Friday, July 06, 2007

Holub, Josef. An innocent soldier

Holub, Josef. An innocent soldier. Scholastic, 2005 [0-439-62771-0]
Adam is a young farm hand who's farmer suddenly takes him off to town and enlists him in the army in place of his son. Adam becomes part of the Napoleon's "Grande Armee" and it's trek to Moscow. This 231 page book describes the horrors of war and that one particularly with soldiers starving and freezing. The author describes canon blasting into soldiers. dead and wounded soldiers all over the ground and how this army had to fend for itself in this terrible war. While I had studied this war, the author put a real human face on it by putting the reader right in the middle of it -- a powerful book.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Ketchum, Liza. Where the great hawk flies

Ketchum, Liza. Where the great hawk flies. Clarion, 2005 [0-618-40085-0]
This is the story of 18th century Vermont. The book opens a couple of years after an Indian raid on the town in which many people were killed and carried off to Canada. Daniel Tucker's father is of British descent while his mother a Pequot Indian (a different tribe than the raiders) and he takes after his mom. A neighbor moves in next door who had family members who were victims of the early Indian raid. Hiram is a boy from new family. This 259 page book tells of prejudice in early America. Can Daniel and Hiram become friends? Will their families learn to live near each other? Will the arrival of Daniel's mother's father aggravate the situation? There are historical notes in the back of the book explaining that this story is based on the actual family history of the author.

Westerfeld, Scott. Specials

Westerfeld, Scott. Specials [Uglies #3] Simon Pulse, 2006 [0-689-86540-6//9780-689-86540-4]
In this final of the trilogy, Tally has been totally modified as a Cutter (a super Special Circumstances person.) Zane is still recovering from his brain damage from "the cure" and she wants him to also be modified as a Cutter. For that he has to prove himself so she and Shay set up a plan for Zane to prove himself to Dr.Cable. The plan does not go as it was set up because of behind the scene activities of Dr. Cable. Although a little slow in places, this 370 page book is an exciting end to the trilogy (finally a defined triology.) There is a slight opening for another book or series.. but this one is definitely over and one you should look at for your middle school and High School.