Patron Saints of Nothing

By Randy Ribay 

     What an amazing and riveting book.  This book hits all of the high notes, it is sad and sweet and finally very uplifting.  Meet Jay (Jason) a young man that immigrated to the United States when he was an infant.  He is now a senior in Michigan and has been accepted to U of M, but he has no idea what he wants to do with his life.  As he marches down his last few days in high school, he is informed of the death of his cousin Jun.  Even though, Jun still lives in the Philippines, Jay still considers him to be his closest relative and best friend.   They have been exchanging letters for years, and Jay feels the guilt since he is a horrible pen pal.  He also finds out that Jun was killed due to the Philippines war on drugs and a secret instagram  message sends a picture confirming that Jun did nothing wrong.  As Jay questions the meaning of life and death and what he wants to do with his future, he comes up with a great idea.  

     Jay's plan is to spend his spring break in the Philippines visiting family and looking into the incidents surrounding Jun's untimely demise.  In order to do this he needs to make the trek on his own, without his parents.  His parents finally relent and he is allowed to go, but he has some rules. Namely, he is to stay with family and he must not mention Jun, especially to Tito Manning.  He quickly agrees hoping he can find a way to investigate, ask questions and find his secret informant.  What he discovers in the Philippines is that nothing is as it appears, even when he thinks he has discovered the truth he will be surprised.  Finally, the family is allowed to grieve and hopefully move forward.  

     In all of the investigation and sight seeing, Jun discovers a new respect for his forgotten culture and a romantic interest.  If nothing else, he learns that he is woefully ignorant of the history and tribulations of the Philippines.  He does not speak Tagalog or any of the languages of the country and he has no concept of the depth of poverty and crime that is prevalent in the country.  His cousin Grace introduces him to an acquaintance Mia, a journalism student, who agrees to help him find out about Jun.  This bond quickly deepens to a mutual respect and attachment.  After his brief trip to the Philippines, makes some major life decisions, about who he is and what he wants to do, but can he convince his parents to be on board?  

     I loved this book, it was heart warming, though provoking and wrenching.  It made me wonder if when I leave will I have made a positive impact.  I am giving this book all five stars!  I love books that give a view into different cultures and leaves a lasting understanding.  Anything that opens eyes to what is going on around us is awesome!  At the end of the book there is also a very informative section for further information. This book is appropriate for 7th grade on up and is an incredible read!  

Links 

Author - Randy Ribay

Philippines President

Philippines War on Drugs

Images of Philippine slums

Racing the Past

By Sis Deans 

     This is a fast moving and enjoyable book.  It does a good job of broaching a topic that is too often left ignored or pushed under the rug.  Meet Ricky Gordon he is constantly getting in trouble at school for fighting the school bully.  Ricky comes up with a plan to keep his mother out of knowing how bad school is for the troubled fifth grader.  He can not go down to Mr. Daniel's office for the rest of the year.  How is he going to avoid his nemesis?  Ricky decides to forgo recess and to walk home from school everyday, even in bad weather.  Bugsie is so mad and still tries to bait Ricky whenever he sees him.  Ricky is a math whiz and figures out that if he improves everyday he will be able to beat the bus.  He sets up a grueling training schedule and slowly improves his 3.5 mile run home.  

     Ricky has a hard road to travel he has to better his life and that of his family.  Ricky's father passed away New Years Eve, from drunk driving.  Ricky is actually glad that he is gone, since he spent most of his time drinking and abusing his family, both mentally and physically.  They are dirt poor and live in a small run down shack, but Ricky and Matt slowly begin to clean up their yard and move beyond their father's abuse.  Everyone is noticing the improvements in their small town.  Their lives slowly improve.  Finally, one day Ricky realizes that the running is making positive changes in his life.  It becomes apparent as the his classmates start cheering for him to beat the bus and as the high school coach comes to check out this fifth grader that could run.  Will Ricky's hard work pay off will he be able to run from his past? 
     This book is rather sad, but a necessary topic that needs to be talked about more often.  I am giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars, and feel that it will be enjoyed by readers in 6th grade and higher.  and even though the books main character is a young man, I feel that all students can learn something from this book. 

