Book Review: The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean

Genre: 
Adventure stories, historical fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 10 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 920, Grades 4 and up

Book Theme:
Adventure, running away from family, changing identity

Books with Similar Themes:  
The Mostly True Adventure of Homer P. Figg by W. R. Philbrick,  Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli

Bibliographic Information:
McCaughrean, G. (2009). The death-defying Pepper Roux. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. 

Plot:  
Young Pepper Roux is a young boy from France who has just turned fourteen. It's a day he has dreaded his whole life. When he was born his aunt Mireille, a devout Catholic, dreams that St. Constance speaks to her and predicts that Pepper will die when he turns fourteen. His whole family believes the aunt and spend all of Pepper's life waiting for his untimely death. They are sure his fourteenth birthday is his death sentence, and so is Pepper, so he decides to run away from death  by stealing his father's identity as a ship's captain. While posing as his father the ship is sunk under questionable circumstances Pepper must change his identity again in order to avoid trouble, which leads him on a wild adventure of repeatedly changing his identity and running to a new one, all the time afraid that St. Constance and death will finally find him. It eventually it becomes clear that his past and all the running are going to catch up with him. Can Pepper survive, or will his life end?

Review:  
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux is a story that is both beautifully written and captivating. Pepper's adventure's are so vivid that you want to know what will happen to him next and who he will be. Pepper is a young boy who is struggling to find his place in the world like many tweens, and to make sense of a family belief that has haunted him his whole life. Pepper also, like many tweens, wants to establish independence. He chooses to try to escape his fate instead of waiting for it to overtake him like his aunt would have him do, something many tweens will admire. Pepper is also a tween that others can relate to because his is naive about some things, which gets him into trouble, but he is also much wiser than some give him credit for. Pepper Roux is a story tweens will love for its adventures and suspense, and for the character of Pepper himself. It's a great read for any tween who wants to read a great story of adventure and self-discovery.

Notable Tweens:
 Pepper Roux- Pepper is the only tween who is prominent in this story, but what a tween he is! Pepper is intelligent, adventurous, and resourceful, which can be seen each time he changes identity. The death prediction has made Pepper an old soul in many ways, and although he is young he typically fits in better with adults than those of his own age group. Despite his obvious youth many adults forget how young he is and view him as an adult as well. Pepper can fool adults, but his lack of life experience is often what gets him into trouble and forces him to assume another identity. In spite of that Pepper is a loveable child who longs to escape his curse and to find a place that he can call home.

Book Promotion #4

Book Promotion #4

Book Review: Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction, Australian Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 10 and up

Reading Level:
Grades 4 and up


Book Theme:
Family illness, childhood cancer, death of a loved one



Books with Similar Themes:  
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry, Up on Cloud Nine by Anne Fine

Bibliographic Information: 
Gleitzman, M. (1991). Two weeks with the Queen. New York: Putnam.

Plot:  
Twelve-year-old Australian boy Colin Mudford's little brother Luke can be really annoying. He always seems to get more attention than Colin and more presents than Colin on the holidays. Then one Christmas Luke gets a terrible stomach ache and has to go to the hospital. Luke is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and his devastated parents decide to send Colin to stay with his aunt and uncle in England to spare him the pain of his brother's dying. Colin decides he has to find a cure for Luke's cancer, and plans to speak with the Queen so she can help, but this doesn't prove to be as easy as he thought. Along the way he makes friends with a Welshman named Ted who shares that his friend Griff is also dying from cancer. Colin later learns that Ted and Griff are lovers and that Griff is actually dying from AIDS. When Colin watches Ted lose Griff he realizes that he has to get back to his brother, but is not sure how to since he family doesn't want him there.

Review:  
Two Weeks with the Queen is a story that does an excellent job of showing the stages of grief through a young boys eyes. Colin moves from shock to denial, then from anger to acceptance like many tweens with loved ones facing death. Like many tweens Colin also has to establish his independence, especially from his aunt and uncle, who try to keep him from reaching the queen. He also has to prove to his parents that he has a right to be with his brother, no matter how painful it is to watch him die. Like Colin many tweens are faced with painful situations in life and must prove to their parents that they are strong enough and mature enough to face them. This book illustrates that point perfectly, making it a must-read for any tween coming to terms with the death of a loved one, especially a sibling.

