BAD Reads
What I've Been Reading This Week
Two books I've read this week are great examples of the genre. Clicking on the titles will take you to the Amazon.com listing, but I have these in my library, and your library should have them too!
The Vanishing Point This is based on the life of Lavinia Fontana, a noted artist of 16th century Italy. Daughter of a painter, Vini longs to join the students in her father's studio, but in a time when women seldom leave the house unaccompanied, let alone become painters, her dream seems unlikely. Louise Hawes' story is not just of how Vini manages to realize her ambition, but how along the way she grows in her understanding of the world around her. Some critics have found this a bit melodramatic, but that should appeal to teens, and the prose is as rich and wonderful as a Renaissance work of art!
Annie Between the States This is set during the Civil War, but it's no "Gone With the Wind"--which is in my mind one of the most highly overrated books in history! Annie Sinclair and her family live just outside Washington,DC. The war is at times literally on their front doorstep. As they deal with invading troops, serious illness, Annie's younger brother's fierce ambition to join in the Confederate cause, and their fears for Annie's soldier brother, Laurence, the family fights to survive. Annie's worldview is torn between her admiration for the dashing Confederate Colonel J.E.B. Stuart, and her growing relationship with a Union officer her family cared for after he was wounded. A good deal of the book is based on real people, but though Annie herself is fictional, she is well drawn. This book would be excellent to read along with Ann Rinaldi's In My Father's House, which is set in the same place and time.
Rinaldi, by the way, is one of the best historical fiction writers for young adults around today. I highly recommend other titles she has written as well as books that not only young adults, but adults of all ages can enjoy!
