Book Review -- Refugee

Refugee by Alan Gratz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alan Gratz is becoming one of the hot authors of my 6th grade class due to his book Prisoner B-3087 which we did as a read aloud. This book, Refugee, is also a good one, although I didn't give it 5 stars because of two things. One, I got impatient with alternating the chapters between the three characters. I'll admit that I cheated at one point and read about five of Josef's chapters back to back. Two, I thought Gratz was going to tie the three characters together a bit more tightly than he did. They do connect at the end, but I had another scenario in my mind. Still, I thought this was a great book, I love his writing, and anyone who's read Prisoner B-3087 or Projekt 1065 will enjoy this one. Parents and Teachers -- historical fiction drama with some killing/death, ages 10+

Book Review -- A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this back in the day when I was a kid, probably in fifth or sixth grade. Since I didn't remember anything about it, I decided to read it again. It was a bit difficult to get into, but after a few chapters, I was cruising. This is a well-imagined fantasy book with a science fiction twist. Modern kids may struggle a bit since there are times that the writing feels a bit dated (I can vouch for that as several of my sixth graders have tried and abandoned this book), but for those who stick with it, they'll be rewarded with a wonderful fantasy adventure. I gave it four out of five stars because it was slow to start and also because I thought it ended very abruptly. Parents & teachers -- fantasy and adventure peril, children in intense situations with no parental assistance, no foul language, no inappropriate physical situations, ages 10+

Book Review -- The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, I knew who Neil Gaiman was because of the movie Coraline (which I only watched the beginning of because it was so creepy), but I'd never read any of his work. I heard about this book from a list of YA "must reads," so I decided to give it a whirl. Well. I was captivated! This story absolutely grabbed me right from the first chapter. It was a creative idea (human child raised in a graveyard by ghosts), and it had just the right mix of creepy but with heart. I loved, loved, loved it. Five stars all the way, and Mr. Gaiman is now an author I plan to read more of. Teachers and parents...supernatural horror situations, physical violence, no strong language, no inappropriate physical romance. 13+ for sure. 12 and under with caveats. Not for the 12 and under gentle crowd.

Book Review -- Three Times Lucky

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fun mystery story! At first I wasn't sure. It took me a couple of chapters to get into the story and the characters. I think some of the southern-ness was tripping me up (I'm not from the south), but once I got cruising, this was a delightful read. I'll admit, I didn't have the mystery solved until the end of the book. There were several possibilities, but I hadn't guessed the author's solution. I ended up loving our heroine, what a fun person. I heartily recommend this one to all kids in the grades 4-6 range. Parents & Teachers -- crime mischief, kids in tense situations without parental involvement, no swearing (but the text indicates that the characters do use foul language), and no inappropriate physical romance. Ages 10+

Book Review -- The Monstrumologist

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a horror book for teens, plain and simple. Horror is not my favorite genre, but I tore through this book and could not put it down. The action was set in 1880's New England, and that made the horror more palpable to me, I guess. There was a bit of history slant towards the story. The horror elements were blood and guts, which is probably why I could stand it, too (amazingly, my most tolerable type of horror. I know...this statement seems ridiculous even as I type it).

I loved the author's use of language here. It was rich. It was precise. It was a joy to read. The characters were well-fleshed out and vivid. I read The 5th Wave by Yancey several years ago and while I enjoyed that book, I thought the writing was better in this one.

Since this is a YA book, I have several cautions (because I'm a 6th grade teacher and a parent) -- There is violence in this book. Several characters die horrible deaths. There are monsters in this book, and they are vividly described. Several other "icky" moments are just downright gross. I say all that to alert the parents and teachers out there that your younger YAs may not fare too well with this book. It depends on their gross-out tolerance. I wouldn't recommend this to my gentler students in 6th grade. Some of the more mature kids would do fine. So, I give this a 13+ recommendation but with caveats. There's virtually no bad language or inappropriate physical situations, so that's not a concern. Just a lot of violence alongside blood and guts. If you've got a weak stomach, beware.

Book Review -- Wildwood

Wildwood by Colin Meloy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

5 stars for the richness of the writing, 3 stars for the rambling story. Seriously, this book needed to be 150 pages shorter. I liked it...great story and plot, but it was too long. By the last 100 pages I was skimming. I loved how the author used language and the word choice was amazing, but if Tolkien can get Bilbo to the Lonely Mountain and back in less than 500 pages, then Meloy should be able to do that here, as well. I recommend this book if you have the patience for 541 pages.

Parents & Teachers - fighting and war violence, children on epic adventure with no parents present, no foul language, no inappropriate physical relationships. Ages 10+

Book Review -- Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of my top YA books for the summer! I picked it up reluctantly from a coworker who recommended it, but then I was gripped. I could not put this one down and I tore through it. I didn't it want it to end. Talk about a story that stomped all over my heart. Themes here include change, and finding one's true self even underneath all the garbage. Redemption is another one. This is a book that teen boys would enjoy, and it really strikes a chord with troubled youth. Run, don't walk to read this book!

Parents and teachers -- Wilderness survival and violence, teen to teen violence, no swearing but some other strong words, tense situations, no inappropriate physical relationships. Ages 11+