M. T. Anderson tells the life story of composer Dmitri Shostakovich, the Russian Revolution, and life under siege during World War II. As the people of Leningrad were starving because of the German siege around the city, Shostakovich described the events through music by writing his Symphony No. 7. It would be later be smuggled to the United States and Europe on microfilm. After I read this award winning book, I listened to a recording of the symphony. I felt I had a bigger appreciation for it after knowing the backstory. Teens who like reading about history, music, or about World War II will enjoy it. There are many photos throughout the book not only of Shostakovich but of Russian/Soviet history that provides a historical perspective.
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These books are two out of the Matt Cruse Trilogy by Kenneth Oppel (as of February, 2023, I have not read the third book, so stay tuned). They take place in a world where airships are the way to travel across the seas and mysterious creatures are in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
In Airborn, Matt Cruse is a cabin boy who has lived most of his life on airships. He plays a vital role in rescuing a dying balloonist who describes seeing beautiful creatures soaring through the air. Sometime later, Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter, Kate, who convinces him that her grandfather's ramblings may indeed be true. Their quest to find these creatures lead them to an island - an island full of other dangers. In Skybreaker, Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries team up with gypsy Nadira to look for the lost airship, Hyperion. It has been 40 years since the airship disappeared along with a scientist and his treasures. They are being pursued by a band of pirates who have also been after the Hyperion's treasure. These fantasy adventures are full of action. Fans of the movie The Princess Bride, and the novels Treasure Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea will enjoy this series. This trilogy by Fredrik Backman includes Beartown, Us Against You, and The Winners. It centers on a small Swedish town deep in the forest and their hockey club. I have reviewed Beartown previously but it is worth a second review.
In Beartown, the entire town is hopeful for big breaks when their hockey team is expected to play and even win the championship. Everything changes for the entire town when an unspeakable crime occurs. In Us Against You, the town is still dealing with the aftermath of what happened and after many of Beartown's hockey stars defect to Hed's team, their rival. A new coach is hired and the hockey team puts all their hope on Amat, Benji, and Vidar. Tensions between the two towns grow and leads to tragedy. In The Winners, it is Hed's hockey club that is facing bankruptcy and possible disbandment sparking even more apprehension between Hed and Beartown. A huge windstorm destroys Hed's hockey rink creating more of rift when Hed's teams are forced to practice at Beartown's hockey rink. However, Hed's hockey club is not the only club in danger. A newspaper editor and her father, an investigative reporter, are looking into Beartown hockey club's shady finances and deals. When a beloved townsperson dies, Maya and Benji return to Beartown for the funeral and rekindle friendships. This is a fittiing conclusion to the trilogy. I enjoy watching hockey, but I wouldn't say I am a huge fan. It didn't matter if you like hockey or not to like this series. For me, it was all of the unique characters throughout the novels. There are so many likeable characters in this series, it's hard to pick just one. Hockey fans and those who enjoy novels with strong characters will enjoy this series. Mick is a running back and he wants to make the varsity team even as a Freshman. His father was a pro-football player who made some wrong choices which ended his career. When Mick's team loses the championship game after he is tackled just inches from the goal line, Mick is determined to get stronger. He starts a rigorous training program, but when he still isn't gaining weight and muscles, he decides to go a different route - steroids. Mick is a good kid. He wants to be the very best running back. His father who is reliving his glory days through his son's success, encouraged Mick even as a little boy to love football. Mick doesn't want to let his father down. Then there's Pierre, his personal trainer at Popeye's (a gym, not the restaurant) who also played a role in influencing Mick. But the bottom line is Mick decided to go on steroids. This is great book full of action during the football games and a realistic portrayal of a good kid making some harmful choices to get ahead. The Michael Vey series by Richard Paul Evans is an exciting adventure/science fiction story. Michael is a high school student in Idaho who also has Tourette's Syndrome. But it is not his Tourette's that makes Michael unique. He has electrical powers. He learns that he is not the only one with these powers. A cheerleader, Taylor, admits to him she too has powers. The two, along with Michael's best friend, Ostin, investigates how they got their powers which gets the attention of the Elgen Corporation. Suddenly, Taylor disappears and Michael's mother is kidnapped. Michael and the "Electroclan" must travel to Pasadena to rescue Michael's mother and not know Taylor is there as well.
This is a great series full of action. Just when you think they are safe, danger creeps up to them. There are eight books in the series. This graphic novel is autobiographical as Gene Luen Yang decides to write about his school's boys varsity basketball season. It also discusses the history of basketball and the team, its successes, its disappointments, its controversies, and more. It also covers Yang's personal life and struggles as he writes/draws this book and gets to know the team and its players. This was a fun book to read. I like how personal Yang got as well as how he captured the excitement of the basketball games. Sports fans and graphic novel fans will enjoy this book. During the summer before Cullen Witter's senior year, everything changes in his little town of Lily, Arkansas. Birdwatcher John Barling comes to town claiming there were sightings of an extinct woodpecker creating quite a stir in town. Then the unthinkable happens: his brother Gabriel disappears. Meanwhile Benton Sage leaves Atlanta on a mission trip to Ethiopia which changes his life as well as his college roommate, Cabot Searcy. This was an amazing read. The stories of Cullen and Benton/Cabot seem so far off but eventually, they do come together in an unexpected twist. I think more young adults will relate to Cullen and how he perceives the woodpecker craze in his little town. I strongly recommend this award winning novel. Last summer, Ginny spent the summer traveling around Europe following directions left by her Aunt Peg in thirteen little blue envelopes. However, in Greece, her backpack is stolen along with the envelopes including the last one. Almost six months later, she is contacted by Oliver who informs her that he has her backpack and all of the letters. She returns to London where she, Oliver, Keith, and Ellis travel once again following the directions to collect parts of Aunt Peg's work of art. While traveling, Ginny must deal with her love for Keith even though he is dating Ellis.
I thought this was a good sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. Once again, Ginny learns more about herself during this adventure. I strongly recommend reading the first book before reading this one. Even though he is starting high school, Wilbur can never live down the humiliation from the first day of middle school when a student found a private letter and read it to the school. His only friends are Alex and his elderly neighbor, Sal. Wilbur plays triangle in the school band. When the band participates in an exchange program with a school in France, Wilbur is paired up with Charlie. Wilbur really likes her, but she sees him only as a friend. This is a wonderful coming-of-age story. Alex and Sal help build Wilbur's confidence and going to Paris also gives Wilbur the opportunity to find himself and grow. Leo Caraway has his post-high school plan all figured out. The president of the Young Republicans will be going to Harvard in the fall. That is until a simple misunderstanding leads to his ousting from the Young Republicans and his scholarship revoked. Then he learns that his father isn't his biological father and that his real father is the lead singer of heavy metal band Purge, King Maggot. Hoping to get his tuition from the rock star, he meets King Maggot, who invites him to join the band on tour over the summer so he can get to know his son. Will these to polar opposites find common ground? This was a book I have had on my "to read" list for some time, and I am glad that I finally read it. This was a funny adventure where both Leo and King Maggot learn more about themselves. Leo discovers his "wild" side. There are a variety of characters among them that really help the story move along and add to the humor. |
AuthorMr. Andrusyk is a school librarian at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst, Illinois. Past Book RecommendationsClick here to view a listing of Mr. Andrusyk's list of favorite authors, series, fiction, and nonfiction. Archives
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