2008 Notable Books for Children

Agee, Jon. Nothing.

Suzie Gump, the richest lady in town, visits Otis’ s Antique Shop to buy something special. When she asks Otis what was on sale and he answered nothing, she asks for that nothing and buys it. In no time, the entire town is buying nothing as well creating a series of hilarious events that lead to buying something again. Jon Agee is trying to play a trick on his readers to show how crazy we can get when it comes to shopping and he is also playing with space as he illustrates each page. This book is suitable for readers ages 4 years and older because the vocabulary is simple and the pictures are big and exciting enough to grab the early readers' attention.

Broach, Elise. When Dinosaurs Came with Everything.

How would you like to go buy a doughnut and get a dinosaur for free? On the day when a little boy had to go with his mom to run some boring errands like going to the barbershop, the most amazing thing happened: on this day only, stores all over town are giving away one special treat: a live dinosaur. Imagine by the end of the day, if you got o the mall! This crazy story only gets better with the gigantic illustrations and funny events that take place. Young readers will be fascinated by how the main characters are handling things. This book is intended for readers 4 years of age and older. The illustrations take almost the whole page in each page and the text is simple to read.

Brown, Monica. My Name Is Gabito: The Life Of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the most brilliant writers in Latin America. This book talks about his early years and how he began imagining the characters for his stories. Great story! Excellent illustrations. Inspirational story full of imagination and creativity that will teach the value of perseverance. This inspirational book is about an inspired person full of creativity and talent. Young readers will love this book. This book is suitable for readers 8 years and older because of the text and problems that require more understanding.

Pinkney, Jerry. Little Red Riding Hood.

In this remake of the classic Grimm Brothers folktale, Jerry Pinkney introduces the two main characters slightly different than the originals: a black Little Red Riding Hood and a “sly, scary wolf.” The typical girl going to visit her grandma who lives in the woods. When the wolf finds out where she is headed, he hurries off to Grandma's house and eats her before Little Red Riding Hood gets there. He ends up eating the girl too, and a wood cutter happened to find out and killed the wolf to save Little red Riding Hood and her grandmother. This book is perfect for a read-aloud with the different sounds described in the story, like the wood cutters’ “Chop, Chop!” of the wood, the “Crunch, Crunch!” of the girl’s feet on the snow. The illustrations vividly depict the narrations. This book is suitable for readers 4 years and older because the text is easy to read.

Global Fund for Children. Global Babies.

This great board book shows babies around the world dressing colorful clothes. The clothing reflects the different traditions and costumes around the world. The pictures make the book more visually appealing. It is perfect to share with babies and preschoolers because it has a plethora of pictures. My baby loved the book. Looking at other babies from different backgrounds will grab the interest of children. Pictures taken by Frans Lemmens and Keren Su. This book is perfect to use with infants and kindergarteners because it is amzing how there are so many people in this world and yet, all different.

Finalist for the 2008 National Book Award in Young People's Literature Category

Duey, Kathleen. A Resurrection of Magic-Book One: Skin Hunger

Two stories that take place centuries apart are connected with the single concept of magic. In one story, magic is banned by kings in the place where Sadima, a girl who lost her mother on the day she was born to a fake magician, and who has the ability to communicate with animals lives. After her father dies, she decides to leave her brother and move to the city to find Franklin. When she finds him, she falls in love with him but is desperate because Franklin is a slave that belongs to Somiss, a man who is trying to restore magic. In the other story, magic is only available to people who can afford to pay schooling to train young men. Hahp is the second child of a wealthy family and he is forced to attend a school of magic. He had no choice because every other school he has attended has suspended him for bad behavior. Now he finds out he can do more with his life. He is actually the first one to make food in a magical stone. He knows he is going to succeed in this school where only one will succeed and the rest may end up dead. The two stories are connecting more and more as the stories progress. Great story that engages the reader into each of the chapters. As you read each page, you will feel so attracted and interested in the stories that you will not stop reading until you finish the book. It is wonderful how Kathleen Duey connects the two stories with very little information at a time. This book is not suitable for children under 12 years because of the magic, and some scenes that involve some sexual thoughts.

