Recommended Books
To find our lists of recommended books, go to
http://cavemanenglish.pbworks.com/Recommended-Books
To recommend that a book be added to one of the lists, email me at cdorsey@alpinedistrict.org
Include the title of the book, the author, the genre, and why you recommend it.
Here are some interesting titles:
http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/blog/engage/engage-single-post/engage/2013/09/05/characters-with-big-dreams-inspire-student-readers
Humorous books: http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/blog/BlogSinglePost/reading-today-online/2013/09/11/let-s-laugh!-book-reviews#.UjJDW2S9Vz6
And from http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/blog/BlogSinglePost/reading-today-online/2013/09/04/seasons'-splendors-book-reviews#.Uikv32S9Vz5
GRADES 7-9
O’Brien, Annemarie. (2013). Lara’s gift. New York, NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Fourteen-year-old Lara comes of age in 1914 Tsarist Russia where she dreams of being in charge of the borzoi dogs that her father raises for a wealthy count who lives nearby. But the birth of a baby brother prompts her father to start making wedding plans for Lara and to relieve her of her duties in the kennel. To her father's displeasure, Lara experiences visions relating to the dogs, allowing her to know when a litter is going to be born or when the dogs are threatened. Her father fears what will happen to someone with her special gift and insists that she hide it. Lara has strong bonds with all the dogs, but especially with Zar, who she saved as a pup when he was intended to be killed as the runt of the litter. Although he is still smaller than his litter mates, Zar is brave, fast, and determined to pursue the wolves that plague the countryside. Not only brimming with interesting tidbits from Russian history, the book is a tribute to the love between a girl and her dog. The juxtaposition of beauty and savagery in the scenes that occur in the woods between the dogs and the wolves reveals a great deal about the savagery that is a part of nature. Lara’s affection for these special canine breed fills the book’s pages and makes her losses exceptionally difficult. The author deftly describes the relentless snow that fills the woods and makes it hard to move around. As they read, readers will feel an icy wind at their napes.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
