Flame

By Hilari Bell

This is the first book in the Farsala/Sorahb trilogy.  The best feature of the book is that it combines the perspectives of two different sides during the war...even if they come together at the end.  Each chapter follows one of three characters:

• Soraya:  A spoiled deghass (female member of the upper class), she is sent into hiding because the temple priests have demanded that her father sacrifice her.  Her father, High Commander Merahb, negotiates to have her "sacrificed" by exposure, then has his men take her to a remote cabin to live with a peasant family.  While there, she befriends a Suud tribe and begins to learn to talk with the spirits of objects in nature, such as fire.
• Jiaan:  Soraya's half brother.  Against custom, he is allowed to serve as a page rather than a servant.  He is trusted with the task of taking Soraya to the cabin.  In the battle against the invading Hrum, he is surprisingly chosen as the standard bearer after almost stopping 21 Hrum who were meeting with a traitor.  He eventually realizes that the traitor was Kavi.
• Kavi:  A peasant who began as an apprentice to a metalworker.  He was forced to become a peddler when he tried to prevent a deghan from taking the best sword from the shop, ending in a cut that crippled his hand.  He begins the story selling fake gold.  Commander Merahb catches him and offers to allow him to supply Soraya instead of turning him over to the magistrates.  He is later captured by a Hrum band and bargains for his life by becoming a spy.  At the end of the book, he vows to prevent the Hrum from keeping his people as slaves.

Throughout the book, the chronicle of a legendary soldier, Rostam, is traced.  He falls in love and spends one night with a lady, Tahmina.  Her father picks a quarrel with him and he is forced to leave, though he leaves behind a gold amulet.  Her family moves to Kadesh and, to appease Tahmina's father, the child (Sorahb) is raised with the belief that his father was killed by warriors of Farsala.  Sorahb eventually duels his own father in battle for three days, but is eventually killed.  When Rostam tries unsuccessfully to save the life of his worthy opponent, he sees the amulet and grieves so deeply that the god Azura promises that when Farsala needs him, he will give back Sorahb's life.

Redeemed: An MPH Climax

The Conclusion to the Missing Series 

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This book made me wish I could better remember the details of previous books...it is helpful to the reader that it is narrated by someone else clueless about Jonah and Katherine's adventures, but maddening nevertheless when you know that the information is somewhere in your brain.
     Jordan has a chip on his shoulder when he suddenly needs to adjust to a new brother, and a twin at that...a twin whom everyone seems to respect.  When he tries to get in on the action, he ends up taking everyone to a futuristic lab, where they are met by Second, a projectionist who betrayed JB and is considered by Jonah and Katherine as their worst enemy.  They escape to a time hollow, but are followed by Second, who makes their teen-aged parents disappear.  Jordan, Katherine, and Jonah return to the lab, where they end up being interrogated by three Interchronological Rescue employees.  In an effort to be unpredictable, they go to the CEO of Interchronological Rescue, Curtis Rathbone.
     He gives them an Elucidator that sends them back to the night of the initial plane landing.  They see "Kevin" climbing the airport fence, then fall.  When they go to check on him, he steals the Elucidator and they see that it is a young Second. They are brought back to the lab by "Deep Voice," who is actually working with Doreen and "Tattoo Face" against Mr. Rathbone.  Second appears with Mr. Rathbone, un-aged to a baby, and he sends him and Jordan's siblings to separate time hollows.  When Second leads Jordan to ask to go someplace he can make a difference, he ends up in a time hollow with teenage Second.
     Since Second is injured, they go to a hospital, where Jordan is arrested for unauthorized time travel and finds himself face-to-face with JB, who "accidentally" drops an Elucidator on Jordan, allowing him to escape. After realizing the "Get me out of here!" command just led to spinning in place in the darkness of time, he decides to stick with what's working and asks the Elucidator to take him where he can make a difference for his family.  Once again, he ends up in a time hollow with Second.  More accurately, he is with a hologram of Second, which is then replaced by the teenage Kevin, fresh out of the hospital. After a short conversation, Jordan agrees to let Kevin give the Elucidator commands. Kevin un-ages during time travel, and they end up in Rathbone's office, which Jordan leaves after knocking Rathbone's Elucidator to the ground and grabbing back baby Kevin. Jordan returns with his family, who are immediately frozen. Rathbone puts together the broken Elucidator, only to rapidly age into dust. Jordan destroys the Elucidator with Kevin's secret before the time agents can be tempted by this "Pandora's Box."
     Angela and JB decide to get married and adopt baby Gary and Hodge.  Jordan's family takes in Kevin, and the kids even have a secret Elucidator given to them by JB "for emergencies" or times that they think it is necessary.

