Ninth Ward by Jewell Rhodes

Rhodes, J. (2010). Ninth Ward. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

Summary

12-year-old Lanesha is an avid student who dreams of becoming an engineer and building bridges for those who need them. Lanesha can also communicate with the dead, including the spirit of her mother who died after giving birth to Lanesha. Lanesha's caretaker, Mama Ya-Ya is a healer and can predict the future. When Mama Ya-Ya senses a large storm coming towards their city of New Orleans, both Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya must trust their gifts and close bond in order to survive Hurricane Katrina. 

Review

Wow! The dynamics of the characters, settings, magical elements, and foreboding disaster will capture even the most reluctant readers! Readers already know the terrible outcome of Hurricane Katrina but with the clever and honest writing, readers will truly believe this story of magic and heart. Readers who only saw the disastrous Hurricane Katrina on television will be able to live through this disaster in a suspenseful and haunting way. 

Genre

Fiction

Readers Age/Interest Level

9-13 years/ Tween

Similar Books

Moon over Manifest- Clare Vanderpool

One Crazy Summer Day- Rita Williams Garcia

I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005- Lauren Tarshis
Awards

2010 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award

Selected as one of the best books of 2010 by School Library Journal

2010 Parents Choice Foundation Gold Award

2010 Al Roker “Today Show” Book Club Selection

2011 Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later selection

Readers Annotation

Lanesha can see spirits and Mama Ya-Ya can predict the future and together they must trust their special gifts and incredible bond to survive the nearing disaster of Hurricane Katrina. 

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford

Milford, K. (2010). The boneshaker. New York: Clarion Books.

Plot

 At the crossroads lies a ghost town that was abandoned years ago under mysterious circumstances. When the town of Arcane was founded, its founders decided to move it up the road to keep it from falling under the same fate. Growing up in such a place, Natalie is fascinated with anything mechanical and is mesmerized when Dr. Jake Limberleg's Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show stops in her fathers bicycle repair shop and asks to fix a broken wagon wheel to their caravan. Knowing that Dr. Jake is more sinister than he leads on, she is the only one who can save the town after everyone has fallen for his miracle cures and snake oil remedies.

Review

A new twist on Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" Boneshaker is as creepy as it is good. Milford's writing is incredibly detailed and you can smell the gears as they start to turn and you can feel the tickle in your nose as the dust is lifted off the single road leading into town. There are going to be characters that seem to weave in and out of the story, some serve a lot and some are there solely to fill up pages. Whichever the case, this is a fantastic novel about the strength of family, community and bravery. 

Genre

Fantasy

Reading Level/Interest Level

10-12 years/Tween

Similar Books

A Tale Dark and Grimm- Adam Gidwitz

Revolver- Marcus Sedgwick

The Carnivorous Carnival- Lemony Snicket

Readers Annotation

13 year old Natalie loves anything with gears and wheels, until her small town, family and herself are thrust into a gear like story that will force Natalie to face down with the devil himself.