The Patron Saint of Butterflies

by Cecilia Galante

Honey and Agnes have lived their whole lives in a religious commune in Connecticut. Their leader Emmanuel is revered by all and feared by most. The two girls have been called to the "Regulation Room" on several occasions, most recently because Honey was caught kissing a boy, and Agnes was considered an accomplice. Both girls come out with red welts all over their backs and legs. All the adults in the commune just look the other way when these situations arise. Agnes always blames herself and believes Emmanuel knows what's best for the "Believers." Honey just gets angrier and more determined to escape the commune. When Agnes's grandmother arrives for an unexpected visit, and learns about the Regulation Room, she decides it's time to take the children away from the commune. However, when Agnes's little brother Benny is severely injured by a heavy, carved wooden door closing on his hand, Nana Pete realizes that time has run out. Emmanual has done a butchered job of sewing Benny's fingers back on, then declaring it a miracle, but it is obvious Benny will die if he doesn't get competent medical attention immediately. Against Agnes's better judgment, she, Honey and Benny leave the commune with Nana Pete to seek medical attention for Benny. This is the first time any of the children have ever been away from the commune, and they are faced with an unimagined new life. Each new experience is a fun adventure for Honey; each one an evil temptation for Agnes. Both are faced with difficult decisions and come to unexpected conclusions. The Patron Saint of Butterflies is a timely coming of age story. Reviewed by Dail Sams

Since school started, it's been tough to find time to read and add to this blog. However, I recently finished Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks. I had this book on a future order, but decided I ought to read it first. It is a typically tense and suspenseful Brooks novel, so I have no doubt it would appeal to a lot of guys. However, the story is a little raw for me--I'm choosing not to add it to the high school collection. The story, which centers around the reunion at a carnival of some high school friends who had drifted apart, has too much of too many things. The tone of the novel is very dark and melancholy. When one of their old classmates turns up dead after the carnival, and another one missing, doubt, suspicion, and mistrust consumes Pete, the main character of the book. Since the missing classmate is Pete's best friend, his investigation into the murder parallels the police investigation. Although the murder is solved by the end of the book, Brooks leaves many unanswered questions, which could frustrate some readers. In spite of the negative aspects of this book, Black Rabbit Summer is not without redeeming qualities. Even with his faults, I had to like Pete for his loyalty to his friend Raymond, who was quite a strange character. And I really liked that Pete's parents were good people and that Pete obviously loved and respected them, even if he didn't always obey them. But bottom line, there are plenty of good, suspenseful mystery stories out there without all the language and questionable activities. Black Rabbit Summer is on next year's Tayshas list, so there are lots of librarians out there who like this book. It has received excellent reviews. But I think I'll let any student who wants to read this book find it at the public library.
--Reviewed by D. Sams

the dead & the gone

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life for Alex Morales, a New York City Puerto Rican teenager, changed forever without a second of warning. An asteroid collides with the moon, moving it closer to the earth. As a result, the moon's gravitational pull adversely affects the tides, causing worldwide flooding of low-lying areas. It also causes an increase in volcanic activity, so that the air becomes filled with ash, blocking out the sun's rays. Within months, New York City is constantly freezing, breathing is difficult, and nothing will grow. Alex's father was in Puerto Rico for his mother's funeral when the asteroid hit, and his mother was called in to the hospital to work. Neither one ever comes home, and 17-year-old Alex is left to care for his two younger sisters alone with food more and more difficult to come by. Alex is forced to take extreme actions just to survive. This is an unrelentingly bleak look at one possible future on an earth with severe climate changes. I wanted to quit reading, on every page because it was so depressing, but I just couldn't. This book is filled with small kindnesses and unselfish acts on the part of several characters, in spite of their need to survive, and I just had to know what happens to everyone. The Dead and the Gone is a companion book to Life as We Knew It, the same story told from the viewpoint of a small-town teenaged girl. Both books are thought-provoking reads with characters worth caring about, and very timely themes in light of the current global climate change debate.

--Reviewed by Mrs. Sams

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

by Brian Selznick

Do you remember those picture books from your elementary days that had the great pictures? Books like Make Way for Ducklings by Robert Mccloskey, Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, and The Polar Express by Christ Van Allsburg? All of these were Caldecott Award winners and written for young elementary students. The Caldecott award is a prestigious award given annually to children's book illustrators. This year, for the first time in recent memory, the Caldecott went to the writer of a book written for older students. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a thick book (533 pages) with dozens of lovely and intricate black and white pencil drawings. It's part picture book, part graphic novel, part motion picture. I loved this book for its artwork as much as anything, but it also has an interesting and creative storyline loosely based on the life of one of the earliest French moviemakers. I would recommend this book to anyone--it's not only a good read, but it's also a visual feast. Most students could read this book in a couple of hours, but you just have to take a little time to enjoy the art.

