The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Science Fiction
Plot: Jonas lives in a Community where everything is controlled and he is chosen to be the next Receiver of Memory
Verdict: Best Book Ever!
My rating: 5 stars
**Challenged book**
Crazy Lady
Author: Jane Leslie Conly
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Plot: Vernon becomes close to the "crazy lady" down the street and her ID son Ronald.
Verdict: Sad ending
My rating: 3 stars
**Challenged Book**
Dragon's Gate
Author: Laurence Yep
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Otter comes to America from China to work on the transcontinental railroad.
Verdict: Very gritty
My rating: 3 stars
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
Author: Russell Freedman
Genre: Nonfiction
Plot: The story of Eleanor Roosevelt, the political activist, suffragette and wife of FDR.
Verdict: Interesting woman
My rating: 3 stars
The Giver has been my favorite since eighth grade when I read it during DEAR time after I finished my other book (I didn't pick it, the teacher did and I thought it was boring). Today, we have the benefit of Lowry's three sequels to tell us what Jonas' fate was. At the time I read it, (1998 or 1999), all we could do was speculate. This is a perennial challenged book because of some of the controversial things in the book such as euthanasia. It compares well to more recent dystopia novels like Hunger Games and Divergent and classic adult novels like Brave New World and 1984.
Crazy Lady was a bit of a surprise. Vernon needs help with his English and finds help in an unsuspecting place: the crazy lady, Maxine and her intellectually disabled son, Ronald. In exchange for the tutoring, Vernon helps her with yard work and forms an unlikely attachment to Ronald. It is challenged due to some cussing (and probably also the "r" world).
I read about Dragon's Gate in the book Stories Matter before I even touched the book. The essay compared two children's literature books about the transcontinental railroad. Yep did extensive research for Dragon's Gate so it is quite accurate and much grittier than people would expect. The Chinese workers and American taskmaster did not get along and cooperate. There is constant tension.
And sorry, fantasy fans, no actual dragons appear in Dragon's Gate.
The last book is another great narrative biography with pictures written by Russell Freedman. This one is about Eleanor Roosevelt.
