THE BRAID

Frost, Helen. The Braid. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.
ISBN: 0-374-30962-0; $16.00 US; Hardcover.

(Image Credit: http://www.sarahmillerbooks.blogspot.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice

NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts

Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry Honor Book

ANNOTATION:

Through narrative poems, the story of separated sisters, who each carry a braid of their woven hair, is portrayed.

BOOKTALK:

Sarah and Jeannie face an insurmountable obstacle when their family must be separated. Sarah chooses to remain behind with grandmother in Scotland; Jeannie will travel to Canada with the rest of the family. How can two sisters, two girls who in spirit have become one, ever say goodbye?

"Then Sarah braided my hair with my own, close and tight, so our heads were touching...She must have stayed awake until I slept. She must have had her sewing scissors tucked into her pocket. She'd cut the braid close to our heads, tucked half into my hand-You/me/sisters/always."

A small braid of hair; yet, a token that forever binds Sarah and Jeannie as they grow up. Both experience sadness and first loves, but more importantly, develop the courage to stand up in life and demand more. Will Sarah and Jeannie ever see each other again? Find out what happens when love and hope is woven into The Braid.

THE SLAVE DANCER

Fox, Paula. The Slave Dancer. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1973.
ISBN: 1-4169-7139-4; $6.99 US; Paperback.
(Image Credit: http://www.underagereading.wordpress.com/)


AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Newbery Medal, 1974
Starred Review, School Library Journal: "Spellbinding...will horrify as well as fascinate."
Starred Review, Booklist: "Movingly and realistically presents one of the most gruesome chapters of history."
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

ANNOTATION

13-year old Jessie Bollier finds him kidnapped and thrown aboard a slave ship where his job is to provide music for the slaves.


BOOKTALK

"At midnight...I heard a sound as though a thousand rats were scrambling up the hull of The moonlight. I heard the cold dead clang of metal striking wood. I heard one piercing scream. My teeth began to chatter."

Such are the sounds heard on a slaver; a ship destined to make profit by transporting slaves from Africa to Cuba, and eventually The United States of America. Jessie Bollier dreams of New Orleans at night; his mother and sister why by now must think he is dead. But dreams are rudely shattered when Jessie must stand on deck and watch the crew whip the slaves into movement when he begins playing his fife.

Is this really what slavery is? How Africans are brought to America? If so, Jessie Bollier wants nothing to do with it. In horror, Jessie Bollier will leave his innocence in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and question what it means to be an American.

Sadness marks the journey of The Moonlight. Yet, a spark of hope is ignited that not even the ship's captain and his crew can contain. To understand what makes us human and long for freedom, pick up The Slave Dancer and forever be changed.

THE BRONZE BOW

Speare, Elizabeth George. The Bronze Bow. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1961.

ISBN: 0-395-13719-5; $6.95 US; 45th Anniversary Paperback.

(Image Credit: http://www.randombuzzers.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Newbery Medal, 1962

Starred Review, School Library Journal: "A moving, vivid, and well-written picture of the spiritual vs. the material, vengeance vs. love."

Boston Herald: "The characters vividly real, the story gripping."

Booklist: "A dramatic, deeply felt narrative whose characters and message will long be remembered."

ANNOTATION:

David bar Jamin, a young Jewish rebel devoted to driving the Romans from Israel, finds his heart beginning to change when he meets Jesus of Nazareth.

BOOKTALK:


Burdened with the deaths of his parents at the hands of the Romans, and a sister who has gone insane with fright, David bar Jamin finds himself content living in the hills with a band of thieves. Food and money are plentiful if one has the guts to steal it. And don't forget to throw away your conscience while you are at it, because there is no room for thoughts of remorse when one is buildling an army to one day reclaim a lost country.

Yet, David's interest veers in another direction when he hears talk of a carpenter from Nazareth who gathers crowds of more than a hundred when he speaks. Could he be the one who is destined to save the Jewish people? But why is he preaching that one should love their neighbor? Only hate and blood can drive the Romans back to their country; not stupid feelings of respect and tolerance.

What was once a lust for vengeance becomes a tangled web of love and hope in David's heart that only he can unweave in order to save himself. Be prepared for another vital piece of history vividly portrayed by Elizabeth George Speare. Whether one is Jewish, Christian, or athiest, every reader will walk away with the desire to purge thoughts of hatred and revenge from their souls.

SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER

Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier. NY: Bantam Books, 1973.

ISBN: 0-553-27247-0; $3.50 US; Paperback.

(Image Credit: http://www.marshall.edu/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

ALA Notable Book of the Year

New York Times Book Review: "An exceptionally fine novel!"

Publishers Weekly: "Courageous and compelling!"

ANNOTATION:

Patty Bergen defies her family and the town of Jenkinsville, Arkansas, when she refuses to give in to hate by helping a German prisoner escape.


BOOKTALK:

This isn't one of those happily ever after stories where the brave stand up against injustice and win. In fact, Summer of My German Soldier is considered controversial for its offensive topic of racism. Yet, Patty Bergen's story must be read in order to catch a glimpse of the emotions boiling under the surface of America during World War II. There was the obvious hatred of Germany, yet there also prejudice againsts African-Americans; many willing to enlist in the army and fight for the country that mocked them.

