Social Issues Books - Page 6

Maniac Magee

Jerry Spinelli

List Price: $30.00 By: Listening Library Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $5.32

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 718 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Maniac Magee 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jeffery Magee is a twelve-year-old kid who's parents died in the famous P&W trolley crash. His aunt and Uncle can't agree on anything, not even Jeffery. When they come to the school choir concert they sit on opposite sides of the bleachers, at the end of the song Jeffery is screaming for them to talk. Then he starts running, away from school, away from his aunt and uncle, away from Holidaysburg. Into Two Mills.
Upon arriving in Two Mills Jeffery gets himself into the furious fight between blacks and whites. When he starts living with a family of blacks, the Beales, he finds himself in for alot of trouble, especially from Mars Bars Thompson. Eventually Jeffery, now Maniac Magee, ralizes the trouble he has caused and runs to East end, the white side of town. There he starts living with the Mcnabs, but soon sees that he's only causing trouble there too. In the end Maniac is living in a buffalo pen at the zoo when Amanda Beale and Mars Bars Thompson convince Maniac to live with them in West end, because they don't care if he's white, he is their friend.
Pg 182:
"Let's go."
"Where?"
"Home."
"Who's?"
"Mine. Yours. Ours. Come on, I'm sleepy"...
He knew that finally, truly, at long last, someone was calling him home.
I think this best examplifies the authors purpose in writing this book by saying that if you keep trying and don't give up you will be acceptted no matter what. Also that no matter how the world looks there is always someone who cares about you.
I think that this book is a great contribution to society. It teaches us that growing up can be hard, but there is always something good waiting for you on the other side. Also, it helps us understand that if we preservere we will always make it.
We will make it through life, good or bad, depending on our choices and I think that this book is a great example of that. overall this is a book that anyone who has questions about growing up should read.

Editorial Review:

After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary as he accomplishes athletic feats and other extraordinary exploits that awe his contemporaries. Reprint. 1991 Newbery Medal. 1990 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction. H. SLJ. AB.

Impulse

Ellen Hopkins

Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $9.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon Pulse Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $5.62

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 43 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Tells It Like It Is 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a good book because it tells it alot like it is. The writing format I didn't like but the poem at the beginning was inspiring. When I started reading it I was reading it like a poem because of the style but it was still good.

Editorial Review:

Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide.

Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.

Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.

And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

Impulse

Ellen Hopkins

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Not yet published By: HighBridge Company

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 43 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Tells It Like It Is 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a good book because it tells it alot like it is. The writing format I didn't like but the poem at the beginning was inspiring. When I started reading it I was reading it like a poem because of the style but it was still good.

Impulse is a hit! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I just love reading Ellen Hopkins books. Although Crank and Glass are my favorites, Impulse is a very close third. I love that we get three perspectives in this novel. The way that Ellen is able to reach teenage audiences impresses me every time. I will continue to buy and recommend all her books to my high school students. Thanks Ellen!!

Editorial Review:

Three teens who have attempted suicide meet in a psychiatric hospital, battle their demons, and begin to heal.

The handsome son of wealthy parents, Connor has everything anyone could want—except his family’s love and affection. Jailed for years after killing his mother’s child-molesting boyfriend, Tony is confused about his sexuality. Manic-depressive Vanessa cuts herself. All three stories intertwine in a brutally honest story about pain and resilience.

Chalice

Robin McKinley

Amazon Price: $12.91 List Price: $18.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Putnam Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $6.00

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Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Authors, A-Z -> ( M ) -> McKinley, Robin

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good read, but not her best 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I love Robin McKinley's writing, but this book fell short of my expectations...its just not long enough to explore all of the possibilities!!! I kept expecting details, but felt rushed through the book. Its worth the read, but not on par with ones like Deerskin or The Blue Sword.

Editorial Review:

As the newly appointed Chalice, Mirasol is the most important member of the Master’s Circle. It is her duty to bind the Circle, the land and its people together with their new Master. But the new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, only drawn back into the human world by the sudden death of his brother. No one knows if it is even possible for him to live amongst his people. Mirasol wants the Master to have his chance, but her only training is as a beekeeper. How can she help settle their demesne during these troubled times and bind it to a Priest of Fire, the touch of whose hand can burn human flesh to the bone?

Robin McKinley weaves a captivating tale that reveals the healing power of duty and honor, love and honey.

Speak

Laurie Halse Anderson

Amazon Price: $22.05 List Price: $24.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peter Smith Pub Inc Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $13.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1182 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

Awards for Speak

A 2000 Printz Honor Book
A 1999 National Book Award Finalist
An Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist
A 1999 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
Winner of the SCBWI Golden Kite Award
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Quick Pick
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Top Ten First Novel of 1999
A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Title

Because of Winn-Dixie

Kate DiCamillo

Amazon Price: $10.95 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Thorndike Press Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $4.69

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 750 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Because of Winn Dixie 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent book to be read to prereaders and for early readers on up to adults. Ms Dicamillo has another book 'The Tales of Desperaux' that is fantastic and will be a full length animated feature motion picture being released on December 19th.

how a stray dog wins friends and influeces people 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Name your dog Albertsons because you found him there?
A lonely little girl finds a stray dog who can smile.
This preacher's daughter has been to India ( was named after it), but lost her mother very early.
Sadness and loneliness give way to new friends and
good times as Winn-Dixie wins friends her in the Florida summer.
The book is well written and a heart string plucker.
Most children and grandparents should enjoy the stories here.

