Tag Archive | 9+

Book Review: Sarah with an H by Irwin Hadley

Sarah with an H

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“When the new girl at LaMond High School arrives, Marti is instantly envious. Sarah has everything Marti wants, but is also nice, smart and is a terrific basketball player. Sarah is also Jewish, and soon ugly prejudice becomes evident, not only in school, but in their small Iowa community as well.”

What I See: It’s interesting how this book is almost 20 years old, and its message is still relevant to modern issues. Every child should read this book. Marti isn’t perfect and her character is flawed in a fantastic way. Her emotions are written beautifully, in a natural flow as she learns to sort through her racist feelings amongst getting to know Sarah with an H as a sweet and kind person.

It’s the natural state of growing up, being scared of what you don’t understand, but the lesson Marti learns is one that everyone should learn. This is the substance that young adult needs to be covering, and I wish there are more excellent examples for young readers like this out there!

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Book Review: Story’s End by Marissa Burt

Story's End cover

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Please note: This is the second book in the Storybound series and does contain spoilers from the first book. 

For my review of the first book Storybound, click here. 

With the enemy returning at the hands of an unknowing Una Fairchild, the fate of Story is in peril.

Whispers of the true king of Story waft from character to character. Yet, can it be believed?

As the Red Enchantress blankets most of the Story with lies, can a proper ending be written?

With Una’s new knowledge of who she is exposed, can Story forgive her for what she has done?

What will become of Story? What ending is it destined to have?

Burt is truly a gifted middle grade writer. I absolutely adored Storybound, and I wasn’t disappointed with Story’s End. I do think the second book is bit more mature than the first, but it’s an exciting end for such a fantastical world.

All loose ends are tied up and I really enjoyed how Una is not a traditional character. To avoid spoilers, it’s understood when the book is read.

Story’s End will challenge middle grade readers and expose them to battles against good versus evil. What is happening to the characters isn’t immediately understood, making them perfect for parent assisted or reading groups.

For all the parents, there is a happy ending. For a two book series it’s beautifully written with care for it’s age range, and brings to life stories in a way that hasn’t been done in many a year. Even adults can find the fun and thrill. Well done Burt! I am so happy to recommend such amazing work!

Book Review: Storybound by Marissa Burt

Storybound

Storybound

A lonely foster child, full of wonder about who and where she came from; Una Fairchild is shocked as she’s transported to the land of Story when browsing her school library.

Now she’s a part of a magical land she never imaged could exist. Story, a world filled with characters one grows up with. Talking animals, princes in training and a school where all the students learn to be either a Hero or a Villain.

Yet not all is well in the land of Story, and twelve-year-old Una is about to discover that she wasn’t brought there by accident. There are secrets waiting in the dark and an evil just bidding time to be restored to Story. With her new friend Peter, it’s going to be up to Una to set a prophecy in motion.

What a fantastic middle grade series! I absolutely loved it! Can you tell? The setting, the characters, the breath of fresh air that brings humour and fun to the fairytale world where there’s more than meets the eye! Not to mention the fact that there is plenty of challenges for all ranges of middle grade readers.

Plus the ending is so AMAZING! I don’t know how else to praise Burt for creating such an intriguing series. Not only are the characters easy to relate to, but the whole creation of Story is an awesome way to get kids to think outside of the book. This is length done right with loads of new characters, places and motives. As the knowledge within Story is challenged, the information is at a perfect rate to keep kids turning those pages!

I’m looking forward to delving back into Story with Burt’s sequel, Story’s End