Links
Author - Sis Deans

Coping with an Alcoholic Parent

Child Abuse Help

Youth Runners

Sanctum

By Madeleine Roux 

     The perfect second book in the Asylum series.  This book does a great job of tying up all of the loose ends from Asylum.  Dan, Abby and Jordan are still in contact and decide to return to Brookline and the source of their nightmares.  They meet up on campus during a prospective students weekend, strange things happen right away when one student begins to chant "Daniel Crawford" then jumps out of the window.  Dan and his friends have been paired with current students who are supposed to show them the way around campus and keep them wrangled.  Dan and his friends have other ideas of course, they want to hunt down some addresses and search for clues and a resolution to their nightmares.  

     The trio decide to visit the first abandoned house and find nothing extraordinary, but Dan does begin seeing glimpses of the past again.  Somebody is working against the group, by stealing information from the library and trying to keep them contained within campus.  The deeper they dig, the more convinced they become that something is not right.  A secret cult has taken over the school and the surrounding community.  Small subversive acts like attacking Dan at the carnival quickly spiral to more aggressive acts.  They are being controlled by a hypnotist and a mysterious stone that has ties to the Warden.  Anything that ties to Daniel Crawford it sure to be evil and deal with mind control.  Dan and his friends discover a lot of information on the early life of the warden, and slowly unravel his secrets.  But, will they be able to discover everything they need to know to save their lives?  Will they be able to evade the Scarlet Cloaked figures?  Will more people die? 

     This is a fitting sequel to "Asylum".  I enjoyed the story telling and the deeper understanding of the characters.  It is a fairly quick read, but the content might be a little gory for younger readers, so would keep it for mature 7th graders and up.  I am giving the book a 4.5 stars for that reason, I just wish that it had a little less gore so younger readers could enjoy the tale.  Basically, if you enjoy creepy, scary and a little gory you would love this book.  

Links

Author - Madaleine Roux

Hypnosis

Secret Societies in College

Asylum

By Madeleine Roux 

     Finally, I was able to track a copy of this book and finished reading this interesting first book in the series.  This is when Jordan, Abby and Dan first meet during the New Hampshire College Prep program.  A program letting interested high school students check out college life.  The trio meet at Brookline Dorm, which used to house a psychiatric hospital.  Dan is an introvert, he has questions about his life before his adopted parents, and is fascinated with history.  Abby is artistic and beautiful.  Jordan is a math wiz, who is afraid to show his true self to his parents.  How do these three very different people become such fast friends.  

     On one of their first nights at Brookline, they happen upon an old office in the west wing.  Full of old paperwork, pictures, and a hidden stair well that is crying to be investigated.  What they find on the multiple trips to the west wing can be very disturbing.  For one the old warden at the hospital was shares Dan's name.  The warden had taken it upon himself to cure criminally insane patients through rather extreme measures.  One such inmate is Abby's Aunt Lucy and another patient is the notorious mass killer "The Sculpture".  When people start missing and some people are killed, the program is in danger of being cancelled.  Friendships are pushed to the brink and a crazy killer is on the loose.  Of course things get interesting when Dan is at the center of all of the killings and his lapses in memory are not helping matters.  How are these mysterious texts going out and putting people in danger? Who is behind all of the drama?  

     This book is a good build up to the rest of the series, I will definitely be reading "Sanctum" quickly.  I did enjoy this book, I am giving it a 4 out of 5 stars and would suggest it for grades 7th and up.  The protagonist is a young man and it is told from his view point, so it would be accessible to either gender.  This is another book that if you are open to the supernatural and believe in ghosts you would enjoy this book and the whole series.  

Links 

Author - Madeleine Roux

Images from Brookline Asylum

College Prep Programs for high school students

One for Sorrow

By Mary Downing Hahn

     This is a very thought provoking story.  I picked it up by happenstance one day subbing in a classroom.  I had just finished a book and this happened to be laying around, once I started reading I was hooked.  The new girl in town inadvertently becomes friends with a very unlikable person. Annie quickly regrets becoming acquainted with Elsie and wants to extract herself from the relationship, but Elsie will not let her go.  Annie gets her chance to remove herself from Elsie's grasp, when Elsie is absent for a week, and quickly shifts her friendship to Rosie's group.  Unfortunately, Rosie and her gang are "Mean Girls"  and belittle and bully Elsie. 

