Well I'll be a Monkey's Uncle...err, brother

AUTHOR: Oppel, Kenneth
TITLE: Half Brother

When forced to reconcile the idea of humanity, 13-year-old Ben Tomlin learns to appreciate family members in whatever size, shape and species they come in. Zan was taken from his mother after only a few days and given to the Tomlins to be raised and cared for as their own. Zan which happens to be short for Tarzan is a chimpanzee. As Zan grows, his new family attempts to teach him sign language and to test to see if it is possible for chimps to learn language.
As time passes, Ben sees Zan as more of a little brother and less and less as a science experiment, his sentiment is not shared by his father. While Zan is learning words and sign and beginning to combine them to form thoughts, he also begins to demonstrate typical animal characteristics and after a while it is decided that Zan must be sold. Oppel makes this story compelling and interesting, while the books setting 1970’s Canada is a bit unfamiliar and at times awkward, the story of Ben and Zan is heart wrenching and will force readers to ask what makes a creature human.

How To Build A House

How To Build A House
By: Dana Reinhardt

240P
Wendy Lamb Books

ISBN-10: 0375844538
ISBN-13: 978-0375844539


Annotation:
17 year old Harper Evans hopes to escape the effects of her father’s divorce on her family and friends by volunteering her summer to build a house in a small Tennessee town devastated by a tornado.

Summary:
This poignantly written novel by Dana Reinhardt, introduces us to our well developed protagonist; Harper Evans. Evans is a 17 year old girl concerned with the environment, who is forced to deal with the fact that her father, Art, is getting a divorce from the only mother she has ever known, her step-mother Jane. Harper decides to join a summer volunteer program in Tennessee for a chance to escape from the problems at home. It here where she must deal with many of the issues surrounding the divorce, all the while trying to make the lives of one family better.
Reinhardt does an exquisite job comparing the building of the house with Harper’s emotional healing. In the end Harper has opened up to the possibly of love, made new friends, and moved beyond the ill feelings and blame she held for old friends and family members. Showing us all the importance of family and the idea that family can take on many different shapes and sizes.

This novel depicts the hard work and subtle rewards one can receive by doing good for someone else. Teens interested in volunteer organizations such as Habitat for Humanity will get an honest taste of what life is like for people devastated by natural disasters. This book would be perfect for anyone looking for a Traveling Pants read-a-like, and will leave you with the warm and fuzzies.

Black Box

Black Box
By: Julie Schumacher

176p
Delacorte Books for Young Readers

ISBN-10: 0385735421
ISBN-13: 978-0385735421


Annotation:
When her sixteen-year-old sister is hospitalized for depression her parents want to keep it a secret, fourteen-year-old Elena tries to cope with her own anxiety and feelings of guilt that she is determined to conceal from outsiders.

Summary:
A realistic look at the effects of depression and the problems that can surround it.

Fourteen year-old Elena is responsible and reliable while her older sister Dora is the exact opposite. As Elena tries to deal with not only her sister’s illness but also the constant questioning from friends at school, and the fighting at home it becomes difficult for her to maintain her composure. As her parents refuse to acknowledge Dora’s condition, Elena feels more and more isolated and alone. Intent on not showing emotions, Elena finds solace in the friendship of her classmate Jimmy; a social outcast who has experiences with the practices at the local mental institution.

Throughout the novel Elena, deals with the constant emotional uncertainty of her sister while she is both in and out of the institution and her strange behavior once she returns. Elena become suspicious of her sister and begins to research her medicine, which is where we come to learn the meaning of the title (Blackbox is a warning label stating that these people should be under constant supervision) as well as her strange behavior at school.


This novel is no Disney story, it deals with difficult situations in a manner that is accessible to teens, the novel also includes websites and information about depression and suicide prevention, which may be helpful for people looking for more information.