Fire from the Rock

by Sharon M. Draper
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 229 pages

This story about the integration of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, takes a while to get going, but becomes engrossing as it goes on. I'm not sure it's enough to pull in middle school readers, but I found myself caught up in the story and sadness for the many real-life people who have had to suffer because of bigotry and cruel racism. It is still hard for me to fathom the depth of hatred directed at people because of their race. It's appalling. Draper infuses the story with a little romance to go along with the human rights tale. My favorite parts were where Sylvia wrote in her journal and her enduring friendship with Rachel, a Jewish white girl.

La Linea

by Ann Jaramillo
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 135 pages

This is a powerful story of Miguel and his sister Elena trying to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. to join their parents. Everyone involved in the immigration debate should read this! What a powerful book. I hope to have a lot of students read and discuss this book. There is a lot of authenticity in the story and it makes me sad.

 

<Above published  August 18, 2009. Below added November 2, 2026.>

 

I re-read this book because I grabbed a copy from a "discard" shelf. I love the author's notes at the end of the book. I am deeply sad that our country treats immigrants like garbage, ambushing them and sending them away. 

 

I had forgotten how much Spanish she uses! Sometimes I could figure out what was being said, but other times I wish I had used a translation tool and written the English in the margins . . . perhaps I will if I keep this on my shelf.

 

Page 2: In those days, Papá could save a peso here and there. He used the money to buy books. The few he had, he read over and over until he knew long passages by heart.

 

Miguel and his sister Elena are living in Mexico with their grandmother. Their parents have gone North and now have twin daughters, living in California. Miguel has a strong connection with his absent father and almost idolizes him. (I love books and reading, so this memory of Miguel's papa resonates for me.)

 

Page 10-11: My sister was pretty. She really didn't need to show skin for boys to notice her. I could scold her about dishonoring the family, but I wasn't her parent, and she knew it. She wasn't about to let me tell her how she could dress.

 

The sibling relationship was so realistic. They love and hate one another. They're a team and they're two distinct individuals. Miguel knows how dangerous Elena's beauty and innocence can be, but he also knows she won't receive his advice well.

 

Page 20: Abuelita said I didn't pay enough attention. She said my mind was always somewhere else. Anybody could grow a plant or raise an animal! But Abuelita didn't scold. She didn't even seem to blame me. To Abuelita, both my strengths and weaknesses were facts, as true as the rising sun or the drought that the sun caused.

 

This was interesting to me. I believe people can change. But I also love that Abuelita just recognized and accepted that Miguel wasn't a very good farmer. I am definitely more of a critical person that she was!

 

Page 39: His eyes continued to glide over us, checking to see who might resist. Everyone did exactly as he said. No one even complained. He smirked. To him, we were just a bunch of pobres, now under his control. ¡Buey! 

 

This is the "federal" - a Mexican official who knows he has power over these people and exercises it evilly. "Pobres" means poor people. "Buey" means ox. I hate when people bully others just because they can!

 

Page 53: Maybe the rats were a bad omen. I was dead tired, but I needed to stay awake. There was more than one kind of ratero in the world.

 

Miguel saves his sister from being raped, but gives the next round of evil people all the money he has. Imagine an exhausted fifteen-year-old trying to keep him and his sister safe from all the evils in the world. 

 

This book is well-written and heart-breaking. I am even more sad that the United States is no safe haven for people trying to make better lives for themselves and their families. 

 

 

 

 

Life as We Knew It

by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 337 pages

A large meteor hits the moon and knocks it off course, causing devastating tides, flooding, hurricanes, and worldwide devastation. Told from Miranda's perspective, including some journaling, this is a very unusual book. For part of it, I was bored and it seemed to drag too much. Just past midway, I realized that I didn't know how it was going to end (rare with young adolescent books - they're usually pretty predictable). By the time I finished it, I was completely engrossed and thinking of re-reading the last dozen pages just to experience it again. I will probably read the companion novel, The Dead and the Gone, told from the perspective of a teenager in NYC.

The thing that bothered me was the stereotypical pastor who's a big, fat, nasty hypocrite and Miranda's friend Megan who starves herself to death in a religious frenzy, causing her mom to commit suicide. Sometimes I wonder if all YA authors have had negative experiences with religion. It's discouraging to know that organized religion has had such a negative impact on so many people. Jesus isn't about the religious hypocrisy at all!

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

by Ally Carter
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 284 pages

This is another title that I enjoyed less than I expected. Callie is a student at a private spy school. While in town on a mission, she meets a regular boy and is drawn to him. He cannot know who she really is or what goes on at Gallagher Academy.

There were elements of this story that I really enjoyed, like the students have an assigned language (out of the 14 that they learn) for mealtime conversations and some of the James Bond-type gadgets that they use. But I thought the character development was stilted, especially Macey going from bad-girl to . . . just another girl.

Will I read the sequel? Not sure.

Eighth Grade Bites: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod

by Heather Brewer
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 182 pages

This story of a teenage vampire who's trying to hide who he really is while dealing with typical teen angst was a bit disappointing. His best friend and his aunt know and help him get the blood he needs without killing anyone. I had heard rave reviews about this book, and found the mystery of what happened to his parents, who's stalking him, etc. to be interesting. But overall, it was a bit abrupt and convoluted, especially Otis' motivation for finding Tod and how he handled the situation at the end. Not sure I'll read Nineth Grade Slays (sic), though I'm a bit curious . . .

Peak

by Roland Smith
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 246 pages

This is the third MHL nominee I've read and so far it's my favorite. I loved it! This made me cry, but the action-adventure momentum also kept me reading. I think kids will really enjoy this one.

Peak is a climber stuck in NYC, so he begins scaling skyscrapers. When he gets in trouble, his mom and stepdad don't know how to keep him out of juvenile detention. That's when his father, famous climber Josh Wood, steps in to take Peak with him to China. Only Josh's plan is to get Peak to the summit of Everest.

Cool and believable. Lots of details. Interesting characters. Fun book!

Note added 10/14/14:

Peak - teenage protagonist
Josh - his dad
Mom - not sure what her real name is . . .
Rolf - stepdad
Patrice & Paula - "the two Peas" -
Sun-jo - teenage Sherpa climbing with Peak
Holly Angelo - obnoxious reporter trying to climb Everest
Vincent - the teacher who makes Peak write about his experience (in a Moleskin notebook)
Yogi - Sherpa
Yash - Sherpa
Zopa