Reviewed by: Anna Swisher

The plot of this story is very strong and an excellent one. Everything happens (or is mentioned) for a reason. An example of this is the introduction of the character, Spiller, in the beginning of the story. About early mid-story, Spiller appears again to help the Pod, Homily, and Arrietty through difficult times, and then he disappears again. Characterization is excellent also. All of the main characters are well-developed. For example, the author reveals a great deal about Spiller through his adventurous manner, and his daredevil wildness. When he is mentioned in the story, we know that there is something adventurous or crazy that he has done, or will soon be doing.

This book is an excellent example of a good young adult storybook. The Borrowers Afloat could be used as a literature circle book in about the 5th grade, or possibly as a book the teacher reads to the class in a 3rd grade classroom. There is also an interesting perspective in relation to the size of the characters and all of their daily happenings. I find it very interesting the uses the Borrowers make for things that are sized for us. I also find their rules of borrowing interesting, especially not to borrow too much from one person or family. Like I said, it is a different perspective, one that could be analyzed and embellished even more. Excellent book!

Reviewed by: Jodi Picou

Francie, written by Karen English, was a historical fiction chapter book for upper elementary students about a poor twelve-year-old black girl living in Alabama during the mid-part of the twentieth century. The story told about Francie’s life with her loving family, achieving high marks at school, doing housework with her mom for white people, and struggling with the racial inequalities she saw all around her. Jesse, the secondary hero of the story, was an older non-literate boy who joined her school, quit to work to support his family, then got wrongly accused of beating a white man. Francie made the righteous, but perilous, decision to secretly feed Jesse while he hid nearby, until he escaped on the Amtrak to California. The plot, characterization, content, style, and descriptive language all received high marks for this wonderful portrayal of a young hero and heroine. The author gave a true and sensitive account of this unjust era that preceded the Civil Rights Movement. The book received Coretta Scott King’s award for Non-Violent Social Change Peace and Brotherhood.

Reviewed by: Susan Bradway

This volume promises an intriguing insight into Spanish involvement in the Revolutionary War through a fictional adventure. Unfortunately, the book tries too hard to be multicultural and all encompassing. Within the first six chapters, British, Spanish, French, Irish, Quakers, Lipan Apaches, and Comanches are introduced in short segments that jump back and forth and create a confusing plot line. Between pages 53-55, the author switches settings and characters four times. Cattle rustlers, a love interest, spies, and Native American renegades pop out from almost nowhere. Additionally, this book references its prequel frequently without a follow-up explaining the references. The reader is left to guess the content of Lorenzo’s father’s letter, and why Dunstan is out to get Lorenzo.

Although this is a confusing book, it introduces many concepts that are overlooked in American history. Students are usually taught about early Spanish explorers, but there is almost no information about Spanish contributions to the American Revolution. Older students would probably enjoy the action romance, once they sorted out the characters and intertwined plots.

Reviewed by: Jessica L. Willis

Why did Isabel’s mother permanently leave their family, without any explanation at all? Isabel, an eighth grader, is confused and cannot comprehend why her mother committed suicide. Isabel takes on her mother’s responsibilities, as there is an underlying assumption that this is what must be done. Near the end of the story, as Isabel is thinking to herself, she reflects, “I think about the space my mother left and that I must fill ” (p.292).

Isabel watches as her entire family deals with life by avoiding dealing with her mother’s death. Her father leaves early each morning to fish and stays gone all day, arriving home to drink beer and fall asleep on his bedroom floor where his wife took her last breath. Isabel’s brother takes to carving “I hate you” on his bedroom wall and eventually, on his arm. Their little sister, Olivia, has wet her bed each night since her mother passed away. Eventually, Isabel is so frustrated by not knowing why her mother committed suicide and why her father avoids talking about her mother, that she takes her anger out on her father, thinking he doesn’t care about how his family is falling apart. Her outburst, along with her brother’s hospitalization for carving “I hate” in his arm, is the start of the family’s healing.

This 308-page chapter book is divided into one-to-two page chapters, with a list or a few sentences sometimes composing a chapter and is therefore, a very quick read. It is geared toward an audience of 6th to 9th graders. It deals with how each family member reacts to the mother’s death. The book is very well written and is realistic in terms of how people can react so differently to the same situation. It teaches how others are not to blame for a loved one’s suicide, and that denial, anger, and being hurt are emotions that are acceptable and eventually must be dealt with, and finally, how life must go on for the survivors.

Reviewed by: Mary Janti

This book had strong characterization that held my interest in reading the story. David and his friends seemed like typical teenagers, wanting to have fun, wanting to belong, and searching for answers. His parents seemed concerned and realistic in their everyday actions. All of the characters seemed honestly portrayed. The plot was intriguing with suspense and some surprises. For example, I didn’t expect his friend to get shot. I also wasn’t sure if David would survive.

I think this book gave an honest portrayal of life for an African American teenager during the tumultuous 60’s. This book would be a great addition to a unit about civil rights or multiculturalism. The author wrote in such a way that the story flowed along quickly and it was easy to follow the plot and understand the characters.
This book didn’t receive any awards but I felt it should have because of its honest portrayal of the life of an African American teenager in the 1960’s. It did not offend any race or culture and it equally showed the different sides of the situation and environment in which this story took place.

