Crispin: The Cross of Lead (2003 John Newbery Medal Winner) Review

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(More customer reviews)CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD is a thrilling and endearing tale, unquestionably my favorite book of Avi's from the bunch I've read. (This is, in fact, his fiftieth book.) CRISPIN is set in 1300s England. Not only is the story steeped in the history of feudalistic medieval Britain, but Avi brings that history to life most vividly without ever once hitting you over the head with it.
"Time was the great millstone, which ground us to dust like kerneled wheat. The Holy Church told us where we were in the alterations of the day, the year, and in our daily toil. Birth and death alone gave distinction to our lives, as we made the journey between the darkness from whence we had come to the darkness where we were fated to await Judgment Day."
CRISPIN is the name of the 13-year-old peasant main character; although, the only name he's known for himself is "Asta's Son." That is until his mother dies, and in his blinding grief he stumbles upon a secret meeting in the woods between John Aycliffe--the steward of the manor--and a wealthy stranger. In a flash he finds himself the target of a plot in which he is falsely accused of a theft and declared a "wolf's head," allowing anyone to kill him on sight. On his way "out of town" the village priest tells the boy his real name, tells him to hide out for 24 hours until he can round up some provisions, and promises to reveal some more vital information the next day. Then the priest proceeds to get his throat slit and Crispin is on the run with the theft AND the priest's murder hanging over him. What happens to him is one of those stories that is so well crafted that you can taste and smell the settings, as well as hear the sinister growl in Aycliffe's throat, as you anxiously wait for something to go right for Crispin.
While trying not to reveal any more of the story, I'll also tell you that there is a character in here who I find darn near as lovable as Hagrid.
I hope that Avi is contemplating a sequel to this one--the end came way too soon for me.
Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com

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Billy Creekmore: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)In the early 1900's, "The Guardian Angels Home for Boys" is anything but. In this grim setting in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, ten-year-old Billy Creekmore exists - barely. The most that Billy can hope for is that Mr. Colder will take him away to work in the glassworks when he is twelve. When a friend reports back about the true conditions of the glassworks, that hope dies hard. Overhearing that Mr. Colder is going to employ him despite his tender age, Billy prepares to run away. Fortuitously, a long-lost relative turns up and whisks Billy away to his first true home.
Billy's misadventures are legion, taking him from the orphanage through the pre-union coal mines into a traveling circus. Along the way, Billy meets his biological father and tries mightily and ultimately unsuccessfully to believe in the goodness of this unsavory circus grifter. Misfortunes, however, do not harden Billy's good heart. As a protagonist, Billy is a sweet-natured charmer of animals and people -- including readers.



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Folks say I'm bound to be unlucky in life, for I was born at midnight on a Friday, the thirteenth of December, and Peggy says it's certain I can commune with spirits. But I ain't never seen any ghosts, not even my own mother, and wouldn't that be the ghost I'd see if I could?

So begins the tale of Billy Creekmore, a boy with mystifying powers and the glorious gift of storytelling. But what does life hold for someone growing up in the cruel clutches of the Guardian Angels Home for Boys, where Billy's gifts do more harm than good?

Escaping the orphanage seems an impossible feat, but when a stranger comes to claim Billy, he sets off on an extraordinary journey. With only a tin box that holds precious mementos of his beloved mother and mysterious father, Billy travels from the coal mines of West Virginia to the spectacular world of a traveling circus in search of his past, his future, and his own true self.

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Gentle's Holler (Maggie Valley Novels) Review

