House Arrest

House Arrest is a realistic fiction novel by author K.A. Holt.  What makes this book very unique is that is a novel written in verse, so the structure of the writing on the pages is different from other novels.  The novel spans the course of a year: broken down into chapters by each week of the year.  While the novel is 296 pages, it does move extremely fast since the pages are not filled with paragraphs, but short lines of text.  House Arrest is a record of Timothy's court-mandated journal, telling the story of his year on probation while he is under a strict house arrest under the care of his mother.  Go ahead and have the sequel on-hand, Knock Out.  You are going to want to pick it up as soon as you turn the last page of House Arrest - trust me.  

Timothy is now considered a criminal at the age of 13.  His has been sentenced to house arrest, under the care of his mother (and sometimes neighbor when his mother has to work long hours).  He has to check in with his probation officer once a week.  He must see a therapist once a week.  He must write daily in a journal. For. A. Year.  All because he made one bad choice.  But that bad choice was not in an effort to get rich quick or hurt someone else.  It was a quick decision he made in the heat of a moment and now his year has changed. It shouldn't be too different than any other year because Timothy's life has always been a challenge. His baby brother, Levi, is very sick.  He isn't like other babies and requires constant care around the clock. Not wanting to deal with this, Timothy and Levi's dad has left town unexpectedly, leaving the boys and their mother without help and without answers.  His mother works long hours to try to pay the bills - normal bills and the extensive medical bills. It is a lot for any family to manage without a teenager under house arrest.  House Arrest is the story of Timothy's year following "That Day" and the decision that changed their live forever.  

House Arrest is one of those novels that I think every kid should have to read at some point (like Wonder).  It will be loved by boys and girls of all ages. I think this novel is best suited for 6th and 7th graders, but think 5th graders will enjoy it as well.  Language and content are appropriate for these age levels as well.  House Arrest is a story of loyalty and compassion and redemption.  I will confess: this is my first novel to make it through written in verse. I usually really struggle with novels written in verse because I get too distracted by the format and cannot understand why the author randomly decided to end the line of text at that point. (Much like I am still distracted why the "O"on the front cover is yellow while the other letters are white.) However, it completely fits this novel! I cannot imagine this book being as good if it were written with paragraphs! Written in verse, it is easy to read Timothy's emotion in each line and sounds just like a teen would talk.  House Arrest is a must-read for early middle schoolers, but be sure you have the sequel close by!   

Girl, Stolen

The novel Girl, Stolen is a realistic fiction novel by April Henry.  This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat, packed with thrilling action in each chapter.  The very first chapter is sure to hook in any reluctant reader! Relatively shorter than other novels, Girl, Stolen is just over 200 pages, so it is a fairly quick read.  The action moves fast and chapters are 5-8 pages each, so the reader moves quickly through the book.  While written from a first person point of view, the chapters alternate narrators, jumping between Cheyenne and Griffin, allowing the reader to hear from 2 very unique perspectives: the kidnapped and the kidnapper.  April Henry writes many other novels that thrill readers, so if readers who are a fan of Girl, Stolen can easily find another interesting read by this author!  

Cheyenne is a teenage girl who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Sick and sleepy, Cheyenne is laying down in the back of the family's Escalade drifting in and out of sleep while her stepmother quickly runs into the pharmacy to pick up her perscription before heading home.  Cheyenne hears someone jump in the car and start the engine and quickly realizes it is not her stepmom, Danielle, but instead, a thief looking to steal their SUV.  Too risky to let her out of the car, the kidnapper continues out of town until there is less traffic and more secluded areas to think.  He pulls the car over, panicked at the unexpected visitor in the car, only to discover that Cheyenne is blind.  Unsure of what to do, the kidnapper, Griffin, decides to drive the car on home to his father.  Cheyenne quickly learns stealing cars is not new for Griffin or his father and they run a business from their home of stealing cars and selling them for their parts.  But Cheyenne was NOT part of the plan and everyone is panicked - until they turn on the radio to hear a news report of Cheyenne's disappearance and find out who Cheyenne REALLY is: the daughter of a very wealthy well-known business.  This quickly changes things and the men suddenly see a ransom for Cheyenne as their chance to get rich quick. How could Cheyenne possibly make it out of this situation alive?

Girl, Stolen is a great read for both boys and girls, despite the narrator being female.  It is packed with action and the varying viewpoints allow the reader to see some events and incidents twice, but from different sides.  This novel is also great for readers who need a quick start, not an exposition that drags on for several chapters. The first chapter (3 pages) will have almost any reader hooked!  Through the course of the novel Cheyenne also shares her experience as someone living with a handicap, which I always love in any novel.  Learning how other people - people different from ourselves - live each day is a truly valuable experience.  She shares her struggles of living without sight and how she lives her life differently to overcome her setbacks in the efforts to live as normal a life as possible.  However, I do feel this novel is best suited for middle and high school readers for several reasons.  First, there is language that is not suited for an elementary child.  There is also violence in the book, which is to be expected in a book that begins with a car theft and kidnapping.  Finally, through the chapters Cheyenne narrates she shares her fears with the reader - all of them.  She shares fears of making it out alive, but also fears any female might have when being held captive by three men, especially a female without sight.