The Devil's Arithmetic

The Devil's Arithmetic

by Jane Yolen

published by: Viking

Summary: Hannah is 12 years old and is getting tired of attending the Passover dinner every year with her family. She doesn't understand what the big deal is. This year it's a little different though. The family decides that she should have the responsibility of opening the door for Elijah the prophet, one of the traditions performed every year. She does so grudgingly, and as she opens the door she is transported back in time! She doesn't know what year it is or where she is, but when she realizes that she is a Jew living in Poland at the start of WWII she is horrified of what might happen to her. She tries to warn her new family that she knows what's coming because she's from the future, but nobody believes her. Who would?

Personal Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was terrifying yet I fell in love with the characters and felt very emotional with the sad events that took place.

Cautionary Notes: Some parts were graphic

Stop Pretending

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy

by Sonya Sones

published by: Harper Collins

Summary: A 13-year old girl has an older sister who went crazy one day. Now she visits her frequently in the hospital's psycho ward, but she wishes she didn't have to. She loves her sister but she is ashamed. Ashamed when her sister "throws herself into a chair. She says this chair controls the room and all her thoughts and all mine, too." And she is ashamed to tell her friends because of what they will say. When she finally does pluck up the courage, they act like it's no big deal to them, but soon they are ignoring her. Will she ever have a real friend who will be able to look past her sister? Will she ever be able to smile again? Who are these strangers in her life now? Her mother and father fight all the time now and her sister doesn't know who she is.

Here is an excerpt from the book, that I think really captures the overall mood. Enjoy!

Stop Pretending

Stop Pretending.

Right this minute.

Don't you tell me

you don't know me.

Stop this crazy act

and show me

that you haven't changed.

Stop pretending

you're deranged.

Stop a minute.

You'll remember things

like they used to be

when you used to read to me

from Dr. Seuss in our backyard.

Stop Pretending.

Right this minute.

I'm your sister.

Don't you tell me

you don't know me.

Personal Review: This book was very sad but beautiful. I loved how it was written in poems, with the line breaks giving it special emphasis. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and I couldn't put it down at all, even if it wasn't.

Cautionary Note: one sexual situation

Beast

Beast

by Donna Jo Napoli
published by: Simon Pulse

Summary: Orasmyn is the prince of Persia and he loves his land and his religion. One day though, the day of the great sacrifice of the camel, he is lazy for five minutes and makes a grave mistake that will land him in a curse. His father is about to perform the annual hunt of the lion, when Prince Orasmyn wakes to find that he is the lion. He is a beast. He travels first to India because it is the land of the lions. But when he finds no luck there, he returns to his home and finds his answer in a book his mother bought for his when he was still human. He must go to France where the roses are the most beautiful. He knows that the only way to break the curse is to be truly loved by a human woman. And he feels strongly that he will find that woman in France. "But who could ever love a Beast?"

Personal Review: This was such a different perspective on the story of Beauty and the Beast, and I loved it! So the prince wasn't heartless and shallow as the Disney movie portrays him. I like how he had resigned himself to being a lion forever and trying to move on and continue living a happy life among the beasts. I also love the character of Belle, she is patient and submissive yet full of passion.

Cautionary Notes: sex among animals, and lots of blood

Every Time a Rainbow Dies

Every Time a Rainbow Dies
by Rita Williams-Garcia
published by: Amistad

Summary: Thulani is a Jamaican teenager living in Brooklyn, New York, with his older brother and his brother's pregnant wife. He has a cage full of pigeons he keeps on his roof and lets out every morning, and every night they return. One night as he is welcoming the birds home, he spies something going on down in the alley he can see from his roof. A girl is being raped. Thulani doesn't feel brave or strong, but he yells for the men to leave her alone and runs down to them. When he gets there they are gone and he helps the girl back to her home. Ever since that night he has not been able to stop thinking about this girl who wears such bright, beautiful colors. Will she ever be his? Will she ever allow him to even talk to her? He wants to tell her that she is so filled with color that every time she steps outside, a rainbow dies.

Personal Review: I adored this book. It holds so much truth about life, love, loss and sadness, yet still carries hope and beauty. Thulani is a sensetive, kind boy who has found himself truly in love with a girl and he doesn't give up easily. I feel like it was perfect because Ysa, the girl he was in love with, would never let anyone in easily, so she needed someone who would make a perpetual nuisance of himself to get to know her.

Cautionary Notes: Graphic rape scene and teen sex

Cherry Ames: Dude Ranch Nurse

Cherry Ames: Dude Ranch Nurse
by Julie Tatham
published by: Grosset and Dunlap, inc.

