Resistance

Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen

This is book is perfect for readers interested in learning about the Holocaust. There is quite a bit of violence, so I don't recommend this book to kids younger than 10. This is a stand-alone book, but Nielsen did write a book about life on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall titled, "A Night Divided." I'll surely write about it after I finish reading.

What the Book's All About

Chaya Lindner is only a kid when the Nazi party takes over Poland. Despite her Aryan looks, Chaya is a Jew, and is sent away from her home in Krakow. She becomes an activist and joins the resistance group, Akiva. Chaya becomes a "courier" and goes undercover as a Catholic to sneak food and supplies (as well as spreading the truth about Concentration Camps) to Jews in ghettos. Will Akiva survive the war? Will a shy newcomer named Esther ruin an Akiva mission? Do Chaya's parents have enough willpower to stay alive?

Chaya

• Confident
• Speaks multiple languages
• Akiva courier 

Esther

• New Akiva member
• Secretive
• Not confident
• possesses "every possible look and mannerism to radiate her Jewishness"

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 9

First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez

Fans of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora will also enjoy this Mexican inspired Sunshine State Book. The book is very positive and full of empowering messages, especially for girls. For people struggling with having to move away from their friends, or are struggling to express themselves in a positive way, this is a good book to read. 

What the Book's All About

  María "Malú" Luisa is moving to Chicago with her Mexican-American mother- and is not excited. If she had her way, she would stay home and hang out with her dad at his record store, go to school with her friends, and make "zines" (collages) in her spare time. Malú also loves to listen to rock classics. When she does move to Chicago, it seems like the world is against her. She even gets a dress code violation for her colored hair! With the help of new friends, she tries to convince the school that not every student is the same and that uniqueness should be celebrated, not condoned. Will Malú reach her goal? How can she embrace both the Mexican and American sides of her? Will she ever be able to finish a zine without her mother interrupting her?

Malú

• Mexican-American
• Loves hard rock
• "Punk"
• Struggles to relate with her mom
• Vegetarian

Note: Like with Ghost, I wasn't a huge fan of the book, but I did my best to be objective.

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 8

The Firefly Code by Megan Frazer Blakemore

The Firefly Code is a book for fans of Lois Lowry's Giver Quartet. This book is a dystopian novel written for middle-school aged people, so there isn't any bloodshed (besides ordinary cuts/scrapes), or any other mature content.

What the Book's All About

Mori and her friends live on the peaceful Firefly Lane in the utopia of Old Harmonie. Everything is planned. When a resident turns 13, they learn about their true genetics- if they were born naturally, or if their parents genetically engineered them to have certain traits. They also have their "latency" manifested. They take a test to see what latency they may have, and choose which one best suits their future careers. At least it was peaceful. When a strange girl name Ilana from another utopian town moves to Firefly lane, questions arise. Ilana's behavior is strange and her story about where she came from doesn't seem to add up. Who is Ilana? Why won't anyone go into #9 Firefly Lane? Is Old Harmonie really a utopia?

Mori

• Great-granddaughter of a founder of Old Harmonie (not the aforementioned)
• Guesses she's not "a natural"
• Almost 13
• Has eye problems

Ilana Naughton

• New girl in Old Harmonie
• Comes from a different utopia in California
• Seems to be "natural"
• Loves to swim

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 7

The Eureka Key by Sarah L. Thomson

This book is for people who like it when American history is incorporated into a modern fictitious book. If you liked A Crack in the Sea, you may also like this book. This is also a book for readers who like mysteries that aren't too easy to figure out. The Eureka Key is the first in Thomson's, "Secrets of the Seven," series.

