A Year Down Yonder

Author: Richard Peck
Publisher: Dial Books
Copyright Date: 2000
Number of Pages: 130
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary
Mary Alice was sent to live with her grandmother in the country because the Great Depression had struck her family and they could no longer afford to live together. At first Mary Alice is very opposed to the idea of living with her grandmother because she will be away from all of the modern pleasures such as television, and toilets. However, she has no choice but to leave. She arrives by train and her grandmother comes to pick her up from the station. Mary Alice is immediately taken to school and her grandmother, who is quite the character, takes her personal items to the house. Adventures never cease with Grandma Dowdel. Grandma tricks a bully from school and sends her off running without her shoes and her horse. She steals peacons and pumpkins with the help of Mary Alice for some pies for a festival. She also shows her compassion in a very different way. She helps obtain money for a poor family by manipulating the townspeople into giving her ridiculous amounts of money for some soup. Also, after a tornado hits the town Grandma Dowdel brings Mary Alice as she goes to help a mean old man who she knew would be trapped or dead in his home. A new boy arrives in town just in time for valentines day. Another girl at the school develops an instant crush on him, but Mary Alice, with the help of her friend create fake valentines that try to make the girl think that he likes somebody else. In the end Mary Alice has to leave her grandmother and she wishes that she could stay. Mary Much later marries the new boy from before at Grandma Dowdel's house even though her parents cannot come.

Personal Response
I thought that this book was very well written and very entertaining. There is a great deal of humor in this book as the character of Grandma Dowdel does crazy, humorous, and yet some how caring things.

Potential Problems
Some of Grandma Dowdel's acts could be seen as crimes or injustices.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to any older child that is interested in a humorous wonderful book.

Lincoln: A Photobiography

Author: Russell Freedman
Publisher: Clarion Books
Copyright Date: 1987
Number of Pages: 144
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary
This book is an in-depth look into the life of Abraham Lincoln. It portrays him in a very real way. The book uses photographs and prints to add to the stories that are contained in this book. At the beginning it talks about the overall view of Lincoln and introduces his character. The book then goes on to talk about his early life, his parents, and his family. It continues to talk about his daily life and the jobs that he procured. Abraham Lincoln was a well-liked young man that was humorous, social-able, and hard-working. The book talks about Lincoln's interest in law and politics. It also talks about his bouts of depression and struggles with the death of loved ones. It also discusses Lincoln's rise to presidency and the war over slavery. It shows Lincoln's goal to keep the North and the South united. In the end, it talks about Lincoln's assassination and his funeral.

Personal Response
I thought that this photo-biography was very well written. It was packed with information about Lincoln that was purely factual and showed very little bias. I really liked how Lincoln was portrayed in a non-idealistic way. Both his strengths and weaknesses were recognized in this book. The photographs and prints added to the quality of the book and made it exceptional.

Potential Problems
Some of the images in this book are gory and could be considered inappropriate for the eyes of children.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in studying the life of Abraham Lincoln. This would be a great book for a child to read as a source for a report on the president.

The Story of Ruby Bridges

Author: Robert Coles
Illustrated by: George Ford
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 1995
Number of Pages: 26
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
This picture book tells the story of Ruby Bridges. Ruby and her family are portrayed as very religious good black Americans. In 1960 a judge proclaimed that some black students could attend school with the white students at the white school. Ruby was one of the students that was selected. Evey day Ruby walked by an angry mob of white people that would yell and threaten her but Ruby was guarded by federal marshals that walked her into school every day. She was the only student in her classroom because the other kid's parents wouldn't let them go to school with a black girl. Ruby's teacher wondered at where her strength came from because Ruby didn't seem to be afraid of the people that hated her and she behaved like a regular kid despite everything that was going on. One day as Ruby was walking to the school she stopped near the crowd. The teacher wondered what she could possibly be saying to them. When she came into the classroom Ruby was asked what she said to them. Ruby proclaimed that she wasn't talking she was praying for them. At the end of the book it tells what happened later. Some white boys joined Ruby at the school because there parents were tired of the issue. The other parents were angry at first but eventually other children went back to school.

Personal response
I think that this was a very well written book considering the topic and the audience. The author was able to give enough information about the story without giving too much information, information that would not suit young children. The facts were accurate and the meaning was good. The soft watercolors and illustrations were very well done and helped the story.

