Wildfire Run by Dee Garretson

This book was recommended by our school librarian, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. An earthquake hits Missouri, while the president and his son are visiting Camp David. Camp David is a private residence for presidents located in Maryland wilderness. The president returns to the White House, but a forest fire overtakes the area around Camp David, endangering everyone left. The secret service attempts to get the president's son, Luke, and two of his friends to safety, but the fire spreads too quickly through the drought-ravaged grass and trees. All of the bodyguards are injured, so Luke and his friends must escape on their own. Camp David's security system against terrorist attacks complicates the situation.

The first part of the book took longer to get to the major conflict than necessary; it took almost one hundred pages before the characters realized a forest fire was close by. How is it possible for a forest fire to get within a mile of the presidential compound before the secret service or park rangers notice? The kids are the first ones to see smoke. However, the action was pretty constant throughout the last two-thirds of the plot. The kids battled injuries, fire, heat, smoke, electric fences, and other obstacles as they found themselves surrounded by danger. Several times, Luke thought he had the solution to get rescued, but something wrong always happened. He finally changed his father's motto from meeting obstacles head on to always having a back-up plan. The first third of the book was interesting, but the action in the last two-thirds of the book was entertaining.

Lexile level from lexile.com 690

Yellow Flag by Robert Lipsyte

I chose this book because of the author, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Kris Hildebrand is a popular stock car driver, but he is forced to take a break due to a concussion. His younger brother, Kyle, takes over for him and does pretty well. The conflict actually revolves around Kyle, because he is forced to make some tough decisions between racing and his school band. He's a gifted trumpet player training for an important performance, but auto racing is forcing him to miss a number of practices. He's feeling pressure from his teacher, classmates, and family about making a commitment to the band or racing. He also has girl issues as he is interested in another member of the band and also a new member of the racing crew.

I'll be honest that many readers may not enjoy this book, because it's mostly about auto racing. I normally would not have chosen a book like this myself, but I enjoyed The Contender which was written by the same author. I enjoy sports, and I liked learning about the backstage workings and strategy of stock car racing. The book includes several car races, and that adds action to the plot. Kyle's family just wants him to do well and be safe, but he has a competitive spirit that pushes him to excel and take risks. His personal conflicts are also unusual and interesting as Kyle must deal with his family's fame and living in the shadow of his popular brother.

Lexile level from lexile.com 710

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte

I first read this book when I was in middle school, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Alfred Brooks lives in Harlem and finds himself in a hopeless setting. Amongst the old, dirty buildings, broken glass, winos, and drugs, Alfred is trying to make the right decisions to give himself a better life. It's hard to do when all of the people around you say you don't have a chance and are trying to pull you back down. Alfred discovers Mr. Donatelli's gym and decides to become a boxer. The first few weeks of training are physically demanding, but Alfred starts to enjoy his early-morning runs followed by workouts at the gym. Mr. Donatelli tells Alfred, "It's the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top is an extra reward." Alfred doesn't realize it at the time, but Mr. Donatelli is telling him that he must become a contender in his own life.

I'll admit that this book may not appeal to everyone. It was a quicker read than I remembered way back when, and the author did a great job of putting the reader into Alfred's shoes. I appreciated the author's ability to describe Alfred's problems and obstacles, but he was also able to describe the internal conflicts that were running through his mind. I enjoy books where characters overcome seemingly impossible odds to become successful. We don't know for sure how Alfred's life turns out, but we know that he's a contender.

Lexile level from lexile.com 760

Chinese Cinderella: The true story of an unwanted daughter By Adeline Yen Mah

I gave this book a rating of four out of five. I'll call the main character Adeline, since the Chinese culture gives different names to its people depending on the situation. Adeline's mother dies two weeks after she was born, so the rest of the family considers her bad luck. Her father remarries, and her stepmother dislikes all of his children; she especially despises Adeline. Adeline is mistreated, ignored, and beaten. She spends most of her life away from the family home in boarding schools or orphanages. She is separated from her favorite aunt, has her only pet and friend killed, and feels like she has no positive qualities. At one point, while filling out a form to get her into school, Adeline's father realizes he has forgotten her name and birthday! Adeline doesn't even know her own birthday, since it was never celebrated or recognized during her entire life. Despite her dreadful family life, Adeline excels no matter which schools she attends. Her friends and teachers view her as a talented, intelligent, remarkable young woman, even though she feels she's worthless. Near the end of the book, Adeline's grandfather tells her to create her own destiny, so she does.

