Graceling
Kristin Cashore
Katsa is graced, and her grace is that she can kill. Anyone, anytime. Her royal uncle provides her with a place to live, controlling her through guilt and powerful threats, and it serves him to keep Katsa’s fighting skills practiced. But Katsa longs to break free and when she meets Po, she begins to believe that it’s possible for her to make her own decisions and stand up for her self-worth. She decides to leave her uncle’s home to travel with Po to investigate the kidnapping of his grandfather, which leads them through a variety of dangerous adventures, including discovering what her grace really entails and falling in love. Katsa and Po’s romantic relationship is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, but it is their friendship that refuses to be trivialized or set aside.
Graceling and its prequel, Fire, are recommended to high school readers — both regular fantasy readers and not. With the swirling intricacies of romance, fantasy, adventure, and humor working in unbelievable tandem, both stories will draw many, many fans. While following the path of many typical fantasies with magic, creatures, quests and journeys, and faraway strange lands, and the relationships among the characters and the uncertainty of the adventure pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go even after you’ve finished reading the last page.
Dark Dude
Oscar Hijuelos
Rico has a tough time in his New York City life. He’s the “dark dude,” with his Irish grandfather’s light hair and skin that seem to spite his otherwise Cuban heritage. He’s neither accepted nor acknowledged by the other Latinos in the neighborhood nor by the white kids. All he cares about is creating stories about superheroes, but keeps getting sidetracked by taking care of his alcoholic father, trying to meet his mother’s impossible expectations, and avoiding fights and drugs on the streets. After his mentor, Gilberto, is accepted by a college in the Midwest, Rico convinces his friend Jimmy to hitchhike out to Wisconsin, the land of sunshine and rolling fields. Far from home, both Rico and Jimmy are put to work painting the barn and cleaning out the outhouse (that’s right, no indoor toilet on this farm), but they also have the time to think about their lives, make new friends, and practice their talents. Rico’s story brings to light the notion of “home” as more than just a physical location, and it elicits an appreciation for culture and community.
Recommended to high school readers, especially those who feel like outsiders for one reason or another. This author speaks from the heart and many teens won’t be able to resist seeing parts of themselves in the characters he’s created.
Charles and Emma : The Darwins’ Leap of Faith
Deborah Heiligman
Much is known about the work Charles Darwin has done to research natural selection and evolution, most notably through the publication of his The Origin of Species. And although an autobiography was released after his death, less is known about his life at home. When Charles Darwin was first considering marriage, his father advised him not to tell his prospective wife of his scientific beliefs, which often directly challenged the belief in God. Darwin was a scientific adventurer; everywhere he went and everything he did revolved around a quest for more information and led to the gathering of more observations and theories. Most of these theories centered on refuting a key notion that many people accepted as fact in the mid-1800’s: “that God had created all species of birds, bees, and beetles at once and that there were no new ones since the first creation” (p. 11). Darwin did not take his father’s advice on marriage, and in fact shared most everything with his wife, Emma, and she became his constant companion and supporter in both life and his work. Deeply-religious Emma clung to the faith that only those who believed in God could spend Eternity in Heaven, and though she couldn’t be sure that she would meet Charles there, she never gave up on him. This story – first and foremost – presents an account of Charles and Emma’s deep mutual love, commitment, and respect.
Written in a style that is smooth and quick-paced, this story tells of a lifetime of love, faith, and science. Recommended to readers of all ages.
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Katherine Vasilik, Teen Librarian
Franklin Lakes (NJ) Public Library
tel: 201-891-2224 x105
fax: 201-891-5102
email: vasilik@bccls.org or kate_thelibrarian@yahoo.com
blog: http://katethelibrarian.blogspot.com