Book Review: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Genre: 
Historical Fiction


Interest Level:
Ages 11 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 750, Grade 4 and up


Book Theme:
Moving to a new culture, family survival, migrant life



Books with Similar Themes:  
 Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata, Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse

Bibliographic Information: 
Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic Press.
        
Plot:  
Young Esperanza Ortega lives a privileged life in Mexico with her mother and father. When her father is killed, her uncle the mayor tells her mother she must marry him. If she refuses him can make terrible things happen to the family. Esperanza and her mother decide to flee to the United States to work in Southern California. Life is very different there. The living conditions are cramped and the adults must work all day. Esperanza, who never even learned how to sweep the floor, must start pitching in as well and helping to take care of the smaller children and do chores. But after a sand storm her mother becomes gravely ill and it is feared that she will die. Esperanza is terrified that she will lose her mother too and become an orphan. Will her mother be able to pull through, or will Esperanza lost both parents?

Review:  
Esperanza Rising is a compelling story that tells the tale of a young girl determined to survive and keep her family intact in the face of difficult times. Esperanza deals with a number of tween issues including fitting in in a new place, something she finds very difficult at first. She also has a very close relationship to her mother, reflecting the importance of family that is often seen in tween literature. Esperanza also develops independence when she has to help take care of her mother and of the children around her. Esperanza rising is great story for tweens who are part of migrant families or who want to learn more about what it's like to be in a migrant family. Esperanza is a great role model to tweens because she is strong, determined, and brave in the face of adversity. 

Book Review: How it Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages by Judith E. Snow

Genre: 
Non-fiction


Interest Level:
Ages 11 and up

Reading Level:
Grades 5 and up


Book Theme:
LGBT parents, bullying, fitting in



Books with Similar Themes: 

Let's Get This Straight: The Ultimate Handbook for Youth with LGBTQ Parents by Tina Deen-Fakhrid, GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel

Bibliographic Information: 
Snow, J. E. (2004). How it feels to have a gay or lesbian parent: A book by kids for kids of all ages. New York: Harrington Park Press.
        
Plot:  
How it Feels to Have A Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages is a nonfiction book that interviews children of gay and lesbian parents from elementary school age all of the way to people in their thirties.  It includes the stories of ten tweens between the ages of 9 to 14 named Trisha, Justin, Sophia, Lilly, Avery, Tara, Ally, Andrew, Chloe, and Rickey. All of these children share their experiences with having gay parents including what it was life to find out their parents were gay, how they feel about their parents today, what it was like living with a parent's new boyfriend or girlfriend, how their classmates treated them, how they were sometimes teased, and how likely they thought it was that they would be gay themselves later in life. The stories were all taken from interviews with the tweens and all ended with the question of what they wanted to do when they grew up.

Review:  

How it Feels to Have A Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages is a great book for tweens because it tells these ten tween's stories from each tween's perspective. All of these tweens dealt with things like accepting family issues, fitting in at school, dealing with teasing, bullying, and losing friends, and dealing with prejudice. This book does a great job of sharing these stories in the tween's own voices, making the stories sound authentic and easy to relate to. Best of all, it shows that tweens with gay or lesbian parents are just like all other tweens. This book is great for any tween with a gay or lesbian parents who wants to know they are not alone or wants to hear the stories of other people their own ages. It's also a great way to educate all tweens of what it's like to have a gay or lesbian parents so they can better understand their peers.

Book Review: From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction


Interest Level:
Ages 12 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 690. Grades 6 and up


Book Theme:
LGBT parents, family issues



Books with Similar Themes: 
Holly's Secret by Nancy Garden, Box Girl by Sarah Withrow

Bibliographic Information: 
Woodson, J. (1995). From the notebooks of Melanin Sun. New York: Blue Sky Press.
        
Plot:  

Thirteen-year-old Melanin Sun is growing up in the city and being raised by his single mother, to who he is very close. Melanin has a few close friends and a crush on a girl named Angie. He also like to write in his notebooks. Life seems to be going pretty easy for Melanin until one day his mother tells him that she had fallen in love with a woman. Melanin is beyond upset and starts to worry that his friends will bully him, ostracize him, or that he could be gay himself! He does everything he can to avoid his mother and wants nothing to do with her ever again, but this isn't easy living in the same apartment. To make matters worse, his mother wants him to make friends with her girlfriend! This is all too much for Melanin, who starts to fear that his life will never be the same again! Can he ever mend his relationship with his mother?

