Category: 3 Star

Good/Average

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M.C. Higgins the Great by Virginia Hamilton

Synopsis

Set in Appalachia of northern Kentucky along the Ohio River,  M.C. Higgins is the oldest son in an African American family, proud of his great grandmother’s mountain and proud of his skills as a swimmer, a hunter-tracker, and how he can shimmy up his forty-foot steel pole to view the hills. Then two strangers enter his domain. The first might be able to make M.C.’s mother a famous singer. The second is a girl who lives the kind of freedom M.C. never considered aiming for.

Over all of them, hover the age-old superstitions handed down through the generations and the brewing storm of strip miners laying bare Sarah’s Mountain. M.C. will soon need to make a choice: stay on his mountain as the coal industry destroys it, or move off the mountain and join the modern world.

Pros

  1. The setting may be more of a main character than M.C. Higgins. Virginia Hamilton’s descriptive imagery is superb.
  2. Readers will gain a solid sense of the culture that has inhabited Appalachia for centuries.
  3. While this is a coming-of-age story during a specific era in a specific setting, it goes beyond race bias and evil coal mine owners. This is M.C.’s story and what happens between him and his parents, between him and his siblings, and between him and the strangers who visit his mountain.

Cons

  1. The setting may be more of a main character than M.C. Higgins. Hamilton’s descriptive imagery and literary style will cause the average juvenile reader to close the book by page 10. I was a voracious reader as a child, but this book would not have held my interest. I would have skipped all the amazing prose to get to the action.
  2. The relationship between M.C. and his father bothered me. They loved each other, respected one another, but the way each challenged the other bordered on generating feelings of hate and disrespect.

Conclusion

M.C. Higgins the Great was a novel I appreciated for its literary excellence. It painted a portrait of one specific area of the United States with a brush that allowed me to become immersed in the setting using every one of my senses. However, I believe it’s a novel geared toward adults, not youth. It takes an especially thoughtful young reader to enjoy what M.C. Higgins has to offer.

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Synopsis

Ivan is a silverback gorilla, captured as a baby and living his entire life in captivity—a featured attraction in the third-rate Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. With his artistic talents (drawings by Ivan sell for twenty bucks apiece), life is bearable. Plus, he has two good friends, Stella the elephant and Bob, a stray dog who enjoys leftover scraps from Ivan’s domain.

The arrival of a baby elephant changes everything. Ruby’s grief in captivity stirs Ivan’s memory, and when tragedy strikes this little circus family, Ivan is determined to find a better home for Ruby.

Pros

  1. Ivan’s predicament and how he solves it teaches children to think outside the box.
  2. The book unashamedly promotes animal rights. While there are no evil villains, the owner of the arcade struggles to maintain his business, and as a result, the animals are not well cared for. Applegate rightly shows how horrible it is for animals to live in such conditions.
  3. The second half of the book had me cheering Ivan on as he attempts to execute his plan to save Ruby. Your kids will do the same.
  4. The novel is written in charming, simple prose as if a gorilla really could write his story in book form.

Cons

While I admire the author’s passion for animals’ well-being, I found the first half of the book totally depressing. So much so that I almost stopped reading. Ivan philosophically accepts his crummy life and has no hope for freedom, fully expecting to stay in his domain all his days. He refuses to use the word “cage.”

Discussion Questions

You may have a sad, thoughtful child on your hands when you read this book together. I don’t recommend it as silent reading for anyone under ten. A  current of despair runs under the setting. Natural questions will generate discussion. Possibles:

  1. “Why is Stella’s leg injured?”
  2. “Why doesn’t Bob have a home?”
  3. “How did Ivan end up in the arcade?”
  4. “Who is the nicest human in the story?”

Conclusion

Once the reader accepts Ivan’s depressing conditions, they gain the satisfaction of a happy ending. All the characters—human and animal—end up in happier circumstances. The reader will close the book with a smile.

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The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman

 

When a tree leans, it will rest on its sister.

Synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old NAWRA from Darfur lives in a camp for refugees displaced by the Janjaweed’s trail of murder and destruction. She can’t read or write but when an organization called “Save the Girls” pairs her with a girl in the states, she gets her best friend to be her scribe her thoughts and experiences.

K.C., an American teen in Virginia hates reading and writing. But when she receives letters  from Nawra she is forced to look beyond her own struggles.

Through the letters the girls form a bond that bridges two continents. Both girls find that strength is found in numbers and together they can fight for a brighter future.

Pros:

  • informative book about the atrocities of Darfur
  • Nawra and her experience in Darfur are very relatable
  • addresses issues of learning issues and how it doesn’t mean a person isn’t intelligent just because they don’t learn like everyone else.

