Thursday, January 24, 2008

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Age Level: Teen

Format: Book

 

Caleb has spent the last year in juvenile detention.  Maggie has spent the last year in hospitals and physical therapy.  The lives of these two teens were changed forever one night.  Now, they both have to face their greatest challenged – seeing each other again.  Is it possible to forgive?  And even more important, will it be possible to trust again?

 

I could not put this book down.  It’s very down to earth and the author does a very good job of creating the raw emotion, dialogue and culture of high school.  The topics of trust, friendship, and high school are handled in a very delicate way.

 

The chapters alternate between the voices of Caleb and Maggie, so the reader gets a glimpse into both of their lives and is able to realize that they both are in pain.  How they each deal with the pain is handled very differently.

 

It’s a very good book.  It makes you think...What would you do if the person who damaged you for life, a person who was sent away, was suddenly back?

 

Reviewed by Sara.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Something Rotten by Alan Gratz

Age Level: Teen

Format: Book

 

The place is Denmark, Tennessee, and the smell hits Horatio Wilkes the minute he pulls into town to visit his best friend, Hamilton Prince.  The Prince family owns the local paper plant that’s polluting the Copenhagen River, but the paper plant isn’t the only thing stinking up the place.  Hamilton’s father has been murdered, by poisoning, and the killer is still at large.  No one, except for Hamilton and Horatio, believes that Rex Prince has been murdered, so it’s up to the two of them to figure out who’s behind it.  But that won’t be easy.  There are too many suspects, among them are Olivia, Hamilton’s ex-girlfriend, Trudy, Hamilton’s mom who just married Claude, Hamilton’s uncle, and those are just the suspects that are near at hand.  

 

The premise sounds familiar, right?  We all know the story of Hamlet, but, trust me when I say that in the hands of Alan Gratz, this is a mystery that will keep you guessing.  There are twists and turns in this plot, along with one-liners that keep the tale crackling on.  In Something Rotten, you truly meet the character of Horatio and understand why, over everyone else in his life, Hamilton (or Hamlet) choose this guy to be his best friend, and the only person he truly trusted.

 

Very entertaining adaptation – and no, it doesn’t end how you think it will.

 

Reviewed by Sara