of detail are the same. I would not call this book family friendly due to some objectionable content cited above. There is some language and situations described that might be objectionable to some people.

Discussion points for parents & teachers:

  1. What did you know about President Kennedy? Did your opinion of him and his actions change after reading this book?
  2. What did you know about Jackie Kennedy? Did your opinion of her change after reading this book?
  3. Were you familiar with the Kennedy family dynasty and Camelot? If not, what did you learn?
  4. Name some good things about President Kennedy?
  5. Name some of President Kennedy’s character flaws?
  6. Discuss civil rights at this time versus the current racial situation in this country.
  7. Discuss the Cold War and communism compared to the current war in the Middle East and terrorism from radical Islam.

Parents will appreciate the historical account of this time in history. For teachers and librarians there are so many great topics that can springboard from this book.

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Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish

Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish is a historical fiction novel about slavery that is recommended for young adults and adults (8th grade and up).

Synopsis:

Saoirse buried her older brother the day after they arrived in Texas. She blames herself for his death and so does her family. The only ones left who speak kindly to her are her cousin, Jack, and Abigail, the family’s loyal slave.

Saoirse and Jack want to free Abigail, but anti-slavery views are dangerous, especially after a series of fires destroys half the town. The slaves are suspected of plotting an insurrection.

Saoirse is determined to find out who actually started the fires, but every question puts her and her family in further danger.

Westleigh lives in the relative comfort and safety of Dove Hollow, Pennsylvania. His anti-slavery views, though not always popular with the people in town, are not a danger to him. That is, until he and his adoptive father take in a freedman as a favor. Westleigh overhears a conversation between his father and a long-time friend that makes him question what he knows about his past.

Pros:

  • I could not put this book down from the moment I cracked it open. Sarah MacTavish has a captivating writing style that pulls you into the characters’ journeys and lets you experience their heartbreak, joy, love, confusion, and desperation.
  • The fires mentioned in the book were a real event in North Texas that incited “The Texas Panic of 1860”. I live in the Dallas area and had never heard of this before, so it was interesting to learn a new piece of my local history.
  • Though not explicitly “Christian fiction,” the Bible is quoted throughout the book, and there are strong Christian themes of redemption and true freedom. Abigail and Jack have a strong faith and attend a secret church service at night with slaves in the area.
  • Jack and Abigail show love to Saoirse when she is rejected by her family.
  • Saoirse has a strong sense of justice and stands up for the right even when it puts her in danger.
  • Deep, well-developed characters and character journeys. All characters had depth and layers, including the ones I hated, and the ones I wanted to hate. Westleigh, who at first was rather unimpressive to me, made me change my opinion of him in Chapter 17. I love when characters surprise me!

Cons:

  • There is some minor language in this book, including “d—” and “h—” and derogatory language toward slaves.
  • A few disturbing scenes of slaves being sold in an auction and being beaten by their masters.
  • A girl is slapped across the face by her brother.
  • References are made to an infidelity and abuse.
  • This is the first book in a series (a little detail I did not realize until halfway through the book), and it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger. Book 2 is not out yet.

Overall:

This is a fantastic story dealing with anger, guilt, and broken people searching for forgiveness. It handles the harsh realities of slavery in pre-Civil War United States with respect and fairness, without glorifying or dwelling on the ugly details.

The book forces the reader to ask the question, “What would I do in the face of injustice?” Recommended for young adults and adults (8th grade and up), especially those who love historical fiction, suspense-filled plots, and complex characters.

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The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Scriblerians

The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede is a Young Adult fantasy suitable for sixth grade and up. This engaging story is set in a re-imagined wild west.

Synopsis​

Eff is the older twin sister of Lan, the superpowerful seventh son of a seventh son in a family of magicians. That makes her the unlucky thirteenth child. Everyone, even her extended family, is on the watch for the day she “turns bad” and her magic brings disgrace on their name.

Eff’s parents move their family to the Far West, just this side of the Great Barrier, a magical wall intended to keep the dangerous wild creatures on the far side of the river away from the settlers.

Pros:

Patricia C. Wrede has created an alternate history of a new world where magic systems collide and melt together. 

