Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

I'm looking forward to discuss this book for eighth grade book club later this week. Yellow Star was a quick, but engrossing historical fiction read. Written in verse, it recounts the experiences of Syvia and her family during World War II. Based on the experiences of her aunt during the war, Jennifer Roy chose to share her aunt's story through a first person narrative. Syvia was four and a half when her family and all the other Jews in Lodz, Poland were moved to the ghetto. By the time liberation came the quarter million Jewish population of the city numbered at 800, with only 12 surviving children. A powerful story of war and suffering told through a child's eyes.

Works Cited
Yellow Star Cover. LibraryThing. Web. 15 Nov. 2009 http://www.librarything.com/work/1194939

Science Fiction and Fantasy

For the past couple weeks, I've been reading all fantasy and science fiction as part of the materials for young adults class I am teaching this fall. These are genres (especially fantasy) that I don't always pick up when choosing my recreational reading. It has been a great reminder for me how important it is to continue to stretch myself as a reader and how important it is for me as a librarian to make sure I'm familiar with books in all genres to do a better job in matching books with readers at Highland.

Here's what I've read:
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Unwind by Neal Schusterman
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Foundling by D.M. Cornish
River Secrets by Sharon Hale
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchet
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Fruits Basket v. 1 by Natsuki Tayaka

I really enjoyed the science fiction reads! And I made it through all the fantasy (enjoying some more than others), including my first manga.