Ms. Nichols Reads

The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness Ness, Patrick. The Knife of Never Letting Go . Candlewick Press, 2018. In the novel The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, the setting is of a futuristic town called Prentisstown. In this town, Todd is the last boy remaining, while everyone else are men. At 13 boys become men in this town. The noise germ has been released on all the humans which gives them all the ability to communicate with animals and humans through their minds. Todd and his dog Manchee are out exploring, and accidentally stumble across something that is silent. This in turn is how Todd and Viola meet. They find out secrets about Prentisstown that they were never supposed to learn. Both Todd and Viola are being hunted by Aaron, which is how this novel ends. Viola kills Aaron and Todd surrenders to the mayor. It ends on a cliffhanger which makes me think there must be a sequel.     For fans of The Knife Of Never Letting Go , I...

Monster by Walter Dean Myers Myers, Walter Dean, and Christopher Myers. Monster . HarperTeen/Amistad, 2008. In the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myer, sixteen year old Steve finds himself on trial for murder. He is thought to have been involved in the shooting of a drug store owner. As the trial gets heated, Steve’s innocence is questioned and ultimately found not guilty. Racism and the quest for truth are themes explored in this novel. Also, the justice system is questioned time and time again as to wonder how fair is the justice system really? Meanwhile Steve questions his own self, as he writes in his journal, “Am I really a monster?”   For fans of Monster , I recommend reading Shooter , also written by Walter Dean Myers. In this novel, there is a school shooter, and multiple points of view are examined on the effect of the actions of the shooter.

It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris Harris, Robie H., and Michael Emberley. It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing up, Sex, and Sexual Health . Candlewick Press, 2014. In the book It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris, everything discussed is centered around what a young preteen might need to know about changing bodies, growing up, sex ,and sexual health. This book is like the holy grail for 13 year olds. This book was very different from all the other books I have read and reviewed so far. For starters, this is a nonfiction book and all the others were fiction. Although this book was different, it doesn’t make it any less important. Students can read this book and have all the questions they are too embarrassed to ask, answered. I can imagine, when I am a parent, handing this book to my child around the age of 13 and hoping we could discuss anything he (or she) doesn’t understand. I think the illustrations are helpful in pointing out what is being...

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart Gephart, Donna. Lily and Dunkin . Yearling, an Imprint of Random House Children's Books, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018. In the novel Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart, Tim and Norbert become friends through  their new identities. Tim wishes to be called Lily and Norbert hates his name, so Tim has given him the nickname Dunkin due to always eating Dunkin donuts and drinking their iced coffee. Both Lily and Dunkin are outcasts but form a friendship with each other. Dunkin joins the basketball team, due to his height, but the stress of the team causes Dunkin’s bipolar disorder to go wrong. Duncan finds himself in a mental hospital and the laughing stock of the school. Meanwhile, Lily chooses to express himself by dressing as a girl to the school dance. Dunkin shows up to the dance and both Lily and Duncan enjoy each other’s company, despite the fear that the whole school is looking at them.    For those ...

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden Garden, Nancy. Annie on My Mind . Farrar, 1992. In the novel Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden, Annie and Liza form a friendship from the moment they accidentally meet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Annie and Liza are from different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common; their feelings for each other. Annie and Liza’s relationship starts off as friendship, but it quickly blossoms into something more. Both girls develop feelings that they don’t understand for each other. Together both Annie and Liza are able to make sense of what they feel for one another. This is a heart-wrenching story, but I always found myself rooting for the girls to end up together.   For fans of Annie On My Mind , I recommend reading Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. This story is about two teenage boys who are enemies, but end up with a deeper relationship than just friendship. Enemies turn into lovers in this novel loosely based on the relation...

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar Behar, Ruth. Lucky Broken Girl . Puffin Books, 2018. In the novel Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar,  Ruthie is living a wonderful life in America with her parents and younger brother. Although she is still new to the country, and trying to acclimate, Ruthie is able to keep up in her classes and make friends with the boy in the apartment across the hall. Ruthie’s world is suddenly turned upside down when her family is in a terrible car accident. Luckily everyone in her family survives with only a few minor cuts and scratches, however Ruthie ends up with a horribly broken leg. Ruthie must learn to live with a cast for six months. How will Ruthie survive stuck in her bed for six month?. That means no more school, no more hopscotch with her friends, and stuck inside with her mother all day. Through hard work, love, and the care of family and friends, Ruthie is able to completely heal and return to school to join the “regular” class. A...

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak . Square Fish, 1999. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda starts her freshman year of high school as an outcast. Melinda called the cops on a summer party, and now no one at school will speak to her. What her classmates don’t realize is that Melinda was raped at that fateful party. She is alone in her battle for healing and justice.  As the novel progresses, Melinda starts to process what had happened to her and begins to heal. However, after encountering her attacker again, Melinda is able to stand up for herself and fight back. This is a story of resilience and power and shows how actions can harm and affect others in a multitude of ways For fans of this novel, I recommend reading Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson. Written by the same author as Speak , Prom centers around a group of high school friends and their quest to find dates to the prom.