Cons:

  • I found the character of K.C. was written a little stilted (stereotypical teenager)
  • there is rape in the book however the author doesn’t dwell on the details of it.

Conclusion:

I was instantly attracted by the cover and the saying on the front cover of this book. It is a book full of rich details about Darfur. It did keep my turning the page although I often found K.C. to be not as full of a character compared to Nawra. If you have teens who want to know more about world affairs and how they can help this is a great book.

Discussion Questions:

There are reading group questions inside. 🙂

 

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The Grey King by Susan Cooper

 

The Grey King had been recommended to me some time ago by a lover of high fantasy. Since it’s a Newbery Medal winner, I was willing to try it out, and if I liked it, I’d read the whole series: The Dark Is Rising Sequence.

My fellow Scriblerian, Tim, will not be happy with me.  And no, he was not the one who recommended that I read the series.

I can see why it won the Newbery back in the Seventies, but as a Christian, I had trouble with it. A disturbing trinity of Lords most definitely does NOT represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as I would expect Christian-based fantasy to symbolize. I found the concept of “Old Ones” confusing –in this case, a young boy who truly has been born into a family, but his soul is “old”—it smacks of reincarnation. So if I found it confusing, what goes on in the minds of young readers as they take in this world of  fantastical spirit mixed with humanity?

Synopsis

Of course, the setting is Wales, with lots of unintelligible spellings, swirling mists, and magical doors. Thank goodness the main characters have simple names like Will, Bran, and John. It is up to young Will, the last born of the Old Ones, to save the world from the forces of evil led by the Grey Wolf. To succeed, Will must wake up Six Sleepers with a magical golden harp. The humans are unaware of the danger except for Bran, a boy close to Will’s age who was transported through time by another of the Old Ones.

Pros

  1. Loads of action for boys’ tastes. (Have you ever noticed that girls are happy to read action stories, but boys rarely peruse a sweet romance?)
  2. Susan Cooper spends a good deal of time teaching her readers how to pronounce Welsh words. I’ve never understood Welsh phonics, so I had a great time sounding out words as I learned the rules.
  3. Spoiler: the good guys win. On to the next book of the series, Silver on the Tree.

Cons

  1. If you are a parent wanting easily identifiable, Christian symbolism for your child to understand, you won’t get it here.
  2. With forty-plus years of high fantasy novels following The Dark Is Rising Sequence, the plot may seem trite to twenty-first century readers.

Conclusion

The vocabulary is geared toward the more capable reading ability, and definitely not for anyone under the age of nine. Because the writing is so good, I won’t pan the series, but if my sons had read the book, I would’ve wanted to discuss it chapter by chapter.

 

 

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Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver is the first in a YA urban fantasy trilogy. 

Synopsis

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Pros

  • A fresh take on a werewolf story: the idea that temperature causes them to shift and that newly made wolves are less stable in either form creates.
  • Sam and Grace are both likeable characters.
  • The author is an incredible writer.

Cons

  • Shiver, the first in the trilogy, does not have as complicated, and therefore as interesting, a plot as the rest of the series. It focuses mostly on Sam and Grace’s romance. So romance readers will really enjoy it, but those of us who prefer romance on the side will feel it reads slowly.
  • Grace has absentee parents who don’t pay much attention to what she does. Because of this, she’s able to have Sam spend the night in her room for the entirety of the novel. While their relationship is chaste at the beginning, it does eventually in sex eventually (not explicit). Sex does not become the focus of their romance, although Sam and Grace have trouble being separated from one another. If you didn’t like Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, you probably will not like Shiver.

Final Word

I enjoyed the series, but not enough to rant and rave about it.
 

Discussion Questions

 
  1. On a scale of 1 (not) to 10 (very), how strict are your parents?
  2. Grace almost died when she was young. Do her parents act the way you would expect in light of this event?
  3. Would you want Isabel as a friend? Why or why not?
  4. Is it okay to have your boyfriend/girlfriend sleep in your room at night if “nothing happens”? Explain your opinion.
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Killing Reagan – The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Reagan-Violent-Assault-Presidenc/dp/1410482596/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1502337439&sr=8-1

Killing Reagan – The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency

Engaging Account of the Reagan Era

Killing Reagan – The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency is an excellent historical account of the Reagan Era. 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, and Killing Kennedy,  Killing Reagan should be categorized as new adult because the book was not written for children. There is more mature content in Killing Reagan. Like Killing Kennedy there is language and content that is not appropriate for younger and more sensitive readers. Along with this, there are some graphic descriptions although less than in the WWII based books. Another aspect is the sexual innuendo and exploits of President Reagan and others surrounding him, although there is significantly less sexual content than what was in Killing Kennedy.

