Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers

Here is my first ever book trailer about Lockdown. 

A Coretta Scott King Honor Book.

Age Range:  Young Adult

Lockdown gives the reader a glimpse of what life is like inside of the juvenile detention center, Progress.  Reese, the main character has been sent there for stealing a doctor's prescription pad and selling it.  He is allowed to work a few hours a week at Evergreen, a senior care center.  At Evergreen, he meets Mr. Hooft and helps clean up his room and care for him.  At first Mr. Hooft, dislikes Reese, but over time they develop a friendship.  Mr. Hooft shares stories of his difficult past with Reese.  Even though, Reese tries to stay out of trouble at Progress, trouble tends to find him.  Reese questions if he will ever be able to leave Progress or will he continue to do things in his life that have him ending up in places like Progress and later jail?  Reese's sister Icy, believes in him.  She wants to go to college and Reese promises to find a job to pay for her to go go college after he is released.  This is a great story about Reese finding the courage to believe in himself. 

The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle

Pura Belpre Honor Book

Age Range:  Young Adult

The Firefly Letters is a work of fiction based on Fredrika Bremer's three month visit to Cuba in 1851.  The story is told from three different points of view.  Fredricka is an upper class woman visiting from Sweden.  Elena is an upper class Cuban girl, whose family Fredricka stays with during her visit to Cuba.  Cecilia is a Cuban slave that works for Elena's family.  Despite the different worlds that these three women come from, they still manage to find a way to become friends with each other.  Fredricka enjoys sketching the Cuban country side and visiting with all of the local people there.  She constantly draws what she sees so that she can turn the pictures into poems later.  Cecilia is pregnant and accompanies Fredricka on her journeys to translate from Spanish to English for her.  They become friends and Fredricka worries about Ceclia's baby and her health.  Fredricka and Cecilia often free the Cuban fireflies (cocuyos) from animals and children, they are referenced throughout the book.  Elena is basically locked in her room and is not allowed out in public often.  She works on filling her hope chest with hand sewn clothes and embroidery.  Each woman expresses their own view of the slavery that goes on in Cuba and give the reader a glimpse of their daily lives.  This was a wonderful book about daily life and slavery in Cuba in the mid 1800's. 

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Caldecott Medal Honor Book

Age range:  Grades K-3

I really enjoyed this book.  The water colored illustrations are bright and colorful with different shades of red, green, and browns throughout.  The story begins with the Papa chicken trying to get the little red chicken to go to bed.  The Papa chicken reads many stories to little red chicken such as Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Chicken Little.  The little red chicken interrupts each story with his version of the ending to that story.  Little red chicken decides to tell Papa a story when they run out of stories.  I loved the twist at the end of the book.  Children will love the little red chicken and laugh throughout this book!

The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan & Peter Sis

Pura Belpre Award Winner

Age Range:  Grades 5-8

This book recently won the 2011 Pura Belpre Award.  This is an amazing work of fiction based on the life of the world-known poet, Pablo Neruda. The book has many poems throughout with unique illustrations.  The entire book is printed and illustrated with green tones.  Pablo Neruda only wrote in green ink because it is the color of hope.

The book begins with the younger years of  Neftali Reyes.  He loves books and often writes down words that he likes on scrap pieces of paper that he keeps in a drawer.  He lives in Chile with his family.  Neftali constantly daydreams and often becomes distracted.  His father works for the railroad and is very strict on the children. They all seem afraid of him and rarely see a gentle side to him.  He is very intimidating and makes Neftali focus on his studies.  His father does not value Neftali's talent for writing and poetry.  Neftali always remains true to himself and finds time, even during the summers his family would spend at the beach, to read and write.  Neftali is later sent to the university to study business.  He eventually changes his name to Pablo Neruda so that his writing will no longer bring disappointment to his family.  Neftali goes on to be one of the most well-known poets in the world.