Kindred by Octavia Butler

My book group book for the last few weeks was Kindred. Kindred is about a 26 year old African American woman named Dana who time travels to the past to save a young boy named Rufus. Over time she travels back as Rufus gets older, but she is still 26. Rufus lives in the 1800s, in a time of slavery, and Dana lives in 1976. Kindred is sad and pretty graphic in some parts, but the plot and the writing are all super poetic and good. I would definitely recommend Kindred if you are interested in books about slavery, but I wouldn't describe this book as a time travel themed book.

Slice of Life 6: The Camera

"Mom, can I change these batteries?" I ask. I am holding a white video camera. I don't know if it will work for my Short Story Film, and I don't know what videos I will find on it.
"Sure," she replies absentmindedly. I walk into the kitchen and grab the plastic container filled with batteries of all shapes and sizes.
After fixing the camera, I press the small power button and wait. To my surprise, the screen flickers on. I press all of the buttons, and figure out after some effort how to film a video. I then click the arrow button, which directs me to a short video. I press play, not really caring what I find.
In the video, I am only about 5 years old. There is a lot of yelling, and I make out the words "...noah's birthday...birthday cake...three years old!" Noah's face appears on the screen. Noah is my younger brother, and in the video he has two missing teeth. It is adorable!
I scroll through video after video. Most of them are just minutes of blackness, videos taken by accident, but a rare few actually seem important. I remember taking these videos with my 3 year old brother. I can barely believe that this camera actually hasn't been turned on in almost 5 years, according to the small date at the top of the most recent video. I wonder if, in 5 years, I will see these  videos again.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why is a fiction novel about a boy named Clay who receives tapes shortly after a girl he had wanted to date named Hannah Baker committed suicide. Thirteen Reasons Why isn't a sad or depressing book, but it is emotional, and the topic of suicide is prominent. My favorite character was Hannah, because simply through her talking in the tapes you get to know her character really well. Hannah tells 13 stories to 12 people explaining why they are the reasons that she killed herself. I thought that a lot of the stories were really intriguing, but there were some parts that were pretty boring. Overall, though, I would recommend Thirteen Reasons Why, but it has multiple mature topics.

Unfair Slice of Life

I think that every time I experience the "no fair" feeling, the feeling that something is wrong, and I should be receiving more care, or attention, or substance, it is only a matter of time before I realize how incredibly fair all of these things are. They are a few dollars, or minutes difference that we complain about, when other things in the world are unfair by millions of dollars, or hundreds of years. When I was littler, my Dad would tell me that his least favorite words in the world were "no fair" and that was because kids always complain about the little things. But no one, kids or adults, seems to really complain about the big things, the things that are unfair by miles, not steps. So I feel like I understand more now how little personal issues are, because there are so many bigger issues in this world.

Great Book-- Orphan Train

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a historical fiction book about a girl named Molly who has to do a community service project, and decides to help a 91 year old woman clean out her attic. Molly is an orphan, and she doesn't particularly like her foster parents, but she really likes the town she lives in, and after about 20 hours of working for the old lady (named Vivian) she decides to interview her for a project that she has to do for school. Vivian tells Molly everything about her life as an orphan. She was Irish, and a fire killed her family. She was sent out on a train full of other orphans, and went to stay with some families who didn't care for her well, and some who did, in the 1920's and 1930's. Even though the book is originally about Molly, most of the stories are told from Vivian's perspective about her childhood. I really loved this book, but it covers a lot of pretty inappropriate topics. It is pretty short, and I couldn't put it down!

Thanksgiving Slice of Life

On Wednesday morning, my mom asked me what we should have for party favors at Thanksgiving. I shrugged. It didn't really matter, we just had family and close friends coming. Anything little would do, I thought. But my mom had other plans. She took me to a gift store, and we looked in tins for a while to choose little tokens to give out. I thought it was a good idea, each of the tokens had a quote or picture engraved into the metal, but I didn't really see the significance until later that day. We were back home, and I had put the tokens in to cute little gift bags, and labeled each bag with a name-- 16 bags for our 16 guests coming the next day. My mom tapped me on the shoulder, and I looked over at her, and the computer screen. She was on a site called coloradogives.org. We scrolled through the many charity options, while mom described the plan. For each person, we would make a donation to a charity that they would care about. Now suddenly the simple gift bags had a real thanksgiving purpose. When we had our thanksgiving dinner everyone opened the gift bags, and we explained to them what we had done. Everyone was smiling, thanking us, and having a good time. Giving the money to all of the charities really seemed to give the whole concept of thanksgiving a deeper purpose.