Legacy

James A. Michener

     Norman Starr is about to be tried because of his role in the Iran-Contra affair.  To prepare for trial, his lawyer friend, Zack McMaster, asks him to research his patriotic family history.  Each chapter focuses on a member of his family.  

     Jared Starr signed the Declaration of Independence and died fighting against the rebels in the Whiskey Rebellion.  His son, Simon Starr, went to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he got to know Hamilton and James Madison.  He calls James Wilson the Father of the Constitution, and Gouverneur Morris the most influential writer in condensing the Convention's work.  

     Justice Edmund Starr. weighing over 300 pounds and depicted by newspapers as a sleepy walrus, presided over cases with John Marshall.  Since he didn't understand the complex details of the cases, Marshall would explain them, and he would support him.  One case, McCulloch v. Maryland, established the right of the federal government to do things not expressly written in the constitution, and forbid states to tax the federal government.  In his argument, Daniel Webster said, "The power to tax is the power to destroy."

     General Hugh Starr was at West Point while Civil War tensions were rising.  Northerners admired him when he freed his slaves, but in the end, he was loyal to Virginia and became General Lee's right hand man.  His daughter, Emily Starr, sacrificed marriage for the sake of fighting for women's suffrage through the 19th Amendment.  

     Richard Starr, hardened by the Great Depression, campaigned against Roosevelt's N.R.A., which he believed was unconstitutional.  

     Norman's father is a World War II veteran who lost a leg in combat.  His mother, Rachel Starr, fought to have the Supreme Court order state legislatures to reapportion seats since the current system discriminated against urban voters.

     Zack convinces Norman to take the Fifth, but then Rachel's father, an immigrant from Poland and Czechoslovakia, reminded him that as a member of the military, his actions would reflect upon the country and Constitution.

     Excerpts of this book may be useful in teaching a history class, but overall, it may be too heavy reading for most grade school students, and there are a few bad words.

La Casa en Mango Street

Sandra Cisneros 

    La Casa en Mango Street es la historia de una chicana, Esperanza, en un barrio latino.  Ella habla de las personas en su calle, como Mamacita, una mujer que no sale de la casa por miedo de no estar apta hablar en inglés. 

     Esperanza tiene memorias felices de su niñez, especialmente con su hermanita, Nenny.  Exploraban en una tienda con cosas rotas y viejas, sin luz para personas sin dinero.  Nenny descubrió una caja de música y ofreció comprarla, pero el hombre dijo que no era en venta.

     Esperanza ve y experimenta muchas cosas feas en su barrio.  Alicia es una muchacha que tiene que limpiar y cocinar para su padre, pero también quiere ir a la escuela.  Por eso, tiene que estudiar durante la noche y ve ratones. 

     Una amiga, Sally, tiene un padre que la maltrata.  Ella se casa muy joven y su esposo no la permite salir de la casa.  Una vez, fue a un carnaval con Sally, y Sally mintió a ella.  Sally no regresó para reunirse con ella, y un grupo de muchachos la violaron. 

     El fin es mi parte favorita.  Es muy triste, pero hay esperanza y determinación.  A un funeral, tres hermanas viejas saben que Esperanza quiere salir de Mango Street para siempre, pero le aconseja que ella deba regresar para los que no pueden salir.  Esperanza no quiere pertenecer a su calle, pero le da cuenta de que su barrio y historia es una parte de ella.

The Skeleton in the Closet

M.C. Beaton

As far as I can tell, the only difference between YA and (not "literary value/highly symbolic") Adult Literature is the presence of alcohol and romance.  The romance in this one isn't too graphic, but not child appropriate.  

     I enjoyed the fact the book is British, using words like "trainers" and British spellings.  I was very disappointed that the skeleton was not literal.  They kept doing home renovations, and I kept hoping....  Overall, I found the book a bit of a slow read, excessive time spent describing colours, clothes, and the weather, as well as timid protagonists.  My first thought was that the weather was symbolic, but as a book labeled as a mystery, I feel the book's entertainment qualities are as important as meaning.

