School Librarian Review You can't go wrong with Alan Gratz. His historical fiction is gritty, violent, truthful, and heartwrenching. This one seemed a School Librarian Review You can't go wrong with Alan Gratz. His historical fiction is gritty, violent, truthful, and heartwrenching. This one seemed a little more violent than his others, so I would keep it for High School, or a select few middle school kids.
I love that we learned the history of Okinawa through the eyes of a native, rather than a Japanese or American soldier's POV. It felt more gripping and the losses more devastating. ...more
School Librarian Review: Kids might love this book. If they go in expecting it to be a teen romance, rather than anything with any hint of historical School Librarian Review: Kids might love this book. If they go in expecting it to be a teen romance, rather than anything with any hint of historical value. It is simple and fluffy, and the characters would probably intrigue middle or high school readers.
A teacher might be able to use this as a jumping-off point for how fragile our democracy is, or how the US is unique...when it could just as easily be just the same as any other monarchy.
I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but those who are the target audience might love it.
Personal Review: I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would. The characters were fine, but spoiled - which is the whole point, but it still made it hard for me to care about them. The Idea that Washington chose to accept the crown is a very interesting idea for alternate history. I loved the idea, but then it became a lot like every other monarchy and so...why? I was hoping that the American monarchy would become something more interesting than just following all the old rules.
So, I guess this is just a teen romance set against the backdrop of a Royal Family, which happens to be America. This was not as interesting as I had hoped.
SPOILER: - - - - Also, I didn't realize this was a series...and the ending was infuriating! - - - - - Not a single character got what they wanted...everyone's life sucks and there is no joy anywhere. ...more
The Audiobook version of this is so well done! I would recommend it over a paper version...and I don't usually say that. The voice actors were perfectThe Audiobook version of this is so well done! I would recommend it over a paper version...and I don't usually say that. The voice actors were perfect for their roles.
Librarian's Recommendation: I would put this in a high school, maybe a middle school that isn't too conservative. There are references to sex and some drinking scenes, and the kids are not avoiding it, it's just a normal part of their experience. If that's going to cause parent complaints...you should be aware of them. I, however, would defend this book and would put it in my school.
This is a great book for teaching kids that friendships can be broken...and it's hard to repair them. A single action, or inaction, can have lasting effects and these cannot always be fixed with an 'I'm sorry'.
The families here are broken...but not through anything devious or illegal...just life taking bad turns. Each family has to deal with unimaginable loss before the book begins, and it is interesting to see how the pre-history of the character defines their outlook in the face of a new tragedy.
While the story is interesting and the topic is important, the writing was not fun to read. He is a journalist...and this was a very long article. TheWhile the story is interesting and the topic is important, the writing was not fun to read. He is a journalist...and this was a very long article. There was a ton of facts, but little human connection.
I had never heard dof Bass Reeves. And I guess that's the point of the book. Gary Paulsen asks why are we glorifying the criminals of the Wild West anI had never heard dof Bass Reeves. And I guess that's the point of the book. Gary Paulsen asks why are we glorifying the criminals of the Wild West and overlooking the truly good people?
This is a story that is very scarse on research material, so Mr. Paulsen does the best he can and then imagines the rest. He tells us the truths and then he tells us a story. It's an interesting way to get the facts of Bass Reeves life o there while also entertaining us and asking us to think.
Well done, again, Mr. Paulsen You are a jewel!...more
The back of the book pretty much tells the whole tale...but reading the details inside the book makes it an amazing experience. The memories of this sThe back of the book pretty much tells the whole tale...but reading the details inside the book makes it an amazing experience. The memories of this small boy are so real, and yet so incredible. ...more
I hate it when I read a really good book, but I can't put it into my library because there is a single-sex scene or unnecessarily vulgar language. In I hate it when I read a really good book, but I can't put it into my library because there is a single-sex scene or unnecessarily vulgar language. In this case, I am super disappointed because neither of them was really needed. I get that this was a high school senior, but truly, she seemed like an 8th, 9th or 10th grader to me. I would have loved to put this book into the hands of some of my 5th grades. The story was awesome. But, I can't because there's off-screen sex (which is a talking point between characters) and the word orgasmic (which I know my kids would go online to lookup).
Damn!
This is a book perfect for discussion about economic inequalities. So much discussion. If only I could go back in time and ask Mrs. Stone to reconsider those two moments...
I thought this was an excellent idea for a novel. I was really looking forward to it. I won and ARC and it was personalized by the author with a cute I thought this was an excellent idea for a novel. I was really looking forward to it. I won and ARC and it was personalized by the author with a cute note and everything.
Unfortunately, it's not written at the right time. The story pales compared to what is actually happening in the world today and can't live up to the 'possible' future when read at the same time our current days are so much worse.
I am so sorry that the year 2020 took this book and made it obsolete.
