The Boy in the Basement by Susan Shaw

The Boy in the Basement by Susan Shaw is about Charlie, a 12 year old boy who has been forced by his father to live in the basement as a punishment. Charlie is certain he is a bad child who has been "ruined" and that his harsh punishments are deserved. This is the only life he's ever known. Even when he's not confined to the basement, his father doesn't allow him to attend school, play outside, or interact with any other people. Late one night as Charlie snuck outside the backdoor to relieve himself (he was not allowed to use the bathroom as a part of his punishment), the wind slams the door closed, locking him out. Sick with fever and not knowing what do to, Charlie runs down his street until he collapses. After being rescued, he is taken to the hospital where he begins to learn that his life was not "normal" and that his father's punishments were wrong. Charlie is scared to death of his father and imagines a giant spider pursuing him every tie he does something that would break his father's rules. After he leaves the hospital, Charlie goes to a foster home to live with Mrs. H and Ambrose, another foster child. Charlie desperately misses his mother, who was always helpless to stop his father's abuse - even taking it herself - but he knows his home is with Mrs. H. Still, the spider plagues him and he is terrified to do the things he knows his father wouldn't approve of. As his parents' trial looms closer, more and more people want to question Charlie about his experiences and Charlie begins to learn what it is like to live like a "normal" child.

This was a heart-wrenching story. I felt so bad for Charlie the entire time I was reading! To think, he didn't even realize that what his parents did to him was wrong - that he somehow deserved to be treated that way. I don't normally read stories about abuse because they upset me, but this one was different. The actual abuse was never described in detail and the ending was very happy. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read (or has already read) A Child Called "It".

What I Call Life by Jill Wolfson

What I Call Life by Jill Wolfson is about Carolina Agnes London Indiana Florence Orion Renee Naomi Ida Alabama Lavender, or Cal for short. One unfortunate afternoon, Cal's mother has one of her "episodes" at the library, and eleven year old Cal is whisked off by a social worker to live in a group home. Cal goes along with everything because she doesn't really consider this event as a part of her real life story. She's certain that Betty, her mother, will be waltzing through the door at any minute, to pick her up and resume their wandering life together. However, days upon days go by, and Cal begins to doubt her relationship with Betty. As she gets to know the Knitting Lady and the girls in the house, Cal's certainty falters and she's left not knowing what her life really means. All of the other girls at the house have their own life stories that all lead to them ending up with the Knitting Lady. Through stories of her own, the Knitting Lady has unique ways of teaching all of the girls about their stories, and imparting valuable life lessons.

This was a great book. Cal was named for every place and person who affected her mother positively. The first letter of each name spells out California - Cal for short. This was such a unique story. While each of the girls at the Knitting Lady's home had very sad stories, this book focused more on the positive aspects of life and of the life lessons one can learn from each other and everyone's shared history.

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson is about Lonnie, an eleven-year-old boy who tells his life story through poetry. He is assigned to write different types of poems in Ms. Marcus's class. Most of the poems are about his friends at school, his foster mother, his sister, and the fire that stole the lives of their parents too early. Lonnie lives with Ms. Edna, who has two grown sons. Lili, Lonnie's younger sister, lives with a different foster parent across town. The don't get to see each other very often because Lili's new mama doesn't like Lonnie. Lonnie has done a lot of changing in his eleven years. He remembers a lot about what it was like when he lived with his parents. He also remembers the group homes and the Throwaway Boys who terrorized him there. His poetry is beautiful and heartfelt, telling the story of his life.

I really liked this book! I like books written in verse. This one reminded me of Love That Dog and Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech. Locomotion was sad, but hopeful. It makes me want to write some poetry!

Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell is about twelve-year-old Tobin McCauley. No one really knows him at his middle school, including his teachers, but because of his last name and the reputations of his brothers and sister, everyone thinks they know exactly who he is. Tobin doesn't really do anything to change their opinions about him until Henry sticks up for him during a fight. Tobin gets suspended for a week, and during that time he gets to know Henry and his younger brother, Harrison. Henry has a philosophy about chickens having souls and ropes Tobin into helping him and his brother with their chicken egg business. This is the one positive thing in Tobin's life, especially when his grandmother decides to file a report on Tobin's dad with social services, stating that Tobin is being neglected. It's been hard on Tobin's whole family ever since his mother died of cancer five years ago. Unfortunately, since he's the youngest, it affects Tobin most. Tobin ends up learning a lot about people, friends, family, life, and chickens by the end of the story!

This was a great book! Initially, I felt so sorry for Tobin. I've never really looked into the life of someone in his position. Despite being angry with his dad for neglecting him and his siblings, by the end I felt sorry for him, too. Losing a wife/mother must be so hard - I can't even imagine.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is about about Liesel Meminger, a young German girl trying to find her place in the world during WWII. Her mother had to turn Liesel and her brother over to live in a foster home. On the train ride to their new home, Liesel's brother died. The image of him laying on the seat beside her haunts her through the remainder of the story. It is at his funeral that she steals her first book - The Grave Digger's Handbook. She arrives at her foster home alone, with not much more than this book, which she hides under her bed, unable to read it. Her new foster parents are an interesting pair, and Liesel immediately bonds with her Papa. When she is awakened by the recurring dream of her brother's death every night, Papa takes this time to teach Liesel how to read, using The Grave Digger's Handbook. Eventually, a person from Papa's past arrives, causing much hardship for the family. Max is the son of Papa's friend from the war. Max is Jewish, and is hidden in their basement for a long period of time. Liesel and Max become very close during this time. Max even uses the pages of his book about Hitler to write his own book for her. Unfortunately, Papa makes a big mistake that forces Max to leave the house, for fear of the safety of them all.

This was an excellent book. The narrator is Death, which makes the story even more interesting! I usually have a hard time reading stories that take place during WWII because of the ghastly things people did to other people. This book, however, was not difficult to read at all. The author did not make light of the atrocities done to the Jewish people during Hitler's reign, but it was told in such a way that was not too upsetting. There were so many elements within this story that came full circle and were resolved in the end. It was incredibly powerful!