2008-2009 Lone Star, Tayshas, Blubonnet or 2x2 List

DeFelice, Cynthia. One Potato, Two Potato.

Mr. and Mrs. O’Grady have only one coat, one chair, one blanket, and one coat. They have to share everything. They only dig one potato a day from the garden a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After digging the last potato, Mr. O’Grady finds a magical pot that doubles everything you put in it. They start doubling everything until they find out that what they really want, they can’t buy: a friend. When they duplicate themselves, they finally get what they always wanted. The ending only makes this book more exciting. The illustrations of this Chinese folktale make the characters simple and unique. This is book is suitable for readers 4 years of age and older because the text is very simple to read and illustrations are fun.

2008-2009 Bluebonnet Award

McCully, Emily Arnold. Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became An Inventor.

Margaret E. Knight also known as “Lady Edison” for her famous inventions had a very hard time living in a world where men did not see women as smart and hard working human beings. Her family was poor and she had to work to help her widowed mother. She had to go through many problems, like the time a man stole her invention and registered it under his name. She fought for her invention, took thematter to court and won because she had prove of her skills. Her skill and determination led her to a successful life. This book will inspire children, especially young girls, to fight for their dreams. This book is suitable for children 7 years and older because the language might be hard for younger readers.

2008-2009 Bluebonnet Award

McNish, Cliff. Breath: A Ghost Story.

Jack had a hard time accepting the death of his father. When his mother buys an old house to start new, Jack discovers they are not the only inhabitants in the house. There are four other children in the house with them. He also discovers his sixth sense: he can feel, see and talk to ghosts. There is also the ghost of an older woman who lost her daughter to a bad sickness in the past and yearns another child. She tries hard to make Jack love her as a mother. In this thrilling story, Jack needs to control not only his asthma, but also things that got out of hand. With his mother in terrible danger, and the "kids" about to disappear forever, Jack will have to travel to the unknown to find out what to do and maybe find out about his own father. At the end, Jack and his mother are relief to have ended the hell that some souls were going through. Every page engages the reader deeper into the story. Once you start reading, you will not stop until you finish it. This book is intended for readers in Grades 4th and higher because it might be too scary for the younger readers and also because of some violence.

2008-2009 Lone Star List

Halls, Kelly Milner; Spears, Rick; Young, Roxyanne. Tales of the Cryptids. Mysterious Creatures that May or May not Exist.

Have you ever wondered if stories about the Chupacabras, Sasquatch, Loch Ness Monster, giant squid, and other weird unexplainable animals are true? Halls, Spears, and Young research these cryptids and try to answer as many questions as possible. This exciting book contains detailed information and illustrations as well as interviews and a cryptid dictionary that contains how real these creatures might be. Great book to have in libraries because that is what children love to read about. I have this book in my classroom library and it is one of the ones that students fight for. Great illustrations, but not proven real. This book is suitable for readers 10 years and older because of the vocabulary used. It might be too advanced for younger readers.

2008-2009 Lone Star Reading List

Patterson, Nancy Ruth. The Winner's Walk.

“It is more important to do your best than to be the best.” Mrs. Wright told Case, but he wanted to be and feel important, like his talented stage actor mother or horse trainer dad, or even excellent swimmer sister Quinn. He decides that he will be in the newspaper like his family, but he has no idea how his life will change after meeting a special someone: Noah. A someone who has a past that will teach Case a lesson. This book is very inspirational because it is perfect for children who struggle to find their talents and children who love dogs as well. The black and white illustrations make this book fun for the young readers, especially to the ones that love dogs. This book is intended for readers 7 years and older. The vocabulary is a little harder for younger readers.

2008-2009 Bluebonnet Award

2008 Quick Pics for Reluctant Readers List

Adams, Lenora. Baby Girl.

