What KT Reads

the end

2010-04-21T10:55:00.004-04:00

I'm sure this won't come as a surprise to anyone (if anyone is still even reading), but I've decided to discontinue this blog. I left it hanging for so long thinking that I would want to start reviewing again, but the truth is that reviewing was starting to make reading less fun, and that pretty much defeats the purpose, right?

I think for now, I'll leave the reviews up, but it's possible that in the future I'll go ahead and delete the blog as well.

I do have a goodreads account which I use and update regularly. You're more than welcome to follow me over there.

Thanks for all the fun. I continue to read other book blogs because I enjoy them so much, so I won't completely disappear, though I won't comment as much - not that I ever commented a bunch to begin with.

Happy spring.

I Capture the Castle

2009-08-17T18:17:00.000-04:00

by Dodie Smith

I read this book a couple months ago. I tend to write reviews within a few days of reading the book because I lose so many details with time. However, life was just stressful and no fun after I finished this one, so I didn't get around to it. But, I enjoyed I Capture the Castle so much that I would like to write at least a couple thoughts on it.

The writing is fabulous. Cassandra's voice is so fun - I wish I knew a girl like her. I returned the book to the library ages ago, so I don't have any quotes, but the oft-quoted first line is "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink." I was pretty sure I would like this one from there, and I did.

The only thing I didn't really love about this one was the ending. I was happy with the ending, but I can't decide if it was realistic to Cassandra's character.

It's not really a romance, but the story kind of has that feel throughout.

Definitively an enjoyable read.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

2009-08-10T08:03:00.001-04:00

by Katherine Howe

I think I've mentioned my sister-in-law on here before - she's my book buddy. However, while I use the library almost exclusively, she buys all of the books she reads. I love going to her house. While we were there this last time, she handed me The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane mentioning that it was one of her most recent favorite reads. I can see why.

This book has a great cast of characters:

Connie - Graduate student; looking for the primary source to help her get the prestige she wants in her field

Grace - Connie's eccentric mother, that asks Connie to move into the tiny house where the adventure happens

Manning Chilton - Connie's adviser who plants the suggestion that the Salem witches were possibly in fact witches

And of course Deliverance Dane - a woman from the 1600's that we spend the book learning about

I found the plot a bit predictable (I would recommend knowing less about this book than more), but it was fun. I loved the idea. I loved the way Howe was able to weave the present and the past together so successfully. The story gave me a strong desire to visit Salem. And, I sincerely loved Deliverance Dane. I wish there was a book devoted exclusively to her (though I don't think it would actually work to have her as the main character).

A fabulous summer read.

4 out of 5 stars.

lost in a good book

2009-08-06T09:14:00.001-04:00

Msnbc.com has an interesting article explaining why people get lost in good books. You can read the full article here.

"Part of the reason we get lost in these imaginary worlds might be because our brains effectively simulate the events of the book in the same way they process events in the real world..."

Apparently, people were hooked on to a brain scan and were told to read a short (1500 word) story. Later the researchers looked to see if changes in the story caused brain activity to change. It did.

The article ends with a little blurb about differences in readers - some people see pictures when they read while others don't - and how those differences may make people more or less of a reader.

Do you see pictures when you read? Reading has always been like watching a movie for me - pictures, voices, the works. For a long time it was hard for me to listen to audio books of books I had previously read because the voices so rarely matched what I thought they should sound like. On the other hand, my husband (who does enjoy reading, though not to the extent I do) doesn't see or hear anything. Reading is simply interesting words on paper to him. The characters are "real" but there are no pictures, etc to go along with them.

July Books

2009-08-01T10:46:00.000-04:00

Middle Grade
A Crooked Kind of Perfect, by Linda Urban (re-read) *

Fantastically wonderful

The Houdini Box, by Brian Selznic

meh.

Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes, by Wendelin Van Draanen (audio book)

my least favorite Sammy to date - she was just so reckless it made me crazy.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, by Wendelin Van Draanen (audio book) *

This is more like the Sammy I know and love :)

Young Adult
Story of a Girl, by Sara Zarr

I found it difficult to relate to Deanna, but it was an alright read

Adult
The Actor and the Housewife, by Shannon Hale
The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfiel

it was ok, a bit long though

Non-Fiction
The Color Code, by Taylor Hartman

too long and one-size-fits all, but somewhat amusing none-the-less

So, this month pretty much sucked for reading/reviewing. But! We've finished moving, have the internet back up, and I stole lots books from my sister-in-law, so things are definitely looking up for August.

The Actor and the Housewife

2009-07-30T15:31:00.000-04:00

by Shannon Hale

from Shannon Hale's website:
Mormon housewife Becky Jack is seven months pregnant with her fourth child when she meets celebrity heartthrob Felix Callahan. A few hours, one elevator ride, and one alcohol-free dinner later, something has happened, though nothing has happened...it isn't sexual. It isn't even quite love. But soon Felix shows up in Salt Lake City to visit and before they know what's hit them, Felix and Becky are best friends--talk-on-the-phone, drop-everything-in-an-emergency, laugh-out-loud-at-stupid-jokes best friends. Becky's loving and devoted husband, Mike, is mostly unconcerned. Her children roll their eyes. Her large extended family and neighbors gossip endlessly. But Felix and Becky have something special... something unusual, something that seems from the outside--and sometimes from the inside too--completely impossible to sustain.

I'm not quite sure how I felt about this book. I read it very quickly - something that is odd at the moment. So, on the one hand the book at least sucked me in. And, I will admit, I was curious how it would all come together in the end. On the other hand, it left me feeling a bit strange. I tried to explain it all to my husband and couldn't, so I would guess I won't be very successful here either.

In order to enjoy this story at all, you must remember that it's made up and as impractical as the whole thing is (because it is on many many levels) it kind of works if you let it.

Becky is great in her own little way. She's not preachy (most of the time), and I loved her never-ending love for her husband. I love the idea of their relationship. It just made me smile.

Felix didn't do as much for me, though he is quite funny.

I thought the ending worked, though I'm not sure if it's what I wanted or not.

A mostly enjoyable read. Nothing like I expected.

Alcatraz vs the Scivener's Bones

2009-07-12T22:22:00.000-04:00

by Brandon Sanderson
my review of Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians is here.

Alcatraz is preparing to escape the hushlands for the free kingdoms when his grandfather fails to show up at the airport to pick him up. Instead Alcatraz catches a ride in a giant glass dragon with his cousin Australia, uncle Kaz, Bastille, and Bastille's (grouchy) mother. Together they must infiltrate the Library at Alexandria and save Grandpa Smedry.

This book is very clever. Annoyingly so at times (the three chapters in a row where he talks about erasing the beginning of the last chapter and inserting the following bit wasn't too funny by the end), but mostly the cleverness is funny. I do admit that I was in a silly mood when I read it though - if you're looking for anything remotely serious, this book is not for you.

Alcatraz is still trying to figure everything out, especially how to use his talent wisely. But, he's gaining control and is able to once again save the day.

I enjoyed Australia very much. She cracked me up, and her talent of waking up ugly was too funny.

I look forward to the next book in this series.

3.5 out of 5 stars

June Books

2009-07-01T11:21:00.000-04:00

This month was not a super successful reading (or reviewing) month for me. Life's been kind of busy and stressful (and it looks like we're moving across the country in a couple weeks, so the stress isn't really lightening up...). And, I've found that I just can't force myself to sit and read. No promises that July will be super productive, but hopefully by August life will be back to normal and reading/reviewing can start up again.

Middle Readers
Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Mustache Mary, by Wendelin Van Draanen (audio book) *

I love Sammy - this one was my favorite in the series so far

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy, by Wendelin Van Draanen (audio book) *

Yep, still love her

Alcatraz vs. the Scrivener's Bones, by Brandon Sanderson

This series is a crack up.

Young Adult Books
Heroes of the Valley, by Jonathan Stroud

Sadly, not nearly as fun (or fast-paced or funny) as his Bartimaeus series

Fiction Books
All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows *
I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith

Very enjoyable. I sincerely hope a review is coming soon

Non-Fiction Books
The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff

Dear Mr. Henshaw

2009-06-22T10:51:00.000-04:00

by Beverly Cleary

Dear Ms. Cleary,

I read your book Dear Mr. Henshaw recently and enjoyed it. The first letter that Leigh wrote about "licking" Mr. Henshaw's book made me laugh. Leigh was an interesting boy, and I felt pretty sorry for him. Divorce is such a hard thing. Plus, it would be really hard always having your dad back out of things.

I did think that Leigh was a bit annoying at times. I hated how he didn't want to respond to Mr. Henshaw's questions so he was so rude about it. But, I guess if writing to my favorite author became more like a chore, I wouldn't want to do it either. However, Leigh is also pretty clever. The burglar alarm he made for his lunch box was really cool. I would have loved something like that when I was younger. My sisters were always getting in my stuff!

I just wanted to say that while it wasn't my favorite Newbery winner, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to friends.

Sincerely,
KT

3 out of 5 stars

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2009-06-19T20:33:00.000-04:00

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

summary from bn.com:
January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb…. As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

I enjoyed this book very much. It reminded me quite a bit of 84 Charing Cross Road, which is also told through a series of letters (though that one is non fiction) and is the story of book lovers. I loved that even with only letters you get to know this funny little community well. The book just made me smile. I feel like everyone has read, reviewed, and praised this book so much that don't really need to do that. There were a few things that I didn't like as much so I will mention those.

Whenever there is a telegram the author used periods instead of STOP. I realize that is totally minute and doesn't really matter, but for some reason it really bothered me!

I also thought the ending was a bit cheesy. It came together so perfectly that it was just too much. I like happy endings, but I guess this one was a bit contrived for me.

That said, I really did enjoy the book. It is so fun to read about people of who love books and love to share books. Definitely recommended.

4 out of 5 stars

All The King's Men

2009-06-16T11:15:00.000-04:00

by Robert Penn Warren

summary taken (in part) from Goodreads.com:
All the King's Men tells the story of Willie Stark, a southern-fried politician who builds support by appealing to the common man and playing dirty politics with the best of the back-room deal-makers. Though Stark quickly sheds his idealism, his right-hand man, Jack Burden -- who narrates the story -- retains it and proves to be a thorn in the new governor's side. Stark becomes a successful leader, but at a very high price.

This is one of those classics that I've tried and failed at several times. This time, I was determined to finish it, so when I got bogged down by the first chapter (which is nearly 50 pages long!) I just made a deal with myself to only read 20 pages a day. Once I actually got to the story of Willie Stark and his rise to political power, I had a hard time putting the story down, but it sure takes some work to get to the exciting part.

I really enjoyed this story. I love Jack, and I appreciate Willie. I really enjoyed watching Willie shift from politician who really wants to do what's best for his state (which is never mentioned by name, but is likely Louisiana) to the wheeling, dealing, dirty politician he becomes. The slide is there and obvious, but it does take some time for him to fall.

The story is loosely based in Huey Long (from Louisiana), who I know a bit about. It was enjoyable to see the comparisons.

The only real downfall to this book are the long drawn out sidetracks that Jack takes us on. Occasionally I wondered if Warren was getting paid by the word like Dickens did. There were some stories that I'm still not sure how they fit in. However, these are easily recognizable, so I suppose one could skim these sections if necessary.

On the whole, an enjoyable read. But, it would probably be less enjoyable for people who aren't super excited by politics (though I could be wrong there).

The Tao of Pooh

2009-06-11T11:17:00.000-04:00

by Benjamin Hoff

From the back cover:
The Tao of Pooh in which it is revealed that one of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese...or a venerable philosopher...but is in fact none other than the simple bear created by A.A. Milne - Winnie the Pooh! While Eeyore frets... and Piglet hesitates...and Rabbit calculates... and Owl pontificates... Pooh just is. And that's his clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists.

I read this book in conjunction with an online book club I participate in and found it to be an enjoyable little read. I have no knowledge of Taoism, so I can't tell you if it is even remotely accurate, but I felt like there were lots of interesting thoughts presented:

"It means that we need to recognize What's There. If you face the fact that you have weak muscles, say, then you can do the right things and eventually become strong. But if you ignore What's There and try to lift someone's car out of a ditch, what sort of condition will you be after a while?" (p43)

"The surest way to become Tense, Awkward, and Confused is to develop a mind that tries too hard -- one that thinks too much." (p77)

"Do you want to be really happy? You can begin by being appreciative of who you are and what you've got. Do you want to be really miserable? You can begin by being discontented." (p137)

Following said thoughts were examples from the Pooh books of how Pooh represented the positive principles (and the other animals didn't).

While I didn't necessarily agree with everything that was said (I thought he was particularly hard on Rabbit), and none of the ideas are super thorough in there presentations, I thought it was worth the time. Apparently there is also a sequel: The Te of Piglet.

Recommended.

Twilight in Forks

2009-06-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

Except it was more like 10:00 in the morning.

On a recent camping trip my husband and I drove through Forks, WA. Home of Twilight.

Every gas station beginning about 20 miles outside of Forks (granted, there were only like 3) had a sign saying something along the lines of: "Entering the Twilight Zone"

Eventually we made it to Forks.

All of the hotels/motels and several of the stores on the main street (also known as the only street we drove on) had signs referring to the Twilight series:

"Bella Shops Here!"
"Edward didn't sleep here"
"Vampires Welcome!"

We made a quick bathroom stop at the Chamber of Commerce.

Sitting outside of the Chamber of Commerce is Bella's truck.

If you look closely through the front windshield (I think you can click to enlarge) you'll notice that there's a bullet hole through the back windshield. Did that happen in the first book? I don't remember her being shot at, but it's been awhile since I read it.

While we were inside the building, a school bus full of Asian tourists pulled up for pictures. Then quickly drove off.

The lady doing inside the Chamber of Commerce asked if we were "Twihards" Even if I was a big Twilight fan, I would not call myself a "Twihard." What a terrible term!

We weren't really there for the Twilight tour - it was more a matter of getting to our destination. But, we did take a minute to drive by the high school:

We also picked up a brochure that marks all of the significant Twilight locations in Forks (the high school, the hospital, the store where Bella works, etc.). The best part of the brochure was most definitely the advertisements though:

Eat at Pacific Pizza where they serve: Bellasagna which comes with Edbread and Swan Salad (love at first bite!!!!). Bella & Edward's Wedding Soup also served weekly!!
Note: I used the same number of exclamations used in the add
Shop at Odyssey Bookshop: Preferred by 73% of Vampires and 68% of Shape-Shifters (from an in-house poll)

We laughed for quite a while over Edbread. That sounds so wrong.

In all, it was a fairly enjoyable stop. I can't really believe people go to Forks simply for the Twilight tour, but it was a nice 20 minute rest stop on our way to the rain forest.

On a side note. We spent some time in Port Angeles too, and while it wasn't nearly as Twilight crazed, we saw several stores mentioning Twilight. One was even called "Dazzled by Twilight"

Chains

2009-06-05T10:11:00.000-04:00

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Isabel was supposed to be freed when her mistress died, but through a series of events she and her sister and sold to a fairly nasty loyalist couple and shipped to New York. It's early 1776 and a war with England is brewing. Isabel is told by a fellow slave that if she spies on her loyalist owners and reports the information to the Colonists she will have a chance at freedom. Things start falling apart and something terrible happens to Isabel's sister. Isabel finds herself having to solve her problems alone.

This book covers a subject I knew little about - slavery before the Revolutionary War. I knew it existed, but I tend to think of slavery in context with the Civil War. The amount of history that Anderson is able to weave into the story is pretty amazing. It was easy to fall into the story and feel like I was in New York with Isabel.

Chains is also somewhat horrifying to read. Isabel's loyalty bounces between the colonies and England hoping that one will grant her freedom. At some point she says something along the lines (I don't have the book in front of me) "Why should I care which side wins the revolution when I have to fight for my own freedom?" And, knowing the whole time that she (or at least slaves in general) won't be granted freedom when the Colonies win the war eats at you after a while.

While the story itself isn't necessarily a fun read, Chains is fascinating and the writing is incredible.

4 out of 5 stars

Snow

2009-06-03T11:34:00.000-04:00

by Tracy Lynn

summary from Amazon.com
The Duchess Jessica's childhood began with a tragedy: her mother's death. Her father, heartbroken at the loss of his beloved wife, could not bear to raise the child. Largely ignored, Jessica spent the first eleven years of her life running free on the family estate, cared for only by the servants. Then her father decides to remarry, bringing an end to Jessica's independence. At first her new stepmother just seems overly strict. But as Jessica grows into a beautiful young woman, it becomes clear that her stepmother is also wildly -- and murderously -- jealous of her. Jessica escapes to London. Going by the name Snow to hide from her family, she falls in love with an odd band of outcasts who accept her into their makeshift family. But when her stepmother appears in the city, repentant and seeking her forgiveness, Jessica will have to decide whom to trust...with her life.

I read this book for the first time about 3 years ago and I remember liking it; however, since then, I have read fairy tale re-tellings by several other authors (Shannon Hale, Jessica Day George) and now I think I'm a bit more demanding. The writing isn't fantastic and didn't draw me in like others have. And, while I realize it's completely unfair to this book in comparison to others I've read that's what I found myself doing the entire time I read it.

The story itself isn't bad. It's a fairly strange re-telling, and while it's apparent which story it is based in (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) it takes some liberties (there are only 5 lonely ones instead of 7 dwarfs, etc). However, I enjoyed the characters (mostly the lonely ones - I found Snow a bit annoying) and the strangeness wasn't a total put off. It was just well. . . strange.

If you enjoy fairy tale re-tellings, it is worth checking Snow out. But, it's definitely not the best example of one that I have read.

3 out of 5 stars

May Books

2009-06-01T12:02:00.000-04:00

Picture Books
Ladybug Girl, by David Somar and Jackie Davis
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, by David Somar and Jackie Davis

Juvenile Books
The Unnameables, by Ellen Booraem

I'm still somewhat undecided about this book

Treasure of Blackbird Rock, by Julian Press

Piper Reed: The Great Gypsy, by Kimberly Willis Holt

Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary

nice enough story, but I can't really figure out why it won a Newbery

The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas * (audio book) (re-read)

The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan

Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf, by Wendelin Van Draanen *

still love Sammy

Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson *

Fascinating. Hopefully a real review will be posted soon...

