Al Capone Does My Shirts - Gennifer Choldenko

Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Date Finished: June 29, 2008
Pages: 225
Rating: 4/5

I picked this book up at a sale a few weeks ago with my brother in mind (he just turned 12), and in the wee hours of the morning during the read-a-thon it was the perfect book to indulge in.

Moose is a pretty ordinary kid--he is 12, loves to play baseball, is pestered by a girl Piper, and tries to fit in with the cool crowd at school. Moose, however, lives on Alcatraz--the prison that houses such criminals as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. It is 1935 and his family has just moved from Santa Monica to Alcatraz where his dad is a guard.

Al Capone Does My Shirts is the story of Moose as he tries to fit in at his new school, tries to avoid Piper's schemes to get the other school kids to pay for cons to launder their clothes, and spends his free time searching for a baseball hit over the fence by the prisoners who have their own ball league. Moose's life comes to a halt, however, when he is put in charge of tending to his sister, Natalie, who is a little different from the other kids. In fact, his family moved to Alcatraz so that Natalie could attend a special school--one that her parents are having trouble enrolling her in.

This book was a lot of fun to read--imagining what life would be living on Alcatraz next-door to the prisoners, seeing Moose handle his first few days at his new school, and the interaction between all of the different kids. But it was also a touching story of a young boy's struggle to come to terms with his sister's condition (she is autisitc although that isn't specifically mentioned in the novel until the appendix since autism wasn't identified during the time period of the book). While Moose doesn't always understand his sister and they fight, he is tender with her and loves her and deep down has her best interests in mind--sometimes he seems to be the only one.

I haven't read a whole lot of young adult fiction in the past (well, since I was a young adult anyway) and I'm always surprised at how much I enjoy the stories. They aren't superficial like I might have once thought--the themes are ones of humanity and this story was no different. Plus, as a bonus, it is a fun and delightful read. I love new discoveries!

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Date Finished: January 13, 2008
Pages: 179
Rating: 4/5

The past couple of books I've read, including The Book Thief which I'm currently reading, have all come as recommendations from other bloggers (see my new tag below "BloggerRec"). When I was in fourth grade I read Number the Stars and loved it, so I was particularly interested in reading this book. I finally picked it up last weekend (despite my book ban) and read it on our trip to Oregon--mostly in one day on the plane.

I liked this book a lot, but something is keeping me from loving it--perhaps the ending (no--I won't give anything away). The book was a very quick read, but unlike some recent YA lit that I've read, the ideas were pretty complex and the writing more developed.

The Giver is the story of a young 12-year-old boy, Jonas, who is about to receive his community calling (in other words his occupation). At first the community Jonas lives in seems like a perfect one--one with little pain and great happiness, but at a closer glance it becomes apparent that the society is greatly manipulated so that everything is the same (Sameness). There are strict rules and regulations, and if these are broken, the offender will be "released" from the society.

When Jonas is given his calling, he is selected to become the "Receiver of Memory" - a role that means he will hold not only the community's memories, but the memories of all time. Because Jonas will hold these memories, the community does not need to. For example, instead of the community having memories--whether actual or learned--of things like war, only Jonas will carry these memories--and the pain that goes along with such memories. In addition to bad memories, though, some of the good things have also gone away such as colors, music, sunshine.

During Jonas's training to become the next Receiver of Memories, and as he learns more about how is community is compared to how it once was, he starts asking questions about whether or not Sameness is the best way to live life. Will Jonas be able to make a change in the community? The Giver is a touching story and I would recommend it. Now if I can just get my little brother to pick it up (I haven't had any luck interesting him in any of the YA lit I've read recently...).

Johnny Tremain - Esther Forbes: A Novel

Title: Johnny Tremain
Author: Ester Forbes
Date Finished: December 21, 2007
Pages: 256
Rating: 3.5/5

This is my desperate move to finish the Decades Challenge since I obviously was not going to finish All The King's Men (and probably never will--urg!). It could also qualify for the Book Awards Challenge since it won the Newbery quite some time ago, but I still have a few months to finish that one. Ohh, challenges challenges.

Johnny Tremain is the story of a fourteen year-0ld silversmith apprentice in pre-revolutionary New England. He is bossy and proud, but also very talented; one day, though, he disfigures his hand after another apprentice purposely gives him faulty equipment. He cannot craft silver anymore, but he finds another job as a rider for the Boston Observer. During this time he meets many of the key revolutionary figures in Boston, including Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams; Johnny is key in keeping these figures abreast of the revolutionary situation in Boston--especially as the fighting begins.

I liked this book, but I didn't think it was anything spectacular. I would recommend it--as I tried doing to my 11 year-old brother--but the plot isn't very exciting. I think perhaps its just the style of writing because of the history of what was happening at the time is very exciting. Easy and light--a story of forbidden love, fighting for what one believes in, discovering one's heritage, and growing into the responsibilities of adulthood.

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson: A Review

Title: Bridge to Terabithia
Author: Katherine Paterson
Date Finished: August 26, 2007
Pages: 128
Rating: 3/5

This is the story of Jess, who is determined to be the fastest runner in his 5th grade class. In between his duties both to the farm and his family (due to being the only boy), he practices and practices. This is all fine and well until Leslie, a new student who moved next door to Jess, runs in the race as well...and beats all of the boys for first place.

And unlikely friendship sparks between Jess and Leslie, especially given their very different upbringings and lifestyles, and one day they create a world all their own: Terabithia. Throughout their discovery of what Terabithia contains, they also discover themselves and how each has helped the other grow and challenge fears.

While I really liked the story and relationship of Jess and Leslie, I was disappointed with this book due to the previews I had seen for the movie (which I didn't see). I expected adventure and magical creatures and fantasy, but these things were contained *only* within the imaginations of Jess and Leslie. Yes yes, that is what an imaginary world is, but this did not translate well on the page for me. There is virtually no description of Terabithia, nor what happens there (other than a few isolated events). I'm still going to make my brother (he's 11) read this book though. :)