A Curse So Dark and Lonely

A Curse So Dark
And Lonely
by Brigid Kemmerer

From the publisher:
Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

I have to admit that I have taken a break from Young Adult books because I was so tired of the insta-forever-love, incredibly beautiful teenagers, bad language, sexual situations, and on and on. However, I did enjoy this book- whether I had taken enough time off, or it just didn't have as many of the tropes that I hate, I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

This book begins in modern day Washington D.C. with our heroine (who has cerebral palsy but it just affects one leg) standing guard for her brother who is an "enforcer". Things happen and she is whisked away to another world with a prince, a castle, a beast and an evil sorceress. I found the characters very interesting and I liked them (well, except for the evil sorceress, of course). The world building and story telling are gripping. It hooks you from the very beginning and doesn't let you go until you finish and start waiting for the next one in the series. I will admit that I didn't realize this was going to be a series when I started. There was quite a bit of closure at the end, but you can see where a new one will be heading. This book may have one of the most perfect titles ever - it is a very dark and lonely curse our poor prince is suffering through. But this is no Disney prince, he has a lot of faults and growth to achieve. If I can tear students away from graphic novels for 2 seconds, I think they would really like this one.

Areas of concern:
*They somewhat frequently use a phrase that is their cuss word "silver hell", but other than that I think there was one use of the "d" word and nothing else.
*Quite violent. The beast kills many, many people, there is a war with battle scenes, a sadistic sorceress who loves to inflict pain, and also talk of a brother doing violent things to people as an enforcer.
*Sexual content is very low - a couple sleeps together but nothing happens and there is a gay couple. 

Suggested Ages:
Booklist - Grades 7-10
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12+
School Library Journal - Grades 9+

Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not
by Ellie Terry

From the publisher:
 "A girl with Tourette syndrome starts a new school and tries to hide her quirks in this debut middle-grade novel in verse.

Astronomy-loving Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or noises that she doesn't mean to make. When she and her mother move yet again, she tries to hide her TS. But it isn't long before the kids at her new school realize she's different. Only Calli's neighbor, who is also the popular student body president, sees her as she truly is—an interesting person and a good friend. But is he brave enough to take their friendship public? 

As Calli navigates school, she must also face her mother's new relationship and the fact that she might be moving, again, just as she starts to make friends and finally accept her differences."

This novel that combines verse and prose was a sweet, heart-wrenching read. I loved the combination of verse and prose - having Callie's perspective be in verse and Jinsong's in prose made it very easy to hear the different voices. My heart broke for Callie, not only because of the bullying at school, but also the things she had to deal with from her mother. And yet, I understood Jinsong only too well. It takes a very strong, confident person to be able to befriend someone so different, especially when your friends are the ones doing the bullying. I think the students at my school will really love this book because the favorite books right now are ones that deal with kids overcoming difficulties, and they are also loving the novels in verse right now (probably because they are such a quick read and help them out in our 20 Book Challenge). I have several students in mind who I can steer to this book. The only issue I may have had with this book is how the mother and doctor keep telling Callie to try to hide her Tourette's and not tell anyone about it. That doesn't seem very realistic for our day and age.

Areas of concern:
*A mother who has a different boyfriend constantly and moves her daughter from town to town when she breaks up with them. Mothers who put men before their children are disgusting to me.
*A kiss between two 7th graders.
*Bullying and very mean behavior from pretty much everyone at school. Where were the teachers and staff members?

Suggested Ages:
Booklist - Grades 5-8
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10-13

The Running Dream

The Running Dream
by Wendelin Van Draanen

From the publisher:
"An award-winning and inspiring novel.  When Jessica's dreams are shattered, she puts herself back together—and learns to dream bigger than ever before. 

Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award"

Another nearly perfect book by Wendelin Van Draanen. I loved this book! My only disappointment lay in the fact that it ended. I wanted to hear more about Jessica's future and how her parents coped. Once you begin reading this book you will be sucked in like Jessica's suction sock and it will never let go. I appreciate the massive research the author obviously did on the loss of a limb - not just the medical treatments, but the emotional and mental aspects of it. I thought the different stages Jessica went through were very realistically portrayed - the loss, the anger, the self-pity, the loss of self-worth, and on and on. And I loved that those stages didn't just end and another begin, but she had to keep battling all of them for a long time. At one point she says, 

It's disturbing how fast weeds take root in my garden of worthiness.
They're so hard to pull.
And grow back so easily. 