The Joy Luck Club

Last week I read The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. The Joy Luck Club consists of a lot of short stories from the perspectives of Chinese mothers and their American daughters. Some of the stories were really enjoyable, but more than half of them were boring in my opinion. A lot of the stories were really similar, and so it made it seem like you were reading the same thing over and over again. All of the mothers were in a particular club, but it wasn't too relevant in the book. My favorite character was a girl named Waverly, and her stories were the ones I enjoyed most. The Joy Luck Club has a few pretty inappropriate parts, and it is fairly long. Overall, I definitely would not recommend this book, because I was pretty bored for most of the time when I was reading it.

To Be Read
1. Kindred
2. House of Ivy and Sorrow
3. 1984

"Oxygen" Slice of Life #3

I am rushed down the hallway in a stretcher. I reach up and touch my face. An oxygen mask covers all but my eyes. I reach out to the bars on the sides of the stretcher and try to pull myself up. A hand pushes me down, just as I am wheeled into a room. Behind me is a room, and on the sides are flowered curtains.
"Stay still, honey," says a young lady. Her voice is gentle and comforting, even while I am in dreadful pain. "I'm Bernie." she says. I groan. I try to swallow, but discover that swallowing puts me in more pain than I have ever been in. Bernie tries to talk to me, to calm me down. I can't manage to talk to her, because when I try nothing comes out of my mouth. She takes off the oxygen mask, but I need it back, I can't breathe without it.
My Mom enters the room. By now I have opened my eyes, and I know what is going on.  The pain surprised me. I thought that once I got out of the surgery it would be all over. But trying to do something as simple as breathing proves an astonishing challenge.
After 15 minutes Bernie and other nurses manage to force ice chips down my throat. I can't laugh, I can't cry, I can't talk, I can't cough. I can only wait for the pain to pass. 30 minutes go by, and the curtain to my side is pulled over. I see Noah resting there. I wave to him. His face is pale, and his eyes are red. I looked the same way. It has been over an hour, and I am pushed into a wheelchair, and wheeled to the mini van. My parents talk quietly, and my brother sleeps, and I try to leave my body, and get away from the pain.
After 24 hours, the pain isn't as bad, but everything seems routine. I can walk, and whisper, but it hurts. I hope that the pain truly will go away.

The Summer of Letting Go

The Summer of Letting go is by Gae Polisner. It is about a girl named Francesca "Frankie" Schnell who's brother Simon died when she was 11. She thinks that it is her fault, and she doesn't talk very much to her parents because she is so embarrassed. In the beginning of the summer Francesca gets a job watching a little boy named Frankie Sky. He reminds her of Simon, and she starts to think that Simon was reincarnated in her body. Francesca's friend Lisette's boyfriend believes in reincarnation, and they fall in love. My favorite character in the Summer of Letting Go is Frankie Sky's mom, because she is a very caring person. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It is 300 pages long, but I think it is definitely a one week book. There are not too many mature topics in this realistic fiction book.

 

Books to Read:

Kindred

Where'd You Go Bernadette

The Joy Luck Club

Second Slice of Life

I walk into the pantry, hungry for any snack, and find a large purplish pomegranate resting on the counter. I pick it up and set it on a cutting board next to the sink. With effort I slice it open, and the two halves fall apart. The outer rim is white, and the seeds are barely lighter than the peel, red instead of purple. I use a spoon and attempt to remove the seeds, but I only am able to scoop out a few. After a few more attempts and some helpful advice I use a wooden spoon, slapping it against the base of the pomegranate. It works! Seeds fall in to my hands, and into the bowl below. I throw the now useless peel into the trash can, and begin eating my snack. Although it required hard work, it is delicious!

