PDF - Christian Library Journal

MIDDLE SCHOOL
FICTION
Staple Garrison, Esther and Bennett’s father, did
not run away, as was thought, but was murdered.
Armistead has created an engrossing story filled
with well-rounded characters. The relationships
are honest; the events well plotted and
portrayed, the ending thought-provoking. The
book won a Milkweed Prize for Children’s
Literature. Alcohol and tobacco use are
portrayed and “hexing” is discussed, but these
are not major elements. Fran Gregory nicely
does the few illustrations in black and white.
Betsy Ruffin, Teacher/Librarian, Cleburne, Texas
Spider Storch’s Desperate Deal, by Gina
Willner-Pardo; illustrated by Nick
Sharratt. LCCN 99020140. Morton
Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman, 1999. ISBN
0807575887, HBB, $11.95.
F. Weddings--Fiction. p. Middle school (Elementary).
Spiders on the brain, spiders on the underwear:
Spider Storch loves spiders. Girls are another
story. Spider is trapped in the middle-school
web of hatred for the opposite sex. His nemesis,
Mary Grace, is a gangly gal with a long ponytail.
To her disgust, Spider calls her “Smelly Face”
and “Sasquatch.” When she is chosen to be a
flower girl in a wedding, she is thrilled. Spider
is volunteered to be ring bearer for the same
wedding.
Mary Grace decides to blackmail Spider. She’ll
blab to the entire school that he’s going to have
to wear a tuxedo, unless Spider agrees to stop
calling her names—and perform a few other
favors as well. Spider Storch’s desperate deal is
sealed. But soon Mary Grace’s demands go too
far. Spider finally comes to his senses and stops
worrying about what other people will say or
think about him. Mary Grace loses her power
over Spider, and the wedding goes ahead with
Reverend Carleton saying “a lot of disgusting
stuff about loving each other.” Taking a tiny
step toward maturity, Spider calls a truce with
Mary Grace and even brings himself to
compliment her hair. And then he lets her know
he still thinks she’s a “dumb old Sturgeon
Breath.”
Although full of the attitudes parents love to
hate, Gina Willner-Pardo’s Spider Storch’s
Desperate Deal will appeal to the inherent
desire of middle-school boys to “gross out”
girls. The small, exaggerated line drawings by
Nick Sharratt will keep the easily distracted
reader fully engaged.
John T. Perrodin, Attorney, Editor, Homeschool Father, Colorado
Springs, Colorado
Stuart’s run to faith, by Sharon
Hambrick. LCCN 99011896. Greenville,
S.C.: Journey Books, Bob Jones
University Press, 1999. ISBN 1579242448,
PAP, $6.49.
F. Christian life--Fiction; Schools--Fiction. 123 p.
Middle school.
If you’re working at a Christian school or are
looking for that perfect book to get into the mind
and soul of an unsaved teen or almost-teen boy,
then this is the book. If you want a book that
doesn’t skirt the issues, but goes directly to the
salvation message, this is it. Sharon Hambrick
does a good job of writing through the eyes of a
twelve-year-old in a tight spot, although some of
her expressions don’t really fit his age level.
Stuart’s Run to Faith is a no-holds-barred
gauntlet event for the main character. He has to
deal with having to attend a Christian academy
because his widowed mother has had to move
into a single wide trailer with Grandma, and that
is Grandma’s bargaining tool for her unsaved
grandson. Friends, teachers, coaches, and
neighbors are all intent on converting Stuart.
Mom is neutral as she deals with trying to get
enough money to get a place of their own.
Lively situations, real-life conversations, and
Stuart’s gift of speed as a runner make this an
honest, believable read. Surely God works this
way on a daily basis as He puts people to work
carrying His message of the Gospel. This book
should be in every Christian school library and
should be sent as a gift to every public school
library. This novel is a true outreach to the
unsaved and a tune-up for the believer.