I was happy that Jessica had such strong support:
*From her family..... how her parents coped with nearly losing their daughter, then having to help her through the recovery, having to worry about money and medical bills - they were wonderful.
*Her best friend, Fiona...... what an amazing friend! She was ALWAYS there for Jessica. I loved this character!
*Her coach...... he didn't coddle her, he pushed her and helped her to get back to her running.
*Her teammates........ even though she tried to push them away, and succeeded pretty well, they were there for her when she was ready for them to be, and were so happy and excited to help her.
*Jessica would be upset if I didn't mention Rosa. Rosa helped her in so many ways, even though before the accident Jessica had never really "seen" Rosa. 

Another thing I love about this book is that it teaches us important truths. Here's one:

That's all anybody with a disability wants. Don't sum up the person based on what you see, or what you don't understand; get to know THEM." 

Having just seen the movie Wonder (I read the book several years ago) and now reading this, I hope it has made me more cognizant of how to treat people who might be different than I am. 

Please read this book....... by yourself, with a friend, as a family, or in a classroom. You will not regret it.

Areas of concern:
*Loss of a limb
*Death of a teenager
*A very brief period of prescription drug dependency, but it was quickly squashed by her parents
*One brief kiss

Suggested Ages:

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12+

School Library Journal - Grades 7+
**EVERYONE should read this book!**

The Six

The Six
by Mark Alpert

From the publisher:
Adam's muscular dystrophy has stolen his mobility, his friends, and in a few short years, it will take his life. Virtual reality games are Adam's only escape from his wheelchair. In his alternate world, he can defeat anyone. Running, jumping, scoring touchdowns: Adam is always the hero.

Then an artificial intelligence program, Sigma, hacks into Adam's game. Created by Adam's computer-genius father, Sigma has gone rogue, threatening Adam's life-and world domination. Their one chance to stop Sigma is using technology Adam's dad developed to digitally preserve the mind of his dying son.

Along with a select group of other terminally ill teens, Adam becomes one of the Six who have forfeited their bodies to inhabit weaponized robots. But with time running short, the Six must learn to manipulate their new mechanical forms and work together to train for epic combat...before Sigma destroys humanity."

Sometimes science fiction books are chilling and un-nerving because they show things that could actually happen in our world. I felt like that with this book. Technology is increasing so quickly, and who knows what things are being worked on that we know nothing about? I'm pretty sure there is a lot of work going on in the Artificial Intelligence area that I am unaware of. This book is science fiction in the truest sense of the genre. It isn't dystopian, it isn't time travel, it is science. I loved that it made you think of all the ethical questions that would arise in these circumstances. 
Aside from all of the science, this was a gripping, exciting book. There is a ton of action and conflict. 
I cared about the characters - robot or not - and the plot was believable and intriguing. As a parent, I can only imagine the roads I would be willing to go to save my child, so I definitely had a lot of empathy for Adam's dad. I am ordering books 2 and 3 for our library.

Areas of concern:
*The whole premise of the book is that the teenagers all have terminal diseases and will die in 6 months or less.
*The moral and ethical questions that arise from the decisions that need to be made.
*There is fighting and violence.

Suggested Ages:
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12-16
School Library Journal - Grades 8+

The War That Saved My Life

The War That Saved My Life
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

 From the publisher:
"A Wall Street Journal's Best Children's Book of 2015
A Newbery Honor Book

An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War 2, from the acclaimed author of Jefferson’s Sons and for fans of Number the Stars.
 
Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.
 
So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?
 
This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity—a classic in the making."

I thought this book did an exquisite job of showing how abuse affects a child. The main character, Ada, has been horribly abused her whole life, and all readers will be relieved when she escapes and has the chance at a new life. However, life doesn't suddenly turn rosy for her. She has trouble accepting kindness and compassion and feels completely out of place. Her new guardian reads the book Alice in Wonderland to Ada and her brother, Jamie, and this is what Ada thinks:

“It was us, I thought. Jamie and me. We had fallen down a rabbit hole, fallen into Susan’s house, and nothing made sense, not at all, not anymore.” 

It is both heartbreaking and heartwarming to watch Ada's journey to finding the strength in herself. Sometimes it is 1 step forward and 2 steps back, but slowly and surely she progresses. The patience of her guardian, Susan, is remarkable, but we are also shown how taking upon herself the guardianship of 2 abused children makes Susan grow and come out of herself. I thought the ending faltered a little bit, but all in all I really enjoyed this book. It doesn't match up to my favorite WWII-child-evacuee book, which is Good Night, Mr. Tom  by Michelle Magorian, but it is a pretty respectable second place. 

Areas of concern:
*Horrible abuse of a disabled child. Sensitive readers could be very disturbed by all of it.
*A handful of British cuss words.
*There is a very subtle inference of a homosexual relationship, but I'm quite sure the targeted age group for this book won't pick up on it.