I So Don't Do Mysteries, by Barrie Summy

I wanted to like this one so much more than I actually did

Young Adult Books
The Dragonfly Pool, by Eva Ibbotson

enjoyable

Snow, by Tracy Lynn (re-read)

it's ok. I'm working on a review for this one too.

Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson *

Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen *

What I Saw and How I Lied, by Judy Blundell

I have no idea why this beat Frankie for the National Book Award

The Smile, by Donna Jo Napoli

interesting take on the Mona Lisa

Adult Books
The Language of Bees, by Laurie R. King *

The Last Olympian

2009-05-27T23:42:00.000-04:00

by Rick Riordan

Summary from Amazon.com:
All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

This book is the conclusion to the Percy Jackson series. From start to finish, the entire series is strong and so fun to read. Definitely recommended for those looking for an adventure and anyone who enjoys a bit of Greek mythology.

That was the nice, spoiler free version of my review. Short and to the point. There will be major SPOILERS in the rest of this post.

I've been looking forward to the final Percy since I read the fourth book last June. The Last Olympian was a great conclusion, but I admit I was a bit disappointed.

While reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows did you ever just wish they would get to the action? One certainly never has that wish with this book. The action starts in the first chapter and continues throughout. On the one hand, it was great, on the other hand it was battle after battle and I did find myself longing for them to get to the battle so we could wrap it all up! And, I actually found the final battle to be a bit of a let down.

I also didn't really like how everyone kept warning Percy about the risks involved with his dip in the Styx, yet we never saw any real consequence of the action. I wish whatever demon Achilles was warning Percy about had made a stronger appearance and had a bigger affect on the outcome. It seemed like Percy took the dip and became invincible, but that was it. No consequences whatsoever.

And the deal with Rachel Elizabeth Dare was simply bizarre.

On the whole these really are minor complaints. I think The Last Olympian just didn't quite live up to the expectations I had built up in my mind. The story wraps up nicely and it is a continually thrilling ride. I loved the tidbits that we learned about Luke and Nico (though it felt very Harry Potter 6-ish - it's strange to me how often I thought of Harry Potter while reading this one. I don't remember thinking about that series at all while reading the first 4 Percy books).

Have you read Percy? What were some of your thoughts on the conclusion?

Wintergirls

2009-05-25T18:23:00.000-04:00

by Laurie Halse Anderson

I've been sitting on this review for a few weeks now, trying to put into words what I think about this book. It appealed to me in a very real way - I think because it is kind of the story of every teen. Trying to discover who you are with all the conflicting people around you telling you who you should be. To me, it wasn't a story about a girl with anorexia (though that is a major part of the story), Wintergirls is a story of someone trying to find herself.

I found Lia likeable, and while the sub-plot of Cassie's ghost was a bit strange, I felt like it worked for the story.

I also liked how Anderson used text size, etc to convey emotion. I've read a couple of reviews that felt this was gimmacky and it is, but I felt like it worked.

In some ways (mostly the heavy topics) this is not an easy read, but I found myself flying through it. Highly recommended.

Flipped

2009-05-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Told in alternating view points, Flipped is the story of Bryce and Juli. Bryce is just a normal boy who wants his crazy across-the-street neighbor, Juli, to leave him alone. Juli has known since day one that Bryce would be her first kiss and has sought diligently for it ever since. Not that Juli doesn't have other interests as well - trees, chickens, family. Bryce just kind of takes the cake.

I thought this book was very sweet. I wasn't sure how I would like the same story told twice (from two different perspectives), but it worked well. Bryce and Juli's voices were very distinct and it didn't really feel like the same story.

I picked Flipped up because of a glowing review (but I can't remember by who!). Otherwise, I never would have picked it up. The cover just did nothing for me. It's a bit ironic because one of the overriding themes of the story seemed to be not judging based on the outside appearance.

I loved Juli to death, and while Bryce didn't do much for me in the beginning, he grew on me.

I read most of flipped sitting at the beach, and it made a perfect beach read: light and fluffy, though it certainly had enough oomph to keep me turning the pages.

Definitely recommended for those looking for a not quite conventional YA romance.

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy

2009-05-18T10:31:00.000-04:00

by David Somar and Jackie Davis

It's not often that I review picture books because I don't really know how to review them. But, I won a copy of Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, so I felt like I should try to write something up.

Ladybug Girl (also known as Lulu) is excited to finally go to her favorite playground. When she arrives, she sees her friend Sam and asks him to play. Unfortunately, Lulu and Sam can't seem to find anything they want to play together. Eventually Lulu invites Sam to play
Ladybug Girl with her. Because Sam is wearing a yellow and black striped shirt, they decide Sam can be Bumblebee Boy. Together Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy fight a scary monster, a mean robot, and a giant snake in an effort to rid the playground of bad guys.

I thought the story itself was fun. Simple, but believable enough. Who doesn't want to be a superhero? I didn't love the illustrations, but I suspect most people will like them more than me. I tend to prefer bright bold illustrations, and while Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy are bright and bold the backgrounds are not.

4 out of 5 stars

This book is the companion to Ladybug Girl that came out a few years ago. While I didn't like that one quite as much, if you have a little girl it would probably be worth checking out too.

The Language of Bees

2009-05-14T12:17:00.000-04:00

by Laurie R. King

This is the ninth book in King's Mary Russell series.

Outside of the Russell series, I have only read one of King's books and I didn't like it nearly as well. There was lots of swearing and sex, and the story didn't do a lot for me. So, I was a bit afraid going in that King's style had changed so much in the past three years that I wouldn't like this newest Russell. It only took a couple of chapters to realize this was the same Russell I had love. In fact, at some point in the story Russell comments to Holmes that she is a 24 year old prude. Quite frankly, I thought this book was fabulous.

The initial mystery of "where is Yolanda Adler?" is solved rather quickly, but Russell and Holmes are quickly drawn in to a deeper mystery including dealing with a mad religious man and trying to find a young child.

There are many things to love about Russell and her world: King's writing, the detail, but my favorite is simply the characters. Russell's whit and her interactions with brilliant men (Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes) are so enjoyable that I wish we could be friends.

I highly recommend this series (you definitely need to start at the beginning with The Beekeepers Apprentice and work your way through) to mystery lovers. Though, I think it would make a great read for most people.

Oh, and one more thing that may or may not be taken as a SPOILER. This book doesn't really end. There is enough of a conclusion that I can't call it a cliffhanger, but there is still plenty of action ahead. Fortunately, the next book is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2010, so at least we shouldn't have to wait another 3 years for the conclusion.

Ethan Frome

2009-05-06T11:50:00.000-04:00

by Edith Wharton

I've been trying to read/review a classic a month since the start of the year. I've had some success with my choices and one total failure (Wuthering Heights anyone?). Ethan Frome falls somewhere in the middle. I don't really feel anything towards it.

I spent most of the book feeling sorry for Ethan. Marrying young and (at least it sounded like) impulsively then almost instantly regretting it. But, the more I've thought about it, the more I felt sorry for Zeena too. We never hear her side of the story - just Ethan's she holds me back and is so awful side of the story. I think the fact that Zeena stuck around after the accident suggests that maybe she wasn't quite as evil as we are lead to believe.

On the whole, I thought this was ok, though I am pretty sure I'm missing whatever makes this book a classic.

PS Circumstances have changed, so I don't have nearly unlimited computer time like I used too. I'll try to keep up with posting, but it may slow down for a while too. Please be patient.

April Books

2009-05-01T10:58:00.000-04:00

Picture Books
I'd Really like to Eat a Child, by Sylviane Donnio and Dorothee De Monfreid
Dinosaur v. Bedtime, by Bob Shea
Mister Seahorse, by Eric Carle
Leonardo the Terrible Monster, by Mo Willems *
Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type, by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She was Extinct, by Mo Willems
Free Fall, by David Wiesner
Curios George, by H.A. Rey
Punk Farm, by Jarrett J. Krosoczka *
The Book that Jack Wrote, by by Jon Scieszka
Baloney (Henry P.), by by Jon Scieszka
Max for President, by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Punk Farm on Tour, by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Juvenile Books
Moxy Maxwell does not Love Writing Thank You Notes, by Peggy Gifford
not nearly as cute as the first

My One Hundred Adventures, by Polly Horvath

Miracles at Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorensen (audio book)
nice enough story, but Marley was a bit much for me

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things, by Lenore Look
fun

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy, by Wendelin Van Draanen * (audio book)
I love Sammy!

Young Adult Books
Long May She Reign, by Ellen Emerson White

The Princess Diaries, by Meg Cabot

The Gypsy Crown, by Kate Forsyth
felt a bit long, but enjoyable

A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly *

The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson * (re-read)
was pleasantly surprised by how readable it was the second time

Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George *

Adult Books
Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn
didn't like

Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton
I'm not really sure what to think with this one

Graphic Novels
Rapunzel's Revenge, by Shannon and Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale
cute, but I'm not sure I'm meant to read graphic novels

* = a favorite
I tried something new this month. Since I don't review every book I read, I thought I would copy Janssen over at Every Day Reading and write a brief summary of my feelings towards books I didn't review (this doesn't include picture books).

My One Hundred Adventures

2009-04-28T14:13:00.000-04:00

by Polly Horvath

summary from Amazon.com:
Jane, 12, longs for adventures, maybe a hundred of them. Not too much happens at the beach where she lives with her younger siblings and her mother, a poet with a fondness for putting up jam. As the summer slips by, adventures do find Jane—but they come with people attached. Her newfound relationship with preacher Nellie leads to a trip in a hot-air balloon and a foray into the world of healings and psychic revelations. Mrs. Parks’ thrombosis (or is it bursitis?) and a desire to get to California result in an all-night automobile ride that ends because Mrs. Parks’ bottom gets sore. And throughout the summer there’s a procession of possible fathers: the free spirit, the poet, the Santa look-alike, the man in a suit who gets tossed in the ocean by a whale. With writing as foamy as waves, as gritty as sand, or as deep as the sea, this book may startle readers with the freedom given the heroine—independence that allows her to experience, think about, and come to some hard-won conclusions about life. Sometimes Jane’s duped, sometimes she’s played; but if hope fades, it returns, and adventure still beckons. Unconventionality is Horvath’s stock in trade, but here the high quirkiness quotient rests easily against Jane’s inner story with its honest, childlike core.

This book was a bit too whimsical (or something) for me. A family of five living on the beach and just kind of making it through life. Twelve year old Jane has never before thought about who her father may or may not be, but as men start appearing she realizes they could be him. Jane's voice didn't sound anywhere near 12 (much older), so it was hard to remember she was young as she made some pretty stupid mistakes.

I thought the language of the story worked well and several times caused me to stop and think. A (brief) example:

"No one ever really understands a family but the people in it and even they each understand it differently." p68

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the story.

Princess of the Midnight Ball

2009-04-24T13:02:00.000-04:00

by Jessica Day George

Summary from Jessica's site:
Returning home from the war, young Galen finds work with his mother’s family in the royal gardens. There he learns that the king’s twelve daughters have a secret: every night they dance their shoes to tatters, but no one knows how or why. When prince after prince tries and fails to find the answer, and the family is haunted by accusations of witchcraft, Galen decides to help. Armed with a pair of silver knitting needles and an invisibility cloak given to him by a strange old woman, he follows the princesses and unlocks the secret of their curse.

I'm not sure I've ever read the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale, and the two fairy tale books we have at home don't contain it, so I have no idea how closely this story follows the original. But, there are 12 sisters. While they all have their own personalities, it was hard to keep track of them. In fact, other than knowing Rose, Lily, and Jonquil were the oldest three and Petunia was the baby I can't actually tell you where anyone else in line fell. However, I don't think that aspect actually took much from the story. The sisters we really need to know about I had no trouble keeping track of.

I never fully realized what it was about the bad guy that made him so bad in the first place. He is definitely evil by the time we see him but more of his back story would have been appreciated.

I thought it was kind of strange that the main character of this book was a boy. It worked, but it's not what I would have guessed based on the cover, title, etc. That being said, I found this to be a delightfully fun, light read.

4 out of 5 stars

Book Blogs Search Engine

2009-04-23T12:16:00.000-04:00

Probably everyone knows about this, but I thought I would do a quick post about it anyway...

Fyrefly created a google search engine that specifically searches book blogs. It's a great way to find what other people are saying about a book.

You can find the engine here.

You can make sure your book blog is included in the search by checking Fyrefly's list here. If it's not, be sure to let her know so she can add you.

And finally, you really ought to stop by Fyrefly's blog and thank her for her hard work!

A Northern Light

2009-04-17T10:17:00.000-04:00

by Jennifer Donnelly

It is 1906 and Mattie Gokey is trying to learn how to stand up like a man -- even though she’s a sixteen-year-old girl. At her summer job at a resort on Big Moose Lake in the Adirondack mountains, she will earn enough money to make something of her life. But Mattie’s worries and plans are cast into a cold light when the drowned body of Grace Brown turns up – a young woman who gave Mattie a packet of love letters, letters that convince Mattie that the drowning was no accident.
summary from Jennifer Donnelly's site

I saw this book at Half-Priced books and thought it looked interesting, so I put it on hold at the library.

I found this book enjoyable. Mattie is a gifted writer, and her teacher encourages her to go to school in New York City. Unfortunately, her mother has passed away, her brother has taken off, and Mattie feels like she needs to stick around and take care of her 3 sisters and their father. Plus, there's handsome (but dull) Royal Loomis who would like to marry Mattie.

Weaver, Mattie's best friend and the only black kid in the area, is also a fascinating character. I wish he hadn't been so bull headed - he was a bright kid. It didn't necessary ring true that he would cause some of the problems he did, yet his desire for fairness and rightness is incredibly endearing. I hope he does go to law school and succeeds at his dreams (even if he is a fictional character...)

I enjoyed the passages about reading (I copied several quotes down, returned the book to the library, and succeeded at deleting said quotes. Sigh.). There is a great conversation between Mattie and her teacher about how Jane Austin is a liar :)

I have never read An American Tragedy, which is kind of a background story, but I generally know what happens. I found the letters that Grace leaves in Mattie's control.

My biggest beef with this book was the back and forth between Mattie's past and the present. This format seems to be real popular at the moment, but it just doesn't work for me. We get to an interesting part and suddenly we switch time periods. It's frustrating for me. I've never attempted it, but I would imagine the story would be just as good if we had started at the beginning and ended at the end instead of jumping back and forth.

I'm glad I picked this one up. It's historical fiction, and it's a great coming of age story.

3.5 out of 5 stars

The Girl Who Could Fly

2009-04-14T09:41:00.000-04:00

by Victoria Forester

Mr. and Mrs. McCloud lead very simple, normal lives. Though, later in life they do have a baby. Piper is not nearly as normal. In fact, Piper can fly. And once word gets out she's taken to a special institute for kids just like her.

I really liked this one. Piper is a lovable character (though her speech patterns were a bit overdone and got old). She is spunky and bright, and she really just wants to make a friend. The other kids in the institute are also a lot of fun. Evil genius, Conrad was interesting - I figured pieces of him out immediately, but he was able to pull off a few surprises.

Dr. Hellion, the director of the institute, is fabulous. I love the immediate friendship that is developed between Piper and Dr. Hellion. I wish we had learned a bit more about her (though some of that need was satisfied right near the end).

The writing of this one is somewhere in between. There are areas where I thought the writing was beautiful and flowing. And, there were other areas where it read like an action scene in a movie.

The ending for this one is fairly open. I felt like the ending works, yet there are still quite a few unanswered questions (most especially who is J??) so a sequel may or may not be coming.

Anyway. This one is aimed at a slightly younger set (maybe 9 and 10 year olds?), but I found it quite enjoyable and would recommend it.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Punk Farm

2009-04-10T11:11:00.000-04:00

Recently, I had some time (like 2.5 hours) to kill at the library. I was downtown waiting for my husband to get off work. So, after looking around at all the books I want to read, I headed up to the picture book section and picked books randomly to read.

One can read a lot of picture books in about an hour.

My most favorite from Friday's adventure was Punk Farm, by Jarrett Krosoczka.

It's basically about a group of farm animals that, at night when the farmer has gone to bed, perform punk concerts. Their song? Old MacDonald had a Farm. So fabulous. I was cracking up.

This isn't a book I probably would have picked up on my own, but after seeing a video by Krosoczka on the Children's Literature Book Club blog, I've wanted to read something by him.

Definitely worth checking out.

I've posted the video mentioned above below. Be warned, it's a bit long, but if you make it to the end, be sure to read the credits to see who all the various people are. Many are popular YA authors/picture book writers/illustrators.

BOOK BY BOOK: the making of a monkey man from Jarrett Krosoczka on Vimeo.

The Princess Diaries

2009-04-08T10:18:00.000-04:00

by Meg Cabot
read by Anne Hathaway

I'm kind of embarrassed to type this review. The Princess Diaries isn't really my kind of book. At all. If for no other reason than the cover is pink, and I'm not really into princesses. At least not the kind found outside of fairy tales.

However, I thought it was hilarious. Mia cracked me up. Sure, she's fairly self-centered, and a lot of her problems would have gone away if she would have just been honest (usually a huge peeve of mine!), but she made me laugh.

There are some major problems with the book - most especially that the story is so far out of left field that it's not even remotely believable. Plus, listening to Mia whine can be a little much (and do teenage girls really obsess about breasts that much? Seriously) But, I listened to it for enjoyment, and I did enjoy it.

I listened to the book on CD, which I think was the right choice - it's easier (for me) to understand stream of consciousness type stories when I hear them as opposed to try to read them. I thought Anne Hathaway did a good job, and I really enjoyed the voices she used for several of the characters.

I'm not sure if I will read/listen to the others in the series (I think there are like 10), but I'm not necessarily opposed after what I've read listened to so far.

The President's Daughter

2009-04-02T21:18:00.000-04:00

image from Ellen Emerson White's website

A new, old series by Ellen Emerson White

The first three books in this series were published in the 1980's (hence the old). When the fourth (and final?) book was published in October 2008, White updated the first three and republished them (hence the new).