     Fellworth Dolphin is a sheltered, duty-bound son.  By the time his parents die, he is middle-aged and feels that life has passed him by.  He can't drive, never went to college, and never visited nearby London.  When his family comes for the funeral, he tells his Aunt Agnes that he is engaged to Maggie Partlett, a fellow server with him at the Palace.  She poses as his fiancee at the funeral, and he tells her about the large inheritance his father left him in the bank, as well as a mysterious box of cash he found in the house.  Maggie moves into his house, and soon they are working together to investigate a train robbery in which his father was a suspect.  In the end, an expensive dress worn by Gloria Lewis, (former) Inspector Rudfern's daughter, leads them to get a full confession from her father.

     

Six Feet Over It

Jennifer Longo:  Author

Wade:  Father.  Buys a graveyard and moves his family from Mendocino, by the ocean, to Hangtown.  Uses bad language, not a very good father.

Meredith:  Mother.  Retreats from the world by painting seascapes and visiting Mendocino alone.

Leigh:  Narrator.  Teenager forced by her father to sell graves in the graveyard he purchased, even though she's not legally old enough.  She has a bad attitude, and the book sounds kind of whiny at times.  It's annoying to read, but accurate.

Kai:  Leigh's sister, leukemia survivor.  Older, but often mistaken for the younger sister.  Leigh loves her a lot, but describes her as the kind of person you could go to for sympathy, but you would end up comforting her.  A really talented cross country runner.

Emily:  Leigh's secret best friend in Mendocino, where they lived before moving to Hangtown.  Died at girlscout camp and is buried in Hangtown.

Elanor:  Homeschooled girl who works at Rivendell, which delivers flowers to the Sierrawood graveyard.  Tries very hard to be Leigh's friend, but she pushes her away since she feels it would be unloyal to Emily to make a new friend.

Balin:  Elanor's brother, Kai's boyfriend.

Dario:  Indocumentado who forces Leigh to speak Spanish when digging graves.  Everyone loves him, and he comforts all the people at funerals and visiting graves.  Lives in a trailer in Sierrawood, which he decorates with Christmas lights.  Becomes Leigh's friend, pressures her to enroll in Driver's Ed, and teaches her to drive.

Ana:  Dario's girlfriend, whom he marries and brings across the border.  Beautiful; artist; made their wedding rings.

Samuel:  Latino who holds Ana and Dario hostage until Leigh negotiates and pays a ransom.

Mark of the Thief

Jennifer A. Nielsen

     This book is a cross between historical fiction and fantasy.  Set in ancient Rome, Nic is a slave working in the mines.  He refuses to go into a hole where Julius Caesar's treasure is hidden because one man sent before him died, and the other went crazy.  He runs away from his master, Sal, and almost escapes.  While hiding in the shadows, he hears General Radulf plotting treachery against Rome.  He is seen in the shadows by a slave about to take his place, so he soon finds himself entering Caesar's cave in search of a bulla.  He encounters a griffin, which he names Caela.  She fights him until he puts on the bulla, then rides on her back out of the cave to a strawberry field, where the guards find them sleeping.  Senator Valerius sees the wound Caela gave him on his shoulder and tells him it is a special mark, which he later learns is called the Divine Star.  They are captured, and brought before Sal.  Due to the begging of his sister, Livia, and a promise to marry Sal, he sells them to the venatio rather than killing them.  He is guarded by a girl, Aurelia.

     At the venatio, he is eventually tied to a horse, against the wishes of his owner Felix, and sent into the arena.  His magic accidentally causes an earthquake as he fights for his life, and Caela is wounded.  She flies away with him, finally dropping and leaving him when he accidentally lets her have the gold nugget the Romans had used to get her in her cage.

     After running from the Romans in the sewer, he is found and nursed back to health by Aurelia, only to be put in chains by her and the exposed children she cares for.  She intends to take him to Senator Horatio, one of the many people offering a reward for Nic.  Radulf attacks, and through Nic's powers they escape to Senator Valerius and his son Crispus.  Nic is accidentally chased by the dogs into a fountain in the moonlight, which leads the bulla to make the room as bright as daylight.  He then knows that Diana is fueling the bulla.  He goes to rescue Caela from the baths on the Appian Way, where he has a showdown with Radulf.  Radulf simply wants to see what he is capable of, and lets him escape with his life.

     Eventually, Nic faces Radulf in the arena.  Valerius ceases power by allowing Radulf to kill Horatio and blaming both Nic and Radulf.  Nic proves his innocence by having Aurelia shoot an arrow toward him, then redirecting it to right in front of Valerius's nose.  When the Praetors appear, Radulf disappears.