Lena

Lena by Jacqueline Woodson tells the moving story of Lena and her sister Dion as they make their way across country and away from their abusive father. After Lena's mother dies of cancer, Lena finds herself in a terrifying position when her father begins calling her into his bedroom. Lena won't let the same thing happen to Dion, so the two decide to leave. Lena and Dion's journey is a dangerous one - hitchhiking and sleeping in the woods. Between Miz Lily and Marie's daddy the girls might finally find a safe place to call home.

The 74th Annual Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was both spellbinding and ingenious. The parallel to the present day reality craze is frightening and not that far fetched. The book is written in the future in a land called Panem, formerly known as North America. This world is run by "the capital," a brutal and controlling government, that designed the hunger games as a gruesome reminder to rebels that the capital is both lethal and omnipotent. Out of the 12 districts a girl and a boy are chosen to fight each other to death. All of this is televised and watched by the whole country. Many of the districts, such as district 12, don't see the hunger games as entertainment, they see it as a death sentence. When Katniss takes her sister's place in the 74th annual hunger games, she scarcely believes she can win, but this year the hunger games will surprise everyone.

I like the originality of this book. It has a little bit of everything, from sci-fiction, fantasy, adventure, suspense, to coming of age and romance. The ending leaves the reader wanting more with the promise of an upcoming sequel that is sure to be a hit. This book is on the 2009 Best Book List for young adults.

We Are the Ship

Kadir Nelson in his We Are the Ship has told the amazing story of the formation of Negro league baseball. His beautiful full page pictures in this oversized book convey the energy and power of these incredibly gifted athletes. These leagues began in the 1920s and continued until the time Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier into the all white major leagues in 1947. The league was founded by team owner Rube Foster, who called together all the owners of the black baseball teams and formed the Negro National League. As the narrator to their legacy, Nelson uses the collective voices of all the players. Because racial discrimination was commonplace, the players endured many hardships to play the game they loved so much. The pay was low, often they couldn't find a place to stay or a restaurant in which to eat, and often slept in their cars, on buses or in tents, while enduring taunts from white fans when they occasionally played white teams. Their demise began when Jackie Robinson was signed to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers and other white owners began to pick the most talented players from their ranks.

This book is an important part of African American history and as such needs to find a place in the school library, appealing to upper elementary and beyond. My dad, who played profession baseball, enjoyed this historical book. He's actually paid homage to these men at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. It is highly recommended for anyone who loves the game of baseball and its history. This book won the 2009 Coretta Scott King Author Award and Illustrator Honor, the 2009 Robert F. Siebert Award, a select title for 2009/10 Texas Bluebonnet Master List, as well as a number of other awards. Kadir Nelson has hit a homerun with this book!

Audiobook - Under the Jolly Roger

What can I say, I couldn't get enough of Jacky Faber. I was more than a little excited to see that Under the Jolly Roger, the third book in the Bloody Jack Adventure series by L.A. Meyer. was listed on the 2009 Amazing Audiobook list. Hooray, I thought, more exciting adventure read by the brilliant Katherine Kellgren. The Bloody Jack audio books are a success for three main reasons: L.A. Meyer is an amazing writer, Jacky Faber's character is real, lovable, and exciting, and Katherine Kellgren's voice and acting skills bring the above to life.

In this adventure Jacky has once again found herself in a precarious predicament. After being delivered to a British Naval Ship by a press gang, Jacky comes face to face with a cruel, nasty criminal of a captain who intends upon taking Jacky as his mistress. Will Jacky be able to rally the crew to her side or will their fear of the captain be too much? One thing is for sure, Jacky will be bold, smart, and comical as she triumphs once again as a real hero loved by all.

This audio book has 12 discs and is 15 hours long. Katherine Kellgren's accents are authentic. The excitement and emotion with which she tells this story draw the listener in and refuse to let go until the very end. This would be a great addition to any high school library. In addition to being a very enjoyable story, there is also a great deal to be learned about the history of Britain and surrounding countries. I don't think you have to be a young adult to become a Bloody Jack fan.

A River of Words

Jen Bryant introduces her readers to the life and poetry of William Carlos Williams in her picture book biography, A River of Words. Williams is portrayed as having an idyllic childhood growing up in the late 1800s wandering through woods and fields by the Passaic River. From his high school English class, he began a love for poetry that he continued throughout his life, even as he pursued a career as a physician. In her illustrator's note Melissa Sweet shares how she used endpapers from an old book, a book cover, and various other ephemera she had been saving to create the colorful pictures that share space with bits of Williams' poetry throughout the book.

This 2009 Caldecott Honor book would be a great book to share with elementary students to spark creativity and nuture a love for poetry. It also functions as an easy introduction into the life and poetry of one of America's most infuential poets.

The Blacker the Berry

In this beautiful collection of poetry by Joyce Carol Thomas, The Blacer the Berry, the author has written thirteen poems which all celebrate a shade of black skin color. The poem is set alongside a full page picture of an African American child, whose skin color reflects the color being described. The poems praise the beauty of the different shades using the visual of ripe berries. Illustrator Floyd Cooper has captured lovely expression on the faces of the children.

This Coretta Scott King Award book is highly recommended for its affirming and uplifting words and images, helping to foster an appreciation for the "color struck" world we live in. It would be a welcome additon to an elementary library.

Before John Was a Jazz Giant

The acrylic, collage and pencil illustrations of Sean Qualls grace the pages of this colorful picture book When John was a Jazz Giant offering insights into the early life and influences of John Coltrane, one of the greatest jazz musicians to ever live. There were "hambones knocking in Grandma's pots, Daddy strumming the ukulele, and Mama cranking the phonograph." There were preachers praying, music on the radio, songbirds, and sorrowful funeral sounds...all vivid sounds taken in by young Coltrane, who was "all ears." Author Carole Boston Weatherford has included a brief biography along with selected CD listings, and further sources for information on this legendary jazz saxophonist.
Before John was a Jazz Giant is a 2009 Correta Scott King illustrator honor book.

This lyrical book would be a great addition to the elementary library. It would be a good resource for Black History Month as well as a multi cultural lesson as it celebrates African American culture through the life and music of John Coltrane