They Came From the Trees by Christopher Francis

 

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source: I own a copy

We have a great young adult novel with characters from one of the author's previous books. Margaret, Bailey and Sheldon have returned from, "That Thing in the Sky" which was about an invasion where aliens healed a lot of people on earth. They healed Margaret's mother of her cancer and Sheldon's father of his blindness.  In this book the aliens are back, but they aren't like the ones before. We have aliens who decide who is worthy to live and who should die. They want to merge with the healthy humans to create a "perfect" world. For everyone who has ever read dystopian/utopian books such as, "The Giver", we know there is always a flaw in those types of worlds. Sheldon, Bailey, and Margaret join up with a group of other teens who are doing their best to survive. They face some tough life changing situations and have to make some tough questions. I like that Mr. Francis didn't water this down as far as the fight scenes with the aliens. It truly was like watching a movie. I must continue with the next book, "They came to the Island."  This is really a must read for everyone who likes Science Fiction.

Student Saturday: The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry

Student Reviewer: Sophie H.

A 16 year old teenage girl wakes up in a cabin in the middle of the woods. She has no memory of who she is or how she got here. She is tied up, scared and confused. She has obviously been tortured and as she regains consciousness she overhears  two guys talking about killing her. She tries to stay one step ahead of the people after her. Aong the way she meets this guy named Ty. He helps her find a safe place to stay. The teenage girl is very strong and reminds me of the trait of perseverance. She goes 100% at any challenge she faces despite the difficulty or delay in her success. This reminds me of families. You have to trust your family because of how much you love and care for them. She also had to trust her fellow peer, Ty to help her get to a safe place and survive this mess she is in. I would recommend this book to my peers and young adults.

 

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Genre: Middle Grade Realistic Fiction
Source: I own a copy

Jason Reynolds has written a powerful book here with a powerful message. Rashad Freeman is a young African American who has stepped into  a local store to buy a snack. His trouble begins when a white lady trips over him. The store owner causes him of trying to steal and the cop in the store takes things a little too far. Rashad is beaten to the point of being hospitalized.

Quinn Collins is a white boy on  his way to a party with friends when he heads to the local store to get some beer.  What Quinn gets is a front row seat to a young boy being beaten. The problem is that it is someone he knows and looks up to. 

What struck me was how the events that happened could have been ripped right out of the headlines today. As a teacher I could read how the teachers were feeling knowing they were told not to talk about it. I've been in their shoes where we've been told not to discuss certain incidents with students in the classroom.  I felt like some of the teachers were told how they were supposed to feel.

I was happy the way the author handled the tensions within the school and community. Awesome book everyone should read.