Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Genre: Preteen fiction

Publication Date: 1983 by Avon Books

Recommended Age Group: 10 and over

Summary: The Newbery Winning story of Leigh Botts through letters and a journal. The book starts with a piece of fan mail to Leigh’s new favorite author, Mr. Henshaw. They read one of his books in class and Leigh decided to write him. As the book progresses so do the letters. We see Leigh grow up and things around him change. He is quite persistent in writing and eventually Mr. Henshaw writes Leigh back. Leigh’s letters become so prolific that Mr. Henshaw suggests that he write a journal instead. Though all this writing Leigh decides that he likes it and wants to be a writer. He enters and contest and doesn’t win but get an Honorable Mention. Leigh is excited by this and devotes more time to his writing. Meanwhile his family life is changed, his parents divorced and his Dad moved out Leigh has to deal with this and all the other uncertainties of a growing boy.

Personal Notes: Beautifully written. Cleary captures the essence of a young boy so well that the reader seems to be engulfed in actual letters. She also makes Leigh quite a round character with many problems that children today can relate to. I was a little disappointed by the ending. The parents had a chance to make up and get back together but Leigh’s mother chose not too. I guess it is more of the realistic that I appreciate through the rest of the novel and yet sometimes it’s nice to have an all-around happy ending.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Publication Date: First published in 1993 this edition published by Dell Laurel-Leaf in 2002

Recommended Age Group: Ages 10 and up

Summary: The Giver is about a society that seems at first glance to be perfect. Everyone get along, there are no poor or needy, and there is no foul language used. People are studied and given jobs that match their strengths. Jonas is an eleven-year-old boy when he is chosen to be the next memory keeper. At first he doesn't understand the job and the meaning but he is soon able to. The Giver is the one who had the job before him. He gives him the memories of the past. These memories and knowledge in general are kept from the population at large in an attempt to make them happier. Jonas experiences pain for the first time and it is horrible but he is also able to see color, like red (no one else can) and he is able to experience the joys of snow. Jonas lives with his family but their relationships are nothing like those in the memories he has been given. When they take in troubled baby Gabriel Jonas is able to feel the love of family relationships. When Gabriel's life is threatened Jonas take him and runs away with him. It is not clear in the end if they reach safety but they have sure left immediate danger.

Personal Notes: A wonderfully written book that really makes you think. It takes place in a city where people are blind to more than color and it bares a striking resemblance to our day. People just move along and go through the motions. We live in a fine society most of the time but there are those moments when people and their problems are overlooked. Jonas really takes the time to help Gabriel. He reaches out where other's wouldn't. We can learn from his example and do the same in our lives and the lives of those we know.

Brittany by Jack Weyland

Brittany by Jack Weyland

Genre: Rape Survival Story

Publication Date: Published by Deseret Book in 1997

Recommended Age Group: Ages 16 and up

Summary: Brittney is about this good LDS girl named Brittney and when the book starts out all she wants is to be married in the temple to someone who loves her. In the beginning we learn that she has recently moved from Grace, Idaho where she had lived for her whole life. She didn’t have a lot of friends in Utah yet but was hopeful. Then the Drama Coach calls her and tells her that the lead role for My Fair Lady was open and hers if she wanted it and of course she did and this changed her life. While in the play she worked closely with Craig who played the male lead. They became really good friends and he contemplated breaking up with his girlfriend for her. Then Derek came into the picture and changed everything. Derek sat next to her in Biology class and flirted with her a lot. She was promoting the play and said he should go. He made a deal that he would go if she would go on a date with him afterward. She told him she would do it. She felt a few misgivings and didn’t really want to go but decided to anyway. They went to a movie first and he kept hitting on her and she tried to get him to stop but he was not interested. After the movie they went back to his house and their double Chad and Holly were upstairs watching another movie and they went downstairs to play a video game. It was during the game that Derek starting hitting on her and eventually date-raped her. The book then goes on to talk about her battle in dealing with the problem and how she felt about herself. They had a trial and investigation but he just got probation and not much else. Brittany struggled with forgiveness and had problems feeling that she was pure because of what happened. She also did not think she was worthy anymore and it talks about her struggle with that. She had a counselor and talked to the bishop too and they helped her get through it all. Brittany ended up going to Ricks (back when it was Ricks) just like she wanted to but it took a little effort to get in because her grades had suffered. Craig got home from his mission and wanted to date her. At first she was uncomfortable because she felt defiled but eventually she did get over that and in the end agreed that that was a good idea too.

