Thursday, April 1, 2010

This Year's Rebecca Caudill Books

I've been working my way through the 2011 Rebecca Caudill Master list, and so far I can't really say I've been enjoying myself. Does anyone else feel the same way or is it just me? Here's what I've read lately:

The Boy Who Dared. Very sad and tragic WWII story.
The Great Wide Sea. A grieving family sails around the Caribbean. Anger, misery, and tragedy abound.
The Mailbox. The kid's uncle dies at the beginning, and he doesn't want to tell anyone because he's afraid of ending up in an abusive foster home situation... again.
Scarlett. A girl's parents are divorced and she spends most of the novel angry, confused, and lashing out at people who try to help her.
Trouble. A boy's brother is severely injured in a car accident which brings racial tensions in his small town to a head. Tragedy, bigotry, guilt, and loss are the main themes.
Yellow Star. A harrowing story of how one girl survived the Lodz ghetto.

You see? None of these books were badly written; on the contrary, all of the authors are very skilled storytellers. But I have not been enjoying myself at all! I can hardly wait to be done with this batch, and I think I'll have a hard time when kids ask for recommendations from this year's list.

4 comments:

  1. I currently am reading the Alchemyst by Michael Scott and it is actually pretty well written.... I loved Scarlett, Notes from the Midnight Driver, and Yellow Star. I also just finished Fablehaven by Brandon Muil, REALLY good fantasy, can't wait to read the second. Just keep trying them, they will get better. Oh, I also like Scat by Carl Hiassen, and 11 birthdays by Wendy Mass. I LOVE BOOKS!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I liked Notes from the Midnight Driver and Scat too. :) My favorites so far are Schooled and The Hunger Games. I'm really glad you are enjoying these books. A lot of these authors have written other books that we have here at the library, so when you're done with these you can come in and get more by authors you like!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh I forgot about Hunger Games! I love that book. The second one is good too. Can't wait for the third!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The third Hunger Games book is coming out in August. You can place a reserve on it today using your library card in the Lincoln Trail catalog. I just did!

    ReplyDelete