Suggested Ages:

Booklist - Grades 5-8

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 9-12

So B. It

So B. It
by Sarah Weeks

From the publisher:
"You couldn′t really tell about Mama′s brain just from looking at her, but it was obvious as soon as she spoke. She had a high voice, like a little girl′s, and she only knew 23 words. I know this for a fact, because we kept a list of the things Mama said tacked to the inside of the kitchen cabinet. Most of the words were common ones, like good and more and hot, but there was one word only my mother said: soof.

Although she lives an unconventional lifestyle with her mentally disabled mother and their doting neighbour, Bernadette, Heidi has a lucky streak that has a way of pointing her in the right direction. When a mysterious word in her mother′s vocabulary begins to haunt her, Heidi′s thirst for the truth leads her on a cross-country journey in search of the secrets of her past"

This is a sweet, easy read that I finished in one sitting. At times heartbreaking, funny, sweet and touching, it kept me reading happily while hoping for a good ending. Heidi, our little heroine, has been raised in a very strange household and comes to a point in her life where she is desperate to learn where she came from. As she goes on her quest, she meets some interesting people and her eyes are opened up to the world around her. I didn't really buy into the whole "luck" theme, and I'm not sure how I felt about parts of the ending, but I still enjoyed the book. I believe this was the author's first middle grade book, and I will definitely be looking at her others. 

Areas of concern:
*A mentally disabled mother raising a daughter who has no idea who her father or any family members are. 
*A friend who lies to hide the truth.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+

School Library Journal - Grades 6-9

Rain Reign

Rain Reign
by Ann M. Martin

From the publisher:
"Rose Howard has Asperger’s syndrome, and an obsession with homonyms (even her name is a homonym). She gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose’s rules of homonyms, is very special. Rain was a lost dog Rose’s father brought home. Rose and Rain are practically inseparable. And they are often home alone, as Rose’s father spends most evenings at a bar, and doesn’t have much patience for his special-needs daughter.

Just as a storm hits town, Rain goes missing. Rose’s father shouldn’t have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search. Rose will find Rain, but so will Rain’s original owners."

Rain Reign is a book that spoke to my heart. I have a grandson who is on the autism spectrum, and so many of Rain's behaviors were reminiscent of my little man. My grandson starts school in the fall, and those of us who love him can't help but be worried about how he will be treated by his peers and his teachers. He is brilliant and sweet and loving, but he also fixates on things, can be incredibly annoying and has scary meltdowns. I can only hope that his school is as good and loving with their Special Ed kids as we are to ours here at Blevins. Add to that story the information that I had 2 dogs in my life that I loved and enjoyed for 29 combined years, and you can see why this book touched me. I even got very teary-eyed towards the end when Rose, the main character, shows great courage and growth. I really recommend this book, with the caveat that it would be best as a class read (reed) or family read (reed). The main character IS a little annoying, and all of the homonyms/homophones in parentheses get a little distracting, so I'm afraid many middle schoolers won't stick with the story. Use it as a read-aloud at bedtime when your child is snuggled up on their bed with their dog cuddled up next to them. Or use it as a classroom read-aloud to help your students understand and empathize a little more with those who have challenges or disabilities. 

Areas of concern:
An alcoholic and neglectful father who has no idea how to raise his child, but tries his best (which isn't very good).
A scary storm that devastates the area.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 9-12

School Library Journal - Grades 4-7

Paperboy

Paperboy
by Vince Vawter

From the publisher:
"An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he knows he'll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything.

The paper route poses challenges, but it's a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble--and puts the boy's life, as well as that of his family's devoted housekeeper, in danger."

Oh Newbery, I'll never understand you. I just checked and I have to go clear back to 1997 to find a Newbery winner or honor book that I really LOVED ( Belle Prater's Boy ) . I haven't read them all, by any means, but the ones I have read have been kind of blah. This one was good, but I didn't find anything outstanding about it. It felt like it was trying to be too many things. A book about a child with a disability. A book about sports (although that was hardly mentioned - just that the main character loved baseball and had quite an arm). A book about race relations. A book about growing up in the 60's... Now if all of those things had meshed, it would have added up to a really good story, but it was like the author all of a sudden said, "Oh, I'd better put something about race relations in here now", instead of it being seamlessly woven into the story. I enjoyed parts of this book, and it was inspiring that it had a lot to do with the author's real life, but I'm not sure how much it will get checked out in our middle school library.

Areas of concern: A handful of swear words. Scary violence towards the main character and one of his loved ones. A woman who drinks excessively and has a man other than her husband come to her house, and then she gets hit by him.  A character finds out that his father isn't his biological father.

