Thursday, July 30, 2009

Diamonds in the Shadow

First of all I would like to say "I told you so" about the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I read it earlier this year and have been telling everyone it is my "must read" book of the year. Everyone who has read it loves it. Today USA Today has an article about The Help touting it as the 'hot debut novel' this summer. If only they would have asked me what I think, this article could have run back in April.
I finished Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline Cooney today. I must have missed this one when it was published in 2007, but I like Cooney's work and always enjoy the suspense she is able to create in her books.
A family of refugees has come to America and is taken in by a family of four. A fifth refugee also enters America, and forces the family to take one of his possessions into the country with the intent of retrieving it later. While the refugees have been through a lot, even their American family cannot fathom how little they have ever been exposed to -microwave ovens, cars, email, the list is endless. However, while the American parents are busy in their own way- the dad with work, the mom on her endless crusade to help the adult refugees, both the American children find the refugees to be extremely strange and realize that they may not be who they claim to be. When the fifth refugee hunts the family down to retrieve his smuggled goods, both the Americans and refugees must fight for their lives.

This is a great fast read and while I wanted to find out how things ended, I almost didn't want to turn the page for fear that something bad would happen. Cooney's Diamonds in the Shadow is a great young adult novel that can appeal to both boys and girls and also reluctant readers.

1 comment:

Em said...

I love Caroline Cooney! The Face on the Milk Cartoon is one of my all time favorites!

p.s. You won my Along for the Ride contest. Just email me your address and I'll pass it along to the publisher so they can send you a copy. :)

emsbookshelf@gmail.com