One by Sarah Crossan

Very rarely do I cry over books or movies, but I was grabbing at the tissues when it came to Sarah Crossan's latest book set to release Sept. 15, 2015, One.  I'll be honest, I picked this book up because I thought the cover was beautiful (even though I have always been told to never judge a book by its cover).

Meet Grace and Tippi.  They are sisters who share everything:  their room, their clothes,... and their bodies.  These sixteen-year-old conjoined twins have never wanted to undergo the risky surgery that would separate them until they are forced to consider it after Grace suffers from a fluke virus.  Readers will ache to reach through the pages and hug Tippi and Grace as they confront the most important and impossible decision of their lives.

I had never read Sarah Crossan before, but now that I have, I want more!  She writes with an exquisite grace and sensitivity that makes the reader question everything they thought they knew about identity, sibling relationships, and true love and understanding.  I love that this book is written in free verse poetry (think Love that Dog by Sharon Creech or Brown Girl Dreaming  by Jacqueline Woodson) because there is a certain power behind each and every word, phrase, and image Crossan conjures.  This was a quick, but compelling read for me.  While I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read, girls 14 years and up will most definitely enjoy this glimpse into a world so alike and yet drastically different from their own.

Grace gives this book 5 out of 5 carrots!

Click here to pre-order your copy of One! (Release date:  Sept. 15, 2015)

"1984" by George Orwell

Winston Smith lives in a world ruled by fear.  Everyone fears their children who are trained as spies for the government. They fear the thought police. They fear emotion and even speaking. They fear being killed. Most of all, they fear The Party.

 In the city of London, country of Oceania, the year is 1984 – or so Winston thinks, he can’t quite remember the date. He does know that The Party rules Oceania, and he is an outer member working for the Ministry of Truth. His job is to keep information ‘up to date’. Sometimes this means manipulating the records of the amount of supplies distributed to make The Party seem generous. Other times, if people were vaporized, it’s Winston’s job to make them unpersons. He deletes them out of all records as if they never existed. Winston also alters the facts of history. So much history has been rewritten; no one knows what life was like before The Party existed.

Winston loathes The Party, but just like everyone else fears it. He never shows any emotion and never speaks unless he must. Anything could be seen as rebellion and anyone can report to the ever present thought police. But one day Winston buys a journal on the black market and begins writing. It’s against The Party, but he knows his punishment would be minimal. Stories and emotions slowly begin to fill the pages. At first he is so nervous he almost can’t write, but as he continues rebellion is sweet. His hatred of The Party gradually conquers his fear and his anti-Party actions increase in number and severity. 

I have never read anything quite like Orwell’s 1984. As a lover of young adult literature, dystopian novels have a special place in my heart, but this novel is nothing like the ones I have ever read. The society Orwell created is so fear based that no one ever talks; there is rarely dialogue. Yet, from the outsider’s view of Winston’s thoughts, a clear picture of the setting, society and time is painted.  Written in 1949, this novel predicted the future as Orwell saw it.  1984 gives readers the unique ability to compare a past prediction to what actually occurred. I found it extremely intriguing and highly recommend it!

Clare gives 1984 5 out of 5 carrots!

Click here to order your copy at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!