57)
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
middle school age fiction
It's told from the perspective of Sumiko, a young girl born to a Japanese immigrant family in the U.S. during World War II. Weedflower chronicles the treatment of Sumiko's family, as the older men not born in the U.S. are shipped off to a virtual prison, and the rest of the family is sent to a detention camp in the desert. Their property, not to mention their dignity, are stripped away because of fear caused by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Sumiko, however, maintains hope through her passion for growing flowers.
Pretty good. good character development, not very plot driven. I enjoyed it but not sure either of my kids (ages 10 and 12) would.
58)
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman
grades 5-7. Both my 5th grader and my 7th grader loved this book.
Here's one for every reader weary of being assigned novels in which the dog dies. (Old Yeller, Sounder, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc)
Quote:
For expressing his true views of Old Shep, My Pal, eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace earns a detention that takes him off the team and plunks him down in the auditorium, where his almost equally stubborn English teacher is directing a theatrical version of--you guessed it.
Very funny. Has something to say about friendship, and honesty, and drama nerds vs. jocks.
59)
Foul Matter by Martha Grimes.
I loved this novel with its satirical view of the publishing industry, combined with a Mafia spoof. I had taken it out along with the last couple of mysteries that she wrote, but took the mysteries back to the library unread. I enjoyed this book immensely; moreso than most Amazon reviewers it appears.
60)
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
Quote:
(from Amazon)
Smilla Jaspersen, half Danish, half Greenlander, attempts to understand the death of a small boy who falls from the roof of her apartment building. Her childhood in Greenland gives her an appreciation for the complex structures of snow, and when she notices that the boy's footprints show he ran to his death, she decides to find out who was chasing him. As she attempts to solve the mystery, she uncovers a series of conspiracies and cover-ups and quickly realizes that she can trust nobody. Her investigation takes her from the streets of Copenhagen to an icebound island off the coast of Greenland. What she finds there has implications far beyond the death of a single child. The unusual setting, gripping plot, and compelling central character add up to one of the most fascinating and literate thrillers of recent years.
This took me ages to read - in part because we were on vacation in UP Michigan and Ontario so either hiking or driving or coralling/entertaining kids. But also because I just couldn't get into it, though at the same time I felt compelled to finish it.
And maybe because my father was a glaciologist who did much of his early work in Greenland kept me from being as interested as I might have been otherwise. (personal baggage? )
I just didn't care much about Smilla. Or anyone else.
beachgal, I'm with you when it comes to HP. We did have to leave our wilderness camping and find a town in order to buy it for my son and dh, though.
Kara, d'you want to join us at
The Newbery Project ?
So You Want to Write is fantastic...it's amazing that as old as it is (1935?) it's still SO current and fabulous! Have you read a book called The Way of the Artist or something like that? A friend of mine was reading it and found so much inspiration. Sounds right up your alley! 
Sheba's Mom , 08-08-2007 12:31 PM
SandStripedcj , 08-08-2007 11:03 PM
femmecreole , 08-09-2007 09:35 AM
cottagebythesea , 08-09-2007 03:02 PM
