Review: Dear America, A Journey to the New World

Dear America:

A Journey to the New World

The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple

Mayflower, 1620

by

 Kathryn Lasky

Quote: "  I begin now this second part of our diary, even though it is the same day. I consider the voyage finished and this be the New World part." ~Mem   pg. 43

Started: Jan. 14, 2013

Finished: Jan. 16, 2013

hardcover/ 174 pages

From the cover:

"Land ahoy!"

 The call from the crow's nest cracked the dawn. Hummy's and my eyes flew open...we all hurried out. Unable to believe the words, our eyes wide in the half-light of dawn. Several of us crowded along the rail. The sailors saw it first, the faint, dark line against the horizon... But within minutes of searching the horizon with our eyes, Hummy and I begun to see the same.

 We held each other's hands so tightly and dared not breathe, but minute by minute, the line became firmer and began to thicken. 'Twas not a wisp of a dream but real. It has taken us all of sixty-five days, but finally we are here. This be the New World and it doth fill my eyes for the first time.

My Review:

I have to admit that I love the Dear America series. They are such good little reads and have actually taught me things I had not learned before. This book in particular was about the Mayflower voyage of 1620. I learned new names that I hadn't known, such as the "Saints" and "Separatists" which are the names given to those from the Saints of the Holy Discipline who separated from the Church of England. Rather than just being what we call, Pilgrims. I also didn't know that the Mayflower was originally a wine ship from Portugal. This book actually includes many names of real passengers who were among those on board. The names can be matched to ledgers located on internet searches. I like the way this book shows us what the voyage most likely was like from the eyes of a child. How she dealt with sickness, hunger, heartache and even boredom. So often in history we see children have dealt with things we cannot imagine ourselves overcoming as adults, let alone a child. We take for granted our own children's advantages and innocence. My daughters actually own a short(28minute) movie by the same name and I have to say there were too many missing parts to the movie after finishing the book. There were complete characters left out and other things added to the movie that were no where in the story.

For the book, I give it 4 Stars*

Review: Son(The Giver Quartet #4)

Son

by Lois Lowry

Quote: " But it was fun for me today. Part of my job is giving the newchildren to their parental units. The new mothers and fathers are always so excited."~ Nurturer  pg.77

Started: Nov. 2, 2012

Finished: Nov. 9, 2012

393 pages/ hardcover

From the cover:

" They called her Water Claire."

When the young girl washed up on their shore, no one knew she had been a Vessel. That she had carried a Product. That it had been carved from her belly. Stolen.

Claire had had a son. She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. When he was taken from their community, she knew she had to follow.

And so her journey began.

But here in this wind-battered village Claire is welcomed as one of their own. In the security of her new home, she is free and loved. She grows stronger.

As tempted as she is by the warmth of more human kindness than she has ever known, she cannot stay. Her son is out there; a young boy by now.

Claire will stop at nothing to find her child...

even if it means trading her own life.

With Son, the two-time Newberry Medal-winning Lois Lowry has spun another mesmerizing tale in this thrilling and long-awaited conclusion to The Giver.

My Review:

This was a great ending to a wonderful series. Son, tied up all the loose ends to the 3 previous books. It was very well written and made a great story even better. The main character is Claire. She was chosen to be a Vessel but something went wrong. Even with the Elders wisdom and great reputation for making the best choices, the unexpected happened. From then on Claire was changed, different and unsure of most things. The one thing she was sure of, she had to find her son.The book is divided in to three parts. Before, Between, and Beyond.  It tells everything from how each character got to where they are to where they were when they seemed "missing" in the middle books. It , for the most part ties everyone together and helps explain the how, why and whens. I would love to see these stories made into a children's movie or a mini-series.

*4 stars*

Review: The Hunt for the Seventh

The Hunt for the Seventh

by Christine Morton-Shaw

Quote: "This one, he sees her. This one, he knows where her name, it is written down. All of the children's names, six names in total, they are written in the church." ~ Henry aka Einstein pg. 63

Started: Aug. 23, 2012

Finished: Aug. 27, 2012

273 pages/ paperback

From the cover:

A haunted mansion.

Six dead children.

A garden of statues.

With every step he takes around the carefully manicured grounds of Minerva Hall, Jim is haunted by the ghosts of children, long dead, whom no one else can see. Urging him to "find the Seventh," the children leave him cryptic clues pointing to a devastating ancient prophecy that only he can stop from being fulfilled.

