Saturday, November 10, 2012

Kowalski, William. Something Noble.


Kowalski, William.      Something Noble.  Orca/Raven  116p  $9.95
978-1-4598-0013-7       hs    Series: Rapid Reads(Orca/Raven)     VG         

Linda has faced many difficulties since getting pregnant at 16, but she has persevered and raised her two sons well.  Now Dre, the older son, needs a kidney transplant.  Her quest to find a donor takes her to prison and back, but she continues to hope.  Then she finds the only match -- his recently-discovered half-brother, LaVon, a drug dealer who robbed Linda at knifepoint. 

The story line and conclusion are simple and predictable.  The text is structured and
uses repetitive and familiar words.  The reading level is third grade, but the subject matter and characters are for the mature teen.  Curse words are non-existent or minimal.  The main characters are well-drawn and sympathetic, while the ancillary characters are more stereotypical.  With an eye-catching cover, this is a quick read, and will appeal to reluctant readers.

This volume is part of the Rapid Reads series.  There are 25 volumes in the series at this time.  The focus of the series is to provide short, easy-to-read novels for adults and young adults with literacy and/or reading difficulties.

The book is recommended for high-school students with reading difficulties.  These high-interest, very low-reading-level titles will appeal to challenged readers.

Realistic fiction, Hi-lo books                              -- Pat Naismith  

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