The Red Umbrella

Lucia's world is crumbling. Her school has been shut down. Her neighbors are being thrown into prison or killed for disagreeing with the Cuban revolutionists. Her best friend has joined the brigades and is leaving for military training.

Lucia's family faces danger when her  father becomes labeled a dissident. Lucia and her brother flee to the U.S. with other children to live in a foster home while her parents wait to get exit VISAs.

The pacing is fast and the characters well-developed  in this book. The author does  a nice job but it isn't loaded with historical facts. The story revolves mainly around characters and friendships. I thought the author could have captured more of the fear and overwhelming feelings of what it is like traveling to another country and living with different people. I kept thinking of how hard it is being illiterate in a different country: not being able to read signs, getting yelled at when you can't figure out the change in the grocery store, being passed over in line because of looking different, to helplessly stare at a form because you can't read the language to know how to fill it out. I think the author could have captured the tension and fear better in the part when Lucia and her brother, Frankie, entered the U.S. It is the little things that can be overwhelming; plus, Lucia had to look out for Frankie. The author does do a nice job with showing misunderstandings when learning a language and how funny slang can be.

While the language is easy-to-read and at a grade 4 or 5 level, this book has some adult themes in it which is why I put it under Young Adult. There is some violence such as when the prisoners are executed, but Lucia and Frankie don't actually see it, they just hear the gun shots. Lucia also sees a neighbor hanging from a tree in the park. He was murdered for organizing a protest against the revolutionaries. Lucia gets a letter from her best friend who gets raped at camp although the word "rape" is never used and some might just think she was attacked by a man. Lucia also has an unpleasant encounter with a boy at a dance that she likes but who is overly affectionate toward her.

Reading Level 4.5

:-) :-) :-) 3.75 Smileys

Reckless

Jacob Reckless is impulsive, fast, edgy and reckless. He travels between two worlds using a mirror looking for his father who disappeared mysteriously. In the real world he disappears for weeks at a time leaving his brother and mother to fend for themselves. In the alternate world Jacob finds a place where fairy tales come to life with fairies, witches, and Goyls (something of a cross between a gorgon and gargoyle).

Jacob's brother Will follows him into the alternate world and gets infected by a virus from a Goyl which slowly turns him into a jade stone. This color stone is so rare that the King of the Goyls wants Will. The Goyls are at war with humankind. They live underground, are filled with a vicious hatred of humans, and are made of stone. As Will transforms into a Goyl, Jacob fights to save his life.

This story is fast-paced with some romance. Jacob and Will are named after the Grimm's brothers and the plot includes many references to their fairy tales. The plot and characters are similar to those in Inkheart but the tone is darker. The theme of grief and loss is prevalent throughout. Jacob is grieving for his lost father. He seems to have abandoned his mother when she died but Will didn't and he grieves the loss of Jacob being absent when he needed him. Jacob escapes to this alternate world so that he doesn't have to face the reality of his parents dead or missing in the real world. Jacob is frantic when faced with losing Will as he turns into stone. The author's husband died a few years ago and I can't help but wonder if this novel is a way of showing that no matter what she did in the real world she couldn't save her husband and he died, but in the make believe world of fairy tales or stories she could save her husband.

The first few chapters give many names and can be confusing. I wasn't always sure who was speaking. It might help to know that Will and Clara are a couple and Fox has been by Jacob's side helping him for many years. Also, the Goyl are the stone men (in the color of jasper, onyx and moonstone) and are fighting the humans. The King of the Goyls is Kami'en and his faithful servants are the Dark Fairy and Hentzau. The Empress is human and Kami'en is at war with her.

This book sets-up for a sequel and doesn't have much of an ending. I had more questions than answers: Why did the daughter go with the king? Why did the Evil Fairy spare Jacob's life? What did she gain by letting him go? Did turning her into a tree teach her something? It seemed out of character that she wouldn't kill Jacob. All I could figure was that she was interested in Jacob because he loved his brother enough to sacrifice for him and the Evil Fairy is fascinated with human love. Also, what about the unresolved feelings Jacob has for Clara? Fox doesn't really address her feelings for Jacob. Although she seems to recognize she's jealous of Clara. How does Fox fit in this triangle?

Jacob sleeps around with different women but it is not explained except he spent the night with someone. There are violent parts with shootings, monsters attacking, and war.

Reading Level 5.3

:-) :-) :-) 3 Smileys

Quicksilver

Hermes is the wise-cracking messenger god in Greek mythology. He can make Zeus laugh as well as the people that he ferries to the dead in the underworld. He helps Perseus slay Medusa, Persephone spend time with her mom, is involved in the Trojan War, and gets Odysseus released from Calypso.

The author covers a lot of ground with all these stories. Some will like it and some will not. I didn't like it. Hermes never comes alive for me. It felt like the quick tour through Greek mythology. It was too many stories and not enough depth. I did read it, so it wasn't horrible.

The book has violent parts and some might be uncomfortable when the goddesses undress in front of Paris or when Andromeda is left nude to the sea serpent by unscrupulous parents.