It took me a long time to write this review because I don't want to hurt the authors feeling. I'm sorry, but I was not able to connect with the characters, and the whole book broke the whole 'show, don't tell' rule. It was unlikely that the entire world would start to riot because of a few teachers...and yet, here we are. I hope you keep writing, but please get a few beta readers first and a good editor before you publish it. There was a lot of potential here, but it seem like a good example of why people should not self-publish. ...more
A clever and cute book that will connect easily with many of the students in an elementary or middle school library. It is a quick read, but funny andA clever and cute book that will connect easily with many of the students in an elementary or middle school library. It is a quick read, but funny and it keeps you interested all the way through....more
This is a strong historical memoir of a girl trying to keep her head down and get a university education in a Korea that does not value women or free-This is a strong historical memoir of a girl trying to keep her head down and get a university education in a Korea that does not value women or free-thinkers, and seemingly torn apart by riots. Pulled in two different directions by her traditional mother and her new school friends she must step carefully as she follows a path that leads to a more democratic Korea.
This is a Young Adult title, with talk and images of torture and hints of rape as a form of torture. This is not a book for everyone, but to the right audience, it is a perfect addition to a liberal arts library, or to expand an inclusive world-view collection. I would not put it in a middle or elementary school library - it has mature themes on more than on occasion. Librarians should read this book for themselves before deciding to put it in their collections.
As a graphic novel, I found it a bit confusing because there were not enough differentiation between some of the characters in the early chapters. There were a lot of characters introduced very quickly and I found the personalities as well as the physicalities hard to distinguish. Once the main events started to happen I found myself looking back to the introductory pages to see which character was involved. The black and white drawings did not help add detail, although it did compliment the 'historical' feel of the book.
As for the plot and storytelling: I wanted more detail about the parents, but that was simple and sort of thrown away. I wanted to see what happened with the professor, but it was never resolved. I wanted to know the actual facts of some of the time between the memories and the reunion - and the final chapter seemed a bit too simple for the excellent story detail and tension in the rest of the book. It seemed too quick, with not enough purpose. I left the book feeling a bit let down - as if I had been rushed out the door after an excellent lecture....more
PERSONAL REVIEW - I LOVED this book. Three stories separated by time and place - but all so similar. Three young people are forced to flee their home PERSONAL REVIEW - I LOVED this book. Three stories separated by time and place - but all so similar. Three young people are forced to flee their home and search for safely. At different points in the story their stories seem almost the same - water, breaking glass, relationships with the local police - but each story is also completely unique. I felt so much as I read this book.
TEACHER REVIEW - This is a MUST HAVE in every level of school library. It would be a great read-aloud for upper elementary or middle school. There are so many topics that would fit into any curriculum, and a bazillion ways discussion groups could use these stories. I highly recommend this book to teachers. ...more
PERSONAL REVIEW: This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I kept wanting it to be fiction...and then I would remember that it was a memoPERSONAL REVIEW: This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I kept wanting it to be fiction...and then I would remember that it was a memoir of a real person who lived through these events. Tense, and real. I hate to say I 'loved' it, but I will say that I truly believe that it deserves a five-star rating.
TEACHER REVIEW: I want to have all of my students read it...but I am not sure I am up to the discussions that would follow as a middle-aged, middle-class white woman. The ability for our kids to read history from the point of view of someone who lived through it at the same age they are as they read it is a tool that should be used.
The c0-author explains in the afterward that he spent a lot of time working on making this a book easy to read and all the events happen as seen from the point of the view of the main character. He makes the reader feel as if they were actually at the camp, in the barracks, or playing soccer. Well written for a younger audience. Adults should read it, too....more
TEACHER REVIEW: This is a harsh book in a lot of ways. There is a dark underside to the entire thing which made me uncomfortable reading it. As a middTEACHER REVIEW: This is a harsh book in a lot of ways. There is a dark underside to the entire thing which made me uncomfortable reading it. As a middle-class, well-educated, cis-female I am not the target audience here. It was not 'real' to me like it would be for many of my students.
I'm telling you right now - find an inner-city black youth's review. Read it and use it - not mine.
But, as a teacher I may still have some useful incites on the book anyway. Windows and mirrors...that's what we talk about in library circles. Is any given book a window for readers to see how other people live...or, is it a mirror - reflecting what we already know, showing people like us and validating our experiences. I love books like this that are windows for me. I will never be a teen-age black boy living in gang territory, worried about gang violence - and yet I feel that I knew more about that life than I did before I read it. I go out of my way to find windows...or doors - those amazing books that actually invite us to join another world.
This book is interesting, and helps me to see life from inside someone else's head. But, the story is a little hard to read. There are three main threads which overlap, but don't weave together very well. I like that the author touched on mental disabilities, GLBTQ+ issues and bullying, but I didn't connect with these characters in any meaningful way.
The relationships were the real strength of this book. I loved the characters interactions with each other. There were ups and downs in every relationship. There were times when the characters were not comfortable with each other, and couldn't tell themselves why. The books was 'real' to me when the characters were just being people in their own stories. I loved the people and their relationships.
I want to read this as a book club book. Again, as a white woman I may not be the best moderator for this discussion, but I am who I am and that's my only choice. I believe this would be a great learning experience for me, my kids, my students and my staff. I highly recommend this book for its honesty and truths - and only moderately recommend it for its story...which has some pretty big holes in it.
Grades: 5th and up. (Drugs, guns, violence...nothing extreme, but it's in there.)
