"Ruby--Between the Cracks" by P.D. Workman

In Ruby--Between the Cracks by P.D. Workman, you will meet a young girl named Ruby.  From a very young age, she had to make choices; unfortunately, most of them were wrong ones.  We follow her as she grows up and there is never a dull moment with this girl!  I also found the people in her life interesting.  Some tried to help while others tried to take advantage of her.

I enjoyed this book because the story moved along well and the characters were very believable!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"What the Dog Said" by Randi Reisfeld

What the Dog Said by Randi Reisfeld is a fun little YA read about a 13-yr-old girl, Grace, who is grieving the death of her father who was a cop and was shot on his way to her softball game. When they go to pick out a shelter dog to train as a service dog, she pics a mutt named Rex who actually talks to her! The plan was for her sister to be able to write about training a service dog for her college entrance essay. When Grace hears the dog talk, she wonders if she’s going crazy, but Rex helps her resolve the mystery of who shot her dad and helps her through a difficult time.

This is a good story about doing the right thing even if it’s hard. It’s a quick, enjoyable read that also shows what service dogs get trained to do and the different people service dogs can help—they are not only for the blind!
(Karen's review, 4 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Chalk Girl" by Carol O'Connell is Very Good

The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell tells the story of a gang of bullies in grade school who go after other kids.  One day they go after an adult and kill him.  The person who did the killing is fingered by someone.  Flash forward years later and the killer seeks revenge against his fellow gang members.

This is a page turner that doesn't reveal the killer until the final few pages.  I give this book 4 1/2 stars just because I liked it a lot, but it was very slow in some places and left me wanting more action.  It is very good though and well worth your time to read it.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

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"Perfect Chemistry" by Simone Elkeles Is Great!

What a fun read “Perfect Chemistry” by Simone Elkeles is!  I enjoyed reading Perfect Chemistry very much because it was such a cute high school romance story about the “perfect” pom-pom girl, Brittany Ellis, and the Latino Blood gang member, Alex, who had the reputation for being the most dangerous guy in school.  The Fairfield high school is cross cultural with the uppity rich kids from the North and the poor drug-dealing gang members from the south.  The Chemistry teacher and principal are determined to get the kids to learn from each other.   

When Brittany and Alex are paired together as partners in Chemistry it takes them awhile before they feel comfortable with each other to actually work together.  Although the plot is simplistic and predictable, it’s a fun read because of the characters, the humor and a great ending.  I liked Alex better than Brittany because he seemed to have more love and respect for his family than Brittany had for her parents.

Alex also struggled with deeper decisions whereas Brittany’s biggest decision was which guy she should go with—the jock that everyone expected her to like or Alex who she was attracted to and really liked.  I think the author did a good job at presenting both sides of Brittany and Alex—their caring and loving natures as well as the superficial ones they presented to the world.

I really liked this book because I like stories about teens, school and interesting characters.  Brittany and Alex discovered that stereotypes are not always right and were surprised to discover that they had more in common than they would have ever imagined as they got to know each other better and actually became friends and lovers.  This book addresses the issues of image, popularity, premarital sex, family, dealing with cerebral palsy, judging by appearances, teaching and gangs.  I didn’t care for the foul language interspersed throughout the book or the fact that premarital sex was taken so lightly, but it reflected the general attitude of most high schoolers.  I am so glad I read Perfect Chemistry and highly recommend it to anyone who likes YA fiction/romance.     
(Karen's review)


I discovered this one at Miss Page-Turner's city of Books
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"If I Grow Up" by Todd Strasser

Through the fictional characters of DeShawn, his best friend, Terrell, and the gang leaders in If I Grow Up, Todd Strasser gives the reader a vivid picture of the pressures people face living in poverty with gang members ruling the neighborhood in the inner-city.  I really liked this book because it followed DeShawn and Terrell as they grew up in the projects and let me see a world I am totally unfamiliar with; on the other hand, it is disturbing that people in America are actually living like this in some places. 

Although DeShawn and Terrell were best friends, they had different goals.  At age 12, Terrell looked forward to getting into a gang while DeShawn wanted to stay out of it.  DeShawn was generally a kid who just wanted to help out his family, stay alive to see another day, do the right thing and  stay out of trouble.  Had he made some different choices, he may have succeeded.  Strange how things turned out.  You trust the wrong person, and boom—you’re dead.

Throughout the book, the author shares some shocking facts between chapters such as these:

There are three times more black men in jail cells than college dorms.  P. 216

Young, unemployed black men murder one another at nine times the rate of white youths.  In 1965, 24% of black males were born to single mothers.  By 1990, the rate had risen to 64% and by 2005, it was just under 70%.  p.155

If I Grow Up story kept my interest all the way through, right from page 1.  It’s well written and has clean language.  I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about teenagers, is living in a project or is interested in gangs. 

(Karen's review)

Gerard's review:
If I Grow Up is about a young boy growing up in the projects surrounded by two gangs. The people who he hangs around with and the decisions he makes is the core of this book. I enjoyed it. Kept me turning pages. The book rings true!

Related non-fiction book we also liked: 

Gang Leader For A Day by Sudhir Venkatesh   (non-fiction)                                                         

Can’t Get There From Here by Todd Strasser (fiction story about homeless street kids)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Gang Leader For A Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes To The Streets"

Gang Leader For A Day by Sudhir Venkatesh is just awesome!! Sudhir tells the story of J.T., a Chicago gang leader of the BK's, the project that they run and the people in the projects that their lives are affected by. It's just so fascinating!! You will get hooked on page 1 and will find it hard to put it down. I hated to see it end. This is a must read book for sure.
(GERARD'S REVIEW 4/17/08)

Gang Leader For a Day by Sudhir Venkatesch is a fascinating book about a sociology student doing research in a low-income project in Chicago to find out how it feels to be black and poor and how they survive. He started with a questionnaire, but after getting laughed at and challenged to hang out with the people and see how things are, he abandons his questionnaires and hangs out with a gang for several years. This is non-fiction, based on actual experiences of the author who also talked to others in the community to find out their view of the gang and how they live. The funniest part was when J.T., the gang leader let the author be the gang leader for a day so he would find it wasn't at all as easy as he thought and his respect and admiration for J.T. increased. It was surprising to see that the gang was actually a well-run drug business. It's primary purpose was selling cocaine and keeping "peace" in the neighborhood, not fighting with other gangs or stirring up trouble. Whenever there was a fight or someone would get hurt, no one ever called the cops. They'd call on the gang members for help instead. No ambulance would go to the projects.

It gives insight into the role gangs play in the neighborhood, how community leaders cooperate with the gangs, how hopeless some peoples' lives can be and the ineffectiveness of the police and government agencies. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see how life in the low-income projects is, at least in some places. Very educational and a good read!
 (Karen's Review 4/24/08: Fascinating, Educational, great insight)