Sheree, or Ree Ree, as her friends and family call her, is going through a hard time. She has a nice-looking mother who is not the best role model to follow, a father who has another family, and she has a whole lot of problems. Ree Ree is a confused African American teenager who gets pregnant in her search for love and desire to be loved. Now, with a new baby to care for, Ree Ree discovers several things that help her realize and mature. The book is written as three letters Ree Ree writes. The first one is a letter about her life and family, the second letter is about how her mom raised her and how she made the same mistakes her mom made as a teenager, and the third letter is about the consequences of her own decisions and how she faces her new born son. The author uses common language used in streets to make the story more realistic. I especially enjoyed reading this book because the problems Sheree experiences happen in real life. Through this book, teenagers can realize that their acts will have consequences, just like it happened to Sheree. This book is recommended for readers 14 years of age and older because of the violence, language and of course, pregnancy and sex.

Erskine, Kathryn. Quaking.

Matt has had a hard life. It all started when she was little at home. She was a victim of domestic violence along with her poor mother who ended up dead. Since her mother's death, Matilda "Matt" has moved constant;y from home to home never getting attached to people. She is very smart but when she feels threatened, she will run away. When she is placed in the home of a Quaker family who believe peace is very important. The town attacks anyone who does not support the war and this is exactly what Matt avoids: getting bullied or attacked. After spending time with this new family, Matt discovers that there is more to life than just running away. This family cares about her. Sam is trying hard to spend time with her and getting her to love him as a father. After spending time with this family, little by little, Matt starts to love them without realizing it. It was not until the Rat, a boy from school who is constantly bullying her tries to burn the church Sam is at that Matt realizes how much she loves him and how much she cares about him. Quaking is not a bad thing after all. This is a great story that teaches the reader that no matter how hard life seems, there is always hope. The characters are very strong and this is a plus because it makes the reader experience and feel what Matt feels. This book is not suitable for readers under 14 years of age because of violence and the use of some language not appropriate for younger readers.
QP Top Ten

Greenfield, Lauren. Thin.

In this extraordinary book, Lauren Greenfield shows eating disorders in a totally different way. She includes interviews of people that have experienced any of the most common eating disorders. The book also contains the background and science of eating disorders by famous researchers like Dr. Michael Strober and others. I could relate to this book because I experienced Anorexia Nervosa when I was 17 years old. I was hospitalized more times than I can remember and I could relate to some of the people mentioned in the book. My parents went through hell during that time and I don't think I would do it again, but you don't realize you are sick. Having an eating disorder is very serious and with this book, I hope that girls realize the consequences of obsessing with being"thin." This book is suitable for young adults (14 and older) because of some pictures and experiences that individuals interviewed had.

QP Top Ten

Helfer, Andrew. Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography

The life and death of Malcolm X in an unusual, but creative way: in graphics. Through newspaper-like black and white pictures, the author and illustrator represent the most important events that happened to Malcolm like the time he met with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his conversion to Islam, his time in prison, the time he would hold a rifle to protect his life, his assassination and more. This is a new approach to writing biographies and it is working. Readers, including myself, enjoy reading a biography like this because you can visualize what you are reading. I love this approach. I am sure we will see more biographies like this one. This book is not intended for readers under 14 years of age because of language, drugs, and violence.

Thalia. Thalia: Belleza! Lessons in Lip gloss and Happiness.

With years of experience, this Latin diva shares with readers hew tips on how to care for their faces and necks in detail. She provides beauty tips on how to always look feminine, sexy and seductive. She also provides tips on hair dos that go with each of the types of faces. Excellent beauty tips that can be applied by most women, especially teens who are just learning about make-up. I loved some of the tips and I even started using them as soon as I read them. Great tool to have in your home library. This book is intended for readers (especially girls) 12 years and older who are barely learning the basics of make-up. After all, you don't want a 4th grader to look sexy!!