Many World War II books focus on the persecution of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis, yet Bette Green shows us the flip side of war by portraying a young Jewish girl befriending a German soldier. The moral of the story? Hate blinds us all, and the Germans suffered as well.

You will laugh, cry, and even pound your fist on the table, when reading Summer of My German Soldier. You will discover that Frederick Anton Reiker, a young German boy forced to fight for Hitler, is not the enemy.

THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE

Cushman, Karen. The Midwife's Apprentice. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.
ISBN: 978-0-06-440630-7; $5.99 US; Paperback.
(Image Credit: http://www.libraryvoice.wordpress.com/)


AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS


Newbery Medal, 1996
ALA Notable Children's Book
ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults
New York Public Library List of Recommended Books
ALA Booklist Editors' Choice
School Library Journal Best Book

ANNOTATION:

A young girl, with no name or past, discovers herself as she becomes the apprentice to a midwife.

BOOKTALK:

"Tonight she settled for the warm rotting of a dung heap, where she dreamed of nothing, for she hoped for nothing, and expected nothing."

This is Brat's world. Or Beetle, as she is called by the villagers because she was found sleeping in a dung pile. With no real name, education, or remembrance of her parents, Beetle takes on the task of being a midwife's apprentice only because she will get fed and have a floor to sleep on. Yet, within the magical world of medicine where new life is brought into the world, Beetle begins to feel something stirring inside her. Could she possibly become a midwife herself?

Karen Cushman shows us how with a little determination and courage, one can change the course their life is set on. And Beetle decides to dream big. First step, change your name to Alyce. Second step, never look back.

Find out what happens when Alyce stands up to fate which would have kept her in the dung heap, in The Midwife's Apprentice.

A RIDE INTO MORNING

Rinaldi, Ann. A Ride into Morning: The Story of Tempe Wick. NY: Harcourt, 1991.

ISBN: 0-15-200573-0; $15.95 US; Hardback.

(Image Credit: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Booklist Reviews: "A suspenseful read with enough everyday detail to make it realistic and enough adventure to make it exciting."

"A suspenseful read, realistic and exciting."

Children's Literature Review: "This is an exciting, adventurous story...entertaining and historically accurate."

ANNOTATION:

Based on real historical events during the Revolutionary War, two young women are caught up in the throes of a mutiny while sheltering soldiers on their farm.

BOOKTALK:

Tempe Wick. The officers camped outside their front door just say her name and start to swoon. Yet, 14 year old Mary Cooper can't stand her older cousin, Tempe, who acts like she is too high and mighty to care about the war going on outside their front door. While Mary secretly takes food to her soldier friends in camp and learns about the heroic actions of General Washington, Tempe just spends her days complaining and riding her beautiful horse, Colonel, for hours. Why can't the officers see the mean side of Tempe that Mary sees everyday, instead of falling head over heels in love with her as soon as she looks at them?

Yet, the hushed whisper of the word, mutiny, is about to change everything; including the real feelings raging inside Tempe. Is Tempe going to allow the mutinous soldiers to borrow Colonel for one night, in order to make their demands in front of the generals? If so, how can Mary put a stop to it?

Ann Rinaldi has won numerous awards for her historical fiction, and once again shows readers that history can have excitement and intrigue. You will never look at the Revolutionary War with the same eyes as you saddle up for A Ride into Morning.

NOBODY'S PRINCESS

Friesner, Esther. Nobody's Princess. NY: Random House, 2007.
ISBN: 978-0-375-87528-I; $16.99 US; Hardback.
(Image Credit: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/)


AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Starred Review, School Library Journal, July 2007:

"Fans of mythology or historical fiction will enjoy this lively tale."

Publishers Weekly: "Friesner's rendering of a vivacious and nervy Helen should easily win fans."

Booklist: "It's a rollicking good story all the way to the abrupt conclusion, which will leave readers crying out for a sequel."

ANNOTATION:

Helen of Sparta, the beautiful woman who caused the mythology Trojan War, is depicted as a young girl torn between her royal duty and wanting to be independent.

BOOKTALK:

Remember learning about the mythology Greek Gods: Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Artemis?
Or what about the daring kidnap of Helen of Sparta, which launched the Trojan War? Well, put aside those stale lectures from class, cuz this mythology story is anything but boring.

Helen of Sparta might have been the most beautiful woman in Greece at the time, but what was she like as a teenager? Did she always want to be a queen, confined to her rooms to spin cloth while the men got to hunt and practice with swords? Not in this story!

Friesner makes mythology fun and exciting as she shows what it was like being a young girl in early Greece, and how Helen asserted her independence by demanding to learn how to fight just like her brothers. Her parents might have scoffed at her demands, yet don't you think those fighting skills would help her as she grew up to be a queen?

Find out why Helen considers herself Nobody's Princess. And then pick up the sequel to read why Helen is Nobody's Prize!