by Wendy Mass
288 pages
Reviewed by The Junior Book Dealer: Elena Elizabeth Hynes
You have heard the tale of Rapunzel, but Wendy Mass’s Rapunzel is very different because the two main characters are more interesting in this story. Rapunzel is trapped in a castle because her parents traded her for an herb that would make them rich. Benjamin, the prince, is not your normal prince charming. He is a bit clumsy at the normal prince games, and he wishes he could be a knight instead of a prince.
Also in the story there are a few twists. Both characters are a bit awkward. There is a green troll named Stephen that helps save their lives, and the witch has even more attitude than the one in the original story.
The ending is filled with action and, of course, is not like the original version. Read Rapunzel if you like humor mixed with fairy tales.…
by Ellen Hopkins
312 pages
Reviewed by The Book Dealer(s)
“…every word an author writes is like tossing a stone into a pond. And you don’t know where they’ll go, or who they’ll touch, or when they might come back to you. I think everything you do is kind of like that, too (p. 602)” Harley- Character in Ellen Hopkins’s Tilt.
Back in the days when I was teaching 9-12th grade reading in “The Reading Trailer Park,” Hopkins’s books were those that were passed from student to student to student to student. These learners were enticed by Hopkins’s realistic portrayal of teens. Although as a teacher, one should be aware that her subject matter delves into adult themes and, at times, portrays teens making poor choices with little or no lasting negative consequences. These mature young adult themes will make for rich class discussions for the educator who takes the time to understand how these themes play out in students’ lives.…
Possible Concepts/Themes for Choice Reading
Justice
Choices
Consequences
Loss
Relationships
Community
Struggles/Perseverance
Destiny
Other Worlds
Diversity
Humor
Heroes
Identity
Love
Courage
Coming of Age
Integrity
Culture…
by Kate DiCamillo
71 pages
Reviewed by The Junior Book Dealer: Elena Elizabeth Hynes
Mr. and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy. Mercy LOVES buttered toast. One night, Mercy heard a noise in the kitchen. She thought Mrs. Watson was making toast. When she arrives in the kitchen, Mercy is surprised by Leroy Ninker, a man who always wanted to be a cowboy. Since it was impossible for him to be a cowboy, Leroy decided to be a robber, and that is when Mercy meets comes face-to-face with Leroy.
This book is full of action as Mercy and Leroy go out into the neighborhood. What will happen next? You will have to read this story to find out if Mercy saves the day.
by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
312 pages
Reviewed by The Book Dealer
“I was born in the United States of America. That makes me legal.
Pero mis padres jumped the border to get here. That makes them illegal.
I have documents. They don’t I speak English. They don’t. I have a social security number, a passport, and a license to drive. They don’t they don’t they don’t. Actually, mi papi does have a social security number. Three of them. You can buy them for fifteen dollars apiece down at the tacqueria.”
(p. 1, Sitomer)
It has been a while since I have read a book by Alan Sitomer, and I am so glad I was given The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriquez. Even while on vacation on a tropical island, I could not leave my beach chair for my need to finish this book.
Sonia is the oldest daughter of 5 children (soon to be 7 due to her mother’s pregnancy with twins).…
