Newbery 2005

Kira-Kira
Author: Cynthia Kadohata
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Katie and her family move to the south and her sister Lynn is sick.
Verdict: A bit ploddy
My rating: 2 starso


Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Moose must look after his Autistic sister Natalie after his family moves to Alcatraz Island.
Verdict: Darker than expected
My rating: 3 stars


The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marion Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights
Author: Russell Freedman
Genre: Nonfiction
Plot: Marion Anderson was a famous African American contralto who struggled with the Jim Crowe laws.
Verdict: Interesting bit of history I didn't know about
My rating: 4 stars


Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Turner moves to Maine when his father becomes the new pastor and stirs up trouble when he befriends Lizzie of Malaga Island.
Verdict: So sad at the end
My rating: 3 stars

Four different aspects of history were explored this year. Kira-Kira did not impress me that much.  Al Capone Does My Shirts, however, was a bit of surprise.  The title is a it witty so I thought the book would be more humorous.  However, it is extremely serious and we had a bit of a discussion in my book group about whether or not the mother was right in expecting Moose to look after Natalie.  I found that I did not know as much as I thought I did about the Civil Rights Movement when I read The Voice that Challenged a Nation.  Marion Anderson was a famous African American singer who faced problems when singing in the South due to the Jim Crowe laws and segratation.  I am glad that Freedman decided to write this book.  Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy starts a bit slow.  Much of what happens to Turner is definitely tongue and cheek but the ending is very sad.  It is a story set within actual historical events.