Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

 

Yesterday, I read Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. This book is a novel in verse about a fifteen-year-old boy, Will Holloman, who wants to get revenge after his older brother, Shawn, is murdered. Knowing the Rules of no crying, no snitching, and seeking revenge, Will finds the gun in his brother's middle drawer one evening and tucks it into the waistband of the back of his jeans the next morning. He leaves his apartment before his mom wakes up and enters the elevator. Over the next minute, Will is visited by six ghosts as the elevator stops at each floor between the eighth and the bottom. From these ghosts, he learns more about the story behind what happened to his brother. Will thinks he knows who killed his brother, but he's not completely sure, so he has to decide if he is going to continue the cycle of violence from his family and friends following the Rules.

I was reading this book for the second time, and it was just as compelling as the first time I read it three years ago. It reminds me a little of A Christmas Carol, but more intense. Each time Will stopped at a floor, I was interested in who would visit him and what the ghost would reveal to him. I also wondered if Will would be able to go through with shooting his brother's murderer or not, especially after growing to doubt who exactly murdered Shawn and understanding what led up to the tragedy. I didn't want him to make the wrong the choice because I felt awful that he was dealing with so much responsibility for someone so young. Overall, this book was very enlightening about gun violence. It's perfect for anyone who enjoys suspense and realistic fiction or wants a quick read.

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh

 

Over the weekend, I read Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh. This novel was a fast-paced ghost story about a twelve-year-old girl, Harper Raine, who moves from New York City into an eerie old house in Washington, D.C with her family and can't remember what happened to her when there was a fire at her old school the previous fall. After two days of living in the house, Harper is not only bothered by the heat and weird cold spots, she is also creeped out by her younger brother Michael's new imaginary friend, Billy. The next day, Harper decides to explore the neighborhood and makes a new friend, Dayo. As she learns more about the previous owners of the house and remembers the events of the fall, she begins to wonder if her house could really be haunted and if she needs to save Michael from a restless spirit.

I was so excited to read another ghost story after reading Small Spaces earlier this school year. This time, the story was about a haunted house. Right from the very first chapter I was so concerned about Michael having a new best friend just days after moving into a new house. It made my skin crawl, and I had hoped that Harper could figure out what exactly was going on with him. When Dayo shared the stories about Professor Grady, the first owner of Harper's new home, and the residents who lived there afterwards, I knew there was something seriously wrong with the house. I was also drawn into the story by the mystery of Harper's visions and why she was sent to Briarly, a mental health institute in New York. I felt really bad for Harper having a big blank in her memory and was relieved when she finally remembered what led to the fire at her old school. The end of the book was filled with action after Harper learned that she had the power to save her brother, and I loved eventually meeting her oldest friend Rose and her grandmother, whom her mother hadn't let her see in years because they had a falling out. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys creepy stories about haunted houses and possession.

Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen

 

Yesterday evening, I finished reading Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen. This historical fiction novel is about Chaya Lindner, a Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II. After her younger sister is taken away to Auschwitz and her brother disappears, Chaya decides to become a courier for the resistance group, Akiva. Her job is to smuggle food and documents into the ghettos and help people out of them. Soon after she begins her work as a courier, she is invited on a more dangerous mission. When this mission to raid the Cyganeria Cafe goes horribly wrong, Chaya is alone and she doesn't know where to turn, but another girl from Akiva, Esther, finds her and they begin an even larger mission to join the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto.

This historical novel was a thriller with lots of suspense and action, but it was also devastating reading about the pain, suffering, and death of the Jews. The heroines, Chaya and Esther, were incredibly courageous and I admired how they risked their own lives to help their people. For much of the book, they were also very lucky with several near escapes. I was so nervous when Esther was captured on their journey to Warsaw and Chaya had to rescue her. Thankfully, Chaya was successful and they both reached Warsaw. The battle in the Warsaw Ghetto was definitely the most suspenseful part of the book because I didn't know who would survive and who would die. The resistance did start strongly, but it increasingly became clear that they just didn't have the amount or kind of resources that the Germans had. The end is sad, but there is a dash of hope and I enjoyed the story overall. In an afterward, Nielsen discusses the real historical events and people that inspired the book. This book is a terrific choice for anyone who enjoys action-filled books or stories about World War II and the Holocaust.

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

 

Last week, I read The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty. This realistic fiction novel is about a girl, Lucy Callahan, who was struck by lightning when she was eight years old. After the trip to the hospital, Lucy and her grandmother thought things would go back to normal, but the lightning strike caused Lucy to become a math genius from a condition called acquired savant syndrome. Four years of homeschooling later, Lucy has already graduated from high school, passed the GED, and earned a perfect score on the math section of the SAT, but her grandmother decides to send her to middle school for a year instead of allowing her to go to college because she needs to work on her people skills. For Lucy, starting middle school as a seventh grader is awful. Even though she decides to hide her math skills, the other students still tease her because she obsesses over cleanliness and has to stand and sit three times before she stays seated. When Lucy is assigned a group service project, she gradually learns the meaning of friendship and embraces her uniqueness.

I found this book to be delightful, although it was very emotional at times. I could really relate to Lucy's struggles from being out of her comfort zone. She prefers to do math and stay away from dogs, but she ends up developing a huge soft spot for a sick dog she names Pi. I definitely got a little teary-eyed when Lucy and her newfound friends, Windy and Levi, had a hard time finding a home for Pi. There was also this mean girl, Maddie, who made me really angry with the way she treated and spoke about Lucy. She reminded me of the mean girls in my middle school years ago. I was rooting for Lucy to stick up for herself, and I was so proud of her when she finally did. Additionally, I thought it was cool that the author wrote every number in the novel as digits and included information about the mathematical constant pi and the Fibonacci sequence after the story ended. Anyone who feels different, enjoys friendship or dog stories, or likes math would enjoy this wonderful and hopeful book.

Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh. This realistic fiction novel is about two boys who find themselves in Brussels, Belgium. For Ahmed, he has recently traveled from Syria to escape the bombings and lost his father on the dangerous journey. Nobody wants anything to do with a Muslim boy and he can't find anyone to trust. The other boy, Max, is an American who doesn't want to go to a school where instruction is in French and he is harassed by a bully. When Ahmed seeks shelter in the wine cellar of Max's house, Max discovers him and they decide to befriend each other. After the horrific terror attacks in Paris, and then in Brussels itself, it becomes harder and harder to hide Ahmed. Despite the odds, Ahmed and Max learn courage from each other and work together to change Ahmed's future.

I thought this book was amazing because it was so full of friendship and hope and the plot twists added suspense. I liked how Ahmed and Max were very different, but at the same time, they were similar in their loneliness and related to each other despite their differences. Although Nowhere Boy started slow, the last part of the book was exhilarating and I had to know if Ahmed would be able to go to school and have a better life. This book is great for building compassion for those who are different because it examines the effects of racism and xenophobia, the fear of foreigners. It was also striking to see the similarities between America after 9/11 and Europe after the 2015-2016 terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. Additionally, the book interweaves the real life story of a Jewish boy, Ralph Mayer, and the man who helped hide him during the Holocaust, Albert Jonnart. This story of a real life hero really adds to the plot because it's what inspires Max to break the rules and help Ahmed. At the end of the book, there is an interview in which Marsh discusses her inspiration for Nowhere Boy. Anyone who has ever felt lonely or uncertain or wants a story of friendship, family, hope, and courage would enjoy this remarkable book.