Title: The Revealers
Author: Doug Wilhelm
Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374362556

Reviewed by: Susan McKenzie

Written with a powerful theme, The Revealers is a book depicting the daily life of students bullied at school, both from the viewpoints of the “bullied” and the “bullier.” Three friends, know as “The Revealers,” are the targets for bullying until they unite and innovatively force everyone at school to face what’s going on—the bullying. Characterization, plot, and content are vividly strong and realistic in this book through the storyline and description of students being bullied and those doing the bullying. A proactive stance is taken by students being bullied instead of the often seen “ignoring-it-and-it-will-go-away” stance.

Evidence of research by the author is apparent throughout the book. In several places Wilhelm tactfully and strategically provides information about how to handle bullies and why they bully others. Within the culture of school, Russell, Elliot, and Catalina deal with peers and bullying. Catalina is bullied by a group of popular girls because she is from the Philippines. Elliot is teased by a group of athletic boys because he is interested in dinosaurs and space. Russell is a new target for school bully, Richie. These roles depict common reasons for bullying within the culture of school. They deal with the bullying through the use of testimonies and the school computer network.

This book has excellent potential for enriching the curriculum. I would use it as a literature circle book with social connections for students to make. It would also be a great read aloud book to use for class discussions centering around bullying, cliques, and friendships. These are important themes for middle school age students. Catalina, Elliot and Russell use a scientific experiment to deal with the bullying. It would be interesting to have student use their model to conduct their own experiments concerning bullies. I will definitely buy multiple copies of this book to use in the classroom. It is appropriate for intermediate and advanced level students. I rated it with and overall rating of 3 (on a scale of 0-3, 3 being the highest)!

Reviewed by: Kersten Christianson

Carl Sandburg’s book of short stories, Rootabaga Stories, takes the reader on a fantastical journey through Rootabaga Country. Here, the reader is introduced to such magical places as Liver-and-Onions Village and the Village of Cream Puffs. Characters such as the Potato Face Blind Man and Corn Fairies weave their tales around a Midwestern setting and the moon high above lays in wait for girls to toss up their dancing slippers.
Text is matter-of-fact magic. Initial contact with text may have you uttering nonsense, but the stories possess such fantasy that it’s hard to put the book down once begun.
Maud and Miska Petersham are the illustrators behind the stories. Their ink illustrations do much to carry along the text. Both text and illustrations complement one another. The drawing of White Gold Boy and Blue Silver Girl standing on fingertips surrounded by snowflakes (p. 44) is particularly magical.

This book is worth further exploration. While it is recommended for readers 8 and up, I think it could easily be adapted to a middle school level as well. It would serve as a wonderful model for story development.

Reviewed by: J. Laurie Ethridge

This book was enjoyable. The short tales are the author’s recounting of his younger days, as well as past generations, and are all based in Mexico. The tales are surrounded in mysticism and life lessons. Most young adults will enjoy this book and hopefully, take away the message that there is power, and purpose in most life experiences. It is well written and catches the reader’s attention quickly. His narrative style writing is clear yet vibrant. This is a young adult novel and there are no pictures, however Villaseñor connects each tale to a more practical or life application explanation.

This book does address some more mature themes (death, childbirth) and should probably only be used in intermediate or higher classrooms. This would be a good cross-cultural book or one that can be themed to mystic tales, family stories, and Mexico.

Victor Villaseñor is an award-winning author, he was chosen by the New York Public Library for its distinguished list of Books for the Teen Age.

Title: Waiting for Dolphins
Author: Carole Crowe
Published by: Boyds Mills Press
ISBN: 1-56397-847-4

Reviewed by: Kim Pile

The conflict of this story comes in the form of a young girl struggling with the death of her father and the anger she feels towards herself and her mother. Small flashbacks provide insight into Molly’s relationship with her father, "...he throws his arms around both of us, as the earth tips to meet the sun, and I pray the sunset will offer up a flash of green for Daddy.” (p. 8)

Molly is a strong, young girl. Her dynamic character will grow throughout the book as her journey into adulthood is challenged. “And even when the boat began to roll and my face slipped under the water, even then, I knew my mother would set me free.” (p. 133)

Thanks to the author’s generous use of extremely visual words, we are transported to the Carribean Islands. “From a distance, a hillside of red flowers made the Manchioneel Island look as if it were on fire.” (p. 86)

The author's use of imagery, as found in the following examples, sets a spectacular scene for the reader:

“Purple bougainvillea draped the hillside like a satin sheet.” (p.98)
“We sat under umbrellas in lounge chairs. Yellow bananaquits, called sugar birds, were poking into small dishes of sugar left out for them on poolside tables.” (p. 93)
“Hummingbirds, iridescent green and purple, flitted in and out of drooping red blossoms like fat bees.” (p.98).

This story deals with alcoholism, death, grief, and anger in an understanding and interesting format.

Author and female adventurer, Carole Crowe, lived aboard a sailboat for fourteen years. During this time, she encountered a hurricane like her character, Molly. Ms. Crowe's own travels, sailing experiences, and interviews with children provide insightful information for this story. More information on Carole Crowe can be found at: www.carolecrowe.com

Interested in writing? Visit the following website: www.absolutewrite.com

Title: The Return of Calico Bright
Author: David Winkler
Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0-374-38048-1

Reviewed by: Jani Eckard

This book reflects on Callie, a young teenage girl from an average middle-class family who struggles with normal teenage problems. But her life takes an unexpected twist when her parents separate. To make sense of what is happening in her life, Callie decides to travel to the Madras Mountains to capture the spirit of her great-great-great-great-grandmother, frontierswoman Calico Bright. Callie's adventurous trek leads to self-discovery.

David Winkler, the author, provides the reader with a clear background and authenticity of life as a teen. It would serve well to supplement the curriculum as it covers very real coming-of-age situations and real-life problems.