The premise is that Meg Powers' mom is the first woman president of the United States. That means that 17 year old Meg and her younger brothers move to the White House, get a security detail, deal with the press, and deal with threats to their mother and themselves. I'll do a quick summary of each book. I don't think I've listed any real spoilers (especially not something you wouldn't get from a book cover), but you can skip the summaries if you're worried.

The first book: The President's Daughter features the campaign and the first few months at the White House. We get to know Meg's snarky personality. She's pretty funny and it was fun getting to know her.

The second book: White House Autumn is the rest of the first year in the White House. Meg's mom survives and assassination attempt, and Meg (and family) have to deal with it: The fear, the increased security (and lack of privacy), etc.

The third book: Long Live the Queen starts with Meg preparing to graduate and head off to college. Unfortunately, she is kidnapped by terrorists and ends up in the fight for her life.

The fourth book: Long May She Reign begins about 3 months after the kidnapping. Meg is damaged, both physically and emotionally and she's trying to gain back some semblance of a life.

I really liked the first three books a lot. They aren't fantastic, but it's a story I totally fell in to. I am positive that I would have devoured this series as a teen. Lots of drama (the violent (but not graphic), suspenseful kind) mixed with a little politics. Love it. I read each in a little more than a day. I just couldn't get enough.

The characters, especially Meg and her family are well developed. I loved their imperfect and realistic relationships. The balance the president tries to find of being the leader of the free world and also a mother. I also enjoyed watching them grow and change as each new crisis was thrown at them.

I didn't love the fourth book as much. It's long. Like 700 pages long (twice that of the other three books), and I just don't think it needed to be. There is a lot of talk about the pain Meg is in, how tired she is, how difficult it is for her to continue functioning. While I realize that this is completely realistic to the situation, it just got boring to read after a while. She never let us forget. The book is a bit more political, there is no doubt which party the Powers family supports. While I don't really care, it just felt unnecessary to the plot. More like a statement that we should know and believe.

There is also a dramatic increase in the amount of swearing (there's lots!) and she and her boyfriend seems to have a relationship based solely on physical properties with lots of innuendo and dirty talk. I will admit that I'm a prude, but it made me uncomfortable, and I thought detracted from the story. Meg is strong and smart. I can't really picture her with such a shallow jerk, though I will admit that he did at least try. Sometimes.

There are some real interesting new characters, and I did enjoy getting to spend a little more time with Meg, the Powers family, Preston, et al, but I am not 100% sure that one must read this book in order to complete the series. It was originally written as a trilogy.

So, for my two cents: if you enjoy some politics and a little suspense (the third book is quite suspenseful, and gritty) the first three are definitely worth checking out. The last one was enjoyable but the language, etc was a bit much for me.

March Books

2009-04-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

Juvenile Books
Ibby's Magic Weekend, by Heather Dyer
The Wrath of the Bloodeye, by Joseph DeLaney *
The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White (audio book)
Al Capone Does my Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko (audio book)
Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer
Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forrest, by Nancy Springer (audio book)

Young Adult Books
The Siege of Mackindaw, by John Flannagan *
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
White House Autumn, by Ellen Emerson White
Storyteller, by Edward Myers
Long live the Queen, by Ellen Emerson White

Adult Books
The Private Patient, by PD James
The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins

Well, I was doing pretty well this month reviewing most of what I read. But, then I kind of stopped. Or something. I have pending reviews (in my mind - not in blogger) of several of the books above, so hopefully the posting will resume shortly...

Until then, happy April fools!

The Wrath of the Bloodeye

2009-03-24T18:51:00.000-04:00

by Joseph DeLaney

book 5 in the Last Apprentice series

you can see my reviews of books 1-3 here and book 4 here

from amazon.com:
Thomas Ward has spent two years as the Spook's apprentice. He's faced unimaginable peril, and survived. But a new danger has emerged: an ancient water witch, Bloodeye, is roaming the County intent on destroying everything in her path. To strengthen his skills, Tom is sent to the far north to train with the demanding Bill Arkwright. Arkwright lives in a haunted mill on the edge of a treacherous marsh, and his training methods prove to be harsh and sometimes cruel. Will Tom's new bag of tricks be enough to overcome a critical mistake that leaves him confronting Bloodeye on his own?

I've been sitting on this review for a while. I want to review it, especially since I've reviewed the first 4, but at the same time I can't really say much without spoilers. If I haven't convinced you to read it yet, this review won't convince you either.

So, I will say that I liked this book a lot. It might be my favorite in the series. Other than book 3, each successive book gets better - I love when that happens!

My favorite part of this book is that it gives you a lot to discuss. In a sense, it would make a great book club book (but not in the sense that you really need to read the first 4 first). Lots of questions that don't really have answers are brought up. Can you use something only slightly bad/forbidden if it will help you fight the overall bad/forbidden thing? Or should you avoid all appearance of evil so you yourself don't become corrupted?

I am excited to see what the author goes next.

The Moonstone

2009-03-20T14:50:00.000-04:00

by Wilkie Collins

Legend has it that the moonstone was stolen from the statue of a Hindu god, and that three guards have dedicated their lives to recovering the moonstone. When, through a series of events, the moonstone ends up as Rachel Verinder's birthday present, she is ecstatic. Unfortunately, within 12 hours of her receiving the gift the moonstone disappears, seemingly without a trace.

This novel was first published in 1868, but it feels very readable. Dickens published not too much earlier than Collins, but his works take a lot more effort for me to read. I loved that aspect of this book.

I can't quite decide if I liked the fact that the narrator changed for each piece of the story. I really prefer to stick with one character for the majority of a book, but I for the most part I enjoyed the different narrators, so I think I will lean towards liking it.

The first narrator, Gabriel Betteredge, is a grouchy old man who I found rather hilarious. I've read other reviews that hate how sexist he is (and he definitely is!), but I mostly just laughed and read the really bad passages to my husband. The second narrator, Miss Clack, reminded me so much of someone I knew in high school that it was both hilarious and disturbing. She was constantly trying to convert her heathen relatives, and her "humility" truly added to her character. A lot of her passages were also read aloud to my husband. The rest of the narrators didn't have the same dramatic flair that the first two had, but I enjoyed reading their sections more.

I don't really feel like this was a great detective novel. There is a detective (Sergeant Cuff), but he is only present for the first part of the story, and while he makes some correct predictions and presumptions that's as far as it goes. He doesn't really solve the mystery because he isn't around to solve it. The book however is a pretty good mystery. While I figured out the who fairly early on, I really had no idea the how until it was pretty much spelled out for me.

An enjoyable read. 3.5 out of 5 stars

Al Capone Does My Shirts

2009-03-17T17:50:00.001-04:00

by Gennifer Choldenko
read by Johnny Heller

It's 1935 when Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz Island. His father is an electrician/guard on the island, and the family is hoping to save money to send his older sister, Natalie, to a special school. Moose spends his time wishing he were back "home", but eventually befriends the kids on the island and tries to stay out of the trouble the Warden's daughter is always dragging them into.

I think the title of this book would have drawn me in as a kid - I had a thing for reading about criminals - but I think I might have been disappointed. The book really isn't about Capone at all. He's mentioned, and the kids all want to see/meet him, but he's not a central character.

However, I really did like Moose. He was a good kid. I loved that he took such good care of his sister. Despite how difficult it must have been for him. Mrs. Flanagan drove me crazy. I hated that she put so much responsibility on Moose and was unwilling to allow him to do normal things by himself (like stay after school to play baseball), though I realize it is a totally realistic approach that many parents would have enforced.

My favorite part of the book though was just learning about the island and its little colony. I think I knew that guards lived there, but I never realized that families lived there. It was fun to watch Moose go from fascinated by everything on the island to seeing convicts on the docks and just keep moving. It was day to day life. I also didn't realize that there was a ferry that ran throughout the day to and from San Fransisco. I think I always assumed that supplies were shipped in once a week or something. I pictured Alcatraz to be a sad isolated place, and while it most definitely was for the convicts, it doesn't sound like it was for the rest of the island's inhabitants.

There's a lengthy authors note at the end explaining that the story is totally made up (with a few true events - like the rule that if an inmate hit a ball out of the park it was an automatic out), but that the guards and their children did live on the island. Did you know that Capone opened the first soup kitchen? According to the author's note he did. It is a fairly fascinating little bit of history.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

2009-03-12T13:10:00.000-04:00

by Sherman Alexie

Junior was born with water on the brain and survived a dangerous surgery at 6 months. Even overcoming these obstacles, he's awkward, stutters, and suffers from seizures. He pretty much is constantly beat up by everyone on the rez, and life really isn't all that great for him. After a book throwing incident, Junior decides to attend high school off the reservation where he will be the only Indian (as they are referred to in the book) other than the mascot.

Not a very good description...

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in nearly one setting, though some of that was due to illness which confined me to one space. I just simply enjoyed it and wanted to see what was going to happen to Junior.

I found Junior an interesting character. Some of the things that he did seemed unbelievable to me, but most of the story seemed like a fairly realistic coming of age story. My favorite scene in the book is near the end when Junior's basketball team is facing the team from the reservation and Junior realizes that the kids on his team all have a distinct future: college, jobs, etc. Whereas, the kids on the reservation team don't. They will all continue to live on the reservation and (likely) be poor and drunk like their parents before them. And then there's Junior trying to figure out where he belongs in those two worlds.

This book is supposed to be based loosely on Alexie's own life, which helps add to the story. You can read his biography on his website.

Finally, while I enjoyed the story a lot, it is crude in parts. I skipped several pages where he talked about things that I didn't want to read about. There is some language, though not as much as I was honestly expecting. So, if that kind of thing bothers you, you might want to skip this one.

The Trumpet of the Swan

2009-03-10T12:57:00.000-04:00

by E.B. White

from amazon.com:
Although he lacks a voice in the traditional "Ko-hoh!" sense, trumpeter swan Louis learns to speak to the world with a trumpet stolen from a music store by his father. With the support of an unusual boy named Sam, who helps Louis learn how to read and write, the swan has some rather unswanlike adventures and ultimately wins the love--and the freedom--of a beautiful swan named Serena.

I had never heard of this book before looking for Charlotte's Web at the library and noticing it. I think this is probably the most overlooked of the three classic children's books that White wrote, but I have to admit it was my favorite of the three.

The story starts with Sam Beaver discovering a lake near where he and his father camp/hunt during the summer. Sam is an inquisitive boy and soon notices two trumpet swans who have built their nest on this lake. Eventually Sam meets the swan's babies (called signets) and the story of Louis the signet without a voice takes over.

Louis takes what life has given him and does the best he can with it. I love that he has a disability (which is referred to as a defect in this book - possibly the reason it's not as popular?) and uses it to his advantage. By learning to play an actual trumpet to communicate he is able to earn money to pay back his father's debts etc. He is also the only swan he knows that can read or write.

I wish that Louis had found someone other than Serena to marry. She had flatly rejected him when he didn't have a voice, but fell madly in love with him once he did. However, Serena is who Louis wanted, so I guess it's for the best?

There are lots of hard to believe things about this story (how did Sam recognize that Louis wanted to learn to read? can a swan bill really make the mouth formation required to play a trumpet? etc) but it was easy for me to suspend reality and just enjoy the story.

3.5 out of 5 stars

PS A warning for those that may listen to this book: once Louis gets his trumpet any "trumpeted" parts are played by an actual trumpet and it is LOUD! I enjoyed the use of the trumpet, but was about blown out of my chair the first time it happened :)

a couple middle readers

2009-03-07T12:02:00.000-05:00

Near the end of last month, when I was moaning over Wuthering Heights, I picked up a few early/middle reader books from the library. I love these types of books. They are usually creative and they never take long to read. Exactly what I needed.

I find that they are hard to review. So, I am cheating and doing a couple of short reviews stacked in one.

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, by Gerald Morris

from amazon.com:
Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant Knights of the Round Table.
Of these worthy knights, there was never one so fearless, so chivalrous, so honorable, so . . . shiny, as the dashing Sir Lancelot, who was quite good at defending the helpless and protecting the weak, just as long as he'd had his afternoon nap.

Did you know that Sir Lancelot was a French prince before joining the Round Table? I didn't.

This book is basically a collection of short stories. Each chapter stands fairly well on its own, making it a nice read aloud. My favorite story had to do with Lancelot being tricked into taking his armor off and hanging out in a tree for the afternoon. Silly stuff.

This would be a great addition to any knight-lovers library.

Ibby's Magic Weekend, by Heather Dyer

from Amazon.com:
When straight-arrow Ibby visits her two troublemaking cousins in their chaotic country house, she learns of an old box of magic tricks they found hidden in the attic. Ibby thinks magic is nothing but sleight of hand...until her cousin Francis shrinks to the size of her thumb!

I didn't know anything about this book when I picked it up. I grabbed it because the title was written in silver shiny writing.

The story is fairly straightforward and very predictable, but I enjoyed it. Watching the kids figure out each trick (and watching Ibby lighten up!) was fun. I love the contrast between the adults who all say that magic is just slight of hand, etc and the kids who figure out that magic is really, real.

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Lancelot, but it was still an enjoyable quick read.

February's Books

2009-03-01T18:43:00.000-05:00

Picture Books
Castle, by David Macauley
The House in the Night, by Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes

Juvenile Fiction
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
The Spiderwick Chronicles, book 1: The Field Guide, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (audio book)
The Spiderwick Chronicles, book 2: The Seer Stone, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (audio book)
The Spiderwick Chronicles, book 3: Lucinda's Secret, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (audio book)
The Spiderwick Chronicles, book 4: The Irondwood Tree, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (audio book)
The Spiderwick Chronicles, book 5: The Wrath of Mulgarath, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (audio book)
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief, by Wendelin Van Draanen (audio book) *
Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man, by Wendelin Van Draanen (audio book) *
Uh Oh, Cleo, by Jessica Harper
The Maze of Bones, by Rick Riordan
Sir Lancelot the Great, by Gerald Morris *

Young Adult
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, by Louise Rennison (audio book)
Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, by JK Rowling (audio book) (re-read) *

Adult Books
Middle Passage, by Charles Johnson
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

Sammy Keyes

2009-02-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Sammy Keyes is 13. She has to sneak into her house because her mother dumped her on her grandmother and they live in a old-person home where no children are allowed. She gets to deal with Heather Accosta, the 7th grade bully. Sammy is also kind of a detective. Not that she goes looking for trouble, she just always happens to be there when it happens.

The first in the series, Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief starts off with a bang. Well, more like a wave. Sammy, through a pair of binoculars, watches a man stealing money out of a purse in a hotel room across the street. The thief looks up, sees her, and she panics and waves at him.

I listened to this book as I cleaned, and I found I enjoyed it so much I actually found extra little things to clean, so I could listen longer. Sammy is delightful. She gets in lots of trouble, and she's a fairly thoughtless teenager a lot of the time (I hate the way she treats her Gram, though she does usually feel bad about it), but she's clever and funny. If I had read her as a kid I am sure that I would have wanted to be Sammy. I always wanted to be Nancy Drew, and Sammy really is a lot more realistic (though I will always love Nancy).

I also love Sammy's Gram. What a fun adult to have raise you. Too bad it's not under better circumstances.

The second book, Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man begins a bit scarier. It's halloween and Sammy along with her friends Dot and Marissa go to the spooky Bush House to knock and run. But when they get there they are nearly run over by a man dressed in a skeleton costume. Sammy and her friends end up finding the "Bush man" tied up and unconscious. On top of trying to help the Bush man, Sammy is also dealing with drama at school. Heather Accosta has convinced one of the most popular boys in school that Sammy is in love with him, and Sammy is after revenge.

This one was just as fun as the first. There's a real strong anti-smoking theme throughout, but it's done in a way that doesn't really feel overwhelming.

Sammy's method of revenge against Heather is pretty awesome. I can't imagine having the courage to do it, but I would like to wish I would have.

Sammy is a fun listen. I hope my library has all of the books on CD (I think there are 10 out) because the reader is fabulous. If not, I will definitely be picking up the books!

Highly recommended.

Wuthering Heights

2009-02-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

by Emily Bronte

I don't really have anything nice to say about this book. I've spent the last two weeks forcing my way through, and I just can't find anything redeeming about it, especially the characters. There isn't a single character that I even sort of like. But, it's been a week since I've reviewed a book, and I feel like I should say something.

So, here's my attempt at a 5-word review:

Selfish brats end up dead.

Has anyone read Wuthering Heights and enjoyed it? Obviously I was missing something, please feel free to enlighten me. I am at a complete loss.

Castle

2009-02-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

by David Macaulay

This is kind of a non-review. More of a discussion.

This picture book was the only book (other than The Way Things Work) that my husband enjoyed reading on his own as a kid. We bought it when we met the author at a signing recently, and I finally got around to reading it.

As an adult, I can appreciate what the book is trying to do: teach you how castles were built in England long ago. As a kid I am 100% sure I would have hated this book. The pictures, while fabulous, are black and white sketches, as opposed to full-color disney-style pictures. As a kid black and white = adult = boring. While I can appreciate them today (and I actually did enjoy them quite a bit), I would not have appreciated them even a little as a kid. And the story, really isn't a story so much as a description of each section of the castle as it was built. It's well done, but even today I found it a bit dry and ended up reading it in two sittings.

Contrast that with my husband who, as a reluctant reader, devoured this book. He checked it out every single time they went to the library. He read it over and over, and today he still thinks it's fabulous (and thinks I'm strange and offensive for differing from his point of view!).

I guess my point is to show how getting the right book in the hands of a reluctant reader might be all it takes to help turn them into a reader. This book would have done nothing for me as a child, but to my husband it opened his eyes to building and castles. Two of his most favorite things, even today. And, what higher recommendation is there than that?

PS my husband wants me to note that he doesn't consider Castle the book that helped him become a reader. At least if you define a reader as one who seeks out new books. That didn't happen until he discovered epic fantasy (Tolkein, Eddings, Jordan) in middle school. This book just encouraged him to practice at (and begin to really learn) a skill that he was lacking in and further fed his imagination.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

2009-02-13T11:03:00.000-05:00

by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
read by Mark Hamill

This is really one story following the Grace kids after they move to a ramshackle old mansion owned by their (crazy) Aunt Lucinda. In the first book, Simon, Jared, and Mallory find a field guide of magical creatures compiled by their uncle, Arther Spiderwick. In the second book the kids have their first real adventure with magical creatures, and see them for the first time. In the third book we finally meet crazy Aunt Lucinda and learn that there is more to the story of Arther's disappearance than we originally thought. In the fourth book the kids are still trying to figure out what to do with the field guide (this book has a fairly violent scene with lots of murder (not of the kids) near the end). In the fifth and final book, the kids face Mulgarath, the evil ogre who has been making their lives miserable. The entire series takes place within a couple of weeks of the first book.

