Empey's Book Corner

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Tahir, Sabaa. 2015. AN EMBER IN THE ASHES. New York, NY: Penguin Random House.                  ISBN 978-1-595-14804-9 2.        Plot Summary Laia lives in the Quarter, which is the impoverished part of the Empire, with her grandparents and brother Darin. Laia is worried about her brother’s actions, he’s been sneaking out a night and being suspicious, so when he family is raided and her brother arrested for treason, she is not surprised. What is surprising (or maybe not) is that her grandparents are killed, and she is left on her own. “Mask” is the title given to the higher up soldiers, even those about to graduate from Black Cliff Military Academy. As the name implies, they wear a mask of copper-plated armor that fuses to their faces. Elias is one of these Masks. He is contemplating deser...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Pullman, Philip. 2017. THE BOOK OF DUST. New York, NY: Random House.                ISBN 978-0-375-81530-0 2.        Plot Summary Written as a prequel to Pullmans series His Dark Materials , The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, tells the story of baby Lyra in her maidan adventure. In this world, everyone has a Daemon, an external physical manifestation of a person’s inner-self that takes the form of an animal. There is also a magical instrument that helps Malcolm Polstead is a young boy working at an inn run by his parents. He overhears many stories told by customers and neighbors, unworried and uncensored around a small boy. He enjoys visiting the nuns at the priory and is friendly with everyone he meets. A baby is brought into the protection of the nuns and Malcomb is instantly connected to he...

  (picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Medina, Meg. 2016. BURN BABY BURN. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0-7636-               7467-0 2.        Plot Summary   The main character Nora Lopez is seventeen during the summer of 1977. Living in New York City, Nora is affected by the arson, a massive blackout, and serial killer named Son of Sam who are plaguing the city. Nora’s personal life is also at a low. She is trying to focus on school and graduation, but her mother is struggling to pay the rent and her absent father has started a new family and hardly helps them out. Nora is working to help pay the bills and save for college, but on top of all of this, her brother, Hector, is out of control. He threatens Nora and their mother, is selling drugs and using them.   Nora works hard to take care of her family, bu...

  (picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography   Gong, Chloe. 2020. THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS. New York, NY: Margaret K.. McElderry Books.               ISBN 978-1-5344-5769-0 2.        Plot Summary In a fun play on “Romeo and Juliet,” Gong’s novel takes place in 1926 Shanghai. Keeping the rivalry between two gangs a prominent story line, the book focuses on Juliette Cai, an eighteen-year-old young woman who is heir to the Scarlet Gang and her rival Roma Montagov, the heir to the White Flowers. The blood feud between these two gangs dates back generations, and the rivalry makes anyone involved in illegal trades have to pick sides. When a contagion starts infesting their people, making them claw out their own throats, Roma and Juliette find themselves forced to solve the mystery together. The problem is, they have to put aside their famil...

  (picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Sepetys, Ruta. 2011. BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. New York, NY: Penguin Group.               ISBN 978-0-14-242059-1 2.        Plot Summary Ruta Sepetys’ novel, Between Shades of Gray , starts in 1941 Lithuania. Lina is a normal fifteen-year-old girl who is preparing for art school and looking forward to her summer. In the middle of the night Soviet officers invade her home, making Lina, her mother, and brother Jonas, pack quickly. They are loaded into cattle cars and taken to a Siberian work camp. In the work camp, Lina, her family, and many others, have to fight for their lives in deplorable conditions. They experience hunger, abuse, and sickness. They witness what people are truly like when they have to work together, or choose to only look out for themselves. As an artist, Lina finds her escape...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Charleyboy, Lisa & Leatherdale, Beth. #NOT YOUR PRINCESS: VOICES OF NATIVE AMERICAN                WOMEN. Ontario, Canada: Annick Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-55451-958-3 2.        Plot Summary This book is a weaving together of poems, essays, interviews, and art work that are written by Native women. These pieces of writing and art express the experiences of being an Indigenous woman. Stories are from the past, present, and hope for the future. The real stories of abuse, stereotypes, hatred, frustrations, and passions are made available for teens to have a glimpse into the lives of these women. This beautiful collection is eye catching, emotional, and intriguing.   3.        Critical Analysis   This book is a collection of stories from indigenous women t...