Monday, June 14, 2010

An Unlikely Friendship : A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley, by Ann Rinaldi

An Unlikely Friendship, by Ann Rinaldi, tells the story of Mary Todd, President Lincoln’s wife, and Lizzy, a mulato child that learns through hardship how to live as a slave. Mary Todd has a privilege, but controlled upbringing in Kentucky with an array of siblings, attentive mother name Sally, an affectionate but a look father, and a proud, devoted grandmother help her to cope with a critical and harsh grandmother. In contrast, Lizzy is a slave that buys her freedoms and has established herself as a renowned dressmaker. Lizzy and Mary become very good friends until the end.

This book was awesome. It even made me cry of how harsh Lizzy was treated. I also love the story of a born friendship between two women whose backgrounds were totally different. I recommend this book to everyone who like drama, women especially.


-Anonymous, grade 9.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

This book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, is a "Catcher in the Rye" inspired story. It is written in first-person by a high school freshman named Charlie. The book consists of letters written to an anonymous person. When the story begins Charlie keeps to himself more and not many people know him. Charlie is a "wallflower" who, with the help of his newly found friends Samantha and Patrick, learns to interact with the world. At some moments, this book put me in a place of euphoria. It is amazingly written and I recommend it to absolutely everyone.

 -Reviewed by Jackie, grade 9.