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?