If Jim doesn't figure out the clues, innocent people will die. But how can Jim find the answers while the dangers of the Hall grow ever more threatening? And even if he can, the real question is- is Jim already too late?

My Review:

This was a great little MG book. It has just enough mystery and "scare" factor to be enjoyed by any middle school reader. The main character is an eleven-year-old who has recently lost his mother. Now his father, sister and himself are starting over. New home, job, school, friends and life. The changes they experience are not what any of them had in mind. This is not what Jim had imagined when he dreamed of more adventure and excitement in what had become a dull, routine life of  feeling alone and overlooked. I give it *4 stars*

Review: The Healing Spell

The Healing Spell

by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Quote: " Maybe she's got a cure. Some sort of sleeping-sickness herb." ~ Livie pg. 151

started: March 22, 2012

Finished: March 25, 2012

From the cover:

Eleven-year-old Livie is keeping a secret, and it's crushing her. She knows she is responsible for her mother's coma, but she can't tell anyone. And it's up to her to find a way to wake her mamma before anyone uncovers the truth of what really happened.

  Added to the list of Livie's problems are being stuck in the middle of three sisters, trying to hide a forbidden pet alligator, and possibly disappointing her daddy, whom she loves more than anyone else. Livie feels like an outsider and prefers the solitude of the wild bayou to her ever-crowded home. But she can't run away from her troubles, and as she struggles to find her place within her family, Livie learns a lot about the powers of faith and redemption. Is her heart big enough to heal her mamma and bring her family back together?

My Review:

 This was a great little book. It had a few really good lessons for anyone, especially young girls trying to make sense of this crazy world. For all those girls that feel alone or like," these things are only happening to them". Through Livie's journey we find she isn't so different from many of us at that age. She is scared, confused, self-blaming and feels like she'll never fit in. Yes, she has a secret that is breaking her heart. Rather than share it with family(whom she feels already hate her), she hides it. The guilt and confusion only build. She searches for an answer through a "traiteur" deep in the bayou. The "cure" she is given was not something brewed or bottled for sale. Livie learns that in order to heal her mamma, herself and her family, it will take a much bigger power than that!

What a wonderful little book!!!

Review: Fever 1793

Fever 1793

by 

Laurie Halse Anderson

Quote: " She won't settle until you are gone. She doesn't want you here. She's afraid you'll get sick." ~ Eliza pg. 73

started: Feb. 14, 2012

finished: Feb. 16, 2012

From the cover:

  During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather. Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to turn the family business into the finest Philadelphia has ever seen. But then the fever breaks out.

 Disease sweeps the streets, destroying everything in its path and turning Mattie's world upside down. At her feverish mother's insistence, Mattie flees the city with her grandfather. but she soon discovers that the sickness is everywhere, and Mattie must learn quickly how to survive in a city turned frantic with disease.

My Review:  

  Although this book was written for younger readers, I found it very well written and very educational. There are several references to real people and how this epidemic was dealt with. I liked that it dealt with real events and very believable situations. The author did a wonderful job of writing it as to where you could put yourself in Mattie's shoes. I felt like I was experiencing these events with her. It shows very well how families are split and you have to make hard, painful decisions to help in the survival of the ones you love and pray that you have the strength to save yourself!

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history or early american events.

All in all, this was a wonderful little book. 5 stars!

Review: Haunted Waters

Haunted Waters

by May Pope Osborne

Quote: " There are questions you have never asked, Lord Huldbrand. There are worlds you have never imagined."~ Undine

Started: Feb. 5, 2012

Ended: Feb. 9, 2012

From the cover:

As I came close to the water, I saw a figure lying on the bank: Undine. Her white gown spread about her, she looked like a gull with broken wings.

   Her face was hidden as I ran toward her. I reached out to touch her, and suddenly the phantom's screech split the twilight- and i found myself reaching for nothing at all. Undine had evaporated into the air! I ran like a madman, slipping, crawling, clawing my way through the marsh reeds. My mind reeled with terror- was Undine herself now a demon? Had the monster taken her shape?

My Review:  I didn't hate this book. I simply didn't get it! Honestly, as I came to the end, all I kept thinking was...Yea, and....

It's not that I didn't enjoy the story, I think it just kind of rambled into a list of "what's next" that never got answered. I never felt like the story ended any of the topics it started. 

