YA – Page 10 – 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.

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.

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

This is the story of Daniel; he’s not sitting beside you as you read this book but it’ll seem like he is. Daniel is telling his classmates about Iran, exactly how he remembers it and what it was like when he left that country, because that’s important.

Twelve-year-old Daniel currently lives in Oklahoma with his family. Residing in Mrs. Miller’s classroom, Daniel knows about inequity and how individuals feel about Persians. Giving his own personal story, Daniel wants his classmates to know him, to know who he is, as a person. So, sit back and enjoy his story. For these are his own memories, his whole personal life (his twelve years) you will be holding securely in your own two hands.

I adored this book, I really did. I loved how he wrote the book; the way that I felt a part of it and how the style of writing he used, personalized the book. The stories he wrote were interesting and they felt genuine and vivid. When the family fled Iran with their hard, gray suitcase and his memories of his extended family, even the smallest of details, felt so important. What a great treasure!

“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” ….. “It’ll be alright in the end, folks. If it’s not alright, then it’s not the end.”

(Wow, I really enjoyed this and it made me stop and think, it’s so true. If you want a happy ending to whatever is happening, keep going till you get one. If you feel you’re getting an unhappy ending, keep going, perhaps you’re not at the end and you can change things.)

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson

I loved this graphic novel. I could feel the dedication and love throughout this book. I still get teary-eyed thinking about this graphic novel and the situations that these young boys went through. It is such a fantastic book; I cannot say enough about it but I highly recommend that you read it. Read it yourself, read it to your children, buy a copy for your classroom and even buy a copy and donate it to someone as this story needs to be told.

They used to live in Somalia. Now, they live in Kenya, in a refugee camp called Dadaab. Individuals who want to live come here from Sudan, Ethiopia, and other African area, this is home. Dadaab is a huge camp, so large that they divided it into 3 separate camps. Omar came here with his little brother, Hassan. They’ve been there for seven years. Yes, I said seven years!

Where’s their parents? Good question and one the boys want to know. Who is taking care of them? Omar is taking care of Hassan as best as he can for a young brother. He’s been missing out on school to take care of his brother. They’ve also been assigned a woman (like a foster mother) Fatuma, to help them. This woman was amazing too, she truly cared for these boys like they were her own. Inside the camp, the boys have their own tent across the way from Fatuma. Many days, the boys were hungry. Hassan only says one word yet the brothers communicate.

When Omar finally gets the chance to go to school, he is torn. Leaving his brother behind, Omar worries for his brother yet he knows this opportunity for him will open doors for their future. The boys still question their parent’s whereabouts and their village. They wonder about returning home yet Omar knows the danger that lies outside the camp.

With bright, colorful illustrations and easy-to-read font, I was emerged into the brother’s story. It was captivating, interesting, and powerful. Omar fought for a better life, there were wonderful successes and moments of frustration and struggles yet he continued on.

Fantastic graphic novel. Definitely read the afterword that is located at the back of the book. I went through many emotions reading this book and I highly recommend it.

All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

The teens each arrived to their destination, following the details of the invitation that they each received. They were looking forward to a fun-filled evening. After all the years of studying, staying up late, and doing countless problems, they were finally getting their reward. Yet, as the teens looked around the room and did the math, they realized the numbers weren’t adding up. Then, someone noticed the something strange in the room and the note. What kind of a reward were they getting tonight? And who, just shut the door?

As they read the note, a more serious mood replaces the relaxed atmosphere that once inhabited the room. They had just one hour, one hour to pick someone to die. Was this a joke? Who would do something like this? Now what?

I liked the premise of this book as it sounded like something that I could really get into. In a book like this, I always wonder what I would do as I read what the characters were actually doing. It was interesting how the author chose such a variety of individuals to lock inside this room together but in the end, it all made sense.

The novel continues to switch from present to past tense throughout the book, to tell the whole story. I wondered sometimes if it would have been a better story if just one of the characters told us the story from the past instead of having us readers switch back and forth. I know some readers hate (I know hate is a powerful word) books that have the back-and-forth reading. I felt in this book, that I was doing A LOT of switching back and forth, almost too much for me. Did I like any of the characters? Not really. There were quite a few of them to keep track of and I thought a few of them were self-centered.

I enjoyed the book and the twists that came with it. After I finished reading it, I got to thinking, wow, this all happened in one hour! They only had a one-hour time limit. That sure was a ton of stuff to happen and think about in one hour. The book addresses depression, suicide, and bullying.

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

What a great book about what is not “normal” can be perfectly normal, if you allow it to be. Armed with the notebook that her parents gave her, Bea finds that since her parents have divorced, life has become complicated. Why can’t things be simple like they used to be, why must everything be so confusing now? Bea’s finding out that adjusting to change is hard. Bea needs to discover, how to accept the changes in her life.

When Bea’s parents announced that they were divorcing, they handed her a notebook. Inside that notebook, contained a written, short list of items which they wrote to Bea, of Things That Will Not Change in her life, once they split up. Since then, Bea has added many things to that list. It was nice to see the character of Bea reflect upon this list and to add her ideas to it.

Seeing a counselor, Bea also talks about her feelings and gets help managing her anxiety. Life is not the same since her parent’s divorce nor will it be the same ever again. This will take some time to get used to for everyone involved. What she has now, is a new family and that’s what she needs to understand. I enjoyed the character of Bea as she was an honest, sincere, ten-year old girl just trying to adjust to the changes in her life. 4.5 stars

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

I inhaled this book today. For five years, Coyote and Rodeo had been putting the miles on Yager, traveling wherever their hearts led them. Every day was an adventure with very few rules for the two of them. I loved how the author revealed the character’s story to the reader slowly throughout the book. The past and present are important to this story and the author combines the two of them to present a sweet, emotional story about family, friendship and love.

I really enjoyed Coyote’s mannerism and attitude in this story. In her early teens, she’s still a child but trying to act older. She wants to please her father but she also has her own needs and she’s trying to find a balance. I had quite a few “ahh” moments while reading this book, as they struck a sweet spot inside me.

This journey was remarkable. The individuals that they met were fantastic as each of them played an important part in their trip. When Coyote showed Salvador her favorite place, oh my gosh! What a scene!! Then, there was the violin scene! The campsite scene! Come on……..I loved every one of them. Be ready when you read this book for all the great scenes, they’re to be savored. The last 20+ pages in the book, the words were all flowing together as the tears were falling down my face.

Coyote and Rodeo have different ways of looking at the past and the future. Living in the present is a good concept but the present is also made up of your past, if you allow it. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

Volunteering

I really loved Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. So, when I was invited to be one of the volunteers on my libraries Facebook edition of What Should I Read? I knew that I would talk about this book.

It was a book that I couldn’t put down till I finished it. Thought-provoking, emotional, and interesting, this book was exactly what I needed. I know that some of you will shy away from this genre but if the synopsis or the conversation spikes your interest, check the book out, what have you got to lose. You might just find yourself another genre to love.

One of the other books brought to the table, I have on my TBR pile and the other two really sound interesting. I would love to read the BIG book but wow, that would take me forever!

I had a great time with this opportunity and I would love to do it again.