Book Review: Equinox

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction


Interest Level:
Ages 12 and up

Reading Level:
Grades 5 and up

Book Theme:
Moving, island life, family separation


Books with Similar Themes: 
Home Is Where the Heart Is by Anne Mazer

Most Quoted Passage from Book:
"There are some things you don't have to think about, things that are simple and solid. Leaving this island is one of those. I can't leave the island. If I do, I will no longer be me."



Bibliographic Information: 
Killingsworth, M. (2001). Equinox. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
      
Plot:  
Fourteen-year-old Autumn lives on an island off the coast of Washington state with her family. Autumn loves the island and can't imagine living anywhere else,but when her father Harley announces one day that they should move away Autumn's world is turned upside down. The idea of leaving the island is just too heartbreaking for Autumn. She can tell her mother would be happier away from the island, she spends so much time away from it anyway, but she knows Harley loves the island and is reluctant to leave. He says he wants Autumn to go to a better school, but Autumn knows his heart is breaking too. Her friend Forrest buys her a journal and she writes about her sadness as they get closer to the move. Autumn finds some comfort in Forrest and Jane, two of her adult friend, which make things a little easier. But then she discovers a chilling family secret, the very reason they are leaving the island, and her life will never be the same.

Review:  
Equinox tells a story that many tweens will have to face in their tween years, which is moving away from the place they love best. The story is told from the first person and does a great job reflecting Autumn's despair, anger, and eventual acceptance of her inevitable move away from her home. It also tells the story of a family with a secret, a secret many tweens could accidentally discover in their own family. In many ways this is a coming of age story in which Autumn starts to learn the truth about many things and must learn how to accept the truth, something we also must do as we learn and grown. Nature-loving and ocean-loving tweens will enjoy this story, in which Killingworth describes the island so beautifully. This is great read for any tween who is going through or has been through tough family times, or a heartbreaking move away from a beloved home.

Film Review: Penelope

Genre: 
Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Romantic Comedy


Interest Level:
Ages 10 and up

Rating
PG

Theme:
Self-acceptance, self-discovery, romance


Films with Similar Themes: 
Shrek, The Princess Diaries


Bibliographic Information:
Beutel-Arnold, C. (Producer), Curling, C. (Producer),  Greenspun, D. (Producer), Greenspun, R. (Producer), Molasky, A. (Producer), Roban, M. (Producer), Russell, D. (Producer) & Palansky, M. (Director) (2006). Penelope. [Motion Picture] United States: Summit Entertainment.

Plot: 
Penelope Wilhern is a young woman who at birth was cursed with the nose of a pig. Penelope comes from an aristocratic family and the only way for her curse to be broken is for someone of her own kind to accept her. Her mother, embarrassed by Penelope's nose, locks her away and refuses to let her go outside. She also arranges for rich and aristocratic young men to meet Penelope in the hopes that they will fall in love with her, marry her, and break the curse. Unfortunately every time the men see Penelope they become terrified and run away! One day Penelope meets a young man who she really starts to like, but when even he refuses to marry her she decides she's had enough and runs away from home. Her mother panics, more terrified that somebody will see her daughter's nose than for her daughter's safety, and starts to look for her. Meanwhile, the young man who rejected Penelope starts to have second thought and also goes looking for her. Will Penelope's mom find her and lock her away forever? Will the young man find her and finally break the curse? Will Penelope be doomed to have a pig nose forever, or will she finally find someone to accept her as one of their own kind?

Review:  
Penelope is an excellent film that teaches people to look inside themselves for inner-strength and self-confidence, a great lesson for many tweens who are struggling with the day to day issues of becoming older. Penelope, although in her twenties, is a great role model for tweens and shares many of the same problems that tweens do. She struggles to establish independence from her family and she struggles with with body image issues and self-esteem issues. She also begins to discover love for the first time. Penelope is a great role model for tweens because she is smart, independent, and eventually learns how to be self-confident and even how to like herself. The movie Penelope is a modern family tale that teaches us never to settle for less than ourselves, an important lesson for tweens especially to learn!

Book Review: See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 12 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 600, grade 5 and up

Book Theme:
Family dysfunction, family tragedy,  LGBT siblings


Books with Similar Themes: 
One for the Murphy's by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Ice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor



Bibliographic Information: 
Knowles, J. (2012)  See you at Harry's. Berryville, VA: Candlewick Press.
      
