Leavitt, Martine. My Book of Life by Angel.

Leavitt, Martine.  My Book of Life by Angel.             Farrar Strauss see Macmillan Children's Publishing Group 246p                $17.99  978-0-374-35123-6          2012      jr/sr                  E-BN    Realistic fiction                    

Angel thought living at home after her mother passed away was intolerable until she ran away with her boyfriend Call, who turned out to be a pimp!  Then she knew what it meant to regret leaving her safe home.  Now without the possibility of ever going home again, Angel must make the best of a terrible situation.  At first she takes drugs that Call calls “candy”.  It makes meeting with the men easier to bear.  But then she realizes that this not the life she wants, and she begins to move away from the “candy”.  She is only 16 years old but she feels like an old, old woman, and every part of her body hurts.  Then Call brings home Melli, an 11-year-old! That is when she decides to take control of her life as well as Melli’s.  Angel’s life take on an urgency to save Melli at all costs, even if it means her own life is lost.

 
This is a story told in poetry, building in intensity as it moves toward the climax.  It is shocking and yet compelling.  You will not be able to put it down until the end.  It is a must-read for all ages.                  

Runaways-Fiction, Prostitution-Fiction                                                                                     --Magna Diaz

 

Donaldson, Julia. Running On the Cracks.

Donaldson, Julia. Running On the Cracks.
Henry Holt 2009 218p 16.99 978-0-8050-9054-3 ms/hs

Facing a threat of child abuse from her uncle, recently orphaned Leo runs away to Glasgow to find her father’s estranged family. She encounters many along the way who try to help her. It is not the conflict, plot and theme that are unique in Running on the Cracks. It is the character development and the denouement of the plot through the voice of each character. Each person that Leo meets on her quest to find her father’s estranged family is carefully crafted by Julia Donaldson to contribute to the savory tone of the book. The protagonist, Leo, is not unusual in escaping from her creepy uncle who stares at her in a lascivious way. What makes her unusual is how she pulls from her talents to help her along her journey. She is artistic, intelligent, daring and crafty, and young readers will enjoy trusting who she trusted along her journey and interacting with a stranger side of life. Mary is the schizophrenic street person who shelters Leo. Mary’s unique talent is her ability to put language together with ramblings of a mad woman that make perfect sense! She figures out how to help Leo find her Chinese family by ordering Chinese food from all of the local restaurants for a banquet with all of her quirky friends. Finley is Leo’s friend, a misfit sort who takes chances much like Leo in his quest to help her. He shows dedication unusual in young people. He is an “I’m all in” kind of guy who helps Leo at the expense of his family relations, his pocketbook and his reputation with the law. Donaldson reveals the perversion of Uncle John through his conversations with his birds, and produces a very creepy, prognostication of what will happen to Leo if he finds her. The author keeps the pace moving through her use of perspective, telling her story from each character’s viewpoint. Readers hope that Leo finds satisfaction and peace in life, relish the resolution of a new start for Leo, and finally, see that one has self-empowerment to change life’s circumstances. Squaresky, Martha