7 Days at the Hot Corner

I just finished 7 Days at the Hot Corner by Terry Trueman. This is Scott Latimer's senior year and he plays third basemen on the championship team. His goal is to be invited to play professional ball, that is what he has been working for all his life. Third base, the hot corner, means you have to ready for anything that comes at you. Scott was not prepared for what life was going to throw at him. His best friend tells Scott that he is gay. Scott shares with the reader his thoughts, anger, fear and uncertainties as the news gets out in his school. The story is intermingled with baseball. This was not one of my favorite books by this author. Trueman has written several stories. The two other books which I have read include No Right Turn and Stuck in Neutral. I liked both of those books alot. One deals with suicide, the other with mental illness. I think Trueman tackles some tough issues and makes the reader think and he usually does it in a small number of pages.
Another book that deals with the gay/AIDS issue is Fade to Black by Alex Flinn, only in this book the guy is not gay. He gets AIDS from a sexual experience with a girl, but it does deal with the reactions of the students in his school as well.

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper

I just finished re-reading Copper Sun by Sharon Draper. This was the book our book club decided to read since it was the winner of the Kansas Heartland Award last year. This novel is considered historical fiction.
It begins with a young 15 year old girl living in Africa. Her life is like many of our students. She has a little brother who teases her about her "boyfriend" and parents who are respected in their community.
One day strangers come to their village, they brutally kill most of the villagers and take the rest to be slaves. So begins the journey of Amari, first through the jungle in chains and neck irons, then held in a dark hole with little to eat and no hope, then on a ship to America only to be taken by the men on the ship. After landing in America, Amari is sold to Master Derby to be a birthday present to his son.
Even with the odds against her she still finds hope that freedom is in her future. At times you cringe at the treatment of slaves described in this book but you also cheer for Amari and her desire for freedom, and her personal strength.
I would give this novel a 5 star rating.
You might want to read some of Sharon Draper's other books. I have read both Tears of A Tiger and Battle of Jericho. I liked both of them. Check out Sharon Draper's website.
http://sharondraper.com/