Real Time : a novel by Pnina Moed Kaas

This is one book you will continue to think about-long after you've finished it! Set in contemporary Israel, this story is narrated by many voices. Sixteen-year-old Thomas from Germany has come to volunteer at a kibbutz outside of Jerusalem. He has also come seeking answers to the questions he has about his grandfather, a Nazi soldier during World War II. Coming to get him at the airport is Vera, a Russian girl now living and working at the kibbutz. Sameh Lahm, a Palestinian, illegally working at a diner near the airport tells his story of hardship during the occupation. We hear other voices: a Holocaust survivor also working at the kibbutz who comes to be Thomas' friend. Sameh's boss at the Diner. Omah who convinces Sameh to be a shaheed---a suicide bomber.

Hour by hour, person by person, this story tells their lives and the many others that intersect in one violent moment on a highway outside Jerusalem. I enjoyed reading the different voices and perspectives but it was a chilling story of how someone could come to the decision to do this.

Why do age-old hatreds and violence continue? Can peace ever come to the Middle East? How can people come to be able to peacefully live together?

The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian

Josh is a bright, articulate, idealistic teenager in love with Beth, the girl next door and his best friend since sixth grade. He is reluctant to tell her-especially since she is so attracted to a socially connected but intellectually suspect football player. So he concentrates his energy into a Web site, through which his alter ego, Larry, advocates a more simplified life—anti-materialism, toleration and introspection. Beth and practically the whole world loves Larry. In this clever and humorous book, the writer explores the question of the ages:
"How much stuff does a person really need? How many things does a person have to possess before the things possess the person? Materialism and consumerism don’t make anyone happier or more content with life. And the costs of making all this stuff – what do the workers actually earn for making all this stuff?

All of Larry/Josh’s best intentions come to a rocky place as more and more people try to expose him and capitalize on his fame. Not the point in being anti-materialist.

I just finished reading the sequel: Vote for Larry
The story continues with Larry running for President! An impossibility until teenagers take interest in the political process & register to VOTE! They lobby their Congressmen & women to change the law about age eligibility. Find out the ins/outs of a grassroots political campaign run by teenagers. The younger generation -- full of energy and wanting to make a difference is a powerful force. Makes an interesting read with lots to think about. Particularly how different the government could be if run by idealitist young people wanting to make the world a better place.

More, More Good Books !

Armageddon summer by Jane Yolen Realistic fiction

Reverend Beelson has called exactly 144 True Believers to gather on Mount Weeupcut in western Massachusetts to await the End of the World. Marina, her brothers and mother, and Jed and his father arrive on the mountain to be ready for Armageddon, which the Reverend says will occur in exactly three weeks on July 27, 2000. Told in alternating voices, this gripping tale gives a close look at people caught up in events over which they have little control. I could hardly put this one down—I wanted to know what was going to happen NEXT! I liked the characters of Jed and Marina—they seemed real and believable.

Good Reads!

Cut by Patrica McCormick Realistic Fiction
This compelling novel by Patricia McCormick is told in first-person account by Callie, who is confined to a mental health facility. Sea Pine (Sick Minds) is home to teenage "guests" with a variety of problems: substance abuse, anorexia, and behavior issues. Fifteen-year-old Callie cuts herself. While this account describes group therapy and Callie's fears, she sits silently during group and individual therapy sessions. The turning point occurs when she is gradually drawn into the lives of the other teen residents.
Talk about a gripping story, this is it. After a few pages, I cared about Callie and wanted to know more about what was happening to her and how to make her better.

Forbidden City by William Bell Historical fiction (recent history)
Seventeen-year-old Alex Jackson comes home from school to find that his father, a CBC news cameraman, wants to take him to China's capital, Beijing. Once there, Alex finds himself on his own in Tiananmen Square as desperate students fight the Chinese army for their freedom. Separated from his father and carrying illegal videotapes, Alex must trust the students to help him escape.
Closely based on eyewitness accounts of the massacre in Beijing, Forbidden City is a powerful and frightening story.
I felt like I was really there when the tanks came to drive the students out of Tiannmen Square in 1989. I gave this one ****

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card Science fiction
Aliens have attacked earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them to the arts of war ... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of "games" ... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games ... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet? Both my husband and my son recommended this book to me as "a great book!" So of course I had to read it and I agreed it really was a good book.

The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss Realistic fiction
When the other members of Maya's clique decide to ostracize her, the girl is shocked and devastated. She has no clue what she could have done wrong, and neither do Brianna, Rene, or Darcy. However, Candace is their leader, the self-assured one, the one who decides who's in and who's not, and, suddenly, Maya's not. Each girl speaks in her own voice.
Fast-paced and a topic familiar to middle school girls. A book to think about. What is friendship really about?

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

Just finished this one! The story begun in The Amulet of Samarkand continues with Nicholas, the young magician working in the government run by magicians in London. The government is plagued by a mysterious group of commoners known as The Resistance. One of the key members is Kitty who has some immunity to magical powers. Nicholas and his djinni, Bartimaeus, are involved in fights and chases all the while trying to determine what or who is destroying property at random throughout London. Does The Resistance have some new ally in the fight against the magicians? Bartimaeus continues to bring a dry humor and wit along with his servitude to Nicholas. I can't wait to read the third in this trilogy: Ptolemy's Gate. As a side note here, I read in an article that while working on another book, the author thought of this story line. Went home and penned the first four chapters franatically. Does true inspiration work that way? Here's a link to more about the books:
http://www.bartimaeustrilogy.com/about.html SPOILER WARNING: if you don't want the suspense spoiled don't go to this site.