    It seems like overnight that Annie has a new friend group and begins to bully Elsie, and Elsie is left once again friendless.  Things quickly change, however, when a deadly Spanish Influenza hits Mount Pleasant and people begin to die at an alarming rate.  As schools are cancelled and the kids are left to their own devices, Rosie comes up with a plan to get free sweets, why not visit some of the wakes, and pretend to know the individual in the coffin?  They even learn to peruse the obituaries the night before and garner information about the deceased.  On one of these ventures, they happen to run upon Elsie alone in the park.  Elsie is wearing a flue mask, in an attempt to protect her from contracting the flue bug.  Rosie decides it would be fun to harass Elsie and chase her down.  After surrounding her and singing about her getting influenza, stealing her mask, Elsie is left crying in the park;  Annie and the rest of her friends feel bad,yet vow to never speak of this again.  The secret is kept until, they visit one wake with out forewarning and it happens to be Elsie...       Annie believes she is truly done with the worries of Elsie, but is she?  

     An accident that results in a concussion while sledding in the cemetery, another secret and somehow Elsie returns to haunt Annie from the grave.  Elsie is out for revenge!  She wants Annie back as her one true friend and she wants Rosie and the gang to pay for her death.  suffice it to say Elsie is a very angry ghost.  She coerces Annie to do her evil work, and puts words in her mouth that Annie would never say.  Annie's behavior and outbursts reach such a point that she is sent to a convalescent care home, so she can get the rest that she needs to recuperate.  Elsie follows her and continues to make her mind miserable.  Fortunately, there is help in the guise of another patient.  One who claims to be able to see and communicate with ghosts, one who says she can help Elsie transition to her afterlife.  Step one is to get Elsie's friendship, Elsie must believe that her and Annie are best friends.  Will Annie be able to help Elsie move on and reconnect with her mother?  Will Annie be able to return home and be able to get her friends back.  

     This book is very entertaining to read, a fairly quick read.  I think that it would be appropriate for fifth grade and up and even though the main character is female, the content is available to both genders.  I am giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and think that if you like books about the supernatural you would love this book.  

Links 

Author - Mary Downing Hahn

Spanish Influenza 1918 

Dangers of school bullying

Crow nursery rhyme from title

     

Stepsister

By Jennifer Donnelly 

     It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a book this much.  What a great story!  This is my first time reading a fractured fairy tale and I loved it!  The greatness of literature is the ability to pull the reader into the great lie, the what if?  This book grabbed me and kept me drawn into its pages, it is well crafted, intentional and superb.  A lot of people know the beloved story of Cinderella, but what about her mean spirited step sisters?  What becomes of them after Cinderella is spirited away by the Prince?  How do they live?  Do they ever find happiness? 

     This fractured tale meets up with the step sisters, Isabelle and Octavia just as they have both maimed themselves in an effort to fit into Cinderella's shoes.  Octavia, has sliced up her heal, and Isabella has cut off her toes at her Maman's request.  Of course they are discovered and Cinderella is freed and finds her true love.  After Cinderella (Ella) is whisked off by the Prince, their small town hears of their cruelty and they are ridiculed and bullied. 

   There are multiple forces that may change their lives.  Unknown to Isabella, Chance and Fate have taken an interest in her actions.  They have placed a wager on whether or not she lives through the upcoming battle.  France is at war, the country is divided, especially when the king dies and the young prince must rule.  The encroaching rebels led by Volkmar will stop at nothing, they are killing whole villages for sport.  Finally, the fairy queen Tanaquill has a role to play, she has answered the call of Isabella's heart.  

     Will Isabella's warrior heart answer the call, can she find the pieces of herself that has been lost along the way?  This book works on the question what wins and directs us, can we decide our own fate through our actions?  Can Isabella break free of the chains of what she is expected to do can she embrace who she is meant to be and love who she wants?  

     This is a great empowering book!  I am giving it a 5 out of 5 stars and believe it is appropriate for readers from 6th grade and up.  It does skew a bit towards a feminine audience, but I do think that most readers would enjoy it immensely!  This is a great example of a fractured fairy tale and breaking the mold forever!  Pick up your copy today.  

Links

Author - Jennifer Donnelly

Other fractured Cinderella stories   

St. Michel, France

Almost Autumn

By Marianne Kaurin 

     To be honest, this is not my favorite book.  It is fairly difficult to read, it totally left me underwhelmed.  The book is supposed to be about a love story in Norway leading up to the German occupation.  This book is difficult to follow simply because each chapter is from a new perspective.  I am not new to this idea and generally enjoy the creativity of this technique, but this did not add to the character or give anybody a depth of understanding, it seemed very one dimensional.  What could have been an incredibly interesting story ended up flat.  

