The Throne of Fire

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan is the second book in the Kane Chronicles, which I started a few months ago.  It follows where book 1 left off.  In this book, Apophis (the Chaos snake) is rising, so Sadie and Carter take it upon themselves to bring Ra, the sun god, back to life.  The book follows Sadie, Carter, and their friends as they try to bring together the worlds of gods and magicians.

I liked this book more than the first one for some reason, maybe because I was just more familiar with the story background.  I like the alternating point of view between Sadie and Carter, and the book was full of adventures.  It was a fun read that kept me interested and anxious to read throughout.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

After Tupac and D Foster

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson was a Newbery Honor book from a few years ago.  The book is narrated by a 12-year-old girl who describes life on her block, her friendship with Neeka and the new foster girl D, and how they follow the what happens to their favorite rapper, Tupac.

This was a really well-written book--Jacqueline Woodson's books just seem to have a beautiful flow of words, so it's a nice read.  I didn't really love the story or feel too particularly attached to the characters, but it was okay enough that I finished the book.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

Yellow Star

I decided I wanted to read Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy after my Grandma mentioned in one of her weekly family e-mails that she had read it. This book is the true story of a girl named Syvia who was 4 years old when the thousands of Jews in her town in Poland were sent by the Germans into a ghetto. As the book tells, "At the end of the war, there were about 800 survivors. Of those who survived, only twelve were children. This is the story of one of the twelve." The author of the book is the niece of Syvia.

This was a really incredible story. I really have a special place in my heart for Holocaust books, and this was another touching and inspiring book. I was so involved in the book as I read about Syvia's childhood in the ghetto and about her brave, selfless father. This was a quick read, written in a first person, from a child's eyes.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)