Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman

This is a fictionalized account of the 1980 day when a series of damaging tornados struck one area of Nebraska, Grand Island. It is told from an eleven year old boy’s perspective and the voice and writing mirror that. It started as a normal day and turned into a night of awful storms, death, and destruction. This tale is simple and does share the violence and fear of the situation but really is written as if an eleven year old wrote it and therefore lacks the power it could hold. A short read and I’m unsure as to why it was nominated for a Bluestem.

The Traitor’s Gate by Avi

Set in London in 1849, this is a story of a boy, John Horatio Huffam, whose father is accused of owing the unfathomable sum of £300 to a mysterious man. Through his adventures and sleuthing, he finds that his father isn’t the man he thought he was. His father, it turns out,  is a gambler, liar and actor and it’s John’s job to figure out how to get his family out of this situation or they are going to have to live in the debtors’ prison. Between his wealthy great aunt, a mysterious stranger and a street urchin Sary the Sneak, John has too many clues that lead nowhere.  A clever tale but I wonder how much prior knowledge is needed to get the more subtle nuances of the story.

The Year Money Grew on Trees by Aaron Hawkins

Jackson is a 14 year old living in a relatively rural area of New Mexico in the 1980’s. His family is relatively poor and his neighbor, Mrs. Nelson, used to own all the land but had to sell some of it to his family because of bad financial times. Mrs. Nelson seems to resent the neighbors and is an ornery older lady. One day, after her son storms out of the house, she calls Jackson in to her house and offers him a deal. If he gets her orchard in shape, she will consider him the ‘true heir’ to the orchard because her son doesn’t deserve it. After a little discussion, he agreed to pay her $8000 and any profit above that is his. This begins the year of hard work for Jackson. He, despite knowing nothing initially, does research and seeks the help of his siblings and his cousins. This is a story about his adventures in trying to whip the orchard into shape with his cousins and adhering to his contract with Mrs. Nelson. I enjoyed this story but did feel sorry for him as he worked so hard. 

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Donovan Curtis is in middle school and, although he’d never claim to always make good choices, any shady choices he does make seem to snowball and...well, disaster ensues. One day this is exactly what happens. His actions cause serious damage and he’s caught by the superintendent, however, after he’s released, no one ever calls his parents. There is no follow up. And then the letter arrives. He’s been accepted into the gifted academy. His acceptance into the school is as much a surprise to him as it is everyone else, but he sees it as his way out of his current dilemma and goes. He meets interesting students there and, although he’s pretty sure he has nothing to contribute and his teachers are finding the same to be true, he finds his place and his contribution. Will he be able to hide there forever?

It’s an interesting book but, man, oh man, does it stereotype gifted kids. I mean there are kids that are completely dorky and have no social skills, but they are not all like that, nor are even the majority of them. Other than pigeonholing gifted kids, it’s an entertaining tale and you are rooting for Donovan the whole time. 

Grade 4-8

Legend By Maria Lu

This is ANOTHER dystopian novel about a future where the United States is divvied up and there’s the “good” country and then the rest, which has devolved into chaos. In this case Los Angeles and the surrounding areas make up the “good” known as the Republic.  The city is divided up into sectors and there are wealthy areas and poor areas. Illnesses rage through the poor sectors, as well as violence, while the wealthy are insulated from almost all inconveniences of everyday life. Day, the protagonist, is a poor boy that is separated from his family because he escaped death and his family can’t know he’s alive or they will be in danger. Day spends his time wreaking havoc like a modern Robin Hood by saving people, robbing banks and distributing the money to poor people or destroying symbols of the Republic. He is careful to cause as little damage to people as possible and is known throughout the Republic as a thorn in the side of the government because he hasn’t ever been caught. Tess is a street urchin he has befriended and together they seem to accomplish anything. 

On the other side of the story is June. She is a privileged, extraordinarily bright girl who attends college even though she is young because she is so smart and shows such promise. She is raised by her brother because her parents were killed when they were younger. He’s in the army and a rising star himself. She is a bit restless at college and does manage to find herself in trouble, but because he is a captain and she has such potential, she is granted a bit more leeway. When tragedy strikes, June finds herself catapulted into serving the army and hunting down Day, the sworn enemy of her beloved Republic, until she begins asking questions about what is good and what her beloved Republic really represents. It’s an interesting tale that, although it has some violent moments, is well told and gripping. Encouraging people to not take things at face value, delve deeper, and ask questions is a great message. If dystopian novels are your thing, this is a good one to add to the list!

Ages 10-15

Matched by Allie Condie

Ok, I confess. I don’t like romance novels. I don’t like girlie books where the girls worry about silly choices between boys or clothes or whatever. Vapid, empty and promoting the ignorance and/or sexuality of girls is not my genre and I was afraid this book was going to be that. It has some romance and mooning over boys and ooey gooey love but there is an underlying theme of the importance of strength, curiosity and choices. 

Matched is set in the future in a society that has removed all major choices from the people so they can live happy, uncomplicated lives. A girl, Cassia, comes of age in this society and we meet her on the eve of the ceremony of her match. Surprise ripples through the crowd at the announcement of her match, as it is abnormal because her match is someone she knows and usually it is someone from another area all together. However, when she gets home and looks on her computer to see what information the Officials give her about her good friend and match, Xander, a different face pops up on the screen, Ky. She questioned, was Ky meant to be her match? Mistakes don’t happen and Cassia’s brain and heart are thrown into confusion. In addition, her grandfather reaches the end of his life and subtly encourages her “do not go gentle into that good night” and eventually she ends up realizing the importance of choice and the highs and lows you can’t experience if your choices are removed. It reminded me a lot of The Giver, as it is a person who is successful in this artificial society, but as they learn more, they both struggled with the constraints the society has placed on people for their own good. It’s an interesting idea and, despite my apprehension about romance, I did enjoy the book for the most part. Ages 11-14 

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Ivan is a silverback gorilla. He is trapped in a...domain is the word he chooses as it’s more dignified than cage. He is in a run-down mall in California and accompanied by an elderly elephant, Stella, and a stray dog, Bob. The mall is run by Mack, who loves Ivan and Stella but loves money more. George is the night maintenance man and his daughter, Julia, comes with him at night and sits by Ivan and Stella while her father cleans. Ivan is also an artist-loves to paint and draw and Julia shares his love of art. Over the years, the attendance is down and Mack, in an attempt to increase attendance, buys a baby elephant. This crushes Stella because it reminds her of her life and the pains she has suffered as a captured animal, especially since the baby elephant, Ruby, is so very sad about her loneliness and misses her family. On Stella’s deathbed, she makes Ivan promise to free Ruby. After Stella’s death, Ivan feels the weight of his promise. Will Ivan keep his promise?

The story is told by Ivan and his voice is simple and powerful is compelling. I enjoyed this tale. Definitely deserved the Newberry. Ages 9-12