Cinnamon Girl By: Juan Felipe Herrera

When I first picked-up the book I thought I was reading a story about an African girl. It turned out to be a Puerto Rican girl living on the lower East side of New York she was called Yolanda. It is a very moving account of what took place when the Tower's fell in New York City. How it affected a Puerto Rican family, how they delt with the tragedy. One of their family members was rescued out of the debris , & layed in a hospital bed till death. He was Yolanda's Uncle D.J., who was a diabetic.

This novel is written like poetry, & some words are in Spanish. I loved the book, & it was hard to put down. The novel is based on a true event that occured in the United States. It is very moving, & a tear jerker too.


LRD 9-12-05

Looking for Alaska By: John Green

This is a novel about teens, who go to a boarding school called Culver Creek. This deals about roommates, & how the friendships start up, or the roomates do not see eye to eye at all.

The novel dea;s with friendships between boys, & girls at the School , & the ins & outs of relationships. One relationship stands out with the teen girl Alaska. All the males at School have a crush on Alaska . But Miles is the male that completes the conquest of Alaska. Unfortunately, the teens drink too much secretly off campus, & one night Alaska has a fatal car accident. Everyone at the School is in schock, because she was well liked, but intelligent too.

This novel is true to life, & could happen to anyone. I reccomend this novel to any teen.

Fear Street Nights Trilogy by R.L. Stine

The Fear mansion is finally being torn down and in its place is a strip mall and a bar called Nights. About a year before the bar goes up Lewis and Jamie are hanging out in the area of the old Fear mansion. Jamie and Lewis are the first Night people. They then fall down into an old grave, which happens to be the grave of Simon and Angelica Fear. Little do they know that they were possessed by their spirits. Fastforward a year and accidents start to happen and then it leads to murders. In the second book Jamie's cousin Dana Fear comes to live with her and her family. She joins the Night people late at night at the bar Nights. Then one by one the night people disappear. Have the spirits of Simion and Angelica Fear returned to take revenge on those who looted the remains of the Fear mansion? And what does the spirit mean when it says "The Evil Lives"? In the third book everyone tries to put the murders behind them but when they start up again Jamie, Lewis and the remaining night people have to figure out if the spirit has returned, and if so what does it have in store for the night people?

Tom Burnham

The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher's books are all about the ordinary (not popular) kids that populate high schools and middle schools. Thats most of the kids isn't it? Eddie has lost both his father, who he is close to, and his best friend in the same year. Since he does not have anything to say to all the sympathic well wishers or anyone else, he just doesn't talk. What changes this? Two things, his friend Billy begins visiting him from the dead and an assigned reading book really becomes important to him. Those things are important enough that he chooses to share with Billy's father. They have many private discussions in the school's janitor's closet. A third catastrophe hits when his beloved book is banned from school by a group of fundamentalists. It looks like it will be banished permanently if he doesn't do something. With the help of Billy, Billy's father, Chris Crutcher who is the author of the banned book, and a couple of kids who think like he does, he sets out to stop the ban.

JDW9/9/05

Pomegranate Soup by: Marsha Mehran

Is a story about three Iranian sisters Marjan, Bahar, and Layla , who leave Iran before the Revolution, and go to Ireland to make a better future. The girl's open a cafe called "Babylon Cafe" in a village called Ballinacroagh, Ireland. The people in the village were very shocked about the opening of the new cafe. Lone behold, their first customer was the village Priest, who becomes a regular client. Another frequenter, is the local hairdresser Fiona.

This is a book of scents, trials, aand triumphs of two distinct cultures. The novel is a detailed story with delicious recipes from the land of Persia. If you enjoy reading magical realism this novel is the example.



LRD 8/29/05

Lulu Dark can see Through Walls By:Bennett Madison

Lulu is not a qualified detective, by any means. She carries no gun, or even a switchblade. Her personality is quite imaginative . She (Lulu) is still a High School student. The whole mystery begins when Lulu's special Korean purse is stolen, when she does not even notice. Next Lulu is followed constantly, and watched everywhere she goes. This gives Lulu the creeps, and she feels uneasy. Lulu finds out that a strange girl is immitating her, by dress and manerisms. Even the same colors of clothing. It is very weird!

Finally, the police find a corpse in the water of a young lady.
This is a good mystery, which is very hard to put down. It keeps you always on the edge of your seat.

LRD 8/22/05

boy proof by Cecil Castellucci

Egg is highly intelligent, highly individualistic and has spiky colored hair and eyebrows. No one understands Egg, except maybe her makeup artist father. Egg has no real friends though she tolerates some people, even a teacher or two. Egg has a crush on a movie personality named Zach Cross, who may not actually have the same personality he plays in TERMINAL EARTH.
Then this new student shows up, Max Carter. He's not put off by Egg at all. In fact, he seems to be her equal. Maybe he could understand her. Maybe he was worth risking friendship. But he is friendly and social unlike Egg and is already spoken for.

JDW

The Color of Fire by: Ann Rinaldi

This intriguing story revolves around the life of a young black slave living in a culture of fear. The year is 1741, and the people of New York City are in a state of chaos. Several fires have erupted in the city, and the people know it's no accident. The mob wants someone, anyone to blame for what is happening. They are screaming for justice to be served, all the while ignoring their growing inhumanity.
During all this, Phoebe is living with a kind, and caring master who treats her very much like a daughter. She feels safe, until the mob starts pointing fingers towards the slaves, who they say are responsible for the fires. Soon, Phoebe's world crumbles around her as people who she cares about are charged with the plot. Nothing will ever be the same, and soon Phoebe must make some decisions that will change her life forever.

L.B. 8/18/2005