In 1947, India gained its independence from British rule and was split into two countries, India & Pakistan. This change created a huge amount of tension between Muslims & Hindus. As people desperately tried to run for safety, thousands were killed. Nisha is twelve and is half Hindu, half Muslim. She doesn't understand why her family is suddenly in danger, but her physician father bundles her and her younger brother and their grandmother up and make a run for the Pakistan border where they hope they'll find safety. Along the way, Nisha writes diary entries to her deceased mother, whom she never knew. Nisha chronicles the heartache and danger the family faces as they walk towards Pakistan, desperately hoping they will find her mother's brother who has agreed to take them in. Faced with dying of starvation, crazed killers and unfathomable conditions, Nisha's story is as heart breaking as it is exhilarating. I really couldn't put this novel down, Nisha's letters to her mother are funny, sad and poignant. She is a brave voice in an uncertain world. The novel also educated me on a time period and place I hadn't really paid attention to before. It's a tragic moment in history that is made interesting and heartfelt through this compelling novel. I really think all students ages 10 and up should read this fantastic book.
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In the eerie town of Suds, children are disappearing. Some of them come back, unable to speak, their eyes turned grey, their hair turned white, their spirit sucked from them completely. Poppy is visiting her Gran for the summer, her Gran has funny rules like all washing has to be in before 6pm, no sugar is to be left lying around the house and never, ever clean any windowsills. When Poppy meets Erasmus, an odd boy who doesn't seem to have a filter, they start to unravel an ancient, terrifying secret that hides just under the town's sleepy veneer. As they get closer to discovering the truth, Poppy realises that her Gran, her friends and her own life are in horrible danger. I loved this novel, the writing is crisp and clear and Poppy is an amazing protagonist. She's clever, stubborn and doesn't back down from a fight. The great thing about this story are the secondary characters who really jump off the page with grit and spirit. Erasmus is hilarious, loyal and headstrong as is Poppy's Gran. Poppy's dynamic with her absentee father is very realistic and touching. The villains in this novel are truly terrifying, stuff that creeps into your dreams and spins them into nightmares. It's a fantastic tale that will become a modern classic in my opinion. Don't miss it! Amal lives a simple life with her family in Pakistan. She dreams of becoming a teacher in a culture that doesn't look kindly on girls trying to escape the traditional role of housewife. Still, Amal is unfazed and ensures she keeps up with her studies despite the fact that she is told by her father she must stay away from school in order to take care of her younger siblings. One day in a crowded market, Amal is hit by a car. She's relatively unhurt, but the person who hit her is a dangerous crime lord. After speaking back to this man, she is ordered to leave her home and become his mother's servant until her debt to him is paid off. Once in the compound, Amal finds others who are desperate to pay off their debt and get back to their families. It's a hard life, but the gangster's mother is kinder than most and they find common ground in the fact that they are from the same area. Without spoiling the novel, Amal hatches a plan to once and for all remove herself from the clutches of the crime lord. I loved this novel, Amal's steady, smart approach to every challenge was fascinating to read. I could not put this story down, I simply had to know if she made it out of the gangster's compound or if everything blows up in her face. Amal is a heart breaking character with guts of steel, an inspiration to children everywhere. I'd highly recommend this novel to ages 9+! Kiranmala has just turned 12 but instead of a standard birthday party in her home city of New Jersey, her parents disappear and a snot-gushing hell demon has appeared on her front lawn. Luckily, she's helped by two princely brothers who defeat the creature and tell Kiranmala to come with them on their magic flying horses if she wants to find her missing parents. Yes, not a typical birthday party. Kiranmala joins the brothers in what turns into an epic quest filled with terrifying demons, bizarre relatives and cosmic danger. Traveling into a new dimension, Kiranmala must discover her hidden killer instinct and mental fortitude if she's got even a chance to survive. The Serpent's Secret is part of a new series that combines a lot of sharp, funny dialogue and almost non stop action. It's been promoted as a must have for fans of Percy Jackson and I have to agree, it involves a lot of traditional Indian folklore and a protagonist that I can imagine gets more and more headstrong with each novel. I really recommend it for ages 10 and up! Marinka is 12 and lives in a house with chicken legs. This is how I promote this book to students. It always makes their heads perk up that half inch that every Librarian looks for when they try to get them interested in a book. The house picks itself up at random a few times a year and travels around the world, settling down to let Marinka and her grandmother do their important work. That work is guiding dead spirits from the land of the living to the land of the stars, or the afterlife. Marinka doesn't want to have this gig, she wants to be "normal" with regular friends who aren't ghosts. Then Marinka starts to break the rules, she starts to defy her grandmother and bad things start to happen. The worst being that her grandmother vanishes out of thin air and the house starts to slowly crumble. Desperate, Marinka puts a plan into action that will either save her and the house or plunge everyone she knows into certain peril. There's not much to say about The House With Chicken Legs that hasn't already been said before. It's beautifully written, Marinka is smart, stubborn and determined to live her own life despite the plan that's laid out for her. She makes mistakes and has a good heart, she's a great protagonist. I tell the students she's someone you'd want to be good friends with because you'd know you could trust her. It's a stunning debut that deserves all of the praise that it's getting, makes sure you get it into the hands of anyone in your life ages 10 and up as soon as possible. All Alastair wants is to escape. He wants to be free of the pet shop he's stuck in and fly away with his sister Aggie. Alastair was born in the pet shop, in the back with some other animals. He knows there's more to life outside the front door but he's never seen it. His days are spent plotting different ways to get out. When Aggie is purchased by a 12 year old bit named Fritz, Alastair spirits fall. It's a heart breaking scenario that is very powerfully written. Fritz wants to be a doctor, and we see his perspective through his medical journal where he tracks his own ailments. Fritz is a really unique and loveable character that brings a funny and interesting voice to the novel. Alastair is soon adopted by the eccentric Mrs. Plopky and he finds a glimmer of hope in finding his sister and having a life together. Along the way he discovers he loves poetry and chewing the pages of great classic works. Again, it's another very unique look at an animals' voice in a novel that hasn't really been done before. Mrs. Plopky is another heart warming yet gut wrenching character in that she writes letters to her now deceased husband. She's a lonely character who hasn't lost her fight and you know there are scores of people out there like her, looking for a friend to keep the darkness at bay. Together all of the characters make a truly great novel that I'd recommend for ages 10 and up. It's funny yet carries with it a kind of heaviness and melancholy that made you need to know what happened to these characters. Don't miss it! |
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