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Synopsis: Twelve year old, Lonnie Collins Motion, and his sister Lili are placed into separate foster homes after their parents are killed in a fire. Lonnie tasks himself with being the "rememberer" and decides to write his sister letters to help them remember what happens while they are apart. The entire book is in letter format and each letter is written to Lili from Lonnie (aka Locomotion). The letters are bittersweet as Lonnie writes about the good times he and Lili had with their biological family as well as how much they both love their new foster families. The book addresses important issues such as loss, family, and peace through Lonnie's insightful reflections about the world around him.
My Thoughts: This is the second Jacqueline Woodson book I have read (the first being Feathers) and I've decided that I need to read more of her work. Peace, Locomotion was short but oh, so sweet and Woodson's writing is beautiful. I feel like she has the ability to get inside each of her characters and really bring them to life. While this is a great read for anyone (young or old), it would be especially appropriate for children who have experienced loss or are in foster care.
Recommended for Grades 4-7.
Image taken from http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/mg.shtml.
The first books I read by Maggie Steifvater were The Wolves of Mercy Falls
trilogy. I really enjoyed them and even had the opportunity to meet
Maggie at the ALA conference in 2011. At this conference she was
handing out (and signing) free copies of The Scorpio Races.
I have been meaning to pick it up and read it for some time now, but
just haven't had the chance. I was further motivated to read it when
Maggie won a 2011 Printz Honor Award
for the book. It definitely deserved the award. I love how she
develops her characters and how she creates the setting of the island of
Thisby. As I was reading, I kept thinking that I would really like to
visit Thisby only to have to remind myself that it does not exist.
Synopsis:
In this award winning novel, Maggie
Stiefvater takes readers to the fictional island of Thisby where flesh
eating water horses, better known as capaill uisce, inhabit the
surrounding waters. Thisby is home of the annual Scorpio Races where
islanders attempt to train and race the capaill uisce and tourists
travel from all around to see the race.
Kate "Puck" Connolly lives with her two
brothers, Gabe and Finn. Their parents were killed by a capaill uisce
and they were left to take care of one another. Gabe, Puck's older
brother, decides that he can no longer stand to live on the island of
Thisby, and makes plans to move to the mainland. In an attempt to stop
him Puck decides that she will race in the Scorpio Races, but cannot
bear to ride one of the capaill uisce that killed her parents. She
instead decides to ride her land mare, Dove.
Sean Kendrick, four time winner of the
Scorpio Races, longs to be free of his current employer and owner of
most of the island, Benjamin Malvern. Malvern refuses to sell Sean the
capaill uisce, Corr, that once belonged to his father. But this year,
Malvern has agreed to sell Corr to him if he wins the race.
Who will win the Scorpio Races? A large
cash prize awaits whomever crosses the finish line first. Both Puck
and Sean need the money, but someone will come back empty handed.
Recommended for Ages 13+.
Image from http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-scorpio-races/