Review:  
From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun touches on some tough issues that tweens deal with today. Melanin is a young boy who has grown up being afraid of gay people, and suddenly there is a gay person in his life, his mother! Many tweens discover that their parents are gay for the first time and feel the same shock, horror, anger, and fear that Melanin feels. Sometimes they have to adapt to a parent's new boyfriend or girlfriend as well.Throughout the book Melanin struggles to find independence from his mother while also missing her terribly. He also starts to discover the opposite sex and has a crush on a girl he fears will reject him when she knows the truth, a fear many tweens in his situation share. The Notebooks of Melanin Sun is a great book for any tween who learns his or her parent is gay for the first time and is having a difficult time coping, or for a friend of such a tween who wants to understand what their friend is experiencing.

Notable Tweens:

Melanin- The main character of the story, which is told in his voice. Melanin is a young boy who loves to write in his notebook, even though his friends make fun of him for it. He loves his mother fiercely despite his negative reaction to her being a lesbian.

Sean and Raphael- Melanin's two best friends, they often play basketball together and spend lots of time hanging out together during the summer. Sean is not accepting of Melanin's mother. When Sean discovers the truth about Melanin's mother he calls her homophobic slurs and the two get into a fist fight, which ends their friendship. Raphael accepts Melanin's mother and the two remain friends.

Book Review: F is for Fabuloso by Marie G. Lee

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction


Interest Level:
Ages 10 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 760, Grades 4 and up


Book Theme:
Moving to a new country, telling the truth, racism


Books with Similar Themes: 
A Step from Heaven by An Na, Dragon's Gate by Laurence Yep

Bibliographic Information: 
Lee, M. G. (1999). F is for fabuloso. New York: Avon Camelot Books.
        
Plot:  
Seventh grader Jin-Ha and her parents have just moved from Korea to the United States and are slowly settling into the American culture. Learning the language and way of life hasn't been easy for them. Jin-Ha's mother refuses to speak English in public after someone is rude to her at the bank, and Jin-Ha has to start translating for her mother wherever they go. Jin-Ha is doing alright at her new school, she's even made some friends, but there's a group of boys that make fun of her and call her racist names. And to make matters worse, she got an F on a math test! When her mother asks her about the grade Jin-Ha lies and says that F is for Fabuloso and is the best grade she could get. Jin-Ha feels terrible about lying and knows she needs to bring up her grade, but her teacher refuses to give her extra help. One day one of the mean boys offers to tutor her, and Jin-Ha accepts, but with some reservation. Is he playing a trick on her, or will he really help her? Will her parents discover her lie?

Review:  
F is for Fabuloso is a great story for any tween who has had to bring home a bad grade to their parents and not wanted to disappoint them. It's also a great story for any tween who has just moved to a new culture and is learning its language and customs for the first time. It is also great for any tween who has been teased or bullied because of their ethnicity. The story shows the important role that Jin-Ha's parents play in her life but also the developing role of her friends and her peers around her. Jin-Ha's story is also great for any tween who is interested in Korea culture. The story shares references to life in Korea, Korea food, and some of the Korean language as well. The story also touches on the issue of racism, something many tweens still have to deal with in this day and age. Jin-Ha's story is a great one to share with any tween looking to understand what it's like to live in a new culture and to have empathy for people and cultures that are different!

Notable Tweens:

Jin-Ha- The main character of the story, Jin-Ha and her family have recently moved from Korea and are becoming adjusted to their new home. Jin-Ha is frustrated by her mother's refusing to speak English and becomes worries that she will never learn English or make friends. Jin-Ha wants to please her parents with good grades, but is finding it to be harder than she thought.

Maggie- Jin-Ha's boy-crazy friend, Maggie loves staring at boys and talking about them, and sometimes Jin-Ha and her friend Deanna have a hard time getting Maggie to focus on school work.

Deanna- Jin-Ha's other good friend, Deanna is smart and studious, but also has a big mouth and sometimes accidentally says things that are mean. Despite this Jin-Ha still considers her a good friend.

Grant- One of the boys who bullies Jin-Ha. Grant is a hockey player like his older brother, but really just wants to study math. His father won't hear of it though and wants him to focus on hockey. Grant offers to tutor Jin-Ha, but she is unsure if she can trust him.