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Fever 1793 – Laurie Halse Anderson

In the year 1793, the town of Philadelphia was hit with a horrible epidemic of yellow fever. Thousands fled the city as friends and neighbors began to die left and right. “Fever 1793” is a young adult historical fiction novel that tells the story of this bleak time in our nation’s history. Mattie Cook is the only daughter of a woman who owns a coffee house in Philadelphia. Every day is spent preparing meals for their customers, cleaning up after the meals, and getting ready for the next day. Mattie has always had a hard time getting out of bed … Continue reading →

Tristi’s Picks: Best Novels Read in 2007

It’s that time of year – the time to look back at my reading for the last year and decide which books were the most outstanding. As always, it’s a tough call, more so than usual, as I really found some great reads in 2007. I decided to allow for fifteen top favorites instead of my usual ten – ten is just too limiting. 1. “Wildwood Dancing” by Juliet Marillier was my favorite read over all. This delightful and enchanting fairy tale took the stories of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” and “The Frog Prince” and blended them together in a … Continue reading →

Beneath a Marble Sky – John Shors

“Beneath a Marble Sky” is the first novel for John Shors, but I would not have guessed it. His imagery is stunning, his word choice nearly flawless – I would have credited this book to a much more seasoned novelist. The book is a historical fiction set around the building of the Taj Mahal. We have all heard the story of the king who loved his wife dearly and was heartbroken when she died, and so he created a mausoleum in her memory and caused it to be the most beautiful building on earth. Shors took that kernel of information, … Continue reading →

Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli

She was unique. She marched to the beat of a different drummer. She came like a whirlwind into the high school in Mica, Arizona, dressed like a Victorian bride, playing her ukulele in the lunch room, and no one in the whole school knew what to make of her. Leo certainly didn’t, but he sure wanted to figure her out. She chose the name “Stargirl” for herself, feeling that it more closely resembled who she was than her own given name of “Susan.” She wore what she felt like wearing. She did what she felt like doing. She was her … Continue reading →