Potential Problems
Parents who are anti-religious would not like this book because it is very religious in parts.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this to a teacher that is covering this period of time in his or her classroom.

Children Just Like Me

Author: Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley
Publisher: DK Publishing
Copyright Date: 1995
Number of Pages: 79
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary
This book is a compilation of the lives of children all around the world. It includes descriptions of children in India, Ethiopia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico, Far East, Jordon, Lapland, Poland, Canada, and more. Each  page includes the child presented, his or her family, and some detailed information about their life. The pages include actual photographs of the children and the details of their lives. Each page also includes a quote from the child.

Personal Response
I really enjoyed reading through this book. I think it showed a very accurate understandable description of children all around the world. It made the children and their homeland very real. I liked how the children were depicted as happy no matter what their financial or other situations may be.

Potential Problems
I could not find any potential problems for this book.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this to all children in the appropriate age group. This would be a great tool to use to teach children about other countries and the people that live there. I would recommend this to a student that would do a report on a country or group of people.

The Great Gilly Hopkins

Author: Katherine Paterson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Copyright Date: 1978
Number of Pages: 178
Reading Level: 9-12






Summary
Gilly Hopkins is a foster child that is known as an unmanageable child. She relishes in her ability to drive adults absolutely crazy. Her only motivation is to cause as much havoc as possible. Little known to those around her, her strongest desire is to be with her mother, who she believes still loves her and wants her. Gilly is brought to Mrs. Trotter's home as a foster child. Gilly decides to treat her the same way  that she's treated all of her other foster parents. However, Mrs. Trotter responds differently to Gilly and the young foster child begins to love her new mother just like her new mother has grown to love her. Unfortunately, while Gilly was still rebelling from Mrs. Trotter she wrote a not to her real mother which displayed her situation as abusive. In response, Gilly's real grandmother is sent to scout out Gilly's situation. She shows up at exactly the wrong time. With Mrs. Trotter's home in chaos the grandmother urgently pulls Gilly from the foster system. When Gilly's real mother comes to visit her Gilly comes to terms with reality. Her real mother did not lover her and only came to visit because her grandmother had paid her to. Gilly becomes stuck in her current situation and cannot live with Mrs. Trotter again. In the end, Gilly comes to accept what she has gotten herself into and makes the best of what she has.

Personal Response
I can understand how this book can be considered a great book because of the real life lessons of accepting what you are dealt and accepting your mistakes and moving forward. However, this book shows some very harsh realities which makes it hard for the reader to enjoy to a certain extent. This book is not a book that makes you happy but it is a book that makes you think.

Potential Problems
The realism in this book may be a little too much for some readers. This book contains swearing and crude language. It also contains a mother that has abandoned her child. It also contains young children learning how to fight and a child that steals from adults. Some parents would not want their child to read this book.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this to a young person that has Gilly's attitude or anyone that would benefit from learning that love is important and that you have to deal with the consequences of your actions.

Stargirl

Author: Jerry Spinelli
Publisher: Knopf Books
Copyright Date: 2001
Number of Pages: 199
Reading Level: Ages 10-14






Summary
Stargirl is a very unique young woman. She does not care what others think of her. She only wants to reach out to those around her through random acts of kindness. This story is told by Leo, a young man that had received a porcupine necktie for his birthday by an anonymous source. He and his friend are young talk show hosts that created a show for the school called The Hot Seat. During this show the person in the hot seat is asked all sorts of questions and he or she have to answer them. When Stargirl first comes to the school nobody knows what to think of her. She sings happy birthday to individual students in the lunchroom and she places a tablecloth and a vase with a flower in it on her desk in every class. One day Stargirl showed up to a football game and decided to randomly join the cheer leaders. Everyone shocked, but they grew to love and respect her for who she was. Stargirl was invited to join the cheer team. However, things go wrong when Stargirl cheers for more than just her team. She decides to cheer for the other team as well. When a basketball player from the other team gets hurt and falls to the ground Stargirl is the first to run to his side. The other students at the school cannot understand this and they come to hate her for it. They cannot believe that she could help the opposite team. Unfortunately, Leo and his friend had decided to put Stargirl on the hot seat while she was popular. This is unfortunate because they don't do the show until she is unpopular again. The questions that the jury asks Stargirl are almost cruel and they judge her harshly. At this point the boy Leo has come to really like Stargirl. Leo is torn between his need for people, and his love for Stargirl. However, he falls head over heals for her and for a while they are together. Eventually he notices that nobody in the school will talk to him or even look at him. He has been called Starboy at this point and when he realizes what everyone thinks of him he starts to feel disgusted with himself. He tries to make Stargirl change for him but the other students at the school still don't accept them. Finally, Stargirl returns to her normal self, but Leo has given up. In the end the other students come to love Stargirl again as they dance with her at a school dance. Leo watches from a distance. One day Stargirl just disappears and Leo goes to someone for guidance. He comes to learn more about Stargirl, including the fact that she was the one that gave him the porcupine necktie.

