Entries Tagged 'Social Issues' ↓
June 11th, 2010 — 4.5-5 Treasure Chests, Action & Adventure, Book Review, G-I, S-T, School Situations, Science Fiction, Social Issues, Steampunk, YA Genre
by First Mate Keira
Title: Knightley Academy
Author: Violet Haberdasher (aka Robyn Schneider)
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 469
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: The Midsummer School for Boys is cursed. Not a single student has been accepted to Knightley Academy in years… and this year is no different as a servant boy is the one called to knighthood.
Knightley Academy explores social and national prejudices. The world has overtones of racism, classism, religious intolerance, and more. The world is stable for now but is on the cusp of change and I have a feeling Henry and his friends will be that change.
Why I started this book:
I came by this book in a completely random fashion. I saw this huge fat spine on the new YA releases bookshelves at the library while searching for something for my sisters. Picked it up, read the cover, said to self – sounds like Harry Potter without magic! Checked out. Consumed.
Likes:
- The quartet: Henry Grim (first commoner ever allowed training to become a knight), Frankie Winter (a finishing school dropout), Roham Mehta (an Indian boy adopted into a wealthy ducal family), and Adam Beckerman (a Jewish boy skilled with a foil.)
- Lord Havelock, the military professor and head teacher for the first years. He reminds me of Snape, but far more fair and willing to own his errors. I particularly enjoy his Havelook of Doom +2.*
- The Victorian England Steampunk world filled with the odd combination of progress and backwardness.
- Valmont: he’s a bully but he’s not a complete ninnyhead.
- Knight classes! Military History is just the beginning --- one of my favorite classes next to Fencing and Languages.
- The Inter-School Competition and Henry’s discovery of a super secret hidden room that spells out T-R-O-U-B-L-E and gives the trilogy its long plot arc.
(* Doom +2 is a card in the Munchkin
card game.)
Last Minute Thoughts: If you’ve read Harry Potter and liked it, you will like this novel. The books have parallels but they are not the same story. Haberdasher will surprise you with her twists and turns. This is a perfect story for boys, but girls will like it just as much!
Buy: Knightley Academy
Rating: 5 Treasure Chests
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June 9th, 2010 — 2.5-3 Treasure Chests, Book Review, Coming of Age, Friends, Romance, S-T, School Situations, Social Issues, YA Genre
by First Mate Keira
Title: The Unwritten Rule
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 210
Grade Reading Level: 9th Grade +
Summary: All girls grow up knowing the unwritten rule. That you don’t date your friend’s exes is pretty much a given… but what about wanting to be with the guy while your friend is still dating him?
Why I started this book:
Saw some hype of it in the YA blogosphere a few months or so ago, sadly I can’t remember which blog anymore as I got the book from the library only very recently.
Likes:
- The protagonist’s parents had evidence of a real life. The mother was involved in cooking and culinary contests. The father was a professor. They also were good parents and were still together and happy to be that way.
- Ryan had wanted to break off his relationship to the friend from practically the beginning. In fact he was unwittingly roped into the relationship and was too shy and good mannered to break it off.
- Sarah’s voice was sweet and heartbreaking as she worried about her friendship, her parents, and her friend’s boyfriend.
Dislikes:
- Brianna hates her mom but is exactly like her mom. She belittles Sarah under the guise of kindness. She cheats on Ryan and yet insists she loves him and wants to stay with him.
- The fact that Brianna cheated does in no way excuse or really justify Sarah’s and Ryan’s behavior. Cheating is never the answer. However while I don’t condone such behavior in real life I was very much rooting for the two.
Final Thoughts: Greg and Brianna deserve each other and Elizabeth Scott does a great job exploring one of life’s social dating rules.
Buy: The Unwritten Rule
Rating: 3 Treasure Chests
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February 10th, 2010 — 2.5-3 Treasure Chests, Autobiography or Biography, Guest Review, Nonfiction, Social Issues, Sociology, U-W, World History
by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer
Title: Night
Author: Elie Wiesel
Format: Hardcover
# of pages: 108 pages
Grade Reading Level: 8.7
Summary: Elie Wiesel is a young 14 year old Jewish Orthodox boy. He's 15 at the end. He lived during the time that Adolf Hitler rose to power. He was one of very few to survive the Holocaust. Night is his journey of how he and his father survive the different concentration camps, one of which was Auschwitz. During the journey they are evacuated from Buna and sent to Auschwitz’s concentration camp. Once they walk through the gate of Auschwitz it’s only the beginning of their rigorous journey to survive the horrors they are going to encounter and endure.
