by Beth Kephart
Elisa Cantor is a high school student who is good at writing poetry and coming up with metaphors. She really has no friends, but boys in her class come to her when they need a love letter written. So she writes love letters that she will never receive as she develops a crush on a boy who likes someone else. It isn't until her literature class reads the play Cyrano de Bergerac that she begins to feel like she is living a tragedy.
The story is told through Elisa's voice and the secondary characters always seem to be in the background, coming off a bit flat. The end felt rushed, but overall it was a nice story with pretty language and a likeable main character.
Hilary and Rebecca
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Love Walked In
by Marisa de los Santos
First meet Cornelia Brown - the thirty-something manager of a Philadelphia coffee shop. She is a quirky, witty, and vibrant woman who loves Cary Grant and old movies. She knows that she doesn't want to be the manager of a coffee shop forever but she isn't sure what exactly she does want to do.
Next meet Clare Hobbes - an eleven year old who enjoys reading stories about orphans (Anne Shirley, Mary Lennox, and Sarah Crewe to name a few). But Clare is also carrying a huge weight on her shoulders and living in constant fear that someone will discover a secret she is desperately trying to keep.
What do these two heroines have to do with each other? Nothing at first. Then their worlds collide and they are both surprised by the bond that they form.
This is a beautiful story of love, tragedy, and hope. Throughout the book it is evident that the author truly is a poet; her use of language often has a lyrical effect.
Another thing that makes this a fun read is all of the references to classic movies, actors, and actresses.
Hilary
First meet Cornelia Brown - the thirty-something manager of a Philadelphia coffee shop. She is a quirky, witty, and vibrant woman who loves Cary Grant and old movies. She knows that she doesn't want to be the manager of a coffee shop forever but she isn't sure what exactly she does want to do.
Next meet Clare Hobbes - an eleven year old who enjoys reading stories about orphans (Anne Shirley, Mary Lennox, and Sarah Crewe to name a few). But Clare is also carrying a huge weight on her shoulders and living in constant fear that someone will discover a secret she is desperately trying to keep.
What do these two heroines have to do with each other? Nothing at first. Then their worlds collide and they are both surprised by the bond that they form.
This is a beautiful story of love, tragedy, and hope. Throughout the book it is evident that the author truly is a poet; her use of language often has a lyrical effect.
Another thing that makes this a fun read is all of the references to classic movies, actors, and actresses.
Hilary
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
DAY AFTER NIGHT by Anita Diamant
The setting is August 1945 in Atlit, an internment camp near Haifa for "illegal" Jewish immigrants attempting to escape from Europe to "Zion" (Israel). The four main characters are young women who survived the Holocaust. Shayndel was a Polish resistance fighter; Leonie faced her war horrors in Paris; Tedi was a Dutch Jew who survived by hiding; and Zorah survived a concentration camp. All of them are haunted by their memories and afraid to hope. Their gradual friendship gives them strength to create their new lives. Vivid descriptions of the conditions and characters that I grew to care about brought history to life. This fiction book is based on the true story of 200 prisoners who were rescued from Atlit. JES