Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I truly enjoyed this novel about a really sweet girl, Rose, who has had a tough time because she chose to continue her dance and ballet in high school. Her "best friend" Daisy dumps her (because she chose to go to another school and pursue dance). She has no friends, and Rose lives across from a real Russian dancer, who she has never met. Life is looking really bleak for Rose until one night, Vrena, the Russian dancer, breaks into her room and they begin a friendship. The great part of this story is how Cecil Castellucci can paint the beauty of New York City for their one night out together. Castellucci does an awesome job with the characters who become Rose's friends as they create meaning, acceptance, and support with Rose and Vrena. Since Rose was seeing and feeling "black, black, black," her night out with Vrena helps her to see "red" as in Vrena's Russian life (political and cultural differences), new friends: triplets Caleb, Caitlin and Callisto, boyfriends (Free and Caleb). New York City here they come:jamming, dancing, singing, American restaurant, Russian restaurant, sleepover and participating in a peace march. Even though Rose loves to dance, this time spent with her new friends and Vrena, helps her to see how much dancing is the part of her life that she loves. With all the action piled into one night, all these young teens witnessed a real moment together, bridging any cultural gap, with love, laughs, and abandon. I highly recommend this sincere look at feeling like a stranger, overcoming international barriers, to fitting in and feeling free.



View all my reviews

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another great first novel! This slim novel in verse uses spare words with such force. Little Matt Pin left Vietnam, been adopted by a loving family but he has nightmares and secrets he hides from everyone. He left behind a birth mother in Vietnam, an American soldier father he never knew and a little brother. In America, he continues to learn about his heritage, but he does not see the beauty and bright colors of Vietnam, only "choking dust, smoke and death"--and aching for his mother and brother left behind. He lives in a big home with parents and a little brother he loves very much, but he is still unsure if they will want to keep him once they know his secrets. His father has practiced throwing pitches with him and Matt wins one of the coveted spots on the team. Some of his team mates resent him because of his heritage. He is bullied and threatened, but he tells no one. Matt also likes to play the piano and his teacher, Jeff, is a friend of Matt's dad. It is Jeff and Matt's dad who bring him to Vietnam veterans meetings and Matt begins to realize many things he did not understand ad the soldiers tell their stories; that his mother loved him and that is why she saved him, that the soldiers made a difference by saving and transporting Vietnamese children to the United States. Once Matt tells his family about his fears, Matt comes to terms with his culture, himself and begins to look forward enjoying his new life, knowing he will one day look for his birth mother and brother with his family. A sad, hopeful novel that teaches us about the Vietname war and how it affected the soldiers, their families, and those left behind in Vietnam.



View all my reviews

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this first novel by Nina LaCour! Caitlin is devastated when her best friend Ingrid commits suicide. And Caitlin had no idea. She literally does nothing all summer, her funk is so huge. Ingrid had such a great personality, they were best friends, did everything together, yet Caitlin had no idea Ingrid was depressed! She finds her best friend's journal under her bed one night, when did Ingrid put it there? Did she want Caitlin to read it? As Caitlin reads the different entries--some are to Caitlin, some to Jayson (a boy she liked), hall monitors and rain clouds...Ingrid was a great artist and photographer who carried her camera everywhere and snapped pictures all the time. Ingrid begins to live and rejoice in life without Ingrid by reading Ingrid's journal, by loving a boy who provides sympathy, and friendship, making a new girl friend. It is her art teacher, Miss Delani, who tells Caitlin she is just as talented as Ingrid and helps renew Caitlin's purpose in life. LaCour was able to sustain the deep, aching sadness that paralyzes Caitlin throughout the first half of the novel and she does a superb job of slowly,reawakening her zest for life through her relationships with her friends and family. I really liked Caitlin's character (depressed, cranky, funny and anguished) but even more I liked so many of the supporting characters, gay Caitlin who knew who she was; Jayson and Taylor--nice boys, Miss Delani- who found it difficult to deal with Ingrid's death and seeing Caitlin everyday as a reminder of how she failed Ingrid, Caitlin's supportive mom and dad. This is a great honor choice for the Morris Debut Award, teens will love it!



View all my reviews

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Schroeder's 3rd book in free verse is achingly poignant as Brooklyn and Nico still mourn the death of Lucca. Brooklyn was madly in love when Lucca was taken from her and she is still missing him, writing him letters and buying their favorite comic books. Her mother has left with her 2 brothers and Brooklyn remains with her father. Nico was Lucca's younger brother, but they were very close. Nico's best friend, Gabe dies and Both Brooklyn and Nico are stunned. They knew he was suffering, but they were in pain themselves. Now Brooklyn has nightmares about Gabe and Nico is being haunted by Lucca TO HELP BROOKLYN. That is easy for a ghost to say since Nico is still running away to handle the pain. To honor his dead brother's wishes, he encourages Brooklyn to change, start running with him and participate in a marathon. I was compelled to read this book, I felt so badly for Brooklyn and Nico, will they find that they can go on without their beloved Lucca? A must read! It has all the elements YA's will love--drama, suspense, fear, anger, loss and longing!



View all my reviews

Great interview between Cecil Castellucci, Siobhan Vivian and Natalie Standiford

http://castellucci.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/scholastic-asks-siobhan-vivian-natalie-standiford-and-me-5-questions/

Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi

Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What I really liked about Paul Volponi's novel, Crossing Lines, is the way he uses each character to further the confusion of the main character, Adonis. He's a guy's guy with a conscience and doesn't really say how he feels all the time. But Adonis has depth of character and he agonizes about his relationship with Melody, his body image, and his "rep" on the football team. Adonis has a strong family with an attentive firefighter dad, a mother who is a caring mother and teacher, gently admonishing Adonis to do the right thing. It is Adonis' sister, Jeannie (with lots of attitude), who becomes on of Alan's friends and Adonis' curse. Jeannie throws herself into the Fashion Club as VP and advocate of Alan's fashion choices. With the start of senior year, Adonis just wants to stay out of Alan's way, but that won't happen because Alan is his partner in a class project, at his house running Fashion Club meetings, and in the school halls or gymnasium causing chaos with his lipstick and dresses. It is Adonis' football teammates, his father, and Alan's father, a decorated officer in the Army recruiting office, who continue to drive home that Alan's choices are not welcome. Adonis agrees with everyone when he is with them, but he does silently hate the harshness of Alan's father toward his son; the constant, outright slander and bullying that Alan endures daily from the football team, and how he has to worry about keeping Melody and his buddies from finding out his true, conflicting thoughts. The tension Volponi creates for Adonis is palpable and increases as the guys on the team become more convinced that Alan needs to be dealt with once and for all. Teens and reluctant readers will be rooting for Adonis and Alan as events conspire to make Adonis realize he can't just stand on the sidelines; he needs to cross the lines of life and accept differences "in order to celebrate" himself.



View all my reviews