Personal Notes: I really appreciated the way they treated this subject. They included all that went up to the rape but they did not include the act itself. The book focused more on what happened to lead up to it and what happened to Brittany because of it and I think that is the most important part. I liked the way it focused on the effects and how she handled it. Brittney did not hide in a closet; she decided to use what happened to her to help other people. This helped because it had a point and wasn’t just about rape. It showed her determination to make the best of what life gave her and we can all learn from them whether or not this terrible act has occurred in our lives. A fantastic book that I think every dating person should read so they know of the dangers they may face and so they can prevent them.

Other reviews available:

Nicole by Jack Weyland

Megan by Jack Weyland

My Name is Sus5an Smith. The Five is Silent. by Louise Plummer

My Name is Sus5an Smith. The Five is Silent. by Louise Plummer

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Publication Date: First published in 1991 this edition published by Dell Publishing in 1993

Recommended Age Group: Ages 15 and up

Summary: My Name is Sus5an Smith. The Five is Silent. is about a girl named Susan who is from Springville Utah. She does not like where she lives and cannot wait to get out. She is a painter who likes to paint new and interesting things, however, her paintings often upset her family who think they are upsetting and weird. To make life and herself a bit more interesting she adds a 5 to her name making her Sus5an. She thinks that this is cool and is making a statement. The book starts out when she is seven with her Uncle Willy swinging her by her wrist and ankle in the backyard. She adores her Uncle and thinks he is the best guy around. That however, really is not true and he ends up abandoning her Aunt Marianne and steals all her plates and silverware. For the next ten years all the family thinks that he is slime while Susan still keeps up her odd fascination. When Susan is in high school she wins a couple of really good awards for her painting and decides that she wants to paint for a living. Her family doesn’t see it her way and they think that she should try to be a teacher. Then Susan paints a family portrait but with her dead grandparents in it as well as they would look if mummified. Everyone is a bit freaked out by it and think that she is weird. It really upsets Susan’s mother and she won’t even talk to her for a couple of days. Susan’s Aunt Libby comes into town because her other Aunt, Marianne the one Willy was married to, is getting married again. While she is there her and Susan decide that it would be a great idea for Susan to stay with her in Boston for the summer. Susan is really excited and can’t wait to leave boring Springville behind. When she gets to Boston she gets a job selling candy at a movie theater and gets her paintings put in an art gallery. While at the open house for the gallery she meets Thomas Roode who is about her age and a fellow painter. They seem to hit it off right away but he is going to Italy for the summer and they promise to write, which they do. However, while in Boston Susan runs into and starts to date her Uncle Willy. Who, in the end she realizes is a really bad guy because he steals all her Aunts stuff and a couple of Susan’s most prized possessions. At the end of the book Susan decides that she is not made out for Utah and decides to live in Boston and end up going to school there and she is still friends with Thomas when he gets back.

