The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is a story of a young girl named Liesel and her life in Nazi Germany during World War II. Liesel is adopted by Hans and Rosa as economic conditions deteriorate, political and social tensions heighten and the war approaches. The setting is one ripe with drama and apprehension with all of the secrets that one has to keep, and the appearance one has to present in public in such a setting. The Book Thief not only has to deal with the difficulties of life in a fascist state, but also life in a impoverished neighbourhood – as if the life of a teenager is not hard enough to deal with on its own.

Zusak, Markus (2007) The Book Thief, New York; Knopf.

The Book Thief is not all dark and despairing, for it displays the humanity and dignity that some adults and teenagers can display in such adverse conditions. The Book Thief is a book about life and death, love and friendship, hope and dreams and yes – theft. Markus Zusak weaves these elements together in a masterful way, to create a story and a book that I highly recommend.

Monster / Walter Dean Meyers

Steve Harmon is a 16 year old boy on trial for murder. Monster is Steve’s story as he imagines it might be as a movie script with some journal entries interspersed throughout. Steve is stunned and frightened by his predicament, because he is not sure how he came to be in the jail cell and court room where he now spends his time. He is extremely afraid that he will be found guiltly and be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty. Steve is an avid movie maker and maintains his sanity by thing about his pridicament as a movie script. He maintains his composure this way until something happens like the prosecuter calling him monster

Authour Walter Dean Meyer tells a simple but gripping tale with Steve Harmon’s trial and shows all of the raw emotions that Steve feels as the witnesses give their testimony. Steve goes through bouts of depression as witnesses testify and he wonders if it is possible for the jury to believe the various stories told about him. This is an intense story, told in a compelling way, about a gruesome act which in a highly effective manner. Messages in this book range from; choose your friends wisely and don’t make trouble to life is unfair and can you never considered not guilty.

Myers, Walter Dean (1999). Monster. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

The Pox party / taken from accounts by his own hand and other sundry sources; collected by Mr. M.T. Anderson of Boston.

The Pox Party is a story about the life of young Octavian who grew up in very unusual circumstances. Althought it wasn’t clear for some time in this story, Octavian was the son of a black slave in the mid to late eighteenth century America. I say Octavian’s life was unsusual, because the author M.T. Anderson sets the story in a colony of scientists that live communially near Boston, around the time of the Revolutionary War. Octavian was an experimental subject of the scientists who were testing to see if someone of Octavian’s race could be educated to a point similar to that of what was considered a superior white race.

As may be expected, with a novel about slavery and war, this story is filled with injustice and upheval at every turn. With the inclusion of the scientists and Octavians special circumstances this story has some very intersting twists and turns and it also leaves us with a very informative historical lesson about slavery and this tumutious part of America’s history. The language of the novel resembles the dialect of that period in time and may be difficult for some readers, but it lends an authentic touch to the story.

Anderson, M.T. (2006). The Pox party / taken from accounts by his own hand and other sundry sources; collected by Mr. M.T. Anderson of Boston. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Death in the Air / Shane Peacock

Death in the Air is story tale of a young Sherlock Holmes on his second case. Sherlock witnesses the fall of a trapeze artist in the very first paragraph of this mystery. Noticing some irregularities with the victim’s equipment Shelock begins an investigation to find out who would want to kill this daring acrobat and why. Shelrock finds himself embroiled in not only murder attempt, but a robbery and a race to save his mentor from lossing his home. Sherlock risks his life on many occassions to uncover evidence in this case, even though he ends physically or emotionally bruised.

Author Shane Peacock tells a riviting tale while at the same time developing the character we all know as Sherlock Holmes into the master dectective that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created over 120 years ago. Peacock gives Holmes life as we see him struggle at developing his relationships with his mentor, his competators, his rivals and his love interest. We also learn about Holme’s great determinination to learn new skills that he will reqire to, become the best dectective in London and to achieve his ultimate goal - to rid the city of its criminal element.

Peacock, Shane (2009). Death in the Air: The boy Sherlock Holmes ; his 2nd case. Toronto: Tundra Books.

Valley of Death / Gloria Shurzynski & Alane Ferguson

Valley of Death is a page turner for teens. Olivia Landon gets more than the working vacation she bargins for when her daughter is mistaken for the Landon’s new foster child Leesa and is kidknapped. Olivia (a wildlife veteraniarian) has come to Death Valley National Park to find out why the park’s mountain goats are mysteriously dying when her family becomes embroiled in a dramatic hostage taking and standoff complete with helicopters, SWAT teams and automatic weapons. The story is told from the perspective of Jack Landon the 13 year old son of the Landons who has a hard time resisting becoming directly involved is the mission to rescue Ashley his 11 year old sister.

Authours Schurzynski and Ferguson provide a nice mix of the history and biology of Death Valley Naitonal Park in this mystery/thriller while also building a picture of a normal family that generously provides support for foster children in need. Leesa, however, is a mystery to Jack and Ashley, because their parents have not given them much information about her and she is not talking. The story is about a family that sometimes lives on the road which leads to an interesting lifestyle for their children who seem thrive on it and lead a relativelly normal life.

Shurzynski, Gloria & Ferguson, Alane (2008). Valley of death: a mystery in Death Valley National Park. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.

Keturah & Lord Death / Martine Leavitt

Keturah & Lord Death is the tale of a young lady who gets lost in the woods for several days and meets Lord Death. Instead of taking Keturah the story teller to her inevitable conclusion, the handsom Lord Death falls in love with the charming girl and gives her a reprieve in exchange for a story. Lord Death allows Keturah to survive one more day in order to find her one true love and if she does she will survive her brush with Death. With the help of her friends and the magic of a local witch, Keturah scours the town in search of her one true love.

The story is in the form of a legend or fairy tale, but it deals with issues of love, death and friendship so it is appropriately classed as a young adult story. Martine Leavitt writes a complelling tale that questions what true love is and how frightenly attrachive death can appear The story may be more attractive to girls than it is to boys, but it is well written, dramatic and it has you guessing how it will end up to the last page.

Leavitt, Martine (2006). Keturah & Lord Death. Calgary: Red Deer Press.

The Great Death / John Smelcer

The Great Death is the story of a plague that struck American Indians in Alaska when Europeans first met them. The story details the horror witnessed by two young girls as their entire village dies a frightening death and they flee, fearing the great plague and afraid that they were the only ones left alive in the entire world. The story also details all of the dangers the girls faced as they wandered through the wilderness trying to find other people while trying to survive dangerous wildlife, cold rivers and freezing temperatures.

John Smelcer crafts a frightening picture of a diseased village dying around the girls. It is almost unimaginable the horror that the girls must have felt at the sight of dead and dying people and the doubt they must have felt at being able to survive the trip through the tough Alaskan wilderness. This story brings to life an event that is unheard of in our modern medical society, but it is certainly a startling historical eye opener for young adults and older listeners. It is appropriately narrated in a female and native sounding voice in what feels to be a traditional aboriginal story-telling.

Smelcer, John (Author) & Raver, Lorna (Narrator) (2009). The Great Death [Sound Recording]. New York: Listening Library.