Tending to Grace By:Kimberly Newton Fusco

This novel keeps you guessing throughout the book. The story unravels till the
bitter end. All throughout the story, you feel like Cornelia the young girl, who is the major personality left with her maiden Aunt will eventually be a run away child. She is left on a farm, which is foreign to her by her Mother, and promises the young girl to return one day.

Cornelia is bright, and is a good reader,which helps a lot for her Aunt does not know how. Agatha, the Aunt, eventually learns to love Cornelia, and they become close friends. In fact towards the end of the novel,Cornelia, and her Aunt, share a secret about Aunt Agatha on a hike that many people in the town did not know. This secret turns out to be a tear jerker for the reader of the book.

LD. 9-20-04

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kaadohata

The title of this book is a Japanese word meaning glitttering or shinning. This novel is very different, because it portrays a Japanese family's struggle in Southern Georgia, and how they make a living to survive in life. The two daughters Lynne, & Katie do not appreciate what their parent's had to sacrifice in order to put food on the table. For me, the key to the story was when Lynn the older sister became seriously ill.

The other emphasis on the family was when their Mother had a baby boy. His name was Sammy. Lynn the older sister, eventually dies, and Katie and Sam are left to cope. I want to share with anyone who reads this novel, this Japanese family through their struggles, had to eat for supper a can of sardines, and white rice for their meal.

LD.

Things Change - Patrick Jones

Johanna is your typical high school junior. She gets good grades, her parents love her, and she is on student council. She feels that she always has to be perfect, and that has led her to become an outcast in high school. That is until she starts going out with Paul, who is also on student council and popular. Soon she is hanging out with the popular kids, and spending all her time with Paul. She pushes Pam, her only real friend, away. Her grades begin to drop, and she disobeys her parents. What people don't know is that Paul is hitting her every time he gets mad. She covers up the bruises by wearing long sleeves. Eventually Johanna talks to Pauls last girlfriend, and gets the real story about Paul. After hearing that she finally decides to break up with him for good. Will he change after his experience with Johanna, or will he continue his abusive ways.
This book takes you on a journey from being a nobody to being somebody, but in this case Johanna has a price to pay to keep Paul happy. This is a page turner and you won't want to put it down until you are done.

Tom Burnham