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Namelos
22 Reviews
(2)
YA
Gudrid has been betrothed since birth to Leif Eiriksson, but she marries handsome Einar instead. She's subsequently widowed, remarries, and is widowed again. Gudrid is prophesied to marry a third time, but will she ever make it to the place Leif calls Wine Land? This historical novel based on medieval sagas offers a wealth of detail about Viking seafaring culture and a strong-willed, adventurous protagonist.
Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2015
(1)
YA
Seneca Village was founded in 1825 by free African Americans; by 1857 it had been razed for construction of Central Park. In forty-one poems, Nelson imagines the reflections of its inhabitants. Poems appear on right-hand pages and are prefaced by brief, scene-setting text on the left. Nelson's natural, musical lines (mostly in iambic pentameter) lend themselves to multiple readings.
Reviewer: Nina Lindsay
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2015
(4)
4-6
In the Holy Roman Empire of the thirteenth century, fourteen-year-old Andreas rescues a female peregrine falcon from certain death, smuggles her out of the castle where he works as an apprentice falconer, and embarks on an adventurous journey with a trader. This thoroughly researched novel requires a reader patient enough to get through its many lengthy, detailed historical descriptions.
Reviewer: Rita Soltan
(4)
YA
In this sympathetic, well-documented, even scholarly biography of Baruch Spinoza, the seventeenth-century Dutch philosopher outcast by his Jewish community for questioning traditional doctrine, Lehmann covers and interprets the events of his life, including his publications, applauding the way he championed the human faculty of reason. Many period illustrations expand the dense text, though they're often dark and captioned in very small type. Bib., ind.
Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian
(2)
YA
Sauerwein's atmospheric narrative, set ten years after the Civil War, explores turning points in the lives of a dozen characters and, in thirty short chapters, unveils their interlocking relationships. Like the post-bellum South in which they live, these characters need to reimagine their ties, including family ties, in order to thrive. Sauerwein engages her memorable characters in an elegantly crafted web of mysteries.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2014
(4)
YA
Unsure of what to study in college, Clarice hopes to figure things out when she spends the summer before senior year of high school volunteering at the Blue Iguana Recovery Program on Grand Cayman Island. Clarice's single-minded (pathological) focus on animal rights makes her a one-note character (and not very likable), but the unusual setting and subject matter may appeal to some readers.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
(4)
YA
Despite their differences, Native American Squamiset (or "Old Judas" as he is referred to by the English settlers) and colonial boy Will Poole are drawn together by their visions in the 1643 Connecticut Colony. Ignoring warnings of disloyalty, Will seeks Squamiset's tutelage and friendship, forcing them to flee the settlement when caught. Weed's lengthy descriptive narratives are historically informative but stall the story's action.
Reviewer: Andrea Curtis
(3)
4-6
In The Summer of Hammers and Angels, Old Red led his community to rebuild Delia and Mama's house. But neither Delia nor that community can "fix" Old Red, now diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This sweet story, with a nice hint of romance, shows Delia's attempts to keep Red tied to the present through his gardening and create his legacy by cultivating his heirloom plants.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
(2)
YA
Washington D.C.'s Georgia Avenue is a hard place for Calvin Williams to keep his promise to Daddy Lewis: stay out of trouble and graduate from high school. Calvin is a likable protagonist, and Griffin's third-person narrative meticulously delineates street life in one African American neighborhood and creates flesh-and-blood characters with dreams, faults, and uncertainties.
Reviewer: Dean Schneider
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2013
(4)
YA
Jessie Pearl is tangled up in emotions--her sister's tuberculosis death leaves Jessie with an infant nephew to raise, and, after giving her her first kiss, J.T. left for city work. At the heart of this not-so-fresh 1922 North Carolina–set story is Jessie's relatable quandary: should she stay to help her family or pursue her own dreams? The print is unfortunately tiny.
Reviewer: Nancy Hull
(2)
4-6
Cooper and his mother run an antiques store out of their barn, but now Mom doesn't leave the house and bills have piled up. Then Cooper acquires a metal detector and begins unearthing Revolutionary War relics. Osterweil effectively captures Cooper's earnest, engaging voice and his quirky fantasy world, where he communicates with Squeaky (his bicycle) and Decto (his metal detector).
Reviewer: Dean Schneider
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2013
(3)
YA
After traumatic childhoods of sexual abuse in a tuberculosis sanatorium in 1950s Canada, best friends Tevan and James, now in their twenties, join a traveling carnival sideshow as death-defying stunt performers. Tevan's raw first-person narration, alternating between past and present, skillfully reveals the young men's emotions concerning sex, love, friendship, and trust and makes for powerful--though often painful--reading.
Reviewer: Rita Soltan
(4)
YA
The story chronicles one month in the life of pessimistic, disconnected teenage musician Martin, who nevertheless is inspired to put together a benefit concert to support the removal of landmines. Or whatever. Things fall in his lap, and people offer him advice. He isn't big on sharing, even with the reader, but his general apathy is so vividly drawn that it's contagious.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer
(3)
YA
Set in rural America in the 1930s, this novel weaves two strands of family history--the birth of a premature baby and the revelation of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy--around the character of thirteen-year-old Sophie. Solidly grounded in the details of farming life and, in particular, the care of newborns, it limns the themes of guilt and secrets.
Reviewer: Sarah Ellis
(3)
YA
This recovery novel explores life after rape. When Valerie reveals she was raped, her best friend avoids her, her classmates taunt her, and her family suffers. Klein doesn't sugarcoat the constant struggle to move past such trauma, but she does make it clear that Valerie was right to speak up, with her protagonist displaying a newfound confidence at book's end.
Reviewer: Sophie Williamson
(2)
4-6
When we meet them in 1934, Eddie is five, Tom ten. Over the next ten years the brothers develop friendships, discover family secrets, and ponder the causes of European conflict and their own community's virulent prejudice. Tom's enlistment also unveils the nature of war. Narrated by Eddie, the book's seventy-six vignettes--beautifully phrased and vividly revealing of character--create an authentic window into the past.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2011
(3)
4-6
Louise is sent to live with relatives for six weeks while her dad is working in Brazil. Feeling neglected, she reaches out to abandoned animals: bunnies, baby raccoons, even a dead crow. When her father contracts a deadly infection, Louise must come to terms with her feelings. The dense narration lends itself to strong imagery; themes of loss and rejection are effectively developed.
Reviewer: Lana Barnes
(3)
4-6
As he waits in the ER with his adoptive parents for news of his sister's condition, T.J. looks through the "life book" that he kept while in foster care. His pictures and drawings trigger memories that slowly reveal his troubled past. Using a spare, poetic narrative voice, Welch perceptively crafts a story of children struggling to understand their mother's neglect.
Reviewer: Randy Ribay
(4)
4-6
Delia was barely hanging on already, but when a lightning strike lands her mother in a coma, Delia is left on her own to bring their ramshackle house up to code or face eviction. She learns to rely on small-town neighbors--and faith--rather than foundering on her own. Although the dialogue can be stilted, the book's message of community and cooperation is strong.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(3)
YA
In this companion book to Thorn, Willow navigates a stark, cold landscape with only the company of her dog. The threat of a controlled life back home pushing her on, she comes to discover her own strength as well as answers about her people's origins. Levin's portrait of one young woman's determination, along with her tantalizingly vague nonindustrial setting, is captivating.
Reviewer: Pearl Higgins
22 reviews
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