Book review: Dear America: A Picture of Freedom by Patricia C. McKissack

Dear America: A Picture of Freedom by Patricia McKissack (New edition published by Scholastic, January 1, 2011; originally published in 1997)

The year is 1859. Clotee has lived all twelve years of her life as a slave on the Belmont Plantation in Virginia. Although she has known no life other than that of a slave, she has secretly learned how to read and write, and that ability gives her a glimpse of the world out there. To practice, she keeps a secret diary that she hides in a hollowed-out tree.

An orphan for most of her life, Clotee has managed to make the best of her circumstances, and writing is one of the few things that brings her any joy. When a tutor comes to the plantation to teach the master's young son, Clotee assumes that he'll just be another prejudiced southerner. But he's an abolitionist who further expands Clotee's horizons, and he may be able to give her the one thing she longs for: freedom.

I first read A Picture of Freedom in 1997 when it was originally published as one of the first few books in the Dear America series. Each book in the series is the fictional diary of a preteen or young teenage girl living during an important time in American history. This particular book brings to life the hardships of life as a slave in the pre-Civil War South from the point of view of a young girl. The Dear America series truly brings history to life and helped me develop a love for historical fiction, and I am glad to see the series is being brought back into print for a new generation of readers. Highly recommended.

In My Mailbox - 11/20/10

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature.

Once again I got only one book, but at least I am not feeling so sick anymore, so I should be able to read more this week. However the book was one I was really wanting to read, I've started reading it already since I borrowed it from another blogger.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

2011 debut author challenge

I participated in the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren. To learn more about the challenge and to sign up visit this link.

It's the end of the year, and I didn't do so well in this challenge. Here's what I managed to read, along with my reviews:

1. Entwined by Heather Dixon
2. Breath of Angel by Karyn Henley
3. The Revenant by Sonia Gensler
4. The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

And here are the books I read that didn't count for the challenge. The first four did not count because I read ARCs or foreign editions in 2010. The last book did not count because I read it in 2011, but the release date got delayed until January 2012. So I can't really use it for either the 2011 or 2012 challenge now.

1. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
2. Wither by Lauren DeStefano (for some reason I never reviewed this)
3. Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis (for some reason I never reviewed this either, I feel terrible!)
4. The Coven's Daughter by Lucy Jago (read the UK edition, titled Montacute House, in 2010)
5. May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Waiting on Wednesday: Titanic, Book One: Unsinkable by Gordon Korman

Titanic: Unsinkable by Gordon Korman (Published by Scholastic, May 1, 2011)

The ultimate action/adventure trilogy begins, with #1 bestselling author Gordon Korman plunging readers into the heart of the Titanic.

The Titanic is meant to be unsinkable, but as it begins its maiden voyage, there's plenty of danger waiting for four of its young passengers. Paddy is a stowaway, escaping a deadly past. Sophie's mother is delivered to the ship by police - after she and Sophie have been arrested. Juliana's father is an eccentric whose riches can barely hide his madness. And Alfie is hiding a secret that could get him kicked off the ship immediately.

The lives of these four passengers will be forever linked with the fate of Titanic. And the farther they get from shore, the more the danger looms. . . .


Many years ago, back when I read a lot more middle grade books, I really enjoyed the Everest, Island, and Dive trilogies that Gordon Korman wrote. So I was interested to see on Amazon that he has a new trilogy coming out and it is historical fiction, which is my favorite genre. And, I used to be obsessed with the Titanic.

Book review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (Published by Razorbill, January 11, 2011)

Seventeen-year-old Amy gives up her life on Earth to join her parents, who are being cryogenically frozen to travel on a spaceship called Godspeed as part of a mission to colonize a new planet. The journey will take 300 years. But then, fifty years before the ship was due to land, Amy is woken up early - and it does not appear to be a computer malfunction. Rather, it seems she is the victim of an attempted murder. And since Amy cannot be refrozen without risking her life, she must spend the next fifty years on the ship, without her parents, who cannot be woken up to join her because they are essential to the mission of colonizing the new planet. To make matters worse, it seems that she was not the only victim, and now other frozen people are dying, too. Amy is terrified that her parents will be next.

Life on board the Godspeed is very different from the life Amy left behind on Earth, and it is a struggle for her to adapt. Almost everyone on the ship behaves completely abnormally. The only people who act human at all are the “mental” patients at the hospital. The ship is ruled over by Eldest, a tyrant who hates anything that could disrupt the order and conformity on the ship. There is also Elder, the teenager he is training to be the future leader of the ship. Although he will be the next leader, Elder often feels Eldest is hiding many things from him. And from the start he is fascinated by Amy, and very attracted to her, and doesn’t believe she is bad like Eldest does. Together Amy and Elder, as they grow closer to each other, must solve the mystery of who wants to kill the frozen people and discover the terrible hidden secrets of Godspeed.