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(More customer reviews)In GENTLE'S HOLLER, Kerry Madden introduced young readers to Olivia (better known as Livy Two) Weems, a twelve-year-old with a passion for books and music. Livy has eight siblings of various ages and tempermants, a sweet mama, and a starry-eyed daddy. Money's tight - Daddy's music fills the heart and ears more than it fills the pocketbook - but the Weems make do, and their household is always bursting with family, love, and music. Livy Two also sings and plays music, often writing songs about the struggles her family has faced and the hardships they've overcome. The story is set in 1960s North Carolina, a beautiful backdrop for this artistic and energetic family.
As the tale progresses, Livy Two watches carefully over Gentle, the next-to-youngest one in the family, who has always had difficulty with her eyes. Meanwhile, the eldest son, Emmett, looks beyond the holler and fixes his eyes on Ghost Town in the Sky, a new place on the top of a mountain where he might be able to get a job. Livy Two's trips to the lending library truck connect her with another kind soul, Miss Attickson, who encourages Livy's voracious appetite for novels and poetry.
GENTLE'S HOLLER is the first in The Maggie Valley Trilogy. The second book, LOUISIANA'S SONG, is just as precious as the first book. I can't wait to read JESSIE'S MOUNTAIN, the final book in the trilogy. This series will be loved by kids and families who enjoyed the All-of-a-Kind Family books by Sidney Taylor, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, and Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.

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Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books) Review

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(More customer reviews)My 10 year old son and I read a lot of books together. Usually we read for adventure and for laughs, but we're currently working on the 2008 Children's Sequoyah Masterlist, a group of 12 books thought to be the best of recent books by authors living in the United States. The award is named after Sequoyah, who is remembered as the father of the Cherokee alphabet.
The thing that really grabs my son's attention is a true story about kids, especially if they've had to endure hardships. The hardest part about reading these books with him is explaining that all these horrible things really took place. That idea sometimes overwhelms him. He still lives in the mindset that adults can fix everything. I hate taking that away from him, but he also learns to appreciate the life he has and learns to be giving to others that have less.
BROTHERS IN HOPE: THE STORY OF THE LOST BOYS OF SUDAN is one of those books. It's really short and can be read within minutes, but the impact of the story is still with my child days later. Based on the tragic, real-life incidents in the Sudan where warlords massacred whole villages in the civil war that took place there, the book focuses on an eight year old boy named Garang Deng.
Garang became one of the leaders of the 30,000 Sudanese boys between 8 to 15 that became orphans as a result of that war. They ended up walking over 1000 miles to try to find safety. The fact that boys that age could endure the hardships and know enough to save most of them is astounding.
As I read the book to my son, I knew he was lost in that struggle, trying to imagine what he would do. That's what he's like. It wasn't an adventure like we normally read. This was a real life-or-death situation.
Several of the boys died along the way. That fact is touched upon in the narrative but doesn't weigh too heavily. Mary Williams, the author, has handled truly difficult subject matter here and in a way that leaves young readers shaken but not despondent. Although only 40 pages long, the books is a real eye-opener about what goes on in the rest of the world.
The artist, R. Gregory Christie, does an amazing job with kid-friendly pictures. The acrylic medium really stands out on the page, and the colors are all warm earth tones that reflect the geography of that region. Emotions, despair and joy, are plain for the reader to see in the way the characters stand. The art complement the simple, hard-hitting text wonderfully.
If you're working with your child in the Sequoyah Reading this year, you may find that the subject matter in BROTHERS IN HOPE: THE STORY OF THE LOST BOYS OF SUDAN is hard to deal with. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions from your child. Thankfully, I knew enough about what had happened there to answer most of them. You might want to read up on that civil war and the general outcome. I know my son seemed less pensive when I could answer his questions and let him know that most of those boys were truly safe now, and over 3000 of them came into the United States.


