#12-13

#12 Cassandra and Jane by Jill Pitkeathley

After reading According to Jane a couple of weeks ago, I just wasn't ready to say Goodbye to Jane Austen. So, this was a great read at the perfect time for me. This was a fictional story, but the author did her best to recreate what was likely to have happened between Jane and her sister Cassandra. Cass tells the story and gives us the insight into the world she and Jane shared. We get to hear about the love they both nearly had in their lives as well as the success Jane enjoyed with her published pieces. Only two sisters as close as these would be able to express the unique relationship of sisters.

#13 Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles

I have to admit that I chose this book after finding a great writeup by a classroom teacher about censorship and books kids need to read regardless. This was a book that was highly criticized and like all "banned books," the desire to read them is heightened all them more. This book did not disappoint. At the start of the book, a young girl named Leah has just died in an accident. Her friend Laine takes the reader back through their friendship and how Laine's life will forever be changed. It is an intense story dealing with abuse, underage drinking, drugs, bullying, and peer pressure. This is definitely a book that should be put into the right hands, but not before those hands are ready.