Quaking

How can you not love a book that starts like this: "Families come in all varieties but with no warranties. I have lived with first cousins twice removed, second cousins once removed, and now a third cousin who is removing herself. I call her Loopy. Because of her large earrings. And because she is insane. Loopy drives like a ten-year-old car thief on a sugar high." From the very beginning, Matt (not Mattie, and certainly not Matilda) has a chip on her shoulder. She's angry and cynical, and she has good reason to be. Loopy is about to dump her off at "the next hostile takeover." "I finally found a second cousin of mine, but you need to make it work, Matt. This is the end of the line for you." The end of the line is the home of Sam and Jessica Fox and their disabled foster son, the Blob. These aren't Matt's kind of people. For one thing, they're Quakers. They believe so strongly in peace that they don't even have the good sense to run and hide when bullies challenge them. They just stand there. That's what Sam calls it--taking a stand. As far as Matt can tell, it's just being plain stupid. Everyone knows you're supposed to run from bullies, and that's just that she intends to do if the Rat decides to make her the next Victim of bullying at her new school. Kathryn Erskine never underestimates her readers as she allows this story to push the limits and tackle issues that most sweep under the rug when company is coming. I love Matt's sarcastic commentary on the state of the world as she faces the challenge of her own life. There is no doubt that this character is strong and capable--much like the writer who created her. This is a book I'll keep on my shelf and come back to again and again. Reviewed by: Julie M. Prince

Looking for a young adult book that will engage a young reader and open the door to discussions about peace, tolerance, and true courage? This is the book. Erskine's writing makes Matt seem as real as the kid you sat next to on the school bus. The reader quickly cares about her struggles to find safety and happiness. For some kids, this book may be a reminder that life isn't so easy for everyone. The window into Quaker beliefs may trigger curiosity for the more spiritually inclined. Most compelling at this point in history is the exploration of what it means to be a patriot. It reminds us that moral courage may be the only effective "weapon" to battle jingoism and intolerance. This book is beautifully written and is a fine addition to a bookshelf for kids who want a great story that also deals with moral questions that counter the shallowness of popular culture.

So often readers are asked to embrace characters who've been abandoned, and hardened by that abandonement. We're asked to cheer them on despite how unlovable they are, and to believe in their sudden transformation --right around the end of the book -- into warm, loving people. Thankfully, Kathryn Erskine has figured out a way to create something far better. Her character Matt has lived an awfully hard life, and it is easy to understand why she is self-protective. Luckily, she's funny, too, and her unique way of viewing the world is genuinely charming. Her new world--with foster parents Sam and Jessica, and in the hallways of a new-to-her high school--is both recognizable to readers and strangely new and interesting. I especially enjoyed the look inside her foster parents' Quaker life. I also enjoyed the way the book explored peace and its opposites, and the different ways people can work to achieve the kind of peace that is important to them. On top of that, Erskine can WRITE. There are sentences here that make you say "ooh," out loud. There were a number that I had to reread a few times for pure enjoyment. I'm looking forward to more books by this author!

QUAKING is a book about seeking peace. It tells the tale of an exceptionally bright girl named Matt who has been thrown about and bruised by the foster care system so often that she has developed a dark, tough exterior to cover the fears that often find her quaking. When she lands with Sam and his family of gentle, peace-seeking Quakers, she discovers that sometimes you have to face your fears instead of hiding from them. Few readers will fail to identify, down into their innermost core, with the basic terrors that haunt Matt. And no one can help but rejoice as Matt forces herself to rise about them to help her new family in it's quest for a peaceful existence. Erskine writes even the simplest scenes with gut-wrenching emotion. And her masterful treatment of the love that Sam and his family show Matt, such as when Jessica bakes Matt a pie, will leave the reader in tears. But most importantly, this is a must-read for young people left confused by today's enviroment of intolerance and war. A great debut novel (hope there will be more!)and an unforgettable read that will leave you quaking.