Book Reviews from a Teacher's Perspective

Author:  Angie Thomas Themes:  Courage  Prejudice Power and Corruption Genres:  Realistic Fiction Recommended Age for Reading:  This is a bit tricky...the language is very strong.  The F word is used multiple times, but one of my middle school students recommended this book to me.  Coming from a mostly white school out in the middle of nowhere, I was so proud of her for reading and being inspired by this story.  Due to the language and sexually implied content, I would suggest parents and teachers read this story before having middle school age kids read it.  It could be a story that parents and teachers read with their kids.  There are several opportunities for teachable moments and much-needed discussions.   Plot: Starr Carter is a teenage girl who is caught between two worlds.  She attends a mostly white private school, but she also lives in what would be known to others as a rough part...

Author:  Robert Beatty Themes:  Good vs. Evil Love conquers all The Power of Friendship Coming of Age Genres:  Fantasy Historical Fiction Recommended Age for Reading:  Depending on the reading level of the students, I'd recommend this book for upper elementary and middle grades.  There's nothing inappropriate for younger readers in the story, but the series gets a bit dark at times.  Overall the series is enjoyable for kids all the way through adulthood.  It would be a fun series to read as a family.  Plot: In "Serafina and the Black Cloak," the reader is introduced to a little girl who lives in the basement with her father.  Her father works as a maintenance man for the Biltomore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  At the beginning of the story, all we know about Serafina is that she's a "creature of the night."  No one knows that she and her father are living in the basement, and no ...

Author:  Neal Shusterman Themes: Coming of Age; Change vs Tradition; Death Genre: Science Fiction Recommended age for Reading:  The reading level is 6.5 which is about where the content level should be.  There's mild language throughout the story and there are parts with strong language, but not many.  Both books get a bit dark since death is a central theme to the story.  There's also a few violent scenes.  Scythe Plot: In this particular futuristic society, humans have conquered natural as well as accidental death.  People no longer die from illness or disease and if a tragic accident occurs, they can be taken to the nearest hospital for a resurrection.  This seems ideal, but colonizing other planets hasn't happened yet, so planet Earth can only sustain so much life.  As a result of this, an occupation some can aspire to is that of a scythe.  A scythe's main role is to end life at random in order to keep ...

The Giver  Author: Lois Lowrey Themes: Coming of Age; Individual vs. Society Genre: Science Fiction/ Fantasy   Recommended Age for Reading:  The reading level is 5.9, which is about right for the content.   There are a few parts of the book that are intended for mature audiences.   In one scene, the protagonist has a dream about a girl he knows.   In the dream, he is asking her to take her clothes off.   In the climax of the story, a baby is euthanized, but at this point of the story, the protagonist decides things in his society have to change.     Plot: Set in a futuristic society, the main character, Jonas lives a peaceful life with his mother, father, and sister. In this particular society, everything is provided for all the individuals…food, housing, transportation, and everything that is needed.   All the decisions are made by the elders including what jobs people will ha...

Author: Marissa Meyer  Themes: Love and Sacrifice; Tragedy Genre: Fantasy Recommended Age for Reading:  The reading level is 5.0, and I would say most of the content is appropriate for students in that age range, but there is an intimate scene between the protagonist and the male lead that is implied.  There's also a violent scene in which one of the characters gets decapitated.  In my opinion, it may be very difficult for kids to comprehend much of the book since the setting is actually in Wonderland.  If readers don't have a lot of background knowledge of "Alice in Wonderland" many aspects of this story will be difficult to understand.  I suggest reading "Alice in Wonderland" or watching one of the movies before reading this book. Plot: Every villain has a backstory, and this one tells the reader how the Queen of Hearts became so, well, "heartless."   The setting is actually in the same world Alice found herself in from the s...

Author: Joseph Bruchac Themes: Coming of Age, Adventure, Family/Tradition Genre: Historical Fiction Recommended Age for Reading:  The reading level for this book is a 6.5, but the content is appropriate for students in lower grade levels.  For some of the gifted readers, students in grades 4-6 may enjoy this book.  There is some violence since the premise of the story is World War 2, but it isn't anything that isn't appropriate for students in the elementary grades. Plot:   This book tells the story of a young Navajo boy who begins his life on a Navajo reservation.  He speaks only Navajo until the age of 6 when he begins school.  His school is ran by white people who are trying to "educate" the Navajo.  Speaking Navajo is forbidden at this school because the white people think there is no purpose for Navajo boys and girls to keep their language.  The boy has a Navajo name, but when he starts school, the white people change his na...

Author: Marissa Meyer Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy Themes: Coming of age, Freedom, Good vs. Evil, Unconditional Love, Don't judge a book by it's cover Recommended age for reading: Middle School, High school The reading level in the series ranges from 4th-6th grade, but a small portion of the content is for slightly older audiences.  Most of the book is appropriate for younger audiences, but there is mention of "escort" androids.  The story doesn't go into too much detail about these types of androids, but older readers can infer that their purpose is for romantic companionship.  I wish this detail wasn't included in the books, but it kind of plays a role later in the series.  It never gets too inappropriate, but the fact that is there is somewhat concerning.  There's also some mild language in a few of the books.   Cinder Plot:  The first book in the story is a futuristic version of the fairy tale, "Cinderella."  Cinder l...

Author: Markus Zusak Genre: Historical Fiction/ Fantasy Themes: The Power of Words Recommended Age for Reading: Middle School and up. I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to finish this book.  I started it while on vacation with my husband this summer in June, and didn't finish it until sometime in October.  Usually I finish books at a much quicker pace, but I am a busy working mom, and it took me a while to really get into it.  Honestly, I don't think I really ever got "hooked" into this book, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth reading.  It's actually a book that I think everyone needs to read.   The protagonist of the story is Liesel Meminger who is for some unknown reason is willingly orphaned by her mother.  She is taken in by her foster family during the Nazi Germany era.  The most interesting aspect of this book in my opinion is that it is told from the point of view of "Death."  We see the Nazi Germany and...