Rev. Jim McKinney, Teacher, Port Orchard, Washington
★
Terror from the Gulf : a hurricane in
Galveston, written by Martha Tannery
Jones. LCCN 99014579. Dallas:
Hendrick-Long Publishing, 1999. ISBN
1885777213, HBB, $15.95.
F. Hurricanes--Texas--Galveston--Fiction; Galveston
(Tex.)--Fiction; Fear--Fiction. 128 p. Middle school.
In the year 1900, Charlie, twelve and
rambunctious, has already been in trouble
several times for fighting. His mother warns
him about his temper, but what can he do when
others keep egging him on? He lives seven
blocks from the warm gulf waters in Galveston,
yet this presents another problem, because ever
since his father was lost at sea, Charlie has been
afraid to go in the water. This brings incessant
teasing from his classmates and even his
supposed friends; thus the temper flare-ups. At
the moment, however, there are other things to
be concerned about. A mysterious man
continues to spy on their house, always staring,
always disappearing before Charlie can get
anyone else to see him, and now a hurricane is
making its way toward the town.
Charlie’s suspicion about the strange man is
quickly forgotten as the hurricane-force winds
and rapidly rising water threaten the lives of
everyone in Galveston. When the water reaches
the family on the second floor of their home,
they have to jump into the swirling, debris-filled
waters before their home collapses around them.
Charlie is forced to face his worst fears as he
must choose between clinging to the floating
roof parts, or letting go and attempting to rescue
a baby floating in a precarious wooden cradle.
A definite page-turner, Terror from the Gulf
brings the fear and tension of fighting the fury of
nature into one’s own home. Written simply yet
with power, Martha Tannery Jones’ narrative
uses the historical account to give strength to the
storyline. The issues of facing one’s fears and
dealing with anger are resolved, as Charlie
discovers what is really important in life. The
book includes photographs showing the
destruction the town suffered, as well as the
rebuilding of the destroyed Galveston. These
images help the reader to visualise the scale of
the horror and devastation suffered.
Mary McKinney, Former Teacher, Freelance Writer, Editor, Port
Orchard, Washington
Trapped between the lash and the gun : a
boy’s journey, by Arvella Whitmore.
LCCN 98014564. New York: Dial Books,
Penguin Putnam, 1999. ISBN
0803723849, HBB, $16.99.
F. Slavery--Fiction; Afro-Americans--Fiction; Time
travel--Fiction. 185 p. Middle school.
Jordan Henning Scott does not want to move
with his mother and sister to Springdale. After
all, at twelve years of age, he should be able to
make a decision as important as this on his own.
Jordan wants to live with his father, though his
mother has refused to reveal his father’s
location. Angry about the events in his life,
Jordan joins the Cobras, a neighborhood gang.
Jordan plans to stay with the Cobras until he can
get enough money to fly out to be with his
father.
Gang members must have a gun, so Jordan visits
his grandfather and steals the gold watch that
has been passed down in the family from slave
ancestors. Suddenly Jordan is no longer in the
city. Instead Jordan is in a wooded area with a
strange young black boy named Uriah Henning,
his great, great, great, great grandfather and a
slave on the Henning’s plantation.
Because Jordan cannot prove he is free, he ends
up picking cotton and is eventually sold, with
other members of Uriah’s family. Jordan is
purchased by a member of the underground
railway and put into hiding with other runaway
slaves including Uriah. Suddenly, Jordan is
back in his own time. Finally realizing the true
value of the watch, he returns it to his
grandfather and decides to quit the gang; this
action results in a shooting, cementing the
changes in Jordan’s life.
Arvella Whitmore has an engaging style that
allows her writing to pull the reader into the
story. Jordan seems very much a real person.
However, Trapped Between the Lash and the
Gun deals too neatly with the gang issue and
with slavery. This would be a good addition to
the time travel genre of fiction were it not so
neatly wrapped up.
Barbara Wall, School Library System Director, Oswego County
BOCES, Mexico, New York
Uprising at dawn, by Lee Roddy.
(Between two flags; 5.) LCCN 99051012.
Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2000. ISBN
0764220292, PAP, $5.99.
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