Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: Escape from Sudan by Amanda DiCianni

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Escape from Sudan by Amanda DiCianniEscape from Sudan
Amanda DiCianni
CreateSpace Independent Platform
Published April 24, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When soldiers attack his village, fifteen year-old Elijah Bwoko and his best friend become separated from family members. They receive word that Elijah’s sisters have been taken as slaves to a village several days’ journey away. In order to reach the girls, the boys must sneak past the soldiers who enslaved them and find a way to set them free. Then the group will have to escape across the border of Uganda. If they can get to the refugee camp there, they can apply for passage to America for freedom and safety.

In straightforward prose, DiCianni relates the story of a young boy in a war torn nation. Elijah is easy to relate to through descriptions of his love for soccer, his friendship with Thomas, and his love for his missing sisters. Though it addresses a heavy topic, the story doesn’t go into a lot of graphic detail in scenes depicting soldiers and child slavery. The content is mild enough for older elementary readers. It’s a relatively short novel at 122 pages, and would make a great resource for the classroom as part of a world cultures or current events study.

Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
As Christians, Elijah and Thomas pray when scary or dangerous situations arise. Earlier in the story, Elijah reminds his friend that the trouble in Sudan began when Muslims from the north of the country tried to take valuable resources from the south and force the people to denounce Christianity.

Violence
Soldiers destroy a village and capture children to be used for slave labor. The boys run, so they don’t really witness this firsthand. They see the destruction left behind, though.  A village boy is missing a leg from an incident with a land mine. Gunfire alerts the boys that soldiers approach. Some scary situations, but few descriptions of violence.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Twintuition: Double Vision by Tia and Tamera Mowry

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Twintuition: Double Vision
by Tia & Tamera Mowry
Harper/HarperCollins

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Caitlyn and Cassie may look exactly the same, but inside they’re as different as two people can be. On this they agree: the tiny town of Aura, Texas is the last place they want to live. Caitlyn, ever the optimist, tries to make the best of the move. Cassie hatches plot after plot to convince Mom to return to San Antonio. Strange visions begin clouding the twins’ sight. To Cassie, this could turn into an opportunity to get in with the cool kids. Caitlyn, however, is convinced they should use their gift to help others. The last person they expected turns out to need their help most of all.

Twins themselves, the authors know a lot about issues faced by identical siblings. Cassie and Caitlyn have two distinct personalities and two very different ideas on how to solve problems. Both struggle to craft unique identities to avoid being mistaken for one another in a way that any reader with siblings can easily understand. Told with a mixture of sass and poise, this story touches on the difficulties of finding new friends in a small town. It reminds readers that ultimately, power should be used for the good of others, and that even moms need a little help sometimes.

Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Cassie and Caitlyn begin having visions foretelling future events. They research ESP for more information, but uncover little that is helpful, other than a reference to another case similar to theirs.

Violence
A boy is injured during a football game.

Drug Content
None.

Review: When Did You See Her Last by Lemony Snicket

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , ,

When Did You See Her Last?
Lemony Snicket
Little Brown

In an account of his second “wrong question,” detective’s apprentice Lemony Snicket investigates the disappearance of a young brilliant chemist. With the help of his wacky chaperone, an aspiring journalist and two boys who work together operating a taxi, Snicket uncovers a tangled plot stretching far beyond the simple disappearance of a girl. Far away, his sister faces her own trials, and Snicket laments not being able to help her. Could it all be connected to the vicious Hangfire and his evil plot?

Once again, author Lemony Snicket charms readers with tongue-in-cheek narrative and a hilarious cast of characters. Snicket challenges readers’ vocabulary by including complex words and often defining them within the narrative. It’s a nice way to introduce new words. My daughter and I read both the first and second books in this series together, and she can’t wait to read the next one. We started the Series of Unfortunate Events, and she really likes those books, too, but The Wrong Questions books are a little bit lighter and still have the same kind of humor and silliness. The series has a really unique feel that’s part detective noir and part quirky fantasy. This would make a great summer read, though I recommend starting with the first book.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Brief references to violence. A woman is said several times to be “very good with a knife.” In one slightly creepy scene, Snicket discovers a room with small beds that have manacles attached to them – as if someone is planning to imprison children and experiment on them. Later, Snicket sees a person-shaped hole in a window, which someone has been shoved through.

