GUEST BLOGGER! We are all Made of Molecules

Brought to you by GUEST BLOGGER MRS. KILPATRICK

We are all Made of Molecules by Susin Nielson

The first song I picked was for one of my all-time favorite characters, Stewart! He is 13 years old and academically gifted, but doesn’t have the best luck in his social life. He is sweet, funny, and brave. I picked “Stronger,” by Kelly Clarkson, because that’s what Stewart is more than anything: strong. The lesson in the song is all about gaining strength through experience, and standing tall even when it feels impossible. After the death of this mother, Stewart is understandably devastated and heartbroken. At times, he feels like he can’t go forward. With the help of his father, and his beloved cat, he finds the strength. A year later, his father moves in with his girlfriend who also has a teenage daughter. Everything changes, and that’s when we meet Ashley.

The song I picked for Ashley is “Smiling Faces, Sometimes.” Ashley is an interesting character, for sure! She is all about shopping, friendships, gossip, and boys. Ashley feels angry at her mother for allowing Stewart and his father to move into their house. She doesn’t always make the best decisions, she is somewhat clueless, and laugh-out-loud funny at times! I picked this song because “Smiling Faces, Sometimes” really describes what she deals with at school. Her friends are often fake. They will be sweet and bubbly in the hallways, then talk about each other behind closed doors. Ashley is guilty of this, too! Throughout the book, she is forced to handle some new and intense situations head on with her friendships, a new crush, and her family. She and Stewart have a very tense relationship at first, but learn to live together and rely on each other in surprising ways.

The final song for this book is “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. I picked this song because it represents the message in We Are All Made Of Molecules. Sometimes, change can be hard, and life throws us curveballs. When the people in our lives are not strong, or cannot hold themselves up, we need to let them lean on us. With family, that message is even more important. After experiencing a number of heartbreaking, hilarious, life-changing, and powerful moments, the amazing characters in this book learn how to lean on people, and how to allow others to lean on them. As the song says, “We all need somebody to lean on!”

Lost In The Sun

Trent makes me so frustrated throughout this book!  Trent likes to play sports, including hockey.  Unfortunately he was involved in an accident where he hit a friend in the chest with a hockey puck when they were playing for fun.  The friend, Jared, had an unknown heart condition, and the hit killed him.  Trent thinks that he is responsible for killing Jared and has a lot of anger.  This anger is taking over his life and makes Trent very unlikeable.  His teachers are understandably frustrated, but they continue to try and support him even though Trent is extremely rude.  He is supposed to visit his father weekly, but that relationship is strained and Trent makes excuses why he can't or won't go.  He has a wonderful relationship with his mother, but even she is at her wits end with Trent.  He also makes an unlikely friendship with a girl, Fallon Little, who accepts Trent for who he is and is incredibly patient with him even when he is unkind.  Trent is obviously angry with himself, but he takes that anger out on everybody around him including his teachers, his dad, and even Fallon.

This book made me frustrated with Trent and understand why he was doing what he was doing, all at the same time.  Lisa Graff creates wonderfully real, complicated characters in Trent and in Fallon.

If you like realistic fiction that deals with friendship, family issues, and loss, this might be a book for you!

By robison106 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

The War that Saved my Life

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ada Smith has grit! Her perseverance and unwillingness to give up shaped her character and events throughout The War the Saved my Life. First, Ada taught herself how to walk in the apartment she shared with her Mam and her brother Jaime. She forced herself to practice every single day, even when it was hard and painful. I think most other people in her position would have given up. I certainly don't know if I would have the grit to persevere! Then, when Ada left London and was living with Susan, she taught herself how to ride Butter. Ada wasn't satisfied with her life and so she took steps to be able to do the things that made her happy. Again, teaching herself to ride a horse was really hard - Ada even got thrown a couple of times - but she never gave up. Both of these examples show Ada has grit because she kept going no matter what and didn't let negatives get in the way of what she wanted.