Plot:  
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible in her family. The family is made up of her father, who owns their family restaurant and thinks making embarrassing commercials with the family is a great idea, her mother, who spends a lot of time retreating to meditate, her older sister Sara, who is eighteen and not enthused about working in the restaurant, her fourteen-year-old brother Holden who has been acting funny and spending too much time with a high school boy, and her three-year-old brother Charlie, who drives her more nuts than anyone! Fern finds comfort in her friends Random (Ran) and Cassie, but still wishes she could have a different family. Then one day a terrible tragedy happens that threatens to rip her family apart, and Fern learns about the value of family and the importance of forgiveness, especially of herself.

Review:  
This emotional, gut-wrenching story tells the tale of a tragedy every family prays will never happen to them. It depicts Fern's emotions so well, from her annoyance and frustration with her family, her anger at the people who are mean to her older brother, and finally the total grief and despair she feels after a tragedy she believes is her fault. Her emotions are real, raw, and potent, and the reader will cry right along with her as she moves through her grief. This book contains many tween issues such as the need to fit in, the confusion of being annoyed with family while simultaneously loving them deeply, the profound role a friend can play in life, and the full-circle of the grieving process. This is a great story for any tween wants to reach out to a friend that is grieving but doesn't know how, it gives a snap-shot of how to be a supportive and kind friend. It's a must-read for all tweens and adults, just make sure you have some tissues handy!

My Additional Thoughts:
Of all the books I have read this semester, this is the one that has touched me the most. After I read it the book stayed with me for days, it was just that good! It really touched a nerve during a scene when Fern is being bullied on the bus. Fern's feelings were just like I remember them being when I was bullied at that age, which made the story and characters seems even more real to me! This book doesn't sugarcoat anything and describes feelings of grief and despair in ways I believe tweens would really feel them. This book deal with some difficult topics, but it all feels so real, which makes it one of the best books I've encountered yet!

Notable tweens:

Fern- Named after Fern from Charlotte's Web, Fern's mother believed that she would be a kind and caring person who would be a good friend. At twelve Fern doesn't really feel that way and just feels annoyed with her family, especially her little brother Charlie. What's worst is that Charlie loves Fern best and won't leave her alone! Fern is entering middle school and discovers it's not very fun. Thank goodness for her friends Ran and Cassie, middle school would be too much without them, and facing the family tragedy would be almost impossible without them!

Ran- Fern's good friend, Ran's mother has just recovered from cancer. This was really hard on Ran, but now that she is better he goes around wearing t-shirts about breathing and being in the moment. Ran reminds everybody to be calm and that things will be OK.

Holden- Fern's older brother, who is fourteen. He tells Fern not to sit in with him in the back of the bus, and when she sees him getting bullied she becomes furious. Holden starts to become more withdrawn and starts spending a lot of time with a high school boy, and their father isn't too thrilled.

Book Review: The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang

Genre:
Realistic Fiction, Diary Novels, First Person Narrative, Humorous Stories, LGBT fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 9-12

Book Theme:
School cliques, popularity, LGBT parents, comedy


Books with Similar Themes: 
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Best Friends and Drama Queens by Meg Cabot


Bibliographic Information:

Ignatow, A. (2010). The popularity papers: Research for the social improvement and general betterment of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang. New York: Amulet Books.         

Plot:  
Best friends Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang are in the fifth grade and have no idea how to be popular. They decide that together they will embark on an investigation to discover what makes people popular. They keep a diary and write their observations of several girls in their class. When they try to follow what works for the popular girls,it doesn't work out so well for them. During their study a boy gets a crush on Julie and writes her a song that the choir sings in front of the whole school (talk about embarrassing!), Lydia has an unfortunate incident trying to dye her hair with bleach, and both girls learn that not calling their parents is not the best way to get their own cell phones. Trying to be popular doesn't prove to be as easy as they thought; it even begins to ruin their friendship! Can the two girls make up and be friends again, or will the desire to be popular be more important?

Review:  
This hilarious book is one that tweens will love on so many levels. It takes the everyday struggles of fifth grade and paints them in a comical light to which tweens can still relate. It deals with all sorts of tween issues like establishing independence, wanting to fit in, and noticing the opposite sex. Some of these tween issues can be painful, but this book puts a spin on them so that they are funny enough to make a tween laugh but funny in a way that the tween will feel the writer is laughing with them and not at them. Despite the humorous approach this book is a very empathetic one that addresses difficult tween issues in a way that is both safe and enjoyable! This book is a define must-read for tweens who are trying to fit in or who just want a good laugh!

