Out Of The Dust

The bookworm says..........Yes! Out Of The Dust by Karen Hesse was indeed a great book. I wouldn't even think of reading this but I had an MCAS selection that was two poems from the book. Billie Jo wants nothing more in life than to get out of the dust. She lives in the dust bowl with her dad Bay, and her momma. Billie Jo has one special connection to her mama. They both play the piano. Real good. But one day there is an accident. Bay accidentally leaves a pail of kerosene near the stove. Ma mistakes it for coffee. That's where it all goes wrong. Ma gets burnt real bad. Billie Jo goes to throw the burning kerosene outside after her mama runs out, not knowing she is coming back in. The fire burns mama and the baby and they both die. Billie Jo tries to put the fire out and burns her hands. Now she cant even play the piano. Billie Jo struggles and just cant get out of the dust. When she does, she runs back for her father because she is so lonely. This book was great. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes poetry seeing as the whole book is poems.

The Other Side Of The Island

The Bookworm says..........YES! The Other Side Of The Island by Allegra Goodman was an amazing book. Honor's parents break all the rules. They go out late. Honor was born in year H and they gave her a name that had a silent H. They agreed with the Forecaster. They sing, dance, and play music. All these things go against Earth Mothers attempts to keep them "safe". Honors parents even have a second child! Honor and her parents live on island number 375 in the Tranquil Sea, after being reassigned from the north because it wasn't safely "enclosed". The process of enclosure is going on in all of the islands. Enclosure is putting up a bubble around the island and projecting "safe" weather. When Honors parents disappear she does her best to keep her and her brother Quintilian out of the orphanage. Will she succeed? This book was sensational and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind a slight chill.

Witch Child

The Bookworm says..........Maybe. Witch Child by Celia Rees was an O.K book. A young lady named Mary sets off on a journey to the New World when her grandmother, an alleged witch, dies. There she has all sorts of struggles and triumphs. During her stay, she herself is accused of witchcraft. The reasons I didn't like this book are that, it was quite slow in the beginning, and the language was very old world. You would like this book, however, if you are a fan of the Salem Witch Trials.

Among the Hidden

The Bookworm says......YES! Among the Hidden, a Shadow Children novel, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, was a truly stunning book. 11 year-old Luke Garner has no friends, and has never been off his family's small farm. This is because he is among the hidden. This means he is a shadow child. A forbidden third. In Luke's time and government, third children were not allowed. Banished. Illegal. The government even has population police that hunt down and kill third children. The population law was created when there was a shortage of food, because the farmers didn't have a good harvest. The government is micro-managing the countries. They control where you live, what you eat, what you plant, and even how many children you have. Luke is allowed outside sometimes, as long as he runs inside to his hiding place when his mother calls for him. But then a group of wealthy people, called barrens, build lots of house where there used to be a large forest. Now Luke cant even go near the windows. One day when he is sitting in his attic bedroom, he thinks he sees a flash of light. He carefully observes the house for weeks and decides there is another shadow child living there. He sneaks over to the house and meets Jen, an outgoing, barren, shadow child. She is planning a rally, where all the shadow children will march to the presidents house and demand freedom. Will it work? I surely hope so! I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind a little morbidness, sadness, and loves a good thriller!

The Clique

The Bookworm says....................YES! The Clique by Lisi Harrison was a great book! A rich, popular, and all-around spoiled girl, Massie Block, has to have her father's best friends family stay in HER GUEST HOUSE! She cant believe her bad luck when they have a daughter Claire that will be in the same grade as her! It gets worse when she has to cancel her Labor day shopping trip with Dylan, Alicia, and Kristen, the other girls in the Clique, just to meet their family. You will hear the tale of Claire, her struggle to fit in, and how The Clique tries to take her down. I would surely recommend this book to any girl that likes to talk, or be the center of attention.

Gone

The Bookworm says........YES! I just recently finished reading the book Gone by Michael Grant. This book was utterly, truly, positively, amazing! In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Poof. Whatever you want to say. Everyone ages fifteen and over in Perdido Beach,CA(a.k.a fallout alley) are gone. Fourteen year-old Sam Temple, is in the middle of the boringest civil war history lecture in the world, when his teacher disappears. Sam, his best friend Quinn, and Astrid the genius, set out for town. There they find fires, car wrecks, and again, NO ADULTS! Also, Astrid's four-year old, autistic brother, Little Petey, is nowhere to be found. They venture up to the nuclear power plant and find Little Petey, safe and sound. As the days pass, the local bully, Orc, starts to take over. The kids are dealing with food shortages, fighting amongst themselves,and some of the kids are developing odd powers, such as, shooting fire or light from your hands, teleporting, super-strength, and incredible speed. Nothing is going right when the kids from the elite boarding school up the hill, Coates, come down. Then, when they try to find the adults, they come to a barrier, that burns on touch. They are trapped in a big bubble! They name this bubble the FAYZ for fallout alley youth zone. When the head bully at Coates, named Caine, starts harassing the kids, Sam and his friends take to the forest. There they find Lana, who was driving with her grandfather when he poofed. They battle talking coyotes, flying snakes, and The Darkness. Just whe you think the mayhem is over, it isn't. It turned out that when you hit sweet old fifteen, you poof. You will hear of the kids struggle to find food, sort out frustration, and survive the big poof. This book was an action packed thriller, and is good for anyone who likes an adventure.