Blog Archives

All American Boys by J. Reynolds & B. Kiely

4/25/2017

All Rashad Butler wanted was a bag of chips when he stops in the corner store on Friday night. Instead, he found cop Paul Galluzzo who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter and beats him to a pulp.
Varsity basketball player Quinn Collins witnesses the altercation and can't reconcile the Paul who's been like a surrogate-father to him after his dad died in Afghanistan with the brutal Officer Galluzzo who he sees beating his classmate.
In the aftermath of the incident as students and the community take sides, the basketball team is divided, and Rashad and Quinn both struggle with how to move forward, having to decide what kind of men they want to become.

This is a topical book that examines what's going on in our society today in terms of race and police brutality -- but more importantly, it's a well-written story told from the perspectives of an African-American teen and a white teen, and the authors explore both sides with finesse.

Grades 8-12

0 Comments

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

4/24/2017

0 Comments

When the planet of Kerenza is attacked, Kady Grant manages to escape in one of three spaceships while her mom and ex-boyfriend Ezra are each on different ones.
Even though she made it safely off Kerenza, Kady's problems are just beginning: the attackers are in pursuit and plan to finish off the escapees; a plague is infecting the survivors and turning them into deadly zombies; and the artificial intelligence system, AIDEN, that runs the spaceship has gone rogue.
With no one left to turn to in space, it's up to Kady's hacking and Ezra's fighting skills to survive and to save each other as well as the rest of the dwindling number of evacuees on the ships.

This book was such a fun adventure/survival thrill ride (with a smidgen of romance). The format comprised of interview transcripts, memos, instant-messaging transcripts, diary entries, and more made for a unique read. (Don't let the size fool you -- it's a quick read with a lot of white space around the pictures, text messages, and such).

Grades 7-12
Book 1 of the Illuminae Files

0 Comments

book reviews

All American Boys by J. Reynolds & B. Kiely

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Ms. Wheaton

Archives

Categories