Playing a Part

Reviewed by: Krisitn Taylor - Biddeford High School, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 9, 2015

Review

This is the first American publishing of this book which was originally written in Russia as "Shutovskoi Kolpak" and translated by Marian Schwartz. It is about a young man, Grishka, who has grown up in the very closed world of Russian puppet theater. His world seems to be falling apart with his best friend needing a very serious operation and finances that are threatening the theater forcing people to leave. The worst part of it all is his friend Sam, who is homosexual, is leaving and Grishka can't bear the thought of this.

Unfortunately, something got lost in the translation between Russian and English. The story drags on about whether or not Grishka is homosexual or not and in the end the reader still not quite sure. It does deal with the homophobia situations that are found in the States, but leaves the reader still questioning what is really going on. The author does do a nice job in describing what puppet theater life is really like and the descriptions enable a good visual while reading.

Recommended reading level would be upper middle school to high school. The book does deal with homosexuality and could be used to compare how homosexuality is dealt with in another country.

Overall Book Score: fair

About the Book

Author:

Wilke, Daria

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780545726078

Price: 18.99

Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution

Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution

Reviewed by: Krisitn Taylor - Biddeford High School, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 8, 2017

Review

Gretchen Woelfle has written an approachable and detailed narrative that is easy to follow on the lives of thirteen-little known African Americans that were inspired by the colonies freedom from England -- so much that they too, worked to gain the same freedoms from their captors in the New World. Silhouettes provided by R. Gregory Christie compliment the text and enhance the lives of the people discussed.

Well researched with table of contents, source notes, author notes and timelines of each of the people with profiles that look at their family history, personal lives and their fight for freedom. For classroom use -- biographies of African Americans, American Revolution, Black Loyalists and Freetown in Sierra Leone where many of the Black Loyalists fled after leaving Nova Scotia.

Recommended for grades 4 -9

Overall Book Score: excellent

About the Book

Author:

Woelfle, Gretchen

Illustrator: Christie, R. Gregory

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Calkins Creek

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre: biography / autobiography

Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9781629793061

Price: 18.95

Genius: The Game

Genius: The Game

Reviewed by: Krisitn Taylor - Biddeford High School, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 6, 2017

Review

A gripping must have for your shelves, recommended for grades 7-12 with it's sequel due in August 2017. Three teenage crusaders are the main characters -- Rex, one of the world's best programmers/hackers who lives in New Mexico; Tunde, a self-taught engineer from Africa and Painted Wolf - a teenage blogger and activist from China. They have been friends for quite awhile online, but have never meet until they are chosen to be one of 200 contestants at the Genius Competition to play the Game -- getting ready for Zero Hour. This is sponsored by a technology guru who wants only the brightest members in the world on his team, but for what reasons that is unsure.

Plenty of twists in the plot and the characters to keep you on the edge of your seat. Culturally diverse with descriptions of what it is like in the various countries such as the military rule where Tunde is from, the constant fear of being a child of illegal immigrants that Rex is faced with and Painted Wolf living in a country were many privileges are not allowed and corruption is rampant.

There are illustration through out the book in the form of sketches of designs, schematics, video still shots and examples of written computer code that match up with the various conversations. Well placed and help explain the conservations.

Overall Book Score: excellent