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The Window – Michael Dorris

Rayona knows her mother’s not responsible enough to take care of her, but that doesn’t keep her from having fierce loyalty. For years she’s made excuses for her mom’s midweek benders and hangovers, the lack of food in the fridge from grocery money spent on alcohol instead, and the days missed at work because her mom was too “sick” to go in. When Rayona’s dad comes for a visit and sees how things really are, he removes Rayona from the house and calls in a rehab clinic to take in the mom. At first, Rayona thinks she’ll be living with … Continue reading →

Sixteen in No Time – BJ Rowley

Celinda and her friend Mandy are looking forward to the junior prom. Celinda has been asked to go by Travis Foxx, the hottest guy in school, and Mandy has her eye on a guy of her own. The dance is just a week away and they’re full of high hopes. . . but there’s a problem. They each have rules in their homes that they can’t date until they’re sixteen, and the prom comes right before their birthdays. Consequently, their parents say they can’t go. Heartbroken, Celinda decides there has to be a way to get around her parents. She … Continue reading →

Symptoms of Alcoholism

You don’t have to drink often to be at risk for alcohol abuse or dependence. You might not drink every day. You might go weeks between drinking, and call yourself a social drinker. Start by taking a look at the risk factors for alcoholism — are you at risk? I am. These are the signs that you are abusing alcohol: You have problems at work or school related to your alcohol use — tardiness, absenteeism, increased injuries, or decreased performance. You drink in dangerous situations — like before or while driving. You have blackouts — when you are sober after … Continue reading →

What I Call Life – Jill Wolfson

“What I Call Life” is a young adult fiction novel set around the Pumpkin House, an orange building filled to the brim with foster children who operate under the care of the Knitting Lady. When Cal Lavender’s mother has another one of her “episodes,” this time in a public library, eleven-year-old Cal isn’t fazed. This is normal behavior for her mother. Soon she’ll snap out of it and everything will be fine, until the next time. But the authorities are called and Betty is taken off for treatment, while Cal is taken to the Pumpkin House. She doesn’t know what … Continue reading →

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 →

Whale Song – Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Young adult novel “Whale Song” by acclaimed Canadian author Cheryl Kaye Tardif is the story of Sarah, a young girl who is leaving her Wyoming farm and moving with her family to Vancouver Island. Her father is a scientist who will be studying the killer whales that live in the oceans near the island, and he has found his family a wonderful home to stay in for the next few years while he carries out his studies. Sarah isn’t sure about being away from Wyoming for so long – all her friends are there, and she doesn’t like the idea … Continue reading →

Hope Was Here – Joan Bauer

I really enjoyed “Hope Was Here” by Joan Bauer, the story of a teenage girl who doesn’t know where she belongs, until she finds a place that’s better than anything she could have imagined. She was born prematurely and underweight. Her mother, a flighty, irresponsible woman barely older than a girl herself, took off and left her at the hospital, after sticking her with the impossible name of Tulip. Hope’s aunt Addie took her in, raised her, allowed her to change her name, and gave her a backbone of security. With just one flaw – they’ve had to move frequently. … Continue reading →

When the Road Ends – Jean Thesman

In “When the Road Ends” by Jean Thesman, Mary Jack is a twelve-year-old who has spent her entire life in the foster care system. Passed around from home to home, she’s never had any constancy in her life until now, having been placed with Father Matt and his wife. Father Matt is a well-meaning man of the cloth – his heart’s in the right place, but he doesn’t often have the courage to follow through. His wife is an unkind, unfeeling woman who complains endlessly about all she has to endure, and Mark Jack finds herself taking up a lot … Continue reading →