Drug Content
An apothecary uses laudanum to keep an adult couple in a stupefied state.

Review: Between Shadows by Kathleen Cook Waldron

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , ,

Between Shadows
Kathleen Cook Waldron
Coteau Books

When his grandfather dies unexpectedly, Ari and his remaining family gather at the cabin deep in the woods. At the reading of the will, another surprise greets Ari, his dad and his aunt: Grandpa left the cabin and all his land to Ari. Uninterested in the remote property that conjures painful memories, Ari’s dad and aunt make plans to sell everything. Ari is determined to change their minds.

Author Kathleen Cook Waldron brings to the story her own experience living in the bush. The details of the cabin and surrounding land and community are told in vivid detail so that even the most urban readers can perfectly picture the serene woods, playful stream and peaceful lake.

Through Waldron’s clean storytelling, we follow a grieving family as they wrestle with loss. I loved how each member of Ari’s family reconnected with his grandfather through the experience of staying at the cabin. Though he’s no longer present, his love for his family is so clear in the things he left behind. Each character discovers and responds to these unwritten love letters from their father or grandfather. In these moments, Waldron’s writing is moving, subtle and clever.

This is a great story about the opportunity grieving families have to rediscover their lost loved one and renew relationships with one another. The rustic setting gently reminds us to consider what’s really important.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
None.

When Wings Don’t Mean Freedom: Review of Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Paranormal, Romance, , ,

Nightbird
Alice Hoffman
Random House Children’s

Twig Fowler and her family return to her mother’s hometown after a childhood spent in the city. Her mother insists that she keep no friends and remains alone, holed up on an apple orchard baking pies and other goods to be sold in town. Twig’s brother James also chafes at the isolation. He only comes out at night, when no one will see the long wings sprouting from his back.

When rumors of a monster stir up the townsfolk, Twig begins to panic. If a search is called for, her brother might be discovered. It might be easy to stay hidden if it weren’t for Twig’s new neighbors, a family with two girls near her age. One late night Twig spots James and Agate, the older sister of the neighboring family, alone in the forest. But before James can be free to love and live as a normal person, they have to find a way to undo the family curse. Twig might be just the person to solve that problem.

There were a lot of great elements to this story: the mystery surrounding the curse, Twig’s mother’s sadness and her absent father, a boy with wings who falls in love. As I read, I kept comparing it to The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, which I think is a mistake, because Nightbird isn’t trying to be that kind of story. The similarities between the two really end beyond containing an important character with wings and a small-town setting.

I’m not sure if it’s my tendency for that comparison that left me feeling a little underwhelmed with the story. Everything resolves very neatly – and maybe that’s more appropriate for a younger audience. I found myself wishing for a little more of the complexity that filled the story’s opening pages to grace the story’s end. All in all, however, it was an enjoyable read.

This is more of a middle grade story than a YA novel. Readers aged nine to twelve would probably enjoy the story most.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
A long time ago, a witch placed a horrible curse on the men in the Fowler family. The curse makes them grow wings.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
None.

Review: A Plague of Unicorns by Jane Yolen

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , ,

A Plague of Unicorns
Jane Yolen
Zondervan/HarperCollins
Published December 3, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

A failing abbey’s one hope is the golden apples in its orchard. Unfortunately, a herd of unicorns devours the apples each year. The abbot calls for heroes, but to no avail. No one can stop the creatures. When the duke’s son James is sent to the abbey for further education, he troubles all he meets with his constant questions. But his bravery and ingenuity may be just the right combination to banish the unicorns from the orchard forever.

Great characters populate the story, from the monks to James and his family members. While unicorns are often heroes or forces for good in other stories, this time they cause all the problems. I found this refreshing and unexpected. Yolen’s usual mastery of storytelling keeps this simple tale spinning. Though we first begin with the monks and a short history of the abbey, the tale quickly becomes entertaining – especially once we meet James, the boy with the insatiable curiosity.

This is a relatively short tale, just under 200 pages. Younger readers – probably second grade to fourth – would most enjoy the book.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Many characters are monks at a monastery. There’s some mention of prayer and the task of copying and illustrating Biblical texts.

Violence
Unicorns and heroes face off, and often the heroes end up the worse for wear. No graphic details. Battles are only briefly told and descriptions are sometimes comic.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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