Jersey Tomatoes are the Best

"You've got to have attitude if you're from New Jersey. At least, that's what Eva says." Henry and Eva , best friends from New Jersey, tell their story in alternating perspectives in Maria Padian's Jersey Tomatoes are the Best. Watch this vlog for more on this book about the power of friendship and being there for your friends when times get tough.

Elsewhere

What really happens when we die? One theory put forth in the novel Elsewhere by Garbielle Zevin is that we board a steamship called the SS Nile and travel to Elsewhere: a place very similar to Earth where we take up an avocation (kind of like a job) and age backwards until it is time for us to return to Earth as new babies. For Liz Hall, however, Elsewhere is definitely not any type of heaven. Liz died in a tragic accident at only 15 years old, and is having a really hard time adjusting to her new life in Elsewhere. Check out her "facebook" page to meet some of the characters in Elsewhere and get a preview of Liz's new life.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie and After Ever After

When I was growing up, I thought my little brothers were the most annoying things in the world.  That's how Steven feels about his little brother Jeffery in Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. That annoying little brother, however, is diagnosed with leukemia, and suddenly Steven's world changes forever.  Where before Steven's greatest concerns revolved around talking to pretty girls and making it big as a drummer, he now navigates hospital wings and life with a critically sick family member. In Jordan Sonnenblick's sequel, After Ever After, the reader gets a continuation of the story but from Jeffrey's perspective years down the road.  After Ever After shows how the repercussions of cancer and chemotherapy can impact a survivor years later.  

Sonnenblick makes Steven and Jeffery both extremely relatable. Even while they struggled with conflicts exceeding the norm for middle schoolers, they still also struggled with conflicts involving math, girls, and things very much a part of the middle school experience. In After Ever After, Jeffery faces a situation where he is talking about a pretty girl to a friend online, and that girl can read every word of the conversation reflected in a window. 

I also love how the author chose to write the sequel from Jeffery's point of view later in life, instead of from his point of view during Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Even though both books deal with cancer and cancer's repurcussions, the books also show how much love Steven and Jeffery have for one another.  I think both brothers would do pretty much anything if it would keep the other happy and healthy. At one point, the most beautiful girl at Steven's school comes to help him with math, and he has to make the very difficult decision to tell her to go home because she has a cold and Jeffery can't be exposed to germs.

Jordan Sonnenblick seamlessly weaves serious with comic, drama with routine.  Once I started reading Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, I just couldn't put it down and the same happened with After Ever After! 

The Secret Hum of a Daisy

     Friendship issues, great loss, doing the right thing, and a small mystery:  The Secret Hum of a Daisy has all of these things.  Tracy Holczer manages to expertly weave all of these components into an interesting, emotional journey.

The Running Dream

"Running airs out my soul. Makes me feel alive." As a runner, I could immediately identify with Jess, the main character is Wendelin Van Draanen's The Running Dream. Just like Jess, I feel alive when I run - the sound of my sneakers on the pavement, my hair swishing back and forth in a ponytail, my muscles straining, my mind peaceful. But very much unlike Jess, I am fortunate to have both of my legs. Jess, a star high school runner, loses one of her legs from the knee down after a car accident. This story follows Jess through her recovery and her dreams to run again. 

I was a little hesitant to read this book as first, because as a runner, it dealt with a topic I didn't really want to think about.  However, the author did such an amazing job with character development and plot development that I found myself flying through this book!  I though Jess was a little whiny at first (then felt terrible for thinking so considering her recent leg amputation), but she takes ownsership of her new life in such an inspiring way.  She is also surrounded by an amazing group of friends and family, particularly her best friend Fiona. Jess's story reminded me a lot of Adrianne Haslet-Davis, a professional ballroom dancer who lost her foot during the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. Haslet-Davis vowed that she would dance again, despite years of recovery and adjustment to a new prosthetic. Then, in April, Haslet-Davis returned to the finish line of the Boston Marathon in a ball gown and did the foxtrot across the finish line.  Both women are strong and willing to work hard to achieve their goals. Jess's story felt just as real and emotional to me as Haslet-Davis'.