From the first pages of Marcus Zuzack’s novel The Book Thief, I knew that the young Liesel Meminger had a starving smile. A smile yearning for happiness, although she always gratefully accepted what she was given. Liesel’s soul was spotless, white, and beautiful. Perhaps that’s exactly why Death seemed to be so attracted to the
A Review of Susanne Gervay’s Butterflies
Young and curious, baby Katherine can’t help but peer over the edge of the fire pit. The orange and red flames attract her eyes. Such mysterious wonder. What would happen if she touched it? With no one in sight, Katherine extends her arm just inches too far. This is a tragic mistake. Rachel, her sister,
Review of Garbage Dreams: One Man’s Trash Is a Zaballeen’s Treasure
Cairo, Egypt’s largest city, has not had any garbage collection companies. Instead they have relied on people known as the Zaballeen. The Zaballeen are Cairo’s lower class. All 60,000 of them make their living by recycling garbage into raw materials that are then exported to countries like France and Belgium. They are the best at
Matisyahu: Chasidic Jewish, White… Reggae Singer?
I see endless beaches of soft white sand and crystal clear ocean, with Bob Marley in the background telling me not to worry ʻbout a thing. White Plains, New York is the complete opposite. While beautiful in its own way, White Plains is your typical middle-sized American city: concrete, filled with cars, and lacking in
A Review of Carolyn Pogue’s A World of Faith: Introducing Spiritual Traditions to Teens
Carolyn Pogue’s A World of Faith: Introducing Spiritual Traditions to Teens is a book that attempts to give overviews of nine major religions, including the goddess tradition, aboriginal spirituality, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and Baha’i Faith, in a format that is appropriate for teens. Each chapter starts with a questionnaire filled out by
A Review of Akeelah and the Bee
Akeelah and The Bee is a touching story about an eleven-year-old girl, expertly played by Keke Palmer, growing up in south central L.A. Although Akeelah has not been a rigorous academic, her teacher suggests she compete in the school spelling bee, but she is reluctant. Akeelah’s goal becomes taking part in The National Spelling Bee,
A Review of The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of my favorite books published this year. In this book, Katniss Everdeen tells us her futuristic story in the present tense. Katniss lives in Panem, a country that “emerged out of the ashes of what was once called North America.” Panem is divided into 12 districts and
A Review of The Arrival
Shaun Tan’s The Arrival is a moving story about one immigrant’s journey to a strange and unknown world to build a new life for himself and his family. The Arrival is considered a graphic novel because it is told through illustrations. But it isn’t just any graphic novel, it has no text and is full
