Dark Sky Rising

Amazon writes, "This is a story about America during and after Reconstruction, one of history's most pivotal and misunderstood chapters. In a stirring account of emancipation, the struggle for citizenship and national reunion, and the advent of racial segregation, the renowned Harvard scholar delivers a book that is illuminating and timely. Real-life accounts drive the narrative, spanning the half century between the Civil War and Birth of a Nation. Here, you will come face-to-face with the people and events of Reconstruction's noble democratic experiment, its tragic undermining, and the drawing of a new "color line" in the long Jim Crow era that followed. In introducing young readers to them, and to the resiliency of the African American people at times of progress and betrayal, Professor Gates shares a history that remains vitally relevant today.". Gates does a good job relating the history and the facts in an understandable way. It doesn't exactly tell a story. Many kids will be turned off. I cited him dozens of times in my paper - he is the one to read to understand the African American experience. All in all, I say: READ IT

Dress Codes for Small Towns

Amazon writes, "As the tomboy daughter of the town’s preacher, Billie McCaffrey has always struggled with fitting the mold of what everyone says she should be. She’d rather wear sweats, build furniture, and get into trouble with her solid group of friends: Woods, Mash, Davey, Fifty, and Janie Lee.

But when Janie Lee confesses to Billie that she’s in love with Woods, Billie’s filled with a nagging sadness as she realizes that she is also in love with Woods…and maybe with Janie Lee, too.

Always considered “one of the guys,” Billie doesn’t want anyone slapping a label on her sexuality before she can understand it herself. So she keeps her conflicting feelings to herself, for fear of ruining the group dynamic.

Except it’s not just about keeping the peace, it’s about understanding love on her terms—this thing that has always been defined as a boy and a girl falling in love and living happily ever after. For Billie—a box-defying dynamo—it’s not that simple.

Readers will be drawn to Billie as she comes to terms with the gray areas of love, gender, and friendship, in this John Hughes-esque exploration of sexual fluidity".  All in all, I say: SKIP IT - I couldn't relate and no not because I'm no longer a teen - it went deeper than that. I couldn't relate to that high school experience or those kinds of characters. It didn't seem completely realistic.

Lyddie

Amazon writes, "When Lyddie and her younger brother are hired out as servants to help pay off their family farm's debts, Lyddie is determined to find a way to reunite her family once again. Hearing about all the money a girl can make working in the textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, she makes her way there, only to find that her dreams of returning home may never come true". All in all, I say: READ IT - it gives an account of what it must have been like to work in a factory during American's Industrial Revolution. It doesn't have an ending one might expect though.

Sounder

Amazon writes, "An African American boy and his family rarely have enough to eat. Each night, the boy's father takes their dog, Sounder, out to look for food. The man grows more desperate by the day.

When food suddenly appears on the table one morning, it seems like a blessing. But the sheriff and his deputies are not far behind. The ever-loyal Sounder remains determined to help the family he loves as hard times bear down.

This classic novel shows the courage, love, and faith that bind a family together despite the racism and inhumanity they face in the nineteenth-century deep South.

Readers who enjoy timeless dog stories such as Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows will find much to love in Sounder, even as they read through tears at times". All in all, I say: SKIP IT It just isn't as detailed as I remember. It doesn't really tell a story that flows if that makes sense.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

The saga continues - same cast with a couple of new additions like Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), and Kyle Chandler (Super 8). There are a dozen or so Titans, but Godzilla will rule them all. Special effects are cool. It's Godzilla so you can't take it too seriously. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you saw the other two.

Good Omens

Neil Gaiman (American Gods) and Terry Pratchett (Truckers) wrote this tale of 2 angels - one fallen and one not - who are trying to stop the end of the world. David Tennant (Dr Who) is the fallen angel. Michael Sheen (Underworld) is an angel of God. The two of them have been assigned to Earth to watch each other and basically balance each other out. It's funny and strange and original. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Amazon

Better Late Than Never

Henry Winkler (Happy Days), William Shatner (Star Trek), Terry Bradshaw (Failure to Launch), and George Forman travel the world in two seasons of this comedy. They experience local culture and food and fun ensues. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hulu