     This book is told from several different view points.  The main character, Ilse,  is a vapid, self involved young women who defies her parents in order to further her relationship with Hermann Rod.  She does not like the restrictions that have been placed on her for her own safety and is constantly thwarting her parents good intentions.  Hermann Rod, Ilse's love interest, is not Jewish, but is harboring secrets, he claims to want to be an artist, but Ilse has never heard of this desire.  We discover that he is helping a resistance to the German occupation.  His connections give him some trouble and saves many lives, possibly Ilse's.  Isaak is Ilse's father, he knows that he has lost business and they are quickly running out of money.  He wants things to be different and has the foresight to remove all of the money from the bank for safe keeping.  Isaak is taken away one night with no warning, this leaves his dependents at a loss.  The shop has been closed, and they do not know where he has been taken.  Ilse's sister Sonja, is very beautiful, a wonderful seamstress and a pleasure to have around the house, meaning she helps out with cooking a cleaning.  She is very frustrated with Ilse who does nothing to help out.  Of course, after Isaak has been taken, things fall apart, they are living in tenuous times, the Germans come and take the entire family with the help of Ole, their neighbor.  Ole drives a taxi and is sickened by the duty of taking many Jew's, some of them his friends, to the wharf for deportation.  Ole feels that he has no choice but to follow his directions, he fears for his life and his family.  What happens to everyone in this one town in Norway, only finishing the book will tell you.  Does everyone survive the holocaust?  Do they survive incarceration?  Will Ilse be reunited with her family? Hermann?  

     I do appreciate the content of this story, I just wish it would have dealt with more realistic content and focused on fewer viewpoints.  I am giving this book a 2.5 out of 5 and feel that it is appropriate for anybody in fifth thru eighth grade.  It was interesting but  I just wish it hadn't glossed over so many details, it left too much up to interpretation.  

Links

Author Marianne Kaurin

Holocaust Resistance

Non Jewish Resistance

The River Between Us

By Richard Peck 

     This is an interesting story, in that it gives the reader a glimpse into two different time periods.  The most prevalent time is America before and during the Civil War.  Secondly, the reader gets a peak into the beginning of the 1900's.  I loved reading about the road trip, where they had to patch all four tires on the car and it only overheated once.  The real eye opening information is the stories surrounding a small Illinois town near the Mississippi River.  The author masterfully crafts the tenuous path that many American's had to follow in the war between the states.  It also illustrates the depths of racism in this country.

     When a young Leleand Hutchings travels to Grand Tower, Illinois to meet the Pruitts, his father's family. Leland and his younger brother meet their relatives, and as their father spends time with his ailing Aunt Delphine, Leland learns the family history from his Aunt Tilly.  A history that they all lived through as she explains of the time leading up to and through the Civil War.  The Pruitts are a  small family that lived along the Mississippi River in a small town called Grand Tower.  Their father had been missing for years and they aremade ends meet any way they ccould.  Tilly and her twin brother were coming of age, Noah was a very young "Man of the House", and wanted to join the North as tensions escalated.  Tilly had to do a lot of the household chores and mind her sister, Cassie who is very insightful (meaning she sees tragedies of the past and possibly the future).  As war between the states seemed eminent, a river boat stopped off and two mysterious passengers disembarked.
      Delphine and Calinda were unique to say the least, Delphine was beutiful and young and Calinda was a young negro woman.  Their relationship wass what separates them however, they were definitely not master and slave, but how were they connected.  Delphine refused to go any further north and asked for directions to the nearest inn, Ma Pruitt heard them and invited the two to state at the home, they might not have much, but what they had was clean and respectful.  Of course, Noah becomes enamored of the mysterious and beautiful Delphine.  The plot thickens when Noah decided to join the Northern forces and marched off for training, one night Ma Pruitt wakens Tilly with the demand to go save Noah.  Tilly and Delphine prepare to enter Cairo Illinois, where the North has set up camp for their forces.  They discover that Noah is very ill and nurse him back to health.  During their time in Cairo, Tilly finds out the truth about Delphine and Calinda, a truth that I am not going to tell you! 
     The surprises do not stop there.  After Noah is nursed back to health he marches to his first battle, Tilly and Delphine sense that something is not right.  They discover that Noah was shot during the battle  and has lost his arm, they nurse him yet again, until he is strong enough to make the trip to Grand Tower.  When they arrive home, there is yet more tragedy, as they discover Cassie has dwindled down to nothing, Mama Pruitt is gone, having thrown herself into the Mississippi, when she saw a casket being unloaded off of a river boat.  Leland thinks he has a good understanding of his family history until, his father unloads one last secret on their trip home. 
     This is book is very interesting and appropriate for students grade 6 and up.  I would rate this book at a 4 out of 5 stars, just because it may be hard to grasp two very different periods in time, especially ones that are so disparate from the current era.  With that being said if you want to find out the two big secrets, you are going to have to read the book! 

