The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman

"Holy cow!" I said when Sophie Bowman told me she'd be joining me at All Saints School for Girls this year.

Francine becomes best friends Sophie while attending Catholic school in 1949. Sophie questions the norms of society at at time when questioning was considered dangerous. The threat of communism and the "naming of names" in Hollywood sparks events that lead to Francine to question her own thoughts and beliefs.

An interesting time to set this story. I saw parallels between then and a few years ago. The author captures the language, styles and mood aptly, in my opinion. She acknowledges Google, libraries and librarians for research and provides a short history and list of resources.

Cushman, K. (2006). The loud silence of francine green. New York, NY: Clarion Books.
ISBN: 0618504559
225 pages

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

They murdered him.

A classic novel about a boy who refuses to follow in line and sell chocolates for the school encountering the wrath of the school bullies. Readers are left asking how far would they go to stand up for what they believe in. Themes of violence, peer pressure, individualism, conformity, power and greed are addressed within the novel.

This novel stands up today - over 30 years later. I found myself riveted to the story and what would happen next for Jerry.

Cormier, R. (1974). The chocolate war. New York, NY: Dell Publishing
ISBN: 0440944597
191 pages