Chains

Chains

By Laurie Halse Anderson

When their former owner dies, Isabel and Ruth should be free. Instead they are sold to a cruel Loyalist couple in New York City. There, 13-year old Isabel struggles to protect her younger sister and soon she discovers that the island of New York makes for an ideal prison from which escape is near impossible. With the Revolutionary War beginning and England taking over the city, Isabel is torn between aiding the Colonists or the Loyalists. Both sides fail slaves, continually using them. To find her own way Isabel must use her head and determine who she can trust and how to use what little power she has. Tories, loyalists and spies ... Wonderfully written!

Bloom

Bloom

By Kenneth Oppel

Anaya, Petra and Seth are three teens who live on Salt Spring Island, and all of them are a bit “different”.  Anaya is allergic to many, many things and constantly battles the acne that is caused by her allergies.  Petra has an extremely rare condition that makes her allergic to water (!).  And Seth is a foster kid who’s living with one of the island families.

When strange black “grass” begins to grow all over the island, no one can seem to get rid of it; it’s like the strongest weed in the world!  As the grass spreads through crops and forests, island residents start to experience terrible reactions to the unusual plants.  But Anaya, Petra and Seth are the exceptions.  For some reason, the plants don’t affect them at all.

Soon these invasive plants are spreading all over the world with deadly consequences.  Anaya’s dad, a biologist, sets off to Cordova Island to do some experiments and promptly disappears.  Meanwhile, CSIS (Canada’s version of the CIA) sends Dr. Weber to do tests on Anaya, Petra and Seth.  When the three friends and Dr. Weber begin searching for Anaya’s dad, they end up battling for their lives!

Bloom is a very suspenseful novel that will have you on the edge of your seat!  This is the first in a trilogy.

Deadman's Castle

Deadman's Castle

By Iain Lawrence

Igor and his family have been on the run since he was a young boy.  After witnessing a terrible crime, his father had to take his family into hiding to avoid the terrifying Lizard Man, who seems to track them down wherever they go.  Igor and his family have lived in many different places.  Eventually they always “bug out”, leaving town in the middle of the night so that they won’t be found.

But as Igor gets older, he craves a more normal life.  At age twelve, he finally starts attending regular school.  Although he dresses differently than the other kids and he lives by very strict rules, he starts to make some friends.  Both Angelo and Zoe accept Igor’s weirdness, but sometimes they also push him to break the rules.

Unbeknownst to his parents, Igor and his friends make several trips to Deadman’s Castle, a creepy, abandoned place in the woods.  Zoe knows all the ins and outs of Deadman’s Castle, and although Angelo and Igor aren’t too keen, they begin exploring it with her.

As time goes on, Igor begins to break more and more of his parents’ rules.  After all, he just wants to hang out with his friends and be a normal kid.  Little does Igor realize that he’s putting himself and even his friends in danger.  Will he ever get to live life without fear of the Lizard Man?

The Thief Knot

The Thief Knot

By Kate Milford

Marzana and Nialla are best friends who live in the Liberty of Gammerbund, just outside of Nagspeake.  Although the Liberty is a known haven for former smugglers, including Marzana’s mother, the girls feel that nothing exciting ever happens and they are dying for an adventure!

When Marzana learns that a girl called Peony Hyde has been kidnapped, she and Nialla decide that they are going to crack the case.  But first they need a crew.  They begin to confide in other kids who may be able to help: Emilia knows her way around all the secret passages in and out of their school, J.J. is a magician, and Ciro is a camofleur.  They are even able to recruit Meddy of Greenglass House fame.  They call themselves The Thief Knot.

The kids are all sworn to secrecy but determined to find the missing girl.  Shy Marzana becomes the leader of The Thief Knot and thrives in that role.  But as danger creeps closer and closer, Marzana wonders if she can really lead a bunch of kids through this dangerous but thrilling mystery.

The Thief Knot is part of the Greenglass House series.  If you love mysteries and adventure, with a little twist of magic, this series is highly recommended!

Show Me A Sign

Show Me A Sign

By Ann Clare LeZotte

It’s 1805, and Mary Lambert is living on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Boston.  Mary is deaf, as are many others on Martha’s Vineyard.  But everyone on the island, whether hearing or not, is fluent in sign language – it’s part of island culture.

When Andrew Noble arrives from the mainland, Mary begins to wonder if there is something unusual about the island.  Andrew is intent on doing scientific research into the “problem” of deafness on Martha’s Vineyard. He treats the deaf as though they are beneath him and refuses to address them directly, which islanders consider rude.

Andrew is determined to prove his worth as a scientist and as such, decides to return to Boston with a “live specimen”.  When Andrew kidnaps Mary and throws her aboard his ship, she is stunned.  But her shock grows after her arrival in Boston, where she learns that the deaf are treated like animals.  She cannot communicate with anyone and she begins to question her own value as a person.  Will she ever get back to the safety of her island home?

Show Me A Sign shows us the ways in which different cultures have often been treated as worthless and the impact that this treatment has on those cultures.  The book also touches on the lives of the First Nations people of Martha’s Vineyard, the Wampanoag, and the lives of freed black people.  The author also provides readers with a history of deafness on Martha’s Vineyard and the evolution of sign language around the world.  An amazing and timely story!

Highly recommended!