**SPOILERS**

My questions left are:

1. What was she?

2. How did Lord Huldbrand really get onto the shore?(was it a storm? shipwreck? magic?)

3. Where did Undine come from? (Hell, the sea, a hybrid of sea and human)?

4. Why was the forest against humans/mortals?

5. Why didn't her father come back for her before she married a mortal?

6. Why was she abandoned and raised by humans?

7. Why did she come back for him only when he was going to marry another?

8. Did he really fall in love with her or was it a spell?

I'm not sure I got the story. I only learned that this was a spin-off of a mythological legend after reading the book. Still, after trying to do much research on the original, I haven't really learned anything new or answered any of my questions.  Maybe some will understand this more than I did.

My rating is 2 stars. It was just too unfinished for me.

Review: Messenger

Messenger

by Lois Lowry

Quote: "Someone is coming to help us," she said. "It's the man with the blue eyes."~ Kira

started: Feb.1, 2012

finished: Feb. 3, 2012

From the cover:

For the past six years, Matty has lived in Village and flourished under the guidance of Seer, a blind man, known for his special sight. Village was a place that welcomed newcomers, but something sinister has seeped into the Village and people have voted to close it to outsiders.  Matty has been invaluable as a messenger. Now he must make one last journey through the treacherous forest with his only weapon, a power he unexpectedly discovers within himself.

My review:

I loved this little MG trilogy. If you haven't read all 3 you will not understand the "big picture". These books were meant to be read together. Each "story" gives you a little more into the whole. I really like the message. While this book is listed as dystopian or fantasy, I see it as a christian book. I know some will strongly disagree, and I'm alright with that. To each their own and,  isn't that part of the joy of reading anyway? To have different opinions on the same books(sometimes).

So, I feel like Forest is God. It isn't evil it is simply reminding the people that it is in control. When people started "trading" and the "sin" was known, Forest took action. 

I think Lois Lowry wanted us to see that each of us have a talent or gift and there sometimes is a need for it at a specific time. Some of us discover our talents by our own doing while others(as in Gathering Blue with Kira), it is known from a young age, noticed by others first. In the Giver, Jonas is given a job and then "trained" to use his gift. With Thomas, Kira and Jo being taken to a secluded place, almost a prison, I feel sometimes we do get "stuck" in our talents or "jobs". We feel we aren't usable for anything but what we have been trained to do. We feel as though our "captors" while with good intentions, sometimes try to control us.

     Through these books we learn that there are rules and limits for a reason, but with free will, we sometimes get off track or make a bad decision that will effect many people or even the environment. However you interpret these books I hope it brought you joy and at least made you think outside the box.

I would give this book(and the trilogy) 4 stars!

Here is a direct link to Lois Lowry's web page and books, enjoy!

Lois Lowry: The Trilogy

Review: Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue

by Lois Lowry

Quote: 

" She was imperfect. And fatherless as well. She should not have been kept." ~ Vandara  pg. 26

started: Jan 28, 2012

Finished: Jan. 31, 2012

From the cover:

  Kira straightened her shoulders and spoke. She held her voice steady and tried to meet the eyes of each woman in turn. Some lowered their gaze and looked at the ground. That was good. It meant they were weak.

" You know that in a village conflict that could bring death, we must go to the Council of Gaurdians," Kira reminded them. She heard some murmurs of assent. Vandara's hand still gripped the rock, and her shoulders were tense, preparing to throw.

 Kira looked directly at Vandara but she was speaking to the others now, in need of their support. She appealed not to their sympathy, because she knew they had none, but to their fear.

 " Remember that if conflict is not taken to the Council of Gaurdians, and there is a death..."

 She heard a murmur. "If there is a death..." she heard a woman repeat in an uncertain, apprehensive voice.

 Kira waited. She stood as tall and straight as she could.

 Finally a woman in the group completed the words of the rule. " the causer-of-death must die."

My Review:

 This is the second book of The Giver trilogy. While the 3 books only seem to relate vaguely, they do have a similar message in all.  In this book, Kira is the main focus. She is the "chosen" or main character. She is a young girl who although accustomed to her "black-sheep" lifestyle is learning that there is more to her and who she is than she could have imagined. One day unsure of her future or even if she will have one, and then suddenly it is all decided for her. Her opinion, hopes or wishes are not acknowledged. That is not their concern. What she can do for them is what matters.

I really enjoyed this "middle" book. While the utopia/controlled world  is related to the previous book it does have it's own story.

I would give it 4 stars!

Review: The Giver

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

Quote: "We celebrated a release this morning, and that always throws the schedule off a little, so things get backed up."~ Dad

Started: Jan. 22, 2012

Finished: Jan.24, 2012

From the cover:  

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community.

