Breathing Underwater

Author:  Alex Flinn

Number of pages: 263

Lexile: 510

Plot Summary: Nick is a popular teen who has a secret that he keeps hidden from everyone, even his closest friends: Nick’s dad beats him. When Nick meets Caitlin, he thinks that all of his problems are solved, but the relationship soon begins to go downhill. Nick becomes controlling and hits Caitlin. When his friends see this, they turn him in. A restraining order is held against Nick, and while he is not able to see Caitlin, he is sent to a family violence class to help him with his problems. The book is written as the journals Nick must write for this class and also in his flashbacks of his real life.    

Main Characters:

Nick is a wealthy and popular high school boy who is beaten by his father. He is the main character of the story.

Caitlin is Nick’s girlfriend who thinks that Nick is great at first, but then realizes that he is very controlling.

Tom is Nick’s best friend.

Mario is the councilor of the family violence class.

Theme: A broken home can lead to broken relationships, but there is always somewhere you can go for help.

Strengths: This book is pretty easy to read, but has occasional flashbacks. The book is written in the mannerism of a teen, so middle and high school students can relate to the characters in the book. 

Weakness: There is some swearing and some mature situations.

Comments: I read this book almost four years ago and I still love it! It kept me hooked from the beginning. I wondered throughout the whole book whether Nick and Caitlin would get back together in the end or if Nick’s choices took his chances with Caitlin away forever. I would recommend this book to anyone ages 14-25.

My Sister’s Keeper­

Author: Jodi Picoult

Number of Pages:  432

Lexile: 840

Plot Summary: This is the story of a family torn apart by cancer. Anna is the youngest of three siblings and is a very healthy thirteen year old girl. However sometimes she doesn’t feel as though she is. Anna is always getting shots and giving blood for her older sister, Kate, who is sick. Kate was diagnosed with leukemia before Anna was even born and their parents had Anna so there would be a DNA match for Kate. Anna has never had a problem with helping her sister, until she is told that Kate needs one of her kidneys. Anna then gets an attorney and takes her parents to court to essentially win the rights to her own body.  This battle has an extreme emotional effect on all the characters involved and the relationships they have with each other.

Main Character: From the plot summary, you may think that Anna is a horrible human being for refusing to give her sister a kidney. But in reality, she loves her sister more than anything and just wants her life back. In the end, you find that Anna’s situation is much more complicated than it seems, and she actually handled it with an immense amount of courage and grace.

Themes: Finding out who you are as an individual person, while still staying loyal to your family.

Strengths: This book is written from the perspective of all the main characters. The author does an amazing job of making you emphasize with each character while you are reading his or her point of view. It forces you to understand each person’s feelings about the situations.

Weaknesses: None! It’s a fantastic book.

Comments: This book made me laugh and cry, but I loved every second of it. It’s a story that corresponds to a hot topic in society today, but digs so deep into it that you feel as if you know the characters and feel what they are going through.

My Sister’s Keeper

Author:  Jodi Picoult

Number of pages:  423

Lexile:  840

Plot Summary: This is the story of a family that has to deal with having a child with leukemia. When Kate got sick, her family was devastated. Her parents then thought about having another child for Kate; this child would have matching genetics and would be a perfect match in any obstacle Kate had to overcome. When Anna, the youngest child, had more knowledge of what was going on and the pain she had to go through, she decided to get a lawyer and file for medical emancipation – freewill in medical decisions. Once her parents found out, they had to fight back; her mother was the opposing council. Many new people are also added to the equation, and their stories are told. The family goes through many obstacles to become close again.

Main Characters: Anna is the youngest child of the Fitzgeralds. She wants independence from using her body for medical help with Kate’s illness. She shows love and courage when it comes to dealing with her family turmoil with Kate. After everything she has been through, she has been become very strong. Another main character is Kate. She is the middle child and has had leukemia since she was very young. She has shown strength and understanding through every obstacle. Throughout time, she grows to accept whatever happens to her happens.

Themes: In order to keep a family close in tough times, it is necessary to learn about oneself and the people they love even if that means giving up something important.

Strengths: My Sister’s Keeper is an intriguing story about family and life obstacles. It contains lessons and questions about what’s going to happen. It keeps the reader involved. Because each chapter is told from a different perspective, the reader gets a feel of what each character is like and how they are dealing with the main problem.

Weaknesses: Some parts get in depth with medical terms, so it can be somewhat confusing. However, the story is only told that way so the reader can understand what is going on.

