The Freedom Maze Book Review

 Author: Delia Sherman. Release date: 2011. Publisher:  Big Mouth House. ISBN: 9781931520300.

Annotation: In 1960 Louisiana, thirteen-year-old Sophie Martineau is sent by her recently divorced mother to Oak Cottage, an old plantation on the bayou, to stay with her grandmother for the summer. Bored and lonely, Sophie makes a wish that inadvertently transports her 100 years in the past, where, after being mistake for a slave, she experiences life on a pre-Civil War plantation.

Personal thoughts: I am a big fan of both historical fiction and time travel, so this book was right up my alley. I thought the author did an outstanding job of describing the plantation and life as a slave in 1860. The reader is truly transported into this tumultuous period of time, something that I think would be very valuable for tween or teen readers who are learning about the Civil War or slavery. The author’s passion for this era, as well as slave narratives and memoirs, is very evident throughout the novel, and adds that much more to the already exceptional story.

Plot summary: In 1960 New Orleans, thirteen-year-old Sophie Martineau is struggling to cope with her parents’ recent divorce. Her father has moved to New York City, and her former best friend is no longer allowed to socialize with the child of a single mother. To make matters worse, Sophie’s mother has decided to send her to Oak Cottage, an old plantation outside of New Orleans, to stay with her grandmother and aunt for the summer. Bored and lonely, Sophie makes a wish to be someone else, and is inadvertently transported back in time to 1860. Having spent several weeks in the sun exploring the bayou of Oak Cottage, Sophie’s tanned skin causes her to be mistaken for a slave, and she is immediately put to work in Oak River House, the luxurious home of her ancestors, the Fairchilds. Sophie is used to the racial segregation in the south of 1960, but nothing prepares her for the cruelty and discrimination she experiences as a slave in a pre-Civil War plantation.  

Review:  Inspired by real life slave narratives and memoirs, veteran author Delia Sherman’s The Freedom Maze proves to be a well-written and intriguing novel that is both entertaining and educational. Although the story involves time travel to the 19^th century, it begins in the past, over fifty years ago, at the dawn of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Sophie is a complex character, as is her mother, a recently divorced, bitter woman who warns Sophie against associating with “negroes,” especially men. As was likely the case with many children during this period of time, Sophie is unsure of exactly why she is supposed to be afraid of African Americans, but takes her mother’s word for it, trying hard to be a proper southern lady. Sherman does an excellent job of conveying Sophie’s frustration, both with her parents’ divorce and her “exile” at the Oak River plantation. The story gets even more layered, however, after Sophie travels back to 1860. The many plantation slaves become to focus of Sophie’s new life, as do the ancestors she is forced to serve after they assume she is the light-skinned offspring of a relative and his servant. The author’s description of life on the plantation, from vocabulary to daily tasks, is very well done, and gives The Freedom Maze enough historical accuracy to have a strong place in the classroom. Overall, an exceptional novel that can easily be enjoyed by tweens, teens and adults, particularly those with an interest in American history.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading level: Grade 6+

Similar titles: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler.   

Themes:  Time travel, slavery, plantations, racism, divorce, American history, the South, the Civil War.

Awards/Reviews:  Starred review from Kirkus, positive reviews from authors Alaya Dawn Johnson, N.K. Jemisin, Nisi Shawl, Cory Doctorow, Jane Yolen, Holly Black, and Elizabeth Knox.

Series Information: N/A

Discussion questions:

-     Compare life for African Americans in 1860 to 1960. How were African Americans treated in each time period? Do you think things were that different between 1860 and 1960?

-     Why do you think the Fairchilds mistook Sophie for a slave? Do you think they would have treated her differently if they thought she was white?

-      Why do you think Antigua was so upset when she thought Sophie lost her free papers?

-      What do you think Sophie learned by living life as a slave in 1860?

-      Do you think life for African Americans has changed between 1960 and the present? How?

-       Read an actual slave narrative and compare Delia Sherman’s descriptions of life on a plantation. How historically accurate do you think The Freedom Maze is?

-     Why do you think the novel is called The Freedom Maze? What is the significance of the maze in the story?

You’ll Like it Here (Everybody Does) Book Review

Author: Ruth White. Release date: 2011. Publisher:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780385739986.

