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21st out of 25 books
—
56 voters
Dear Blue Sky
A timely, eye-opening novel showing how war affects families on both sides
Ever since her brother Sef left for Iraq, Cassie has felt like her life is falling apart. Her parents are fighting over her brother having gone to war. Her smart, beautiful sister is messing up. Her little brother, who has Down syndrome, is pretending he's a Marine. And her best friend no longer has...more
Ever since her brother Sef left for Iraq, Cassie has felt like her life is falling apart. Her parents are fighting over her brother having gone to war. Her smart, beautiful sister is messing up. Her little brother, who has Down syndrome, is pretending he's a Marine. And her best friend no longer has...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
August 2nd 2012
by Nancy Paulsen Books
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This book was about how a girl named Cassie has to deal with her brother going to Iraq to fight and face it that one day she might wake up and her brother will be sitting in the living room with no legs and one arm. She makes herself believe that her brother-Sef will be ok and safe. No matter how much she can convince herself that he is fine back home he was the only thing that would keep their family from mental breakdowns. One of her family members fighting in Iraq isn’t her only problem. Her...more
In 2006, Cassie's brother Sef is going to Afghanistan, despite her mother's objections to the war. Cassie's father is all for the fighting, her sister Van is too caught up in her own teenage drama to care much, and her brother Jack doesn't quite understand all of the details of Sef's deployment because he is nine and has Down's Syndrome. When Cassie has a school project to follow a blog about current events, she happens upon one written by an Afghani girl her age who goes by the name Blue Sky. C...more
When her beloved older brother Sef goes off to serve in Iraq in 2003, seventh grader Cassie feels as though her whole world has been ripped apart. Nothing is going right now that he has gone. Her older sister is involved in a relationship with a musician who seems to disrespect her and expects her to behave in ways that may not be healthy for her. Her younger brother Jack deals with a neighborhood bully by refusing to speak to anyone, and her best friend Sonia seems to have moved on to other, mo...more
When 12-year-old Cassie's older brother, Sef, goes off to fight the war in Iraq, her whole family seems to fall apart. Her sister becomes obsessed with her boyfriend and makes bad choices; her younger brother, who has Down Syndrome, stops speaking; and her mother becomes emotionally unavailable and gives Cassie the Cold Freeze (silent treatment). Cassie begins communicating with a 13-year-old girl in Iraq with the pseudonym, Blue Sky. Her perceptions of the war and her personal life are forever...more
I am currently reading Dear Blue Sky by Mary Sullivan. My character Cassie or Cass is a quiet, loving, laid back kind of girl who is going through hard times. Her brother is going to war in Iraq and she cries all the time about it. Her parents are always fighting, her older sister is starting to make bad choices and her little brother who has Down syndrome, is pretending he's a Marine. Cass feels like her life is falling apart so she cries every night, until she meets an Iraq girl who's name is...more
This was a really lovely book, quiet and affecting, but also a page-turner in its own way. It is about seventh grader Cassie, whose beloved older brother Sef (assumedly a nickname for Joseph) has enlisted in the army and gone to Iraq, and who is trying to hold it together as her family seems to be falling apart. Cassie had a calm fortitude that, even in her unsure moments, I found really appealing. I found Sullivan's depiction of a family dealing with the absence of its oldest son true to life a...more
When Cassie's brother goes to fight in Iraq, her family falls apart. Her parents fight over whether the war is right, her sister is making bad choices, her best friend stops speaking to her, and her little brother, who has Downs syndrome, stops talking. Then she discovers Blue Sky's blog. Blue Sky is an Iraqi girl who describes the destruction of her city and the losses she has experienced. As the girls correspond, Cassie takes strength from Blue Sky's courage and learns to face her own fears an...more
I was struck by the beauty of this cover and premise and couldn’t wait to dive in. Cassie’s beloved brother Sef is fighting in Iraq. As he leaves the family seems to fall apart at the seems. Her special needs brother, Jack stops speaking because of a neighbor bully. Her sister Van becomes emo over a boyfriend and starts drinking. Her mother flirts with her best friend’s father. Now her best friend has dumped her and Cassie feels lost. Her 7th grade social studies teacher assigns the students to...more
Dear Blue Sky (Penguin Young Readers Group, 2012) by Mary Sullivan is a powerfully written story, whose feisty main character, Cassie, steals our hearts immediately. When Cassie's brother goes off to fight in Iran, Cassie finds herself struggling with issues of family and friendship, as well as the overarching meaning of death and war. The novel takes on new depth when Cassie begins a friendshp with a girl her own age, living in Iran. The author poignantly traces Cassie's emotional growth while...more
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After Cass's protective older brother enlists and is shipping off to Iraq, her family slowly begins to fall apart. Sef was the golden boy who made life special for all of them, and without him nothing feels right. Because she is curious to find out more about the country where her brother is, Cass begins to read a blog written by an Iraqi girl who calls herself Blue Sky. Through Blue Sky's eyes, we see what a beautiful country Iraq was, and why the American troops aren't welcomed there. A new pe...more
This book gets 5 stars not because I loved the characters or the plot, but because the author did an amazing job addressing the realities of war.
The parts of this book that earned it 5 stars were the e-mails written by Blue Sky and the reaction and confusion of Cassie in response to the issues Blue Sky writes about.
I love that the author brought to light the complexities of war and politics.
The parts of this book that earned it 5 stars were the e-mails written by Blue Sky and the reaction and confusion of Cassie in response to the issues Blue Sky writes about.
I love that the author brought to light the complexities of war and politics.
Different perspective on deployment than I had considered. Won't have my children read it: mild profanity, underage alcohol experimentation and a mom who is portrayed as a drunk and prescription drug abuser.
I really enjoyed the book. I will be thinking about it for a long time. It reminded me that there are always two sides to any conflict.
I recently finished Someone Named Eva, another book about middle school age children and war. These books were very different (my nine year old daughter is...more
I really enjoyed the book. I will be thinking about it for a long time. It reminded me that there are always two sides to any conflict.
I recently finished Someone Named Eva, another book about middle school age children and war. These books were very different (my nine year old daughter is...more
I loved this book so much. It made me change my mind about war, war is not a tool for compromise, and just leave poor citizens out of it. I loved Cassie's character and especially liked Jack. I honestly hated Sonia, she was just like Michaela, insensitive. The whole entire story, I felt sorry for Van and even I missed Sef. In the beginning I wish I had him as my brother.
I think this book was well written. It perfectly summarizes how I would feel if I ever have to send my sons to war. I think it hit a little to close to home for me and I asked hubby not to let me read any more books that have anything to do with the war in Iraq.
Cassie enjoys 7th grade and running with her older brother Sef. When he joins the Marines and goes to Iraq, her family begins to fall apart.
Read the rest of my review at: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.c...
Read the rest of my review at: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.c...
This book is not one you can just read and put aside. It will make you think. It made me ache inside. I recommend it highly.
Enjoyed the different perspectives throughout the whole novel.
loved it a lot
O
Amazing story of family turmoil and strength, great point of view for children who see the world outside themselves.
So much heart! I loved this book!
May 18, 2013
M
marked it as to-read
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May 14, 2013
Malissa
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May 14, 2013
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May 09, 2013
Bradley Farless
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Mary Sullivan has received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Award and a St. Botolph Foundation Award. This is her third novel. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
More about Mary Sullivan...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Aug 02, 2012 10:14am