msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

From Hillary Jordan's Website: “Mudbound is a real page-turner — a tangle of history, tragedy, and romance powered by guilt, moral indignation, and a near chorus of unstoppable voices.” — Stewart O’Nan In the winter of 1946, Henry McAllen moves his city-bred wife, Laura, from their comfortable home in Memphis to a remote cotton farm in the Mississippi Delta — a place she finds both foreign and frightening. While Henry works the land he loves, Laura struggles to raise their two young children in a rude shack with no indoor plumbing or electricity, under the eye of her hateful, racist father-in-law. When it rains, the waters rise up and swallow the bridge to town, stranding the family in a sea of mud. As the McAllans are being tested in every way, two celebrated soldiers of World War II return home to the Delta. Jamie McAllan is everything his older brother Henry is not: charming, handsome, and sensitive to Laura’s plight, but also haunted by his memories of combat. Ronsel Jackson, ...

Maybe it's because I just finished Alexie's masterpiece, Indian Killer , or maybe it's because I'm over girl-meets-vampire/werewolf books, but I found much to dislike in Shiver . The characters were underdeveloped, the parents unbelievable, and the story predictable. I just didn't give a hoot about Grace, Sam, or the temperature readings at the beginning of each chapter. Not recommended - although it may appeal to Jacob fans desperate for another wolf romance. Grade 8 +

I read and enjoyed Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian when it came out. I haven't stopped recommending it to young readers since and I pushed it into our Grade 8 curriculum in spite of resistance from certain traditional faculty types. Still, it isn't a book that I buy for my friends. Indian Killer is. Alexie has written an intricate yet fast paced thriller filled with unforgettably haunted characters, all set in late 90s Seattle.Click here for the Booklist review .

Can I get earthgirl and James Hoff, the main character in Destroy All Cars , a date? They belong together! James's anti-consumerism message would appeal to Sabine and she could help him get over Sadie. An older woman might be just what he needs! James is tired of Consumer Americans and he uses his English class essays as a platform to get out his message. He also doesn't approve of ex-girlfriend Sadie's low grade environmentalism - buying green isn't the answer, NOT BUYING IN THE FIRST PLACE is! The brief getting-back-together bits between Sadie and James are perfectly written and so are Nelson's supporting characters. A fun-fast-paced-coming-of-age-environmental-love story. Grade 8+

School Library Journal (July 1, 2009) Sixth-grader Miranda lives in 1978 New York City with her mother, and her life compass is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. When she receives a series of enigmatic notes that claim to want to save her life, she comes to believe that they are from someone who knows the future. Miranda spends considerable time observing a raving vagrant who her mother calls "the laughing man" and trying to find the connection between the notes and her everyday life. Discerning readers will realize the ties between Miranda's mystery and L'Engle's plot, but will enjoy hints of fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's novel is as much about character as story. Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation. The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise. As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The sett...

Photographer Emmanuel Guibert captures the stark realities of 1986 Afghanistan in this graphic novel/photo essay. Guibert joins a group of Doctors Without Borders physicians and records their journey into the country via caravan, stopping at clinics along the way and witnessing the violence visited upon the locals during the war with the Soviets. A provocative window into a country that few people understand, Guibert's work serves as an inspiration for aspiring humanitarians. Guibert's poor judgment and mishaps along the way will appeal to teen readers. Grade 8 +

Sara Zarr's talent for writing believable teen characters is evident in Once Was Lost. Samara's mom is in rehab, a young girl in her community has gone missing, and he dad has left the building. You'll sympathize with Sam as she expresses her loneliness without whining; she daydreams of the past when her family was a close unit. Her crush on a friend from church is painfully real. The end ties up neatly without being obvious. Grade 7+

I adore New Orleans, so it was inevitable that I enjoy Paula Morris's nod to the Big Easy. When her father is called away to China on business, Rebecca is sent to live with her tarot-card reading Aunt Claudia and younger cousin Aurelia, who live in the ritzy Garden District of New Orleans in a small shotgun style house. Rebecca has a hard time adjusting to the intricate class system that is part of Temple Mead Academy, and isn't impressed with Them, a group of wealthy old-family New Orleanian kids. While spying on them in Lafayette Cemetery, she meets Lisette, a ghost from 1853 (supposedly a victim of yellow fever), as well as Anton Grey, a handsome member of Them, who takes an interest in Rebecca. Mardi-Gras parades, murder, and light romance ensue as Rebecca finds out who she really is. At times it was difficult to suspend my disbelief (her father's absence is particularly hard to swallow), but this book will appeal to teen who enjoy mystery and supernatural themes.

What a perfect title: everyday words put together to create something creepy and terrifying. Carrie Ryan's spare prose tells a zombie story that calls up Romero's 1968 Night of the Living Dead and the unforgettable 1964 Vincent Price film, Last Man on Earth. Ryan's book is replete with scenes that manage to be horrifying without too much gore, and she throws in a festering romance as well. Not to be missed. Grade 8+