I received an ARC of this book and just finished it. I was unaware it was a series, so I was not prepared for the ending to be as unfulfilling as it wI received an ARC of this book and just finished it. I was unaware it was a series, so I was not prepared for the ending to be as unfulfilling as it was. There were a lot of loose ends, and I am a bit disappointed in it. I think others will enjoy it more than I did if they know it will be unfinished.
The story was engrossing, and I loved the main character. She was flawed but had a good heart. I loved that she was a 'normal kid' until something happened to her, which cannot be changed. There is no hope that the problems in her past will every be magically 'fixed' or that there was some mistake. It happened, she knows it, she is learning to move forward. She is her own person.
I like the ideas behind the setting. There are plausible advances in technology. The games and teams are similar to what we are familiar with today, and yet it seems 'other' enough to catch our attention. The game is simple but addicting, just like many of the games we see today.
The 'mystery' plot is intriguing. I had no idea who the bad guy is...and I like that feeling. The chase is fun to watch, and the twists are clever. (More on that later...)
If I have a problem with this book it is the character of Hideo. He is too static, cardboard, simple, cliche...whatever you want to call it. Every step of the way I can see what he is going to do or say. He is not threatening when he is supposed to be, nor attractive when he should be. Every time he entered the scene, I felt that it was breaking the novel. I think it may be that Marie Lu wrote all the other characters as Teen Lit and this one was straight out of a Bodice Ripper. He could have been in any of the Harlequin Romances and been written the same way. I strongly disliked him, from beginning to end.
And the character of Zero was exactly who I thought he would be once that piece of the puzzle was hinted at earlier in the book. I enjoyed the mystery until the last reveal because I truly believed the author wouldn't be so obvious as to write the plot in such a cliched direction. I had hoped that the ideas would be a red herring...but no. It was an obvious ending for a book that was very well written up to that point.
Love the main character and her team - hated the main love interest and his part in any scene. Neutral rating for the book as a whole.
SCHOOL LIBRARIAN REVIEW: Kids will love this book. It's about video games, virtual reality, hunts, tricks, assassination attempts and just a bit of romance. There is a dream where the main character wakes up in bed with a man, but it is not 'sexy'. There is also a hint that two males were in a relationship, but nothing obviously sexual is involved there, either. Drugs, pornography, and other similar subjects are discussed in relation to the 'dark web', but nothing more than the idea that bad people can get anything they want if they are willing to enter these dangerous places.
I would put this in middle or high schools. Seeing as its a series, I expect the relationships to get more physical in future books, so I am not willing to put it in my K-5 collection. ...more
Two stories told at the same time, every other chapter. One - a young girl writes an amazing novel and has to learn how to deal with the expectations Two stories told at the same time, every other chapter. One - a young girl writes an amazing novel and has to learn how to deal with the expectations of greatness, even though the book is a first draft. The other - A young girl gains paranormal powers after surviving a terrorist attack.
PERSONAL REVIEW: I LOVE Scott Westerfeld's books. I do. But this one was...soft. It had a malleable plot, a bunch of fuzzy characters, a wishy-washy setting. It was good, but not great. Unfortunately for this book I have come to expect greatness from Mr. Westerfeld. I enjoyed the book, but as I finished it I was left with a feeling of sadness that it was not as good as it could have been. He has a few amazing ideas, but they don't grow into anything...they fizzle. Sigh.
LIBRARIAN REVIEW: A book I think would be great for many young adult readers. It is an interesting way of explaining the realities of the publishing world. I would love to book-club it with some of my more mature kids. There are some amazing discussions that could come from reading this. I love his writing style, and a few of his characters are great. I like the setting of the underworld in the paranormal sections, and I think that a young reader would enjoy the book more than I, an older and more jaded reader, did.
Notes to those who are thinking of adding it to their library collection without reading it. You need to know...(view spoiler)[ The main female character is gay and has a wonderful (although not graphic) relationship with another woman. (I'm not hiding this because she is gay, I'm hiding it because finding out she is gay is a wonderful little scene in the book.)
Also, there are a lot of the word 'Fuck' in this book, a few in the early chapters, and more often as the book goes on. (hide spoiler)]...more
I loved the character and the story, but I wonder how much of the 1950's 'feel' is going to be understood by the kids this was aimed towards. It wouldI loved the character and the story, but I wonder how much of the 1950's 'feel' is going to be understood by the kids this was aimed towards. It would be great as a read-aloud or a book group. I want to know what the kids think of the situation of a black housekeeper in the household of a rich white kid. ...more
This book is simple, a bit formulaic, admittedly cliché, and yet is also a lot of fun. I hope that the I'm a fan of any book that gets kids to read...
This book is simple, a bit formulaic, admittedly cliché, and yet is also a lot of fun. I hope that the series gets tighter, the characters advance and the plot ties together a becomes a bit more compelling as we go along, but I am intrigued enough to read another book in the series and I am probably going to put this book in the elementary school library where I work. There is nothing exceptionally violent in it, although some people are killed. The writing is simple and easily understood and the story will appeal to reluctant readers. High interest - lower reading level. A 'good enough' book for the average reader as well.
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