Summary: Bystander by James Preller is a Sunshine State Book for grades 6-8 this year. I understand why it was chosen for the list – bullying is a hot topic and this book looks at it in a gritty and realistic way. This is a book that would be great for book club discussions about bullying or for bibliotherapy.
Eric is the new kid in town, just starting seventh grade. His first friend in his new town, Griffin, is the popular guy who seems to get away with everything. Everyone wants to be Griffin’s friend, and many will do whatever it takes to reach that goal. But Eric quickly sees Griffin for what he is – a bully and a trouble-maker. Can Eric stand against Griffin without becoming his next target? Or will he just be another bystander, watching Griffin’s cruelty?
Bystander would be a great book to tie in with a unit on the Holocaust and the many people who looked the other way during the atrocities committed, as well as a great book for spurring a discussion about bullying and taking a stand against it. There is some language in the novel, but nothing extreme. The ending was, to me, anticlimactic but plausible. I understand why Preller ended the book as he did, but it still felt a little unfinished to me.
There really are no truly good guys or bad guys in this book – just good and bad decisions made by average people. Eric could be anyone, facing down one of a thousand Griffins by another name. Both boys have problems that spur their choices, and are great character studies in the different ways that people deal with the stresses of an unstable life.
Themes:
Bullying
Friendship
Standing up for what is right
Age Appropriateness:
12 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: moderate (less than five instances)
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: moderate
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Ruined by Paula Morris
Summary: Ruined by Paula Morris is a suspenseful historical mystery/ghost story set in modern-day New Orleans. The main character, Rebecca, is shocked when her father sends her to New Orleans to stay with a family friend while he works in China. Since her mother died, Rebecca and her father have been nearly inseparable. But suddenly he is sending her to stay with Aunt Claudia and her daughter, Aurelia, where she will attend a private prep school in New Orleans’ Garden District.
Rebecca knows she doesn’t fit in. Unlike the top social tier within the school, she doesn’t have an old family name and fortune to impress her classmates. And unlike the other students, she wasn’t impressed by old family names and fortunes. Only Anton Grey, a member of the New Orleans elite, shows any interest in Rebecca, but she is unsure if he has other reasons for his attentions to her.
Rebecca is fortunate enough to make one real friend. Lisette lives in the Lafayette Cemetery, where she knows everything and everyone. Rebecca is able to talk to Listette, sharing her loneliness and her memories of home. Unfortunately, friendship with Lisette is not so simple – she is a ghost and her spirit is trapped at the cemetery where her body was hidden.
In Ruined, Rebecca is faced with many secrets and mysteries that have more to do with her than she realizes. Why can she see Lisette? What is Lisette’s true goal?
Themes:
Family
Secrets
Racism
Age Appropriateness:
11 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: very mild
Violence: very mild
Rebecca knows she doesn’t fit in. Unlike the top social tier within the school, she doesn’t have an old family name and fortune to impress her classmates. And unlike the other students, she wasn’t impressed by old family names and fortunes. Only Anton Grey, a member of the New Orleans elite, shows any interest in Rebecca, but she is unsure if he has other reasons for his attentions to her.
Rebecca is fortunate enough to make one real friend. Lisette lives in the Lafayette Cemetery, where she knows everything and everyone. Rebecca is able to talk to Listette, sharing her loneliness and her memories of home. Unfortunately, friendship with Lisette is not so simple – she is a ghost and her spirit is trapped at the cemetery where her body was hidden.
In Ruined, Rebecca is faced with many secrets and mysteries that have more to do with her than she realizes. Why can she see Lisette? What is Lisette’s true goal?
Themes:
Family
Secrets
Racism
Age Appropriateness:
11 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: very mild
Violence: very mild
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
Summary: Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves is an awesome sci-fi/fantasy adventure. The authors mix science and magic together in a setting that includes an infinite number of worlds. I’ve been a Gaiman fan for a couple of decades now, and Interworld is a worthy addition to the Neil Gaiman shelf of my library.
Joey Harker is just a guy – he’s nothing special. He has no real talents or skills. He even gets lost in his own house sometimes! But one day, Joey gets more lost than usual – he walks into another dimension and finds himself in the middle of a war. Armies of science and armies of magic are both fighting to take over as many different dimensions as possible; trying to rule over the thousands of possible Earths that exist. In order to stop them, Joey finds himself part of a third army dedicated to keeping the balance – an army that is made up entirely of different versions of himself from the different Earths.
