Book reviews for the young and the old. This site reviews children, teen, and adult books with a few interesting things thrown into the mix. Check out the labels on the right hand side for specific genres or topics.
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Punching Bag by Rex Ogle
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
Free Lunch – Rex Ogle
Genre: Middle Grade, Memoir
Source: I
purchased a copy
Middle school is tough. Most sixth graders feel like a fish
out of water on the first day. There are class changes, often it is a new
school and then, there is lunch. For Rex Ogle his first year in sixth grade is
made tougher by the fact his mom has signed him up for free lunch at his
school. He must tell the lunch lady each time he gets lunch that he is on the
free program. This is such an embarrassment for him, especially since he has to
shout it since the lunch lady can’t hear him. Rex has told his story so
honestly it is raw. You feel for him when they are evicted and must live in
government housing. It wasn’t bad enough everyone he was once friends with
knows he gets free lunch. Their new housing sits close enough to the school
that everyone will soon know how poor he is.
As a teacher I found myself very irritated at the teacher who decided
Rex would be a trouble maker simply on first impressions. I am not naïve enough
to think that all teachers are compassionate. I have worked with many teachers
that made me wonder why they became a teacher. It wasn’t because they truly
loved children. Their behavior told a different story. This story resonates
with all kids at all levels. I understood how Rex felt. We went through a
financial crisis when I was a teen. I chose not to eat lunch and tell others I just
wasn’t hungry. It was less embarrassing. Poverty hits children of all colors
and all ages. Thankfully today, students scan their ID card for lunch. No one
needs to know if they get free lunch or not. This book has a long waiting list
in my class. I recommend it to all teens.
Monday, November 21, 2022
A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Source: I purchased a copy
This is one of those books that grabs you in the beginning and won't let go. Will is outside his apartment with his best friend when a shooting occurs. From the time he was young, he has been taught what to do. If you hear shots, you "eat the pavement." After a few minutes, he stands up to see who the unlucky person is, only to discover it is his brother. Another thing he is taught is you never cry. He takes his mother back inside, where she numbs herself the way she always does. Finally, he goes to the room he shared with his brother. He looks through his brother's drawer until he finds the gun his brother has. He slides it under his pillow. The third rule of the code he has grown up with is you kill the person who killed your loved one. The next morning Will puts the gun in the back of his pants and gets on the elevator to take care of business. When the elevator stops on each floor, someone from his past gets on and talks with him, his uncle, his dad, and others. They each have advice for him. All of these are people who have died. The question we read to find an answer to is, on this long way down, would he listen to them?
My heart broke for the character losing his brother the way he did. It broke even more, knowing that so many young people live this very life. I had a student many years ago who told me he had not done his homework because they had several drive-by shootings that night. He said his biggest fear was getting struck by a bullet while sitting in his room. This is a quick read since it is written in verse. I am not sure how I feel about the ending. If you want to know what I am referring to you need to read the book.
Sunday, November 20, 2022
The Nativity Story For Children
Growing up I remember my mother reading the story of Christ's birth straight from the Bible before we opened Christmas presents. As a teen I had the privilege of doing it. When my children came along my mother once again would read the story while the grandchildren sat on her lap. This beautiful picture book has two beautiful things in one. It is straight from the Bible, yet it has beautiful pictures to accompany it. As a younger child I didn't understand all of the words. Having this book would have helped me understand this. My grandchildren are much older, yet this is the book I will take to my daughter's house to read to them. They will get the benefit of both God's word and beautiful pictures to help them understand. This should be a must read in every house at Christmas time.
Saturday, November 5, 2022
The Lonely Dead by April Henry
Adele is a young girl who lives with her grandfather. Both of her parents are dead. When she was young her grandfather took her to a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with schizophrenia. They determined it ran in the family. But what if it isn't schizophrenia? What if her ability to see and speak to the dead is real. She has taken medication for years to keep her from seeing and hearing the dead. All it took was for her to miss one dose and realize how much of life she has missed out on for her to make a conscious decision to not take any more.
Adele is invited by her former best friend to a party at her house. After a few drinks that lead to a mistake she can't take back, she is ousted from her friend's house in front of everyone at the party. It isn't until she is walking home through the park that she comes across her friend. The problem is that her friend is dead. Now Adele has become the prime suspect and possibly the target of the real killer.
The characters were spot on. You have Adele who has gone through a lot of hardships. Then you have her ex-best friend Tori who has issues of her own. All of the characters are believable. April Henry did such a wonderful job of creating her setting I could see it in my head. What I like most is the tension she creates in her novels. It steadily builds. It eases up just a bit then full steam ahead again. There are so many more of her books for me to read. I just have to get them away from my students. It seems that once you talk up any of her books the kids can't keep their hands off of them. I highly recommend this and all of her books.
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
The Nativity Book For Toddlers by Kidsup Publishing
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This is the perfect Christmas story to read to your young toddler. They have taken the Christmas story straight from the Bible and told it in a manner that your young toddler will understand. They have paired it will beautiful illustrations that your child will want to spend hours looking at. This would be a great story to read every year for young and old.