Song of the Sparrow

Sandell, Lisa Ann. Song of the Sparrow. New York City: Scholastics Inc., 2007. 383 pages. (Fantasy)

Sixteen year old Elaine is a woman, the only woman who lives in the army encampment led by young Arthur. Her father and brothers, friends and crushes, march off to each battle with their heads held high, leaving Elaine behind. Only she does not stay. She follows them and watches as the battle unfolds before her eyes, eyes that were not meant to see such horrid things. A woman’s eyes. And after each battle she heals her adopted brothers with herds and leaves. She mends their clothes and cooks their meals. Although she lives with many, she is alone. She is alone with these men whom she loves, but they could not truly understand her as a woman would.

Then Gwynivere comes along in her fancy dresses and tightly laced shoes and proves the opposite of the female friendship Elaine was wishing for. Only when the girls are faced with the future deaths of their loved ones can they work together to save them.

Although this book was interesting, it was a little too different. It was almost told in verse and this caused many necessary details to be left out leaving me with not enough to develop a good mental picture of the things in this book. Also, the events that turned out to be the very core of this book seemed rushed and not well planned out. The writing style seemed inexperienced and not thought out enough. This book turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment, and I do not recommend it.

Reviewed By: DancingPenguin96

Sold

McCormick, Patricia. Sold. New York City: Hyperion Books, 2006. 263 pages. (Realistic Fiction)

Lakshmi lives in Nepal. Her family has no money, not even enough for a tin roof. When the monsoons wash all of her family’s crops away, Lakshmi is told she must go to the city to find work. She is brought into the hands of rough child labor, eating away at her childhood. She keeps a diary and keeps track of when she will have paid off her debt and will be able to leave, although there is information she is missing. Mumtaz, the harsh woman who oversees the child labor, has a perfected plan on how to keep the girls in debt to her forever. And although the children think they are earning money for their families, Mumtaz makes sure not a single cent will ever reach their homes. Will Lakshmi ever escape? When the time comes, will Lakshmi be willing to give up this new life for something she has almost forgotten?

This chilling book intertwines one girl’s childhood with the harsh child labor trade. Her journey, which starts out as a noble cause to help her poor family, is heartbreaking as it turns out to be a trap with no easy way out. The cultures shown in this book have such differences from the cultures we are used to and it almost feels like a different world. Lakshmi was created as a strong, willful girl, yet also naïve and trusting. This character is very easy to relate to, and it is strange to hear of her young journeys in such an unforgiving world. This is a superb book, and I highly recommend it!

Reviewed By: DancingPenguin96

The Secret Life of Bees

Monk, Sue Kidd. The Secret Life of Bees. London: Penguin Books, 2002. 302 pages. (Realistic Fiction)

Lily Owens is motherless, unloved, rebellious, and white. Growing up in South Carolina 1964, the Civil Rights Movement is going on and this leads to even more turmoil. Lily’s stand in mother, Rosaleen, is black herself, and when she is thrown in jail for insulting some white men, Lily decides to break away from her hateful, abusive father and spring them both free. On the run, Lily has no plan and no direction until she sees a label on a honey jar that matches a picture her mother left behind. She and Rosaleen run straight into the arms of a loving and generous trio of black beekeeping sisters. The only white person in a household of black women, Lily is, for the first time, self conscious of her own skin. As their stay with them continues, Lily can’t help but notice the connections these sisters seem to have with her mother, and she sets out to find the truth.

This novel is an inspiring and creative book that sucks you into the Carolina heat and into Lily’s life filled with sadness and regret, yet also determination and love. I loved the differences and uniqueness of each of the characters, and how Lily seems to age and mature throughout the duration of the book. The powerfulness of Sue Monk Kidd’s words brought tears to my eyes and I found myself heartbroken over this fictional character whose childhood was so overshadowed with guilt and regret.

Reviewed By: DancingPenguin96

Twilight

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005. 498 pages. (Vampires/Fiction/Romance)

A 17 year old girl, Isabella Swan, decides to live with her father, Charlie, in the town Forks, Washington, for a while, rather than with her mother, Renée. While living with her father, Bella meets an interesting boy named Edward. At first Edward appears to hate Bella, but several weeks later they are dating. They have a problem though because of what Edward and his “family” are. Bella is constantly in danger and while they are playing baseball, another group of people like Edward pass through and put Bella in even more danger. To help save Bella, Edward’s family takes her to hide in her hometown, Phoenix, Arizona.

This is an awesome book!!!!!! I would totally recommend reading it. I have also read the whole series, and it just keeps getting better. I despise Mike the most because to me he is just the most annoying person.

Reviewed by: MillieDog3

Code Talker

Bruchac, Joseph. Code Talker. New York: Dial Books. 2007. 224 pages. (Historic Fiction)

The year is 1942, and 16-year old Ned Begay is ready and willing to join the U.S marines, especially because they are giving special offers to Navajo Indian code talkers like himself. He claims he is old enough and whips past boot camp to endure in the war that changes the way he and his friends live forever…

The book Code Talker was incredible. It really makes you feel like you are on the beaches of Bougainville or the gripping island of Iwo Jima. The first five chapters are extremely slow so for those of you who are impatient, you would not like this book, but if you can wait for action than I strongly recommend this book. Code Talker not only focuses on the reality and detail of war, but also the life of one marine and his newfound friends. The story is very hard to put down and tells you the real deal of WW2 through the eyes of a Navajo Indian. I strongly recommend this book to all history buffs like myself. The character most like me is probably Schmitty who is very sarcastic but nice when and means well when he says what he does. Schmitty is Ned Begays best “white” friend besides Georgia Boy who became friends with Ned when Ned taught him how to read.

Reviewed by: Freakbear97