Category Archives: Year

Germinal, by Émile Zola

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Thistle

Germinal is about a poor mining town in mid-1800s France. As the economy gets worse and worse, the miners begin to starve to death under unfair pay schedules. They have no protection from labor laws, and go on strike under … Continue reading →

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Ash, by Malinda Lo

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Thistle

Ash is a retelling of the Cinderella fairy story, with a twist. Aisling, or Ash, lives in a world where fairy tales and reality collide. When her father dies, leaving her orphaned with a (realistically) cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Ash … Continue reading →

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Protected: The Danish Girl, by David Ebershoff

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Thistle

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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Greenland (Enchantment series), by Jean Blashfield

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Thistle

Wow. Greenland is a fascinating country. Their history is so varied – from multiple groups of indigenous peoples that came and went at different times over the last 4000 years, to viking settlement and Danish rule and later to almost-independence. … Continue reading →

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Twenty Boy Summer, by Sarah Ockler

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Thistle

Anna lives next door to her two best friends, Frankie and her older brother Matt. She’s never told anyone, but Anna’s been in love with Matt forever. The day he kisses her, on her fifteenth birthday, she’s thrilled. Matt makes … Continue reading →

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Protected: Agnes Grey, by Anne Bronte

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Thistle

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Death in Venice, by Thomas Mann

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Thistle

The famous author Auschenbach travels to Venice on vacation. There, he sees a beautiful adolescent Polish boy named Tadzio. Auschenbach takes what he believes is an artistic interest in the boy, but his interest slowly devolves into a lustful obsession. … Continue reading →

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Mornings in Jenin, by Susan Abulhawa

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Thistle

Mornings in Jenin tells the history of Palestine through the eyes of four generations of Palestinians. It begins prior to the creation of Israel and the expulsion of Palestinians from their land, and goes through the siege on the refugee … Continue reading →

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Newes From the Dead, by Mary Hooper

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Thistle

Newes From the Dead is based on a case from 1650 England. A servant named Anne Green was hung only to wake up on the operating table just as physicians were about to cut into her for medical research. This … Continue reading →

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Baby Be-Bop, by Francesca Lia Block

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Thistle

This is a book about a boy coming to terms with his sexuality in a world that doesn’t want him around. It’s about love, it’s about hate, and it’s about understanding who you are. The message is a beautiful one: … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , | 1 Comment