23:100 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Owning their own land has always been important to Cassie's family ever since her grandparents were able to purchase some.  Cassie knew how hard her father worked to make sure they kept it but she didn't truly understand it until this year.  For the time when she accompanied her grandmother to town and was pushed and embarrassed but made to apologize to a white girl for the incident. For the black families who were set on fire by the night riders. For the black families who reside on white land and know they can lose it at any time for any reason.

Cassie now understands why having their own land is so important.

Read and studied with my 7th grader.  Again, I feel books like this are good to help point out that these are the experiences of others in America, the experiences that are all too often barely mentioned, if at all, in the history books. 


Page count: 276p/5,832p ytd/317,037p lifetime

22:100 Blood Bonds by Yasmine Galenorn

The final book in the Otherworld series by Yasmine Galenorn.  Rather than continuing the usual narrator pattern which would have this be Menolly's book, the narrator bounces between the three sisters as they each prepare for and deal with this final battle and the aftermath in their own ways.  It's been 4 years in universe time (and 10 years here in the real world) and Shadowing is not accepting the defeats he has been dealt gracefully.  Instead, he is now consuming all the lifeforce he can get from his followers in an attempt to be strong enough to accomplish the destruction of the worlds.  The Kerrastar Knights are finally fully formed and bonded and learning how to work together under Camille.  Delilah has grown into her powers as a Death Maiden.  Menolly has learned to accept who she is and her place in the Vampire Nation and how to help her people navigate through this new world where they can be out of the shadows. Now it's time to take everything they've learned, all the allies and friends that they have made, and have the big showdown.

There were books in this series that were plodding and didn't feel like they really moved the story along.  The last couple have almost felt rushed through the main point of them.  This one was definitely short and a lot more time was spent in the preparation and then the aftermath of the battle than on the battle itself but since this has been building for so many books, that felt right to me.  The lives of the sisters have gone through huge changes and I wanted to know more about how they were going to deal with things than have a lot of time spent on the battle.  In all, I felt it was good ending to the series, giving fans the payoff after so many years.


Page count: 244p/5,556p ytd/316,761p lifetime

21:100 The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R.K. Narayan

My review from 4 years ago:

Originally written in Sanskrit in the 4th century by Valmiki, there have been countless versions written since.  Narayan drew on the work of the 11th century version written by Kamban to write a piece that was shorter and more accessible since the original is over 1000 verses long.  The Ramayana is an epic tale known to almost everyone in India.

Rama was a prince and when his father felt it was time to retire and enjoy what remained of his life, he chose Rama to succeed him but one of his other wives called in a favor he had given her for saving his life and insisted that her son be named as his successor instead and that Rama be banished to the woods for 14 years. Rama as a dutiful son will not hear of his father going back on his word and departs immediately accompanied by his wife, Sita, and another brother, Lakshmana.  While they live in the woods, a demon falls in love with Sita and steals her away.  Rama is completely distraught and searches high and low for her.  Eventually, she is found and Rama dispatches the demon with honor just in time for him to return home and claim his throne from his brother who would only accept being temporary ruler during Rama's absence because of his own mother's wickedness.

I really enjoyed the tale but I will state that I'm glad this version apparently glossed over the tests that Sita was put through to prove her purity and loyalness to Rama while she was held captive.  Just hearing about it briefly in the forward bugged me a lot.  I found some of the morals that Rama was upholding to be an interesting look at what was important during that time in that place and I find it fascinating that the whole epic is still given so much life today.  I'm actually planning to try and find a tv or movie version and see it performed live.


Page count: 196p/5,312p ytd/316,517p lifetime

20:100 The Ancient Greek World by Jennifer T. Roberts & Tracy Barrett

From a few years ago:
A look at history from the earliest civilizations that we have records for and how those civilizations eventually came to be called Greek through cultural similarities, language, and religious beliefs but how the lack of true community and nation forming eventually led to it's downfall. Again, a rich look at the culture not just the bare bones history and mythology.
Here's what I said when I read it a few more years ago:
I felt this did a very good job of going through ancient Greek history. It didn't focus over much on religion and mythology as I've seen so many others do. It focused more on how people lived and how their lives developed. Lots on the wars since that was, unfortunately, a fairly common occurrence but also on the development of the poleis (Greek city-states). They told of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans against Xeres of Persia (the basis for the recent movie 300). Lots on the inventors and philosophers as well. Overall, very pleased with this series for middle school history.


Page count: 191p/5,116p ytd/316,321p lifetime

19:100 That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire

Incryptid book 8, told by Antimony Price.  Annie and her friends have been on the run for what feels like ages now, ever since she had to make a deal with the crossroads to save her life and Sam's. She traded her magic to them as a promissory note and in return, she will have to do something for them when they ask.  With a little luck, Cylia (resident jink and luck manipulator) has secured them a lovely little place to call home for a while in a small town in Maine.  Unfortunately, that is also where the luck runs out as it's a major spot for people to make deals with the crossroads and their power is strong there.  They have no problem finding Annie and letting her know that it's time for her to pay up by killing James Smith, a local wizard, who wants revenge on the crossroads after his best friend disappeared.  He is close to finding out their secrets and maybe even a way to destroy them and they will not let them pass unchallenged.  To make matters more fun, Leonard Cunningham, aka "Likely Next Leader of the Covenant", has shown up to try and *ahem* persuade Annie to come home with him.

There is a whole lot going on in this book with all these things happening at once and it was an amazing roller coaster ride and while the ending was great, it definitely makes me impatient for the next one to see where this is going.  I have a feeling we will be changing narrator but I'm not sure where things will be going from here.

This also included the new short story "Measure of a Monster" about a kidnapping of several gorgon children from a community that Alex and Shelby are near.  Of course, they are asked to come look into and there is no way they can turn this case away.  Nice little story that seems to be setting up some future stuff and it was really nice to see Sarah a little bit and how she's doing.

Page count: 435p/4,925p ytd/316,130p lifetime