Personal Notes: Some of the stuff in the book was a little weird to read, like the part where she starts to date her ex-uncle. However, I am grateful that they never do anything but kiss. It seems to be a great book about a girl finding out who she really is and what she wants to be. It talks a lot about evaluating your life and what your family wants for you verses what you want for yourself. I found it to be a really interesting and fun book to read and would easily recommend it to anyone.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes by Louis Sachar

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Publication Date: Published by Dell Yearling in 2000

Recommended Age Group: Ages 10 and up

Summary: Holes is a book about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who gets arrested for stealing some shoes when he swears he didn’t do it. Stanley is not really liked and often picked on at school. One day he gets into a fight with one of the bullies who throws his notebook in the toilet. Stanley fishes it out and by the time he gets to the front of the school he has missed the bus. On his walk home some shoes come off an overpass and hit him in the head. He thinks that it is destiny and a miracle; you see his father is working on a way to recycle old tennis shoes and Stanley wants to help. He takes the shoes and starts to run home with them when he is stopped by a police officer and then arrested for stealing the shoes. Apparently these shoes were once the shoes of a famous baseball player Clyde Livingston and they were to be sold to raise money for a homeless shelter. Stanley is put on trial for the theft and in convicted. He gets the choice of jail or Camp Green Lake. His parents choose Camp Green Lake. Now when Stanley arrives at this camp he notices that there is no green and no lake. It is full of delinquent boys who are to dig one whole a day five feet deep and five feet in every direction. Stanley soon comes to the conclusion that they are looking for something but he doesn’t know what. He makes friends with a boy named Zero and begins to teach him how to read and write. In exchange for this service Zero digs a bit of Stanley’s hole everyday. One day Zero who’s real name we learn at this point is Hector Zeroni, decides that he does not want to dig any more holes and he goes out into the dessert and is presumed dead within a couple of days. Stanley keeps thinking to himself that he should go after him but keeps putting it off. The camp tries to erase Zero’s existence rather than dealing with the paperwork and quickly replaces him. One day Stanley decides he’s had enough too and tries to steal the water truck to go and find Zero. He ends up putting the water truck in a whole and goes off without it. He eventually does find Zero still alive under a boat and they share some of what Zero calls sploosh, some type of peach mixture. They climb up a hill and Zero almost doesn’t make it but in the end they find some onions and water and are able to stay alive. They go back to the holes and find some treasure that belongs to Stanley’s great grandfather and the family ends up being rich and Stanley’s father invents some substance to get rid of foot odor that reminds everyone of peaches. They eventually end up calling it sploosh. All along the story we also flip back to the story of Kate and Sam who fill in some of the details and give us a bit more information, but the main story is about Stanley.

Personal Notes: Holes had the underlined themes of facing up to the consequences of your actions and how to be a good person no matter what the circumstances. The boys at the camp also tried to make the best of a bad situation. They were survivors at heart and in a bizarre way they gave one another support. Stanley was an amazing example of what it means to be a friend when he went after Zero in the desert. Overall well-written and an amazing book.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: First published in 1950 this edition published by Harper Collins Publishers in 2002

Recommended Age Group: Ages 10 and up

Summary: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia. It takes place when the characters in the first book have aged and moved on with their lives. This books main characters are four children all siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. They stay with Digory Kirke when he is an old man and go exploring around his house one day. Lucy goes into the wardrobe first because she sees the fur coats and wants to go in and feel them. While she is in there she notices that there is no back to the closet and that it goes on into a wood. She meets Mr. Tumnus who is a faun, half beast and half man. They have a nice encounter and they have tea together but then Mr. Tumnus starts to cry and tells Lucy that he promised that he would turn any humans in if he found them. However, he and Lucy decided to keep it secret. Edmund is the next to enter the Wardrobe and he does it during a game of hide and seek. When he goes through however, he meets the White Witch. She is the Queen from the first book. The White Witch bribes Edmund with treats to tell her things. She tells him to bring his brother and sisters back to her castle next time they enter Narnia. Eventually they do all go in together and they learn of Mr. Tumnus being captured and the evil of the White Witch. They meet up with a He-Beaver and follow him to his home where he tells them all about the problems of Narnia and the curse that the queen, the White Witch, has put on the land. He tells them that only Aslan, a great Lion, will be able to break this curse. Meanwhile Edmund sneaks off to go and tell the White Witch that he is back with his siblings. She is upset that he hasn’t brought them with him and treats him quite poorly. Edmund then decides that he has made the wrong choice in choosing to betray his family. He is saved when Aslan comes and learns of his captivity and sends a rescue team. The Witch feels betrayed and demands to be able to slay Edmund for his actions. Aslan agrees to trade his life for Edmunds knowing that an innocent life given for another would save Narnia and break the White Witch’s curse. There is a great battle, which Peter leads, that ensures the White Witch’s removal. The four children reign in Narnia for many years and one day go back by the forest with the lamppost and back through the wardrobe and are once again children.

