Jane by: April Lindner

 

"Did you find out who set the fire?"  I whispered.

He nodded. "It's all taken care of.  There's nothing more to worry about."  I waited for him to say more but he was silent.

We have a few English classes that read Jane Erye every year and I wanted to review this retelling of Jane Eyre for them.  I think they would enjoy this book just as much, if not more than the original because of the modern setting.  I read this book back in 2010 when it was released, being a fan of classic retellings, I was thrilled that this one was written for a Young Adult audience. 

Summary:
Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance.

But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?

An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers. .

My Review:
Jane is a modern retelling of the classic Charlotte Bronte novel Jane Eyre.   April Lindner takes a beloved character, modernizes her and spins a classic story with a fresh voice.  I loved Jane Moore the moment  I met her on page one, she is an incredible tribute to the original Jane.  This story surprised me at how faithful it was to the original, yet how perfectly set in a modern time made the story stand out on its own.  Jane Moore was just as independent, practical and plainspoken as Jane Eyre and just as lovable. 

Mr. Rathburn was just as brooding, mercurial and mysterious as our original hero Mr. Rochester. Yet, there was something different about Mr. Rathburn in the sense that I think he was a bit more vulnerable than the original but that just made him all the more captivating. 

I loved the Rock-Star element in the story, it was so fun and unique!  This story had me captivated from the beginning to the end. It made me immediately want to pick up my tattered, tabbed copy of Jane Erye to read again!   That is the same effect I hope it will have with students.   It was a wonderful tribute to a beloved classic novel and an enchanting story of loss, love and redemption.  I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year,...more

Keep Holding On by: Susane Colasanti

 

Who doesn't run the other way when she thinks her life is being threatened?  Who doesn't fight to stay alive? Every single day of my life is a fight.  But yesterday, I gave up without even trying.  I want to keep fighting.  I really do.  I'm just so tired of how nothing ever gets better.

 

Chew.
Swallow.
Chew.
Swallow.
Don’t look up.

Lunch is the worst, but there’s no safe place at school for Noelle. Keeping her mortifying home life a secret and trying to ignore the kids who make her life miserable are Noelle’s survival strategies. Her emotionally distant boyfriend, Matt, isn’t the one she really wants to be with. But there’s no way she could ever be with Julian Porter.

When Julian starts talking to her, Noelle is terrified. It seems safer to stay with Matt than risk a broken heart. But when the bullying of a friend goes too far, Noelle realizes it’s time to stand up for herself—and for everything that makes her keep holding on.

 I am a big fan of Susane Colasanti, I love her books.  When this book came out recently it was greeted with mixed reviews.  I read it and I think it is a really great book that handles the "Big B" epidemic well.  Bullying is real and it happens in all schools, and turning away from it doesn't make it go away.  In this story, Noelle, is bullied and she is ashamed.
She is ashamed that she is poor that subjects her to the bullying.
She is ashamed that she has no back bone to stand up for herself or those around her that are also being bullied.
She is ashamed that her mother doesn't love her.
She is ashamed that she allows her "boyfriend" to keep her a secret.
She is ashamed to be who she is. 

This story can be any ones story.  It is real, it is raw and I feel it is a must read.

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

"Okay." She watched me walk around the river. "I don’t' know what you want," she said. "Sometimes you act like you love me, and sometimes you act like you couldn't care less."

I turned my back on her. I wasn’t in the mood to give her anything right then, to joke with her, to play our usual game. "Then I guess you'll always have to wonder," I said over my shoulder.

I read this book years ago, 2010 to be exact and when it was turned in the other day I picked it up gave it a quick read again and I remembered how much I really liked this book.

Colt and Julia were with each other for over a year, but nobody knew about it. Julia lived on Black Mountain Road, complete with mansions, country clubs and a picture perfect boyfriend. Colt lived at the bottom, a place they called the flats. They attended high school together but were far from being friends. The met up on accident one night at the river and a forbidden romance begins to take shape. With their secret building and weighing heavily on both their lives, Julia is in a car accident and dies and suddenly the secret begins to eat away at Colt. How do you get over someone who was never yours to begin with?

Not exactly Romeo and Juliet, Julia and Colt could have been together if they really wanted to, sure their parents and friends would have been upset at first but it was something that would have passed. So the question remains why? Why did they choose to keep their relationship this way? If Julia would have broken up with her boyfriend would she have been with Colt? And would Colt have even wanted to be with her?