--Reviewed by Mrs. Sams

NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER

by Jordan Sonnenblick

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," is Alex's lame excuse for drinking a lot of vodka, then stealing his mom's car with the intention of driving to his dad's house and confronting him with his multiple sins. However, he never made it to his dad's, instead crashing into a neighbor's front lawn, giving himself a concussion in the process. The lady judge was not amused, and sentenced him to 100 hours of community service time, to be served in a nursing home. At the Egbert P. Johnson Memorial Home for the Aged, Alex was assigned to the very cranky Soloman Lewis. It was no picnic at first, but when Alex started playing jazz guitar for Sol, a connection was made that both Alex and Sol benefitted from. With the help of two musical geniuses from Alex's jazz band, he put together a jazz concert for all the residents of the nursing home. A surprise performance by Sol on Alex's guitar guaranteed the success of the concert, and after the initial shock had worn off, bound Alex to Sol even more closely than before. This is a great story about the value of service, and the surprising people who can teach wonderful lessons if only they are allowed to. A funny and touching read. Notes from a Midnight Driver is on this year's Tayshas Reading list. --reviewed by Mrs. Sams

UNWIND

By Neal Shusterman

A terrifying, futuristic cautionary tale, Unwind gripped me from page one and wouldn't let go till the end. Connor, Risa, and Lev are all scheduled for unwinding in this creepy world where it's OK for parents to donate their teenagers to society for body parts, just as long as every bit of them is transplanted into another person. Connor learns his fate, and begins running, finding Risa and Lev along the way. They all three end up in the "Graveyard," a semi-safe place in Arizona run by a retired Navy Admiral who opposes the unwinding policy. But unfortunately, the Admiral can't control all 400 unwinds and the few adults who know about his camp, and chaos breaks loose. In the midst of a mob rebellion, the Admiral has a heart attack, and Connor and Risa risk everything to take him to the hospital. They are betrayed by Roland, a fellow unwind, and all are sent to a "harvest camp." I couldn't ruin the ending here, but I've got to say that there are very recognizable events happening at the harvest camp--grim reminders of the Jewish Holocaust and current suicide bombers. Though the plot of this book may seem unrealistic, there's just enough reality in it to be downright scary, with allusions to a number of controversial issues. This is an engrossing and thought-provoking read.

---reviewed by Dail Sams

Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds

by April Lurie

April Lundquist, or Ape, Monkey, and Chimp, as her older brother Matt calls her, lives with her family in a quiet Brooklyn neighborhood. Within two blocks of her house there live several members of two Mafia families. For the most part April doesn't worry too much about "Soft Sal" who lives across the street, or "Gorgeous Vinny" who lives on the corner of Twelfth, but when she discovers that Matt has a huge crush on Bettina, the daughter of the head of one Mafia family, she really starts worrying. They are playing the parts of Romeo and Juliet in a local theater production, which allows them to see each other much too often for April's comfort. To complicate matters, she is receiving attention from three guys all of a sudden, only one of which she really cares about--Dominick the long-haired slightly dangerous-looking musician--and her parents are putting pressure on her to "get involved" in extra-curricular activites. Matt swears April to secrecy about Bettina, but when he comes home late after the last performance of Romeo and Juliet, beaten pretty badly, April knows she has to go to her parents. This book is all about not judging a book by its cover, and about what it means to be loyal. April is an appealing character, and is based on the real life of the author. Brothers, Boyfriends... is on this year's Texas Lone Star reading list.

---reviewed by Mrs. Sams

breaking dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer proves again what a great storyteller she is in her fourth and final installment of the Twilight series. I really can't tell you much about this book without giving all the good stuff away, but I can say than none of her fans should be disappointed. In case there was any doubt, Edward and Bella are married within the first 50 pages of this 750 page book, but many of the remaining pages were filled with the unexpected. I can say that Meyer did a terrific job of tying up all the loose ends in very satisfying ways. The best love story ever! Multiple copies available in the library!

EPIC

by Conor Kostick

For a thousand years or more, the video game Epic has been an important part of society. At first it was just used for recreation, but gradually the game became central to the world's culture and began to determine the wealth, possessions, and social standing of every person on the planet. Beyond the game, the Central Allocations committee, made up of the richest and most successful players, controls allocation of all resourses. Unfortunately most of the world's people are living in poverty and are required to perform hard physical labor. In their spare time most people have to connect to Epic, to try to gain just enough to survive, while the privileged few control everything. Erik and his friends decide to play the game in a more dangerous and aggressive manner in an attempt to win a fortune and power. When the team succeeds in killing a dragon for the first time in a hundred years, and gains unbelievable wealth, the CA gets worried and begins scheming to get rid of these creative and smart kids threatening to upset the balance of power. With both sides gathering forces, the world is on the brink of a virtual war of epic proportions. Epic is a title on this year's Texas Lone Star list.

---reviewed by Dail Sams

Deadline

by Chris Crutcher

Chris Crutcher has done it again! Deadline has absolutely everything a great read should have--a heart wrenching, thought provoking plot, lots of humor, a quirky turn of phrase, a sweet if unlikely love story, an incredible football season, characters you can really care about, and an ending that had me trying to swallow a lump in my throat the size of Texas and blinking back tears for the last 30 pages of the book. Ben Wolf finds out after a sports physical that he has a terminal blood disease, and that he has about a year to live. This book is all about how Ben decides to live his life for that year. I think that every student at Lorena High School should read this book. A small warning: language is an issue, but it was appropriate and realistic. Yet another Texas Tayshas book for this year.

--reviewed by D. Sams