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FICTION, FANTASY, & YOUNG ADULT CONTINUED... |
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MAKE LEMONADE
By Virginia Euwer Wolff |
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"But you don't always know at first," Jolly says. "You even thank them for it most of the time. See? See how they get you when you're down, you don't even know it's a lemon." She's building up steam, this Jolly is. "You even thank them for it, and you go stmblin' home, all bleeding or however you're hurt - and you say to yourself, "Well, gosh, I guess somebody give me a lemon. Ain't I stupid. Ain't I dumb. I must've deserved it if I was so stupid not to know." |
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Wolff, Virginia Euwer. 1993. Make Lemonade. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN: 0-590-48141-X |
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LaVaughn is determined to go to college and escape the poverty and filth of the inner city. Jolly is a 17-year-old mother of two little children. LaVaughn needs money to pay for college and Jolly needs a babysitter. A hastily written advertisement brings the two girls together and life starts hailing “lemons.” Jolly loses her job and can no longer pay rent or LaVaughn. Ignoring her mother’s advice, LaVaughn continues to watch Jolly’s children and struggles to maintain her grade point average. Jolly and LaVaughn learn valuable life lessons from each other and by the end of the tale, have managed to make a tart but drinkable lemonade out of the lemons they have been handed.
Revealed through the eyes of 14-year-old LaVaughn, the characters in this book are incredibly believable. Make Lemonade is a story that could take place in any city and at any time. Written in poetic verse, the narrative springs from the page and carries the reader along swiftly. LaVaughn and Jolly wade and waddle through tough times and emerge filled with hope for a brighter future. Without moralizing, Virginia Euwer Wolff manages to share an important lesson about survival and triumph. All who finish the book will plainly understand that it is not what life hands you but what you do with it that counts. Read this outstanding story and lemons will never look the same again! |
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What the Critics Have to Say...
Radiant with hope, this keenly observed and poignant novel is a stellar addition to YA literature - Publishers Weekly
This stunning work belongs in every public and high school library - School Library Journal
These girls could be from more than one ethnic group and almost any inner city--the setting is deliberately vague; but their troubles--explored in exquisite specificity--are universal. Hopeful--and powerfully moving - Kirkus Reviews |
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THE GIVER
By Lois Lowry |
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1994 Newbery Award Winner |
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Jonas stared at the screen, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. The little twin lay motionless. His father was putting things away. Folding the blanket. Closing the cupboard. Once again, as he had on the playing field, he felt the choking sensation. Once again he saw the face of the light-haired, bloodied soldier as life left his eyes. The memory came back. He killed it! My father killed it! |
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Lowry, Lois. 1993. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0-395-64566-2 |
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Welcome to Utopia…There is no poverty, unemployment, divorce, or teenage rebellion. The old, the odd, and the non-conformists are “released” quietly and children advance in age each December. Emotions and color are absent from the world and “The Elders” select your life assignment. 12-year-old Jonas is not assigned; he is selected. He will be the next “Receiver of Memory.” His begins his training under the tutelage of the old Receiver and Jonas soon discovers that his “perfect” society is not so perfect after all.
The Giver is a phenomenal story. Lois Lowry expertly creates a fantasy world that is uncomfortably realistic and plausible. Her “perfect” society is exposed through the thoughts, actions, and observations of Jonas. Jonas reveals the importance of conformity in his society as he tells the story of an awkward boy named Fritz who is continuously summoned for chastisement because his shoes are sometimes on the wrong feet. The story is slow to start but begins to pick up pace as the weak threads that hold this ideal world together begin to snap. Lowry never moralizes but skillfully demonstrates the importance of freedom of choice as Jonas begins to rebel against all he has held as true. This powerful book should be shared with all. |
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What the Critics Have to Say...
Lowry is once again in top form... unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers - Publishers Weekly
Despite occasional logical lapses, 'The Giver,' a powerful and provocative novel, is sure to keep older children reading. And thinking - New York Times
This tightly plotted story and its believable characters will stay with readers for a long time - School Library Journal |
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