 If they would have been together publicly, Julia would have never been at that party the night she was killed. And this is the guilt that has consumed Colt in the aftermath.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

 

"I figured something out. The future is unpredictable" (Epilogue, p. 213).

 

When Colin Singleton was a little boy, he was a child prodigy.  He read books about Aracamedies at the age of 4, he is a math whiz and loves to anagram.  Colin has another quirk, he has only ever dated girls named Katherine.  He has dated and been dumped by 19 Kahterines.  So in the wake of the K-19 Debacle, Colin's best friend Hassan convinces him to go on a road trip this last summer before college to take his mind off the break up.  With 10,000 dollars in his pocket and a goal to accomplish his "Euerka" moment, Colin and Hussan set out on an adventure of their lives.

 

John Green is the voice of a generation.  He writes witty, smart books for Young Adults and is an amazing writer and role model for our young men.

 

An Abundance of Katherines was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Honor book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. It was also named one of the books of the year by Booklist, Horn Book, and Kirkus.

Under the Mesquite by: Guadalupe Garcia McCall

When Papi gives us the news
at the breakfast table,
Analiza and Victoria
stare at him wide-eyed.
Its been a year and a half
since Mami had her last
chemotherapy treatment,
and although most of Papi's
money has been spent
on the hope of saving her life,
the cancer has returned.

What can I say about this novel that has not already been said, other than I LOVED IT!
A novel told in verse is a powerful piece of literature.  It is a piece of literature that can reach all readers.  Mix that with a strong and hopeful message and you have yourself a notable book, a book that won five awards in its short release.

In Under the Mesquite, we meet Lupita, a teenage, Mexican girl who lives in Texas.  Life is good for Lupita until tragedy strikes her family in the form of cancer.  Lupita has a big family and with seven siblings, being the oldest means she had to grow up quick.  With her mother now sick, she needs to step up as caretaker of her kin and help her father raise her brothers and her sisters. All this while going to school and dealing with life as a young girl in high school.

Overcoming her obstacles, Lupita survives what life has thrown at her and helps her family get through their heartache and hardships while instilling hope in them all. Winner of the Pura Belpre, a prestigious award given to a Latino writer  whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth, McCall's contribution to Latino Literature is remarkable, and Under the Mesquite is an unforgettable story that will resonate with all readers and cultures alike.  It is about a human experience and one we can all relate to.

A Kid From Southie by: John "Red" Shea & Michael Harmon

"You can start by telling me why you didn't come home last night, and you can also explain why two men followed me  home after work and have been milling around the entrance to our building all day long."

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with living in Boston.  I wanted my parents to pick and move there!  I have always been a dreamer and in my mind I was going move to Boston, find Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block, marry him and live happily ever after. Ok, so that didn’t happen, however, I still love Boston and I love reading about Boston and this book A Kid From Southie was a compelling read! 

Aiden O’Conner is a high school senior, his father is a drunk and has abandoned Aiden and his mother.  Aiden's mother works in pubs, she barely makes enough money to support them. When he is approached by a childhood friend with a promise of easy money, he reluctantly gets mixed up with the Irish mob, who run South Boston.  Aiden is a talented boxer and if steered in the right direction has a promising future, but now that he is working as an enforcer for the mob he finds himself questioning who he is and his future. 

I loved this book!  It has a great plot and good characters.  You will empathize with Aiden as he makes mistakes and tries to find his way.

 

Southie= South Boston

 

First Comes Love by: Katie Kacvinsky

 

 

"Welcome to Phoenix," he says. He stares back at me with stubborn eyes, like I picked the wrong local if I'm looking for excitement, but I return the look because I think he's wrong.  He has a venturous side, I can sense it, but for some reason it's buried. ~Dylan

 

Meet Gray, like his name he is dark and stormy.

Meet Dylan, a fun-loving girl, who loves adventure and is full of life and light.

They are exact opposites.

Told in alternating points of view, what starts off as an unlikely friendship, turns into an easy friendship, admiration, and respect.  Falling in love was the easy part for these two but with secrets, pasts and insecurities sometimes staying in love is hard to do. 

 

I liked this book because it was told in alternating points of view, you are able to see in the minds of both characters and are able to form your opinions about them better this way.  I love books told in first person POV and in alternating POV, its almost like reading a diary!

 

I recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction, this duo develop a slow friendship which makes this book much more realistic than others.

 

 

 

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