 When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

My Review:

I'm not usually big on the whole fantasy genre, but this book was more than that to me. I will say I have a "thing" for the "what-if" types of stories. What if this really was life? What if there were other places? Things we know nothing about. I really enjoyed this wonderful little book and the 2 books that follow. It is a great story that really makes you think about and appreciate the gift of free will. At the same time we learn that without pain there is no true joy. Without heartache, struggle and trials we cannot truly enjoy and appreciate the blessings and opportunities we have. 

I look at this book as "Community" being the parent and all the people are its children. It is a safe place to keep our children naive and oblivious to the dangers and pain we try to protect them from. We tend to think if they don't know it's there, it can't hurt them.

I give this book all 5 stars!!!

Review: Dear America

Dear America: 

The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce

Like The Willow Tree

Portland, Maine, 1918

By 

Lois Lowry

Quote:

 " They'll seem strange to you at first. They have some strange customs. It's their religion." ~ Uncle Henry

started reading: 10/4/11

ended 10/6/11

From the cover:

In 1918, as the Great War rages in Europe, the Spanish influenza tears a brutal path across the United Stats, leaving devastation in its wake. Suddenly, eleven-year-old Lydia Pierce and her brother, Daniel, find themselves orphans of the flu, and are taken by their grieving uncle to be raised int he shaker community at Sabbathday Lake. Thrust into Shakers' unfamiliar way of life, Lydia, a fiercely independent girl, must grapple with a new world that is nothing like the one she used to know.

  Lydia must work hard, and all the while she worries about her headstrong brother, who has run away. In time, and with her courageous spirit, Lydia learns to find joy in living with the Shakers- yet she cannot stop wondering, will Daniel ever return?

Review: 

I really liked this spunky little girl from the beginning. She seems so typical and reminds me that no matter what century they are from  or where they are born,  little girls pretty much think the same. The story begins on Lydia's 11th birthday and she is learning that you can't always get what you want. even on your own birthday. Due to the spreading of the Spanish influenza all public buildings are being asked to close up and that includes the theatre where Lydia had planned on visiting today.

This will be the first of many unexpected changes young Lydia will have to experience. She learns to not only be more conservative but also more productive. Nothing will be easy and there is much that will change.

When tragedy strikes her own household she finds there is change all around. What is normal anymore? Where does she belong?

The epilogue is nicely written also. I love when a story gives you a little something to see farther done the road how things turn out.

Overall this was a very good JR. It teaches lessons in giving, unselfishness, heartache, loyalty and learning to adapt in unforseen circumstances. 

I would fit this into the ages 9-14 age group. Depending on maturity of course. Some may find it dull.

Review: Uprising

Uprising

by 

Margaret Peterson Haddix

Quote: 

“I will go back to Triangle. I'm not done fighting there. I don't know how I'll do it, but I'm sure -- I can still do something to change that place.” Yetta

started reading Sept. 24, 2011
ended Oct. 2, 2011 


Synopsis:Three girls become unlikely friends during troubled times in early 1900s New York City. Bella, newly arrived from Italy, gets a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. There, along with hundreds of others, she works long hours at a guieling job under terrible conditions. Yetta, a coworker from Russia, has been crusading for a union, and when conditions worsen, she joins a historic strike. Wealthy Jane learns of the plight of the workers and becomes involved in their cause. And all three girls are at the Triangle factory on March 26, 1911, when a spark ignites some cloth and the building is engulfed in fire. Can any of them survive?(taken from Haddix webpage)

This book is very well researched. It is one of the best historical fiction books I have read in a long time. Haddix does a wonderful job of keeping facts in an accurate timeline and capturing the very likely feelings and situations of each of the three girls involved. Each girl is different in many ways.
 Bella is a 15 year old immigrant from Italy. She was sent to America to help support her family back home.Yetta is a Jewish girl from Russia who has come to America to reunite with her older sister.

Jane is a 16 year old wealthy girl from New York who lives with her father and governess/chaperon 

I love that each girl has her own trials to deal with, yet they are somehow always there for each other. Each girl has her own agenda and dreams and they soon realize that it can all change too quickly.

The Triangle shirtwaist factory fires was an actual event that took place on March 25, 1911 due to many problems inside and outside of the factory. 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in historical events or a great bittersweet novel. 

Here are a few websites you can get more information on either the book or facts about the events.

http://www.shelfari.com/books/685171/Uprising

http://www.haddixbooks.com/books/uprise.html

http://www.historybuff.com/library/refshirtwaist.html

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/triangle-shirtwaist-fire-in-new-york-city