Editorial Review:

A New York Times Bestseller

When ten-year-old India Opal Buloni moves to Naomi, Florida, with her father, she doesn't know what to expect - least of all, that she'll adopt Winn-Dixie, a dog she names after the supermarket where they meeet. And with this unusual and confident friend by her side, Opal soon finds herself making more than a few unusual friends . . .

The Dragon Heir

Cinda Williams Chima

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The covenant that was meant to keep the wizard wars at bay has been stolen, and Trinity must prepare for attack. Everyone is doing their part -- Seph is monitoring the Weirwalls; Jack and Ellen are training their ghostly army; even Anaweir Will and Fitch are setting booby traps around the town's perimeter. But to Jason Haley, it seems like everyone wants to keep him out of the action. He may not be the most powerful wizard in Trinity, but he's prepared to fight for his friends. When Jason finds a powerful talisman --a huge opal called the Dragonheart--buried in a cave, his role takes on new importance. The stone seems to sing to Jason's very soul -- showing him that he is meant for more than anyone guessed. Trinity's guardians take the stone away after they realize that it may be a weapon powerful enough to save them all. Without any significant power of his own, and now without the stone, what can Jason possibly do to help the people he cares about -- and to prove his mettle?

Madison Moss can feel the beating heart of the opal, too. The desire for it surges through her, drawing her to it. But Maddie has other things besides the Dragonheart on her mind. She has a secret. Ever since absorbing the magical blow that was meant to kill Seph, she's been leaking dark powers. Although Maddie herself is immune to magic, what would her friends think if they knew what kind of evil lay within her? Trinity's enemies are as enthusiastic about her powers as she is frightened. They think they can use her to get to the Dragonheart -- and they'll use anyone Maddie cares about to make her steal the stone for them.

Moral compasses spin out of control as a final battle storms through what was once a sanctuary for the gifted. With so much to lose, what will Jason and Maddie be willing to fight for -- and what will they sacrifice? Every man is for himself in this thrilling conclusion to the Heir trilogy.

Burned

Ellen Hopkins

Amazon Price: $17.79 List Price: $26.95 Not yet published By: HighBridge Company

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Amazing 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

another great read from hopking... i have loved everything she has writen. stories that are good and could be real..very realistic hitting on real life issues

disturbing yet beautiful 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you are a religious person, and you can't believe how Pattyn's father treats her, or how their pastor thinks, you may cringe a bit. I know I did. Even though it is fiction. I couldn't believe some of the things. I loved it despite it was disturbing. I loved the relationship between Pattyn and Ethan. I'm glad she found someone. I wish that Pattyn would've put up a fuss, and demanded she stayed with her Aunt, when it was time for her to go home. I love Mrs. Hopkins work. I am anxiously awaiting "Identical" which is due out August 26th.

Editorial Review:

Raised in a stern, abusive Mormon household, a teenage girl starts to question her religion and struggles to find her destiny.

Her father is abusive, her mother is submissive, and her church looks the other way. Confused and angry, Pattyn Von Stratten acts out and is sent to live with an aunt on a Nevada ranch. She finds the love and acceptance she craves, with disturbing consequences.

Burned

Ellen Hopkins

Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $9.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon Pulse Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $5.56

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Amazing 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

another great read from hopking... i have loved everything she has writen. stories that are good and could be real..very realistic hitting on real life issues

disturbing yet beautiful 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you are a religious person, and you can't believe how Pattyn's father treats her, or how their pastor thinks, you may cringe a bit. I know I did. Even though it is fiction. I couldn't believe some of the things. I loved it despite it was disturbing. I loved the relationship between Pattyn and Ethan. I'm glad she found someone. I wish that Pattyn would've put up a fuss, and demanded she stayed with her Aunt, when it was time for her to go home. I love Mrs. Hopkins work. I am anxiously awaiting "Identical" which is due out August 26th.

Editorial Review:

Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, Pattyn Von Stratten starts asking questions -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love. She experiences the first stirrings of passion, but when her father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control. Pattyn is sent to live with an aunt in the wilds of Nevada to find salvation and redemption. What she finds instead is love and acceptance -- until she realizes that her old demons will not let her go.

Go Ask Alice

Anonymous

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1250 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

we get it already... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

There seem to be a lot of reviews written for this book bashing it. We get it...you're angry that this is a work of fiction and isn't, in all actuality, a true, bona fide account. Unfortunately for you, you will find that most books contain fiction.

Yes the book says that teenagers shouldn't do drugs or get pregnant. I see nothing wrong with this message (although I will admit that the author could have gone about it in a different way). Yes, the book seems to fit all drug addict stereotypes, and yes it insinuates that LSD and marijuana can be addicting. NEWSFLASH! They are called stereotypes because a large amount of people FIT INTO THEM...and although drugs such as LSD and marijuana aren't physically addicting, they are mentally addicting.

Overall, this book is a good read and sends a sensible (if somewhat cookie-cutter, brainwashy) message.

P.S. Just because books aren't "literary classics" doesn't mean that they aren't good books. Maybe some people should be glad that people are reading anything at all, or even writing anything at all, rather than gripe about WHAT is being read or written...

Editorial Review:

January 24th

After you've had it, there isn't even life without drugs....

It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home and loving family to the mean streets of an unforgiving city. It was a journey that would rob her of her innocence, her youth -- and ultimately her life.

Read her diary.

Enter her world.

You will never forget her.

For thirty-five years, the acclaimed, bestselling first-person account of a teenage girl's harrowing decent into the nightmarish world of drugs has left an indelible mark on generations of teen readers. As powerful -- and as timely -- today as ever, Go Ask Alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction.