Lin’s Litlinks

This one is a a powerhouse of a book and one that comes with a very high recommendation for students and teachers.

 Thirteen year old Brady Parks, son of a Chesapeake waterman, makes a heroic rescue of a small boy who almost drowns one day in the river. Although Brady brings Ben back to life with CPR, the small child dies a day later. This death devastates Brady and also resonates within him reminding him of the loss of his baby sister. Brady has to renavigate his life. His friends, Digger (whose family property has been purchased by the Ben’s  family) and J.T. (who is more of a follower than leader) have been Brady’s friends since they were small boys yet both  drop Brady’s friendship. Brady is hurt, confused, and carries the enormous weight of guilt. Everyone assures Brady that he has to get on but Brady finds it more than difficult.

Amidst the confusion Brady decides to help Ben’s mother. Mrs. DiAngelo’s husband leaves her, and then Ben’s mother discovers that she is pregnant with another child.

The situation begins unraveling. Brady finds his father’s drill with red flecks on the drill that are the same shade as the kayak. J.T. confesses to Brady, and Brady realizes in a flash of insight that their friendship will alter irrevocably. To make matters worse, Digger threatens Brady.

This book clearly illustrates that doing the right thing is sometimes overwhelming because of the tremendous force of consequence; however, in the words of Brady’s father, “If you know right from wrong, then the answer is always right there in front of you.”

The Red Kayak is well-worth a read and has staying power because its message is so profound. Highly recommend.

This book is all about money and money management. The book discusses interest rates, public debt, savings institutuions and provides perspectives regarding credit history. It explains all the advantages and disadvantages of “Plastic” and plastic power. Sidebars are throughout and students will learn the difference between buying a car and leasing one, how costly a simple late payment can be, and that they have rights as a consumer of financial services. This is a valuable resource that will give teens a much needed advantage in a confusing and competitive economy.

Dane is eighteen years old and at the moment he is furious with his father, his ex-girlfriend, his physical therapist…but mostly he is angry with the disease that has robbed him of the use of every muscle in his body. That disease is Guillain-Barre syndrome. He is in a rehabilitation hospital in Florida far away from his family and his career as a cross-country skier.

Dane has to relearn how to feed himself, how to turn the pages of a book, perform his basic physical functions while all the while considering the fact that he may not recover. In flashbacks he recounts his former girlfriend and moments from his “past” life.

This book is suited for an older and more mature audience.

This is a collection of poetry in a verse cycle that gives readers a series of snapshots of the lives of five children in an inner-city school. There are beautiful woodcuts to accompany the poems. Exquisite.

The time is the summer of love-a time of freedom and experimentation. Emma and her cousin Megan are hanging around the “hippie house” while her brother Eric’s band practices. The girls suntain on their small lake and hitchike into town to the “drop-in center.” The growing crowd of musicians and hangers-on that show up at the farm both enticing but equally frightening. The beginning of the school year starts for Emma but soon after Katie Russell disappears  Emma’s sense of youthful immortality disappears and the entire town is thrown into a major turmoil. Suspects abound but for months the case goes unsolved.

Recommended for struggling readers.

Zoe is unhappy about her move to a new town; she feels that she has left behind her very happy “normal” life. The first person she meets is Beck who is the ruler of her new school through the use of intimidation and violence. She has no idea how very bad things will get. Zoe tries to find a group of friends but she is unsure how to do so. She ends up being initiated into a group of twisted girls whose main purpose is to stay on top through whatever means are necessary. Zoe struggles eventually to tear herself loose from the Beckoners without becoming a target herself. Great thematic message that it is important to stand up for what is right.

This book is a true portrait of bullying and violence.

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     Sophie who is fifteen sees her move to Victoria as a chance to begin again and to leave her old self behind. She is drawn into the circle of a charismatic girl who is troubled. As her behavior becomes more self-destructive, Sophie struggles to maintain her friendship and her own sense of self. Then Sophie meets Max. This new friendship brings its own confusion and unexpected challenges; Sophie slowly begins to realize the ambiguity of friendships.

Recommend for struggling readers.

The Best of the Claremont Review

Selected by T Young

Since 1992, the Claremont Review has published the poetry and stories of well over one thousand young writers from across Canada, the United States and elsewhere. This is a semi-annual review that represents one of the very few journals that focuses solely on the work of those seriously apprenticing the craft of writing.

This book celebrates the best from the first thirty issues of The Claremont Review.

This girl lives in fear constantly of massive trains that scream in and out of the station. She lives in fear of the cats, rats, dogs, and the darkness of the tunnels. As she exists in the subways she hears shrill voices that move in her ears hard shoes that kick her ribs; she lives on garbage of other humans.

Then life changes when she meets two others. She meets a street kid called Candlewax and a student photographer, Katherine, and from these two she learns again to trust and to banish her fears.

Realistic. Recommend.

I decided that this month I would do some reviews for books that are written for struggling readers. The Dream Where the Losers Goby Beth Goobie is the story of Skey who doesn’t understand why she hurts herself. After five long months in treatment for self-destructive behavior, Skey dreams about tunnels that are dark. In her dreams she meets another dreamer, a boy, who is dreaming the same dream-a boy who is wandering the same tunnels with secrets akin to her own.

Skey tries to remember what happened that sent her away and at the same time tries to figure out who the boy is who is dreaming her dream and while doing so, her life falls farther out of control.

This is a story of a girl who must find her way back to reality. Recommend.