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Tell the Wolves I'm Home

It's a beautifully written debut novel, similar in genre to "To Kill a Mockingbird" but with a modern twist. The topic is AIDS in the early days of the disease and features middle-school-aged protagonist coming to terms with her family's prejudices as well as her own independence. The difference is that the parents learn from the girl, unlike Atticus setting the example for Scout. Though it does have some unbelievable parts and isn't without fault, the novel is one you will wrestle with as you read it.

It is an interesting view of Haitian politics and history through the lens of multiple characters and plot lines that tie together into a tangled web. It is beautifully written.

This story has a very timely theme: should we as a society create designer babies whose main purpose is to provide medical care for a sibling?

The basis of the story is that the designer baby girl grows up to resent her family for making her have unnecessary medical procedures in order to save her sister, so she hires a lawyer to help her gain medical emancipation.

The dilemma of having control over one's body or saving another, going against parents and the legal issues surrounding the situation provides a compelling moral topic for discussion.

With this eye-opening and heart-breaking book, Gratz humanizes the struggle of immigrants seeking survival, making it an important book for upper elementary students to learn about both historical and contemporary social issues.

In the back matter of his book, Gratz includes facts about refugees, as well as route maps of paths travelled. Readers follow the three families on their journeys with three movements: escaping the horror that drives them from their homes, trying to survive ocean crossings and border patrols and criminals looking to profit, and then starting over in a new country to rebuild lives among citizens who often don’t speak the same language or practice the same religion or honor professional degrees.

Her last book; great thriller

A Thousand Acres is a modern adaptation of King Lear set in Iowa on the Cook family farm. If you like Shakespeare and midwestern agriculturally based novels, then you'll love this re-imagination of the bards work.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

If you like poetry and reflection, this book has it. I was surprised at the ending and how much I felt invested in the character's dreams and desires.

The book is about a very serious topic (species conservation) but told through the lens of a comedic and naive Douglas Adams. If you like books on nature and Douglas Adam's writing style, you should definitely check it out.