QP Top Ten

Five Books from the 2008 Best Books for Young Adults List

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Arnold Spirit, or Junior as he is known in the rez, was born with health problems, but that never stopped him from dreaming. He loved his people, his best friend Rowdy, and his family. He had a talent: he loved drawing cartoons, and he was very good at it. After receiving a textbook at school that had once belonged to his mother, he decided to switch schools to Reardan, an all white school. He faced some difficulties at that school, but he also made very good friends. He also made a very beautiful girlfriend. He was very poor and had to walk to school when his dad had no money for gas. Arnold loses his grandmother to a drunk driver, his best friend Rowdy because he decided to move to Reardan, and his dad's best friend. Arnold compares the fatalities of people that live in reservation camps and white people. This proves that it is harder for Indians to live and fulfill their dreams. Arnold never gives up no matter how hard it sometimes looks. This story shows a little of what Indians went through after the reservations, what they felt and how they see the world around them. It also shows never to give up, always fight for your dreams. I loved the way Junior narrated his thoughts and feelings. We can feel what he is feeling. The author wrote this book around his own experiences. Wonderful, hilarious and heart-breaking. This book is not appropriate for children under 12 years of age because of some sexual vocabulary and violence.

BBYA Top Ten

Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.

Ishmael Beah narrates the story of his life. He talks about his family and friends, his favorite music and hobbies as a child, then he describes how rebels attacked his village while he was out on a neighboring village with his brother Junior and some other friends to perform in a talent show. After returning to an empty village full of blood and corpses, the boys embarked on a journey from village to village in search of their loved ones until they are separated in another attack. Ishmael continues alone until he meets other boys in the way. The boys get to become friends but are constantly attacked every time they reach a village because people feared they were part of the rebel group. When they were about to meet with their loved ones, rebels once more attack the village where their parents were leaving not a single soul alive. The boys join, or rather, are forced to join the army and kill as many rebels as possible. They imagine how their loved ones were killed and want revenge. They live killing people every day for food, ammunition and places to live. They do drugs and kill, that is all they do. Ishmael was one of those boys who killed and killed until some boys, including him were told they had to go and were sent to a rehab center, but Ishmael had not seen the end of the war yet. When the facility in charge of his rehab found a relative: his uncle, Ishmael finally moved to a home with family. He tried to live a happy life but the war broke once more in the city. With all the shootings and curfews, his uncle dies and Ishmael decides to live in America with a woman he met in a conference. After a hard and dangerous trip, he reaches his destination where happiness awaits him. I think that what makes this book so amazing is that it was told by the person that experienced the story. I followed Ishmael through every event that took place in his short life. I read how the war was like through the eyes of a young boy. Excellent story, I just wish it was not real. This book is suitable for children 14 years and older because of all the violence and problems the main character goes through.

BBYA Top Ten

Noyes, Deborah. The Restless Dead: Ten Original Stories of the Supernatural.

Deborah Noyes edits ten original short stories of the supernatural written by famous writers. Each story has its uniqueness and history behind it. Each author is briefly introduced at the end of the book which gives the reader more information about why each story was created, and what the authors think about them. Readers will be thrilled reading stories about how the dead refuse to cross over and want to stay amongst the living. Every story was different but scary. One was about three dead daughters who everyone they touch dies right away. Another story is about a family who loses a son, but refuses to let him go. It was up to the little sister to end this poor boy's misery of being dead but alive. Another story is about a young writer who buries his poems with his girlfriend and decides to dig up the corpse to get his poems back but he got stuck with the spirit of a different girl. After reading this book, the dark will never be the same. I loved the details and introductions of each story and I loved every single one. Great Book!!! This book is not recommended for those faint or weak hearted and it is not recommended for readers under 14 years of age because of the scary content.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

In the seventh and last book of her amazing series, Rowling writes about how Harry Potter, with the help of his two best friends, must find a way to finally defeat Lord Voldemort forever. Harry finally finds the place here his parents lived when they were alive. He finds their tombstones in the cemetery and also finds Voldemort. After several fights, Harry finally defeats the dark lord, but he must first die himself. Many secrets are revealed and missing parts of the puzzle in Harry’s life are finally found and put together. A few extra surprises are added at the end of the story, like Harry's wife and kids are introduced. Mr. and Mrs. Ron Weasley are also introduced and how their children along with Harry's are getting ready to take the Hogwarts Express. Great book! This was undoubtedly my favorite book in the series. This book is not appropriate for children under nine years of age because of the violence and plot. The best book of the series.