Comments: I read this book in my free time. I will never forget this book. I experienced many emotions while reading it. It is an engaging and interesting story with many different perspectives. Also, there are “side bar” stories told by some additional people that keep the reader intrigued with more than just the main issue.

Perfect Match

Author: Jodi Picoult

Number of Pages: 528

Lexile: 750

Plot Summary: Nina is an assistant district attorney who prosecutes criminal cases. She sees the way the legal system of the United States succeeds and fails on a daily basis. When her son, Nathaniel, gets sexually abused suddenly her work and home life are thrown together in a terrible mess. Skeptical that her son’s abuser would be caught, Nina decides to use the loopholes in the legal system to help her get away with a murder to protect her only son. With shocking twists, finding Nathaniel’s abuser is a confusing and strategic endeavor for Nina.

Description of Main Characters: Nina is an assistant district attorney in the state of Maine who struggles to balance the demands of her personal and professional life. Caleb, her husband, owns his own landscaping business. Patrick is county detective who has been in love with Nina since they became best friends in college.

Theme(s): The line between legal justice and justice of your own should not be crossed, no matter which method is more effective.

Strengths of the book: This book is very surprising and many chapters will throw new twists at you so you never know what’s coming.

Weaknesses of the book: DNA evidence plays an important part in finding Nathaniel’s abuser. It is confusing to sort through all the medical reasoning behind the final conclusion. 

Comments: This book tackles a sad but realistic problem in today’s society, which could be difficult for some sensitive people to read about. People ages 15 and older will enjoy this book.

Perfect Match

Author: Jodi Picoult

Number of Pages: 528

Lexile: 900

Plot Summary: Perfect Match is a well written novel about a family dealing with an unfortunate situation. It is based around a family of three and a mother, who works everyday trying to get child molesters convicted. All of the sudden the world stops spinning for her when her own child stops talking and becomes a victim of molestation. She has to be in the same court room, under the same kind of trial, but now on the other end. After so many years of being in trials, she knows the system is faulty and doesn’t want her child to go through anymore then he is previously going through. Nina jumps to conclusions and does things no one ever believed she could. Both parents want to make sure their child will never be abused again!

Main Character: Nina is a loving mother that will do anything for her one and only son. She is very smart and knows the court system well, which is huge in the climax of the book. Nina is strong, and she believes that she and only she believes what’s best for her son. She is admired by many for the path she choose to save her son but is also disgraced by some. No matter what anyone says, Nina loves her son more than anything, and she did what she thought she had to, to keep him safe.  

Themes: Even someone you know 100% can surprise you in their actions.  Never underestimate what a parent will do for their child.

Strengths: A major strength of Perfect Match was how intense the book was written. There were many surprises that a reader just couldn’t see coming, and it was very engaging. The author did a great job of keeping the suspense going throughout the entire book.

Weaknesses: At some points in the book, the details and information got a little long. A reader so much wants to know what’s going to happen next and not have the suspense dragged out from information that isn’t even that important.    

Comments: I absolutely loved this book. It’s a long book, but I read it so fast because I was not able to put it down. It’s a book that I will continue to recommend to all ages.

Perfect Match

Author:  Jodi Picoult

Number of pages:  368

Lexile: 900

Plot Summary: Nina Frost is a well-known district attorney in York County, Maine. Her entire career has been prosecuting crimes that tear families apart. She has learned to keep her emotions distant, and to battle intensely for justice doing what needs to be done to take the criminal down. But when her husband and herself discover that their 5 year old son, Nathaniel, has been sexually abused, she is unable to do what the law would be say is the right and fair thing to do. Nina knows that the justice system has its own way of working things out, but that’s not good enough for Nina. She desperately battles for her son throughout the book doing things that may cause her to lose everything that she is fighting for.

Main Character(s): Nina Frost is a very strong and passionate character. She is a very strong district attorney who learns to find out what is like to be a mother again. Her husband Caleb is a character who has to stay strong for not only Nathaniel, but his wife.

Theme(s): Perfect Match takes you through a journey of a real life situation. What happens when someone you love is hurt in a way you can’t ever take back? It shows the drastic reactions that some people in the world take in difficult situations.

Strengths:  Perfect Match is a very intriguing and emotional book. It is a real life situation with real life reactions and outcomes. This book is well developed. It shows that Jodi Picoult learned much about the justice system to write this book.

Weaknesses: -

Comments: Perfect Match is an amazing and touching book. There was never a time throughout the book that I was not interested in it.