Fever 1793

Fever 1793 By Laurie Halse Anderson

Review by Katie Rose

 

                I JUST finished this book, and I was so excited about it I had to move it to the top of my review list! It is another historical fiction, but it is also a children’s book. In any country’s history, there are horrifying events that occur, and then are forgotten. Sometimes they are deliberately ignored to undermine the suffering of those who were persecuted….and sometimes they are forgotten because people simply did not want to remember. The story of the yellow fever outbreak of 1793 is one of those instances.

Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Review by Katie Rose

                Not all character start out as heroes. In fact, some of them begin their stories so deep in violence and their own horrible deeds they do not believe they can ever be redeemed. But it is those who think they are beyond saving that are usually the ones who have the potential for it. That is the story of Katsa, the main character of this young adult fantasy novel.

The Forgotten Seamstress

The Forgotten Seamstress By Liz Trenow

Review by Katie Rose

                A mixture of the no- so-distant past and the present, The Forgotten Seamstress tells the story of two women separated in time, but intimately connected. This story fits into the mystery genre, but it is really more about emotional connection and life.

The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora

The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by Stephanie Theadora

Review by Katie Rose

 

                Phew! This one has a long title! Despite that, the novel itself is not terribly long. It tells the story of a great woman in history who you probably never heard of. I certainly did not when I read this book. Maybe she got one line in a text book you had in high school world history, but chances are that is not the case.

Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Review By: Katie Rose

                In the world of young adult literature, dystopian futures are in. The Hunger Games and Divergent are just two examples of dystopian stories that have soared to fame, and have even earned themselves movie adaptations. Both stories feature young women caught in a struggle for justice and freedom in a controlled and depraved future. However, this surge of dystopian young adult fiction has been around for a long time, and these two stories are certainly not the first to focus on the life and struggles of a young girl. Gathering Blue was published in 2000 by Lois Lowry, the writer of the beloved classic, The Giver.  The two stories take place in the same world, but in different villages that are both authoritarian societies that use fear to control the masses.

Child of the Morning

Child of the Morning By Pauline Gedge

Review by Katie Rose

 

                It is no secret to people who know me that I have a mild obsession with Ancient Egypt. I have several books I plan to review for this blog that are about some of the most powerful female rulers in history, and they all come from Egypt. The first one I have decided to share is about the greatest female ruler of them all; Hatshepsut. Egyptologists agree that Hatshepsut was one of the greatest pharaohs who ever ruled Egypt. Yes, I said pharaohs. Hatshepsut is unique in all of Egyptian history in that she ruled Egypt not as a woman, but as a man. She ascended the throne as a male ruler despite being female and portrayed herself as a man throughout her kingdom to legitimize her right to the throne.

The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Review by Katie Rose

                The Turn of the Screw by Henry James takes you into the realm of horror. This is not like most modern day horrors, however. It lacks all the blood, gore, and cheap frights that characterize most horror stories. It is more old-fashioned.  Well it should be! It was, after all, published in 1898. Usually I hate horror stories. I scare really easy and my over active imagination can keep me up for weeks with images inspired by whatever horror story I have foolishly allowed myself to intake. There was none of that with this story. This is perhaps because this novella is more psychological than murderous.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Review by Katie Rose

         The Book Thief was one of the very few books I had to read for school that featured a female lead character, and I am very grateful that I did. Although this book technically fits under the genre of historical fiction, it also can be considered a "coming of age" tale. "The coming of age" genre is almost completely dominated by stories of young boys coming into adulthood. Stories of young girls learning the same thing are rare. One of the reasons I was able to connect to this story as much as I did was because it was about the struggle of a young girl as opposed to a boy.