Annotation:  The Blue family is forced to suddenly abandon their home in North Carolina when the residents suspect the truth about them: they are originally from the planet Chroma. Seeking a new place to live, the Blues end up in Fashion City, where everything appears harmonious and they are told over and over, “You’ll like it here. Everybody does.” But as they learn more about their new home, they realize that not everything is at it seems.

Personal thoughts:  I have to admit that the title of this novel is really what grabbed me. The creepiness of that phrase really elevated my hopes for the story. I was not disappointed! I really enjoyed You’ll Like it Here (Everybody Does) for many different reasons. It was an incredibly quick read, and I found myself unable to put it down, something that doesn’t often happen for me. I really found the author’s writing-style to be appropriate for young readers but far from juvenile. There are also many references in the novel that only older readers will be able to pick up on, making it even more interesting for parents, teachers or librarians who want to familiarize themselves with the story. I hope that this title makes school reading lists because I really think it has the potential to be a modern classic.

Plot summary: Eleven-year-old Meggie Blue and her older brother, thirteen-year-old David, love their lives in North Carolina. They live with their mother and loving grandfather who they call Gramps on a big ranch in the countryside. After a tragedy strikes their small town, however, the residents begin to suspect the truth: the Blues are not exactly human. Originally from the planet Chroma, they have been forced to relocate after pollution and disease caused their planet to become uninhabitable.  Now the Blues must flee again in the device that brought them to Earth, a “glass rocket-ship” called the Carriage. The Carriage brings them to their new home, a place called Fashion City. At first, everything about the city seems to be harmonious. They are given food, shelter and clothing and told over and over again, “You’ll like it here. Everybody does.” The population of Fashion City may be a bit drab, but the Blues are welcomed into their new lives of factory work, school, and frozen meals. It seems that in Fashion City, violent crime has been eradicated and, in its place, people are punished for things like uniqueness, daydreaming and ambition. As Meggie and David learn more about Fashion City, and the mysterious Fathers who the population praises as ensuring the survival of their town, the Blues begin to wonder if the place is truly as harmonious as it seems.

Review:  Calling to mind such classics as The Giver, Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird, Ruth White’s You’ll Like it Here (Everybody Does) is a quick but very thought-provoking novel for young readers. The story is told in alternating voices between eleven-year-old Meggie and thirteen-year-old David. Meggie begins narrating the story, and, for the first several chapters, it is not evident that the Blues are, in fact, aliens. The discovery of the truth makes for just one of many exciting twists in the plot. As adult readers are bound to pick up on, there are definite literary references in White’s description of the “utopian” Fashion City. The residents seem to be perpetually locked in a muted, communistic way of life devoid of any creativity, self-expression or ambition. Elders are rounded up for Vacation 65, a form of retirement that takes those who are no longer useful in Fashion City to a tropical paradise. The sinister overtones of the oppression in Fashion City will not be lost on younger readers. At one point in the book, a friend of Meggie’s describes how all of the pets in the city were recently rounded up as animals were found to be carriers of disease. Although the novel does take some dark turns, it doesn’t dive too intensely into the horrors of absolute control and oppression, making it a very appropriate introduction for tweens into dystopian fiction. Overall, You’ll Like it Here (Everybody Does) is a very satisfying and entertaining read for tween, teen and adult readers alike. This title would be especially interesting for a classroom discussion or book group.

Genre: Science-Fiction

Reading level: Grade 4+

Similar titles: The Giver by Lois Lowry, Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L’Engle.       

Themes:  Uniqueness, being different, aliens, oppression, race, dystopian, coming-of-age, perfection.  

Awards/Reviews:  Written by Newbery Honor Award winning author.

Series Information: N/A   

Discussion questions:

- Find out what the phrase “unreliable narrator” means. Would you describe Meggie in the first few chapters as an unreliable narrator? Why or why not?

- Were you surprised to learn that the Blues were not from Earth?

- Name four historical figures that appear in Fashion City. Why were they important to society in real life? What do you think the author included them in the novel?

- Which character did you like better: Meggie or David? Why?

- When did you realize the truth about Vacation 65?

- Would you like to read a sequel to this novel? What would you include in a sequel if you were writing one?

Ingenue Book Review

Author: Jillian Larkin. Release date: 2011. Publisher:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780385740364.