First, I have to say that if I had read the first book when it was originally published, I would have felt totally ripped off. It's not a story in and of itself, it's the introduction to a story. I was shocked by how short each of these "books" were. The Harry Potter series has seven books with one overarching story (Harry v. Voldemort), but each individual book contains its own story. Not so with Spiderwick. They are literally one story broken up into five segments.

Anyway. Once I got over the initial disgust, I enjoyed the story quite a bit. The kids are interesting (though not super well developed), and I love the idea of living surrounded by magical beings without knowing it. Also, the idea of moving into a large rundown mansion is fun. Think of all the exploring (and trouble) that could happen!

Since I listened to the books, I didn't get to enjoy the pictures that probably make the books even better. But, the reader did a good job and I enjoyed the book on the whole.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Thirteen Reasons Why

2009-02-10T17:38:00.000-05:00

by Jay Asher

At first, Clay is excited when he finds a package addressed to him on his doorstep, but he soon realizes that he might not actually want to listen to the tapes he's been given. The tapes come from Hannah Baker, a girl who killed herself several weeks previously. On the tapes she lists thirteen people and what they did that helped lead her to the decision to take her own life.

** This is more of a discussion than a review, so you probably don't want to read it if you haven't read the book. There aren't really any spoilers, but it probably won't make a ton of sense **

I'm not sure what to say about this book. While reading it, I couldn't stop. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, and specifically what it was that Clay had done to Hannah.

However, at the same time I didn't really like the book. It's heavy. It covers a lot of topics: bullying, rape, and suicide and while it's all done well, it was hard to read. I also couldn't really get over the tapes themselves. Most of the events mentioned are small. I can appreciate that as a teenager life seems much harder than it actually is, and therefore even the smallest thing can feel like an enormous mountain, but would you really want to cause the level of guilt that these tapes are going to cause?

I also felt real bad for her teacher/counselor that she hopes would rot in hell. I won't deny that he could have handled their meeting better, but I don't think he should be blamed for her decision. Especially since she had made so many of the preparations for her suicide before hand. Did she really want his help?

I wish we could have seen more of Hannah's past as a way to explain why she might have been more susceptible to spiraling out of control than her classmates. Not everyone who has a false rumor spread about them will kill themselves, and one should definitely not kill oneself for such a reason (I do realize that it was the combination of events that led to the suicide, not just the rumor that started everything). I also thought that something should have been added at the end for people considering suicide. The number for the suicide hotline is listed just under the author's biography, but if you don't read those you'll miss it.

I'm not sure if I would recommend this one. It's an interesting read. I thought it was well done, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since finishing it nearly a week ago. But, it's hard and left me with a lot more questions than answers.

The Sorcerer of the North

2009-02-02T13:05:00.000-05:00

the fifth book in the Ranger's Apprentice Series (see my review for book four here)

by John Flanagan

from the publisher:
Time has passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, led the Araluens to victory against invaders, and Will is now a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy— boring, even—until the king is poisoned. Joined by his friend Alyss, Will is thrown headfirst into an extraordinary adventure propelled by fears of sorcery, and must determine who is trustworthy to the king and who is trying to take his throne. Will and Alyss must battle growing hysteria, traitors, and most of all, time.

Book 4 was the end to the first story arc, so other than a few obvious spoilers (like Will hasn't died yet), there aren't any spoilers to the rest of the series in this review.

I was a bit hesitant going in, since Will is a full-fledged Ranger, which I assumed meant no Halt. And, in the beginning there really wasn't much of anyone other than Will and the people living in his new Fief; however, Will is soon called on a special mission by Halt and we get to see a bit of Halt throughout the rest of the book.

The story itself is rather simple, but the adventure aspect is still strong. I loved that Will was able to come up with creative solutions to his problems in his fief, and I am curious to see what he does to solve the problem with the king. He still has some flaws, which I hope stick around because having someone who never makes a mistake will certainly get old quickly. I was also excited to learn more about Alyss and see some of the activities that she has learned. I am very interested in seeing where their relationship leads. I did miss Horace for most of this book and hope he has a larger roll in the next.

The biggest complaint is the MAJOR cliffhanger ending. It isn't quite as traumatizing as the second book's ending, but close. The story really isn't anywhere close to being concluded, and the sixth book won't be published until August so be warned!

4.5 out of 5 stars highly recommended (but read the first 4 first!)

As a promotion for book 6 being released, Penguin has released an online version of the first book. Click here, for to read the entire first book. It will only be available for a few more weeks (until Feb 15), but it's worth a look!

January Book List

2009-02-01T20:14:00.000-05:00

Picture Books
Angelo, by David Macaulay

Juvenile Fiction
Tink Takes Charge, a Disney Fairy Book
Geronimo Stilton: Four Mice Deep in the Jungle, by Geronimo Stilto (audio book)
Clementine's Letter, by Sara Pennypacker (audio book) *
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, by Jeanne Birdsall *
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by JK Rowling
Paws off Cheddar Face!, by Geronimo Stilton (audio book)
Charlotte's Web, by EB White (audio book)
Rosetta's Big Day, a Disney Fairy Book
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, by Jeff Kinney *
I Juan de Pareja, by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
The Diamond of Darkhold, by Jeanne DuPrau
The Gods of Manhattan, by Scott Mebus

Young Adult
Brisingr, by Christopher Paolini
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne
Shift, by Jennifer Bradbury *
Ranger's Apprentice book v: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, by John Flanagan *
The President's Daughter, by Ellen Emerson White

Adult
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens *
A Great Deliverance, by Elizabeth George

Non-Fiction
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

2009-01-29T21:42:00.000-05:00

by John Boyne

This is a book where the less you know going in, the better it will be. So no summary this time...

**There are some minor spoilers in this review**

I didn't really like this book. I wanted to, but I just didn't.

I found Bruno too naive to be believable. I realize that he was young (9) and that the author was attempting to use childlike innocence juxtaposed to the horrors that were the holocaust, but I thought it went too far. How could a nine year old really not recognize that they had moved from Germany to Poland? And, if he really didn't believe that he had left Germany, why would he accept it as soon as someone he didn't really know told him? I know that many Germans had no idea what was happening in the concentration camps during the war, and for the most part, I believe they really didn't know. However, Bruno's father was the commandant of Auschwitz. He lived outside of the most infamous of the camps, and he really had completely NO idea that at the very least the "residents" were treated poorly? That, getting to the other side of the fence would not be some fun play date?

It was interesting looking at the difference between someone inside and outside the fence. The, pretty much unlimited freedom that Bruno had compared to the misery that was Shmuel's life. And the dynamics of the military family seemed quite believable. I just couldn't ever get over Bruno.

I guess I just hoped for more - maybe my expectations were too high. I think I'm the only person that didn't love this one - there are tons of positive reviews out there, so I wouldn't necessarily take my word for it.

The Diamond of Darkhold

2009-01-28T14:18:00.000-05:00

by Jeanne DuPrau

from Amazon.com:
It’s been several months since Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and, along with the rest of their people, joined the town of Sparks. Now, struggling through the harsh winter above ground, they find an unusual book. Torn up and missing most of its pages, it alludes to a mysterious device from before the Disaster, which they believe is still in Ember. Together, Lina and Doon must go back underground to retrieve what was lost and bring light to a dark world.

DISCLAIMER This is the fourth book in the series - there is a very good possibility that there will be spoilers from the first three books in this review.

Back in October I read the first three books of this series (you can see the reviews here) and basically came to the conclusion that the first book was the best. I was super excited to see that my library had finally purchased a copy and patiently waited for my turn.

I actually liked this book quite a bit, possibly even a bit better that The People of Sparks. I know that some people complain that it's the first book in reverse, but it made sense to me that someone would want to go back to Ember. There was some food down there, and the original people of Ember had to get down somehow (I think there might have been a discrepancy here though - the journal that Lina found was in the cave with the river. Why would it have been there if they walked down the hill?). Plus everyone left in such a rush that no one really go to say good bye.

I thought a lot of the story came together rather conveniently, but as long as it's told well I don't really mind. It was nice to have Lina and Doon back and to get to know a couple of the other characters a bit better. I wish the character of Torren was better developed though. He seemed like he was important in book 2 and 4 but, he never really came off as anything other than a spoiled brat.

The biggest complaint I had was with the final chapter. It was soo cheesy, and it kind of outlined exactly what we should have "learned" from reading the story. I would rather figure out a meaning for myself (or just enjoy the story without a meaning) than have it shoved down my throat. Even if it's something that I agree with.

On the whole, I thought it was a fitting conclusion to the series and would recommend it to fans.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Charlotte's Web

2009-01-23T12:55:00.000-05:00

by E.B. White
audio book read by E.B. White

from Amazon.com:
An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.

I grew up without ever reading this book, but I have fond memories of watching the cartoon on my grandmother's bed. It's been years since then, but it seems to me that the movie stuck fairly close to the book. I am actually rather impressed.

I love listening to authors read their own works. I think there is something special about it. And, I thought Mr. White did a really good job. I love his voice, which is a big positive for a narrator of a book :)

Is it terrible to say that I found Wilbur rather annoying? His voice was whiny, and most of what he says is rather obnoxious. However, I really enjoyed his thought processes as it came to Charlotte. Starting with wondering how he can be friends with someone so blood-thirsty, to the eventual love and devotion he has for someone that always treats him so well (and is so patient with him!). I really liked Charlotte, though I can't say I understand why she took such an interest in Wilbur. She is full of wisdom and big words. I thought it was kind of odd that someone how greets people with "salutations!" has a hard time coming up with good descriptive words. That may be a bit nit-picky though. The other barnyard characters (especially Templeton, who was much grumpier in the book) simply add to this rather enjoyable story.

This was a fun, quick read (or listen). I can see myself reading it to any future kids we may end up with.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Has anyone seen the new(er) movie with Dakota Fanning? Is it worth checking out?

Animal Vegetable Miracle: A Year of Food Life

2009-01-20T21:36:00.000-05:00

by Barbara Kingsolver

Shortly after their move from Virginia, Kingsolver, her husband and two children decide to live for a year eating things grown in her local area. There are a few exceptions: grains and olive oil as well as a "freebie" each family member gets. Other than that, they will try to grow or buy locally anything they need to survive.

I really enjoyed this book when it was focusing on the memoir portion, the stories of her family trying to adjust to a new lifestyle. I loved the story about Lilly mourning the death of her chicken and comparing her love of the chicken to the love she had for her mother. And, the story about how the only month of the year that anyone in their tiny community locks their doors is August because they are afraid people will dump zucchini on them. Funny, realistic, enjoyable to read stuff.

Unfortunately, a lot of my enjoyment was hampered by what I would consider some fairly heavy handed preaching. Kingsolver states that she's not trying to convert anyone, but I'm not sure what else she could be doing.

I also didn't really like how she acted like anyone, in any walk of life, living anywhere can do what they did. I'm not sure she even really believes it's true since she waited until they lived on a farm in Virginia (as opposed to while they were still in Tucsan, AZ) to begin the project. I believe there are simply areas of the nation that don't grow enough food locally to really survive on (at least as we eat today). Also, even just switching over to free-range/organic animal meat is quite expensive. I looked at our local grocery store and it was twice as much per pound to buy the organic/free range meat. We lived for along time on a student budget and there is no way we could have ever afforded to eat if we had tried to live exclusively organic.

I do think a lot of interesting and rather important topics are addressed in this book, and like I said, I really enjoyed the story aspect quite a bit. I enjoyed the recipes and look forward to trying some of them out (you can find them here). Also after reading this book, I have the strongest desire to make my own cheese. I doubt I would ever do it in an effort to provide all the cheese we eat, but it just sounds like a fun experience.

I enjoyed aspects but really was turned off by others, so I will probably go with 3 out of 5 stars

David Macaulay

2009-01-16T10:46:00.000-05:00

who's not to be confused with David McCullough (he's the one that wrote 1776).

My husband has a learning disability that made learning to read difficult for him. As a result of the struggles, he didn't particularly like to read when he was younger. The only book he has ever talked about with fondness from his pre-7th grade days (or so) is The Way Things Work by David Macaulay.

He would check this book out from the library and spend hours pouring over the pages. He admits that there were a lot of things he didn't really understand, but it was so interesting to him that he just kept coming back to it.

When I heard that our local library (in connection with the local art museum) was hosting an author's night featuring David Macaulay, I knew that we had to attend.

We got there a bit early and purchased a copy of The New Way Things (as it's the only version still available) as well as a book called Castle that was the other book he remembers loving as a child. Funny that the two were by the same author.

Mr. Macaulay mostly talked about his newest book, The Way We Work, which is all about the ins and outs of the human body. He did a great job making the subject matter accessible. He worked on this newest book for about 6 years (!) and showed early drawings as well as some of the drawings that actually made it into the book.

My favorite part was when he talked about how he drew even before he understood what was really happening. He said something along the lines of: "I teach myself by drawing" and went on to say that while reading and writing are a very important part of learning, he thinks we need to incorporate other ways. For him, the "other" way is to draw whatever it is he is studying.

Personally, I would have hated being forced to draw as I was learning a new concept, but my husband commented that he thinks he learns the same way. Until he's had a chance to work it out physically, he doesn't really understand a concept. Which, is probably the reason we own approximately one billion legos.

Macaulay infused a lot of fairly dry humor into his talk, and we both really enjoyed ourselves. If you ever have a chance to hear him speak, I would highly recommend it.

And, for those of you with struggling young readers (who have an engineering-type mind - it's definately not for everyone) The New Way Things Work or The Way We Work may be worth looking into.

You can learn more about David Macaulay and his books at his website.

Brisingr

2009-01-13T13:14:00.000-05:00

by Christopher Paolini

from amazon.com:
Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice. Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

I've been really copping out on summary's lately, haven't I? Oh well.

I had read some pretty bad reviews of this book before I started reading it, so I wasn't too sure going in how it would go. I think starting with such low expectations probably helped the cause.

I think I liked the book overall. It was too long, and there are several new loose ends he brought in. If he doesn't clear them up by the end of book for (the final book), I will think this book was about twice as long as it needed to be. Otherwise, it's probably only a couple hundred pages too long.

I didn't like:

How much time Eragon spends in the beginning pondering about being a vegetarian and how killing any creature would make him so sick. I am happy to know that he changed his habits, but it got a bit preachy. This doesn't hold as true for his guilt about killing people, though I thought that got a little tired after a while as well.
how violent the book is. Lots of blood and gore.
the chapters from Saphira's perspective. I really liked her in the previous two books, but I found her obnoxious when she was the narrator.
the length. It really did need to be edited better. I read the author's note at the end about how much longer it was originally. I can't imagine!
that Eragon continued to make oaths to everyone. Even when it got him in trouble, and even when they were more hassle than anything else. It drove me crazy that he hasn't learned or grown from his previous mistakes!

I liked:

that it felt like this one had a solid ending. Yes, the story is not complete, but I don't feel like I'm hanging.
that the female characters are mostly strong - you don't necessarily see that a lot in the fantasy I've read.
that we learned more about Brom's past (though, I didn't like several of the details at all).
Eragon's new sword.

I guess I disliked more than I liked, but I still enjoyed the story overall. If you're a fan of the Inheritance series I would probably recommend it. If not, I would probably avoid it. It is in many ways the same as the first two.

3 out of 5 stars.

14 Percent of U.S. Adults Can't Read

2009-01-12T14:44:00.000-05:00

I don't usually post news articles (well, I have never actually posted any), but I saw this one on the Yahoo! homepage and thought I would share:

14 Percent of U.S. Adults Can't Read

I'm not really sure what to do about it, but the article makes me so sad. Even for people who don't read as a hobby, reading is such a necessary skill to function in our society.

David Copperfield

2009-01-09T15:51:00.000-05:00

by Charles Dickens

I spent a long time trying to think of a brief summary (the book is well over 800 pages - I don't want to take the whole review summarizing!) and finally looking for one online. I'm not sure a good brief summary exists, but here is one from Amazon:

David Copperfield is the story of a young man’s adventures on his journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters he encounters are his tyrannical stepfather, Mr. Murdstone; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; the eternally humble yet treacherous Uriah Heep; frivolous, enchanting Dora; and the magnificently impecunious Micawber...

Before Christmas, the Seattle-area got snowed in. Roads were closed, church/school was canceled, life pretty much stopped for a few days. In those few days I read all of the unread books in my house. The grocery store and library finally reopened the day before Christmas Eve, but the roads were still treacherous and I'm a chicken, so I walked. First, I hit up the grocery store to buy essentials. Sadly, the essentials filled my back pack, so I didn't have room (or the strength) to get many books. As a result, I needed to pick a book I knew would last for at least a week on its own. Hence, I came to read David Copperfield.

With that fascinating introduction, I will admit that David Copperfield has been on my TBR list for quite a while, and that I enjoyed it immensely. As with all of Dickens' works (that I have read) the first few chapters were a bit slow. I believe that some of that is just adjusting to the language/writing of the time. However, on the whole, I thought the story and plot moved right along.

David was an interesting character, and I enjoyed watching him figure things out. I did think it was odd how often he wept though. Was it common for teenage boys/grown men to weep during the Victorian age?

I loved Mr. Micawber. The scene near the end between Micawber and Uriah was fabulous. I actually laughed out loud. I also loved David's aunt, and the fact the she constantly throughout his life referred to his sister that disappointed her. The other characters, Peggoty, Mr. Peggoty, David's mother, etc were also interesting and developed. Though, I was glad when we stopped seeing Mr. Peggoty because I found him difficult to understand.

In sum: The characters are fabulous and well developed, the plot is interesting and plods along at an enjoyable pace, and I fully recommend this book to all.

4 out of 5 stars.

