Book 12: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

I decided to read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand after seeing many of my students carrying it around last spring. I didn't realize that there was already an adult version of this book, but the young adult version is in depth enough that I don't feel as if I missed anything major!

The book itself is a biographical account of former olympian and World War II survivor, Louis Zamperini. His harrowing ordeal of being lost at sea and then captured by the Japanese is a tale of strength and faith. After just a few chapters, I was completely hooked.  I wanted to know more about what happened to Louis Zamperini and how he was able to come out alive on the other end.

Laura Hillenbrand does a fantastic job of weaving his story with photos and tokens of his and his fellow soldiers' lives. Her way of writing out his survival story is vivid and descriptive, sucking you into that world as you read. It is beyond obvious that she did her research before sitting down to write this book. There were moments that I had to stop reading, because the material being described was that impactful. The time he spends in the POW camp will make you pause, and the images are descriptive.

Ultimately, this book is extremely captivating. I kept connecting with the story and I cared for him and what he went through. It represents such a terrible time that our country, and our soldiers, went through that this book is a must-read.

Book 11: Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau is the sequel to The Testing. I'm currently reading the final book in the trilogy, Graduation Day, so I have to be careful not to confuse the two!

Cia is continuing in on her journey. She is now studying at Tosu University and assigned to an independent study program that doesn't thrill her. She was fairly confident in her own abilities and the degree she wanted, but they chose to assign her somewhere else.

The troubles are brewing below the surface. Cia has nightmares and feels as if there is something she should be remembering. She finds herself trying to recall her testing experience and basically investigating the happenings in the University. She starts to question what is happening around her and the people that she is getting to know. Who should she trust?

I think this is a solid sequel to The Testing. Cia continues to prove herself as a strong female lead. The story focuses on her and not on her relationship with Tomas. There is a small element revolving around a possible rebellion, but that plot wasn't fully developed.

The book had it's weaknesses, but overall, I enjoyed it. I quickly picked up Graduation Day, so I hope to finish it soon!

Book 10: This One Summer

This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki is the third book I read for my book club.  It is a graphic novel about a middle school girl named Rose and her summer vacation. Each year, her family stays at a lake house in Awago Beach. Her younger friend, Windy, is also there every summer.

The pictures were drawn beautifully and had small details that contributed immensely to the story itself. The artwork was probably my favorite part of the story--I examined all of the pages closely, thinking about the choices that the illustrator was making.

This book is basically a memoir about a girl's summer. The beginning is the arrival at the lake house and the end is the leaving of the lake house. Over the course of the summer, the two girls experience quite a bit of drama surrounding local teenagers. They face several issues that I think teens can connect with, but nothing really comes of it...no lessons learned, no problems solved...they just experience.

I think the moment that disappointed me the most was the way Rose reacted to the local girls and the words she used to describe them. It saddened me that she would make the statements and brush it off as if it was no big deal. That vocabulary is my reason for not recommending this book for middle school.  It is definitely a YA choice, but I am sure there are many students that can connect to the issues taking place throughout the novel.

This one is touchy. It has very sensitive material, so it would be up to the reader or the parents to determine if it is an appropriate read. It is also a very quick read since it is a graphic novel.