The Terrorist

Cooney, Caroline B. 1997. THE TERRORIST. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780590228534.

Laura and Billy are enjoying their year in London while their dad is working in and around the city. They are making new friends at school and learning more about public transportation. Billy is a care-free boy who makes friends easily and tries everything he can to make money. When Billy is killed in a terrorist attack, Laura decides she needs to find his killer.

The setting of this book is in London several years before the 9/11 attacks. Laura’s family is there for a year while their dad works around London. The school Laura and Billy attend in London plays a very important role in the story. They attend the London International Academy which educates students from countries all over the world. Most of the students are very studious and up-to-date with world news. Laura has classmates from Syria, Israel, and Iraq along with many other countries. Laura is portrayed as a typical American who is not very educated on world events. She is more concerned with what mysterious, romantic boy will be taking her to the upcoming dance than which country is at war with which country. After Billy’s death she realizes how little she knows. “I’m ignorant, thought Laura. I was proud of being ignorant. I felt superior because I didn’t know anything” (page 72). Although this was hard to read, I have to admit that I am not as educated as I would like to be about world events.

The conflict in this story is between Laura and her peace of mind. She feels like she has to figure out who killed Billy in order to know his death was not a senseless act of violence. She becomes obsessed with finding the killer and begins to alienate herself from her friends. “Laura’s eyes burned, dimly seeing the outline of killers where before she had had friends” (page 66). She becomes so preoccupied with finding his killer that the important people slip under her radar. At L.I.A. Laura and her brother learned early that you do not ask other their country of origin. This becomes especially important after Billy’s death when Laura begins digging in to her classmates backgrounds in order to find Billy’s killer. She is reminded by several of her friends that it is not a good idea to pry into other people’s lives.

The point of view is different from most of the other books young adult books I have read. Instead of the traditional first person, this book uses the third person point of view. It skips around among the characters giving the reader a close look at all of the characters. We can see that Billy sacrificed his life to save others. Right after he is handed the package he thinks, “He could not throw the package into the innocent crowd…In front of him was a sleeping baby” (page 11). When Thomas is trying to console his daughter Laura we see the trouble he has coming up with words to say. “Thomas could think of nothing to say to Laura. (It’s okay. Everything will be all right. We’ll fix it.) No. It wasn’t okay. He could not fix it” (page 40).

A theme for this book is that justice is not always served. Even though we find out Billy’s killer at the end, there is never a punishment for that person. Since she is a minor she is placed in a foster home, but runs away after a few months and is never seen again. Justice is never served for Billy’s killer but Laura and her family still have to find a way to move on. “In the end, readers may not be quite satisfied with the revelations about classmate Jehran and her mysterious household as they relate to the Williams tragedy, but the book does a fine job of conveying the ambiguity and void facing a family looking for answers from the dark underground of terrorism.” (O’Malley 1997).

Reference List:
O’Malley, Anne. “Review of The Terrorist.” Booklist 93, no 21 (1997): 1810. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA19635177&v=2.1&u=txshracd2583&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w (accessed October 24, 2011).

Sunrise over Fallujah

Myers, Walter Dean. 2008. SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439916240.

SUNRISE OVER FALLUHAH is the story of Robin (AKA Birdy) who joins the military after graduating from high school. Joining the military is very much against what his father would like for him to do with this life, but Robin feels like he needs to make a difference in the world.

Robin's first person point of view as narrator allows the reader to really experience what it would be like to be in Iraq fighting a war. "But it was the idea that at any moment it could all be over, that I could be dead or lying in the sand twisting in agony, that filled me with a terror that I hadn't known before" (page 71). He goes through many emotions such as pride, disgust, and exhilaration that are described in detail for the reader. Robin also shows the reader how there was a lot of confusion because you never knew which Iraqi's you could trust and which ones wanted you dead. One review points out that although there were many emotions shown the thoughts are still true to a young man in the war. "His voice and perspective never waver from that of a young man trying to make some sense out of his tasks and his duty" (B.C. 2008). This point of view really opened my eyes to what it would be like to fight in a war.

The setting is all over the country of Iraq. The descriptions of the countryside are almost too wordy for this age reader. I found myself getting lost in the descriptions and getting the different cities mixed up. The timing of the story is very important because it is at the beginning of the war. I also felt like I never really knew the characters in the story. They were not very well developed and there were a lot of different characters to keep up with.

Throughout the story Robin continues to think about the conflict between him and his dad. He joined the military against his father's wishes and wants more than anything for his dad to approve of his actions. In one letter to his uncle Robin writes, "If you talk to your brother, aka Dad, you might tell him that I was waiting for a letter from him" (page 24). The letters throughout the book break up the text for the reader. They are mostly between Robin and his Uncle Richie, but some letters are exchanged between him and his mom. The letters to his uncle, who is a Vietnam veteran, are much more heartfelt and filled with details. In contrast, the letters to his mom paint a much rosier picture to help her not worry about her son.

