The Slave Dancer

Fox, Paula. (1973). The slave dancer. New York: Dell Publishing.

Reading Level: Grades 5-9

Summary:
Jessie is a young boy who lives in New Orleans in the mid 1800s. His family is poor, and Jessie makes a bit of money playing his fife in the streets. One day when Jessie is wandering around the city, he is kidnapped by sailors and forced to work on the boat The Moonlight. Jessie soon learns that his real job is to make slaves dance, to ensure they remain healthy, by playing his fife. The Slave Dancer explores Jessie's feelings about working on a slave ship, and also how the other crew members feel about the slaves.

Comments:
This book is a good portrayal of the evils of slave ships. There are also some moments on the ship where the focus is not entirely on the fact that it is a slave ship, which adds complexity. The actual writing style of the book is not overly engaging, but the subject matter and dialogue make up for it. One thing I found disturbing was the use of the "n" word. The word is used often in the book, but another word could always be used. The Slave Dancer is a good introduction to this historical period, and to some of the feelings towards slavery at the time.

Rating: 3/5

The Subtle Knife

Pullman, Philip. (1997). The subtle knife. New York: Dell Laurel Leaf.

Reading Level: Grade 7+

Plot Summary:
This is the second book in Pullman's His Dark Materials series. It begins in our world. Will is a twelve-year-old kid whose father disappeared just after he was born. Recently two strange men have been asking about Will's father, and about some letters that Will's father sent Will's mother just before his father's disappearance. Will knows that these men are dangerous, and that he has to do something. He drops his mom off at a friends who will take care of her, then returns to his house to search for the letters. Just as Will finds the letters, the two strange men break into his house. Will escapes, and runs away looking for a safe place to hide. What he finds is a window into another world. In this world, Will meets up with Lyra, from Pullman's first book in the series. Together, they search for Will's father, travel between Will's world and the world in which he found safety, and discover more about the mysterious material Lyra calls Dust, and Will calls Dark Matter. Will also becomes the bearer of the subtle knife, a weapon that can cut through any material, and even can cut windows into other worlds. Readers also learn that Lyra's father, Lord Asriel, is planning on challenging the Authority, or God, by building up an army against Him. The book concludes with Will and Lyra's journey to find Will's father interrupted by the nefarious Mrs. Coulter.

Comments:
This book was quite good, but not as interesting as the first book. If often felt like the book was just a transition between the first book and the third. There were no major plot developments. Lyra's character was not in her element in this book, and seemed to be overshadowed by Will's character. She was not as strong a character, so I was disappointed. Though Will was an interesting character, he was not as complex as Lyra. There were also more religious overtones in this book. They seemed sort of out place since none of the main characters ever talk or think about anything religious. Religion seems to be in the realm of adults, so references to religion take the focus off the main storyline. Despite these shortcomings, the book still was quite exciting, and would be of interest to anyone who read the first book.

Rating: 4/5

The Golden Compass

Pullman, Philip. (1995). The golden compass. New York: Dell Laurel Leaf.

Reading Level: Grade 7 +

Plot Summary:

This is the first book in Pullman's His Dark Materials series. It is a fantasy book that takes place in a world like ours, but different. Each person has a daemon, their soul in a detached, animal form that is their constant companion. Lyra, a young girl who is used to running wild around Oxford campus with her friends, is given a golden compass before she joins a woman in London who is supposed to educate Lyra. However, Lyra discovers this woman, Mrs. Coulter, is the head of a group of adults Lyra and her friends call the Gobblers. The Gobblers have been kidnapping children, and Lyra left Oxford with the intention of finding out what was happening to the children. When Lyra learns that Mrs. Coulter is involved, she escapes into the London night. She runs into a group of Gyptians she knew from Oxford, and with them she journeys to the far North, where the Gobblers have been taking the kidnapped children. The adventure that follows is exciting, and involves pursuit by Mrs. Coulter, an armored bear named Iorek Byrnison, witches, Lyra's capture and entrance into the Gobblers base, and the discovery of multiple worlds that can be accessed through secret doorways.

Comments:

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit hard to get into at first, because of all the new terminology that differentiated Lyra's world from ours, but after the first couple chapters I was hooked. Lyra is an excellent character, fully developed and very lovable. All the other characters are also real and interesting. The plot moved along quickly, which made the book difficult to put down. The world that Pullman creates is believable and fascinating. I think most young adults who have an interest in the fantasy genre would be interested in this book.

Rating: 5/5

Under the Persimmon Tree

Staples, Suzanne Fisher. (2005). Under the persimmon tree. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Age range: Grades 5-8

Plot Summary:
A young Afghan girl named Najmah deals with the destruction of her family after the Taliban take her older brother and father, and her mother and baby brother die from an American bomb. Najmah makes her way to Peshawar, Pakistan to look for her brother and father, and meets up with American turned Muslim Nusrat. Nusrat teaches Afghan children math etc. under a persimmon tree in her yard as she waits for her doctor husband to return from northern Afghanistan.

Comments:
This is not a very engaging book. There are descriptions of tragic events, but the words did not evoke any real emotion. The passages from Najmah's point of view are told in first person perspective, while Nusrat's are told in third person. This stalls the flow when reading. One positive thing is that Staples includes foreign words (a glossary is provided), which add to the authenticity of the setting. Staples tries not to glorify America, but in the end I was left hoping that Najmah would go to America and get a decent education. Especially since she was bright enough to learn English in less than a month... There isn't much action or humor in the book, so I find it hard to imagine a YA reader staying interested. Most disappointing of all, the ending is unresolved, with a writing style completely different from the rest of the book.

Rating: 2/5

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Hello to anyone who has taken the time to find my blog on Young Adult (YA) resources. This blog is a reading log of books and other items I've read or viewed over the extent of my MLIS course, Services and Resources for Young Adults. I hope some of the comments will be useful, and that I can help you find some great books and resources to explore. Keep checking back for updates!