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Book Reviews by Sacramento Teens

Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen
By Mary Baker, Fair Oaks Branch Teen Advisory Board member

The 1300’s were a time of bloodshed wrapped in cold winters and vengeance. Scotland was no exception. Struggling under the rule of the greedy Edward Longshanks, Robert the Bruce, recently crowned, has set out to free his beloved homeland. Eleven year old Marjorie Bruce is delighted, I mean who wouldn’t want to be a princess and have your daddy King? Unfortunately, in these times of war, being a princess means a lot more than wearing pretty dresses. Sometimes it means sitting in a cage, sometimes it means having your legs go numb from pain, and sometimes it means having the courage to stand up and glare at your pain right in the face. In this heroic tale of Marjorie Bruce you watch as an eleven year old newly crowned princess finds there is a lot more to life than she thought. She finds pain, and sadness and courage, but most importantly, Marjorie finds herself in a cage where she has to learn to fight or die. Girl in a Cage is Marjorie’s story of the time she spent in a cage under the scrutiny of Edward Longshanks himself. So travel to Scotland with her in this wonderful story and see what it is like to be a girl in a cage.

Star Wars: Volume 1 Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
By Nicole Baker, Fair Oaks Branch Teen Advisory Board member

As the New Republic fights for control against the Empire, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia find themselves fighting their won wars. Leia struggles to balance political battles while taking care of her unborn twins and in the process discovers a whole planet under blackmail to the Empire. Han has a run in with several old “friends” in the smuggling business and ends up a captive of the Empire. Luke runs into a Mara Jade who happens to be holding a personal grudge against him. So to add salt to the wound, Luke now has to outsmart Mara Jade and the Empire. This stop in the Star Wars series in a wonderful adventure full of twists and turns as Timothy Zahn throws everyone’s favorite characters into trouble once again

Look for Volume 2, Dark Force Rising and the conclusion in Volume 3: The Last Command.

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The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
By Jackie Hager, Fair Oaks Branch Teen Advisory Board member

Everyone believes that they know the story of the Phantom of the Opera. After all, it won an award in 1988 for best musical. But the “real” story about the deformed man who lives in the fifth basement of the Paris Opera House is different; the real story not only explores what happens, but why it happens.

The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux involves several different genres. Christine, a ballet girl who becomes a magnificent opera performer with the aid of her mysterious tutor, Erick who is also called the Phantom, fall in love with a rich viscount, Raoul de Chagny. Unfortunately for Christine, though, Erik is willing to do anything to maker her love him.

For those who do not prefer romance, do not worry: The Phantom of the Opera if filled with adventure. Erik is a genius not only with music but with architecture; he has rigged the entire opera house to obey his commands. In that way, his mysterious inventiveness helps him on his quest to win Christine. Humor also plays a part in this novel; Erik has tricks up his sleeve that perplex and anger the opera house owners, yet amuse the reader.

The Phantom of the Opera enchants many readers to this day; romance, adventure, and humor combine to create a remarkable novel that will never be forgotten, and characters that will live in the reader’s memory.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
By Ashleigh Matzoll, Fair Oaks Branch Teen Advisory Board member

This book is a classic piece of literature. It has several plots and morals that are intertwined masterfully. The cast of characters is one that your heart goes out to...or that you desire, or just look down on. Trying to explain it would take too long, so I offer it to you to read.

I personally liked the length of the book, the whole 1,200 pages of it, because it clearly explains the story (the musical can be a bit confusing). The fact that more people read the abridged version because it is shorter is sad. The parts cut out don’t always pertain to the main storyline, but they are still interesting in their own respect and linked to the many sub-storylines interwined in the book.

Victor Hugo is a master at literature. His portrayal of the Bishop, Valjean, Javer, Marius, and ALL of the characters is amazing. Another amazing thing is how it seems that all the subplots have nothing to do with each other until they all revolve around the same great cast of characters.

I recommend this book because it is truly amazing. It changed my life, in the respect that I got more into classic literature than modern fiction.

All I can say is READ IT! You won’t regret it!

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Eight Cousins by Lousia May Alcott
By Olivia Hager, Teen Aadvisory Board member

Eight Cousins is a novel written by Lousia May Alcott. It is about a girl named Rose who is an orphan. She goes to live with her uncle and six aunts. Rose is a sad and sick girl because her father recently died. Her aunts try everything to maker her happy. When they fail, Rose’s uncle steps in to help. He makes her happy and healthy by giving her gifts and having her go play outside. Rose then meets her seven cousins who are all boys. Eight Cousins is about the adventures of Rose and her cousins.

Eight Cousins is a good book. One should read it because it is exciting. Rose’s adventures make the book come alive.

If you like Eight Cousins, you might also like Little Women, Jo’s boys, Little Men and Rose in Bloom all written by Lousia May Alcott.

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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
By Roopika Subramanian, Fair Oaks Branch Teen Advisory Board member

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is about a 14 year old girl named Lily Own who feels secluded from the outside world as she lives with a harsh father on a South Carolina farm in 1964. Fueled by the memory of her dead mother, Lily travels to Tiburon with her nanny Roasleen in order to discover herself and her mother’s roots. There she meets three black beekeeping sisters who introduce her to the joy of a honeyed life. With the brightly colored characters and crafty plot twists The Secret Life of Bees brilliantly portrays the power of women in a heartfelt story of motherhood.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
By Roopika Subramanian, Fair Oaks Branch Teen Advisory Board member

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan examines the lives and histories of mother and daughter as the struggle to understand each other and the generation gap between themselves. A group of women share their stories and games to unite in a weekly feasts to lift up their spirits. The bonds between family members, the disentangling truth of their life and the uplifiting stories of wealth when life was lost dictate the true struggles of womanhood. Amy Tan’s brilliant storytelling shines through in this novel as her hauntingly beautiful writing proves to be captivating, honest, and sensitive.

The Lovely Bones
By Alice Sebold’s

In Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon speaks from the setting of Heaven. The 14 year old fights to understand her death, living through the episodes she watches of her family and friends over the years. She watches her family undergoing constant pressures, her father set on finding the killer, her mother tired of her home life, her sister surviving her teenage years, and her brother trying to cope with the emptiness created by Susie’s departure. In Susie’s Heaven, she lives in her simple dreams of athletic soccer fields and good friends. Deprived of a true teenage life, Susie reaches out to the people she left behind as they strive to leave the loose ends of their past and fashion new beginnings.

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Where the Heart Is --Billie Letts
by Jennifer Larson, Sutter Middle School

II thought that Where the Heart is was a fine novel, very well written. I would give it four stars. Even as lovely this book is, I thought it contained far too many sexual cituations. That concerned me. I think other teens will enjoy this novel, but some will be uncomfortable that Novalee is pregnant, 17, and not married. Another uncomfortable moment was when Novalee was having sex, and it was described.