Sunday, March 18, 2018

Long Way Down

Long Way Down is by Jason Reynolds. An amazing multi-cultural realistic fiction novel in verse. A well deserved finalist for the National Book Award. This is the story of a teenage boy whose brother is killed in a drive by shooting and who takes a gun from his brother's drawer and sets out to shoot his brother's killer. On the way down in the elevator from the seventh floor to the first Will meets some very special "friends" who help him consider what he is about to do. This is a powerful work that should be read by everyone. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read.

Ratings: 10th grade - 10 out of 10 - P (profanity). 

Alone

Alone is by Christophe Chaboute. A wonderful work of French realistic fiction in translation. This beautifully drawn graphic novel tells the story of a deformed man who was born on an isolated lighthouse and left there after the death of both of his parents. His father arranged for a fisherman to bring him supplies once a week, but no one ever sees or speaks with him and he has never been off the island. When the fisherman takes on a new helper and tells him the story of the man they leave supplies for, the assistant leave a note for the mysterious man on the island and this starts a miraculous transformation. A beautiful and touching story. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 10 out of 10. 

Lady Susan

Lady Susan is by Jane Austen. This historical fiction novella is written in epistolary fashion. It tells the story of the selfish Lady Susan who is a scheming deceitful woman who is not above using her own daughter to advance her own ends. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 7 out of 10.