Backtracked by Pedro De Alcantara

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A bit of suspense, time-travel and history.

While cutting school, Tommy stumbles into a time travel portal in Grand Central Terminal, and begins a series of time travel adventures through the Italian immigrant experience in New York City. As far as time travel goes this is a good book and Tommy develops as an interesting character. It's probably more interesting if you are very familiar with New York and like subway trivia, as it is fun to track all the action.

Read the book and see where he ends up, who he meets, how he gets back and how he grows throughout the novel.




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Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Preston reimagines the life of Ginevra King, F. Scott Fitzgerald's first love and the basis for many of his novel’s leading ladies - Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby ), Isabelle Borge (This Side of Paradise ), and Josephine Perry (The Basil and Josephine Stories ). Fitzgerald meets Ginevra at a party in St. Paul, where she is visiting her boarding-school roommate. The two hit it off and correspond for eight months with only one meeting, until Ginevra looses interest. Ginevra is very self absorbed, vain and spoilt. She turns her attention to Bill Granger, a solid but boring man, whom she marries at only 18. Life with Bill and their two children is not the grand romance Ginevra envisioned, and as Fitzgerald's literary star rises, she wonders what life with him would have been like. When she finds herself depicted in his novels and stories, it is clear Scott has never stopped thinking about Ginevra either. This fictional Ginevra matures somewhat; the prose is enjoyable and richly imaginative. This would be a great companion to The Great Gatsby.



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When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Succession of stories take place on seven consecutive All Hallows' Eves, from 1943 through 1949, and tell the story of Jimmy Cannon's teenage years in Rowlesburg, WV. Jimmy describes the high jinks, the championship football game, the risks and rewards of his part-time job, and other significant events that shape his love for his small hometown. It is a coming of age story as Jimmy learns to accept that the days of the steam engine are over and to better understand his emotionally distant father. Details and gentle humor help set the scene and reveal a great deal about these characters and their lives. You develop a great fondness for these ordinary people you could imagine meeting on the street.

A gentle, sweet read.





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The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a story about date rape and how a school’s secret society deals with the wrongs that befall individual students.



Alex has been date raped while under the influence of alcohol

All of her confused and ambivalent reactions to what's happened to her are explored. She moves from believing it's her fault and being ashamed of it, to being confused and shy, to being furious and wanting revenge and sometimes all the feelings occur at the same time. What happened that night is reveled slowly as the case against her attacker is gathered.



But should a group of students be the ultimate justice system? What about the police? It this system fair?





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Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I know a book is a good one when I have to keep reading to satisfy my curiosity about a character or plot. Sparrow Road offers mystery in abundance. O'Connor creates a very real world with characters you can relate to and see in your own life. The story combines dreams, sadness, happiness and imagination.
Raine and her mother abruptly move from Milwaukee, leaving behind friends, a job and a grandfather to take a summer job in Sparrow Road. Once owned by a rich family, Sparrow Road was donated to charity, became an orphanage and later shut down; now it is an artists' haven. And here is where the mysteries begin: why did Raine's mother suddenly decided to move? What is the connection between Lillian and Viktor? What happened to all those orphans, especially Lyman who left his name on a painting in the attic.
An enthralling read. Well worth the time.



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The Truth About Truman School by Dori Hillestad Butler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Zebby is SO DONE with censorship!!!
As the school administrators force another layer of censorship on the school newspaper, editor Zebby quits!
Though she is done with editing the school paper, she is not done writing about the truth! With the help of her friend Amr, Zebby starts an underground website dedicated to getting the truth about Truman Middle School out to the students.
But while Zebby envisions lively discussions about the math curriculum, the website morphs into something she and Amr never expected—a malicious gossip site.
So when the cyberbullying attacks a particular girl, Zebby tries to get to the bottom of the problem and set the records straight. But how??




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Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Furnace is no ordinary prison - it's demonic. It is run by a sadistic warden with the help grotesque guards who bully, abuse and force inmates to do hours of manual labor. Alex has been framed for a murder and finds himself sentenced to life in Furnace. Can someone remain human in an inhuman hell?
The book is a page turner, has lots of violence, suspense and surprises. It ends abruptly leaving you frustrated that you don't have the next installment.



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