One Chapter

Grenade by Alan Gratz

If you’ve never read an Alan Gratz novel before and you read middle school/YA historical fiction, you’re missing out. You seriously need to read one of his books because I guarantee you that, you’ll be checking out the rest of his books before you finish that first book. Grenade was more than I expected. As I followed two different young men, they both were fighting a war, only they were on different sides. Hideki had become a member of the Blood & Iron Student Corp to protect his island and Ray, just landed on foreign soil and he heard that the enemy is waiting for them.

Armed with 2 live grenades, Hideki is sent into battle with other young teens like himself. His energy and enthusiasm are high until the reality of the war starts to sink in and the truth comes out. As Ray and his troops make their way into the new territory, he begins to wonder if this is what his parents and grandparents experienced in war. This is not what Ray had pictured. Hideki and Ray are moving towards each other, each of them battling a war their heart is not into.

I couldn’t tear myself away from this battle, I feared for the lives of these young individuals as they tried to fight for their country yet they weren’t prepared for what they were facing. I felt the dirt fall away as the bombs exploded and I saw the fear and anxiety on the faces of the young soldiers as they crept up the road, wondering what laid ahead for them.

The story is full is adventure, action and historical information. The characters stories were rich and I immediately became attached to them. I really enjoyed this story and I highly recommend it. Make sure you also read the author’s comments in the back of the book, as they enhance the book’s experience. I have read a few of Alan’s book and they don’t disappoint. My goal this winter is to read all of his books as I enjoy them so much.

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

Do you need to read Dear Martin first to read this sequel? No, but I highly recommend you read both of these two books because they will get your blood pumping. It had been a while since I read Dear Martin but that didn’t matter, as the events quickly fell into place and my real world fell away.

My emotions were all over the place when I read this book. When the boys sat inside the rocketship at their local playground, I was glad that they had each other, even though the reason they found comfort there was not a happy one. With his dad back from the war, Justyce is now facing different challenges, ones that might be harder to face and predict.

As for Quan, he was trying to make life work, when he should have been just trying to live life. He needed a shoulder to lean on, a helping hand, just someone to encourage him along but he didn’t get that, so his reaction was based on what he knew.

I spoke to Quan many times while reading this book. I questioned his activities, praised his actions and I also raised my voice a few times. I enjoy these books that provoke me and draw me inside their pages.

Found by Joseph Bruchac

This was a fast read that I enjoyed except I thought the ending came on rather quickly. If you’re into survival stories, this one is for you.

Traveling on a train, Nick is headed to summer camp, when he witnesses a tragic event en route to his destination. With only his small bag with him, Nick has a change of plans, when he’s suddenly thrown off the train. Relying on his skills as a survival instructor, Nick moves through the Canada wilderness with great precision and consideration. These skills are put to the test when Nick realizes that the individuals from the train are pursuing him and they’re wasting no time.

This was a fast, engaging read. Nick was a character I liked and enjoyed reading about. He respected the land and he planned out his next move. This wasn’t one of those far-fetched books where the character does outlandish things or the character acts stupid, Nick behaves and thinks intelligentially. I liked how individuals from Nick’s family would pop into his head as he was thinking or doing something, as that provided some information about him and how he felt or knew about an idea. I liked the idea of the rabbit stick too. As I said before, I think the ending was a bit abrupt for my liking. It’s a good, quick story, though. 4 stars.

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

I loved the cover of this book. Ghosts, isolation, a past that she can’t shake, all these sounded like a perfect book for me. This wasn’t exactly the page-turner that I had anticipated, as this book ended up being a slow read for me.

Mila feels that this is her opportunity. She needs to find a job to support herself now that she’s graduated from high school and aged-out of the foster system. During the job interview, Nick never asked her any questions about her past but he also didn’t discuss much about the farm. He only warns Mila about how isolated the farm was and the weather conditions there. Foggy and isolated with no cell phone service. This doesn’t sound like a fun way to live. Nick adds that the farm has, what I think, an amazing view though. Mila didn’t care, she was sold on the idea immediately and accepts the job.

Mila was excited about living at the farm. Finally feeling wanted, she thinks about her responsibilities of teaching and helping run the busy farm. When she spots the figures outside running and sitting in the grass at night, she can’t believe her eyes. These were actual ghosts and there are others that can see them also. Mila begins to get comfortable in her role and I begin to wonder exactly what’s happening in this book.

I know the book was a slow read for me partly because I was trying to fully understand what was happening but also because I was trying to understand why, it was happening.

There was one section in the book that got me riled. It was when Blake was talking to Mila’s mom and degrading her because she was a teenage mother. I didn’t like this man one bit before this comment but this comment about the pregnancy hormones and the adolescent hormones clashing, made me like him even less. He was beyond crazy!

This book was not a scary book for me and I have a hard time even labeling it that. It does have ghosts in it but I don’t feel they were scary. The book dealt more with truth and healing.

Speak Up, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

Molly Lou Melon does it again! She’s loud, lively, and energetic, but she uses those in a positive way. That’s what I like about Molly Lou Melon. In this picture book, Molly takes the lessons that she has learned about honesty, friendship, and responsibility to her classroom when Bettina Bonklehead turns into a bully.