Listening for Lions

Listening for Lions is a out a girl named Rachel who lives in Africa. There is a bad sickness going around, and Rachel's parents both die. She goes to live with a family named the Pritchards, who end up sending her to England while she pretends to be a girl named Valerie. Listening for Lions had a pretty good plot, but a lot of the things that happened were described in ways that seemed unreal, which made the book less good. This book is a quick read, with no mature topics. My favorite character was the grandfather, and the part with him in it was in my opinion the best part of the book. Overall, Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan was okay but not very good.
To Be Read:
1. Eleanor and Park
2. The Summer of Letting Go
3. Looking for Alaska (multiple classmates recommended this book)

Slice of Life

When I was only a few years old my great grandmother passed away. I don't think I knew her, but my family definitely has many fond memories of her. We have one picture of me, no older than 1 year, shelling peas on a porch swing with her. My family sees this picture often, and it is always quite an ordeal, remembering her. But it doesn't bother me. I like hearing the stories of my Mom's childhood summers, spent at her comfortable yellow house.
I don't remember much about her death. I remember my parents crying, something impossible for me to understand at such a young age. I remember flying to Maine late at night. We drove for hours, the bright lights of other cars shining at me until I fell asleep. I barely remember her funeral. It was the only funeral I ever went to. I either remember it, or made up a story in my mind over the years, a story of a short little girl waiting, confused, and scared.

She may be dead, but stories and memories keep her alive. Her recipes and traditions and household items have been treasured and kept, and will never be forgotten. She doesn't seem similar to anyone else. She seems like a strong, unique, strict, loving woman, with personality and flair. I never knew her well, but I almost do because of the stories my family tells.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys: A Great Book!

I really enjoyed Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys. This book is about a girl named Josie who meets many rich people and becomes friends with them, yet feels as if she doesn't fit in, because she is the daughter of a prostitute named Louise in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Louise and Josie don't get along, Louise is insensitive and has plans for her daughter to be like her, but Josie is smart and sophisticated and wants to get away from New Orleans. With the help of many of her friends, Josie tries to escape her mother's upsetting plans. This book is almost a mystery, and it has many interesting pieces that fit together well. It is a little bit long, at 350 pages, but the length makes sense. Even though Out of the Easy has a few immature topics, I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Books To Be Read

Every Soul a Star-- recommended by Julia

We Were Liars-- recommended by Max

Eleanor and Park-- recommended by Haley

Listening for Lions

Kindred-- for my book group

"When Did You See Her Last?" by Lemony Snicket

This week I read the second book in the All the Wrong Questions series; "When Did You See Her Last?" This book is about a boy (who is Lemony at age 13) who is doing work in a town called Stain'd by the Sea. This town used to be famous for producing ink, but not anymore, and it is barely inhabited now. A rich teenage girl named Cleo Knight goes missing in the beginning of the book, and Lemony and his journalist friend Moxie are hired to save them. But Lemony's chaperone S. Theodora Markson jumps to conclusions, and makes it all the more difficult for Lemony and Moxie to solve the case. They visit the library to do research on a man named Colonel Colophon, and Lemony runs off, following the villain Hangfire. He finds a character from the last book who had stolen a statue, and they become friends. The three, along with other young teenagers in the town have to solve the case of Cleo Knight. This book was very good. It is about 275 pages long. The other book is called "Who Could that be At This Hour?" and I would recommend reading that, and then "When Did You See Her Last?"

To Be Read

1. The Riverman-- Recommended by Julia

2. Shouldn't You Be in School (the 3rd book)

3. Where'd you Go Bernadette

4. Sparrow Road-- Recommended by Grace

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages

The Green Glass Sea is a Historical Fiction book about a girl named Dewey who moves to Los Alamos because her father is helping create the secret Atomic Bomb. Dewey does not have friends in the beginning, but she is happy just to be with her father. But when her father has to go on a business trip to D.C,, Dewey moves in with a girl named Suze and her parents. From the start, Dewey is friends with Suze's Mom Terry, but Suze and Dewey don't get along. But when coincedences on the hill bring Suze and Dewey together, they start to realize just how much they have in common. This book has a lot to do with science. It was very well written, but the author switched from past to present tense constantly which was not poetic, but confusing. The book also did not seem to have a very good plot until the end. I would recommend this book if you are interested in science, but otherwise I woul not recommend the Green Glass Sea.

