Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Where the Streets Had a Name
Randa Abdel-Fattah
Publisher: Scholastic
Released: November 1, 2010
Age Group: 9 - 12
Pages: 320
Source: 1 ARC Tours

Thirteen year old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is that Hayaat and her family live behind the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, and they're on the wrong side of check points, curfews, and the travel permit system. Plus, Hayaat's best friend Samy always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on the pair's side as they undertake the journey to Jerusalem from the Palestinian Territories when Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel.

But while their journey may only be a few kilometers long, it could take a lifetime to complete. . .

As a child, and even as a young adult, I knew of there being conflicts in the Middle East; however, I had no idea what was really going on. It wasn't until I went to college and became a Religious Studies major that I really understood the history of the Middle East, its religions, and the strife that's resulted. Where the Streets Had a Name is a book I wish had been around when I was a kid. It is an excellent view into the life of a young girl in Palestine trying to get into forbidden Jerusalem.

Disfigured by the crossfire of her war-torn home, Hayaat is perhaps more emotionally scarred than physically by the death of her best friend. But such is the life in Palestine. Her family can only hope that she will marry despite her bad fortune because a good marriage is Hayaat's best chance at a good life. While a future such as this may seem little more than grim, Hayaat is no worse for the wear. She is just another thirteen-year-old girl who likes to skip school to play with her best friend Samy and argue with her older sister.

Hayaat also spends a lot of time listening to her grandmother's stories of Jerusalem before her family was forced out of their homes and moved to Bethlehem. When her grandmother falls ill, Hayaat decides she must travel to Jerusalem and bring back the soil of her grandmother's homeland to save her life. Armed with nothing more than an empty hummus jar, Hayaat and Samy make their way toward Jerusalem.

I often believe the world could be a better place simply if everyone would read. And I don't just mean having the ability to read, although that is obviously a part of it, but if everyone read more. Where the Streets Had a Name is the perfect example of this. With a setting like Palestine, one would think it would be difficult to create a hopeful story, but Randa Abdel-Fattah tells a courageous one with more heart than some people I know. It is a story everyone should read at least once and probably more than twice.

I wish I would have remembered to go back and copy down a few quotes to share before I had to send my copy along its way. There was one passage in particular when Sitti Zeynab is telling Hayaat a story and she says something about smiling being the same in every language. It is that kind of truth that makes this novel one of the most inspiring I've read this year.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Please be aware that this is the fifth book in a series. In order to give even the briefest synopsis, this review may contain spoilers to the first four books. You can read my reviews of The Lightning Thief here, The Sea of Monsters here, The Titan's Curse here, and The Battle of the Labyrinth here.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Released: May 5, 2009
Age Group: 9-12
Pages: 400
Source: Library
Series: Book 5 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians


In the fifth and final book of the Percy Jackson series, both the cryptic prophecy and the fate of the world are finally revealed. Percy, Annabeth, and the rest of Camp Half-Blood must defend Mount Olympus from Kronos on their own, while the Olympians are off fighting their own battles against the other Titans and their evil monsters.

I wasn't overly satisfied by the end of the series, but then again I wasn't really in love with the other books to begin with. I'm not sorry I read them, and I would definitely recommend them to others; however, I think it's important to keep in mind that these books are aimed at a much younger age group and don't contain the maturity level or depth of story and characters that older youths and adults crave. Of course the fact that these books were all released within the wake of the phenomenon that was the Harry Potter series didn't exactly help. I haven't brought it up until now because I was trying to be fair, but it's hard to refrain from comparing young adult series to Harry Potter, which - in my opinion - just don't.

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Please be aware that this is the fourth book in a series. In order to give even the briefest synopsis, this review may contain spoilers to the first three books. You can read my reviews of The Lightning Thief here, The Sea of Monsters here, and The Titan's Curse here.

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Released: May 6, 2008

Age Group: 9-12

Pages: 368

Source: Library

Series: Book 4 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

After blowing up the school band room, Percy retreats to Camp Half Blood to join Annabeth and Grover in the fight against Luke and the Titans. Soon after his arrival they learn that Luke has found a passage straight into the camp through Daedalus's Labyrinth. In order to stop Luke from invading camp and resurrecting the Titan lord Kronos, Percy must enter the Labyrinth himself. What ensues is a plethora of challenges, choices, and threats devised to throw Percy and his friends off track.

Labyrinth was definitely my favorite of the Percy Jackson series. Daedalus's Labyrinth is just fascinating to me, and putting a contemporary twist to the maze's road blocks was definitely entertaining. Percy really grew up in this installment, and I enjoyed seeing him deal with normal teenage issues in addition to the whole being-the-son-of-a-god thing. As the fourth book in a series of five, Labyrinth was full of action and leaves the reader anxious for book five.

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Please be aware that this is the third book in a series. In order to give even the briefest synopsis, this review may contain spoilers to the first two books. You can read my reviews of The Lightning Thief here and The Sea of Monsters here.