Check out my review for the first novel in this series, Vixen, if you haven't already read it!: http://bit.ly/Vixenbookreview

Annotation:  Gloria Carmody and Jerome Johnson have fled Chicago and are now struggling to make ends meet in 1920s New York City. Lorraine Dyer, Clara Knowles and Jerome’s sister, Vera, also find themselves in New York’s world of gangsters, speakeasies and jazz.

Personal thoughts:  I enjoyed the first novel in the series very much, but found myself liking Ingenue even more after the first few chapters. Where the first book had its moments of lag, the plot of Ingenue rolled forward like a freight train for most of the story. I liked the addition of Vera as one of the narrators, although it was, at times, a bit confusing since the novel was told from four different perspectives. Other than having to double-check who I was reading about from time to time, I found Ingenue to be a very satisfying second installment in a fun series! I’m looking forward to the release of Diva.    

Plot summary: Picking up right where the previous novel, Vixen, left off, eighteen-year-old Gloria Carmody finds herself struggling to make ends meet in New York City with the talented piano player, Jerome Johnson, she left Chicago to be with.  After being forced to kill one of the associates of Chicago mobster, Carlito Macharelli, in self-defense, Gloria and Jerome are being extra cautious to avoid the eventual retribution that they know is coming their way. In the meantime, Gloria’s best friend turned enemy, Lorraine Dyer, is also living in New York and is working for none other than Macharelli in one of his gin joints, the Opera House. Lorraine promised Carlito that she would help him locate Gloria and Jerome, getting her revenge for the humiliation that Gloria put her through back in Chicago. Gloria’s cousin, Clara Knowles, and her now boyfriend, Marcus Eastman, are also living in New York before Marcus begins college in the fall. Clara is trying desperately to convince Marcus that she has given up the flapper-lifestyle, but finds herself back in the world of liquor, jazz and parties when she lands a job as a reporter for an up-and-coming New York magazine. Vera Johnson, Jerome’s sister, and Evan, one of Jerome’s former Chicago bandmates, have also travelled to the Big Apple hoping to find Jerome and warn him that he and Gloria’s fears are not unfounded: a dangerous assassin has been hired to find the pair, and Vera doesn’t want to imagine what their fates will be when their lives in Chicago finally catch up with them.

Review:  Like the first novel in Larkin’s Flappers series, Ingenue is told in alternating voices, this time with Vera contributing to the story along with Vixen’s Gloria, Lorraine and Clara. Those who have not read the previous novel beware: the storyline of Ingenue is quite complex and would make little to no sense if the characters were not already firmly established in the first installment. Fans of Vixen, however, will find the four girls’ adventures in Ingenue to be as enjoyable, if not more so, than the previous novel.  Gloria, Lorraine and Clara have shed any of the “debutante” pretense that made up so much of the plot of Vixen, leaving three fearless flappers in their place. Vera also makes an interesting addition to the mix, giving Larkin the opportunity to explore even more of the social inequalities between blacks and whites in the early 20^th century. Gloria and Jerome’s trouble romance is, of course, the most stark example of society’s segregation in the 1920s, but other, more subtle parts of the novel will definitely resonate with readers who are attune to these struggles. Another major theme of the story is the role of women during the time period. Clara finds herself wanting to pursue a career in journalism, but discovers that she might be limited to petty gossip columns, the more serious stories being left to the men. The mobster/speakeasy/revenge parts of the novel are what move it along, but it is Larkin’s attention to the realities of the 1920s that really makes Ingenue shine as an exciting historical fiction read for young adults. The third novel, Diva, is set to be released in 2012.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading level: Grade 8+

Similar titles: Vixen by Jillian Larkin (first installment in series) and Bright Young Things series by Anna Godbersen.       

Themes:  1920s, flappers, speakeasies, gangsters, interracial relationships, revenge, racism, role of women.

Awards/Reviews:  Positive reviews from teenreads.com.  

Series Information: Second installment in The Flappers series. First novel, Vixen (2011), third novel, Diva, set to be released in 2012.  

Discussion questions: 

- What setting did you like better: Chicago in Vixen or New York City in Ingenue? Why?

- Did you like the addition of Vera as a narrator in the novel? Why or why not?

- How do you think the characters changed between Vixen and Ingenue? Who changed the most? The least?

-Why do you think race was such an issue in the early 20^th century? Do you think it still is?

- Do you think that Gloria and Jerome would be accepted in today’s society?