This story is more amazing when I remember that it's based on the life of a real girl. My students told me the book was sad, and it is, but I found myself feeling anger and disgust toward Adeline's parents. She did everything she could to receive their approval and love, but they wore her down to a feeling of hopelessness. Her stepmother was openly mean, and her father was uncaring and unsympathetic. In the end, her favorite aunt writes her the story of The Chinese Cinderella which gives her hope.

Lexile level from lexile.com 960

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

This book is a classic, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Anne ("with an e") is adopted from an orphanage by the Cuthberts; the adoption is a story by itself! Anne's personality is...kind, outspoken, respectful, and very imaginative, to name just a few adjectives. The plot relates her experiences with making new friends, going to school for the first time, attending church for the first time, and discovering the world surrounding Green Gables. Anne is in awe of the beauty found in the country, and she uses her imagination to enjoy it even more. She has a tendency, especially early in the book, to speak her mind, which also gets her in trouble. However, she often says what her mother, Marilla, is thinking but is too polite to speak out loud. Marilla has serious doubts as to whether they should have adopted Anne. Her father, Matthew, loves her from the beginning, and Anne is his little angel. Each chapter is a mini-story in Anne's life, and she grows to be a fine young woman. The plot has its days of joy and happiness and its days of anger and sorrow. Anne is a character you will not soon forget.

I found Anne's character very entertaining. One of the first things she did upon her arrival was tell the know-it-all neighbor that she was rude and mean, which horrified Marilla (although she agreed). The also informed Marilla that the pastor's sermons were boring, and he didn't really put his heart into his prayers. She discovered a lifelong best friend in Diana, and they were inseparable. Diana helped Anne learn to deal with people, and Anne helped Diana learn to use her imagination. She won over the friendship of her classmates despite odd habits. The story itself is a challenge to read, so it is not for timid readers. The vocabulary and sentence structure differ from today's novels. Along with that, Anne has a tendency to ramble on and on and on when she gets excited, so that may challenge the patience of readers. Imagine over a page of Anne talking! However, it's part of Anne's character, and I, like her father Matthew, loved her for it.

Lexile level from lexile.com 970

because of mr. terupt by Rob Buyea

This novel is written in the style of an Andrew Clements book, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. The plot evolves around the fifth grade classroom of a first-year teacher named Mr. Terupt. He doesn't behave the way the kids expect a teacher to act, but they manage to learn and enjoy his class. The various characters fill the roles of students that can be found in most classrooms. Jessica is the new girl; Alexia is a mean bully; Danielle is overweight and gets picked on; Anna is shy; Luke is the smartest kid in class; Peter is the class clown. Each student challenges Mr. Terupt in various ways, but things get serious on the day of the class party. It's literally a matter of life and death. The lives of all the characters change on that fateful day.

The first half of the book established the relationships between the characters. Most students can identify with all of the issues and events that occurred throughout the story; well, most students probably haven't had the bottoms of their shoes covered with Elmer's glue. The plot moves along rather innocently until the day of the class party. Then BAM! The tone gets very serious, and the relationships really start working. A concern for some readers may be that the story is told from seven points of view, but they are divided up by chapters. This situation usually bugs me, but I still enjoyed the conflicts and resolutions.

Lexile level from lexile.com 560

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

I gave this historical fiction book a rating of four out of five. An orphan boy living in Warsaw, Poland during World War II must try to survive the mass killings of Nazi soldiers. The boy does not remember anything about his past, so he adopts whatever names and life histories that are given to him by others. At different times, he's known as "Stop thief", a gypsy named Misha, and the son of a Jewish family. The boy's life is seemingly full of fun and games as he steals food, causes mischief with other street orphans, and taunts the German soldiers. He's excited about the chance to see Himmler, one of Hitler's leading officers, and even runs up to his car during a "parade". However, his feelings change when all of the Jews are herded up and imprisoned in a "ghetto". He sees people starve to death and others hung for stealing food. Some of his own friends die due to the abuse of the Germans. The boy's life is saved a couple of times by a man named Uri, although Uri's true identity isn't revealed until later in the book.

This book is a great resource for anyone interested in reading about The Holocaust. I find the boy's character very entertaining as he lives his life, season to season. Some readers may not enjoy his randomness; he's very impulsive. He's also very naive and has no idea of the war that surrounds him and the consequences of his actions. The world is literal to him which creates some humorous and dangerous situations. He thinks lice falling from his head like snow is hilarious, but he doesn't see a problem teasing the most feared guard in the ghetto. He lives his life, day to day, which is all he can do when he's surrounded by the death and destruction of World War II.

Lexile level from lexile.com 510