Numbers: The Chaos

Ward, Rachel. Numbers: The Chaos. New York: Scholastic, 2011.

When Adam looks into your eyes, he sees a number.  That number is the day on which you will die.  He can also get an impression of how you will die - whether it will be a violent death or death due to disease or accident. Adam is struggling with this "gift," especially once he realizes that almost everyone around him has the same date.  What exactly is going to happen on January 1, 2027 that will cause so many deaths? Can Adam do something to save those around him?

This was an unsual book with a few interesting subplots.  I continued reading it even though it dragged a bit at times.  I don't know that I would necessarily recommend this book.  There are other, better books out there.  Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book in the series before reading this sequel.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Sonnenblick, Jordan.  Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. New York: Scholastic, 2006.

I read After Ever After several months ago and enjoyed it immensely.  Imagine my delight when I found another book by the same author and with the same characters. In this story, Jeffrey's older brother Steven is in eighth grade.  He is enjoying school, getting good grades, learning to play the drums, and everything is fine until his five-year old brother Jeffrey is diangosed with leukemia.  Steven's life takes a back seat as his parents focus on Jeffrey's treatment and recovery.  Soon Steven is attempting to survive eighth grade on his own, and he is failing miserably.  Only once he admits to his teachers and classmates that his brother has cancer does he find the help he needs and find a way to help his brother as well.

This was an excellent story, and I will admit it was easy for me to read because I knew from the sequels that Jeffrey survives his cancer. It was also a good reminder to me that sometimes people will "drop out of life" not because they have given up but because there's so much going on that they don't know what else to do.   I was also very impressed with the actions of Steven's classmates and fellow band members in this book.  If you have a classroom library, Sonnenblick needs to be on your shelf.

Zen and the Art of Faking It

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Zen and the Art of Faking It.  New York: Scholastic, 2007.

San Lee has moved once again and once again is starting at a new school.  There are benefits to this: his new classmates don't know his dad is in prison or that his dad has cheated his way across the continent. However, his classmates also don't know anything about San himself, so San decides to invent a new persona once again.  San's new "self" is a Zen Buddhist, and San himself has some serious studying to do if he is going to be a proper Buddhist.  But what will his classmates say when they discover that San, adopted from China when he was a small child, is not the next Zen master?

This book was fun.  I can relate to San's identity issues, as well as his choice to try on a new persona whenever he arrives in a new location. I am glad that his lies caught up with him in the end and that he chose, finally, to tell the truth, both to those around him and to himself.

Notes from the Midnight Driver

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Notes from the Midnight Driver. New York: Scholastic, 2006.

Alex is upset over his parents' divorce, so one night he raids the liquor cabinet and steals his mom's car keys in an attempt to drive to his dad's place.  His attempt fails miserably, though, when his car bumper meets his neighbor's garden gnome.  Alex is assigned community service to pay for his crimes, and his mother chooses for him to volunteer as an assistant in the hospital.  Alex is assigned to an older man who is slowly dying of emphysema, and it looks like this will be the longest 100 hours of Alex's life, until he starts looking beyond himself and sees how he can use his time of service to truly serve others.

I chose this book for two reasons: I have enjoyed other books by the same author, and this book has a really funny cover. And I was not disappointed. Sonnenblick has a very engaging writing style and hooks the reader into his stories quite quickly.  Not only that, but his characters do good work while enduring incredible hardships.  I have been very impressed with Sonnenblick's novels, and if I had a classroom still, his books would be on my shelf.

Miles From Ordinary

Williams, Carol Lynch. Miles From Ordinary. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2011.

Lacey is excited about starting her job at the library, excited because this job gives her a reason to be out of the house in the summer and to take a break from caring for her mother.  Lacey's mother is mentally ill: she hears the voice of her dead father speaking to her and telling her to do things like store up enough food to last a lifetime.  She refuses to take her medication, and slowly everyone in her life has left her, except Lacey.  But when Lacey finishes her first day of work and cannot find her mother, what will she do?

This was an interesting book and a quick read.  I felt bad for Lacey having to deal with her mother's craziness and trying to be a normal teenager at the same time.  I was glad that she finally got the help her family needed by the end of the book.