Adaline's father is Kit Carson and her mother is an Arapaho Indian. Adaline stays with her cousins in St. Louis while her father goes on explorations. Adaline's Arapaho culture/way of life clashes with that of her Caucasian cousins. Adaline eventually runs away and befriends a scraggly dog.

Reviewed by: NZ

Date read: 5/03/2001

ISBN: 043905947X

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Vera, a young girl from the Aleutian Islands, recounts the sad tale of her family's evacuation from their home to internment camps during World War II. The US government told the Native Americans that the evacuation was for their safety and protection during, but their lives became much more difficult as they were essentially stripped of their property and freedom for several years. Written in verse, this novel is based on true events in American history.

Reviewed by: mph

Date read: 01/15/2004

ISBN: 0689861893

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Here is a partial list of the things that Alvin Ho is afraid of: elevators, tunnels, bridges, airplanes, thunder, substitute teachers, the dark, scary movies, scary dreams and especially school. Alvin is so afraid of school he can't even talk while he's there. That's why he's developed his PDK (personal disaster kit) that contains plans on how to meet your new teacher, how to survive a fire in the school cafeteria and most important, how to make friends.

Similar books: Alvin Ho : allergic to camping, hiking, and other natural disasters

Kids' Pick List: 2009

Reviewed by: KT

Date read: 1/25/2009

ISBN: 0375939148

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Twelve-year-old Rose Nolan and her family have long dreamed of moving from their native Ireland to the United States. However, their challenges begin at Ellis Island when the doctors find a problem with her little brother's eyes, and he and Da have to return to Ireland. Living with her Uncle Patrick's family is not working either so Ma decides to take the whole family and leave the United States. Rose and her younger sister Maureen insist on being left behind, and both eventually find work at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. They rent a room in a Jewish family's apartment where teenage Gussie is a union organizer. Tragedy befalls some of the characters in a work disaster.

Similar books: Lyddie by Katherine Paterson

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award

Reviewed by: BD

Date read: 12/24/2003

ISBN: 0805066861

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Reader Comments
Sadness in a Superb Story!
Commenter: Savannah, age 12
Ashes of Roses was a book that really pulled at my heartstrings. I don't want to give away the ending, but the sad conclusion had made me very sad because I had grown to really know the characters.

5th grader Belle Teal Harper lives with her mother and grandmother in a small rural town during the early 1960's. There is controversy over black students attending her small school. Belle befriends Darryl a shy African-American boy caught in the middle. The story also involves a mean new girl and a classmate who is physically abused by his father. The ending emphasizes the strength Belle finds in her family and friends as well as the importance of standing up for what you believe.

Similar books: Dovey Coe

Awards won: Rebeca Caudill Nominee 2004

Reviewed by: KT

Date read: 1/13/2003

ISBN: 0439098238

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