Thursday, May 27, 2004
book reviews
Hey, kids! I've been taking home some of the new books to read and wanted to tell you about a few.
First, I read Say What? by Margaret Petereson Haddix. In it, Sukie notices her parents acting really strange. For example, she knows she is not supposed to use glitter anywhere except the kitchen table or else her parents will yell at her. But when her dad catches her running with a tub full of glitter, and then she drops it all over the living room rug, all he says is, "Don't pick your nose. That's a gross habit." Huh? That doesn't make any sense. Sukie and her brothers have a kid meeting to figure out what's happening -- have her parents been replaced by robots whose voice programs have gone bad or what? When they figure out what's going on, they decide it's time for war -- kids against the grown-ups. Who wins? Read this funny book to find out.
Almost Forever by Maria Testa is a novel written in a series of poems. The narrator is a six-year-old girl in 1967 who finds out her father has to go to Vietnam. He tells her not to worry:
"Doctors don't fight.
We take care of
the people
who get hurt
in the fighting."
"Doctors get hurt, too,"
Mama
needed
to say.
"Bullets and bombs
do not care
that you went
to medical school."
Her father writes them every day, until one day the letters stop coming. Where is he? Will he come home? Will he forget what she looks like? Will she remember him? Why is this year taking so long? Read this book to find out.
I am almost done with the fifth book in the popular Shadow Children series. Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix is another suspenseful chapter in this story of the future. For those of you unfamiliar with the books, a brief summary: Sometime in the future, it is illegal for families to have more than two children. In order to make sure that families do not break this law, the government has formed the Population Police, whose job it is to find -- and get rid of -- third children. Luke (also eventually called Lee) is a third child who is first terrified of the law and later leads a group of "shadow children" in a battle for their freedom. In Among the Brave, Luke is missing and it is up to his brother and Trey, another shadow child, to find Luke and to save him. They have to be extra careful, though, since the Population Police have overthrown the government. Plus, Trey is afraid of being outside after spending his entire life indoors, hiding. Will they make it? I hope so! I can't wait to finish the book and find out!
First, I read Say What? by Margaret Petereson Haddix. In it, Sukie notices her parents acting really strange. For example, she knows she is not supposed to use glitter anywhere except the kitchen table or else her parents will yell at her. But when her dad catches her running with a tub full of glitter, and then she drops it all over the living room rug, all he says is, "Don't pick your nose. That's a gross habit." Huh? That doesn't make any sense. Sukie and her brothers have a kid meeting to figure out what's happening -- have her parents been replaced by robots whose voice programs have gone bad or what? When they figure out what's going on, they decide it's time for war -- kids against the grown-ups. Who wins? Read this funny book to find out.
Almost Forever by Maria Testa is a novel written in a series of poems. The narrator is a six-year-old girl in 1967 who finds out her father has to go to Vietnam. He tells her not to worry:
"Doctors don't fight.
We take care of
the people
who get hurt
in the fighting."
"Doctors get hurt, too,"
Mama
needed
to say.
"Bullets and bombs
do not care
that you went
to medical school."
Her father writes them every day, until one day the letters stop coming. Where is he? Will he come home? Will he forget what she looks like? Will she remember him? Why is this year taking so long? Read this book to find out.
I am almost done with the fifth book in the popular Shadow Children series. Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix is another suspenseful chapter in this story of the future. For those of you unfamiliar with the books, a brief summary: Sometime in the future, it is illegal for families to have more than two children. In order to make sure that families do not break this law, the government has formed the Population Police, whose job it is to find -- and get rid of -- third children. Luke (also eventually called Lee) is a third child who is first terrified of the law and later leads a group of "shadow children" in a battle for their freedom. In Among the Brave, Luke is missing and it is up to his brother and Trey, another shadow child, to find Luke and to save him. They have to be extra careful, though, since the Population Police have overthrown the government. Plus, Trey is afraid of being outside after spending his entire life indoors, hiding. Will they make it? I hope so! I can't wait to finish the book and find out!