Book Review: To Stay Alive

TO STAY ALIVE by Skila Brown tells the story of Mary Ann Graves and the tragic Donner Party.

Set in 1846, this young adult novel tells the fictionalized story of a young survivor of the Donner Party. Based on the real people, places, and events, Brown uses a novel-in-verse approach to share the hardships of the journey West.

Librarians will find this well-researched novel to be a nice companion to the many nonfiction works about the Donner Party already found in the library collection. Work with history teachers to create a class reading list that includes the growing number of historical novels-in-verse now available for middle and high school students. Students who enjoy books about survival will find this haunting, historical work to be a sober change of pace from other adventure stories.

Published by Candlewick on October 11, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: The Crossover

THE CROSSOVER by Kwame Alexander is a novel-in-verse sure to attract reluctant readers, particularly boys. Add it to your list of great works-in-verse from 2014.

Dads, brotherhood, basketball, and music are a blockbuster combination for middle grade readers. The fast-paced novel-in-verse format is perfect for this exciting story sure to be a winner with a broad audience including athletes. The rhythm of the story, music, sports, and even health all play a role. While sports plays an important role in the story, important themes including jealousy, sibling rivalry, and heart health are the key to the book’s success.

The author’s unique approach to the novel-in-verse format serves as an exciting way to introduce verse to youth. Consider a literature-circle with other 2014 stories in verse including BROWN GIRL DREAMING and THE RED PENCIL.

Use THE CROSSOVER to introduce youth to other sports-related books for middle grades and young adults.

To learn more about the author, go to his website Book In A Day at http://www.bookinaday.org/.

Download the Educator’s Guide for lots of curriculum connections at http://www.fcps.edu/fairfaxnetwork/mta/kalexander/TheCrossover_BG.pdf.

This book belongs on the Newbery shortlist!