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.
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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.
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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.
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