Orphea Proud Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Orphea's honest and gripping tale will be an inspiration to all those who champion individuality. One day, Orphea came home from school, and found all her personal belongings packed. Orphea had no clue what was going on. After a long drive that her brother took her to Virginia to leave her to live with her Aunts in the hills. Orphea's Aunts ran a country store.

Orphea's Mother Nadine died young, Orphea's brother Rupert was older, Apollo was Orphea's father who was a preacher, Lisa was Orphea's best friend. One day Orphea still wants to go to Queens,N.Y. to recite her poetry on stage.

This book is full of surprizes to the reader, which makes the book hard to put down.

Doormat By Kelly McWilliams

Doormat is about Jamie and Melissa two fourteen year olds who are best friends. They are also both involved in theater. Melissa is beautiful, popular and wants to be a model. Jamie is the reliable friend who would do anything for Melissa. So when Melissa becomes pregnant it is up to Jamie to help her out. Zach overhears them talking one day and helps Melissa and Jamie through all of this. After some convincing by Zach and Jamie, Melissa tells her parents and has the baby. Melissa's parents are not happy with what has transpired, but eventually they come to accept what has happened. Jamie and Melissa have both their lives changed, and have grown stronger because of what has transpired in their lives in the past year. This book is a quick read and grabs your attention and holds it until the end.

Tom Burnham

HECK, SUPERHERO by Leavitt

When mom went into hypertime, she got so sad she couldn't cope any more. She took off and left Heck to get by on his own, sometimes for days at a time. Heck was a super kid, a survivor, he kept going to school, getting good grades, doing wonderful art work. He liked to do good deeds. He believed they made good things happen. He Painted the picture of a street kids in hopes that this good deed would help him find his missing mom this time. He helped a little lost girl in hopes of getting food. He did many good deeds, but always with a reward in mind. His super powers worked only when he wasn't expecting a reward, only when the deed wasn't for himself. He couldn't find mom, he couldn't ask for help not even from his favorite teacher, not even from his best friend Spence in this story.

KIRA-KIRA by Kadohata

Katie rememebers the years before her sister died. The years in which everything that was delightful and glittery to Lynnie was Kira-Kira. For Japanese families in America in the 1950's life was hard. Few jobs were open to them. Both Mother and Father worked long long hours to make the dream of owning their own home come true. Money was always tight but family was important and Lynnie and Katie were special friends, sharing secrets, and hopes for the future. As Lynnie and Katie grow older, Lynnie becomes interested in popularity, makeup, guys so the girls grow apart, only to be drawn back together by Lynnie's illness. When Katie shares her experience stealing nail polish for her sick sister and other childish exploits this story is funny. When she celebrates Lynnie's life and learns from her own mistakes, this story is wise and hopeful. When Lynnie dies the story is achingly sad. This story won the 2005 Newbery Prize.

JDW

THE BOY IN THE BASEMENT by Susan Shaw

Charlie had been living in the basement as punishment for so long he had a hard time remembering food, bed, outdoors in daylight. Then late one night after his parents were in bed, the only time he was allowed out, he slipped outside to relieve himself and was locked out.
He wakes up in the hospital and as if he dropped there from outer space that part of his life is over.

The spider father looms large and maroon, always threatening. The boy never experienced Halloween, Christmas, never went to school and once he is ready to leave the hospital he discovers he is terrified of outdoors.

Cheer Charlie along his way to recovery as you read.

jdw

Playing in Traffic - Gail Giles

Skye is a Goth. She is also known to get with boys only to sleep with them and let them go. So when she takes an interest in Matt Colby he finds it hard to resist the mystery and drama that follows her. Matt is an almost invisible person. He isn't on any sports teams or in any clubs. He hangs out with Skye and gets involved with her. She then starts telling lies about her family to keep him with her. She says that her stepfather molests her, Lisa is her sister, and the list goes on. Eventually Matt, disguised as her tutor Bob, finds out the truth. When he confronts her she threatens to kill Matt's sister Katy if he doesn't stay with Skye. When Matt threatens to tell the police Skye pulls out a gun and tells him to decide who should live. The end of the book leaves you to decide what could happen or not happen. It is a quick read and the story grabs you, and holds you to the very end. I also recommend Inventing Elliot by Graham Gardner.

Tom Burnham

Pepperland By Mark Delaney

This novel is written with frankness, and compassion. This novel is an unforgettable story of loss, and redemption.

Pamela Jean, nicknamed Jean, at 16 years old looses her Mother, and lives with her StepFather Syke . Jean hardly ever sees him, which is a good thing. Jean is a teen who is super interested in Art and Music.In fact, Jean explores the attic at home and finds an electric guitar belonging to her deceased Mother. Since her Mother passed away, she has become really interested in the Beatle Music. Her Mother was a big Beatle fan, and in fact left a sealed letter for John Lennon. The Beatles were a British rock group, who were popular in the United States around the middle 1960's. John Lennon, the man the Mother wrote the letter to, composed many of the songs the group sang.

Jean went to a shrink (Psychiatrist) after the death of her Mother. It didnot seem to help her. But it was a way of getting out her worries from her brain.

Jean also had a boyfriend that was called Dooley he was a painter. This is how he made his living.

The book tells how Jean becomes an apprentice after school, to repair her electric guitar, which is a Gibson model. She learns to repair guitars from a German lady that teaches Jean the trade. To me, this is a fascinating part of the book.

I personally feel, anybody who likes Music, and Art will be amazed with this novel.



LRD. January 11/05

Bloody Jack By: L.A. Meyer

This is an account of a ship named" Dolphin" that sails the oceans in pursuit of pirate ships . It also relates the story of Jacky Faber, a girl who dreams of being employed on board the warship Dolphin with an all male crew. Jacky is an orphan in London, tired of begging from perfect strangers.

Jack is no coward, and a very daring individual. She makes her interview for the job on board, and it is hired to be a crew member of the ship. She is disguised as a twelve year old boy, till the ship has a hole blown through the side, and is slowly taking in water. During the whole ordeal the Dolphin ship approaches an island. This is very convenient , because the crew can swim to shore.
There are many exciting incidents I have not mentioned . Read the book, and you will find out. My favorite is how agile Jacky is, climbing the rope to the tall mast. I personally, could never in my youth hoised myself up in the dark .

The book is very interesting, and holds the interest of any reader. I recommend this novel very much.


LRD. Jaanuary 11/05

Glory by Jodi Lynn

Glory Mason is 13 years old and lives in a rural Christian community in West Virgina called Dogwood. Dogwood is a small commuinty of about 60 people, and everyone knows everyone. They are like one big family. So when Glory gets in trouble for throwing a biscut at the reverend, she becomes an outsider and most of the people in the town don't even acknowlege her. Her own father won't even speak to her. On the night of the Christmas Eve party Glory and her best friend Katie go and play on the frozen lake. Then the ice breaks and Katie falls into the frezzing lake. Katie ends up dying. Glory is found guilty of the death of Katie. She is cast out of Dogwood and heads toward Boston. After days of crossing through the woods she finds a barn and takes shelter there. She is found by a boy named Jake and they become friends and over the following days she reveals to him her life, but not why she was cast out of Dogwood. He then agrees to take her to Shadow Tree, the closest town. What does the future hold for Glory? Will she redeem herself in her families eyes? To find out read the next three books in the series: Shadow Tree, Blue Girl, and Forget Me Not.

Tom Burnham