Gentle Reads 2004
| Author | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
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| Booklists | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Gentle Reads 2004
Praying at the Sweetwater Motel by April Young Fritz YA F FRIT Sarah Jane understands why she, her younger sister and her mother had to leave her abusive father. But she doesn't give up hope of her dad changing.
Everything On A Waffle by Polly Horvath YA F HORV Eleven-year-old Primrose Squarp tells of her parents� disappearance at sea, and her living arrangement with her Uncle Jack. Primrose's only refuge is at a local restaurant, where the owner, Miss Bowzer, serves everything on waffles; and I mean everything: bacon, eggs, steak, chili�even waffles!
Lily B On the Brink of Cool by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel YA F KIMM Lily has the most boring life in the world. Her dad never drives a mile over the speed limit and her mom actually makes the beds in hotels so the maid won�t think they�re untidy. Lily knows that she�ll never become a famous writer with a boring family like that, so when she has a chance to spend time with the glamorous LeBlancs�, she jumps for it, even though her parents and even her best friend do not approve.
The Falconmaster by R.L. LaFevers YA F LAFE Wat has been abused his whole life. Since he was born with a bad eye and a bad foot, the people in his village thinks he�s from the devil. When Wat releases two baby falcons that Lord Sherbourne�s master of the hunt, Hugh, had just caught, Wat becomes a hunted boy. He escapes into the forest with the falcons, where he is found by an old man. An old man who can seemingly speak to the forest and who moves so silently that it appears he�s magic.
The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry YA F LOWR Katy Thatcher was the daughter of the town doctor; she wanted to be a doctor herself. Her love of people and desire to help them led her to a quiet friendship with Jacob, a boy who never talked but imitated sounds and had a real love for animals. But even Katy and her father couldn't protect Jacob from harsh reality when it insisted on intruding into his quiet life.
Brian�s Hunt by Gary Paulsen YA F PAUL Even though he said he wouldn�t return to Brian�s story, Gary Paulsen did it anyway. Good thing. Brian�s 16 now, and has voluntarily returned to live in the wild. He�s meandering northwards, planning on visiting the family he lived with at the end of Brian�s Winter, when he encounters a wounded dog. But why is an obviously tame dog out in the middle of nowhere?
How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen YA B PAULSEN Paulsen is back with this Harris and Me-like collection of daredevil (dare I say, stupid?) stunts pulled by his childhood friends. It's amazing that any of them are still alive today.
Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett YA SF PRAT When monsters invade her world from Fairyland and her brother disappears, Tiffany goes off to find him. She'll have to fight against flying fairies, dream-spinning dromes, grimhounds and dreams that trap the dreamer. But, luckily, Tiffany is not alone. She's surrounded by pictsies, little blue men who speak with such a strong accent that sometimes Tiffany can't even understand them, although they make it clear that they're famous for "stealin' and drinkin' and fightin'!" It's pretty impressive that Tiffany can organize and lead them at all, much less that she tries to overcome the powerful Elf Queen armed only with an iron frying pan.
Teenage Mermaid by Ellen Schreiber YA F SCHR Spencer almost drowns while surfing, but a mysterious girl saves him. He's never seen her, but accidentally took her necklace in their struggles to get to shore. It's the only way he has of identifying her. Kind of like Cinderella, kind of like the movie "Splash", this quick read is full of imaginative details of life underwater.
Dust by Arthur Slade YA F SLAD Robert's brother Matthew has disappeared, along with other kids from the town. But his parents, and almost all the adults in town, are spending their time and energy in building a rainmill, a device guaranteed to bring rain to the drought-stricken plains. The inventor of the rainmill, Abram Harsich, came to town at the same time the kids went missing. Robert knows he has to remember Matthew if he wants to find Matthew; but Robert is fast becoming an adult, and adults don't care.
Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo by Greg Leitich Smith YA F SMIT Elias, Shohei and Honoria all attend the Peshtigo School of Chicago, a very intense school. So when they do a science fair, it's important. Honoria thinks so, anyway. And although his dad is making him participate, Elias does as well. But Shohei couldn't care less, which would be okay if he wasn't partnering with Elias. Their friendship is under enough strain with Shohei's indifference, but throw in the fact that Honoria is interested in Shohei, and Elias is interested in Honoria, and the whole thing is one big mess.
Swear to Howdy by Wendelin VanDraanen YA F VAND Rusty and Joey were best friends as soon as they met. And their first summer together was the most fun Rusty ever had. It included catching frogs, fishing and farting contests. But life wasn�t all fun and games for Joey; his dad made sure of that.
Sorcery & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer YA SF WRED Cecelia and her cousin Kate, whose gone to London for her debut in Society, exchange letters detailing all the exciting things that are happening. Added to the thrill of Kate's first balls and Society dinners are dealings with wizards for both girls. Think Pride and Prejudice with magic (some of it black) thrown in.
Utten and Plumley by Reade Scott Whinnem YA F WHIN Utten is a little blue man who travels in a bucket and can change himself into a bird. Plumley is a grouchy old man who just wants to be alone. Can Utten change Plumley's life for the better?