Book Reviews

For the past 13 years, John (Jack) Buckles has lived an ordinary life, with an ordinary family. Except for one thing. Jack sees things differently from other people. He can even see things that other people can’t, like ghosts and the past. Jack’s father goes missing and is pronounced dead on a “business trip.” Jack, his mother, and his 8-year-old sister, Sadie, rush to London searching for him. When Jack and Sadie are left alone in their hotel room and Sadie runs off, Jack follows her. The two end up in a mysterious building called, The Lost Property Office. The suspenseful, action-packed story that ensues is about friendship and never giving up hope. This book made me think of The Hunger Games Trilogy because of its unlikely heroes and strong-willed characters. It also reminded me of I am Malala, because no matter how many times Malala Yousafzai was told she couldn’t do something or was in danger, she never backed down. Now Malala is a huge role model to people everywhere. I like to run, and I do cross country at my school. I’m not amazing at it, and I can’t run 4 minutes miles, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. A couple months ago, I had a really big meet. I was a little nervous because I was running with kids that were older than me. I was tired, and about to just give up, but I heard my coach yelling, telling me to keep going. Despite the pain, I ran as hard as I could. I finished in 10th place, and beat almost 80 girls. Best of all, I got my first medal! What I experienced then reminded me of what the characters in the story were going through. If you feel like you don’t fit in, or like you don’t have the power to change anything, this beautifully written book will prove you wrong. Filled to the brim with clever plot twists and compelling characters, this story is sure to change the way you view the world, and how you see yourself. Although this book was written for young readers, I think that many adults would take something away from it as well. I would rate this book a solid five, and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for an engaging novel that will have you eager to turn every page. The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal. Simon & Schuster, 2016. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!

Every kid has, at some point, wished for nothing more than to fit in. This is just the case with Boy, a young hunchback boy living in 1350, the year declared as a Holy Year by the pope of Rome. Boy is used to being an outcast from society – for no more reason than the lump on his back. He is daily called a monster, a fiend, or a devil’s companion, and accepts this as part of his identity. Father Petrus, the priest who christened him “Boy”, taught him the rules of life and ways to hide his differences. The Father is an important person in Boy’s vague, mysterious past. Boy has his own private life inside the bubble of loneliness that he is set in by everyone else. He is not completely alone, however, because he has the power of talking to animals. They accept Boy, for what animal would care whether a human stands straight or crooked when judging him for a companion? One chilly March day, a cloaked pilgrim shows up near Boy’s home. Impressed with the hunchback’s climbing and jumping abilities, he recruits Boy as a servant on a strange quest. The pilgrim, named Secundus, pulls Boy into a journey across Europe to collect seven valuable relics of Saint Peter – a rib, tooth, thumb, shin, dust, skull, and tomb. The pack in which Boy carries the relics hides his hump – so for the first time, he is treated normally. With great pleasure, he tells jokes to a brown-eyed girl and shares his joy with hounds on the street. Secundus and Boy journey from one holy spot to another. Tales of cripples dancing away from the shrine, dead babies coming to life, and sudden cures of incurable diseases pervade the minds of hopeful pilgrims around them. As the pair move, Boy begins to discover astonishing things about himself and his companion. Through the fast-paced, gripping action, tiny clues have been adding up. They finally point to the idea that Boy’s hump may not be a lump of evil, but a ball of divinity waiting to unfold its wings. And as for Secundus and his motives in collecting the relics – it is possible that he is the true fiend, though his body is not disfigured in any way. Bit by bit, Boy discovers just how far the magic of his hump extends; and realizes that if he keeps a confident smile on his face, he can do what he always wished to do – help people – without being labeled as either an angel or a monster. And with this, he fulfills his wish of being treated normally while staying the same person that he always was. I think that this book, though told in a medieval setting, really applies to modern day. Everyone is different. Although most kids have been told this many times, we still tend to single out the people who are very tall, very short, who have learning problems, who look different. We look at someone and judge them, forgetting hidden under everybody’s metaphorical disfigurement, there is a mind that thinks and feels just like we do. Everyone has, at some point, felt that they don’t fit into the norm. It’s hard to realize that our differences might actually be assets. When you are singled out or made fun of, it’s difficult to put a smile on your face and show the world that you may be different, but you have your own special powers. When you do, however, you are given wings for your personality to fly free. The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Harper Collins, 2018. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!

There’s a fine line between right and wrong. A lot of times, there isn’t even a line at all. Some of the biggest challenges faced by modern day society involve navigating this endless gray space, searching half-blind for any kind of telltale divide. The fast-paced novel Sinless by Sarah Tarkoff takes this issue and turns it on its head. The teenage protagonist, Grace Luther, lives in a near-future world where morality is possibly the easiest thing to tell about someone. Any person who is good and righteous is instantly rewarded with a perfect, beautiful appearance. However, the slightest ethical misstep could lead to a literally hideous punishment. In order to catch a liar in the act, just look at his face—not for shifty eyes or a nervous tic, but for an immediate disfigurement of features. This attack on one of the most idolized aspects of humankind results in a veritable utopia, with crime and cruelty practically nonexistent. But perhaps everything is not as perfect as it seems. As the plot escalates in this exciting science-fiction-fantasy, Grace’s very beliefs are challenged anew with every turning page. Dark and thrilling, Sinless steps into the ranks of middle-grade dystopian favorites, such as Divergent, Uglies, The Maze Runner, and Lois Lowry’s classic The Giver. This story boasts just the right amount of science fiction, religion, and romance for an instant success. Sarah Tarkoff weaves a very entertaining tale with this novel, one that flows seamlessly and leaves the reader thinking about it for a while after the final page is turned. This book will surely appeal to a broad audience, such as fans of the aforementioned series, though, like those, it is rather intense and definitely no children’s story. Sinless is the first of the new series Eye of the Beholder, and it is certainly a grand entrance. Many who read it will be craving for the next in the series—I know I am. Sinless by Sarah Tarkoff. Harper Voyager, 2018. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation–Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!