This is the last of the found book reviews. I know there are others I've read and not yet reviewed. If I owe you a book review know that I will get to it. Feel free to email me to remind me or ask me about your review.
Lesson of the White Eagle – Barbara Hay
All 15-year-old Dusty
wanted was to go to his hometown's bash for the 1893 Land Run centennial.
Instead, he finds himself a witness to a hate crime, and he's the one driving
the getaway car. Now a mystical white eagle has invaded his dreams, making him
question everything he thought he knew about Indians and the bonds of childhood
friendship. After the white eagle takes Dusty back in time to see the horrors
the Ponca people endured on their forced removal from what would become
Nebraska to Oklahoma Territory, Dusty must decide whether or not to act on the
lesson he has learned from seeing in action one of the first American civil
rights activists: the Ponca's own Chief Standing Bear.
My Thoughts: Racism, discrimination, prejudice, these are
not just words whose meaning we want to teach to our children. It is the
responsibility of every adult to teach our children about these issues and the
proper way to handle them. Barbara Hay has found the method to address these
issues through this book. Her main character is a fifteen year old teen named
Dusty who must decide how to handle a situation. It will mean he must decide to do what he
knows he should and run the risk of losing his friends, or stick with his
friends in something he knows is wrong. You need to read the book to see what
he did.
I loaned this book to a student who seemed
surprised that this happened to a Native American. Living in Florida the only Native Americans
they were familiar with were the Seminoles and they thought that all of them
owned gambling establishments. This book
is the perfect way to discuss these major issues. I applaud the author for opening the door for
these conversations.
Stealing Kevin’s
Heart – M. Scott Carter
Their small town saw Alex Anderson and Kevin
Rubenstein as the most unlikely of best friends, but that is just what the
handsome athlete and the artistic Jewish brainiac are: inseparable buddies
since childhood. Then Kevin dies in a motorcycle accident, and his parents
blame Alex. And Alex blames himself. His grieving derails both his studies and
his football, and he is sent away to a camp for troubled youths in the wilds of
southeastern Oklahoma. Borderline suicidal, Alex finds his way back to sanity
among the pine trees and clear lake waters thanks to a girl with a secret, a
group of misfits, and the most unselfish gift a person can give another.
My Thoughts: After seeing his best friend killed in an accident Alex is
sent away to a cap for troubled teens.
He's so depressed he is suicidal.
His parents are hoping camp can help him with his depression. Alex is not you just automatically know how to go through.
It is an uphill battle. At camp Kevin finds others who have problems as big or
bigger than his. Is it possible that
this camp is the one place that can help him?
This is one of those books that touch your heart and brings out the
emotions. Be sure to read it with
tissues in reach.
Patalosh: The Time Travelers
Ten-year-old Orion Spence
never expected to wake up alone on the HMS Exploricusafter
his birthday. After finally locating the first officer of the time-traveling
airship and the rest of the crew, Orion gets the horrible news. His parents,
who serve as captain and science officer, have been kidnapped by the evil
Emperor Daaggerd. The emperor has taken Orion's parents in order to gain
control of the Exploricus and also the Ancient Book of Spells, a
powerful book Orion's family is pledged to protect.
Orion joins forces with the ship's officers and begins a desperate chase across
space and time to save his family. First, Orion must unravel the clues to the
seven keys on each continent needed to open the book. Then, he must
pass deadly tests of strength, honesty, leadership, and everything else
that is important to be the keeper of the Ancient Book of Spells.
My Thoughts: Want a
great time travel book that pushes learning about different cultures? This is the book for you. The day after Orion’s
birthday he finds himself alone. His
parents have been kidnapped. He will
have to travel to different continents, solve seven riddles and keep the evil
Emperor Daaggerd, who kidnapped his parents from getting his hands on “The
Ancient Book of Secrets”. He has several
trusty friends who are willing to die to help protect Orion and the book. I know my students will find this as
thrilling as I did. Wonderful details and the plot is pushed along at a
great pace. Definitely recommending this
one to my students.
Precious Bones – Mika Ashley-Hollinger
Meet ten-year-old Bones,
whose playground is the Florida swamps, brimming with mystical witches, black
bears, alligators and bobcats. Bones' father, Nolay, a Miccosukee Indian, is
smart and mischievous. Her Mama, practical as corn bread, can see straight into
Bones' soul.
It's
summer, and Bones is busy hunting and fishing with her best friend, Little Man.
But then two Yankee real estate agents trespass on her family's land, and Nolay
scares them off with his gun. When a storm blows in and Bones and Little Man
uncover something horrible at the edge of the Loo-chee swamp, the evidence of
foul play points to Nolay. The only person that can help Nolay is Sheriff
LeRoy, who's as slow as pond water. Bones is determined to take matters into
her own hands. If it takes a miracle, then a miracle is what she will deliver.
My Thoughts: I love reading anything that has to do with
the Florida Swamps. I live in Florida
and the Everglades is one of the most glorious swamps around. Bones and her
best friend Little Man love spending their summer hunting, fishing and
exploring the swamp. Her father Nolay is a Native American with somewhat of a
temper. When two yankees come offering
to buy his land he scares them off with a gun. When one of them turns up dead
in the swamp Nolay becomes the prime suspect. Bones knows her daddy better than
anyone. She knows he is innocent. Since the sheriff is taking so long to prove
it she figures it is up to her to find out what is really going on. This book
reminded me of Carl Hiaasen's book "Flush". I believe my students will enjoy this as much
as I did.