This book is told from the alternating points of view of Elder and Amy, which I think worked really well for the story. Amy is a pretty typical teenager from Earth. Elder, meanwhile, was born and raised on the ship and it isn’t until he meets Amy that he begins to question many things about his world and whether things there are really as “normal” as he always believed. There’s a little bit of romance but it doesn’t overwhelm the plot, which was a nice change, it’s mostly a science fiction/mystery story set aboard a very dystopian spaceship, with lots of twists and turns in the plot that I didn't see coming. The story is truly very different from anything I’ve read recently from the young adult fiction genre, so if you like dystopian fiction and are looking to read something different, I would highly recommend this book.

In My Mailbox - 11/13/10

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature.

I only got one new book this week, and I haven't been reading much because I'm sick with a cold again. Ugh. :(

For review:

Sigrun's Secret by Marie-Louise Jensen

Their garments are black as night. They carry torches in their hands, darkness and anger in their hearts. They are coming.
When a dark family secret is exposed, Sigrun's peaceful life is shattered. Forced to pay for her parents' misdeeds, she finds herself exiled from all she knows - and from the boy she loves - for three long years. Yet more secrets lie ahead; not least the power Sigrun finds awakening in herself, seemingly passed to her from a mysterious amulet. Can she use her new-found gift to save herself and those around her from the dangers they face? And will true love wait until her return?

Waiting on Wednesday: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano (Published by Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.


I mostly post about young adult historical fiction for Waiting on Wednesday, to bring attention to new titles in the genre, but I do read other genres as well and this book just looks so good and I am dying to read it so I decided to feature something different this week.

In My Mailbox - 11/6/10

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature.

I only got one book this week, a surprise review copy that just showed up.

For review:

Afterlife by Claudia Gray

The fourth book in this electrifying vampire series has all the romance, suspense, and page-turning drama that have made Claudia Gray’s Evernight books runaway successes.
Having become what they feared most, Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They must return to Evernight Academy, Lucas as a vampire and Bianca as a wraith. But Lucas is haunted by demons, both personal and supernatural. Bianca must help him fight the evil inside him, combat the forces determined to drive them apart—and find the power to claim her destiny at last.
Readers have fallen in love with Bianca and Lucas, and they will be thrilled to read this exciting conclusion to their romantic adventure.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Revenant by Sonia Gensler

The Revenant by Sonia Gensler (Published by Knopf Books, June 14, 2011)

When Willie arrives in Indian Territory, she knows only one thing: no one can find out who she really is. To escape a home she doesn't belong in anymore, she assumes the name of a former classmate and accepts a teaching job at the Cherokee Female Seminary.
Nothing prepares her for what she finds there. Her pupils are the daughters of the Cherokee elite—educated and more wealthy than she, and the school is cloaked in mystery. A student drowned in the river last year, and the girls whisper that she was killed by a jealous lover. Willie's room is the very room the dead girl slept in. The students say her spirit haunts it.
Willie doesn't believe in ghosts, but when strange things start happening at the school, she isn't sure anymore. She's also not sure what to make of a boy from the nearby boys' school who has taken an interest in her—his past is cloaked in secrets. Soon, even she has to admit that the revenant may be trying to tell her something. . . .


Another historical paranormal that looks really good. And I like that it is set in the Old West rather than another book set in England!

Book review: Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Everlasting by Angie Frazier (Published by Scholastic, June 1, 2010)

Seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen's mother died giving birth to her, or so she was always told. So she was raised by her father, a sea captain, who would take her along on his ship once she was old enough. But now that she is a young woman, she must do what all proper young women in 1855 San Francisco do - marry a suitable man. And the man who asked her to marry him, Randall Jackson, is kind and handsome, and marrying him will help her father's business. But no matter how hard she tries, Camille is unable to love Randall. As she sets off on her last sea voyage before her wedding, she hopes that by the time she returns she will be ready to marry Randall. But the sea voyage, and the separation from Randall, does the exact opposite, as it reawakens her feelings for Oscar Kildare, a sailor on her father's ship whom Camille has always liked.

Not long into the voyage, however, Camille discovers a terrible secret. Her mother is alive, and abandoned her husband and child years ago, when Camille was a baby. All these years, her father has kept that secret from her. Her mother fled to Australia, carrying with her a mysterious map. Now she is dying, and has asked to see her husband and Camille one last time. But before Camille can come to terms with this information, their ship sinks in a storm and Camille, Oscar, and one other sailor are the only survivors. They are rescued and travel on to Australia, but then Camille learns that the map her mother had leads to a legendary magical stone said to grant the power to bring someone back from the dead. Camille believes she can bring her father back to life with this stone. But her father's business rival is also looking for the stone, with a much more sinister purpose in mind. And as they travel through the Australian wilderness, racing him to the stone, Camille grows closer to Oscar and begins to doubt her impending marriage to Randall even more.

Everlasting is one of my favorite books so far this year. It is full of history, adventure, magic, and romance, with a unique setting for a young adult novel. There are many twists and turns to the plot that I did not expect. My one complaint was that I wish Camille and Oscar had just admitted their feelings for each other earlier, since it was so obvious, but that's just a minor complaint, and their romance was really sweet. This book stands alone well on its own, but there will be a sequel published June 2011 that I can't wait to read. If you enjoy young adult historical fiction, fantasy, or romance, I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.