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+
School Library Journal - Grades 6-9

Dangerous

Dangerous
by Shannon Hale

From the publisher:
"Maisie Danger Brown just wanted to get away from home for a bit, see something new. She never intended to fall in love. And she never imagined stumbling into a frightening plot that kills her friends and just might kill her, too. A plot that is already changing life on Earth as we know it. There's no going back. She is the only thing standing between danger and annihilation.

From NY Times bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a novel that asks, How far would you go to save the ones you love? And how far would you go to save everyone else?"

Let me start by saying I'm not a Shannon Hale fan. I read and didn't like Austenland , I read The Princess Academy and The Goose Girl and only mildly liked them. So when I saw this one, I thought I would give it a try because I'm not really fond of princess-y books, so maybe this one would be more up my alley. It definitely was. So probably the intense Shannon Hale fans will like it less :). While there were definite flaws in the story - it starts out so quickly that it is hard to form relationships with Luther and with Maisie's parents because they were suddenly gone and we moved on to the next part of the book - I really enjoyed it once we got to the tokens. So here's how it fanned out for me: First part was kind of blah, after the tokens came into force I thought it was really exciting and good, then the whole alien thing came into force and I thought it was a little weird. However, on the whole I quite enjoyed the book. I really liked the characters, especially Maisie Danger Brown, and I appreciated that she had a really good relationship with her parents, although several of the other characters had lousy ones.

Areas of concern: There is quite a bit of kissing, a couple find themselves staying in a one room apartment sharing the same mattress on the floor. Nothing happens beyond kissing, although it is discussed and the male character assures the girl he has "protection". One of the male characters is a real player and hook-ups are mentioned.
Quite a bit of violence - several key characters are killed by other key characters, and there is a lot of bloodshed and tension about loved ones.
No bad language, although one character cusses alot, but the author uses bleepity-bleeps saying that the main character doesn't like the language.\

Suggested Ages:
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12-18
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+

Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller

Miss Spitfire
by Sarah Miller

From the publisher:
"Annie Sullivan was little more than a half-blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work, she'd taken on a seemingly impossible job -- teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as ferocious as any wild animal. But Helen Keller needed more than a teacher. She needed someone daring enough to work a miracle. And if anyone was a match for Helen, it was the girl they used to call Miss Spitfire. For Annie, reaching Helen's mind meant losing teeth as raging fists flew. It meant standing up when everyone else had given up. It meant shedding tears at the frustrations and at the triumphs. By telling this inspiring story from Annie Sullivan's point of view, Sarah Miller's debut novel brings an amazing figure to sharp new life. Annie's past, her brazen determination, and her connection to the girl who would call her Teacher have never been clearer."

There is nothing really new here if you have read anything else about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller, or watched any of The Miracle Worker movies. But it is such a remarkable story, that it bears review. I appreciated the glimpses into Annie's past - what a remarkable woman to come from such poverty and abuse. In this day and age of dystopian and paranormal books, I hope kids will take the time to read this and discover real heroes, whose courage and compassion are something to look up to and emulate.

Areas of concern:  The flashbacks to Annie's life with an abusive father and the wretchedness of life in the workhouse could be upsetting to the really sensitive. 

Suggested ages:
Kirkus Reviews:  Ages 9-14
School Library Journal:  Grades 5-9

The Sweetest Spell

The Sweetest Spell
by Suzanne Selfors

From the publisher:
"Emmeline Thistle, a dirt-scratcher's daughter, has escaped death twice-first, on the night she was born, and second, on the day her entire village was swept away by flood. Left with nothing and no one, Emmeline discovers her rare and mysterious ability-she can churn milk into chocolate, a delicacy more precious than gold.

Suddenly, the most unwanted girl in Anglund finds herself desired by all. But Emmeline only wants one-Owen Oak, a dairyman's son, whose slow smiles and lingering glances once tempted her to believe she might someday be loved for herself. But others will stop at nothing to use her gift for their own gains-no matter what the cost to Emmeline.

Magic and romance entwine in this fantastical world where true love and chocolate conquer all."

This is apparently supposed to be a take on The Ugly Duckling, but I'm not too sure how that fits in to the story.  It was mildly entertaining.  One reviewer compared it to The Princess Bride, but in my estimation it doesn't even come close to that classic fairy tale/farce.   The premise is promising and the characters intriguing, but some of the situations need you to completely suspend belief.  However, I think teenagers will love it.

Areas of concern:  A boy talks about his mother finding him with a half-naked milkmaid when he was 15.  Someone is called a "rat bastard".  One use of the "d" word.

Suggested ages:
Publisher's Weekly:  Ages 12+
School Library Journal:  Grades 7+