To Be Read
Thirteen Reasons Why- Reccomended by Sloan
Everlost- Reccomended by Sofie
Where'd you go Bernadette

Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse Five goes into the story of Billy Pilgrim, a man in the war, who early in the book gets captured. The book says that Billy is "unstuck in time", so large portions of the book are written while Billy is time traveling, mainly while he is on the planet Tralfamadore, which he is abducted to after the war. Slaughterhouse Five is a very strange book, but it is also very good. There are multiple inappropriate parts, so if you read it be aware that it is not a very appropriate book. Also, the ending doesn't wrap the book up, or leave questions, like a reader would want it to. Otherwise, Slaughterhouse Five was a very good book!

To Be Read:
- Beholding Bee
- Outliers
- Hungry- Sofie Recommended this book

My Mother the Cheerleader, By Robert Sharenow, Historical Fiction
My Mother the Cheerleader is a short and appropriate book about a girl named Louise, who is at the same school as Ruby Holler, and African American girl who integrated an elementary school. My Mother the Cheerleader has a very good plot, but in my opinion the plot would be better without the integration going on, because it is not a large part of the story. I also think my Mother the Cheerleader would be better if it were much more descriptive, and in more detail. I don't reccomend this book, but people with different taste could like it.


To Be Read
1. House of Ivy and Sorrow (Hailey Recommended this)
2. Forgive Me Leonard Peacock
3. The Circle (Gavin Recommended This)

Warriors Don't Cry, Melba Patillo Beals
Warriors Don't Cry is about Melba Patillo, a 16 year old girl, who signs up to take part in the integration of Little Rock Arkansas' Central High School. Her mother and grandmother tell her that she should be brave, that integration is what god wanted her to do, but Melba is afraid. The family gets threatened and Melba gets attacked at school every day, but her Grandma India tells her that she is a warrior, and warriors don't cry. Melba and the other eight students integrating with her have to face extreme discrimination, but Melba forces herself to be brave. This nonfiction book is about 220 pages long, and it is very good. It has a few inappropriate words and is very sad at parts, but I still definitely recommend Warriors Don't Cry!
To Be Read
1. Dorothy Must Die (from Sofie)
2. I am the Messenger
3. My Mother the Cheerleader
4. The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil

Cuba 15, Nancy Osa

Cuba 15 is about a girl named Violet who turns fifteen. She is Cuban and Polish, and her family wants to throw her a quinceanero, a traditional party. But Violet hates traditional Cuban things, because her family keeps everything about Cuba a secret. Meanwhile, Violet deals with dating a boy at her school, and her two crazy friends, Leda and Janell. Cuba 15 is 275 pages long. It is fairly appropriate, although there are a few mature topics. It was a pretty good book!

To Be Read
1. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
2. Warriors Don't Cry
3. My Mother the Cheerleader (Sofie recommended this)

To Be Read
1. My Mother the Cheerleader
2. 13 Little Blue Envelopes
3. Forgive me, Leonard Peacock
4. Going Bovine

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
This book is about a girl named Lily who thinks she shot her mother. Events involving her maid Rosaleen cause her to break Rosaleen out of jail and flee to Tiburon, South Carolina, where she thinks she may find evidence of her mother. She meets three sisters named May, August, and June. They become friends, and Lily is much happier than she was at her home and she finds out about her Mom. This is a great book, but it does involve some troubling themes and mature language.

5 Books I Want to Read
1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette
2. Eleanor and Park
3. Outliers
4. The Summer of Letting Go
5. Out of the Easy

Jefferson's Sons, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Historical Fiction
 Thomas Jefferson had three sons and one daughter with his slave Sally Hemings. Although the children get special privileges they are still slaves. Beverly knows that he can grow up to pass as  a white man, but he doesn't want to. Maddy, on the other hand, is too dark skinned to pass as a white man, although he would like to. The book follows the sons and daughters in their interesting childhoods. This was the best book I read last summer, I enjoyed that it told me things about history while being a spectacular story. The book has sad aspects, but it is completely appropriate.