Wednesday, December 25, 2013

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Elliott North is a Luddite, the elite sect of society, but she longs for more than her life has given her.  She cannot stop thinking about Kai, a Post boy, who is thought to be beneath her station.  Elliott and Kai communicate through letters until Elliott's mother dies and she is forced to make an unthinkable decision.  Kai leaves and Elliott believes that she will never see him again.  However, her father's extravagance has forced her to take on tenants on part of her grandfather's land, and Kai is among them.  Yet, Kai is different--self-assured and stand-offish.  Elliott feels guilty for what she was forced to do four years prior, but Kai will not listen to her.  What will happen in the society as things are changing?
This story is told in an interesting fashion as alternating chapters are letters written by Elliott and Kai in their childhood.  It was fascinating to get the back story in this way.  I highly recommend this good read.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline is a curious young girl who is "bored" and wants to explore.  Many people tell her not to go through the door, but she is irritated with her parents.  SO...she decides to explore a little.  What could be the harm?
When she gets to the other side, she sees her parents--or at least that is what she thought.  They actually refer to themselves as her "other parents".  Coraline quickly realizes that this place is not the place she wants to stay, but when she goes back home she realizes that something is not right there either.  She must go back to the strange place with her "other mother" to get things back to normal.
This book has been around for a long time, but for some reason I had never picked it up.  Alas...the 7th grade book club wanted to read it together.  It was pretty good, but Coraline was a bit annoying to me.  I did like the storyline, and I felt like it had a good message.  So...it is a good read-just not my personal first choice.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Caitlin's world has been black and white until "The Day Our Life Fell Apart".  Caitlin takes everything literally which can make communicating and understanding quite difficult.  When Caitlin tries to make sense of what happened and her life in general, she realizes that she needs closure.  In her attempt to find closure, she helps others as well.
This was an amazing book that a wonderful friend of mine suggested for me to read.  The author has done an amazing job of telling the story from the point of view of an 11-year-old child with Asperger's.  It is a quick read that gives a new perspective on life in general.  I realize that I did not give a long description, but I do not want to give away any information about the day.  It is such an important part of the story that in my opinion you need to experience as a reader.
Definitely, pick up this great read.