:-) :-) 2.5 Smileys

Full Tilt

Blake, Quinn, and two friends are at a carnival when Quinn decides to scale the roller coaster scaffolding to get his hat. He puts himself right in the path of a roller coaster. Blake climbs after him and saves his life.

Blake is always saving his reckless brother, Quinn. Blake is cautious while Quinn is out-of-control. When Blake gets an invitation to a midnight carnival from the mysterious Cassandra, it is Quinn who steals the invite and enters the carnival on his own. Anyone who enters this amusement center never leaves again. Blake goes to save his brother and discovers that he has to go on 7 deadly rides that are life or death. No one has survived and gotten out of the park. Can Blake make it through?

Shusterman is a great writer with strong character development. However some readers might be confused with the surreal nature of the rides that are part nightmare, part fantasy, part realistic.

This book is catagorized in grades 5-8 but I would put it with Young Adult due to some content such as the brother being rebelous and suicidal, the violence of the rides, and the abuse suggested toward the boys by Mom's boyfriends.

Reading Level 5.5

:-) :-) :-) 3 Smileys

Mockingbird

Caitlin sees the world in black and white. It's less confusing. Color muddies thoughts and people. Devon, her brother, understands her best. He helps 5th grader Caitlin, who has Asperger's syndrome, make sense of a confusing world. When Caitlin's brother dies in a school shooting, she has to figure out the world without him. Caitlin's mom is dead and her father is overwhelmed with grief. Having Asperger makes it difficult for Caitlin to express her feelings. She has to study a book of expressions or look on an expression chart to describe how she is feeling. Caitlin gets help from the school counselor and her newfound friend Michael.   The community and Caitlin try to find closure surrounding the senseless deaths from the shooting at the school.

The title is based on the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. The movie was Devon and Caitlin's favorite and he called her, Scout. The word, scout, symbolizes many things in the book from Devon's eagle scout to Caitlin scouting for words; particularly the word, closure.

The book is a tear jerker but because of Caitlin's blunt explanation of events that have little emotion, it takes away some of the intensity. All the same, there are some teary spots in the plot. Some might be confused with the dialogue that is in italics. It isn't always clear when Caitlin is speaking or thinking.

Reading Level 4.1

:-) :-) :-) :-) 4.75 Smileys.

Dread Locks

Parker Baer is rich and bored. Until Tara, the new girl, moves in next door. Baer meets her when she shows up in his bed just like Goldilocks. Only this Goldilocks is not scared by anyone and she is not just hungry for porridge. Tara's blond curls seem to be alive and she wears dark glasses all the time because of an "eye condition." When students start becoming ill at the school Parker notices that Tara is involved somehow. When Parker's brother gets sick he is convinced Tara is behind it.

The plot is predictable at first and you know that Tara is Medusa or one of the Gorgons from Greek mythology. The author skillfully unfolds this with tension and suspense so it is not boring. Then the plot starts twisting in unique ways at the end that aren't predictable. There is a lot of violence and the ending is not happy although Parker acts like a true Greek hero.

:-) :-) :-) 3.5 Smileys.

Touch Blue

"Touch blue and your wish will come true."

Tess Brooks believes in luck. She stands on the pier waiting for her new foster brother, Aaron, to step off the ferry at Bethsaida island thinking about luck. Luck that Aaron will like her family. Luck that school won't be closed. But then she spots Aaron and his red hair that shines out of the crowd like a beacon. Her heart sags; everyone knows it's unlucky to ride a boat with a red-head.

This is the setup for the story where Aaron has to learn to live with his third foster family. He distrusts them when he hears that the islanders have taken on several foster kids to increase their numbers which will save the island's school from closing. Eben, the bully, blurts out this truth to Aaron in a malicious and mean-spirited way. When Aaron threatens to run away and find his birth Mom, Tess concocts a plan to get her to the island to hear Aaron play his trumpet in a talent show.

The writing in this novel is beautiful and succinct, drawing the senses into what it smells and feels like living in a fishing village on an island. The author does a marvelous job creating the setting.

The color blue symbolizes luck and freedom. Tess discovers that it isn't luck but letting others choose their destiny and giving them the freedom to do so is what matters. Aaron has no freedom and has been manipulated by the state and foster families since he was a young boy. No one seems to be working in his best interests and he is like the blue lobster that Tess has caught that swims in circles in the bucket searching for a way out that doesn't exist. His life has been a series of unlucky circumstances. He has to learn how to find happiness within. Just like Tess does. Tess figures this out at the climax when she tells Aaron  to be happy and to stay on the island only because he wants to and not to save the school. She also learns that even though she is disappointed with her best friend, Amy, who has not written much since moving off the island to the mainland, it doesn't mean that Tess can't write to her.

This story is rich and multi-layered. The use of music ties in with the theme as well as references to the main characters in The Great Gilly Hopkins and Anne of Green Gables. A fantastic book! Based on a true story, you can follow the links on the discussion guide.

Reading Level 3.6

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 5 Smileys