Sold by Patricia McCormick

This is the heart-wrenching story of Lakshmi, a poor fourteen year-old girl who lives with her mother, brother, and stepfather in Nepal. She tries to live a normal life, but she is always worried about food, clothing, and the roof over their heads. It does not help that her stepfather seems to gamble away the little money they have and makes none of it himself. Then he convinces Lakshmi's mother to send her away to the city to be a maid. Neither mother nor daughter wants this, but sacrifices must be made, so Lakshmi leaves with Auntie. Where she ends up is horror filled as she discovers she has been sold into sexual slavery. Forced to sleep with men, she is beaten nearly to death if she tries to fights back. Lakshmi is devastated, knowing that her stepfather did this to her, and her mother had no idea what has happened. Just a young girl forced into adulthood; will she survive? Should she risk her life to leave this awful one behind? Is there any help anywhere?

This book was finished within hours because of the format and because it was wonderful. Novel in-verse is like poetry, but no rhyming. Instead each page has a title and there is a paragraph that explains that title in detail. Put them all together and you have a book. This was an amazing story; McCormick never fails to make me believe the characters and the situation. She sends powerful messages in small books that impact us like no other. The horror on my student's faces is real when I tell them that sexual slavery still exists today, and Lakshmi does not live in the early 1900's, but instead, the early 2000's. This book will keep you glued until you finish.
Gr. 7-11

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge

Kevin is at a loss. He has mono. That means resting for a very long time. This also means...no baseball! How will he survive? Before he goes crazy with boredom, Kevin decides to take matters into his own hands. He tries to write poetry. Not because he likes it and not because his father is a writer, but because he is bored. But if Kevin is so bored why can't he stop writing in his journal/poetry book? Kevin writes about all kinds of things: baseball (of course), school, friends, make-out sessions with previous girls, the new girl he kinda likes, and his mom...who is no longer around. Before Kevin realizes it, his mono is gone, the girl he likes may like him back, and he can't stop writing poetry! What is going on!

This was one of those books that surprised me because it was very different than what I ever expected. The book is written in novel in-verse, which has Kevin trying different poetry patterns such as sonnets, free verse, haiku, and much more. Kevin is a normal boy, with normal boy activities--girls and sports. But there is more there and the desire to express himself in some way, because of the pain trapped inside, was wonderful to see. The author does a great job of letting the character come out as the story evolves. I really enjoyed this book and I think it can appeal to all types of readers, even those who never knew poetry did not have to rhyme, and it could tell a story at the same time. This was a super quick read as well, so that made it lots of fun!

Gr. 6-9