What the Book's All About

When Sam learns about a contest to solve puzzles, he's all in, especially when he finds out that the winner gets an all-expenses-paid tour across America. He enters and solves every puzzle with relative ease. When it comes to the history portion, he is no buff, so he's surprised when he is one of the winners. The other is Martina, who is Sam's opposite. She's all about facts and mentions them all of the time. Accompanying Sam and Martina on the trip is Theo, a strong but silent type who turns out to be a descendant of George Washington. Sam soon figures out that this is no simple trip. He and Martina were recruited to follow clues that the Founding Fathers laid to find the keys they left. It also becomes apparent that they aren't the only ones searching. Who is this mysterious competitor? Why are the keys so special?  

Sam

• Puzzle master
• Loyal

Martina "Marty"

• Originally doesn't like the nickname Sam gives her, "Marty."
• Knows everything American history

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 6

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

This book is for people who love books about kids who do what the adults can't, as well as people who like summertime stories. It's relatively new, for it came out April 3rd, 2018, so there are no sequels yet. (That's up to Pablo.)

What the Book's All About

Arturo was planning to spend his summer vacation in his home town of Miami by playing basketball, sipping cold drinks, and chilling under some banyan trees. When he's not doing any of those things, he plans to do a few shifts of "junior dishwashing" at his Abuela's restaurant. What he doesn't expect is a visit from his sort-of-cousin, Carmen. Arturo now has to deal with his conflicting feelings about the pretty poetry-loving girl. So smitten with her, he nearly misses that a land-developer is planning to buy-out the restaurant. Will Arturo save Abuela's restaurant? Is it alright if he likes Carmen? How can his long-dead grandfather help him sort out his life?

Arturo

•  13
• Close to his family
• Likes Carmen
• Tries his best to make Abuela proud

Carmen

• Poetry-enthusiast
• Visiting Miami
• Helps Arturo save the restaurant

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 5

Curse of the Boggin by D.J. MacHale

This book is for people who like R.L. Stine's Goosebumps or other juvenile horror books. If you find that you like this book, you will be pleased to know that Curse of the Boggin is merely the first book in MacHale's "Library" series. 

What the Book's All About

Weird things are happening to Mark O'Mara. The old lady ordering him to "Surrender the Key" seemed absurd enough, but when paired with the creepy dude in the bathrobe and the mysterious fires that seem to rage, then burn out in an instant, Mark becomes worried. His friends, Lu and Theo, even consider that he is going crazy. Mark soon acquires the very key the old lady wants and figures out that when the key is inserted into any door, a portal opens up to the Library- a mysterious room with contents that seem impossible.Will Mark give up the Key? Who's the bathrobe man? How far will the old lady go to get what she wants?

Mark

• 13
• Blond
• Worries he's going crazy
• Old lady keeps threatening him

Note: I titled the post "Curse of the Boggin," but the title has been officially revised to, "Surrender the Key."

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 4

A Crack in the Sea by H.M. Bouwman

This book is for people who like it when history and fantasy come together. A Crack in the Sea is also for readers who like books with plenty of imagery. There are many characters and multiple plots to remember, so I would recommend keeping a notebook near by to write down what happens in each chapter if you typically have a hard time reading a complicated book.

What the Book's All About 

A Crack in the Sea is about three sets of siblings who's stories intertwine. One set is Pip and Kinchen. They are from the magical, "second world," that is home to the Islanders and Raftworlders. Pip can talk to fish, which is a skill that the leader of Raftworld needs. He wants to find a portal to the, "first world," so he and his people can escape the problem of overpopulation in Raftworld. Twins Venus and Swimmer are another pair. They are on a slave ship from Jamaica in 1781. They escape enslavement by finding a portal to the second world. The last siblings are Thang and Sang - brother and sister who try to escape post-war Vietnam via a small boat when pirates and a storm threaten their survival. Will Kinchen save Pip? Will Thang and Sang survive? How do Venus and Swimmer fit into the other siblings' stories?

