Malala believed that girls had the right to an education. For that belief, she was shot on the bus going home from school. No one knew if she would live, but she did and became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner at the age of 17. In the United States, where everyone has the right to education, we find it hard to believe there are places where children have to pay or may never have the chance to learn. We struggle to understand why women would be treated so much differently than men. Malala's story is important to read, but it also capitivating to hear how she had courage despite the danger she faced. I love to read about someone who is able to overcome difficult circumstances, realizing that my own struggles can seem small in comparison. For more about Malala, you can check out her website. https://www.malala.org/
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Pearl Harbor changes everything for the United States. Everyone feels it. Colton knows that he will have to become the man of the house when his brother, Danny, leaves for war. But then war comes to them first. While the two brothers are fishing, a German U-boat attacks, and Danny's life is in danger. Colton wants to help his country even more with Danny in the hospital, and so he takes his brother's place, keeping his age a secret. What Colton doesn't realize is that no one is ready for war at any age. Being a Social Studies teacher, I was surprised that I had not learned about the German submarine attacks on the east coast of the United States during World War II. It Cameron is a gamer extraordinaire. His social interaction comes almost completely online as they team up for one game after another. The couch has an imprint of his seat from hours upon hours of gaming. His time as a serious player comes to a screeching halt when he forgets to take the meal out of the oven, and his house is set on fire. Hilarious from beginning to end. Korman has you rolling with laughter from the beginning. From one crazy story to the next, you will be following the characters as they try to get what they want from a club that really doesn't exist. If you have enjoyed any of Gordon Korman's books, you should definitely check this one out. There is also a sequel that recently came out called Level 13. Tommy has always looked up to his dad. His dad taught him how to play football, and he always looks to the sideline to see if his dad is there to cheer him on. When his dad doesn't come, Tommy knows why. His dad is a firefighter, and though he is proud of his dad, he can't help worrying that one day his dad won't come home. Then the worst happens. Tommy wonders how he will ever measure up to his dad's legacy as he becomes the man of the house. Lupica does a nice job of blending in football with the real struggles of a teenager who is facing loss. I can't imagine losing a parent so early in life. There is a real weight on Tommy's shoulder that is palpable in this book, but he realizes he can't do this on his own. I know I like to think of myself as independent, but none of us can handle life by ourselves. This story brings that to life. Her sister is the most popular girl in the country, but Frey is a secret. She is the identical twin of her sister, Rafi, but her father doesn't want anyone to know Rafi has a twin. Frey is his ace in the hole. She is Rafi's body double to make sure nothing happens to the heir. When Rafi is invited by the Palafoxes, another first family, Frey must go in her place, but can Frey keep up the act of being her sister when she rarely interacts socially. This book starts with a bang. The first scene shows off Frey's skill with handling an assassination attempt. Bullets are flying, and people are dropping. Westerfeld wants to grab your attention and not let go for the rest of the book. The only problem is that it is over 400 pages, and I think the author could have cut some of it out. However, I enjoyed the suspense, the adventure, the characters, the romance, and the twist at the end. When Chase wakes up in the hospital, he doesn't remember much of anything. He doesn't remember that he fell off the roof. He doesn't remember who his friends or family are. He doesn't even remember his name. As he relearns who he is, he understands that most people have a strong reaction when they encounter him. Who was he? Can he be that person again, or should he even try? I love Gordon Korman and the way he develops these characters. Many authors try the different perspectives in their writing, but Korman pulls it off well. You can tell who is talking by what they say, and you almost don't need the chapter title to let you know. This book is not only full of humor but has a message for those who want to "restart" their lives. You can change. It is possible. Ian never thought he would have to go to reform school. After developing a good sense of how to stay out of sight and out of mind for the general school population and particularly bullies, he somehow finds himself blamed along with others for a serious prank against a new student. When he is sent to reform school, Ian has no idea how to handle the dance class, service projects, or an even larger number of bullies. Maybe he can get help from Thomas Edison (the late inventor with whom he occasionally speaks to in his head) or his new friends at reform school. This book was confusing at the beginning. With first-person point of view, Weinberger drops you in Ian's brain and hopes you can swim. The conversations with Thomas Edison were pretty strange, and it was hard at first to keep up with the characters. However, once you get into the book, it's a nice, light-hearted read, similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Lina saw her life stretching before her like a beautiful dream. She would go to art school and really begin her life. That was before the Soviets knocked down her door and took her and her family to Siberia. Lina uses her art to hold on in the work camps where extreme cold and extreme brutality leave little room for beauty. But it's not just beauty she is sharing, there is also a code in her work. We hear so many stories of Hitler's cruelty, but we forget that Hitler was not the only dictator in history that killed so many. Stalin is one of those, and we were his ally in the World War II. Did we have any other choice? Can we rightly say the enemy of my enemy is my friend? We soon learned that we couldn't trust him, and the Cold War began. These gulag stories are some of the stories we don't hear, but we need to be reminded. Gabe spends the summer after he moves, making friends with Seth. The two of them played a game where they fought a creature known as the Hunter. When Gabe starts his new school, he realizes Seth is considered strange, and he has his own doubts about him. So when other starts teasing Seth, Gabe does nothing. But then he begins to realize that the Hunter may be more than just a game. I will admit to being put off by this book at first. They start with the imaginary world of the Hunter where Gabe and Seth have given themselves strange imaginary names. Once you get understand how the "Never" and "Now" sections work, the reading becomes a little easier. Then I was upset with Gabe for not sticking up for his friend, and the whole story itself was not that scary. However, if you are willing to stick it out, the ending made up for the rest of the book and will give you that creepy feeling you want from a scary story. |
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June 2021
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