The main character, Eff, learns the difference between superstition and knowledge. With help from her brother, a good friend, and a superlative teacher, she gradually grows in power and understanding.

This novel will appeal to young adults, regardless of gender. This is the first book in a trilogy that will give readers many hours of entertainment.

The complex magical system will satisfy the most demanding fantasy readers. The situations the settlers face makes the wild west as tantalizing as ever.

The story is told by Eff, from the time she is five until she is eighteen. Her voice reminds me of Scout’s from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; that is high praise indeed. The heroine is thoroughly endearing and unexpectedly funny.

Cons:

Before her family moves west, she is mistreated and teased unmercifully by her cousins. She constantly hears the predictions of failure from her extended family. One uncle in particular is set against her; he urges her parents to do something about her before it’s too late. The superstitious gossip and constant low expectations create Eff’s struggle to accept herself and to rise above the curse of being the thirteenth child.

This book will challenge struggling readers, but on the other hand, it would make a great read-aloud book for bedtime rituals.

Personal Thoughts

I highly recommend this series. 

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The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper Book 2 of 5

 Synopsis:

Will Stanton, seventh son of a seventh son is turning eleven and this birthday marks the beginning  of his awakening as the last of the Old Ones. The Dark is Rising tells how Will, met by Merriman Lyon, comes to power in the modern world and must accumulate the six “signs” to help fight the rising Dark.

Pros:

  • This is a basic story about Good versus Evil and how everyone must at some point make a stand for one or the others.
  • The pros in this book is stunning example where art and popular stories merge into one well done novel. Susan Cooper is hitting her stride after book one and doesn’t seem to look back.
  • This was one of the first fantasy novels to break into the Newbery Awards, which was no small feat back when it was originally written.
  • The story is well paced and full of suspense and creepy backdrops, but that might fall under the Con category.

Cons:

  • I really can’t think of any, but if you have a problem Arthur tales and the legends of Cornwall England, this may not be the book for your reader.
  • Like in the review for Book One of the series, I don’t find this story antithetical to anyone’s beliefs unless you’re an atheist. Since this is only fiction, I can’t imagine anyone taking a story so literally that it would cause them problems.

Final Word:

I cannot say enough good about this novel. This was one of two novels responsible for turning me into a reader.If you have any qualms as an adult, I recommend you read it first before you turn it over to your young reader.

 

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The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Published in 1943, The Little Prince is still in print today. Why? Because its characters are ageless.Synopsis

 

The Little Prince leaves his tiny planet and explores several other planets, including Earth, and it is on Earth where most of the story takes place. Told from the point-of-view of a pilot stranded in the desert, he relates his tale of meeting this strange little prince who becomes his companion as he struggles to fix his plane and return to civilization.

Doesn’t sound like much, but listen to what the Little Prince has to say. “Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” His statement reminds me of the words from the author of Hebrews: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In natural conversations, the Little Prince is full of deep wisdom, which reminds me of Jesus’s words, “Let the little children come to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Thus, it is far more than a cute little story about a cute little prince.

Pros

Saint-Exupéry zeroes in on what is important in life, and children have no problems getting to the heart of a matter (see my Pinocchio post from a while back).

The author also pokes fun at adults’ eccentricities, always returning to the premise that the soul of an innocent child sees Truth.

Cons

I had a hard time getting connected to the story. By the end, I was fascinated, bit it took time, and time is what most readers in today’s world refuse to give. Not only does the story lack shoot-‘em-up action (which isn’t quite true at the climax), it’s difficult to gauge the author’s intent among the seeming disparate stories of the minor characters as each is introduced. Maybe I’ve lost my child’s sense of wonder—I’ll see what my grandchildren think and report back.

Discussion Questions

NONE.

Because of my own reactions to this story, I don’t believe it’s a book meant for the classroom. It seems “sacredly family.” A parent can ask a dozen questions per page—there are so many possible avenues to follow, which is why it’s a classic and still available almost seventy-five years later.

Let Mom and Dad direct any discussions as they see fit.

Final Thoughts

The Little Prince was published in the middle of World War II. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a pilot for the French resistance. His plane went down during a reconnaissance mission in 1944. I wonder what other jewels he might have created that this world will never read.

