Review: Illegal

Illegal by Eoin Colfer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I personally think that every member of the American government needs to read Illegal. What a timely and relevant graphic novel for middle grade students. This book follows the journey of Ebo and his brother Kwame as they abandon their home in Ghana in the hopes of making their way to Europe to find their sister. The book alternates between "now" and "then" chapters; this set-up allows the reader to gradually discover how Ebo and Kwame end up in a small, leaking boat in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

I had several "aha" moments while reading this graphic novel. In one scene, Ebo and the other passengers are worried that they will die in the ocean. When they see a ship heading toward them, Ebo immediately thinks they will be saved. However, another immigrant questions if the ship will stop for them. Ebo replies that the ship has to stop and help them because they are "people." Such a simple notion: that people will help other people; however, as we have seen with recent immigration laws, our government doesn't seem to believe in helping people who aren't desirable immigrants.

This book is important, but the realities that Ebo and his brother face are difficult to digest. I think this novel would be most appropriate for 5th grade and up. I would love to see teachers use this book alongside Refugee by Alan Gratz. As educators, it is important for us to show our students the struggles other people face throughout the world. This book will help students build empathy for immigrants within their community and beyond.

View all my reviews

Review: Lifeboat 12

Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lifeboat 12 is a novel-in-verse about children being sent by ship to Canada during World War II to escape the German Blitzkrieg in England. Their ship is hit by German torpedoes, and they must quickly escape by lifeboats. The story is told through the point-of-view of Ken Sparks, an actual survivor of this sunken ship. The first-person narration allows the reader to feel like he is in the lifeboat with the other survivors experiencing these tragic events as they unfold.

Susan Hood's writing is poetic and powerful. The format will make this book more accessible to reluctant readers. I've noticed that many of my students who only want to read books with pictures also enjoy novels-in-verse. As Kwame Alexander says, verse is less intimidating because there is so much blank space on the page. This book moves quickly, and it would make for an excellent addition to 5th grade classrooms as it will tie in with their curriculum.

As someone who grew up with a history-obsessed father (he spent nine hours in the WWII museum in NOLA), I was excited to read this story because I had never heard of the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) program. I just called my dad to quiz him on the topic, and he knew all about it (no surprise there). Having lived in France and visited many WWII museums and sites there, I know how horrific life in Europe was at that time. I cannot imagine how frightening it must have been for children to board a ship crossing the Atlantic. For parents to believe their children would be better off an ocean away from them really shows you how terrible and scary it must have been.

I will definitely recommend this book to students and teachers alike with the only caveat being that you won't learn much about the actual war, just about one tragic event caused by the war. It is certainly an event worth discovering.

View all my reviews

Review: Everything I Know About You

Everything I Know About You by Barbara Dee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How do you help someone who doesn't want to be helped? Should you even try to help someone that doesn't think they need it? The main character, Tally, faces these very questions in Everything I Know About You by Barbara Dee.

Tally is forced to room with one of her least favorite people, Ava, on a school field trip to Washington, D.C. While rooming with Ava, Tally notices that she keeps a list of random numbers in a notebook. There is even a gold star on a completely blank page. At first, she thinks that Ava is keeping track of how much she exercises. However, when Tally notices that the numbers don't add up, she realizes that Ava is keeping track of her calories, and she is hardly consuming any.

Tally confronts Ava about how little she eats and how much she exercises, but Ava refuses to acknowledge that she has a problem and blackmails Tally to keep her quiet. Even though Tally really dislikes Ava, she knows that she needs someone to intervene before she starves herself to death. She is faced with a huge moral dilemma: out Ava and risk being ridiculed by her peers or keep Ava's deadly secret.

Barbara Dee sheds light on a topic that many people deal with but few people discuss. Her writing had me completely hooked from the first chapter. I love that the chapters are fairly short because I think this will help readers stay engaged who have lower reading stamina. This book is a little over 300 pages long, which can be intimidating to some MG readers, but I flew through it, and I think students will as well. In a classroom setting, this book would pair very well with Every Shiny Thing by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison as they have similar themes.

View all my reviews

Review: 24 Hours in Nowhere

24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gus lives in Nowhere, Arizona, and he seems to be a "no one." In Nowhere, everyone is poor, and no one has much hope for the future except Rossi. Rossi is female dirt bike racer. She wants to win an upcoming competition so that she can attend a racing camp and win a new bike. However, when the town bully, Bo, tries to force Gus to eat a cactus, Rossi comes to his rescue by giving up her most-prized possession. In order to pay his debt to Rossi, Gus decides to venture into a deadly cave to look for gold. Gus is accompanied by one of Bo's cronies. Unbeknownst to Gus, they are followed by Rossi and his best friend, Jessie. The four of them will struggle to make it out of the cave alive.

I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this book through #BookPosse. As I was reading this book, I kept feeling like I was in the middle of the movie The Goonies. After finishing the book, I read the author's letter to the reader in which she describes her story as "Goonies-inspired," and it is certainly a fitting description. I plan on recommending 24 Hours in Nowhere to any student who tells me he/she doesn't like to read. This book is full of action and adventure, and it is sure to have readers holding to the edge of their seats.



View all my reviews

Review: Wonderland

Wonderland by Barbara O'Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mavis' mom is never happy with her job, so she is constantly moving them around, looking for the next best thing. Mavis desperately wants to stay in one place long enough to make a best friend. Her mom is once-again moving her to a new town so she can be a maid for a wealthy family. When Mavis finds out that her mom's new boss has a daughter named Rose, she immediately decides that Rose will be her best friend.

Rose's mom never seems to be satisfied with her. She always wants her to join activities she isn't interested in or play with neighborhood girls she doesn't like. She is aching for a best friend, just like Mavis. Mavis is everything she is not: wild, bold, and daring. Mavis breaks rules without giving them a second thought. Rose won't even walk in the grass without shoes on because her mother has convinced her she will get ringworm.

When Mavis discovers Rose is very worried about lonely old Mr. Duffy, the neighborhood gatekeeper and Rose's only friend, she hatches a plan to bring some joy back into Mr. Duffy's life. However, her plan will require Rose to break all her mother's rules. Can Rose find the confidence to finally do what she wants and help the people that mean the most to her? Find out in August when Wonderland is published.

View all my reviews

The Prophet Calls by Melanie Sumrow

Summer is here, and for me, that means lots of staying indoors to avoid the 90-degree heat and outrageous South Carolina humidity. All this indoor time gives me plenty of chances to read. I have read so many wonderful books in the past two weeks, but Melanie Sumrow's debut novel The Prophet Calls is my favorite so far.

The story takes place in a polygamous community in New Mexico; the main character, Gentry, has just turned 13, which means it is time for her to turn away from childish activities. She must now prepare herself for marriage, bearing children, and the end of the world.

Gentry is strong-willed, brave, and willing to question authority. Unlike others in her community, Gentry doesn't trust everything the Prophet, God on Earth, says. She struggles to "keep sweet" as all women are instructed to do. When the Prophet proclaims that music is of the devil and that no woman shall be allowed to leave their community, Gentry's large family begins to unravel. Gentry faces an impossible decision: go along with all the Prophet's proclamations so she can remain in God's favor, or leave behind the only community and family she has ever known.

Pre-order on Amazon