Clementine's Letter

2009-01-06T18:59:00.000-05:00

by Sara Pennypacker

Clementine has finally figured 3rd grade out. She and her teacher have devised some "codes" to help her remember to focus an other such things. Sadly, her teacher has been nominated to go to Egypt for the school year and leaves his class with a substitute in charge. Poor Clementine doesn't know any of the new rules and does her best to prevent her teacher from winning the contest.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before how much I love Clementine. She is simply fabulous. The library only had a CD of this third installment (why do libraries do that? Do people really prefer the book on tape to the actual book that much more?), so I listened to this one. I have to admit that I didn't love the narrator, Jessica Almast. I think most of the problem was that Ms. Almast is an adult and she just couldn't capture Clementine's third grade spirit.

Other than the narration though, I really liked this book. I love how clever and creative Clementine is - even when she's not trying to be or being mischievous. I think one of my favorite descriptions in a book ever is her describing Antiques Roadshow. (remember I listened to it, so these won't be exact quotes)

"My parent's favorite show is a show about junk. These people take their junk and sit in a room. Then the host comes and tells them if their junk is worth anything. Sometimes he says 'oh, this would have been worth so much if you hadn't fixed it up' and the people say something like 'oh, it's ok, we still love our junk.'"

She goes on to describe the whole thing, and I thought it was so funny. She ends by declaring this show B-O-R-I-N-G, Boring! I love seeing the world through her eyes.

I also really like Clementine's parents. We don't really see much of them, but they are supportive and around. I like that they try to work with her instead of always getting angry when she gets into mischief (which is a lot). I like that they are normal(ish). I just like them.

If you enjoy books aimed at the younger crowd (2-4th grade or so), I highly recommend you check out the Clementine series.

4 out of 5 stars.

December Book List

2009-01-01T17:24:00.000-05:00

Early Reader
Geronimo Stilton: Cat and Mouse in a Haunted House, by Geronimo Stilton (audio book)
Geronimo Stilton: I'm too Fond of my Fir!, by Geronimo Stilton (audio book)

Middle Reader
The Bizarre Bouquets: an Enola Holmes Mystery, by Nancy Springer
The Enchanted Castle, by E. Nesbit (audio book)
The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary (audio book)
The Candy Shop War, by Brandon Mull
The Boy Who Dared, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti *
The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall *
The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd

Young Adult
Inkdeath, by Cornelia Funke
The Swan Maiden, by Heather Tomlinson
The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare
Madapple, by Christina Meldrum
The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan, by John Flannagan (audio book) (re-read) *

Adult Fiction
Death of a Red Heroine, by Qui Xiaolong
Memorial Day, by Vince Flynn

Non Fiction
The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow
Night, by Elie Wiesel

* = a favorite

Book Lists

2009-01-01T02:09:00.000-05:00

One of my very first posts was a list of books I enjoyed in 2007. This year it was a bit easier, since I actually kept track of everything I had read, and had already written reviews for books I loved. Here are my Top Ten books from 2008. Please note that most of these books weren't actually published in 2008. They are simply books that I read and enjoyed for the first time in 2008.

In no particular order:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick

A Crooked Kind of Perfect, by Linda Urban

The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson

The Patron Saint of Butterflies, by Cecilia Galante

Leepike Ridge, by N.D. Wilson

The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt

Gallop, by Rufus Butler Seder

Kiki Strike, Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller

Someone Named Eva, by Joan M. Wolf

Kitten's First Full Moon, by Kevin Henkes

While those were my top 10, there were other books that I enjoyed for the first time last year Here is a list of the runner's up:

Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson
the Heir trilogy (even if the last one didn't live up to my expectations)
The Time Travelers, by Linda Buckley-Archer
The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Spear

Happy New Year everyone!

2008-12-31T12:44:00.000-05:00

My dad gave me Volume I of the series Out of the Best Books, by Bruce B. Clark and Robert K. Thomas. I plan to work my way through it slowly - a poem or short story a day. Today I read "The Celestial Omnibus" by E.M. Forster. In the discussion section of this story the author said:

"Some people pride themselves in the books they own.... But one never owns a book by buying it. One buys merely paper and thread and printer's ink. The only way to own a book is to read it and let it digest into the blood of one's heart and the marrow of one's bones or even the cells of one's brain." (p 40, 1970 paperback edition)

Do you agree?

The Bronze Bow

2008-12-22T19:42:00.000-05:00

by Elizabeth George Speare

summary from bn.com:
Daniel bar Jamin is fired by only one passion: to avenge his father's death by crucifixion by driving the Roman legions from his land of Israel. He joins an outlaw band and leads a dangerous life of spying, plotting, and impatiently waiting to seek revenge. Headstrong Daniel is devoid of tenderness and forgiveness, heading down a destructive path toward disaster until he hears the lessons taught by Jesus of Nazareth.

I read this book because it won a Newbery. I try to read one Newbery winner per month rotating between books that I think look interesting and books that I don' t think look interesting. I didn't think I would like The Bronze Bow, among other things, I thought it was really weird that this wasn't a "religious book" yet featured Jesus Christ as a prominent character. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I did in fact like it.

Daniel hates the Romans, and even though he's about 18, he can hardly control himself when he is near a soldier. Always spitting, and various other things to make sure they realize his distaste. A few times his actions even get him into trouble, and it was kind of frustrating to me how often he was willing to put himself and others in danger because of his hatred. However, watching Daniel grow up and realize that Rosh isn't all the he's cracked up to be and maybe some of the teachings that Jesus of Nazareth promotes makes sense.

I really liked the supporting characters. Daniel's sister, Leah, really interested me. In the book they think she is possessed by demons. I suspect today she would be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress or something - she never really recovers from witnessing her father's crucifixion. Watching her come out of her shell is fabulous, and I couldn't help hating Daniel when he yelled at her.

I wouldn't classify this book as religious. There are several scenes with Christ - most of his words are taken from the New Testament - but it's not a book that is trying to convert you. It's just a fabulous story of forgiveness and love. It turned out to be a great read for the Christmas season.

The Boy Who Dared

2008-12-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

This book is a fictionalized account of a true story told through a series of flashbacks. The "present" day is October 1942 and Helmuth is 17 years old. The flashbacks start years earlier when Helmuth was about three and sees a soldier on the street. Through the flashbacks we see first a young boy who supports Hitler and the Nazi regime, question the regime, to finally fights the regime.

I didn't really know anything about this book when I picked it up, but I found it so interesting that I read it in an afternoon. What an amazing kid. Beginning at 16 he did what he thought was necessary to bring an end to Hitler, and hopefully the war. I can't claim anything as significant for my 16th year of life.

I didn't love the format of this story. For some reason the flashback format seemed to take away from it a bit (most people seem to have liked it though). However, as I got more and more into the story, I found that I simply rushed through the present day scenes, which are quite short, in order to get back to the story and see what was going to happen. I was pretty sure what was going to happen, but I wanted so badly for it to be different.

My favorite part of the book is the lengthy author's note at the end, where Bartoletti is able to include more details about Helmuth and his friends and family. The pictures of Helmuth at the age he was arrested blew me away.

Very enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

picture taken from Maw Books

The Candy Shop War

2008-12-15T19:45:00.000-05:00

by Brandon Mull

Nate isn't too excited about his move to a new town, but he quickly befriends Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon and becomes a part of their treasure hunting club. On the first day of school they meet Mrs. White, who owns a new candy shop in town and she introduces them to her special line of candy - moon rocks, which allows you to float like you're on the moon, sweet tooths, which allows you to manipulate people with your voice, etc. In order to keep getting the special candy, the kids are soon recovering old artifacts for Mrs. White in more and more dangerous situations. Is all really as it seems? Is helping Mrs. White really helping the villain?

I really wanted to like this book. The premise was really interesting, and I enjoyed Mull's first book, Fablehaven. However, I just couldn't really get in to the story. The characters all felt a little flat. While the kids had fun together, I didn't really understand why they were friends.

Also, in order to get away with breaking in to a museum, etc Mrs. White had the kids drug their parents (and most of the town) with white fudge. For some reason that made me super uncomfortable. I realize that for most fantasy stories to work, the parents have to be out of the picture (it seems like they are usually dead, but kidnapped or deadbeat works too) but somehow drugging the whole town just seemed wrong.

There were some enjoyable scenes though. My favorite is when a substitute comes in to Nate's class and writes on the board "Do not take candy from strangers" and then explains why that is important. For whatever reason, it totally cracked me up, although in trying to explain it the scene sounds totally lame.

3 out of 5 stars

The Last Lecture

2008-12-09T12:08:00.000-05:00

by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow

from amazon.com:

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

I kind of picked up this book on a whim. I was having a hard time navigating my new library - it's under construction and the signs that tell you where the books are were not accurate - so I was just kind of wandering around. I saw the book (which has a real cool cover) and vaguely remembered hearing that the author had died. It's a short book, so I decided to give it a try.

I'm not really sure how one reviews a book of this sort. Going in, I was afraid it would be over the top and cheesy. I didn't find it that way at all. His stories were mostly feel good stories with a moral attached at the end. Randy was able to do some really cool things in his life. Some of the stories/morals I agreed with completely, others less so (I can't imagine always carrying around $200!), but I didn't feel like I was being preached at or that I am bad for not agreeing with everything.

This book is a feel good read. The context of the story is quite sad - he's a dad leaving behind very young children - but he really does seem to be taking it all in stride. "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."

An enjoyable, quick read.

Inkdeath

2008-12-04T17:02:00.000-05:00

by Cornelia Funke

Summary (as found on the Barnes and Noble website):

The Adderhead--his immortality bound in a book by Meggie's father, Mo--has ordered his henchmen to plunder the villages. The peasants' only defense is a band of outlaws led by the Bluejay--Mo's fictitious double, whose identity he has reluctantly adopted. But the Book of Immortality is unraveling, and the Adderhead again fears the White Women of Death. To bring the renegade Bluejay back to repair the book, the Adderhead kidnaps all the children in the kingdom, dooming them to slavery in his silver mines unless Mo surrenders. First Dustfinger, now Mo: Can anyone save this cursed story?

Oh how I longed for this book to come out. I loved Inkheart with all of my heart the first time I read it and still enjoy it very much today. I purchased Inkspell the day it came out and read it immediately. I didn't love it. I really liked the idea behind it, but just couldn't really adjust to the story, and I hated the ending. As for this one? I'm not really sure. I put off reading it for over a month after I bought it (rare for me - I don't buy many books) mostly because I was afraid I wouldn't like it. When I finally delved in, the story took me in. I read it in a couple of days. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than Inkspell, possibly because my expectations weren't as high going in as they were for that book.

As a story on it's own, I think I enjoyed it quite a bit. There is a lot of action and suspense, and I really wasn't sure how it would all come together in the end.

However, for characters that I have come to love, I felt a bit torn. I really loved the character of Mo in the first book. He's a fabulous father and he became one of my favorite characters. I love imagining him reading words to life. He is very different in this book. I wanted to hate him because of it, but I found that I could like the Bluejay as well, just not in the same way. The same is true for formely brave and daring Meggie. In this book she just kind of sits around waiting for someone else to fix it (and pining over two boys). She never takes the initiative to do something on her own.

Also, this book is definately more of a young adult book - more so than the previous two - there was a decent amount of swearing (not a ton, but more than I remember in the previous books) and there quite a bit of dark magic and feel about the book. Not necessarily a complaint, but something that was different this time around.

I can finally understand why Inkspell was originally called Inkblood, though it took until almost the last chapter of this book to figure it out. I wonder if the word was changed in the German edition?

Anyway. I am mostly rambling, so I will try to wrap this up. I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about the book, but I think it is a good conclusion to the story as it began in Inkspell. Inkheart is by far my favorite in the series and will remain so.

One of my favorite bookish quotes:
"'You read too much!' Balbulus was always saying, but what was she to do? Without words she would die, she'd simply die..." (p 287)

probably around 3.5 out of 5 stars

November Book List

2008-12-01T09:25:00.000-05:00

Early Reader
Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, by Geronimo Stilton
The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid, by Geronimo Stilton

Middle Reader
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, by Brandon Sanderson
Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine (audio book) (re-read)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, by Jeffy Kinney *
The Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild (audio book)
Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness, by Kaza Kingsley

Young Adult
The Shadow in the North, by Phillip Pullman
The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley
The Tiger in the Well, by Phillip Pullman *
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, by Jessica Day George *
Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb, by Kirsten Miller *
Voices, by Ursula K. Le Guin

Graphic Novel
Robot Dreams, by Sara Varon

* = Favorite

Not too much reviewing done this month. We are more or less moved now (at least all in one place!), so hopefully reviewing will pick back up.

The Ballet Shoes

2008-11-28T11:46:00.000-05:00

by Noel Streatfeild
read by Elizabeth Sastre

GUM (or Great Uncle Mathew) is an eclectic collector of fossils; however, from his three most recent journeys he has brought home baby girls. First, Pauline who has found in a shipwreck. Then Petrova, found orphaned in Russia. And, finally Posey whose mother named her and gave her ballet shoes before giving her to GUM to take care of. After collecting Posey, GUM sets off on an adventure, promising to come back in 5 years, but after the 5 years have passed and he hasn't returned the girls (along with their guardian "Garny") take money matters into their own hands. Each using their own special talents: Pauline = activing, Petrova = mechanical devices, and Posey = dancing to provide for the family.

I listened to this book while I was packing, and for the most part really enjoyed it. It reminded me quite a bit of The Little Princess, where there are three more or less perfect little girls who face hard circumstances, and come out on top. In the beginning it bothered me that everything seemed to work out so perfectly: like the boarders each having special abilities to help further the girls' lives, but when I relaxed and listened to the story for fun, it really was just enjoyable.

I loved that the girls made an oath to make a name for themselves because it was their own and no one could say it was because of their grandfather. I can totally see myself doing something similar (though I did have a family, so I couldn't use the grandfather bit) when I was younger and making bold goals.

I haven't been able to really reconcile the ending. It really bothered me that Pauline and Posey made such definate plans without even thinking about Petrova. I know that it worked out ok for Petrova, but it kind of seemed out of character for the girls. They had always done what they could for each other and this time they just kind of ignored what the other might want and went for it themselves.

Based off the tapes, I think this book would make a great read aloud, and I would recommend this book for younger girls (early elementary school or earlier), especially those who love dancing.

The Sally Lockhart Trilogy

2008-11-26T18:02:00.000-05:00

By Philip Pullman

I've read the His Dark Materials trilogy by Pullman, and while I enjoyed them on the whole, I kind of felt they were a bit preachy. Especially by the end. Because of this, I've never really looked into any of his other books, then I read this review by Fyrefly, and my library just purchased all three books in the trilogy, so I decided to give the trilogy a try.

The Ruby in the Smoke is the first book in the series where we are introduced to 16 year old Sally, whose father has just passed away and who has received a cryptic note about his death. When she tries to find out more about her father's dealings her life is threatened. Eventually, she teams up with a budding photographer, Fredrick, and an errand boy who used to work for her father, Jim (my favorite character in the series), and attempts to find out who the Seven Sisters are and what exactly happened on the ship that sunk, killing her father.

I enjoyed this book from the start. I found Sally's character a bit hard to accept, this was Victorian England afterall. But, she really was written in a believable way, and she reminds me a lot of Mary Russell, another female detective that won't stand for the bounds set by males in her society. The ending was not exactly what I had expected, but it worked, and I enjoyed it. I did kind of wish that the reader had been given enough information to really solve the crime for themselves, but it was a fun read.

4 out of 5 stars

There will be some SPOILERS to the previous book in the summary paragraph of the next two books. The review bit (the second paragraph) shouldn't contain any spoilers though.

The Shadow in the North, is the next book and is set several years (maybe 6 or 7?) after the first. Sally is running a successful investment firm when she is approached by one of her clients who has lost her money due to some bad advice from Sally. Sally decides to look into what caused the collapse of the company and soon finds her livelyhood threatened. Meanwhile, Fredrick, who has given up photography to be a full-time detective, and Jim are trying to help a magician (whose name I can't remember!) who is on the run from some thugs because he saw in a vision that the leader of the thugs killed a man. These two stories end up getting weaved together, and Fred and Sally team up to save her reputation and the life of the (cowardly) stage magician.

This book is a bit longer, and I found a bit harder to get through. Not painful, but it just wasn't as interesting. The tension between Fred and Sally got REALLY old. I have no idea why she was being such a twit, but I guess it helped keep the story moving (or something). Like the last one, the reader really isn't given all the clues that they need in order to solve the crime themselves, but I felt like I had an idea of how it would come together and that was nice. Oh, and I pretty much hated the ending. Start pretty huge SPOILER: Fredrick's death just seemed like a ploy, and her insuing pregnancy bothered me. It just seemed unneccessary. End pretty huge SPOILER.

3.5 out of 5 stars

The Tiger in the Well, is the final book in the trilogy. It is set about two and a half years after the second and Sally is living happily with her daughter, Harriet. One day out of the blue, she is served with papers demanding a divorce from her "husband" and full custody of Harriet. Sally knows she's never been married, but due to her incompetant lawyer (who thinks it's all Sally's fault for getting pregnant outside of marriage) she loses the court case and goes underground to figure out exactly who is out to ruin her life.

Definatley the best in the series. It is also the longest. I had figured out who the bad guy was very early on, and it was a little frustrating that Sally seemed so clueless. However, once she "admits to herself" who is really after her and the climax begins it was really fun watching how everything came together. I also really liked the side story that Sally is told about the tiger in the well. I missed the presense of Fredrick and Jim in this one (Goldman didn't do much for me), and I was happy when Jim showed up at the very end to help save the day.

4 out of 5 stars

Overall, I would highly recommend this series to mystery readers, especially fans of Laurie King's Mary Russell series.

Geronimo Stilton

2008-11-11T11:02:00.000-05:00

When I was in Italy, I was able to spend a couple of days with my cousin. She's quite a bit younger than me, and her primary language is Italian (which I don't speak). She does speak a bit of English, and told me all about her favorite book character, Geronimo Stilton. Apparently, he is all the rage for elementary school-aged kids in Italy. I told her that I didn't think he was in the States, but he sounded pretty interesting. While in a book store in Venice, I snapped the picture to the left of Geronimo and his most recent book (please don't mind the poor quality - photography is not one of my talents!).

