Hatchet

Gary Paulsen
195 pages
Published by Scholastic

Brian is a passenger in a small plane flying over the Canadian northwoods when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. Brian lands the plane in a small lake and escapes from drowning to find himself fighting for survival in the wilderness. All he has to help him is a hatchet given him by his mother. His experience changes him inwardly as well as outwardly.

Alida’s Song

By Gary Paulsen

New York: Dell Yearling: Random House, 1999

Contemporary Fiction—88 pages

A boy lives with his constantly drunk parents in the city. He has made his own space in the basement and makes money by selling newspapers in bars. He has nearly flunked the 8^th grade and has no interest in school. His grandmother—Alida—invites him to spend the summer on the farm in Minnesota. His life is changed as he learns to milk cows and do farm work with Gunnar and Olaf, Norwegian men who live there. He eats his grandmother’s delicious cooking, sleeps on the porch, attends a dance and comes out of his shyness. This book is almost multi-cultural, giving details of Norwegian farm life. It is beautifully written and very sensitive. Girls as well as boys would like it.

Middle School Book Reviews

This site has book reviews written by students ages 10-14 about what they have read. The reviews are divided by genre, and the site also has links to other review sites.

The Secret of Skullcracker Swamp

The Secret of Skullcracker Swamp
By Carole Marsh
Gallopade International, 2006
113 pages

Tabby is spending the summer with her father, a professor and naturalist, in the Okefenokee Swamp. Because she is a city girl from Atlanta, she does not see the beauty that her father sees in the swamp. After some interesting and frightening adventures, she comes to appreciate the people and wildlife, and helps solve a mystery.
This story by Georgia author Carole Marsh has been written with adolescents in mind, and the contemporary problems of dividing time between estranged parents. It also presents conservation issues involed in preserving the swamp.

A new dimension

Reading a good book adds a dimension to your life. It is a place that is waiting for you, a place you experience by simply reading.

Speaking of science fiction...

I had never been into science fiction until I read The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer. I could not put it down! The country of Opium between Mexico and the United States is the empire of a drug lord, who has created a society of clones and eejits. The eejits have computer chips in their brains that direct them to do the jobs they are programmed to do.
Matt is a clone of El Patron, the evil dictator. He feels privileged until he realizes the future that is planned for him. His escape attempt gets him into more hot water. Anyone who loves an adventure would like this book. It is futuristic but entirely believable.

The House of the Scorpion
Nancy Farmer
New York: Athenium Books for Young Readers, 2002
National Book Award
380 pages

The Watsons Go to Birmingham

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963
By Cristopher Paul Curtis
New York: Delacorte Press, 1995
210 pages

An African American family experiences the fear and tragedy of the Civil Rights era as they travel to Birmingham. The story is told by Kenny with his wry humor and rich 11-year-old wisdom. The family experiences racism firsthand as the neighborhood church is bombed and three little girls die. Kenny is traumatized, but recovers through the caring of his older brother.
This book is a great blend of humor, history and honor.

A Wrinkle In Time

A Wrinkle In Time
Madeleine L'Engle
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962
203 pages

Meg, her brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin meet an odd woman and travel with her through a "wrinkle in time," a phenomenon called a tesseract. They land on a planet that is populated with people who have been bound by conformity. Meg's adventures in space are exciting and harrowing--will she be able to rescue her father and tesser back to earth?
This book is a classic of the early fantasy/science fiction genre.

Welcome to Middle School Readers

I'm glad you are here! There are many books I would like to introduce to you. I will write a short review of each of my favorite books. Pick one from the My Favorite Books list and have fun reading!