Books 8 and 9: Linger and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

It appears that I really enjoy Maggie Stiefvater.  Over the summer, I finished one series (the Wolves of Mercy Falls) and started another (Raven Boys).  I've written in the past about her book Scorpio Races, one of my personal favorites!

I finished the remaining books in the series rather quickly because I wanted to know what would happen to Grace and Sam.  Would their love story work out when everything seemed to be working against them?

In the first book, Shiver, Sam and Grace were the primary points of view.  In the second book, Linger, Cole St. Clair and Isabel are added into the chapter rotations.  These characters bring a completely different perspective to the chaotic situation that is taking place in their lives.  While Sam and Grace tend to have a positive outlook, Cole and Isabel are depressive, negative, and fighting to stay in the present.  These four characters gel perfectly.

In the finale book, Forever, the relationships and characters are developed into much deeper levels.  Isabel really shines as a main character in this book.  Overall, it was a solid conclusion to the series.  I don't want to give away too much since you have to know how Shiver (book one) ends to really understand the plot details of books two and three.

Beach Reading

I spent last week in Hilton Head, SC and the beginning of this week in training.  I can't believe that it is already the end of summer!

The best part about being at the beach is that I get to lay in the sun and read!  My husband's whole family was with us, so Riley had plenty of eyeballs watching her as she played with her cousins--giving me a little freedom to focus on my books!

Books I read:
Across a War-Tossed Sea (already posted a review)
Independent Study (sequel to Testing Day)
This One Summer
Linger and Forever (books two and three of Shiver)
and I started Unbroken and Graduation Day.

I've also started Between Shades of Grey on audio as I drive back and forth to Trailside!

I will be working on reviews for all of these, so stay tuned.

Book 7: Across a War-Tossed Sea by L. M. Elliott

As promised--a book that is a new genre!  Across a War-Tossed Sea by L. M. Elliott is a historical fiction set during World War II in 1943.  This book is considered a companion book to Under a War-Torn Sky.  You don't need to read both for the story to make sense.  Under a War-Torn Sky takes place in the same time setting and the main character, Henry, has a connection to the characters in Across a War-Tossed Sea.  He isn't in this book, but his name is mentioned, making the books connected in a companion format.

I read this book as part of a YA book club I am in with other teachers.  See--I do as I teach!  When I ask my students to participate in certain components within the classroom, I am often doing something similar, possibly even exactly the same, so that I know what my students are feeling.  For this book club, I have been asked to read three books over the summer before our very first meeting in September.

I have to make an admission...I do not usually enjoy historical fiction.  The underlying reason is due to my lack of definitive knowledge relating to history.  It seems to me that the authors of historical fiction expect their readers to have a decent knowledge base revolving the event depicted in the story.  I find myself feeling as if I am missing important details and questioning my background information about those events.  This feeling leads to my lack of interest in the genre.

I did enjoy Across a War-Tossed Sea.  I do know a good bit about World War II, so the holes in my knowledge didn't dissuade me as I read.  Even so, I never really knew about the British children and German POWs being sent to America.  I think this was an interesting element, because most of what we learn and know is focused on Europe.

Reading this story actually gave me new knowledge about this time period in our history.  It drove me to research what was presented in the story and kept the learning going!  That's when I know that I have connected with a historical fiction book--it piques my curiosity.

The story examines the lives of two British boys sent to live with a family in Virginia in order to escape the attacks in Great Britain.  They have to work through a lot of painful emotions as the book unfolds, deciding who they are becoming and what they will stand for in life.  The focus flips between both boys, who are very different from one another.

This is the type of book that would be a great connection to both Virginia studies and US history.  I would absolutely recommend Across a War-Tossed Sea to middle school students.