Reading Abounds

Title: This World We Live In Series: The Last Survivors Series Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 41614 Description:  When the moon's gravitational pull increases, causing massive natural disasters on earth, Miranda and her family struggle to survive in a world without cities or sunlight, and wonder if anyone else is still alive. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: I enjoyed the first two books in the series and am continuing on with the third instalment.  I love the image of the moon on each of the covers of the books.  It is so immense and overwhelming. Lori's Notes: This World We Live In takes place a year after the moon crash has happened.  Miranda and her family are surprised when an unexpected knock at their door turns out to be Miranda's father, his new wife, their new baby, as well as Alex and his sister Julie.  The families are still struggling to survive and want to find a way to the government city.  M...

Title: The Bite of the Mango Author: Mariatu Kamara ***Canadian*** Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 34938 Description: A courageous biography by a woman from Sierra Leone who at 12 was tortured and lost her hands to child soldiers, her subsequent life in refugee camps, begging in Freetown and her eventual arrival in Toronto where she began to pull her life back together. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: This book was recommended to me by several teachers as a novel suitable for curriculum study. Lori's Notes: This is a difficult read in terms of subject matter, but a compelling story written in easy language.  Mariatu's journey from a tortured 12-year-old girl in Sierra Leone who has her hands chopped off by child soldiers, through her recovery, and eventual move to Canada borders on the unbelievable.  I am amazed at the strength Mariatu shows both in surviving her physical attacks but also with the mental fortitude to survive these atrocities.  I ...