In the end Robin realizes why his uncle never wanted to talk much about the Vietnam War. "Now I understand how light the words seem...I'll tell them something because I'll want them to know about war. But are there really enough words to make them understand?" (page 282).

Reference List:
B.C. "Review of Sunrise over Fallujah." Horn Book 84, no 3 (2008): 324. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2056/ ehost /pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=104&sid=6b79d05e-4601-4e86-8623-f4fdc6baf86d%40 sessionmgr115 (accessed October 24, 2011).

Whale Talk

Crutcher, Chris. 2001. WHALE TALK. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780688180195.

The Tao Jones, or T.J., is one of the few multi-racial residents in Spokane, Washington. He enjoys many different sports but chooses not to participate in organized sports, until one of his teachers asks him for a favor. Mr. Simet wants to start a swim team so he doesn't have to coach wrestling. T.J. puts together an unorthodox group that begins to practice and compete as a team. As they become more comfortable with each other they begin to open up more and teach each other that they all have things in their life to overcome.

The setting of this book is very important. The story takes place in Spokane, Washington where there are not many multi-racial people. There is a lot of racism directed towards T.J. mainly from other students and a few adults. There is no specific mention of the year the story is set in but since people are using cell phones you can deduce that it’s fairly recent.

The main conflict in this book is between T.J. and the jocks at this school. He has been at odds with them for years because he feels like they run the school. He has amazing athletic ability but refuses to participate in organized sports because he doesn’t like people, especially coaches, telling him what to do. He also feels like the jocks take every opportunity to put down those who are not athletic. When T.J. sees one of the football players picking on a mentally handicapped boy for wearing his dead brothers letter jacket he makes up his mind to fight back. He decides to invite people to be on the swim team that otherwise wouldn’t be considered for a letter jacket. He thinks this will allow them to get a letter jacket and show the jocks they don’t run the school.
The characterization in this story lets the reader really get to know the many different characters. “The veteran author once again uses well-constructed characters and quick pacing to examine how the sometimes cruel and abusive circumstances of life affect every link in the human chain…” (Halls 2001).

One of the themes of this book is overcoming adversity. T.J. faces a lot of prejudice from others because he is multi-racial. He has learned how to let most of the comments slide past him, but from the first person point of view we see all the work T.J. has put in to get to that point. It has taken the love of his once hippie adoptive parents and a multi-racial counselor to help T.J. get to the place he is at now. The Cutter swim team also has to overcome adversity in many different areas. It is a struggle just for them to practice because they don’t have a pool at their school. The swim team is not comprised of your typical members. There is “one swimmer of color, a representative from each extreme of the educational spectrum, a muscle man, a giant, a chameleon, and a one-legged psychopath” (page 85).

The theme of forgiveness is also found throughout the book. T.J.’s father has struggled his whole life to forgive himself for a freak trucking accident that killed an eighteen month old boy. “I thought I’d have to kill myself,” he told me later, “just to end the pain” (page 59). At the end of the book when T.J’s father dies he demands T.J. to forgive his killer and spend “not one minute for revenge. I’ve spent my life…looking back…wanting to change things…” (page 212).

Reference List:
Halls, Kelly. “Review of Whale Talk.” Booklist 97, no. 15 (2001): 1462. http://ezproxy.twu .edu:2178/ps/retrieve.do?retrieveFormat=PDF_FROM_CALLISTO&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=txshracd2583&workId=PI-1598-2001-APR01-IDSI-35.JPG&docId=GALE% 7CA74091353&callistoContentSet=PER&isAcrobatAvailable=true (accessed October 24, 2011).

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pies

Sonnenblick, Jordan. 2004. DRUMS GIRLS &DANGEROUS PIE. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN0439755190

Steven reminisces about his school year during his 8th grade graduation. He first remembers a journal entry from back in September when he had to write about "the most annoying thing in the world" (pg. 1). He chose to write about his brother Jeffrey who is younger than him by 8 years. This all changes when Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia. Steven's world is turned upside down. His mom takes a leave of absence from her job to care for Jeffrey and his dad withdraws as he tries to deal with the fact that his son has leukemia. Steven tries to take care of things on his own, but eventually everything crumples around him.

The plot is very believable because so often when a child gets diagnosed with a serious illness they become the center of their parent's universe as they try to find the right treatment. From the first person point of view we understand that Steven felt abandoned by his family while they were getting his brother treated. Sonneblick really shows the emotions that go along with having a serious illness in the family. One thing Steven seemed to feel was helplessness. He didn't feel like he could do anything to help anyone. His school counselor gave him some advice that is good for all young adults to hear, “Instead of agonizing about the things you can't change, why don't you try working on the things you can change” (page 184). The characters are also authentic and well developed.

DRUMS, GIRLS & DANGEROUS PIE has a universal theme of overcoming adversity. Steven finally brings all of his grades up after letting them fall only to get the flu and get further behind. He realizes that there will always be problems and it is up to him to overcome them.

