Life As We Knew It: Susan Beth Pfeffer

I have mixed emotions about this book. I loved it and at the same time hated it. Part of me thought it was a beautiful coming of age story in the face of great adversity. While the other half of me thought it was a brutal and terrifying account of how humans adapt when facing a survive or die situation. This book to me was such an important read but yet I'd rather forget I ever picked it up.

Miranda is a 15 year old girl starting her sophomore year of High school. Her parents are divorced, in fact her father is having another baby with his much younger new wife. Her best friends have become polar opposites of each other one has become a Jesus freak and the other has started experimenting with boys. Nothing to out of the ordinary in the life of a teenage girl. Oh, did I mention the meteor shower?

Scientist are predicting a meteor shower that will be visible for all to see.They say Earth is in no danger that the meteors are just going to fly by us nothing to be worried about. They were wrong. What do you do when everything you know as normal changes? How do you cope? How do you survive?

This is a wonderful and terrifying story about survival. This would be a great book for young adult readers. I myself would be hesitant to recommend it to anyone under the sixth grade.

Revenge of the Witch: The Last Apprentice

Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a local County farmer. Until now his life has been routine but, he has just been informed by his father that he will be apprenticing to a local tradesman. This sounded wonderful until he found he was apprenticing to the County Spook. Being a Spook apprentice is a dangerous occupation as the job requires you to help rid the county of darkness.This means that Tom will be facing witches and boggarts and other creatures that go bump in the night. Will Tom succeed in this treacherous field?

"Revenge of the Witch" is the first book in the Last Apprentice Series (The Wardstone Chronicles in the UK). This is a series that I stumbled upon by chance and I couldn't be happier. I was in the library with my daughter and after picking up books for her I was looking for something for me. After searching for what felt like an eternity I glanced at a cover that caught my eye so I picked it up and read the back I was in love. There was only one problem it was book two "The curse of the Bane," so I put it down and promptly began searching for book one but sadly my search was in vain someone had checked it out. So disappointed I shuffled over to the computer baby in hand and placed it on hold. One week later "Revenge of the Witch" was in hand and there it stayed until I finished it.

I cannot say it enough, this series is awesome. Pick it up you and you will not regret it. I was venture further into the plot but I am so afraid of spoiling it for potential takers. So if you have further questions just ask and I would be delighted to go into detail. A word of warning for my younger readers this book is not for someone who scares easily.

Matilda Bone

Matilda Bone is the second novel that I have read by author Karen Cushman. The story of Matilda Bone is a thought provoking historical fiction novel set in the dark ages. Matilda is a young woman who a has been living at a manor house as a guest after the untimely death of her father. During this time she has been under the instructions of a monk Father Leufredus who has taught her everything she needs to know about the Saints, Latin and Heaven. Then suddenly when the father is called away to another parish he sends Matilda off to apprentice as a bone setter in Blood and Bone Alley. Matilda's world is turned upside down as all her knowledge of the world and religion is tested and she must learn to adapt to this new lifestyle far away from the manor house. Will Matilda be able to overcome her prejudices in time to save a friend.

This is a beautiful coming of age story written through the eyes of a precocious young girl. It is a very fast read and it leaves the reader so thirsty for knowledge about the time period. I would recommend this book to children sixth grade and up I believe that some of the concepts may be hard to understand for younger children and some of the language. As always though it is up to the parent and the child.

The Midwife's apprentice

The Midwifes apprentice by Karen Cushman is a book that was published before I graduated high school. That being said, I have passed it millions of times in countless libraries and bookstores and it always caught my attention but didn't have that "je na sais quoi" to hold it. So why now? I would be lying if I said that I read this book last week but I have recently came across a read alike and I figured I would share both.

The Midwife's Apprentice is on countless grade school reading lists and it is the recipient of the Newbury Award in 1996. This is a great choice for a child who needs a book for a historical fiction project. The book relates the story of a young girl named Beetle (this is not her given name) who is taken in as a apprentice by a midwife in England during the Middle Ages. Beetle works for the Midwife learning her trade but after a setback involving a town woman's delivery and the constant criticisms and insults by her master Beetle runs away from home and re-invents herself as Alice and begins work as an inn girl.

Hap and Circumstance eventually bring the innkeeper and her former apprentice back together and after the delivery of an inn guests child. Alice returns to the midwife with a new understanding of life and her future career.

This is a great read I believe for students six grade and older. I made this decision because of the content and some thematic elements that may be a little difficult to grasp for younger readers. However is depends as always on the child and their parents.