Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Wow, this is a great book!

I just finished Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin and I loved it. It's a sweet story about a young girl who dies at 15. She goes to the very surreal Elsewhere and meets people who also have died, some she knew, some who knew her, and others she was meeting for the first time. It is one interpretation of the afterlife, a unique concept that I really enjoyed.

Check out this publisher's site, which has some cool stuff related to the book. And here is a teenreads.com interview with the author.

I recommended it wholeheartedly!

Killer Angels is a great novel

I am right now in the middle of The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. I bought it in Gettysburg, which I visited a few weeks ago for the first time, and on the back cover some famous historian claimed this novel about the battle was some of the best historical fiction he'd ever run across. So I bought it.

Now, I do love historical fiction as a rule but anything about war bores me to tears. Usually. Yet this book is FANTASTIC! I can hardly put it down. I am really learning about the various players - Lee, Longstreet, Meade, Chamberlain - in a way I've never done before, and the style in which the book is written, I am truly enjoying it!

When we left Gettysburg, I knew I wanted to go back soon. So much history, so much to learn. And now this book is making me want to rush down there even sooner.

Definitely a worthwhile read.

Addendum: I couldn't wait to get to the end of The Killer Angels, and now I'm so sad it's over. A welcome conundrum associated with great books.

An Irish girl in the Civil War

My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier by Lynda Durrant is a great book. It was so interesting for me to learn about what an Irish girl faced in the mid-1800s in her native land. And then, after tragedy strikes their family, she and her brother travel to America to find the “gold just lying in the streets.” Of course, it wasn’t that easy to make their way in a new country.

Jennie's adventures as she disguises herself as a boy are funny and sad, all at the same time. She knows she can make more money if employers think she’s male, which was unfair but a reality then. What will her secret mean to her life long-term? I was very surprised to see how she ended up. A definite gem in the genre of historical fiction.

Magic, and more magic

I finished these two books this week and loved both of them, each one for very different reasons.

The Book Without Words: A Fable of Medieval Magic by Avi is a novel about survival and magic and evil and good, and a talking crow. I went looking in the stacks for a different Avi young adult novel, which wasn’t there, but I found this one and am so glad I did. Once I read the first page, I couldn’t put it down.

The other book I mowed through this week was 47 by Walter Mosley. This is the author’s first YA story and it is spectacular. It’s historical fiction that tells the tale of a young slave on a southern plantation in the 1800s, relayed in the first person. From the book:

The story you are about to read concerns certain events that occurred in the early days of my life. It all happened over a hundred and seventy years ago. For many of you it might sound like a tall tale because I am no older today than I was back in the year 1832. But this is no whopper I'm telling; it is a story about my boyhood as a slave and my fated encounter with the amazing Tall John from beyond Africa, who could read dreams, fly between galaxies, and make friends with any animal no matter how wild.

I loved Mosley's story so much, I was sorry when I’d finished so quickly (even though I raced to the end because I couldn’t stop myself – catch 22:).

A peek at the past

These historical fiction books are fun to read, and they give readers a sense of what life was like during a particular era. It's one of my favorite genres.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
In 14th century England, 13-year-old Crispin is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He escapes and flees across the country, looking for answers about his past. If only the priest who was able to read the words etched in Crispin’s mother’s cross hadn’t been murdered before he shared the cross’ secrets.

Pope Joan: a Novel by Donna Cross
Joan is a strong-willed, intelligent girl who lived during a time when women were treated little better than cattle. For her modern attributes, Joan is seen as a “freak of nature – male in intellect and female in body.” When her brother dies, Joan sees an opportunity to take his place in the world as a boy. You won’t believe how far she takes the farce.

Dante’s Daughter by Kimberly Heuston
The child of the 14th century Italian poet tells a tale of a parent driven by an ultimate passion, and how that passion impacts his family relationships. Antonia Alighieri’s story also includes her struggles as a female artist in a society ruled by men.

Pirates! by Celia Rees
When strange circumstances bring together two very different young women in the 1700s, they end up sailing the seas as pirates, in search of love and freedom.

Blue Fingers: A Ninja’s Tale by Cheryl Aylward Whitesel
Koji is sent away to learn from a 16th century master dye-maker, although his inadequacy prevents him from completing his apprenticeship. When he runs away out of shame and is captured by a troop of ninja warriors, he learns about his strengths and gains self-confidence that results in his becoming the able ninja Blue Fingers.

Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen and Robert Harris
During the 14th century, the 11-year-old daughter of the new king of Scotland is kidnapped by her father’s enemies, imprisoned and put on display in a town square. Read to see how Marjorie Bruce survives her ordeal.