Tan, Shaun. The Arrival.

A novel narrated through the use of sepia-toned graphics. It gives the impression at first that the story takes place in the past, but then in the future, but as Brian Selznick, author of The Inventions of Hugo Cabret puts it, when a person moves into a different country not known the spoken language, everything looks black and white. They cannot understand the street signs and what people say. You feel lost, like the man from the story. Feelings of joy, sadness, wonder, and excitement can all be understood just by looking at the pictures, and every time you go over the book, you find a new detail you had not seen before. This book is intended for readers 12 years and older because it might be confusing to the younger ones.

BBYA Top Ten

2008 Batchelder Honor Book

Richter, Jutta. The Cat: Or, How I Lost Eternity. Translated by Brailovski, Anna.

This fable is about a girl named Christine who is always late for school and the reason is that she stops to talk to a white cat on her way to school. They talk about loneliness, math, and eternity. At first, Christine is excited about the white feline, but later changes her mind. When she is sent to the Principal's office to tell him why she is late she decides to tell him the truth, but he did not believe her and made her write 200 lines that said "There are no talking cats and in the future, I will come to class on time." The cat warns her not to do the lines or she will end up believing that there are no such things as talking cats. It is an interesting ten chapter book that is suitable for children 9 years of age and older because of the vocabulary. Younger children might not know some of them. It is good to read stories from other countries. The black and white illustrations were very detailed.

Winner of the 2008 Coretta Scott King Awards

Bryan, Ashley. Let It Shine: three favorite spirituals.

Through three favorite spirituals: "This Little Light of Mine," "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In," and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," Ashley Bryan help the reader explore the wonder of amazing kaleidoscope colors and cut paper illustrations. Children will love looking at the breath-taking illustrations that depict the words of the songs. Perfect book to use it with young readers ages 4 years and older, especially if used with the song playing in the background.

Winner of the 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Award for Illustration

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton.

Elijah Buxton is the first child to be born free in Buxton, Canada. He never imagined how slavery was like. He had heard rumors. After the preacher steals the money Mr. Leroy had been saving to buy his family out of slavery, Elijah embarks on an incredible journey to America that helps Elijah not only figure out what his parents and the rest of the townspeople went through, but also that teaches him about responsibility and appreciate his free life in Canada. He has to see how Mr. Leroy dies of a heart attack, run away and return to try and find the preacher, but he ends up finding a family of slaves with a baby girl who seems to love him. The baby's mother asks him, not directly to take the baby and he does. He takes the bay to Buxton to give it to his teacher who had lost a baby and will not be able to have another child. This is a book suitable for the upper grades (3rd-5th) because it is a long chapter book with problems and descriptions that are not suitable for younger students.
Winner of the 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Award for Text

Winners of the 2008 Pura Belpré Awards

Engle, Margarita. The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography in poems of Juan Francisco Manzano.

This book exposes the violence and cruelty slaves suffered in the 1770s. It is a biography narrated through poems written by different people that reflect what Juan Francisco Manzano had to go through. He was born a slave and was the pet of a wealthy woman: Beatriz. He managed to learn how to read and write was good at memorizing. Even though, Beatriz paid for Juan, after her death Juan was sent to live with the Marquesa de Prado Ameno who treats and punishes him constantly and cruelly. He still managed to read and write, although this was a threat to the Marquesa. Excellent poems and illustrations portray that no matter how hard life looks like, there is always hope.

2008 Pura Belpré Award Winner for Text

Montes, Marisa. LOS GATOS BLACK ON HALLOWEEN.

The ideal book to read to students on October 31. In this hilarious book, all sorts of monsters such as witches, ghosts, vamps and ghouls are throwing their yearly party at haunted Hall. The brujas come on their broomsticks, los muertos leave their coffins to join the fun. Everything is fine until they receive unexpected trick-or-treaters: kids. Every page has at least two Spanish words translated into English to help ad challenge readers to learn these words. The colors of the illustrations reflect the typical Mexican rustic look.