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Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper: Book 1 of 5

Synopsis

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper is a  middle grade fantasy novel and the first of five in The Dark Is Rising series. It features the Drew children: Simone, Jane, and Barney vacationing with their parents in the fictional village of Trewissick.

The  children find an old manuscript with a map of the Cornwall coast in the ttic of the mansion they’re renting for the summer. When Barney discovers the map is related to King Arthur, they turn to their Great-uncle Merry. He confirms that the map is a reproduction of a much older map to an ancient relic of Britain, the children decide  to withhold the information from the adults and set themselves to treasure hunting. Merry does warn the children that there adults looking for the artifact, especially and organization called The Dark. Soon the summer activity turns dangerous as they are pursued by agents of The Dark, bent on possessing the relic for themselves.

  • Pros:

The book will be enjoyed by boys and girls since the protagonists are a sister and her brothers. The book isn’t spooky, but it is thrilling and has a lot of action that utilizes the supernatural as the backdrop of story.

Susan Cooper is a wonderful writer and took advantage of all the English folklore from the Cornwall region and uses it as a backdrop for all five  books. Of all the books, Over Sea, Under Stone is probably the weakest of the stories, but it was also the first of the series. This means that if you like book one, the next four only get better.  If you don’t like book one, try the next one because it gets better.

  • Cons:

The series is a fantasy series and will get darker as the books progress on, though in defense of Ms. Cooper, you will never find her books without hope or dreary. Some children might not enjoy the darker aspects of the story.

While the whole series takes advantage of the Arthur legend, the first book utilizes the Holy Grail legend as a backdrop.  While I don’t believe they are antithetical to Christian, or any other belief system (with the exception of Atheism), the Arthur legend does run parallel with Christian beliefs: so be warned, or encouraged.

  • Final Word

Susan Cooper is the reason I fell in love with reading fantasy as an eight year-old. Though I didn’t start with book one in the series, I still found this book fun to read. Two of her books in the series won Newberry Awards, which in the sixties and seventies, was unheard of because of the general disdain for fantasy.  Having said that, her work has continued to win acclaim and readers across the genres, which speaks volumes to the quality of her writing.

 

 

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The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

“Everyone knows a Wanda.” I stole that from a recent Amazon review of The Hundred Dresses. Winner of the 1945 Newbery Honor Award, The Hundred Dresses has never been out of print. Why? Because it’s an ageless story about bullying.

Nineteen-forties America wasn’t familiar with cyber-bullying, but every generation has had to deal with sinful human nature, bullying being one of those sins. In this case, the bullying is among girls.

Wanda is a from a Polish immigrant family, she has a single father who’s doing his best to keep her clothed and clean and fed. But the wealthier girls in class notice Wanda wears the same blue dress every day. Wanda claims she has one hundred dresses in her closet, and of course, everyone laughs. The ringleader never lets her off the hook and baits her constantly.

The book is written from Maddie’s point-of-view. She’s one of the more popular girls in class, and she wants to keep it that way, so she never crosses the bully. But she feels guilty about not standing up for Wanda, especially when Wanda suddenly moves away.

Based on a true story from Eleanor Estes’s childhood, The Hundred Dresses teaches children the world over the painful lesson of causing someone else’s hurt.

Pros

  • The entire story is a lesson in empathy. Our world needs more of it!
  • While targeted for girls seven to ten years old, it’s a great story to read to younger children, or to read aloud in a small group of upper elementary students. And while considered too juvenile, even junior high and high school students will get the universal message of “Love your neighbor.”

Cons

  • Because it was written more than half a century ago, the illustrations and style of language are dated. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself. The language is perfectly understandable to any reader at a third-grade level (unlike Elizabethan English!), but if your child will only read a book with bright colors and high action, The Hundred Dresses is not his or her cup of tea.

Discussion Questions

  • Have you ever known a person like Wanda who was new and different and didn’t fit in with your classmates?
  • Maddie felt badly for Wanda. Why didn’t she do anything to help? Were her reasons good or bad? Why do you think so?
  • What did you think when Wanda sent Maddie one of her dresses?

Final Word

As you may have guessed from the last discussion question, Wanda really did have a hundred dresses! Each one was a beautiful creation.