More titles to consider:
A Frost in the Night by Edith Baer
Raven of the Waves by Michael Cadnum
Wandering Warrior by Da Chen
Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge
Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman
The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Kin by Peter Dickinson
The Scourge of God by William Dietrich
Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin
Miriam by Beatrice Gormley
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
The Thorne Maze by Karen Harper
The Revenge of the 47 Samurai by Erik Christian Haugaard
The Stowaway by Karen Hesse
Pagan’s Crusade by Catherine Jinks
The Book of Eleanor by Pamela Kaufman
The Royal Diaries: Marie Antoinette by Kathryn Lasky
The Royal Diaries: Elizabeth I by Kathryn Lasky
The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
Daughter of Venice by Donna Jo Napoli
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
Of Nightingales That Weep by Katherine Paterson
Witch Child by Celia Rees
A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers
The Ramsay Scallop by Frances Temple
No Shame, No Fear by Ann Turnbull
Prince Across the Water by Jane Yolen and Robert Harris
Queen’s Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert Harris

Everyone has a story to tell

“There is properly no history; only biography.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here are some interesting biographies about famous people who have shaped history and the future with their thoughts, dreams and, ultimately, their actions. Check these out, or see what biographies you havein your own library.

General
Dalai Lama by Whitney Stewart
Read this fascinating tale about the 14th Dalai Lama, who is considered to be the supreme head of Tibetan Buddhism. He comes from a family of 16 children and was proclaimed the Dalai Lama at the young age of 3. He is the first Dalai Lama ever to travel to the West, and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Lost Boy: A Foster Child’s Search for the Love of a Family by Dave Pelzer
This is the author’s personal story about being abused by his mother from the age of 5. When he was removed from his home as a 12-year-old, he began a journey through the foster care system.

Night by Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel shares a vivid account of his experiences in some of the very worst Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz and Buchenwald, during World War II, and how he survived.

Christopher Columbus by Robin S. Doak
Chief Crazy Horse by Chet Cunningham
Einstein: Visionary Scientist by John Severance
Sigmund Freud: Pioneer of the Mind by Catherine Reef
Galileo: Astronomer and Physicist by Paul Hightown
Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini by Ruth Brandon
Napoleon’s Road to Glory by J. David Markham

Women
Martha Berry, a Woman of Courageous Spirit and Bold Dreams by Joyce Blackburn
Read about the life of this amazing woman who devoted herself to the establishment of schools for underprivileged children in the rural areas of the South.

At Her Majesty’s Request-An African Princess in Victorian England by Walter Dean Myers
Sarah Forbes Bonetta was an orphaned African princess who narrowly escaped death by human sacrifice in a West African village in 1850. A British sea captain saved her life by talking a tribal king into giving Sarah to Queen Victoria of England as a gift. This is her story about life with the queen.

Nellie Bly: Daredevil Reporter by Charles Fredeen
Rachel Carson: Voice for the Earth by Ginger Wadsworth
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Supreme Court Justice by Carmen Bredeson
Lady Bird, a Biography of Mrs. Johnson by Jan Russell

Presidents
Thomas Jefferson: The Revolutionary Aristocrat by Milton Meltzer
The third president of the United States was an intelligent man who made an impact on the future of our country. He also had some ups and downs in his complicated personal life, and struggled with many issues, including his feelings about owning slaves at a time when it was commonplace.

Bill Clinton by Michael Schuman
Dwight D. Eisenhauer: A Man Called Ike by Jean Darby

Writers
Stephen King, America’s Best-Loved Boogeyman by George Beahm
The story of this odd, reclusive writer of horror makes for interesting reading. Learn about his childhood in Maine, and how his drive to become a published author brought him fame and fortune..

Isaac Asimov: Writer of the Future by William J. Boerst
An author as well as a scientist, Isaac Asimov made history around the world with his popular science fiction novels. This book has some good photos of Asimov, and a list of his books you may want to read.

James Baldwin: Voice from Harlem by Ted Gottfried
Agatha Christie: Writer of Mystery by Carol Dommermuth-Costa
Langston Hughes: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance by Christin M. Hill

Sports
Arthur Ashe, Of Tennis and the Human Spirit by Marvin Martin
Remembered as one of the greatest tennis players to ever set foot on a court, Arthur Ashe also made history by taking a stand against apartheid in South Africa, and for his fight against HIV/AIDS. This book has some nice photos that show Ashe during his incredible life.

Larry Bird by Mark Beyer
Ken Griffy Jr., A Biography by Bill Gutman
Tim Hardaway by Dan Hirshberg
See How She Runs: Marion Jones and the Making of a Champion by Ron Rapoport

Adventure
High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest & Unforgiving Places by David Breashears
Rock-climber-turned-mountaineer-turned-filmmaker David Breashears has done things most of us can only dream of. Read about his adventures as he climbs to amazing heights, and about the tragic accident on Mount Everest that changed his life forever.

Musicians
American Thunder: The Garth Brooks Story by Jo Sgammato
Ray Charles, Soul Man by Ruth Turk
Gloria Estefan by Michael Benson
The Dave Matthews Band by Erik Anjon

Read any good books lately?

Hey there. So you're bored and looking for something to fill the time between practice and dinner. Or you're in need of a great novel for a book report, but you're not sure what to choose and you want something you'll enjoy, at least a little. Well, you've come to the right place. On this blog you'll find great reads - books you'll find interesting or funny or scary. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, and hopefully all of them will make you think. Feel free to comment on them if you've read them, or ask questions and start some discussion if you haven't. This blog will hopefully become a resource for you, for whatever reason you're searching for a story.