Another 3 Golden Sower Nominees....more stories about people with "grit"

El Deafo by Cece Bell: This is the first time, that I remember, that a Golden Sower has been a graphic novel.  This is a great one!  Cece lost her hearing after an illness when she was 4. Now that she is starting school, she has to wear a LARGE hearing aid.  She doesn't want people to really know about it and she doesn't like talking about her deafness. This book is based on the author's own life.

Hunt for the Bamboo Rat by Graham Salisbury: I read this right after I had finished Dash.  It is also historical fiction. It is another view about what was going on in the world around the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Zenji is an American born in Honolulu but of Japanese descent.  He is asked to become an intelligence officer for the US Army because he speaks both Japanese and English.  This story is based upon a true story.  It was an incredible story. If you like this, you may want to now read Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand.  

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff: This is a realistic fiction story about Albie.  Albie is just "almost." He is not great at anything, he is just "almost." This is Albie's story of fitting in and finding a way to "stand out."  

3 more Golden Sower Nominees...

The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz: I LOVED THIS BOOK!! Nina decides to spend her summer doing 65 small "good things" for others. She does small, nice things anonymously.  I love this whole concept.  We live in an "everyone gets a trophy society" these days, people EXPECT to get praised and noticed for EVERYTHING they do.  This is a wonderful concept of just doing nice things to help people because its nice and will make them feel better without wanting anything back for yourself.  This book shows that "niceness" spreads.  Nina's efforts take on a life of their own throughout her neighborhood.  This story just makes you feel good.  I hope it inspires everyone to go out and just be nice...the world needs kindness right now.

Dash by Kirby Larson: Dash is a work of historical fiction.  Mitsi is an American citizen who just happens to be of Japanese descent.  She has never even been to Japan.  This doesn't matter to the US government after the bombing at Pearl Harbor.  They make Japanese-Americans leave their homes and enter internment camps.  Mitsi is forced to leave her dog Dash with a neighbor, and it breaks her heart.  Stories like this hurt my heart.  Blaming an entire group of people for the wrongs of others. Unfortunately, it is still happening in our world today.  Makes you want to be like Nina in the previous book and be kind for the sake of being kind.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt:  Ally can't read and she does everything in her power to make sure people don't know it.  She ends up getting in trouble at school and picked on at school.  Then, Mr. Daniel shows up as her new teacher and Ally finally gets help.  Ally is a great character, and I love Keisha and Albert, her two classmates who become fierce friends with her.  This is a great reminder that people are smart in different ways.  You can be "smart" without always getting A's in classes.  What's important is sticking with something, having the "grit" to continue to try.  Kindness would have gone a long way to helping Ally and her friends.  I hope as we read these three books, it helps us realize that we have the power to tear others down BUT we also have the power to build each other up.  We need to celebrate our differences, otherwise, what a boring world this would be.  

Life on Mars by Jennifer Brown

Life on Mars is a Golden Sower nominee for this school year.  12 year old Arty is convince he will be the one to discover life on Mars.  He is a great character, as are his best friends Tripp and Priya.  As he stargazes, he notices his creepy new neighbor carrying a bag into the woods every night.  Arty and Tripp are pretty sure he is some kind of vampire, or face-eating zombie.  I like the way this book is told, it is just like Arty is speaking.  It's very conversational and I liked that for this story.  This is a great story about "not judging a book by its cover."

Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver

I chose to read this right after I was done with Trials of Apollo, because I was in a mythology kind of mood.  This one was very different.  Although it was an adventure, it did not involve the GREEK gods as I was thinking it would.  This book takes place in Ancient Greece, but it takes place in the Bronze Age which was long before the Ancient Greece of the gods and goddesses we are so familiar with in the Percy Jackson series.  It was still a great story with a boy on the run for his life. Hylas has escaped the "Crows" and in the process has lost his sister.  He continues to search for her as he hides from these powerful warriors.  He finds himself helping the daughter of a High Priestess.  Together they try to stay safe from the Crows, figure out why they are after Hylas AND find his sister.  Lots going on in this book, I haven't even mentioned Hylas' new friend, the dolphin he names Spirit!  I have purchased the 2nd and 3rd book in this series for the Irving Library and I look forward to seeing how Hylas' adventure progresses.

The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Well, Mr. Riordan has done it again.  This is book one of a new series: The Trials of Apollo.  It is just as good as his others!  The god, Apollo, has been made human, again (apparently this has happened twice before). He must make his way to Camp Half-Blood with his new friend, Meg.  Meg is a demi-god with the power to throw rotten fruit.  Not the best power, but pretty humorous.  Getting to the camp is only half the adventure for Apollo.  Once he gets there he has to find a hidden oracle and stop an evil trying to take over the world!  I really enjoy Riordan's books and this one did not disappoint!  Looking forward to the next one.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Another "high fantasy" for the Golden Sower Nominees of this year.  Kestrel is the daughter of a general.  She has led a very privileged life, but at what cost to others?  Kestrel lives the way she does because her society waged war on another and enslaved them.  Kestrel has now bought a slave and is beginning to build a relationship with him and realizing how their ruling society may not be as wonderful as she thinks.  Kestrel may not have to worry about being in the ruling class for much longer, however, because their is a rebellion brewing.  This is the first book in a trilogy and I have the second one in the library ready to go.

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Oh my gosh, this Golden Sower Nominee made me soooo nervous.  I am not a fan of storms, and this is about a storm that produces a tornado, which terrifies me.  The author did an amazing job of putting you right there with Jersey as she literally looses everything.  This story was heart wrenching, but very well done.  I HAD to keep reading it just to find out what happens to Jersey.