Pros

Killing Reagan goes into detail about the life of Ronald Reagan from his Midwestern upbringing through his film career and later political career.  O’Reilly and Dugard go into great detail about the political and social climate of the 1960s through the 1980s, specifically Reagan’s transformation from FDR-era Democrat to fiery anti-communist Republican. The rise and fall of the Soviet Union and the transition of nations behind the Iron Curtain from communism feature into the latter part of the book.

The book focuses President Reagan, Nancy Reagan, the Reagan childre, key political leaders including his friendship and political alliance with Margaret Thatcher as well as John Hinkley who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan to gain the attention of the actress Jodie Foster. The premise of the book is going into detail of President Reagan’s presidency and whether or not the trauma of the assassination attempt affected his mental acuity during his presidency and how it might have accelerated his battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Robert Petkoff instead of Bill O’Reilly narrates the audio version of Killing Reagan, 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 Reagan as New Adult. More tame than Killing Kennedy, there was some questionable content, including an incident with a young actress in Reagan’s past. 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 is less graphic with respect to President Reagan’s injury than what was in Killing Kennedy, 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 Reagan? Did your opinion of him and his actions change after reading this book?
  2. What did you know about Nancy Reagan? Did your opinion of her change after reading this book?
  3. List admirable traits of the Reagan marriage.
  4. Were there some dysfunctional elements to the Reagan marriage and how they raised their children?
  5. Name some good things about President Reagan?
  6. What were some of President Reagan’s character flaws?
  7. Most people reading this book will remember the Reagan era. Describe what you thought about politics at that time.
  8. Do you remember where you were when the Challenger exploded?
  9. If you grew up during the Cold War, did the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of a divided Germany and the USSR surprise you?

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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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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All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall

 

All of the Above is a contemporary, based on a true story, middle-grade novel dealing with inner city kids and their hardships.

Synopsis

Based on a true story, All of the Above is the delightful and suspenseful story of four inner city students and their quest to build the world’s largest tetrahedron.

Literary Awards:

  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (2008)
  • James Cook Book Award Nominee (2007)
  • Missouri Truman Readers Award Nominee (2009)

Pros:

  • Readers will learn a little about tetrahedrons and a lot about hardships some children experience in middle school (neglect, single parents, foster care, employment, vandalism, bullying).
  • The book is interspersed with recipes and multiple points of view (POV) from adults to the kids themselves.
  • Ultimately, the book is about perseverance, community, and learning empathy.

Cons:

  • My seventh grader didn’t much care for the story. She felt it was predictable and she couldn’t really relate to the characters. In her words, it was “boring but ok.”
  • Deeper character development would have made the story more compelling and less flat.

Final Word

My daughter’s school library bought 100 copies of this book and wrapped them and hid them around the school. Once a student finds a copy, they are to read it and pass it to another student. Once they’ve read the book, they get various prizes. What an amazing strategy to get kids to read! I just wished they had chosen a more compelling book.

“Boring but OK.”

Discussion Questions

  1. Since discussion questions are included in the back of the book, encourage the students to put themselves in the place of the different characters of the book. What would they do if they were in James Harris III, Rondell, Sharice, or Marcel’s position? Do they know kids like this?
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Doll Bones by Holly Black

Doll Bones by Holly Black is a dark Middle Grade mystery most suited to fifth grade and up.  While Doll Bones won a Newberry Honor Award, it is creepy, deals with the occult, and therefore may not be suitable for all children.

Synopsis

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

Pros:

  • Ultimately, the story is about friendship and trying to do the right thing, despite the foolishness of adults.
  • The book is well-written and entertaining, and I like the cast of characters.

Cons:

  • The story is creepy. Ultimately it deals with a girl who was murdered and her bones were ground up to make a porcelain doll in her image. (See, creepy!)
  • In the story, Poppy manipulates her friends into going on an adventure to get the doll back to her grave. The doll speaks to Poppy and directs her actions, not always in a truthful or trustworthy way.

Final Word

Ultimately, my concern with the novel is its tendency to normalize and/or promote the occult. That doesn’t mean that kids shouldn’t read it, but if they DO read it, please discuss the dangers of dabbling in the occult with them. (See discussion questions).

Discussion Questions

  1. Zach enjoyed playing “dolls” with the girls, although it was really more like role playing. Have you ever enjoyed doing something that you’d be embarrassed for your friends to find out about?
  2. Was Zach’s father right to throw out his son’s action figure? Was he wrong to force him to play sports even though Zach wasn’t interested? Why?
  3. What was Poppy’s motivation for removing the Queen from her case? Was Poppy’s interest in the Queen healthy or unhealthy?
  4. What did you think of Poppy’s actions — the way she got her friends to do what she wanted them to do? Do you have any friends who act that way?
  5. Do you think ghosts exist? Do you think people from beyond the grave can communicate with the living? If so, should they?