This book appeals to a wide variety of young adults, because most people have either had someone in their family or they know someone who has been diagnosed with a serious illness. "A story that could have morphed into melodrama is saved by reality, rawness, and the wit Sonnenblick infuses into Steven's first-person voice...Most important for a middle-grade audience, Sonneblick shows that even in the midst of tragedy, life goes on, love can flower, and the one thing you can always change is yourself." (Cooper 2005).

Reference List:
Cooper, Ilene. "Review of Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie." Booklist 15, no. 2 (2005): 12. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2056/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=113&sid=bf241bbb-0fb5-4254-84cb-0c636be40609%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lih&AN=18824975 (accessed September 30, 2011).



Girl, 15, Charming but Insane

Limb, Sue. 2004. GIRL, 15, CHARMING BUT INSANE. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 9781415610336

Jess is a typical high school student who wants her back side smaller, her front side bigger and a date with the handsome Ben Jones. Her mother is a feminist and her dad lives far away. She doesn’t talk to her dad very often, but he does send her a silly horoscope everyday, which happen to be the chapter titles. She feels like she lives in the shadow of her beautiful, over-achieving best friend Flora.

The theme of this book seems to be that even if things go awry everything will still be okay. Jess seems to have mishaps at every turn. When she is supposed to shop for a birthday present her grandmother floods the kitchen and she misses the party. When it is finally her time to shine at the talent show she gets sick and can’t attend.

The story is told from Jess’ point of view and we are privy to her personal thoughts. This really helps readers understand how Jess is feeling during the story. When an embarrassing video tape of Jess mysteriously disappears before anyone can see it she thinks “Thank you, you guardian angel, whoever you are. This is the best moment of my life so far!” (page 80). After receiving a speech from one of her teachers about how she should try harder she thinks, “A shame there isn’t a prize for underachievement. I’d walk it.” (page 7).

The setting in England might be confusing to some readers in America. Some of the words might be hard to decipher for younger readers and they might not understand the importance of the geographic distance from where Jess lives to St. Ives where her dad lives. The time is a modern shown by the fact that Jess’ dad sends her text messages and Exterminator 3, which came out in 2003, is referenced.

This is the first book of four books about Jess Jordan and the style will keep readers coming back for more. “The way the author handles the situation and adds a few levels of conflict and a few possible love triangles will have readers ready for the second installment. This title will appeal to fans…who like heroines who have a little vinegar to go with their sugar.” (Patrick 2004).


Reference List:
Patrick, Amy. "Review of Girl, 15, Charming but Insane." School Library Journal 50, no. 9 (2004): 211. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2056/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=113&sid=bf241bbb-0fb5-4254-84cb-0c636be40609%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2Z Q%3d%3d#db=lih&AN=14408206 (accessed October 1, 2011).



Twisted

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2007. TWISTED. New York: Viking. ISBN 9780670061013.

Tyler pulled what he thought was a funny prank at the end of his junior year that got him in serious trouble. After spending the summer doing character building manual labor Tyler is ready to suffer through his senior year. He dreads going back to school and facing his bullies again. “I was good at digging holes. It was the rest of life I sucked at.” (page 25). At school he finds he has a new reputation based on his arrest record and the muscles he developed over the summer. Following a wild party Tyler gets accused of an Internet crime and is shunned again at school. Throughout all of this he has to deal with an overstressed father who loves to yell and a mother who isn't home very often. Tyler begins thinking dark thoughts and has to decide what voices he will follow.

One aspect of this book that most readers will be able to relate to is the fact that Tyler uses video gaming to escape reality. Most people have something that they do to get away from reality, if even just for a short period of time. When Tyler is stressed out, either about his home life or his school life, he finds solace in his video game. This book also shows the consequences of underage drinking. After getting drunk at a party naked pictures of Bethany show up on the Internet. She is humiliated and charges are pressed against the boy who took the pictures. Tyler also potentially faces trouble because he is on probation and went to the party. These are things that happen at high school and college parties.

Through the first person point of view we are able to see what Tyler is thinking. For example, when he faces ridicule at school and when Bethany finally notices him. The tone of the book varies throughout the story. When Tyler is hanging out with Bethany the tone is very euphoric. When he feels like he has messed up so much that he can’t keep going and contemplates suicide the tone becomes very dark. The changing tone will keep readers interested in what is coming next. The setting is very modern shown by the use of online computer games and the use of the Internet. This helps readers relate to the story because they feel it is something that could happen to them.

The writing style will appeal to young adults because it is fast paced and not too complicated. "What works well here is the frank, on-target humor, the taut pacing, and the small moments recounted in Tyler's first-person voice that illuminate his emotional anguish. Writing for the first time from a male perspective, Anderson skillfully explores identity and power struggles that all young people will recognize."

Reference List:
Engberg, Gillian. "Review of Twisted." Booklist 103, no. 9/10 (2007): 78. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2056/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=113&sid=bf241bbb-0fb5-4254-84cb-0c636be40609%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lih&AN=23776793 (accessed September 30, 2011).