It started when Molly Lou Melon sat in the front row of the classroom with two of her friends on the first day of school. Perhaps it was because Molly Lou smiled her huge toothy grin at all of her friends, perhaps it was because she carried her big yellow backpack to school, perhaps it was because she had big black hair, perhaps it was because she had on a striped shirt, or perhaps it was because Bettina was having a bad morning, the thing is…..we don’t know why Bettina decided to start picking on the kids in her class that day. Nevertheless, Bettina snickered out a commented to the three friends which wasn’t very nice. But I did like Molly Lou’s response and the look on Bettina’s face.

Later, when Molly Lou Melon is partnered with Bettina in winter, Molly didn’t let Bettina’s previous actions affect their relationship. They had a good time even when things didn’t go quite as planned. Molly kept her positive attitude and she inspired her peers to be better individuals.

This was a good feel book. A great book to promote positive action and how to change a situation. I liked how the book started out showing positive statements and then, the story followed. The illustrations are wonderful, very animated and dramatic. If you haven’t read one of Molly Lou Melon books yet, you should.

Attack of the Underwear Dragon by Scott Rothman

Dreams do come true, at least for Cole and knights, they really do cry. When Cole wanted to be an assistant knight to Sir Percival (a knight at King Arthur’s Round Table) he wrote him a letter asking for the position. This letter touched Sir Percival so much, that he cried and then, he appointed Cole his assistant knight.

Cole did everything that Sir Percival asked from him and he learned a lot! Cole learned what it was like to be a knight and he learned what Sir Percival was most scared of, a big, scary Underwear Dragon. Sir Percival would dream about this dragon when he was sleeping. Cole loved being an assistant knight even if sometimes this job was difficult and hard.

Dreams do come true for knights also, unfortunately. The day came when the kingdom was under attack by…. an Underwear Dragon! Yes, you heard me right. All the knights were fighting this Underwear Dragon and it wasn’t looking good, for this dragon was fierce. Sir Percival was nervous as he didn’t want to have to fight it. Cole, being an assistant, knew how to fight like a knight should Sir Percival need him, but Cole was still just an assistant. The Underwear Dragon was putting up a good fight and Sir Percival thought he might be going into battle.

This was a cute story and the illustrations were wonderful. I thought Cole was a courageous young boy and I liked how he thought his way through the various situations that he was presented with. I liked how down-to-earth the issues were and how fun the book was. It’s a cute and entertaining story.

The Barnabus Project by The Fan Brothers

Located deep under the ground, beneath the store Perfect Pets, there’s a lab. In this laboratory, Green Rubber Suits create Perfect Pets. The lab is also home to the not-so-Perfect Pets. These not-so- Perfect Pets are called Failed Projects and they’re all stuck living under individual bell jars on one of the lab’s shelves.

Barnabus has wondered about the world outside the laboratory but it wasn’t until after, the Green Rubber Suits marked the Failed Projects did he decide to do something. Barnabus is a clever one as he gathers all the Failed Projects together so they can escape the lab. With fantastic, bright illustrations, you will love the journey that this team undergoes to find their way to freedom.

I adored these illustrations. The Failed Projects looked very adorable and unique. I enjoyed how they worked together and stayed together as they planned their trip. I loved the heavy pages of this book too. This is a fun book to read.

Bunheads by Misty Copeland

Young Misty is attending her first ballet lesson and as the teacher explains their upcoming recital, Misty knows this is where she wants to be. Coppelia! This recital sounds like an exciting one.

As the girls’ practice and go through their positions, Misty follows along, unaware that her teacher is watching her. When Misty is paired with Cat, another girl in the class, the two girls form an instant friendship. It was as if, Misty had found her place in the world. As the girls danced together, there was harmony and balance. There were no contests for greatness, no disputes among the dancers, they were working for excellence. It was so nice to see and read about. To witness this harmony and to feel its greatness, it just made me smile.

This was a great read. The energy in the illustrations and the story was definitely felt. I think many children will enjoy this story as it moves quickly and there are some good points to be made in the story. There are some difficult words and some ballet terms in the story, so be aware of that otherwise, it’s a fantastic, entertaining story.

The Giver: Graphic Novel by P. Craig Russell

I have to warn you that The Giver is one of my favorite books of all times. Ever since reading it in one of my Elementary Education classes in college, I have loved it. I was apprehensive about reading this version of the book, as I was worried that everything that I had felt and imagined, would be destroyed as I turned these pages. This was a graphic novel afterall, there would be illustrations and the text would be modified, would it all fall into place?

Jonas lived in a world full of structure. They had strict rules that everyone had to follow including age-specific guidelines which started at birth. It didn’t seem that anyone questioned these rulings. The whole community seemed to be moving on automatic pilot. When I read this novel years ago, I remember there were tons of questions floating around in my head. Their behavior and their acceptance of following in someone else’s footsteps in their nice, neat community seemed too robotic and bizarre to be normal to me.

This graphic novel was really good. I enjoyed the way the characters were shown and the way that special features were handled. Although this graphic novel didn’t give an in-depth account of the story based on the novel, it did provide an incredible account of the story. With plenty of text boxes, filled with text and illustrations, I felt that by seeing the storyline come alive, I wasn’t missing a thing.

I was surprised at how emotional I was still was, at certain places in this graphic novel. I feel that this is a powerful book that unleashes some strong emotions and that it’s not a book for everyone due to its content. I really enjoyed this graphic novel and I highly recommend it.

Start them young

I created this reading corner for my 14-month old grandson, who I watch during the week. He has other areas in the house where he has stacks of books but this area, I spread out his books for him to enjoy. And enjoy he does!!