That's where the story ends.

Except, while browsing new books at the library, I found a couple Geronimo Stilton books. Apparently he is in the States! So, I got the first two to see what he was all about.

Geronimo is a rather sophisticated mouse who runs a newspaper in New Mouse City, the capital of Mouse Island. His other great love is adventuring and writing down his "fa-mouse-ly funny, whisker-licking-good tales" for our enjoyment.

In the first book, Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, Geronimo, his sister Thea, annoying cousin Trap, and nephew Benjamin go in search of the Emerald Eye. They sail towards Treasure Island, but their ship goes down in a hurricane. Will they make it the island and find the treasure?

In the second book, The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid, Geronimo's grandfather sends him to Egypt where a professor has found a new source of energy. Unfortunately, grandfather has cut costs and Geronimo has to fly on DC (Dirt Cheap) airlines. The airplane looks like it's going to fall apart, will Geronimo even make it to Egypt?

One of the interesting things about this series is that the writing (as in the actual words on the page) is ... well, different. Specific words are emphasized using different fonts/colors/sizes, etc. I thought it was kind of fun, and I suspect that most kids would enjoy it too, though as a kid I think it would have been a major turnoff (I like order and sameness).

Photo of pages 56 and 57 of Lost Treasure of Emerald Eye. Text, ect belong to Geronimo Stilton

crummy photo belongs to KT - you should be able to click on it to make it a bit bigger

The back cover says the books are about a third grade reading level. I suspect that most elementary school will enjoy this adventurous mouse!

PS. I'm moving (again (sigh)), so reading (and therefore posting) will be sporadic throughout the rest of the month.

PSS. This is my 100th post. Yay me!

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians

2008-11-06T17:36:00.001-05:00

by Brandon Sanderson

from the book jacket:

"Alcatraz Smedry doesn't seem destined for anything but disaster. But on his thirteenth birthday, he receives a bag of sand, and his life takes a bizarre turn. This is no ordinary bag of sand ... and it is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. ... Alcatraz must stop them!...by infiltrating the local library, armed with nothing but eyeglasses and a talent for klutziness."

This is a silly book, and I think you have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. I didn't enjoy the first couple chapters at all, so I took a couple day break from it, and I read the rest of the book in one afternoon, finding it hilarious (for the most part). Alcatraz talks to the reader a lot, and he makes fun of pretty much everything (Newbery winners, Michael Crichton, Harry Potter, etc), but the story itself is pretty clever. I think it might even be too clever at times, and I found myself saying "come on! enough with this side commentary!" more than a few times.

I loved that all of the main "good guy" characters were named after famous prisons, or as is explained to Alcatraz, famous prisons were named after the "good guy" characters. I never caught on the the bad guy's being named after mountains. Apparently I don't know enough mountain names. Also, the use of "talents" was pretty creative. I wish my talent for cooking disasters actually led to something good (sigh).

The second book, Alcatraz vs. the Scrivener's Bones, was recently released and I look forward to getting my hands on a copy.

3.5 out of 5 stars

October Book List

2008-11-01T14:57:00.000-04:00

Middle Reader
The Shadow World, by Jane Johnson
Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke (audio book) (Re-read) *
The Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen
Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye, by Kaza Kingsley *
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney *
Peter Pan, by JM Barrie (audio book) (Re-read) *
The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo (audio book) (Re-read) *
Judy Moody is in a Mood, not a Good Mood, a Bad Mood, by Megan McDonald (audio book) (Re-read) *
Savvy, by Ingrid Law

Young Adult
The Dragon Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima
The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley *
The City of Ember, by Jeanne Duprau *
The People of Sparks, by Jeanne Duprau
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, by Nancy Farmer
Beauty, by Robin McKinley *
The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt
The Prophet of Yonwood, by Jeanne Duprau
The Ruby in the Smoke, by Philip Pullman *

* = a favorite

The Underneath

2008-10-31T11:37:00.000-04:00

by Kathi Appelt

When a calico cat is abandoned in the woods, she wanders until she stumbles across a broken-old home where an old hound is tied to a chain. Together, the hound and the calico, raise two kittens in the area underneath the house, where the hound's horrible owner will not find them. Laced within this story, is the story of Grandmother an ancient snake who was buried in a pot over 1000 years ago and is longing for the day of her freedom and revenge; and Gar Face, a man so severely beaten by his father that he is deformed, who is trying to capture a gigantic crocodile.

I suspect this is a story that you will like more than I. Remember when I talked about not really liking animals as main characters? This book is a perfect example. The book is well written, the animals only talk to themselves (not to people, which I hate), and the story is fairly intriguing, but it just didn't really do anything for me.

I did however enjoy watching the two different types of characters: those that let their anger/hatred control them and those that didn't. It talks about the dangers of anger:

"Anger and hatred, wound together, have only one recourse. Poison. Poison filled Grandmother's mouth, her cotton mouth...Grandmother vowed revenge, a vengeance so bitter it glazed her skin and sharpened her terrible fangs." (p 103)

The story however, is broken up into 1-3 page chapters that kind of bounce around, both between characters and in time. I had a difficult time following the time line because it really wasn't linear. It is also fairly repetitive. Grandmother says the same things over and over, and the story itself repeats a lot of the same things. I can see the reason behind the repetition, but it got pretty old by the end of the story.

There is some fairly horrendous animal abuse (and talk of animal abuse) in this book. It's not necessarily graphic, but it's definately there.

Overall, I thought the story was ok. Most people seem to have liked it more than me though, so don't necessarily take my word for it.

3 out of 5 stars

The Books of Ember

2008-10-30T11:26:00.000-04:00

by Jeanne DuPrau

The City of Ember

Lina wants nothing more than to be a messenger. She thinks being allowed to run all over the city all day is a dream come true. Unfortunately, on her assignment day, she's assigned to the Pipeworks, where she will be forced to work everyday underground. Lucky for her, her friend Doon drew messenger and offers to make a switch. Lina thinks that life is pretty grand, but things are not all well in Ember. Food supplies seem to be running low, and the power keeps flickering off, sending the city into total darkness. When her grandmother remembers something that was lost, Lina finds a torn up piece of paper. Will it help save the City?

My husband and I are reading this series together (yay!), and we both really enjoyed this first installment. Husband loved the city and trying to figure out its secrets. I enjoyed the characters quite a bit. I love that Lina is a strong girl character without having to be obnoxious. Her friendship with Doon was fun, and I was so happy when she finally found someone to help her with her paper. Being the first in the series the book doesn't end fabulous. No one is in immanent danger, but I wasn't ready for the story to be over.

4 out of 5 stars

There will be some smallish spoilers to the previous book in the review of The People of Sparks. I just don't know else to do it...Sorry. I don't think The Prophet of Yonwood review has any spoilers.

The People of Sparks

The next book starts right where The City of Ember leaves off. The people of Ember are able to make the daring escape and after days of wandering, stumble across the village of Sparks. Sparks hesitantly accepts the people from Ember (concerned about their large numbers), and the people from the 2 villages try to learn to get along.

Husband had a harder time with this book. He found the people's interactions frustrating (though he realized they were totally realistic). I also think he missed the secret underground world. It took him longer to finish this one, which is a sign he didn't like it as much.

However, I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was an interesting social commentary. While I figured out a lot of what was happening (Tick was particularly easy to figure out), I enjoyed seeing how the characters were able to solve the problems. Doon and Lina grow up quite a bit in the book, and its interesting to watch their reactions to the troubles between the people of Ember and the people of Sparks. I didn't think this book had the same charm that the first did, but I enjoyed it none the less.

3.5 out of 4 stars

The Prophet of Yonwood

The third book in the series is actually more of a prequel. It takes place about 50 years before Ember and features Nikki and Grover growing up in a time of uncertainty. Grover lives in Yonwood while Nicki is visiting and they both try to deal with the consequences of a so-called prophet in the town. The prophet had a vision and kind of loses her mind only mumbling short phrases like "no dogs" or "no lights" that another member of the town takes to be commandments from God. In order to "save" the town, she tries to force everyone to live by these concepts and punishes those that don't.

Husband hasn't read this one yet. He's kind of mad it's not more Lina and Doon.

I didn't like this one nearly as much as the first two. The story is interesting. It feels a lot like a story that could be taking place today with all the uncertainties about everything, though I am pretty sure it is supposed to be sometime in the future. I liked Nicki's struggle with trying to do what was right. I think it's fairly realistic, even if most kids struggle under different circumstances. I guess I was hoping for more Lina and Doon as well. I believe the fourth (and final!) book features them again. I can't wait for my library to get it in.

3 out of 5 stars

My Most Favorite Books: The Tale of Despereaux

2008-10-27T14:51:00.000-04:00

by Kate DiCamillo

Despereaux is the youngest, and his family believes that he will die at birth because he is so small, has such large ears, and was born with his eyes open. Obviously there is something wrong with him. His French mother, with a flare for the dramatic, names him Despereaux for the despair in her heart. Despereaux lives and is anything but a normal mouse. For one thing, he doesn't like scurrying to and fro. He also would rather read a book than eat it. And, he falls in love with a human princess, a crime that gets him sent to the dungeons where no mouse has ever returned from alive.

First a side note. I don't really like books where animals are the main character. For whatever reason, it is a complete turn off to me. I also don't like books that talk to the author ("you dear reader..."). I am a strict rule-abider and my 6th or 7th grade English teacher said you should never ever use the word "you" in a paper. Apparently it really sunk in because it really turns me off from books.

With that being said, I loved The Tale of Despereaux. I read it because it won the Newbery award, and after I got over the initial talking to the reader, I couldn't get enough of it. It's one of those books that my husband knows as well as I do because I had to stop and tell him everything, reading him my favorite passages.

Despereaux has such an amazing spirit about him. Even though everyone is constantly putting him down, he continues to do what he thinks is right - listening to music, reading stories, and rescuing princesses. I love that he promises to serve and honor the princess. He just made me smile.

I also love the symbolism of the darkness and the light. How even the evil rats can feel the goodness that comes from the light. I'll end with one of my favorite quotes:

"Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark." (p81 of the hardcover edition)

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye

2008-10-24T13:19:00.000-04:00

by Kaza Kingsley

Erec's family is kind of...diverse. He lives with his foster mother and five siblings that all have some sort of special need. Erec himself has a glass eye, and occasionally, Erec will get "feelings" that force him to do something. So far, the feelings have always ended up doing something positive, but Erec has to follow through with whatever he is "told" to do and fears the day he is forced to do something horrible. When he wakes up one morning to a babysitter in the house, Erec gets a feeling that he needs to find his mother. So, after sneaking out of the house, Erec eventually finds himself transported to another world, where he is entered into a contest to help find their next kings/queens (there will be three total).

I really enjoyed Erec Rex. It kind of sounded like a wannabe Harry Potter, but I thought Erec stood its own. There are some similarities, but I think they are more related to fantasy than to Harry Potter (orphan who discovers another hidden world, etc) Erec is an interesting character with a lot of backstory that I am looking forward to finding out. He is strong and able to figure a lot of things out on his own, but he is also flawed. There are several scenes where he nearly loses his life because of major mistakes that he makes.

I didn't find the surrounding cast quite as strong. His mother is still very much a mystery. I am hoping that in the next book we will learn more about her and her secrets, though I suspect it won't happen for a few more books. I believe there are to be 8 books total in the series. His friend Bethany was also kind of a question for me. Hopefully we learn more about her as the series progresses as well.

I also really enjoyed all the references to Greek/Roman/Celtic mythology. I caught quite a few as I was reading and later I read an interview by the author where she told of several more. I love books that successfully refer to myths, fables, etc without it taking from the story.

** small SPOILER**

The author also said that Erec is kind of a Hercules (or Herakles as the Greek's spelled it) character, and the next books will be about Erec grappling the 12 tasks required to become a king. Kind of cool sounding.

**End SPOILER**

I look forward to the sequel Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Peter Pan

2008-10-17T10:37:00.000-04:00

by J.M. Barrie

Read by Jim Dale

Everyone knows the story of Peter, so I don't think I need to do a summary. How's that for lazy?

I love this story. It's quite different from the Disney movie; in fact, I think it's not necessarily appropriate for all children. Most children won't recognize some of the things that bother me (like the fairy orgy reference), but they will likely recognize the swearing (Tink uses a few inappropriate words) and violence. Michael compare's his father to a pirate that he killed and was sad to see how much smaller his father was. Lots of death and no remorse. However,we don't actually see the violence (just the bragging after), and I really do find it a fun story. I'll probably wait to share it with slightly older kids though.

I have read Peter Pan before. If I re-read a book, it's often in audio format (I don't have the attention span to listen to new books...)

I was surprised as I listened how often Hermione Granger (of Harry Potter) kept popping in my head. I like Hermione and all, but it just didn't make sense. Finally it occurred to me that it was Hermione's voice that I was thinking of, and I realized that Jim Dale (who also does that audio books for all 7 Harry Potter's) used the same voice for Wendy and Hermione. After that realization, I enjoyed listening to the story and tried to not worry when I realized how much Hook sounded like Snape and Mr. Smee sounded like Wormtail. It was kind of funny.

With that little aside. This reading was really well done. Jim Dale is delightful to listen to; he does an excellent job of having distinct voices for all the characters.

4 out of 5 for the story
and 5 out of 5 for the audio

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2008-10-15T12:53:00.000-04:00

by Jeff Kinney

In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, we meet Greg Heffley who is using the book as a journal (not diary like the dumb cover says) because his mom wants him to. Not because he wants to share his feelings or anything. Greg records his thoughts on the first year of middle school (grade isn't identified, but I would assume 6th grade) and the ups and downs it provides.

Told through simple writing and illustrations, this story is quite funny. I even found myself actually laughing out loud a couple of times. The jokes are clever and the illustrations are fabulous.

I didn't particularly like Greg. He's kind of a jerk, but he seemed like a real character and I couldn't help wanting to know what would happen next. I even think there is some potential for some growing up and becoming less of a jerk in the other two books in the series.

This book would be fabulous for 5-7th grade boys (and possibly girls) who are reluctant readers.

4 out of 5 stars

The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend

2008-10-09T13:58:00.000-04:00

by Joseph DeLaney

(I read the version published in England, but other than a few terms, I don't think the story is any different)

Attack of the Fiend begins shortly after Night of the Soul Stealer ends. The Spook has decided to take Tom and Alice to Pendle in an effort to rid the area of the covens of witches that reside there. As the Spook explains it "Often the witches bicker and argue but when they do agree and meet together with a common purpose, their strength is greatly increased...You see that's right at the heart of the threat we face - that the witch clans may unite" (p 17). The trio teams up with the Spook's friend, a priest called Father Stocks, in an effort to rid the area once and for all of the witch families that live there. Their plans are thrown off when Tom's family becomes involved and it becomes a race against time to prevent the witch clans from uniting and summoning the Fiend (aka the devil) himself.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit better than the last one in this series. It felt like the story was progressing, and while Tom was still making some of the same dumb mistakes (ie leaving without telling the Spook what he was up to), he used a lot more thought and has grown a lot as a character. It was interesting reading his concerns about how he has changed since becoming the Spook's apprentice and whether those changes have all been for the best.

We also meet Tom's brother James in this story, and it was sure nice to have a nice brother around for a change. Jack may have been trying to look out for his family or whatever, but he sure treats Tom poorly, though that comes back to bite him in this tale as well.

I don't really feel like I can talk a lot more about the story without giving spoilers, so I will leave it at that. But, I really enjoyed this one, and I look forward to reading the fifth one, Wrath of the Bloodeye, soon!

4 out of 5 stars

The Dragon Heir

2008-10-06T14:22:00.000-04:00

by Cinda Williams Chima

Warning: There are a few spoilers to The Wizard Heir in the summary of the book (ie the first paragraph). Sorry!

Starting off a few weeks after the events of Second Sister, things are not good in the Weir community. No one knows what happened to the covenant and it looks like a wizard war may be brewing. Meanwhile, Jason Haley is stuck in Trinity with nothing to do. He's not a powerful enough wizard to lead (like Seph), and he doesn't have the strength of a warrior (like Jack and Ellen), so he's feeling left out and is just itching to do something for the cause. He ends up sneaking off to Raven's Ghyll where he finds a hoard of treasure, which he is able to steal and bring back to the sanctuary in hopes that something will help make the difference for the "good" guys. One of the things that Jason steals is the dragonheart, a powerful yet mysterious stone that might just be what the "good" guys were looking for. As the battle comes to a head, will Jason, Seph, Jack and crew learn how to control the dragonheart? Do a ragtag bunch of teenagers actually have a chance between hundreds of powerful wizards?

Not my best summary ever. Sorry. I had a really hard time coming up with a description of this book...

I've come to the conclusion that I don't like books that focus on too many characters. Books don't necessarily need to be in first person, but they can't jump from perspective to perspective. It drives me crazy! I think that was my biggest problem with this book. First we follow Jason, then Maddie, then Jason, then throw in some Jack, Jessamine Longbranch, Bryce Roper, Warren Barber, Leesha, etc and it was too much for me. I had a hard time remembering what was happening to who when we last left them, and I just didn't enjoy it as much as the first two which focused primarily on one character.

There were other problems with this book as well. It felt like the entire book was a building to the climax, but then the climax wasn't that exciting. We built, and built, and built, and then it all kind of resolved itself. I will admit that the way the wizards were taken care of surprised me, and I actually really liked it, but it was over in just more than a page. It just didn't live up to the epic battle scene I felt we had been groomed for.

Also, where the heck were Linda and Hastings? What were they thinking? I don't understand how the two of them, who are supposed to be so bright, etc had NO idea of what was happening in Trinity and left it all up to a bunch of teenagers. It didn't fit their characters at all, especially Linda's - she seemed to always be involved with everything the first two books.

There were aspects of this book that I liked as well. I loved learning a bit more about Maddie, and Nick's backstory was really interesting. It would be fun to have a prequel written from his perspective because there is so much more to him than initially meets the eye. And the ending with the Dragonheart was interesting and not what I had been expecting - I like when that happens.

On the whole, it was an ok story. It seemed to drag quite a bit (due to all the building), but it does more or less wrap up the story that began with The Warrior Heir which I appreciated.

