Hugo Cabret

Read the book and then do a comparison between the book and the movie. HINT ... the book is almost always better.

Children of war by Deborah Ellis

Deborah Ellis once again brings to light the voice of children. In Children of War, Ellis compiles the stories of Iraqi children displaced by war.

These children share their fears and hopes for themselves and their families. The stories run the gamut from children of wealthy families once allied with Saddam Hussein to impoverished children left physically and mentally scared. Some children see how they can make a new life in the west. Other stories do not hold such hope; these children have lost most members of their family and one is left to wonder who will take of these 'children of war'.

The stories are all heartbreaking. Ellis has a very easy style to her writing which makes her work suitable for a variety of reading levels. A brief introduction offers an easily accessible overview of the modern history of Iraq and helps set the context for the interviews Ellis conducted with the children.

Reading level is suitable for grade 8. However, I would recommend this book to all students grades 8-12.

The Book Thief, by Mark Zusak (2005)

Death recounts the story of a little girl, Liesel. He first met Liesel when he took her brother in 1939 on a train to Molching, a suburb of Munich. He sees her steal a book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, from her brother's graveside. Why an illiterate girl would steal a book? Death follows Liesel on her journey to stay with the Hubermann's, her foster home. Liesel's illustrious career as a book thief grows in Nazi Germany amid book burnings and Nazi Youth meetings. As World War II unfolds she sees Death through the eyes of Max, a Jew the Hubermann's hide in their basement. He is there to carry the Jewish souls from Dachau, the concentration camp just up the hill from Molching.
As Death watches on Liesel learns to read, makes friends in her new school and forms an unusual tie with the mayor's wife. Throughout, Liesel hones her skills as a book thief.
Her connection to words is what eventually saves her, literally and metaphorically.
Suggested for grades 9-11

Chanda’s Secrets, by Allan Stratton (2004)

Growing up in sub-Saharan Africa, Chanda Kabelo has aspirations of winning a scholarship and studying abroad. However, with two young siblings, no father and a mother who is dying of AIDS, Chanda must become the care-taker in her family and put her dreams on hold.

Chanda’s Secret is a portrayal of the effect of AIDS in Africa and the stigma and shame that surround it. The novel also focuses on the strength and courage that young people have, even in the most desperate of circumstances.

review submitted by Library Peer Tutor, grade 11

Throwaway Daughter, by Ting-Xing Ye (2003)

Growing up in Ontario in the 1990s, Grace Parker struggles with her Chinese heritage. Adopted as a baby by a Canadian family, she is resentful towards her biological mother, whom she never knew, for abandoning her at an orphanage. As she becomes a young adult, Grace feels the need to learn about her past, so she decides to travel to China in an attempt to find her birth parents.
Throwaway Daughter deal both with the personal challenges of identity as well as gender discrimination and the practice of abandoning, or in come cases, murdering baby girls that can occur in societies where women are considered inferior to men.

review submitted by a Library Peer Tutor, grade 11

Break No Bones, by Kathy Reichs

This is the tenth book in the series that inspired the television drama “Bones.” Fans of the show will find the book drastically different when compared to the TV series they have become accustomed to. The book starts with forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan working at an archaeological dig on Dewees Island with some grad students. The dig takes a turn for the worse when a newer body is uncovered in the dig and upon further investigation is shown to have some unusual characteristics. The hunt is on for both the identity of the body, and the killer. Soon another body is found with similar markings. After that the bodies keep piling up. Tempe’s personal life is also in disarray when both her estranged husband Pete, and her current beau Ryan show up on the island. With the emotional turmoil threatening to boil over and a killer on the loose, Tempe takes some of the investigating into her own hands. This could have dire consequences for Tempe. Break no Bones is another success from Kathy Reichs. This book is not for those who don’t like murder mystery or who are not comfortable with extensive forensic detail. A forensic anthropologist herself, Reichs always has intense detail in her writing. It is not required for the reader to have read the other books prior to this one in this series.

review submitted by Katie, grade 10, Library Peer Tutor

Jude, by Kate Morgenroth

When 15-year-old Jude’s drug dealing father is murdered, he is a witness to the shooting. The murderer allows him to live on a whim. In debt to a killer and under suspicion for his father’s murder, a new future is revealed to Jude as he is sent to live with a mother he never knew (DA Anna Grady) and told he was kidnapped by his father at only 3 months old. Anna may mean well but she has little time for Jude and the demands of her job come first. Sent off to a prep-school and desperate for friends Jude takes a wealthy boy to his old neighbourhood for drugs. When he overdoses questions start to arise and accusations are pointed left, right, and center. Harry Wichowski (Anna’s boyfriend and police chief) uncovers the truth and sets up Jude to take the fall (with Jude’s permission) on the promise of immediate release after the mayoral election his mother is running in is over. Caught in a web of lies and deceit Jude must discover the truth of his past and strive for the justice he deserves. An edge-of-your-seat page turner, easy to read and get into. An all-around good read.

review submitted by Katie, grade 10, Library Peer Tutor