Shooting the moon

Shooting The Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell

This is one of the books I picked up from our book fair. I really enjoyed how the main character Jamie evolved from being an army brat to becoming a thoughtful, more realistic person ( I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense but when you read the story you'll understand.)

Here's the summary:

When twelve-year-old Jamie Dexter's brother joins the Army and is sent to Vietnam, Jamie is trilled. She can't wait to get letters from the front lines describing the excitement of real-life combat: the sound of helicopters, the smell of gunpowder, the exhileration of being right in the thick of it all. After all, they've both dreamed of following in the footsteps of their father, the Colonel.

But T.J's fist letter isn't a letter at all. It's a roll of undeveloped film, the first of many. What Jamie sees when she develops T.J.'s photographs reveals a whole new side of the war. Slowly the shine begins to fade off a Army life- and the Colonel. How can someone she's worshipped her entire life be just as helpless to save her brother as she is?

As one reviewer writes " Shooting the Moon will draw you in with it's simplicity and astound you with its powerful story."

The Cheat

The Cheat by Amy Goldman Koss

The summary:

Cheating on a geography midterm is only the beginning. It seemed simple enough - they were given the answers from last year's test and they used them. But they got caught, and what was done without much thought leads to greater and greater consequences. Now they are facing punishment at school, tension at home and no one is sure how or when it will end.

This book is told through the voices of six, eighth graders who are involved in the scenario of what would you do if you were given the answers to a mid-term exam and the emotional roller coaster the follows them, when they're caught.Was there a snitch? What will this mean outside of school?

I've got mixed feelings on this one, I felt that only half of the narrators seemed believable , one I even questioned what importance she had at all on the story. I liked the premise of the story and think it leaves room for some excellent discussion. I did like how Katie saw everything as multiple choice, and I enjoyed Sarah's poetry and sarcastic attempts at the essay on cheating she has to write.

Here's one of the poems:

'Tis a lie to pretend that I read the text.

'Tis a lie as well for which I'm hexed.

For I do NOT know the sea from land,

I'd still be lost with map in hand.

For I did not cram

For this exam.

You bet I regret not doing the work,

And now I feel like a total jerk.

But that's not punishment enough!

It must be meaner! Must be rough!

Unless I rat, I'll have to roast.

Tattle or I'm freaking toast!

But though you burn me as a witch,

You gots to know: I ain't no snitch!

This is a quick read with only 176 pages.

Quick pick

Last night as I was leaving the library, I thought I'd better grab a quick something. So after scanning the shelves, I picked up The Tuesday Cafe by Don Trembath. I had looked this one over before but for some reason other books made their way to the top of the stack. Once I got home, I started and by 7:00 p.m. I was finished. It was a good, quick pick and by that I mean, the action started right away, I felt involved with the character, and I wanted to know what would happen next. A quick pick is also usually a shorter novel - this one was 120 pages.

Here's the story line from the back cover - "It all started with a small fire in a garbage can. Unfortunately, the garbage can was in the hallway of Harper's school... Harper Winslow has some problems. His parents don't seem to understand what is going on in his life at all. He's not doing well at school. And a juvenile court judge has just ordered him to write a 2,000-word essay on how he's going to turn his life around. - Now his mother has enrolled him in a writing class called The Tuesday Cafe, but it's not quite what she expected."

Read on