3 out of 5 stars

September Book List

2008-10-01T10:42:00.000-04:00

Middle Reader
Sounder, by William H. Armstrong

Young Adult
Saving Zoe, by Alyson Noel
Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator, by Jennifer Allison
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller *
Fly by Night, by Frances Hardinge
Deeper, by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
The Spook's Battle, by Joseph DeLaney (published as The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend in the US) *

Adult
The Pelican Brief, by John Grisham

* = a favorite

I was out of town most of this month, so not too much reading done. I do feel special reading Deeper though because it's not yet available in the States :)

Fly By Night

2008-09-22T11:04:00.000-04:00

by Frances Hardinge

Mosca Mye has a pretty hard life. Her parents are dead; while alive her father was a radical; her uncle mistreats her; and (worst of all) in a world where it is forbidden, she can read. She doesn't really have much hope until one day when a stranger shows up in town. This stranger can spin words unlike nothing Mosca has ever seen and she decides to set him free (he's been arrested) and set off to work with him. Once they've escaped they become involved in a fairly complex plot which includes spying, animal fights, an illegal printing press, and possibly the fate of a nation.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. I debated writing a review at all. I enjoyed the language/writing of the story - it's beautiful - and I enjoyed the heart of the story. However, the story gets really bogged down with all of the political talk. I love politics both in real life and books. I think it's fascinating watching how one little thing over here can have huge consequences over there, but in this story I just couldn't follow what was happening. I felt like I had too little and too much info at the same time. Too little info for what was being given to me, yet the information I was given was almost overwhelming and bogged down the story a lot.

I also thought it was strange that one of the main themes of this book was against the suppression of facts, specifically through banning books and making it illegal (or something) to read that so many of the characters could read. Other than the people in Mosca's uncle's village, I think every character we met could read. If this is the case, why was Mosca ostracized for this "rare" ability?

Like I said above. When I wasn't bogged down trying to figure out what on earth was actually happening, I enjoyed the story. Mosca had a lot of spunk, and though I disagreed with most of her actions, I thought she was a fun character to follow. I also loved (loved, loved) her pet goose Saracen. He's hilarious. He doesn't talk, and really isn't a prominent character, but when he is doing his part, he does it well.

I'll end with a couple of my favorite bookish quotes from this story filled with them:

"Everybody knew that books were dangerous. Read the wrong book, it was said, and the words crawled around your brain on black legs and drove you mad, wicked mad." (p 15)

"Words were dangerous when loosed. They were more powerful than cannon and more unpredictable than storms. They could turn men's heads inside out and wrap their destinies. They could pick up kingdoms and shake them until they rattled. And this was a good thing, a wonderful thing. . ." (p 479-480)

probably 3 out of 5 stars

Kiki Strike, Inside the Shadow City

2008-09-17T12:19:00.000-04:00

by Kirsten Miller

For the first 12 years of Ananka Fishbein's life, she lived a rather dull existence, though she didn't really realize it at the time. That boring life changes one morning when she wakes up to see a portion of the park outside of her window has sunken into the ground and a creature of some sort appear from the hole only to hop right back in. Ananka ends up checking out the hole and discovering an entrance to a secret city, known as the Shadow City. Later, Ananka meets tiny Kiki Strike, a strange elfish-type girl with white hair. Together with some rogue girl scouts, Kiki and Ananka attempt to map the underground world and find that even good plans can't account for everything...

What a fun book! If I had been willing to try it when I was younger (I pretty much stuck to the series I knew and loved), I think I would have loved it. The beginning is a bit slow; there's lots of introductions and you chase Kiki around trying to figure out who she is, but once the action really starts it's there pretty much until the end. I loved that throughout the book you never really knew who to trust and what their motives were. The rogue girl scouts had awesome skills, such as: forgery, explosives, mechanical genius (for bugs, tracking devices, etc) and a master of disguise. Though I didn't necessarily like the characters of the scouts all that much (especially Luz - I found her more than a bit obnoxious), they were a fun group to follow.

My favorite part of this book is the tips Ananka gives girls who would like to become "dangerous." Some of my favorite tips include:

How to Prepare for Adventure
...
7 Chewing Gum Fresh breath should be a priority for everyone. However, gum also comes in handy if you want to jam a cars ignition or stick notes in secret places. (p 85-86)

How to Tell a Lie
...
4. Make it Sound Embarrassing Few people will doubt a story if it sounds like something you'd rather not admit... (p 175)

How to Spot a Fake Diamond
...
3 See Through Imposters Write the word fake in tiny letters on a piece of paper. Place your "diamond" facedown on top of the word. If you're able to read through the stone, odds are you've found your answer. (p 341-342)

Lots of good information to keep in the back of your mind.

4 out of 5 stars

Reading & Blogging for Darfur

2008-09-13T11:35:00.000-04:00

I kind of briefly mentioned this before, but I thought I would dedicate a post to it.

Natasha over at Maw Books is hosting a huge contest in the hopes of raising both funds and awareness for the people of Darfur. She includes links and videos with information about what is happening over there.

It looks like there will be some great prizes, including some signed books by various authors, and it's pretty easy to enter. You can read all about it here.

I encourage you all to at least check it out!

Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator

2008-09-09T15:48:00.000-04:00

by Jennifer Allison

Gilda is a girl with many talents and interests. After her father dies of cancer, Gilda decides to become a psychic so she can have one last conversation with him. One of her other great loves (after reading Harriet the Spy) is investigating others. Oh, and she's a budding novelist as well. Gilda's best friend is headed to band camp for the entire summer, and Gilda isn't particularly interested in sticking around the house by herself, so she manages to get herself invited to her mother's cousin's house in San Francisco. After she arrives, Gilda is thrilled to learn the house might be haunted, and sets out to meet a ghost and possibly solve a mystery.

When I tried explaining this book to my husband, he said "oh, like Psych," which is one of the few television shows we actually watch on a regular basis (or at least did when we had cable). And, the description does make it sound like Psych, but it isn't really anything at all like Psych. Gilda wants to be psychic and is jealous of people who can actually see ghosts, etc. She even has a manual that she uses to train herself to be psychic. Gilda is also a very poor investigator. Her methods are more along the lines of follow a wild idea until you can go no further and start over, than look for clues and come up with theories from there. Her cousin even mentions something along those lines, though I can't seem to find the quote.

Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed this story quite a bit. Gilda is hilarious, though she can be a bit over the top and somewhat rude from time to time. She seems like some sort of cross between an outspoken 9 or 10 year old and a mature teenager. Both sides shine through at various parts of the story.

My favorite part of the book is when Gilda is writing something. Whether it's a letter to her father, a proposed novel, or a suggestion to the obituary writer, her writing is fabulous. I also love her descriptions of her disguises - they are totally outrageous, and I wish I could see her in any of them.

And, just as an aside: there is some pretty strong language, which I felt was kind of out of character for Gilda, and quite a bit of talk of suicide (though I wouldn't say that it is glorified or anything) in this book.

3.5 out of 5 stars. I will definately be looking for the sequel Gilda Joyce and the Ladies of the Lake at my library.

My Most Favorite Books: The Book Thief

2008-09-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

by Markus Zusak

Liesel Meminger was nine years old when she stole her first book. She couldn't even read, but after watching her brother be buried, she simply felt the urge to take the book. Soon, her kind-hearted foster father, Hans, is teaching her to read, and she is stealing books from whenever they need saving. Including from a Nazi book-burning. Set during WWII, Liesel is a non-Jewish German living in Germany.

I found this book before I knew about the wonderful world of book blogs. The word thief is in the title, which means I was automatically drawn to it, and there is something about the cover that continued to draw me in. It still took months for me to find the book, but I finally got it for my birthday last year.

I have to admit that I was slightly turned off to it when I first started reading it. The language is very artsy feeling and it took me a while to adjust to it. Once I adjusted, I loved the lists and random facts that the narrator threw in. There is something very appealing about how sparse and yet fulfilling the language is. For example, in the very first chapter, the narrator explains what the story is about:

"It's just a small story really, about, among other things:
* A girl
* Some words
* An accordionist
* Some fanatical Germans
* A Jewish fist fighter
* And quite a lot of thievery"

Quite random sounding, and yet all of those things are important to the overall story.

I also loved the characters. From Liesel, who I rooted for, to her grouchy (yet, loving) foster mother Rosa. I thought her best friend Rudy's goal to be just like Jesse Owens (and the oft mentioned "Jesse Owen's Incident") was fabulous. Simply put, I just couldn't get enough of this book.

The inside book flap says "Markus Zusak....has crafted an unforgettable novel about the ability of books to feed the soul." and I agree with that assessment 100%.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended

They like me...

2008-09-04T11:42:00.000-04:00

...they really like me. Or at least one person does.

Susan, from Bloggin' 'bout Books, awarded me with the Brilliante Weblog Award. It's my first award, and I am pretty excited about it. Especially since Susan's blog is one of my favorite book blogs.

Here are the rules for the award (as copied and pasted from Susan's site):

Recipients are supposed to give the award to 5 of their favorite blogs - as far as I can tell, they can be any kind of blogs. Leave a comment on the blog letting the author know they have received the award and encourage* them to pass it on.

Here are five of my favorite blogs, though not in any order:

Maw Books - Natasha reviews a pretty wide range of books, and I've found that I agree with her most of the time. She also has a gigantic contest happening right now in an attempt to help raise money and awareness for the people of Darfur; you can read more about it here.

ChainReader - Chain Reader also reads a pretty wide range of books. She tends to read a lot more classics that I do (she's so brave), and I love reading her reviews; she's particularly good at 4 word reviews. Oh, and she thinks Cornelia Funke might be becoming one of her favorite authors, which shows her good taste in books :)

Good Clean Reads - Kim not only reviews books, but she rates their content for sex, violence and profanity. Even though I don't necessarily agree with all of her ratings, it's nice going in to a book with an idea of how much sex and profanity to expect (for some reason violence doesn't turn me off to the same extent as the other two - possibly because I really don't read many books with real violence).

And, to add a little variety to my book blogging life:

A Year of Crockpotting - This is one of my favorite cooking blogs. Stephanie's goal for the year is to use her crockpot for one meal/treat/something everyday. We've tried several of the recipes to varying degrees of success (I loved the baked potatoes). Today's recipe for a Brownie in Mug sounds fabulous.

Everyday Food Storage - I found this one after my kind-hearted father gave me six #10 cans of wheat for my birthday. We don't own a wheat grinder, so I was searching for recipes that would help make the wheat more useful than a space occupier. There are lots of great tips for various food storage stuffs, including two for wheat that don't use a grinder.

*I don't really like forwards, and I feel like the rule requiring the award to be passed on makes it kind of like a forward, so if any of the winners don't want to pass it on, it won't hurt my feelings.

August Book List

2008-09-03T15:49:00.000-04:00

Picture Books
The Seven Silly Eaters, by Mary Ann Hoberman
How I Became a Pirate, by Melinda Long and David Shannon *
Chicky, Chicky, Chook, Chook, by Cathy MacLennan
Do Like Duck Does!, by Judy Hindley
Beetle Bop, by Denise Fleming
Toot and Puddle, by Holly Hobbie *
Where Did Bunny Go?, by Nancy Tafuri
Orange Pear Apple Bear, by Emily Gravett *

Early Readers
Judy Moody Goes to College, by Megan McDonald *

Middle Readers
Lunch Money, by Andrew Clements (audio book)
Ida B...and her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World, by Katherine Hannigan
Yellow Star, by Jennifer Roy
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Bloom (audio book) (re-read) *
Horns and Wrinkles, by Joseph Helgerson

Young Adult
Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli
The Patron Saint of Butterflies, by Cecilia Galante *
Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch, by Joseph DeLaney
The Last Apprentice: The Curse of the Bane, by Joseph DeLaney
The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas *
The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer, by Joseph DeLaney
House of Many Ways, by Diana Wynne Jones
The Time Paradox, by Eoin Colfer

Graphic Novel
Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano

Non-Fiction
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food, by Jennifer 8 Lee

* = a favorite

The Magic Thief

2008-08-27T11:03:00.000-04:00

by Sarah Prineas

Conn is a simple street thief looking for his next meal (it hadn't been a good thieving day), when he spots an older man walking down a dark alley. Conn snatches a stone from the man and heads off in the other direction. Unfortunately, the man, a wizard called Nevery, catches Conn and is able to save him before the stone kills him. Turns out, Conn has stolen Nevery's locus magicalicus, which is a focus stone that allows a wizard to perform magic. Typically, if someone touches a locus magicalicus that isn't their own, they die. For some reason, Conn doesn't die, and that is enough for Nevery to take a special interest in him. Conn is taken on as Nevery's apprentice and together they must figure out why their town is losing its magic. Without magic, the town will fall into a never-ending winter and for all intents and purposes, die.

Do you remember my post about thieves a while back? The fact that title of this book contains the word thief is pretty much the reason I bought this book. I had some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, so I went to Borders. While wandering around, I found a book that I knew I wanted (Wizard Heir, which I had already read but didn't yet own) and still had a bit of money left over. When I saw the shiney cover and the title of The Magic Thief, I decided to go for it.

I am so glad I did! This book is a fun light-hearted fantasy and a fairly quick read. For the most part Conn is a delightful character. He is bright, resourceful, and never gave up - even when everyone quit believing in him. It did seem like things came to him a bit too easy (instantly learning to read, remembering complex spells, etc), which was only kind of explained by the magic wanting him to save it (or something, I didn't really understand that bit). It was never fully explained; however, there is supposed to be a sequel out next year, so hopefully we'll learn more about Conn and his impressive gifts then.

Nevery was also a bit odd. I actually liked him - I found him kind of brooding and mysterious. My husband hated how he never believed in Conn. Husband actually went so far as to say that he though Nevery wasn't necessary. I think he was definately necessary, but I do hope we will also learn more about him in the future as well.

We both recommend this first book in a new trilogy (or maybe more).

4 out of 5 stars

2008-08-23T18:41:00.000-04:00

"I need fiction. I'm an addict. This is not a figure of speech."
~ Francis Spufford, The Child that Books Built

I couldn't actually get through the rest of the book - to dry and slow for my tastes - but I thought that quote was fabulous and so very true.

The Last Apprentice Series

2008-08-22T11:18:00.000-04:00

My husband and I started a new series together this month: The Last Apprentice by Joseph DeLaney. To be honest the covers of these books are quite dark looking - I found the first one kind of creepy - so I have always avoided them. But my husband was fascinated by them, so we checked out the first book from the library for him. He loved it, asked me to read it, and we have now read the first three in the series.

This series is aimed at people ages 10 and up, which is probably about right. However, these books are quite a bit darker and a bit scarier than most other young fantasy out there right now. So, if you have a timid reader, it might not be a bad idea to wait on this one for a few years or at least pre-read it first.

Revenge of the Witch is the first book in the series, and in it we meet Thomas Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son who has been apprenticed to the local Spook. A Spook is someone who rids the area of creatures of the dark (ie witches, ghosts, ghasts, etc), and while a necessary part of society are definately not looked fondly on. The Spook, whose real name is John Gregory, is a fairly strict teacher, and Tom is a bit of a coward. But, as time progresses and Tom learns more, they begin to get on rather well. Through a series of events that are pretty much all Tom's fault, a powerful witch is released from captivity. Tom is able to stop her for a time, but the Spook warns him that she will be back and seeking revenge. Will Tom be ready when she comes?

Very enjoyable first book in a series. It starts of pretty fast-paced and continues that way throughout. Other than Tom (who grows enough to decide to stay an apprentice), there isn't a ton of character development, but the characters we do meet are fun and I was anxious to get to know them better. Tom's Mam is of particular interest - there is definately more to her than meets the eye.

Oh, and I hate the cover of this book. To me it looks like the Spook is missing his leg, and he has a rather creepy face. I never would have started this series based on this cover.

4 out of 5 stars
Curse of the Bane starts off shortly after Revenge of the Witch ends. Tom is continuing his work as the Spook's apprentice, and he has even had his first opportunity to trap a boggart by himself. The Spook and Tom head to Priestown, named for the number of priests (who hate Spooks) there, for the Spook's brother's funeral. While there, they need to tackle the Bane, a creature of the dark, that lives in a labyrinth under Priestown. The Bane is bound to the labyrinth, but he has been gaining in power and it is only a matter of time before he escapes, causing a reign of terror.

I liked this book as much as the first, though there was a fairly strong anti-religious sentiment to it. Nothing that would make you stop believing your faith (it's aimed at religion in general), but enough that it is definately there. Both my husband and I commented on it. I would probably read this book with my kid to discuss any questions about the soul and existence after death as they come up, since it's a theme. We also start picking up hints about the Spook's past. He's developing into a rather interesting guy.

4 out of 5 stars
Night of the Soul Stealer is the third book, and is quite a bit larger (length wise) than the first two books. This time there are two competing storylines: Meg, a lamia witch that the Spook is/was in love with, and Morgan a former apprentice that failed to make the Spook's cut. Morgan has since turned to the dark and is able to control spirits; he is trying to awaken Golgoth a former god (for lack of a better term) that controls winter. Tom's father is also very ill.

I don't really want to say much else about this one in an effort to avoid spoilers. We do learn a lot more about the Spook and Tom's Mam in this book, which was by far the best part. Meg's storyline is quite predictable, but it really worked well for the rest of the story. I hated Morgan's storyline though. It was super predictable, and it really didn't seem necessary. Other than helping open up some of the Spook's past, the story itself didn't move forward by this storyline at all.

So far, this is my least favorite in the series. However, it has a feel of a bridge novel. The book in every series that is a bit harder to get through but is necessary to the overall story (maybe like Harry 5). So, we will at least read the next one before giving up all hope :)

3.5 out of 5 stars

There are two other books out in this series: Attack of the Fiend and Wrath of the Bloodeye (which won't actually be released until next week). I could find very little about this series on the web, including the publishers web site; the one source that had any real information was Wikipedia. Typically, I try to avoid taking anything from that site as truth, but it appears that there will be at least 7 books in this series, and we look forward to them all.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies

2008-08-18T14:14:00.000-04:00

by Cecilia Galante

Honey and Agnes were born within weeks of each other at the religious commune, Mount Blessings, but they couldn't be more different from each other. Honey, an orphan, is constantly trying to rebel from the strict rules that are enforced; whereas, Agnes will do anything in her power, including self mutilation as penance, to become a saint. The commune that they live in has around 260 people in it, and the leaders, Emmanuel (the founder) and Veronica, rule all. When Agnes' grandmother makes a surprise visit to the compound, she discovers a well kept secret and decides to get Honey, Agnes, and Benny (Agnes' little brother) out of there. The results lead Agnes and Honey on a journey to self discovery.