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The Book of Lies Review

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(More customer reviews)Mrs. Timmins's Home for Foundlings and Orphans is known for providing care and shelter for those children unfortunate to lose their parents, or be left behind. But when Mrs. Timmins's newest charge awakes, he is instantly overcome with the feeling that he's not who he says he is. Left with no memory of his prior life, twelve-year-old Marcel - aka Robert - is convinced that something fishy is lingering around Mrs. Timmins and her creepy home. Sure, she's a kind old woman, and her son, Albert, isn't too demanding, but there's something not right surrounding her. Marcel believes that his unsettled feelings can be primarily blamed upon Lord Alwyn, a bizarre presence whose obsession and knowledge with magic and the mysterious arts has Mrs. Timmins, as well as her young charges, shaking in their boots. Unfortunately, Marcel has no solid proof that there's something missing from his history. Something that could change his life for the better. Until, that is, he meets up with tiny Bea. Bea has the ability to disappear into the shadows, and her small stature makes it easy for her to come and go as she pleases with everyone none the wiser. Marcel instantly takes to the elfin girl, and finds her fascinating. The fact that she is aware of the strange happenings that took place between Marcel and Lord Alwyn on the first night of his arrival at Mrs. Timmins's Home for Foundlings and Orphans, only works to renew his interest in her, and claim her as his confidant and closest friend. With Bea's help, Marcel discovers that the large, musty old book that Lord Alwyn carries with him wherever he goes is known as the Book of Lies. The Book of Lies is home to Marcel's past, and the truth that will help him forge on in the future. Unfortunately, with Lord Alwyn guarding the book with his life, Marcel sees no way to delve into the book, and learn the secrets of his prior life - before the aging wizard locks them away forever - without being caught. The fact that the Book of Lies is so unattainable, however, only works to make Marcel more determined to get his pauper-like hands upon it. And, with the help of Bea, a mangy horse with dreams of soaring among the clouds named Gadfly, and two unlikely fellow orphans, Marcel embarks on the journey of a lifetime that will take him through hunger and famine, war and flame-ridden dwellings, and through the lands of elves, and corrupt royals with plans to destroy their kingdoms. It is only through these trials, tribulations, and tests that Marcel will finally have the chance to discover his true history, and learn to depend upon others to help him through misery, magic, and mystery. But if he doesn't watch his back, he and his companions may not make it through their adventure alive.
I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, yet I'm easily drawn in by fantasy novels that test the waters, and dip into untouched subjects, and clever concepts. James Moloney's THE BOOK OF LIES manages to fulfill both of these requirements. Moloney's descriptive dialogue, and captivating characters work hand in hand to create a daring novel that takes the reader on the adventure of a lifetime. Marcel is a curious character, whose determination to discover the truth about his past is admirable; while his refusal to turn his back on his friends, or abandon his quest - even when the waters turn rough - makes him extremely likable. His relationship with Bea - a character who, in my opinion, steals the spotlight - is very refreshing, as it is close, and loving, yet doesn't delve into anything romantic. Bea's ability to blend in with the shadows surrounding her, and the fact that she possesses no scent, and creeps around as silently as a cat make her an extremely fun character from beginning to end. She is such an innocent, friendly face, whose presence leaves the reader feeling a sense of familiarity between her and themselves, and truly makes her irresistible. Gadfly, a horse who is wild and beautiful, and dreams of stealing the spotlight of saving the world, and gracing the skies with her agility and heroics from Hercules' companion, Pegasus, is quite humorous; yet also borders on the adorable, as it shows that animals too have dreams that, while oft-times far-fetched, are an important aspect of their lives. While Marcel is lovable and impossible to ignore, I found that both Bea and Gadfly - working together - managed to overshadow his character, and capture my heart instantly. Moloney's various other characters - from the Princess-like Nicola, to the brazen, stout roughneck, Fergus; and even to the mad scientist-like Lord Alwyn, to the mother hen ways of Mrs. Timmins - are an important addition to the tale, who provide conflict and companionship to our hero and heroine. The fact that Moloney doesn't focus too harshly on the life of an orphan is another plus, as he gets straight to the main focus of the story, and keeps you captivated from start to finish. Thrilling!
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

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Out of Control Review

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(More customer reviews)Valerie Michon is just an ordinary highschool girl. And "Rollo", "Brigg" and "Candy" are just ordinary highschool guys. Until the day that the guys decide that Valerie's a little annoying and that they might have some "harmless" fun teasing her. But the guys don't know how one thoughtless moment can change their lives, and Valerie could never know how her sense of security and optimism could be altered in the blink of an eye. This novel about sexual assualt is well-written, thought-provoking, and hard-hitting. Norma Fox Mazer keeps it suspenseful and realistic and knows just how to develop the characters. It is written in a way that makes you realize that sexual assault isn't a simple issue and we are challenged to think of the the boys as "normal", not just as monsters. In particular, "Rollo" is shown to have just "jumped on the bandwagon" and lived to regret his actions. Valerie is also portrayed well...struggling with humiliation, anger, and shame. Minor characters also add interesting and contrasting viewpoints and perspectives. To close...a well-done book on a difficult subject. Any teen should read this.

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