Personal Notes: I liked this book just as much as I did the first one. A lot of people think that this one is supposed to be first and The Magician’s Nephew is second but this is not the way Lewis intended it. Plus I think they make a lot more sense this way because you find out what Narnia is, how it was made and the origins of everything. I would recommend this book to anyone. It was a fun read. They have recently made it into a movie but I really find that you miss something and have a different experience when watching a movie verses reading the book.

Other reviews available:

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Publication Date: First published 1962 this edition published by Dell in 1997

Recommended Age Group: Ages 12 and up

Summary: A Wrinkle in Time is about three children, Meg and Charles Wallace Murry and Calvin O’Keefe, who go on a mission to save the Murry’s father. The story starts out describing Meg who thinks of herself as pretty average and is really smart but is distracted so she isn’t doing very well in school. Her distraction comes from home. Her father who is a scientist who works for the government has been missing for quite some time and there are rumors that he ran off with another woman. These rumors upset the whole family and Meg finds herself unable to concentrate on what she needs to. Charles Wallace is a five-year-old boy who is anything but normal. He has the ability to read what people are thinking and feeling without asking them. He has some interesting friends that live in the woods. These friends go by the names of Mrs. Who Whatsit and Which. We find out later that they were stars who are able to transform themselves into different things (people, centaurs, etc.) and they are also able to Tesser and time travel. Tesser is a way of travel that instead of going from point to point they make things closer by bending space. In the book they explain it as a wrinkle, if an ant were to walk all the way along a piece of fabric it would take him a long time. However, if that same piece of fabric was wrinkled up the ant would not have as far to go. These three women help the children to go find the Murry’s father on a distant planet and they help fight an evil call IT that has taken over the planet. IT is a big brain that has the ability to get into people’s minds and control them. Charles Wallace lets the brain take him over because he thinks he can defeat it that way and losses control. While he is under IT’s control he takes Meg and Calvin to where their father is and eventually they are able to free him. Once they are free Charles Wallace takes them to IT and he almost gets them all under his control when Mr. Murry tessers and frees them from it, but he is unable to take Charles Wallace along. They go to a planet full of giants who do not have eyes and therefore cannot see. These giants help Meg to recover who had a bad experience with the last tesser where she was frozen nearly solid. After they cure her she is sent back to the planet with IT on it and tries to get Charles Wallace back. She tries many ways of fighting IT but they all seem to fail until she remembers the hint that Mrs. Whatsit gave her before she left. Use the one thing he doesn’t have and remember love. She kept telling Charles Wallace how much she loved him and eventually she broke through IT’s powers and they were able to travel home with the help of the three women. The book ends with a happy family reunion and Mr. and Mrs. Murry seeing each other again after a long separation.

Personal Notes: This was a great book for someone who already like Sci-fi/fantasy type books. I think it would be too involved for someone who didn’t really know anything about this genre because it is a really involved book and if you weren’t already thinking without limits some of the contents would be hard to accept and get by. Other than that I thought it was a really good book. I read it when I was in seventh grade and I really enjoyed it a lot more now. I was able to understand a lot more and to appreciate the writing style. However, I do not think it would be too hard for a seventh grader to understand if they were used to reading these types of books.