The IML office is beginning to look a lot like the Young Adult section of your local library, because publishers have started sending us the best new books for tweens and teens to review! As you can probably guess, we get very excited about books. We love finding stories that relate to the topics we cover and adding them to our recommended reading lists (for example, here's our list of Great Books About Summer Camp). Sometimes, a book is a great way to start thinking and talking about a subject.
In the last month we've read a few new books that we especially like:
"Dark's Tale," by Deborah Grabien (Egmont USA)
Dark is a black cat who has lived her whole life as a beloved (or so she thought) pet; when her owners decide she's causing their baby's allergies, they abandon her in San Francisco's Golden Gate park. Suddenly she's forced to rely on her feline wits and instincts to survive, and learns quickly about the different types of animals and people in the park -- some kind, some not-so-kind. Dark forms friendships with a raccoon and another feral cat, but when dangerous coyotes invade and threaten the delicate balance of their surroundings, Dark's ideas of survival and loyalty are challenged.
If you're an animal lover or a fan of the "Warriors" series, you will really enjoy this book. Dark's narration is heartwarming and honest; in fact, even though this might technically be considered a "fantasy" book because of the talking animal factor, it all feels very real. The writing is beautiful and smart. You will probably come away with a better understanding of your pet and/or the wild things you see in your neighborhood, and of what it must be like to be an animal trying to get by in a world ruled by humans.
IML's Rating: A
"The Pickle King," by Rebecca Promitzer (Chicken House/Scholastic)
Bea is almost-12 and lives in the very rainy, very boring town of Elbow, which is best known for a giant pickle factory owned by Herman, a local celebrity they call the Pickle King. When Herman turns up dead and Bea, along with a ragtag group of friends, discover his ghost in a weird old house, there's a mystery to be solved.
If you like funny stories about regular kids with a few tablespoons of supernatural, horror, and fantasy thrown in, this would be a great read for you. Bea's voice is entertaining and you'll get caught up in the zaniness of her not-so-boring-after-all summer. The only thing in this book that put us off a bit was that we felt there were too many plot twists, and sometimes it felt like the author was trying too hard to be wacky and offbeat.
IML's Rating: B+
"The Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust," by Lola Rein Kaufman with Lois Metzger (Scholastic)
It is German-occupied Poland, 1943. When 8-year-old Lola's mother is killed by the Gestapo, the last shreds of her old life disappear and she must go into hiding. First she lives in secret with a Ukrainian woman, then with another family in a dirt hole underneath a barn. Lola must survive cold, hunger, and fear with only her memories and a single cherished belonging to give her hope for safety and freedom. (We're not giving anything away here when we say that Lola's story is featured on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's website.)
Lola's tale is harrowing and sometimes hard to read, but we're glad she told it. There are countless true stories of how people of all ages survive war, and all of them are pretty amazing. If you've read "The Diary of Anne Frank" or "Zlata's Diary," you know what we mean. These stories may be similar, but it's those similarities that make them all the more wonderful and worth reading. "The Hidden Girl" is a short book but packs a powerful punch, and isn't easily forgotten.
IML's Rating: A
In the last month we've read a few new books that we especially like:
"Dark's Tale," by Deborah Grabien (Egmont USA)Dark is a black cat who has lived her whole life as a beloved (or so she thought) pet; when her owners decide she's causing their baby's allergies, they abandon her in San Francisco's Golden Gate park. Suddenly she's forced to rely on her feline wits and instincts to survive, and learns quickly about the different types of animals and people in the park -- some kind, some not-so-kind. Dark forms friendships with a raccoon and another feral cat, but when dangerous coyotes invade and threaten the delicate balance of their surroundings, Dark's ideas of survival and loyalty are challenged.
If you're an animal lover or a fan of the "Warriors" series, you will really enjoy this book. Dark's narration is heartwarming and honest; in fact, even though this might technically be considered a "fantasy" book because of the talking animal factor, it all feels very real. The writing is beautiful and smart. You will probably come away with a better understanding of your pet and/or the wild things you see in your neighborhood, and of what it must be like to be an animal trying to get by in a world ruled by humans.
IML's Rating: A
"The Pickle King," by Rebecca Promitzer (Chicken House/Scholastic)Bea is almost-12 and lives in the very rainy, very boring town of Elbow, which is best known for a giant pickle factory owned by Herman, a local celebrity they call the Pickle King. When Herman turns up dead and Bea, along with a ragtag group of friends, discover his ghost in a weird old house, there's a mystery to be solved.
If you like funny stories about regular kids with a few tablespoons of supernatural, horror, and fantasy thrown in, this would be a great read for you. Bea's voice is entertaining and you'll get caught up in the zaniness of her not-so-boring-after-all summer. The only thing in this book that put us off a bit was that we felt there were too many plot twists, and sometimes it felt like the author was trying too hard to be wacky and offbeat.
IML's Rating: B+
"The Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust," by Lola Rein Kaufman with Lois Metzger (Scholastic)It is German-occupied Poland, 1943. When 8-year-old Lola's mother is killed by the Gestapo, the last shreds of her old life disappear and she must go into hiding. First she lives in secret with a Ukrainian woman, then with another family in a dirt hole underneath a barn. Lola must survive cold, hunger, and fear with only her memories and a single cherished belonging to give her hope for safety and freedom. (We're not giving anything away here when we say that Lola's story is featured on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's website.)
Lola's tale is harrowing and sometimes hard to read, but we're glad she told it. There are countless true stories of how people of all ages survive war, and all of them are pretty amazing. If you've read "The Diary of Anne Frank" or "Zlata's Diary," you know what we mean. These stories may be similar, but it's those similarities that make them all the more wonderful and worth reading. "The Hidden Girl" is a short book but packs a powerful punch, and isn't easily forgotten.
IML's Rating: A
