Jordan Sonnenblick. AFTER EVER AFTER

Jeffrey isn't a little boy with cancer anymore. He's past all the treatments, the hospital stays, and the community support. He's in the next stage now, which he considers a life-sentence all on its own. Kids aren't sure how to treat him. The one lingering aspect of his cancer is his trouble with math. The chemicals messed with his brain and his ability to work with numbers. His dad is frustrated with Jeffrey, because he's a math whiz himself, so surely his son must be a disappointment. His best friend, Tad, is also a cancer survivor, although he was left with physical damage, rather than mental. He's in a wheelchair. His sharp wit and loyalty is just what Jeffrey needs.

Now in eighth grade, both boys wonder about having a normal life. When Lyndsay, from California, transfers to the school and befriends Jeffrey, he begins to think that maybe he will expeience some normalcy. Then a letter arrives in the mail explaining that all students must pass the state exam in eighth grade, before moving on to high school. It crushes him, until Tad comes up with a plan.

This book balances heavy issues with laughter and lighthearted typical middle school worries better than I've ever seen. During one moment, you're laughing hysterically, then the next moment, you're feeling the weight of events in Jeffrey's life.  But even with two kids and cancer, there is not one single depressing moment. You will be left feeling moved and uplifted. I really love it!

By the way, I listened to the audio version and it was spectacular! Nick Podehl is perfect at altering the voices for the character! At one point, I laughed so hard while on a run that I had to stop and catch my breath! I know I would've enjoyed reading the book also, but it would've been a way different experience.

Also, this book is sort of a sequel to DRUMS, GIRLS & DANGEROUS PIE, but not really. DRUMS features Jeffrey's older brother, Steven, while he was in eighth grade. This one is several years later when Jeffrey is in eighth grade. I did not read DRUMS (yet), and I didn't feel I was missing anything at all. In fact, I didn't even know this tidbit until after I read it.

Click here for more on Jordan Sonnenblick and his fabulous books.

Gitty Daneshvari. SCHOOL OF FEAR

SCHOOL OF FEAR is bizarre, witty and so much fun! Four kids with irrational fears are sent to this highly secretive school that professes to be able to cure kids of their phobias. Madeline is so terrified of bugs that she wears a veil and carries bug spray everywhere. Theo is so afraid of dying that he can spout off random safety statistics. Lulu is afraid of confined spaces, while Garrison is great at all sports, except water sports, because he's deathly afraid of bodies of water.

The four kids arrive at school of fear to discover that they are the only four kids enrolled. They expected it to be more like summer camp, with lots of kids. They also didn't expect a former beauty queen has-been to be their "teacher."
Lulu questions Mrs. Wellington by asking her about her credentials. Mrs. Wellington goes on and on about her resume that includes various titles to all types of beauty pageants.

    So Lulu interrupts and says, "I meant your credentials to teach us!"
    "Oh, you silly girl! Teachers don't need credentials. That's an old wives' tale."
    "So you have absolutely no credentials to teach us about fears?" Madeline says in shock.
And here is where the kids begin to get a glimpse into who they are dealing with when Mrs. Wellington replies
    "I assure you that one doesn't need credentials for fears when one has a Fearnasium."

The kids' anxiety grows when they learn about the school's library, which doesn't contain books at all. But of course, it's a Library of Smelly Foods! The school and their teacher grow more and more bizarre, and the kids really begin to question the validity of the whole experience. They wonder how this teacher can cure them when half the time she doesn't even make sense.They wonder why she continues to call them "contestants," why learning good posture has anything to do with fears and finally, why does their food taste so bad!

Two additional characters add to the mystery. Schmidty serves as Mrs. Wellington's butler and an English bulldog named Macaroni is treated very much like a person and gets to eat at the dinner table with everyone else.

The ending is unexpected and enjoyable. Really, you must enroll in the School of Fear! You won't be disappointed!

Elizabeth Scott. GRACE

Holy Spicoli! Has it really been a month since I’ve blogged?! Yowza! I have been busy – with my cross country move and all, but jeez. I can’t let this happen again.

On to the ARC of one of my favorite authors! Elizabeth Scott is one of those authors where I just open her book and read. I don’t read anything on the cover or any summaries.  I just read knowing I’ll enjoy it.

 I really didn’t know what I was getting in for this time.  If it was any other author, I may not have wanted to read about this world. It’s set in a near future where a brutal leader named Keran Berj has taken over and kills in the name of freedom. He sets random rules about what to do, think or say. Then he changes them frequently enough to keep everyone in constant fear.

Grace lives on the run from the reign of Keran Berj with a group of people called the Hills. They boys are raised to be fighters and girls are chosen to be Angels. Grace was sent to be an Angel, which means that she will be chosen one day for a specific task of terror. This task will include her own death as a suicide bomber.  She’s always accepted that as her fate by rationalizing that it would bring glory to her family. But when the day comes, she decides that she doesn’t want to die. But she can’t go back home, since she would be killed for her shameful act of not dying.

Then she meets another person in a similar situation.  This boy has always represented cruelty and death to her people.  But while getting to know him, Grace realizes that the two of them aren’t really that different. Grace has blood on her hands too in the name of her cause. Isn’t death still death? Isn’t terror still terror? No matter what the reason?