Pip and Kinchen

• Islanders from the second world
• Raised by their adopted grandfather, Old Ren
• Pip can't recognize faces, causing his older sister, Kinchen to be overprotective
• Befriend former Raftworlder girl, Caesar

Thang and Sang

• From South Vietnam
• Escape with relatives
• Thang is a great story-teller
• His older sister, Sang, prides herself on her hair

Venus and Swimmer

• From 1781 Jamaica
• Twins
• Lead people to safety by using their gifts with water

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 3

Click'd by Tamara Ireland Stone

Click'd is a book for those who are tech savvy or like books about friendship and coding. This book has quite a bit of drama, doesn't have much suspense, and is not necessarily a book a guy would like. I would classify Click'd as a book for 9-11 year-old girls. To add interest to the book, Stone inserted graphics such as text messages into the book.

What the Book's All About

Allie Navarro is a girl who loves to code computers. During the summer, she went to the CodeGirls summer camp and created a game called Click'd, which helps people make more friends by comparing the interests of a player with the interests of all the other of the people in the database. When the coding goes wrong and starts releasing private photos, it's up to Allie to fix the coding before the Games for Good (GFG) competition she's signed up for. This competition will help release Click'd into the public, while also giving her some personal perks. Unless Allie can fix the code in time, she may lose more than just her spot in GFG; she may lose her best friends. Can Allie fix the code? Will her teacher be disappointed if she can't? What if she has to delete all of the data she's collected?

Allie

• Coder
• Cares about friends
• Very competitive
• Creates Click'd

Nathan

• Allie's nemesis
• Creates, "Built,"
• Also in GFG 

   

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 2

Ghost by  Jason Reynolds

This book is great for anyone interested in sports, has liked writing by Jason Reynolds in the past, or who needs a book to escape their own "ghosts" into. Readers who love this book will be delighted to find out that this is only the first book in a four-part series called, "Track". I know this is off track (I love puns!), but I was pleasantly surprised to read the first chapter where Castle's sunflower "addiction" (fed by "Mr. Charles") is introduced because I was eating sunflower seeds!

What the Book's All About

This book is about Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw, who is juggling school, a bully, being nice to his single mother, and trying not to think about his father, who is in prison. Ghost is naturally fast, and he thinks nothing of it until he shows up an experienced sprinter, who is part of the local track team. The Coach of the team sees potential in him but realizes Ghost must work on his technique. Coach convinces Castle to join the team, luring him with the promise of an increased skill in basketball. Ghost then struggles with his family's poverty and temptation. Will Castle overcome his struggles or will temptation win? Can Ghost meet Coach's expectations? Will Mr. Charles run out of sunflower seeds?

Castle

• Fast runner
• 7th Grader
• Loves sunflower seeds
• Contests with temptation

Otis "Coach" Brody

• Sees potential in Ghost
• Olympian Gold Medalist
• Has own personal problems
• Taxi Driver 
• Track Coach

Note: I wasn't a huge fan of this book, but I tried to objective about it, to allow others to have a good scope of what the book's about.

MS Sunshine State 2018-2019 Bk 1

Frogkisser by Garth Nix

This book is great for readers who like fairy-tales in a more modern writing style. The characters are very relate-able, and Nix laces the whole story with humor. From the first page, you're captivated and can't easily put the book down. I just bought another one of Nix's books, and I can't wait to read it!

What the Book's All About

Princess Anya is under the control of her kind stepmother's evil new husband, Duke Rikard. He plans to forcefully take over the small kingdom by using his sorcery.  Before he can do so, Anya promises her older sister, Morven, that she would find Morven's boyfriend (Prince Denholm), who was transformed into a frog by Rikard. Along the way, she finds that she's on no rescue trip. Aided by the talking royal dog, Ardent, Prince Denholm, and a boy who was turned into a newt, Anya is on a quest to save the kingdom. Will she defeat Duke Rikard? Will Denholm ever become human again? Will her Ardent ever stop his yapping?

Anya

• Princess
• Likes to read
• Brave
• Adventurous
• Kindhearted

I'M BACK!!!

Hello Everybody!

Sorry it took so long to get back! It's been a busy summer, but now I can get back to writing blog posts. I hope you had a good summer, and I hope you kept reading!