  
Notable tweens:

Lydia Goldblatt- Lydia is the more outgoing of the two friends. She is the one who does most of the observations of the popular girls. Lydia has a beautiful voice and loves singing, but never gets picked for solos because one of the popular girls, who can't even sing, always gets picked! Lydia thinks this is very unfair. She also gets teased by one of her male classmates who calls her Lydia Goldbladder. Lydia hates this but eventually decides to use it to her advantage. She has an older sister named Melody who is really weird, but she starts to discover that Melody isn't as bad as she though.

Julie Graham-Chang- Julie is the quieter of the two friends and the one who does all the writing in the journal. Julie is being raised by her two dads. When one of the popular girls makes mean comments about her dads Julie doesn't understand what the big deal is. Julie joins the field hockey team and realizes she isn't that bad at it. When one of the boys in class likes her, she is mortified. Julie is definitely less enthusiastic about their experiment than Lydia is, but she decides to go along with it anyway.

Film Review: Kit Kittredge: An American Girl

Genre: 
Historical Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 8-11

Rating
G

Theme:
Family, financial hardship, friendship, book-to-film adaptation


Films with Similar Themes: 
Ramona and Beezus, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer


Bibliographic Information:
Roberts, J. (Producer), Yeres, M. (Producer),  & Rozema, P. (Director) (2008). Kit Kittredge: An American girl. [Motion Picture] United States: New Line Home Entertainment.

Film Website
 http://www.kitkittredge.com/ 

Plot:  
Ten-year-old Kit Kittredge (Abigail Breslin) is growing up in Cincinnati in 1930's during the Great Depression of the United States. Kit is an aspiring journalist and wants to be published in the local newspaper. When her father (Chris O'Donnell) loses his job and is forced to look for work in Chicago, Kit's mother (Julia Ormond) turns their home into a boarding house in order to keep a roof over their heads. Kit is heartbroken after her father leaves, but also starts to make some new friends, including two hobos named Wil and Countee (Max Tehieriot & Willow Smith) who help the family fix things in exchange for food. The boarders don't trust the hobos, but Kit knows they are good people. When Kit's friend Ruthie's (Madison Davenport) family is robbed, Will is blamed and disappears. Kit knows he didn't do it and has to prove it somehow, but will she be able to do it?


Review:  
This fantastic film touches on many tweens issues such as the role family plays in a tween's life, and the desire to establish independence.The love Kit has for her family becomes very clear when seeing her sadness after her father stops writing. Kit's desire for independence also becomes clear when she continues to insist to Mr. Gibson (editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, played by Wallace Shawn) that her stories are worthy of being printed. She also shows an independent streak when she and her friends try to solve the mystery of who framed will when they do it on their own instead of going to the police. This film is a great tween film not only because it incorporates elements of life that are important to tweens, but it also teaches them about history in a way that many will find much more interesting than what's in their social studies book. The film is also family-friendly and one parents will enjoy as well as their tween. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is a great tween film that will be enjoyed by many!

  
Notable tweens:

Kit- A headstrong yet fun tween with a big heart, Kit aspires to be a journalist. She fiercely defends her friends and family and does whatever she can to help keep her family's home. She adopts a homeless dog, who becomes one of her best friends and a source of comfort when times are tough.

Sterling (Zach Mills)- A classmate of Kit who moves into their boarding house with his mother. His father had been in New York looking for work and had stopped writing back, so Sterling write his mother a letter pretending to be his father to make her feel better. Sterling helps Kit search for the person who framed Wil.

Ruthie- Kit's friend whose father is a banker, the depression has not affected Ruthie's family. Ruthie thinks Kit's house is more fun than her own and spends lot of time there. When they threaten Kit's home with foreclosure, Ruthie convinces her dad to let the Kittredge's stay longer to come up with more money. When Ruthie's family is robbed Ruthie helps Kit and Sterling to prove that Will is innocent.

Book Review: Carlos is Gonna Get It by Kevin Emerson

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 12-14

Reading Level:
Lexile 870, grades 5 and up

Book Theme:
Bullying, peer-pressure, mental illness


Books with Similar Themes: 
The Meanest Girl by Debora Allie, Gifted by Beth Evangelista


Bibliographic Information:
Emerson, K. (2008). Carlos is gonna get it. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Plot:  
Seventh grader Trina and her friends have had it with their classmate Carlos. Carlos is weird. He is always disrupting the class. He falls out of his chair all the time and then lifts up his shirt and starts scratching himself like crazy, which everyone thinks is gross. He starts saying off the wall things and acts like he's insane.  He never even gets in trouble for his outbursts, everyone else gets in trouble instead! Trina's friend Thea decides it's time to play a trick on Carlos on their upcoming school trip to New Hampshire, and wants to involve Trina in her scheme. Trina can't stand Carlos, but the more she hears about the plan the more she gets a nagging feeling that it's wrong. Trina doesn't want to go through with it, but what will her friends say if she tells them no? Will they make fun of her? Will she wind up with no friends like Carlos? Will people think she LIKES Carlos? Trina has a decision to make, and she has to make it soon before someone gets hurt!