Unlike many of the other Harkers, Joey gets a choice – go home to his own Earth, where he can live out his life in safety or stay and fight until the end. What will he do? And how many rules will he break in the process?
I would love to see more stories about Joey and the other Harkers – this could make an excellent series, especially since only one enemy is really faced in this book.
Themes:
Balance
Loyalty
Persistence
Survival
Teamwork
Age Appropriateness:
10 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Joey Harker is just a guy – he’s nothing special. He has no real talents or skills. He even gets lost in his own house sometimes! But one day, Joey gets more lost than usual – he walks into another dimension and finds himself in the middle of a war. Armies of science and armies of magic are both fighting to take over as many different dimensions as possible; trying to rule over the thousands of possible Earths that exist. In order to stop them, Joey finds himself part of a third army dedicated to keeping the balance – an army that is made up entirely of different versions of himself from the different Earths.
Unlike many of the other Harkers, Joey gets a choice – go home to his own Earth, where he can live out his life in safety or stay and fight until the end. What will he do? And how many rules will he break in the process?
I would love to see more stories about Joey and the other Harkers – this could make an excellent series, especially since only one enemy is really faced in this book.
Themes:
Balance
Loyalty
Persistence
Survival
Teamwork
Age Appropriateness:
10 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Summary: Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nelson is a wonderful fairy tale with just the right mix of mystery, hardship, and tough choices. Even though it is set on the middle ages, the characters are easy to relate to, from their personalities to their dreams and despairs.
Adrianne Keynnman’s family once enjoyed a comfortable life on Windwaithe Island, where her father was the Master of Horses for Lord Durran, who rules over the island. But an accident took him away and the family lost everything – a loss that Adrianne takes the blame for. Now Adrianne, along with her mother, her sister, Cecily, and her Auntie Minnah, live in a small shack where the women do mending for the islanders to make a meager living. Adrianne does what she can to help her family, but nothing she does ever seems to please her aunt, who greatly favors Cecily, and the girls' mother shows little courage, allowing Auntie Minnah to run the home.
When Adrianne saves Cecily from the Windwaithe mermaid, a creature Adrianne had thought to be a legend, life begins to take unexpected turns. The mermaid marks Adrianne and her days and nights are filled with the haunting sounds of the mermaid calling to her.
When the other islanders discover that the mermaid has marked Adrianne, it becomes dangerous for anyone who chooses to protect her. Should Adrianne just give herself up to the mermaid to save her island? Or is there more going on than anyone truly knows?
One of my favorite aspects of this story was the romance between Adrianne and Denn, the boy who has been her friend since childhood. Adrianne loves him dearly but doesn’t feel that she is good enough to catch his eye compared to the prettier and wealthier girls of the island. Her interactions with Denn and his younger siblings (who adore her) make for some great moments that anyone who has ever experienced a crush on someone they feel they can’t have will understand.
Themes:
Family
Persistence
Loyalty
Love
Self-esteem
Age Appropriateness:
11 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: very mild
Adrianne Keynnman’s family once enjoyed a comfortable life on Windwaithe Island, where her father was the Master of Horses for Lord Durran, who rules over the island. But an accident took him away and the family lost everything – a loss that Adrianne takes the blame for. Now Adrianne, along with her mother, her sister, Cecily, and her Auntie Minnah, live in a small shack where the women do mending for the islanders to make a meager living. Adrianne does what she can to help her family, but nothing she does ever seems to please her aunt, who greatly favors Cecily, and the girls' mother shows little courage, allowing Auntie Minnah to run the home.
When Adrianne saves Cecily from the Windwaithe mermaid, a creature Adrianne had thought to be a legend, life begins to take unexpected turns. The mermaid marks Adrianne and her days and nights are filled with the haunting sounds of the mermaid calling to her.
When the other islanders discover that the mermaid has marked Adrianne, it becomes dangerous for anyone who chooses to protect her. Should Adrianne just give herself up to the mermaid to save her island? Or is there more going on than anyone truly knows?
One of my favorite aspects of this story was the romance between Adrianne and Denn, the boy who has been her friend since childhood. Adrianne loves him dearly but doesn’t feel that she is good enough to catch his eye compared to the prettier and wealthier girls of the island. Her interactions with Denn and his younger siblings (who adore her) make for some great moments that anyone who has ever experienced a crush on someone they feel they can’t have will understand.
Themes:
Family
Persistence
Loyalty
Love
Self-esteem
Age Appropriateness:
11 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: very mild
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