Links 
Books by Richard Peck

History of Illinois during the Civil War

Grand Tower Illinois

The Mississippi River during the Civil War

Catacombs

By Madelene Roux 

     First off I have to apologize, I began reading this book before I realized it was the third book in a series.  I am in the process of rectifying the situation and will be posting on the previous two books as soon as possible.  Dan, Abby and Jordan are three friends that have a long and interesting history.  They have had experiences that are outside of the norm and have faced many dangers together.  As the trio prepare to enter life after high school and go their own way, they decide on a road trip to take Jordan to New Orleans.  Jordan will be living with his Uncle and attending college in the historic city.  Ellie plans on pursuing her art and Dan will be returning home to attend college.  

     Along their route, they get an inkling that something is not as it should be.  Strange things begin to happen and Dan reveals that he stole some folders from the "Warden".  People are following them and mysterious things begin to happen, like unexpected visitors outside of their tent in the middle of the night.  Do the trio know who they can trust? Where are they safe.  This harrowing tale and the nefarious people that they encounter help answer a lot of questions that Dan has about his past.  Dan who grew up with adoptive parents has always had questions about his family, who they were and why did they abandon him...  The paranormal is definitely involved in this interesting tale, in the guise of other worldly texts from a dead friend and ghostly visions of Dan's father.  Where else can this story take them but into the Catacombs under New Orleans.  

     I did find this book a very interesting read, unfortunately was a bit lost, because it was the third book in a series.  I am going to withhold my rating until I have read all three books.  Please look for updates in the near future.  I can say however, that this book is appropriate for middle school readers and older and that everyone should be able to enjoy the story.  

Links 

Author: Madelene Roux

Images of Catacombs

Cemeteries of New Orleans

History of New Orleans

The Fourteenth Goldfish

By Jennifer L. Holm 

     What a great read!  A pleasurable, multi-layered, multi-generational read that I really enjoyed!  This book is full of surprising twists and humor, most assuredly on every page.  Ellie is embroiled in aiding her teenage grandfather, yep you read that right her teenage grandfather.  Ellie is having a hard time with the fifth grade and the loss of her best friend and her goldfish, but things quickly change when her grandfather shows up on the doorstep.  Her grandfather, a scientist, has discovered a fountain of youth, per say, a jelly fish of youth, and has rejuvenated himself to his teenage years.  Unfortunately, for him, no one believes who he is and his discovery is going unnoticed!  

     Melvin is convinced that Ellie can help him break into his lab and retrieve the jellyfish so he can continue his experiments.  Ellie and some new friends try to help him attempt several break ins at the lab, meanwhile Melvin discovers getting his youth back is not all he remembered.  The obvious downfall is the return of acne, and the loss of his freedom of driving a car.  His daughter is now responsible for her father and makes him help with chores and return to school, under the guise of a nephew.  When Melvin discovers that he is not even mentioned in the science books, and many feel that he is a quack, things shift into high gear.  Melvin eventually, sets out on his own, to discover more of the world.  Ellie learns to appreciate science and discovery from her grandfather and truly misses him.  

     There are several lasting lessons in this book.  One that you don't know what you will really miss until it is gone, two that the lessons that we learn and the interactions that we have outside of our own generation are exceedingly worthwhile.  This is a fantastic book that I am giving a 4.5 stars out of 5, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was very sad when I finished it.  I feel that this book is appropriate for fourth grade and up and that everyone would enjoy the story.  

Links 

Author; Jennifer L. Holm

Fountain of Youth