The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street
By Sandra Cisneros

I love this book for many reasons.  One is, I can read it in a day and still feel like I've read a substantial novel..  Another is that it is told not in chapters or a chronicle timeline, but in short little snips of Esperanza's life.  To me, it is how memory really works.  We would never be able to remember everything a year has given us, but it is like triggers.  Esperanza remembers her neighbors shoes and writes about them.  She remembers a person, a car, or a garden, and can show you their meaning to her in two pages or less.

The main reason I love this book is Cisneros' descriptions.  They are absolutely charming and unconventional.  My favorites are when she is describing the small windows of her house, like they are "holding their breath" or how Sally is sad like a "burning house."  These descriptions, to me, are extremely intriguing and memorable.  They tie into Esperanza's poetry and how she likes to color all of her words.

I would recommend this book to adolescents in sixth grade and up.  The story is a great "belonging" scenario I feel like a lot of people struggle with or like to reflect upon.  It is also a coming of age story that shows how much Esperanza grows up in a single year on Mango Street.

Rainy Lake

Rainy Lake
By Mary Francois Rockcastle

This novel, set during the Vietnam War, was the honest and relatable coming of age story of Danny Fillian.  I loved how the only developed during the summers spent at Rainy.  This reminds me of my own Minnesota summers I spent at friends' cabins (except her experiences were much more exciting).

I particularly enjoyed watching the shifts in Danny's interests and needs form summer to summer.  Whether it be making new friends, the hardships her family faced, or even her first, and forbidden, love, Danny evolved slowly over the years she spent at Rainy without even realizing it.  She takes the readers through not only her perspective, but the views of the country on civil rights and the Vietnam War.

I would suggest this novel to anyone who wants to take a closer look at the 60's.  It is very relatable to both male and female audiences, but I would suggest the reader be able to handle its mature content.