A Long Way From Home by Laura Schaefer

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Science Fiction

Source:  I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Abby Monroe has just moved to Florida. Saying she doesn't want to be there is an understatement. Her mother works for SpaceNow and she never gets to spend much time with her. Her mom seems like all she is interested in is making sure her daughter follows in her footsteps.  Abby only wants to go back to Pennsylvania and her friends. Then she meets two young boys, Bix and Adam. They need her help. They need a place to hide out and food. They need her to believe that they come from the future. Abby agrees.  Things seem to be more difficult than she imagined. Bix and Adam are in her time trying to locate the exact time and place that Adam's sister will arrive. This is important for Adam's sister and all of this time period.  

I loved this book. We learn why Abby's mom is so caught up in her work. We learn why Abby's mom and her aunt have not spoken in years.  We learn the real underlying reason they moved to Florida. The twists and turns kept me reading non-stop. The lessons learned by all characters and what the author's message was to readers is what made this book so wonderful.  I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book.

Student Saturday: Other Words For Home by Jasmine Warga

Student Reviewer Alicia M.

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse

Jude is a girl from Syria. She was very interested in American songs, actors, and movies. She has black hair and black eyes. She had a very close relationship with her friend Fatima. they have close birthdays and similar intersts. She also shares interests with her older brother Issa.

Violence starts to breakout in her city, Allepo. Her family begins to worry when Issa, Jude's older brother moves to a violent city. Jude finds out her mother is pregnant. Soon after, her mother tells Jude they are going to move to America. Jude struggles to adjust to the "American way" of living. She feels left out and weird when she goes to school. She tries to build a relationship with her cousin Sarah. Jude started her period so she had to wear a hijab. She feels prouder and she feels included in school. Her younger sister is born and that was a sign of hope to her.

If I was Jude I would have felt the same, but I would've handled things differently. If I was homesick I would have told someone so I could have comfort. I recommend this book to anyone who feels bad  about their culture, looks, and religion. Being different shouldn't be a bad thing. This book shows the struggle of a teenage girl trying to fit into a new environment. It encourages people to do things that intersets them no matter looks and culture.

 

Student Saturday: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

 

Student Reviewer: Andrea J

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Jean, a young girl has loved lots of people. I'm not going to lie. She reminds me of myself. There's one part of the book where she wrote notes to the boys. One of the lines was "I miss you. It's only been five days, but I miss you like it's been five years."

I know I might be young and all but boys are dumb. I've only dated two people and I haven been able to get over one. Then we stopped talking. I felt like one week of talking felt like a month and the month kept getting longer and longer. I think this is important ot the book because there coul dbe lots of girls out there that felt the same way so this book is a great example o to show how Lara Jean dealt with it.