coming of age

Dead Man’s Cove by Lauren St. John

 in Fiction / Older Readers / Young Adult / Younger Readers by

A Laura Marlin Mystery

Summary

“Orphaned Laura is sent to live with her uncle inCornwall, convinced that a life of adventure is hers at last. But everywhere she turns she’s confronted with mysteries. Is Tariq, the shopkeeper’s silent son, a friend or an enemy? Why does her uncle seem intent on erasing his own past? And why is everyone so afraid of Dead Man’s Cove?”

-From Back of the Book

Review

This is an excellent book for all ages. This is YA but I would say that the older end of the Children section of the library (like 11+) could read this book. It had great role modeling and excellent values which a teen/child should not know. A person may not be inspired by the cover because it is kind of childish, but remember never, ever, EVER, judge a book by its cover. I would say that anyone would be interested in this book. The characters were intriguing and easy to relate to and the setting and the story line was interesting as well.

I read another one of her books The White Giraffe (not a great review as I was new to this blog) and completely loved it. She has two series. Legend of the Animal Healer which has The White Giraffe, Dolphin Song (which I also read but never reviewed unfortunately), The Last Leopard, and The Elephant’s Tale. Then she is now starting a new series called Laura Marlin Mysteries. So far she has Dead Man’s Cove and Kidnap in the Caribbean which came out last July.

But this is a great book with great values and issues which some children may encounter. But they are not obvious in the book because Lauren St. John seems to hide the underlying messages in things which happen. You have to understand what is happening to find these message.

This book is not violent in any aspect and is great for all ages.

So go and check this one out. It is a defiant read.

Who is Lauren St. John?

Lauren St. John was born in Gatooma, Rhodesia, now Kadoma, Zimbabwe. She and her family moved when she was 11 to Rainbow’s End farm in Gadzema. She later wrote a memoir Rainbow’s End. She then moved to England and worked there for a few years.

If you want to read more about her click here.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore Lorien Legacies

 in Adventure / Book Reviews / Books / Young Adult by

“Three Are Dead. I Am Number Four.”

I wanted to see the movie I Am Number Four  but didn’t make it to the movies in time.  I need to get the DVD and  Netflix has a long wait for it. So, I decided that if I couldn’t watch it just yet, I could read it. I didn’t know there was a book until the other week when I was in Barnes and Noble and saw it sitting on the shelf.  So I ran off to the library and 3 days ago I got it and gobbled it up really fast.

This book was about a boy – Number Four – who was the next one on the enemies hit list. Number Four is from a different planet and his is the last of his people.  The enemies were also from a different planet and they were trying to completely wipe out the Lorien – his planet and home – race. There were only 9 remaining and three were dead. Number Four did have a name in the book but he changed it every single time he moved. So the story was originally about his love for this girl and that was how the story was going. But as the story progressed it changed and turned to the enemies and how they were coming for him.

The story, I thought, was going to be a little more exciting and I though that there would be more to it. The ending was just one big fight  and that whole thing was put into about a chapter. Suddenly towards the end of the book a new important character arrived. The last couple of chapters were boom, boom, boom, boom – one thing after another and it got kind of confusing. While I was reading the book I would not have thought it was about an alien race because Number Four seemed so, well, human.

Number Four was described well with his build and how he looked. The characters in this book were described well too. I could picture them all in my mind as I was reading it.

This book was sad as one of the main characters died and it was a sad way to die (can’t tell you how he died). You felt the pain of some of the people in this book. This book was good as it did have a good story line and it kept you entertained so  I would definitely recommend  reading it. But do read the book first before you see the movie because from the trailer I can see that it is a little different from the book.

Enjoy the book and tell me what you though of it. What is your opinion on the book?

The movie review will be coming up soon.

From The Vault – Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

 in Books by

 

Summary

When a terrible incident changes Billie Jo’s life, destroying her inside and out. Her mother is dead. Her father cannot think about her. The one thing that makes Billie Jo happy is playing piano. But that is not possible with her wounded hands. But what makes it worse is that there are dust storms every day. They are devastating her farm and farms around her. While others run away from the dust bowl, Billie Jo has to stay.

Review

This was a very touching book. While simply written it was very strong and  powerful. It shows that life in Oklahoma during the time of  the dust bowl was not easy. It was a hard and  tough life with pain and sadness. The book is written in poem form which makes you read it a little differently. This is a must read book and is a Newberry Winner.

 

Happy Reading!!!

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

 in Book Reviews / Books by

From The Vault

Summary

Moose Flanagan has just moved to one of the most secure places in the world. Alcatraz. His dad had just got a job there as an electrician. His mother is hoping to send her autistic daughter Natalie to a special school there. But when Natalie is rejected from the school, Moose has to look after her so his mom can work and this means he cannot play baseball with his new friends. Family troubles are the main topic in this book. But friend issues and trying to see or hear something from the most famous prisoner there, Al Capone. This story is told with humor and shows what life is like on an island with some of the most dangerous men in the world.

Review

When my mom recommend this book for me to read I immediately thought “NO.” Why, you ask? Well, it was because I thought the book was too child-ish. (you know – not cool) I though the topic would be too baby-ish,  the book was small and I like reading big books (Harry Potter, War and Peace, Encyclopedia Britannica….you get the idea.) But my mom said that since it was for grades 5-8, it was a good read for me. So I reluctantly read it. But I was surprised to find out that I actually liked it. This book was funny, cute and had emotion. Gennifer Choldenko described the feelings that each character had and portrayed Natalie very well. She got the emotions perfectly and made the book real. Natalie was written very well. She is autistic and would throw fits and not move for hours on end. She could not live without her buttons. If you took them from her she would throw a fit and not stop screaming. She had emotions and she was also really smart. Moose was very unhappy to have to look after Natalie but managed with it very well.

Despite my first impression I though that this was a really good book, a good read and I would recommend others to read it.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

 in Book Reviews / Books / Young Adult by

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.

[Post was updated October 2019]

Number the Stars by Louis Lowry Book Cover via Amazon

Summary

“As the German troops begin their campaign to “relocate” all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

Lois Lowery’s book, Number the Stars, is very moving and something that really grips your soul. I read this book when I was younger and honestly it’s a book that has stuck with me, or at least scenes have stuck with me. Families being taken away from each other, people being killed or captured and all from the eyes of a child. It’s harrowing honestly.

But that was life when the Nazi’s were around and it was a reality. While the book itself is fictional, it was written to represent what life was like with the Nazi’s in power. People hid the Jews so that they could stay alive. Even as an adult, this still blows my mind and this book clearly displays that life in 1943 was not easy. Many books have epilogues with people choose to read sometimes or sometimes actually just skip it (not sure why) and this book is like every other but you have to read it in this. It is a part of the story and if you are mature enough to understand what is going on, is extremely moving.

I only read this book once but even so I remember so many parts of it and actually have been looking for my copy for while now because it passes through my mind now and then. Sometimes you read a book that really sticks with you and this is one of them honestly.

With the fact that schools now are not teaching about the Holocaust and concentration camps, openly preaching that this was a lie and not a true part of history, this book is important to keep alive and to read. It’s perfectly written for children to address the situation in a context that they can understand without it being too much – of course this will depend on the child. The writing is simple and when I read it in 2010…I would have been about 12 or so which is the perfect time to read this book. Any younger and a lot of it probably won’t be understood or at least some of the nuances wouldn’t be.

It’s absolutely incredible and I highly recommend it to all.

Enjoy!