I loved this book. I read it in about a 8 hour block - it would have been in one sitting except my husband wanted to watch a movie with me. It was a touching story of friendship and faith, and it gave (what seemed to be) a realistic view into what life might be like in a sect that is secluded from the world.

The story rotates between Honey and Agnes, and they both have very distinctive personalities. I don't really understand how Honey was able to become as rebellious as she was - she had lived in the secluded world her whole life, but there are a few clues to that. And poor Agnes. I rotated between feeling pity towards her and her brainwashed mind and wanting to strangle her for being so oblivious. Experiencing the "real" world (ie WalMart, McDonalds, etc) through their eyes was kind of an eyeopening experience.

I thought it was interesting that Emmanuel and Veronica, the leaders, were allowed to own TVs and other things of the world that their followers were told only led to temptation. When Honey points out the discrepancy, Agnes waves it off by explaining the leaders are on a higher field away from temptation or something. The discrepancies between the leaders and the followers in religious cults has always interested me - how can someone on the inside not see the problem?

The book did an excellent job of not bashing religion, which is something that could have easily been done given the subject matter.

This book would make a fabulous book club book.

5 out of 5 stars

Trouble

2008-08-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

by Gary Schmidt

Henry Smith is the youngest of three children in the Smith Family. His "...father told him that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you." (p 1). Unfortunately, Trouble does find the Smith family in the form of Chay Chouan, a Cambodian immigrant, who strikes Henry's older "perfect" brother Franklin with his truck, sending the Smith family into chaos. Conflicted by anger and guilt, Henry sets of with his dog and best friend to climb Mount Katahdin - a hike that Henry had planned to do with Franklin. Along the way Henry finds more Trouble, fear, anger, and eventually the ability to forgive.

I really loved the character of Henry. His conflict and righteous indignation towards Chay were wonderfully developed. I wish his love/hate relationship with Franklin had been addressed a bit more, especially any guilt he may have felt about the hate. It was apparent that there was a lot to both love and hate about his older brother.

I also thought that Chay was an interesting character and the snippets that we saw from his point of view really added to the story.

There's a lot to this book. Themes of forgiveness, racial tension, family, true friends and more run throughout, and it's easy to almost get overwhelmed by everything that is being presented. It is also a fairly slow moving book, so it might be easy for people to give up and quit before getting almost anywhere. It's a book that I definately recommend reading for long stretches at a time, as opposed to a chapter or two every night. I didn't love it as much as The Wednesday Wars by the same author, but I would definately recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars

PS Why do all of Gary Schmidt's books have such unattractive covers? Of the three books that I have read by him, I wouldn't have picked one up based on the cover:

PSS I am getting my wisdom teeth out in about an hour, so will be the last post for a bit. Pain killers tend to knock me out...

A Question...

2008-08-11T12:40:00.000-04:00

...that has been bothering me for ages.

At the end of some books, why is there a page with a paragraph similar to this:

This book was edited by Cheryl Klein and designed by Alison Klapthor.

The Text was set in Adobe Jenson Pro, a typeface designed by Robert Slimbach in the 1990s for Adobe, which was adapted from the original book typefaces designed by Nicolas Jenson in the 1470s. The display type was set in P22Michelangelo, designed by Denis Kegler and Richard Kegler at P22 type foundry in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The book was printed and bound at RR Donnelley in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

The production was supervised by Susan Jeffers Casel, and the manufacturing was supervised by Jaime Capifali.

(Text from the last page of the hardcover edition of A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce)

I am particularly interested in the explanation of the font that was used and its basic history.

Like I said, it's been bothering me for ages (I tend to be fairly obsessive). It's especially bothersome because similar paragraphs are not included in all books, so it must not be a requirement by copyright companies (or something)...

Any ideas?

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food

2008-08-08T11:08:00.000-04:00

by Jennifer 8 Lee

(the 8 stands for prosperity in Chinese)

In 2005, an unusually large of people got 5 out of 6 numbers from the Powerball drawing correct. The one thing tying many of these people together is the fact that they had chosen their numbers based off a numbers found in a fortune cookie. Lee, a reporter, decided to follow the trail of the fortune cookies by visiting the winners, the restaurants they ate at, and eventually where the fortune cookies were made. Along the way she tells the story of chop suey (100% American), General Tso's Chicken (mostly American), the history of fortune cookies, and various other random facts about American-Chinese food. Lee also spends several years visiting many states and something like 23 countries trying to find the best Chinese restaurant in the world (outside of China).

Overall, this book had a lot of interesting useless information. Not useless in a bad way, but in a "I don't know that I will ever need to know this" kind of way. The P.F. in P.F. Chang's stands for Paul Fleming while the Chang is a variant of Chiang the names of the co-founders of the restaurant. The Kosher Duck Scandal of 1989 was interesting, though I am not sure I would have called it a scandal - more like a problem that might have been covered up - or something. Basically in Orthodox Jewish communities there are people that actually monitor what is served in kosher restaurants to make sure they remain kosher. When, during a shortage of kosher ducks, a Chinese restaurant continues selling duck based meals, an alarm is sounded. Nothing really gets anywhere though - the restaurant is cleared and the "whistle blower" is sent packing.

I thought the information about fortune cookies was the most interesting. If the book had been an essay just with her information about the history of the fortune cookie, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I did figure out the connection between the Chinese and the Japanese Interment camps (as relating to the fortune cookie, not to the interment) way before her big "ah ha!" moment near the end. I've also been craving a fortune cookie since reading the book...

My biggest complaint about this book was its length. There was way more information than was ever needed. Several stories I read and wondered why they were included - like the family that moved from NY to Georgia and opened a Chinese restaurant and the hardships they faced. Other than showing how difficult it is to own/run a family restaurant, I don't know what I was supposed to gain from the story, and it certainly didn't add to the book as a whole. At nearly 300 hundred pages, I suspect the book would have been better overall if maybe a third or so had been cut out in the editorial process. It just kind of dragged.

The interesting facts were interesting, but getting there took a lot of work sometimes. If you are really into Chinese food/general immigration trends for people from China, give it a shot. Otherwise, I am not sure it's completely worth the effort.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Books as Gifts

2008-08-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

I almost always give books as gifts to anyone younger than 12. Anyone older than 12 is still likely to get a book, if I can find something I think they will like, but it is not a guarantee they will get one. My little brother hates this concept. He's nearly 14 years younger than me, so I had more or less developed this philosophy by the time he was old enough to actually want gifts for Christmas/birthdays. One year he even told me that it would be "Ok" if I didn't always give him a book.

When I met my oldest nephew for the first time, he was around 4 months old. I brought him a touch and feel book about diggers (like tractors, etc), thinking that he would like it when he was older. I handed the book to his folks and his mom said "Oh, that's great. I've been meaning to buy him a book." This was his first book. Ever. I couldn't believe it. I realize at 4 months he wasn't really interested in books either listening or reading, but I still can't believe it. Now he always gets at least one book for Christmas (his birthday is Christmas Eve, so I tend to vary up the gifts between the two).

Here are some of my favorite books to give as gifts:

Babies
Moo, Baa, La La La, by Sandra Boynton
Blue Shirt, Green Shirt, by Sandra Boynton
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

1-2 year olds
Pajama Time, by Sandra Boynton
Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!, by Sandra Boynton
Gallop!, by Rufus Butler Seder
Kitten's First Full Moon, by Kevin Henkes (how I wish this was a board book!)

3-4 year olds
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst
Fancy Nancy, by Jane O'Connor (I'm not really a fan of the sequels)
Corduroy, by Don Freeman
Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
Curious George, by H.A. Rey

As more kids are added to the mix, and as my nephews (and someday niece) get older, I'm having a harder time coming up with new ideas. Any suggestions?

What are some of your favorite books to give?

My Most Favorite Books: Moo Baa La La La

2008-08-02T13:36:00.001-04:00

by Sandra Boynton

This silly board book takes you through several animals and what they say. The very first page is a picture of a cow, and reads "A cow says moo." and each subsequent page lists animals and their sounds. The best part (and most fun to read aloud) is the line "And 3 little pigs say la la la!" Later, we are informed that pigs actually say "oink all day and night."

I don't really know how to review this book because there really isn't a lot to review. The pictures are very simple and the text is short and to the point. Perfect for babies, which is why it is one of my favorite books to give at baby showers (the other is Blue Shirt, Green Shirt also by Sandra Boynton - she's one of my favorite picture book authors).

I did read a funny review on Amazon that said something like she wished Sandra Boynton hadn't said that pigs say "la la la" because now her son is at the play ground playing with pigs and he always says "la la la" while the other kids say "oink" or snort, and all the mothers look at her funny. I have no idea how this could be true (it is clarified that pigs say oink afterall), but I think it's hilarious!

I highly recommend this book for all new mothers (and their children).

* Laura H - I know you want me to do The Book Thief, and I will. soon. hopefully. I am waiting for a friend to return my copy first!

July Book List

2008-08-01T11:33:00.000-04:00

Picture Books
Henry's Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson
The Biggest Frog in Australia, by Susan L. Roth
When Grandma Came, by Jill Paton Walsh and Sophy Williams
Daddy, by Susan Paradis *
What Daddies do Best and What Mommies do Best, by Laura Numeroff
Saint George and the Dragon, by Margaret Hodges and Trina Schart Hyman

Middle Readers
Someone Named Eva, by Joan M. Wolf *
The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke (audio book) (re-read) *
The Buddha's Diamonds, by Carolyn Marsden and Thay Phap Niem

Young Adult
Me, the Missing and the Dead, by Jenny Valentine
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart *
Princess Ben, by Catherine Murdock *
A Curse Dark as Gold, by Elizabeth C. Bunce
The House of Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer
The Midwife's Apprentice, by Karen Cushman (audio book)
The Case of the Left Handed Lady, by Nancy Springer *
Wildwood Dancing, by Juliet Marillier
Genius Squad, by Catherine Jinks
Ever, by Gail Carson Levine
Sweethearts, by Sara Zarr
Trouble, by Gary Schmidt *

Adult Books
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley (audio book)
Home, by Julie Andrews

* = a favorite

Wow. I read a lot of books this month, though I didn't review that many. There are actually a review for a few of these in the works, but there's no way I will get to them all. Oh well. Maybe next month...

Sweethearts

2008-07-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

by Sarah Zarr

Sweethearts is the story of Jennifer/Jenna a seventeen year old semi-popular girl who hates her birthday. On her ninth birthday, something happened at her best friend's house, and she has never really been able to move on. Jennifer (aka Fattifer) is a chubby misfit who only has the one friend. The next school year, her friend (Cameron) moves away and is presumed dead, so Jennifer transforms herself into Jenna who doesn't cry at school and has lots of friends. However, her world is thrown for a loop when Cameron shows up at her school on her 17th birthday, and Jenna must figure out who she really is and what happened to her friend so many years ago.

This story rotates between the memory of her ninth birthday and the present. I thought this format worked really well for the story, and I read more and more trying to figure out exactly what happened that fateful day. Jenna is an interesting character, especially her conflict in trying to figure out who she really is. I think everyone experiences this dilemma at some point growing up (though maybe not to the same extent), and the emotions felt real. Her use of food as a crutch also seemed really true to life. I enjoyed watching her try to determine who she was.

I was disappointed that Cameron's character wasn't developed as thoroughly. It kind of felt like we should just know that he was an amazing friend to someone who didn't have any. The examples of him being an amazing friend (the doll house and the ring) were sweet, but they didn't seem to be enough to have caused such a deep connection. I also thought it was interesting that he didn't seem to have many issues for a kid the grew up in such an abusive/transient household.

My biggest complaint about this book is kind of petty, but it really bothered me, and it took away from my reading enjoyment. The story takes place in Salt Lake City and the two main characters (Jenn and Cam) are not members of the LDS church. Several times in the book the author makes sure to mention that they aren't LDS and that's why they are outcasts. Like when Jennifer is explaining why she was picked on in school she says something along the lines of she was chubby, smelled funny, wasn't Mormon, things like that (I returned the book to the library, so I don't have an exact quote). And later, when Jenna is talking about the school she goes too she says something about how all the kids that go there don't quite fit in for various reasons: behavior issues, not being Mormon enough, etc. I just really felt that this was totally unnecessary, especially since there weren't any characters in the story who were LDS. The "bad guy" was Cam's father, who was not a Mormon. Why bring it up at all if there wasn't a purpose?

I should add that the references only happen a handful of times; it is definately not a theme for the story. I suspect that most people won't even pick up on it. I don't really know what else to say about it; for some reason it just really bothered me and took away from my enjoyment of the story because it was totally unnecessary.

3 out of 5 stars

My Most Favorite Books

2008-07-29T23:00:00.000-04:00

So, I recently figured out that I have only reviewed one of my most favorite books for this site. Mostly that's because I only review books as I read them, and I read all the others listed before starting the blog. But, it does make sense to take the time to review the books at the very most top of my favorite list (I have lots and lots of favorites), so I will try to do that over the next little while.
In the mean time here's the list (in no particular order), including a link to the one that I have reviewed:

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
Moo Baa La La La, by Sandra Boynton
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke
The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo

What are some of your most favorite books? Ones that you can read over and over and love no matter what anyone else says?

The Case of the Left Handed Lady

2008-07-24T10:23:00.000-04:00

by Nancy Springer

Enola spelled backwards is alone, and that is exactly the situation that Enola finds herself in. She's had no contact from her mother and she is still on the run from her brothers (Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes) in order to not have to go to boarding school and become a "proper" lady. She uses a series of disguises to keep herself busy and allude capture. First there's the nightly visits as a sister of mercy - helping the poor and needy in London; then she's also been hired by Dr. Watson to find none other than herself; next she's also decided to try to find the missing teenage daughter of Sir Eustance Austair; finally, she's still constantly on the look out for any sign of her mother. When she discovers that her brother Sherlock is actually concerned for her welfare, she makes an effort to let him know that she's ok, but still has every desire to stay away. Will she be able to remain free from her brothers and solve her new case?

I read the first Enola Holmes mystery thinking that it was an early reader (maybe a step above Judy Moody, but below Gregor the Overlander), which it definately was not. The writing is superb and quite a bit more advanced than Gregor, though it should still be readable by the older elementary school crowd. However, I didn't particularly enjoy it. Since most people really liked Enola, and I am always up to a good mystery, I decided to give this one a chance. I'm really glad I did!

Enola is an interesting character who seems wise beyond her years. Possibly this is due to her odd upbringing and the fact that she's quite bright, but she really doesn't feel like a 14 year old when I read her. Other than that little aside, she really is interesting. Knowing that her brothers probably think she is dressed up as a boy, she chooses instead to remain "hidden" by dressing as various women and working right out in the open. She cleverly uses clothing required at the time (ie corsets) to her advantage and seems to have a gift in disguises.

I'm not sure how much I liked how Sherlock was portrayed in this book - I love the grouchy old Holmes with all of my heart. But, I do tend to think that even grouchy old men hold a soft spot somewhere, and if his soft spot is for his much younger sister than so be it. He plays such a minor roll that I try not to worry about it.

The mystery itself was pretty good as well. I'm not really sure I understood the significance of the left hand - or at least why Enola jumped on it so quickly when she realized that Miss Austair used her left hand to draw some pictures. However, the mystery felt real, and kept me guessing for a while (I did figure most of it out before Enola), which is the most important aspect for me in a good mystery.

Overally, I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and I think I will re-read the first. Maybe I was just so shocked by how much better the story was developed that I had imagined that I judge the book prematurely.

4 out of 5 stars

Oh, the first one is called: The Case of the Missing Marquess and you do not have to read it first, though it will help explain why Enola is on the run and what happened to her mother.

Someone Named Eva

2008-07-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

by Joan M. Wolf

Just a few weeks after Milada's 11th birthday, the Nazi's snatch her family from their home. The women and (young) children are separated from the men and taken to a school where they are held for several days. Because of her Aryan features, at the end of the time in the school Milada and one other girl are taken from their families and put on a bus to Poland, where their Germanization will begin. At Milada's new school, she is treated well: plenty of food, clean clothes, her own bed, etc; but at the same time, she is forced to take on a new name (Eva), learn and speak exclusively German and accept the views of her new teachers. Eventually, Eva is adopted into a German family where she deals with trying to remember the Milada from Czechoslovakia and guilt regarding the fact that she has genuinely come to love her new German family.

I really liked this book. It's a fictionalized account of actual events, and I had a hard time putting it down. It focuses on an aspect of WWII that I knew nothing about, and I just ate it up. I actually spent several hours yesterday looking up more information about Germinazation, Lidice (the town Milada was born in), and various other things I learned about in the book. I love books that spark (or renew) an interest in something to the degree that I actually seek out more information about the subject.

Milada is a likable character and her struggles throughout the book felt real. Especially the the times when she is trying to figure out how she can hate the Nazis and everything about them while loving her new found family, who consisted of Nazis. The conflicts seemed so real, and I spent the whole book longing along with Milada to know what had happened to her family and friends.

Be sure to read the author's note in the back to learn in more detail what happened in the town of Lidice, Czechoslovakia on June 10, 1942 and survivors the author interviewed while writing this book. It's both horrifying and fascinating at the same time.

The entire time I read this book I kept thinking of Number the Stars, by Lois Lowery. I'm not sure why: they are completely different books (other than the whole WWII thing). Possibly because they are written for about the same age group? Or because they focus on a different part of the war than I'm used to reading/hearing about. But, if you haven't read Number the Stars, it's another great WWII book that I highly recommend.

4.5 out of 5 stars

And the winner is...

2008-07-17T10:04:00.001-04:00

Miss Erin!

Thanks everyone who entered, I wish you all could have won!

Erin, if you would please send me an email [krossgen (at) yahoo (dot) com] with the address you'd like me to send the book to, I will get it out to you soon!