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Released: May 1, 2007
Age Group: 9-12
Pages: 320
Source: Library
Series: Book 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians


The Titan's Curse picks up soon after The Sea of Monsters left off. During a battle against the manticore, Annabeth and the goddess Artemis are both lost to the enemy. It is up to Percy, Thalia, Grover, and the hunters to find and rescue both. Percy and his friends must find Artemis before the winter solstice when the gods on Mount Olympus will vote on whether or not they go to war against the Titans. Meanwhile, also on Percy's mind is the mysterious monster Artemis was hunting before she was captured - a monster so powerful, the gods wouldn't stand a chance against it. But who could have kidnapped a goddess? Percy is afraid of the answer.

I'm really enjoying this series. I feel like I keep saying the same things - I love Greek mythology, I love the way the gods are portrayed - but Riordan keeps me pleasantly surprised with each new book. I find his stories original, the dialogue funny, and the writing easy (in a good way). Reading about Percy Jackson is sort of like having a conversation with an old friend - not overly stimulating or intense, but very familiar and comfortable. I would recommend this series to anyone in need of something light and funny, those with an interest in Greek mythology, and young boys who think books are yucky ;)

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Released: September 2002
Age Group: 9-12
Pages: 176
Source: Library


Abandoned at birth, Hollis Woods was named after the town in which she was found. In her twelve years, she has run away from every foster home she's ever been in - even from the one family she loved. She is then placed with Josie, a retired art teacher, with whom she immediately bonds. Hollis is torn between her regret for leaving the Regans, her worry for Josie's growing forgetfulness, and her wish for a family of her own.

This book was recommended to me by my mom. I don't remember how she came across it since she normally reads nonfiction, but she really liked it and called me the day she read it to tell me all about it. It happened to catch my eye on my next trip to the library, so I picked it up. It's an easy, quick read that only took me a few hours to finish. That said, it was definitely a story that will stay with me for a while. The story is partially told in flashbacks captured in Hollis's paintings. It was a beautiful, emotional story with one of the most satisfying endings I've read in a while.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

One day while exploring, Coraline wanders through a secret passage into another house that looks a lot like her own. There she finds another mother and another father who wish to keep her there for themselves. Coraline also meets alternate versions of her eccentric neighbors and a talking cat. Complete with ink drawings, Coraline is a dark fairy tale that may be more suitable for afternoons than bedtime.

I was really surprised that this was a children's book intended for ages 9-12. What a creepy little thing! I'm not quite sure how to review it because it was just "meh" for me. The writing was very simplistic, there wasn't much character development, and I figured out the ending long before it was revealed. I won't say that I didn't like it, but I certainly didn't love it.

I've heard a lot of hype about Neil Gaiman's works, so I hope to be a bit more impressed than I was with Coraline with the next Gaiman book I read.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Please be aware that this is the second book in a series. In order to give even the briefest synopsis, this review may contain spoilers to the first book. You can read my review of The Lightning Thief here.

Percy Jackson somehow makes it to the end of seventh grade with relative ease. All year he manages to stay out of trouble. No fighting off evil monsters, no visits from satyrs, and virtually no contact from Camp Half Blood. The highlight of Percy's year is defending the homeless kid, Tyson, from his classmates' cruel jokes. Soon enough things return to normal - normal for Percy, that is - when a game of dodgeball becomes fatal. After Annabeth comes to Percy's rescue, he is quickly informed the magical borders of Camp Half Blood have been poisoned and are failing. A quest is granted for Percy and his friends to journey through the Sea of Monsters in search of the elusive Golden Fleece to save Camp Half Blood.


You know, in my review of The Lightning Thief, I don't think I gave Rick Riordan enough credit. No, it's not the most engrossing book I've ever read. No, it's not the greatest piece of children's literature ever written. No, it's most definitely not Harry Potter. However, Percy Jackson is a light, very enjoyable series, and I genuinely cared about Percy and his friends and what happened to them. I loved Percy's point of view and the way it sometimes felt like he was talking directly to the reader at times. I also loved the constant bickering between Percy and Annabeth, very seventh grade. Overall, I really liked The Sea of Monsters and am eager to get started on Book 3, The Titan's Curse.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is just your average juvenile delinquent. He moves from boarding school to boarding school, being kicked out of each one, because he just can't manage to stay out of trouble. Or so it seems. You see, Percy doesn't go looking for trouble. Trouble finds him.

On a school field trip, Percy is attacked by his algebra teacher - turned evil monster and begins a life-threatening trek to Camp Half-Blood. On the way, Percy discovers that the gods and goddesses of ancient Greek mythology are very much alive today and that he is, in fact, a son of one of those gods. Percy must use the help of friends Grover and Annabeth to fight off scores of monsters and make it to camp alive. Once at camp, Percy learns of his ancestry and trains to fight evil monsters. When the camp discovers Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy is the accused thief, Percy begins a quest to find the bolt and clear his name.


I think the biggest thing to keep in mind while reading the Percy Jackson series is that it is targeted for 9-12-year-olds. I read a few harsh reviews on Goodreads, which I completely respect and understand, but I think in order to enjoy this series and not nit-pick it to death is to appreciate it for what it is - a middle grade novel. That said, I thought it was a really cute book. I'm a huge fan of mythology, so the whole premise was very appealing to me. I also thought Percy's "disabilities" and the locations of Mount Olympus and the Underworld were very clever. I also enjoyed the way the gods, goddesses, and other mythological creatures were depicted. Overall, it wasn't quite the page turner I was hoping it would be, but I will be continuing with the series.