Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Loved this book! Hale took the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "Maid Maleen" and wove this fantastic story of Dashti, the maid of Lady Saren. Lady Saren is in love with Khan Tegus, but is promised by her father to Lord Khasar, a vicious man. When Saren refuses to marry Lord Khasar, her father locks Saren and Dashti into a tower for seven years. This is their story told through the diary of Dashti.

Audience: girls

Genre: fantasy, fairy tale

Topics: Mongolia, yaks, nobility vs. commoners, war, diary, strong female character, commitment, hardship, healing songs, making hard choices, cats, romance

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 5 of 5

Note: would pair this with Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball...both have strong characters and are based on fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm.

Amazon Reviews

Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney

I'm not quite sure how to classify or describe this book. It encompasses so many different things. An African refugee family of four is sponsored by an American family of four. During the course of the book, you have a chance to see things through the eyes of each of the eight characters, each of whom is very diverse. You learn of what life is like for many refugees in Africa, and what it's like to see America from new eyes. There is a thread of suspense woven throughout the book. The end of the book is very fast paced.

Audience: middle school

Genre: Contemporary suspense

Topics: African refugees, blood diamonds, American affluence, church problems, suffering, sponsors, family, trauma, theft, violence, refugee camps, refugee agency workers, forgiveness, questioning goodness of God, immigrants

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 3.5 of 5

Notes: some violence

Amazon Reviews

One-handed Catch by M. J. Auch

This was a great read. WWII has just ended. Norm, a twelve-year-old, loses his left hand in a meat grinder at his dad's butcher shop. Norm's mom doesn't allow any time for pity. There are many tasks he has to relearn how to do, and he doesn't let that stop him. Norm loves baseball and art. He applies his artistic abilities in a humorous way in Boy Scouts and at Halloween.

Audience: anyone, but especially boys

Genre: historical fiction, realistic fiction

Topics: perseverance, determination, baseball, art, boys, physical disability, friendship, acceptance

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 5 of 5

Notes: this would be a great read-aloud

Amazon Reviews

Ethan, Suspended by Pamela Ehrenberg

Ethan gets suspended from his school in suburban Pennsylvania and is sent to live with his grandparents in Washington, D.C. Ethan experiences a world he's not used to. He is the only white student in a largely black and Hispanic school. His grandparents are the only remaining Jewish white people in the neighborhood. Ethan learns to survive in a unfamiliar setting and makes a diverse group of friends. His parents are newly separated which adds to his problems. Things start to look up for Ethan when he joins the school's jazz band.

Genre: realistic

Audience: boys and likely girls

Topics: misunderstandings, fitting in, Civil Rights movement, family issues, old people, music

Notes: contains some swearing

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 3.5 of 5 (5 of 5 for the right kid)

Amazon Reviews

The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence

This is a series of many books set in different locations of the Roman Empire starting in 79 A.D. The primary characters are Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus. In each book, they have to solve some sort of mystery. Details about what life was like during that time period in Rome are very vivid. In The Secrets of Vesuvius, the kids discover signs that Mt. Vesuvius is about to erupt.

Audience: 6th graders

Genre: historical fiction with a twist of mystery

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 3 to 5 depending on which book

Amazon Reviews
Thieves of Ostia, bk 1
The Secrets of Vesuvius, bk 2

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did, the story flew by. Emma-Jean is a very intelligent, logical reasoning, good-hearted seventh grader. She doesn't catch some of the nuances of others which can result in humorous situations.

Genre: realistic / contemporary

Topics: friendship, single parent, school, mean girls, boys

Audience: 6th or 7th grade girls

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 4.5 of 5

Amazon Reviews

Masterpiece by Elise Broach

Masterpiece is a great story. An adventurous beetle named Marvin befriends James, a lonely human boy. James gets a pen and ink set from his father for his birthday. Marvin experiments with the pen and ink set and discovers he has great artistic ability. James' parents discover the drawing and think James is the artist. This starts a series of adventures that leads to uncovering a major art thief. The book is well written and engaging.

Genre: fantasy / mystery

Topics: art, divorce, friendship, forgery, thieves

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 5 of 5

Amazon Reviews