Winner of the 2008 Pura Belpré Award for Illustration

Winner of the 2008 Schneider Family Award

Stenn Stryer, Andrea. Kami and the Yaks.

Kami is a deaf boy who feels pride when he is able to contribute something to the family. He comes from a Sherpa family. When his family discovers their yaks are missing, Kami sets on a dangerous journey to find them on his own. In a short story, the author describes how a little disabled child manages to find his family's yaks in the middle of a terrible and threatening storm. The watercolors used on the illustrations takes the reader to Nepal. This book is perfect to use with children 5 years and older. The text is easy to read and the bright illustrations will surely hook them on the book.

2008 Schneider Family Award

Winner of the 2008 Geisel Award

Willems, Mo. There is a Bird on Your Head.

In this award winning book, Gerald discovers he has a bird on his head. As he is talking to Aggie, another bird flies to poor Gerald’s head and falls in love with the other bird and so starts a hilarious series of events that lead to a simple “please.” The expressions on the characters’ faces are finely illustrated by Willems which makes this book perfect for younger readers who are barely learning how punctuation can change the meaning of words. I personally loved the illustrations and I know pre-schoolers will love them too.

Winner of Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal

Winner of the 2008 Sibert Award

Sís, Peter. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Peter Sís shows the story of his life through his illustrations. He narrates the history behind his years in Prague. He talks about his favorite music and hoe he lived with the wall dividing the city. His family was tormented by the way they lived. Everything was against the law. Music was banned. Some books were also banned and burned. This book is perfect to use in Social Studies with children in Grades 2nd to 7th. It requires a lot of reading and comprehending. By combining his own life to the historical events happening at the time, Sís takes the reader through time: starting as a baby until he became what he his today, a talented author and illustrator. I enjoyed this book because I know I can share it with my students. The illustrations will definitely grab their attention and they will learn history at the same time.

2008 NYT Bestseller and Sibert Award.

Winner of the 2008 Caldecott Award

Selznick, Brian. The Inventions of Hugo Cabret.

Hugo is left alone in this world with a job fixing all the clocks of the train station, and little notebook with a drawing left by his dad of a mechanical man that could write a message once it was fixed. His dad worked in a museum and after work, he would work on a little machine he found. He drew it on a notebook and would show Hugo his progress. One night, there was a terrible fire in the museum and Hugo's father was killed in it. Hugo went back to the museum and found the machine and took it with him. He was going to fix it. He was sent to live with his uncle who would spend most of his pay check fixing clocks in a train station drinking. One night, he just disappeared. A series of exciting events that lead to more events make this story so interesting that once you start it, you will not want to stop until you have finished it all. Hugo would steal parts for his machine from a toy store in the station until he gets caught. The old man that owns the store make him work for him and discovers the talent Hugo has. It turns out that Hugo does fix the machine and finds out that the man who built it was no other than the owner of the toy store. The combination of original drawings, pictures and text, make it seem like a movie from the old days. I enjoyed looking at the illustrations and reading every page of this book. It connects the main character and the reader. This book is suitable for children 8 years and older because of some content.

2008 Caldecott Winner

Winner of the 2008 Michael L. Printz Award and Honor Books

McCaughrean, Geraldine. The White Darkness.

Sym is not a normal fourteen year old girl. She is obsessed with the Antarctica and her imaginary friend is Lawrence Edward Oates, from the Scott Expedition to the South Pole. She wishes more than anything to go to the Antarctica, and her wishes come true when her Uncle Victor invites her, but not everything happens the way she wanted and hoped it would. Everything goes wrong and she finds out secrets that will change her life forever. One is that her father was killed. Her mother did not lose her passport which kept her fromk coming to this trip, her Uncle was the one that stole it. He also took all the money Sym's family had and all to plan for this trip. This trip that could end up with her life. It turns out Uncle Victor was the bad guy and ends up dead. Oates stays with Sym until the end. The end which shows how Sym was rescued after being so close to death. The story was very exciting and you could never know what was going to happen next. It was unpredictable. It had too many details that I felt made the story longer than it had to be. This book is suitable for young adults because of the vocabulary and contents of the story.