Review: 
Carlos is Gonna Get It is a story that showcases a number of tough issues tweens deal with in everyday school life, like peer-pressure, bullying, needing to fit in, and trying to do what is right. The characters of Carlos is Gonna Get is are written with vivid description and seem almost real. Trina's conflicted feelings demonstrate a situation many tweens find themselves in, which is whether they should go with the crowd even through they know what the crowd wants to do is wrong, or take a stand for what's right and risk being permanently outcast from that crowd. This story shows that sometimes in it's not so easy to choose between right and wrong and that there can sometimes be unpleasant consequences for either choice. The ending of the book will stick with you for a long time too. It's a great read for tweens who are struggling with a making a tough decision between what their peers want and what they know in their heart is right.
  
Notable tweens:


Trina- Told from her point of view, Trina is considered one of the nice girls in her class.She's so nice that she even talks to Carlos before school sometimes, but only when her classmates aren't looking. Sometimes she gets tired of doing the right thing and once and a while wants to do something bad, but her conscience still nags at her when she and her friends are mean to Carlos.

Sara- Trina's best friend, Sara is an advanced swimmer who has goals set on the Junior Olympics. Her hectic schedule starts to stress her out, and when she accidentally injures her legs she feels like she has failed her parents, who always want her to be perfect.

Thea- The ring leader of their group of friends, Trina is always scheming and playing tricks on people. Most of the time she does little things that people deserve, like tripping a guy when he calls a girl fat. But sometimes she goes a little too far, yet not one dares to stand up to her. She had her eye set on the popular group, but they ignored her.

Carlos- Carlos is a boy who struggles emotionally and every so often comes to school acting insane. He starts acting crazy and it disrupts the entire class. He says he can't help it, but most people think he's just putting on an act so he can get out of class. He and Trina are paired up for a science project and he confides in her that he sees aliens. Trina thinks he nuts, but also starts to think that maybe he outbursts really aren't his fault, which makes it even harder for her to carry out the trick.

Book Review: Holly's Secret by Nancy Garden

Genre:
Realistic Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 9-12

Book Theme:
LGBT parents,hiding a family secret,  moving to a new school

Books with Similar Themes: 
My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari, Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume

Bibliographic Information:
Garden, N. (2000). Holly's secret. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Plot:  
Twelve-year-old Holly has just moved from New York to rural Massachusetts with her mother, her other mother KJ, her little brother, and her dog. Holly is afraid her new classmates will not be tolerant of her lesbian mothers, especially after she was teased about it at summer camp the year before and made no friends. She decides to lie and tell her new classmates that KJ is her aunt. She also decides to change her identity to become more sophisticated and feminine, so she tells everyone her name is Yvette and tries to act more confident. She befriends a group of girls and tries fit in with them, but finds it hard when she hears them calling people homophobic names. When they want to visit her house she is terrified they will find out and begs her mothers to hide the truth for her. They are both hurt but agree to do it for her, although they warn her that hiding the truth is a lot harder to do than it seems. Will Holly be able to keep hiding her secret forever?

Review: 
This story takes a hard look at what many tweens with LGBT parents go through, especially when they move to a new area. They aren't sure who to tell about their family or how they will react. Sometimes they struggle with feelings of shame or fear. They sometimes wonder what this will mean about their own sexuality. Holly deals with all of these things throughout the story and also feels the heartbreak for lying about her family. She struggles with feeling like she has betrayed her family while at the same time feeling terrified of being outcast from her peers. This book shows the strong need tweens feel to fit in and how sometimes they make choices they aren't proud of or that they regret later.  The book is written in a way that many tweens will enjoy and relate to, and is a must-read for tweens who have LGBT parents, who have moved to a new area, or who want to stand up to their friends for saying things that are hurtful.
  
Notable tweens:

Holly- The main character of the story, Holly struggles with the fear of not fitting in if her new friends discover her secret.

Julia- Julia is the leader of the group of friends Holly joins. Julia is boy-crazy, bossy, and mean. Holly is terrified of what will happen if Julia finds out the truth.

Mary- Mary is another girl in Holly's new circle. She is much nicer than Julia and at times doesn't even seem to like her, but Holly is still reluctant to tell Mary her secrets.