Why I Started This Book:
We read this book in language arts as part of our Holocaust unit. We read Night because he was the same age as many of us in class and this is the story of how he survived some truly awful terrible things.
Likes:
- Elie Wiesel is a truly extraordinary human being. I'm glad he survived and I can only wish there had been more survivors.
- I am grateful many of the descriptions were brief and that some things were condensed to a few sentences. It made it easier for me to read it.
- I liked this book because it tells a tale of inner strength. If someone, especially a kid, survive all that, it really makes you think. It's sort of empowering because of that. It's a good lesson to teach kids. You can survive even the worst of troubles, fears, and experiences.
Dislikes:
- This really isn't against the book so much as it's against human history. I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that anyone could think doing this to people is okay. Ethnic cleansing is not okay and it made me really uncomfortable to read about it from someone's personal experience. It's impossible to understand such evil.
- On the trip to Auschwitz a woman has visions and starts to scream out “Fire! Can’t you see it? Fire!” Many people run to the edge of the cattle cart to see if there was a fire and there wasn’t one, but still she persisted in screaming “Fire!” until some men beat her up. How awful. Then they tie her up and gag her to silence her. Then when they arrive at the gate of Auschwitz they realized why the woman was screaming “Fire!” because when they looked up they saw a huge crematory and they looked at the chimney, coming out of it was huge flames. This is even worse. I can barely stand imagining such a scene let alone living through it in real life.
- I also disliked the fact that his father didn’t survive when they got to the other camp. I wish Elie was able to say goodbye to his father before he was taken in the night. I wish I could rewrite the ending if not the whole story. The whole thing is so sad.
Last Minute Thoughts: Reading this book is like squeezing your heart until you feel all bruised and hallowed out. It isn't pleasure reading and despite the rating I probably wouldn't read it again, but it's definitely a book you should made a point of reading.
Buy: Night
Rating: I give this book 3 out of 5 treasure chests.
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February 8th, 2010 — 3.5-4 Treasure Chests, Advance Reader Copy Review, G-I, Guest Review, School Situations, Social Issues, Sociology, World History
by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer
Title: I Learned a New Word Today… Genocide
Author: Elizabeth Hankins
Format: Paperback
# of Pages: 150 pages
Grade Reading Level: 5th – 8th grade
Summary: Javier Mendoza is a 5th grade student at Franklin D. Roosevelt Elementary. As part of an assignment for social studies he must keep a journal and tell what he learns about the new unit being taught by Mr. Steinberg, his social studies teacher. The unit is about genocide and specifically six genocides that happened in the last 100 years. It’s a fictional story filled with factual information.
Why I Read This Book:
This book was given to LYAF as an ARC. My sixth grade sister was going to read it but she found the subject too sad to really get into it for pleasure reading. I picked it up after that and read it over a couple of days.
Likes:
- Elizabeth Hankins keeps everything age appropriate. There are no gory details. When things are tough she keeps it light by having Javier boil the topic down to its basic components: genocide is sad, evil, terrible, and devastating.
- A lot of factual information is condensed into this 150 page book and through Javier’s definitions, reiterations, lists, and commentary one learns a lot. It will be easy for kids from 5th grade to 8th grade to understand.
- Two of the things gone over in the book are how genocide starts and how it is hidden or glossed over by others.
- It is a thinking book. Young and older readers will think about what genocide is and figure out how to spot it even when it’s not being labeled as genocide.
Dislikes:
I have only one dislike. Javier begins to question God’s presence in a world where genocide exists and He doesn’t stop it. Javier also questions whether or not God is good (page 58-59).
I was hoping at the end of the book Javier would come to a conclusion about both, but it was left unresolved and that really bothered me. I couldn’t tell why it was left that way even after Javier came to the conclusion he wanted to be a doer and not a watcher. What was the purpose?
One of the reasons for genocide listed in the book is religion and how people worshipped God. The book does say religion by itself does not cause genocide and Javier thinks if God is good and fair He would hate people fighting over Him. In my opinion genocide doesn’t happen because of God. It happens because there is a lack of Him, even and especially if people are using God as an excuse to do what they do.
In addition, faith groups are mentioned as great sources for good in the fight against genocide.
Still, I really wish once it had been brought up it had been dealt with more thoroughly. It is my only concern about the book because the message is unclear.
Last Minute Thoughts: Genocide is a sad topic and while the book a little heavy it is not overwhelmingly so for young kids. I think it would be a great companion for a unit study or in a literary group. I also think it would be a good book for adults looking to learn more about the subject without getting too wrapped up in the horrors involved. You can fill in the blanks well enough.
Buy: I Learned a New Word Today ... Genocide
Book Rating: 4 Treasure Chests
Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.
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