2008 Michael L. Printz Award Winner

Clarke, Judith. One Whole and Perfect Day.

Lily worries about her family. They are "freakish" according to her. Her mother works in an adult day-care center and often brings visitors from there to the house. There is a party being planned to celebrate Lily's grandfather, Pop's, 80th birthday and Lily is hoping that it will be "one whole and perfect day," but Pop's fights with Lonnie, Lily's brother, and several other events that give a twist tot he story makes this story unpredictable and interesting. It was a very down-to-earth story that takes the reader to a journey of a combination of feelings and emotions. It show the meaning of caring, friendship, and a little bit of romance. I enjoyed the third person narration because it shifts among the characters and let us know what the other characters are feeling and thinking. Suitable for readers 12 years and older because of the plot and vocabulary.

2008 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Jenkins, A.M. Repossessed.

Kiriel was a Fallen Angel that was tired of his job: tormenting souls in Hell. He decides to take a much-needed vacation to Earth. He steals the body of a teenage boy, Shaun, he had been watching for some time. Shaun is the typical teenager that come from divorced parents, has a messy room, wears the same clothes over and over again, and has an annoying younger brother. Kiriel wants to act like Shaun, but he also wants to make a difference so he can be remembered here like humans are when they leave Earth. He also wants to help some people by preventing them from ending up in hell. Kiriel does not want to leave Earth until he experiences some feelings and emotions that he would never experience in hell. Without knowing it, he does make a difference in the lives of people around Shaun. For example, his mother appreciates how he leaves the bowls they use in the morning in the dishwasher, all of a sudden he treats his brother with respect and love. This novel was different than what I expected because when you hear the word "Repossessed" and read the synopsis of the book, you think Kiriel will be a bad guy, but he is really nice and caring. The ending was too short, though. I wanted more. An angel picks him up but he is not going back home. He will end up somewhere else. Suitable for readers 12 years and older because of vocabulary and some explicit scenes involving sexual acts.

2008 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Welcome!

Hi everyone and welcome to Reading Rocks!!! I hope you like the short annotations of the books and find these books exciting like I do. You are welcome to read the summaries and even more welcome to read the books. This is my first blog and I did it because I need to practice.

Winners of the 2008 Newbery Medal and Honor Books

Schlitz, Laura Amy. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village

Poems about different people that live in a Medieval village in 1255 and experience different things such as hunting, deformities, parent’s death, worshipping of saints, and many more. The book was written by a school librarian for students to have plenty of opportunities to be lead stars instead of having small parts in plays. Great historical facts and amusing water color and ink illustrations.

2008 Newbery Medal Winner

Woodson, Jacqueline. Feathers.

Frennie is an African American girl that lives in the early 1970s. She faces many problems that normal children coming from the same background faces: segregation, bullies, mother's miscarriages, her brother's deafness, among others. There is a new boy in school that everyone calls Jesus Boy. Even Samantha, Frennie's best friend and daughter of a preacher thinks he might be Jesus Christ. This book focuses in Hope, like the poem Frennie is reading in class says: Hope is the thing with feathers, so Hope is the only thing left. What I liked most about this book was how the characters lived each day at a time. There is no hero at the end who will come and save the day. The characters just have to find ways to solve their own problems, the way it is in the real world. This book is suitable for children 9 years and older because of some content and vocabulary.

2008 Newbery Honor Book

Schmidt, Gary D. The Wednesday Wars.

Holling Hoodhood is just starting the seventh grade with a teacher, who according to him, hates his guts. His father is a busy architect who expects him to take over the family business one day. This year, however, Holling is experiencing things he never dreamed of like learning and performing Shakespeare, bullies at school, an accident that sends him to the hospital, the Vietnam War, assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., just to name a few. It turns out that the teacher he hates, has her husband fighting in the war. She is afraid of watching the news afraid that they might mention his name. He gets missing in action and that makes her hard to reach. She makes Holling really learn his lessons but later becomes friendlier and nicer. Holling will learn the value of friendship, family and something more. Schmidt sure knows how to engage readers into his stories.

2008 Newbery Honor Book