Summary: Cherry Ames is a nurse working happily in Illinois when she is offered a position in Tuscon, Arizona working on a ranch with asthmatic patients. She is told it's going to be an easy job and that she'll have much of her time to herself. But when she arrives, she finds the twins to be very disagreeable as well as the tutor, Harold Bean. Patty, on the other hand, is a complete sweetheart and she and Cherry bond right away. When Patty tells of her father's death and how he left her a nest egg that's hidden somewhere, Cherry agrees to help her look for it. That's when all the trouble begins. Pranks are pulled on Cherry that start getting her in trouble with her boss, Senora. Who could be pulling these pranks on her? And why would they want so badly to get Cherry in trouble?

Personal Review: I actually liked this book and found it to be charming and engaging and fun. It was very cheesy at times but that made it all the more fun to read. I would probably recommend it to a young girl, about 12-15. I could see myself enjoying it very much when I was around that age.

Cautionary Notes: None

War is...

War is...
edited by Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell
published by: Candlewick Press

Summary: "War is... Crazy. History. Deception. Unbearable. Dilusion. Male. Linked with religion. Worse for civilians. Impossible to win. Inevitable?" This book is a collection of essays all about war. Many who have gone to war themselves. It talks of the deception used by recruiters and what to expect when you are in war. "How will I react to combat? Will it feel like a video game? .....What does it feel like to kill someone?" Some encourage you to join the military, others discourage it. This book is eye opening enough for the reader to get an idea, and decide for themselves.

Personal Review: This book was a definite eye opener for me. It contained a lot of things about war I had never considered before. My favorite of all the essays was one by Lee Kelley who talked about how soldiers are praying for us and we sould be praying for them in return. His accounts were all positive and filled with hope.

Cautionary Note: A lot of language and violence. (Language especially in "Tough" by Joel Turnipseed p. 195)

I am the Cheese

I am the Cheese
by Robert Cormier
Published by: Dell Laurel-Leaf

Summary: Adam Farmer was an only child living on the east coast when he found something fishy in his own home. Was it some kind of mistake? Or have his parents really been lying to him his whole life? He never gets very close to any of his friends, and when he finally does, he feels the need to lie to her about his past, yet he doesn't understand why. Finally one day, Adam's parents confront him and tell him the whole truth. Will his little family be able to survive in peace as they had for so long? Or were their peaceful lives coming to an end?

Personal Review: I really really enjoyed this book; it had my head spinning the entire time. I was so confused yet curious enough to keep turning the pages, coming to conclusion after conclusion in my head, until all was answered in the end. It is really amazing how it all ties together.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
by E. Lockhart
Published by: Hyperion Books for Children

Summary: Frankie Landau-Banks is going to be a sophmore at her boarding school, Alabaster, but this year she's transformed from the gawky child she was before into a lovely young woman, and boys are noticing. She finds herself with a new boyfriend (the most popular guy in school!!) and at first she's on cloud nine; things couldn't be going better. But then, Matthew, said boyfriend, starts brushing her off for his guy friends. After following Matthew, she finds out that he is part of a secret society on campus that's male only and feels desperate to somehow be a part of this. Will Frankie's intelligence and spunk get her into trouble with the authorities? Or even with her friends?

Personal Review: I absolutely loved Frankie and her personality and her story. She is very intelligent and funny and really goes out there and takes action; I was throroughly entertained through every page. Matthew and his friends were silly and hilarious and I felt like I wanted to be a part of them too. I feel like I can relate very well with this story and with Frankie even though I've never gone to a boarding school or dated the most popular guy in school who was also a member of a time-tested secret society. There were certain elements about it that just captured human interactions so well that I'm sure most everybody can relate to Frankie in some way.

Cautionary Note: mention of teen sex

La Linea

La Linea
by Ann Jaramillo
Published by: Roaring Book Press

Summary: Miguel's parents left Mexico promising to send for him in a few years so that he could join them in California. But it's been years and years now and Miguel is thinking it will never happen, until he wakes up on his fifteenth birthday and finds a note at the foot of his bed, instead of pile of gifts from his grandmother. It's finally time for him to cross The Line. The Line seperating Mexico from the United States, The Line seperating him from his parents. Miguel's little sister Elena is jealous and angry that she has not been called also. So she stows away, following Miguel and when he finds out, he worries he will get them both sent back to their little home town, never to get out. They are beaten, stolen from, starved and tired along the journey across The Line and at some points aren't sure if they're going to make it.

Personal Review: I have never really considered illegal immigration into the United States from the perspective of the immigrant. It was a beautiful and fresh view and I loved opening my mind to it. I really enjoyed the characters and how spanish phrases were scattered throughout the book. It was a story that touched my heart and made me feel something.

Cautionary Notes: Illegal Immigration