Personal Response
I thought that this was a very well written book that does a great job at addressing the cruelty that can exist in schools. It raises many questions about the way people think and respond to people that are different.

Potential Problems
The cruelty that Stargirl receives could be considered overly harsh. However, the problems that it addresses are perhaps more important.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to anyone that is struggling socially in school. This is a great book to encourage uniqueness. The message is that it is okay to be different.

Holes

Author: Louis Sachar
Publisher: Yearling
Copyright Date: 1998
Number of Pages: 236
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary
Stanley Yelnats and all of the guys in his family from generation to generation have been under a curse. Stanley's great great grandfather sought help from a gypsy named Madam Zeroni. She gave him a young piglet so that he could marry the woman that he desired. However, she made him promise that after the piglet was big and he was strong he would carry her up the mountain so that she could drink of the water and be made strong too. When the woman he desired was revealed to be unworthy of his hand he left on a ship to America immediately and forgot to carry her up the mountain. In return, Madam Zeroni lay the curse on him and his children, and his children's children. Stanley was thus under the same curse that his great great grandfather had been under. This curse caused great misfortune for his family. One day Stanley was walking home from school when a pair of tennis-shoes fell from the sky and hit him. At the time his father was working on an invention to recycle old smelly shoes. Stanley thought that these shoes were the smelliest he'd ever smelled so he was going to bring them home to his father. Unfortunately for him, the shoes had been stolen and Stanley was believed to be the thief, and so he was convicted of the crime. Stanley was sent to Camp Green Lake, a camp that is used as a detention center for young boys that commit crimes. While at this camp Stanley is forced to dig holes every day. Here at the camp everything falls into place. The warden of the camp appears to be looking for something and when Stanley finds an object that looks like a bullet the warden gets overly excited. Stanley has been told the stories of Kissing Kate Barlow because one of his relatives was robbed by her. Stanley figures out what the warden was looking for, Kate Barlow's stolen treasure. Another boy at the camp, Zero, is found to be the great great grandson of the same Madam Zeroni that put the curse on Stanley and his family. In the end Stanley carries zero up to the top of God's thumb where Zero drinks the water and Stanley sings the song. The curse is gone, and Stanley doesn't realize this until they return to the camp. Zero and Stanley dig their last hole in the middle of the night. Stanley had remembered the hole that he found the mysterious bullet, which turned out to be Kate Barlow's lip stick. After they dig through the night they find a chest, but right after they get it out, while they're still in the hole, the warden and her counselors find them. Thankfully, yellow spotted lizards, which are very deadly, were seen in the hole and the warden could not get the treasure without disturbing them. Stanley and Zero were not killed because they had eaten onions for several days on top of God's Thumb. Stanley's lawyer came, and Zero pointed out that the treasure chest had Stanley's name on it. Stanley and Zero went back to Stanley's home and his family was made wealthy and his father had great success with his inventions. Zero was able to find his mother. The camp was turned into a girls camp and the warden was found out.

Personal Response
I had read Holes before but I really enjoyed reading it again. This story was amazingly well written and I believe that it deserved the Newbery medal that it received. Louis Sachar intricately weaved the details into the story and no one detail was unimportant. I really enjoyed the style of writing that was unique to this story.

Potential Problems
One of the counselors in Holes is absolutely brutal to Zero, one of the boys at camp. This book may not be appropriate for younger children because of that cruelty. Also, it refers to hanging a black man for kissing a white woman.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to any child of the ages between 9 and 12. This is a great book for boys and girls of that age group, although I think it would be more appropriate for the older ages.