She finds a way that may be an escape for her, if she is able to make it through the malicious guards along the way to the border. Grace has lived her whole life preparing to die. Can she now prepare to live?

This is an amazing book.  I can’t do it justice in this review. The back of the book says “told in spare, powerful prose….that will haunt readers long after they’ve reached the final page.” That’s exactly it! It’s haunting, intense and sad. It brings to mind so many things. There is something about the train ride that reminded me of the Holocaust. Of course, the acts of terror are all too familiar to everyone. It’s a book you want to discuss with friends. I’m intrigued about what ideas sparked the idea for this book.

This book is a departure from Scott’s other books (so is Living Dead Girl).  For example, after someone reads & loves SOMETHING, MAYBE, you wouldn’t go immediately think to recommend GRACE. But that’s just a testament to what a brilliant and talented writer she is. This is incredible range. Wow! I just have to wonder what topic she’ll tackle next! Whatever it is, I’ll be there to devour it!

Thank you Elizabeth Scott for including me in your blog tour!
GRACE is due out September 16th. Check out the author at her website.
Click HERE to scroll through all the reviews I've done on her books. (you should really check them ALL out!)

Rebecca Stead. FIRST LIGHT

Peter finally gets to see his father as an exploring scientist, rather than just a stuffy professor. His mom and dad have decided to let him come along on a scientific study in Greenland. His dad is a glaciologist and will be studying weather changes on the glaciers. His mom plans to continue writing her book on DNA. Peter is thrilled to leave school for a few months and go on the adventure with his family.

The secrets he uncovers there turn out to be beyond all comprehension. One day he goes exploring and stumbles upon a girl named Thea trying to pry a boy out of a crack in the ice. Peter helps Thea pull him to safety and continues to help her carry him to her “camp.” But what he finds isn’t a camp, but a huge community living underneath the ice in secret. After Peter has amassed a truckload of questions, they hustle him back to the surface refusing to answer any of them. He’s sent on his way and told to keep their secret.

Then when Peter sees his mom doodling a symbol that he saw down in the secret community, more questions come up. What is going on with that place and how is his mother involved?

The author has woven such an amazing story out of so many interesting topics.
There are many aspects of this story that I loved: The sled dogs that work so hard for their people and become members of their families, the science of fireflies, the igloo building, the mitochondrial DNA…I was continually intrigued and entertained! I’m not even going into some of the other cool aspects, so I won’t divulge any spoilers!

I’m floored that this is the author’s first published book. (but not totally surprised, since she just won the Newbery for her second book, which I also loved and reviewed here.) Also, what this author does better than anyone is tie up loose ends. You know how sometimes when you read a book or see a movie and something happened early on & you think “why didn’t they ever explain such & such.. or why did they bring that up & never finish it.” Well, every little thing you’re curious about in the book is neatly explained along the way or at the end. I love that! She did that with her second book too.

There is a really nifty website for this book here. The author's website is here.  I will be FIRST in line for her next book!

Guest Blogger - Heather Johnson

The Cay: A Timeless Classic by Theodore Taylor

I remember when I was in middle school and The Cay was one of the most popular books in our English classes. I can picture Timothy with his dark skin and white hair standing on the beautiful white-sanded beach. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, my class never read it. Recently, I went back and picked up a copy of The Cay and read it. I’m ecstatic that I did. I don’t know if it was the cover or the word, “cay,” that stuck with me. Regardless of what drew me back to this short novel, I’m a better person for reading it.

Theodore Taylor penned this novel about forgiveness and equality aimed at the young adult. The language is easy to follow and the descriptiveness employed really makes the reader feel like he or she is stuck on the cay with Timothy and Phillip. The Cay takes place off the island of Curacao in the Bahamas during World War II. Phillip is a young boy, about 12, who is on a ship with his mother headed for the United States. They are leaving Curacao as there is unrest on the Dutch island as fears about attacks from the Germans abound. Timothy is a crew member on the ship, a laborer.

The ship is attacked by Germans and Phillip is separated from his mother and winds up on a raft in the middle of the ocean with Timothy. Phillip grew up very sheltered and his mother, in particular, was wary of black people. Timothy is getting on in years and does everything he can to help Phillip, who has lost his eyesight, stay safe. This is a tale about survival and, in order to survive, Phillip needs to put aside his inherent racism and work together with Timothy if they ever to reach safety.

This is a great story for young adults as there is certainly enough adventure to grab their attention and they learn about what is needed to survive in this world. They learn that racist thoughts can only hinder people when they are stripped from every convenience of their regular, day-to-day lives. Phillip comes full circle in this story and realizes that we are all human beings in this world just trying to make it and harboring ill will towards someone for no legitimate reason does more harm than good. I realized, as I read The Cay so many years after leaving middle school, that this is a worthwhile story for readers of all ages and wish that I had the privilege of reading it when I was in my formative years!

By-line:

This article was contributed by Heather Johnson, who is a regular writer on the subject of Concord Law School Reviews. She welcomes your questions, comments and writing job opportunities at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Thanks for the article Heather!

*Mrs. Hill's note: If you like THE CAY, there is a companion novel called TIMOTHY OF THE CAY.