OUT OF MY MIND – Sharon Draper
August 1, 2011 by hharvey · No Comments · AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
People often ask me, “What was your inspiration for Out of my Mind?” I reply, “All great stories emerge from deep truths that rest within us.” But the real truth of a story often can be found in places that not even the author has dared to explore. I suppose the character of Melody came from my experiences in raising a child with developmental difficulties. But Melody is not my daughter. Melody is pure fiction—a unique little girl who has come into being from a mixture of love and understanding. Out of my Mind is the story of a ten-year-old-girl who cannot walk or talk. She has spirit, determination, intelligence and wit, and no one knows it. But from buildings that are not wheelchair-accessible to classmates who make fun of her she finds a strength within herself she never knew existed.
I was fiercely adamant that nobody feel sorry for Melody. I wanted her to be accepted as a character and as a person, not as a representative for people with disabilities. Melody is a tribute to all the parents of disabled kids who struggle, to all those children who are misunderstood, to all those caregivers who help every step of the way. It’s also written for people who look away, who pretend they don’t see, or who don’t know what to say when they encounter someone who faces life with obvious differences. Just smile and say hello!
—Sharon M. Draper
THE KID BY Sapphire
August 1, 2011 by hharvey · No Comments · AUTHOR INTERVIEWS, READ FIRST CHAPTER
IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
July 26, 2011 by hharvey · No Comments · AUTHOR INTERVIEWS, BOOK TRAILER, RECOMMENDED BOOKS
SHIVER BY Maggie Stiefvater
June 13, 2011 by hharvey · No Comments · READ FIRST CHAPTER
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf — her wolf — watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn’t know why. Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace . . . until now. For Grace and Sam, love has always been at a distance. But once spoken, it cannot be denied.
WARHORSE BY MICHAEL MORPURGO
June 13, 2011 by hharvey · No Comments · READ FIRST CHAPTER
Like Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful (2004), this searing World War I novel reveals the unspeakable slaughter of soldiers on all sides fighting against people who are just like them. The story is told by an English farm horse, Joey, and, as in Cynthia Kadahota’s Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam (2007), the first-person narrative blends the animal’s physical experience with what men say. On the farm, Joey has close ties to Albert, who is too young to join up when his dad first sells Joey to the army. Charging into battle under machine-gun fire, Joey is captured by the Germans, who train him to haul ambulances and guns. His reunion with Albert in battle is sentimental and contrived, but the viewpoint brings close the fury of the thundering guns, the confusion, and the kindness of enemies who come together in No Man’s Land to save the wounded horse. Joey’s ability to understand the language wherever he is–England, France, Germany–reinforces the novel’s antiwar message, and the terse details speak eloquently about peace. Hazel Rochman
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