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Sparrow Road
Sparrow Road is a story of mystery, of intrigue, of interesting characters, and of connecting to a world that is not your own, or better yet can become a part of your own. Sheila O’Connor’s characters in Sparrow Road are the type of people I would love to spend time…
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Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time
Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time written by Lisa Yee is an in-depth look at what it is to be a teenage boy in today’s society with the pressures of family, friends, teachers, and girlfriends. All Stanford wants to do is play basketball, but when he fails 6th grade English and…
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Mindblind
Mindblind written by Jennifer Roy is a fascinating look into the mind of a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome. The main character, Nathaniel, is inspired by Roy’s young son, Adam. This book is clearly written by someone whose life has been affected by an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Nathaniel is a fourteen-year-old boy…
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Between Shades of Gray
Between Shades of Gray is a beautifully written novel about a part of World War II that is often overlooked. Lina’s family is deported from Lithuania and are forced to work in labor camps in Siberia. The story follows their harrowing journey by truck, cattle car, and boat to the…
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A Long Walk To Water
I have read a number of things by Linda Sue Park, but A Long Walk to Water was by far the best I’ve read! This is a dual narrative based on a true story. The first narrative is by one the Sudanese “Lost Boys.” It is the story of how…
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Out of Patience
I knew when I read the first page of this book that I would be in for a treat. “… It bounced off his head and flopped on the burnt-out grass. The sudden blow was startling, but not as surprising as what delivered it. A toilet plunger.” This is the…
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Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
If you’re having trouble getting young adults interested in history, biographies, or just reading in general – just hand them Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. This non-fiction, young-adult book is phenomenal. Let me caveat this book review by saying that the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln have fascinated me for many years. …
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Moon Over Manifest
I finally got my hands on the 2001 Newbery Award Winner – The Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. The story is set during the Great Depression in a small town called Manifest, Missouri. It is here that the reader meets Abilene, a 12-year-old girl searching for herself. Interwoven throughout Abilene’s…