Book Bites

Contributed by Jozh, gr. 12, Jan. 2019

Touching Spirit Bear is very engaging to read. It shows that all people deserve second chances. This story is about Cole, who has a wave of uncontrollable anger that can turn to wrath. However, when he did something that resulted in a criminal conviction, the courts decided to sentence him instead, to a  “Circle of Justice” -- a practice of First Nations in dealing with crime.  Although some parts of this book can be graphic, it is an interesting book that is easy to read.

The Wave is based on a real story, when a teacher attempted an The Wave is based on a real story, when a teacher attempted an experiment, making a minority be the superior group just like the Nazis were during World War II. Ben Ross shows his class a movie about the Nazis and all his students feel confused about why no one did something to stop them. However, a group  is then formed  in the school called “The Wave”, and like the Nazi's, they became unstoppable. This book is perfect for students who love history, and for anyone who wants to understand how prejudice and acts of violence can happen when one group gains power over another.

     

This book entertaining to read. It about a dog named Buck who was called by the wild. Many obstacles happen during his journey, but Buck strives to overcome them and never gave up. This book has a few graphic scenes, but I would still recommend it for students in grades 9-12.  

 Fifteen Dogs begins when the gods Hermes and Apollo are arguing about whether or not  animals will die happy if they are given human consciousness. Hermes and Apollo perform an experiment using fifteen dogs from an animal hospital. Each of the fifteen dogs is shown to have a unique personality which makes the book interesting. Because of its mature content and disturbing moments, I recommend this book to grades 11 and 12 students.