07.17.08
Notes from a Liar and Her Dog
by Gennifer Choldenko
author of If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period.
For Antonia MacPherson, lying is natural. But that is only because she is adopted. It doesn’t matter what her mom says; she knows it’s true. Her mom is not her real mom; her dad is not her real dad; her sisters are not her real sisters. The only real one is Pistachio, her dog, who is her real dog.
But when Just Carol takes Ant under her wing, Ant might have to change. Just Carol likes the truth. And she won’t take anything less
I can’t say I was particularly impressed by this book. It had a believable subject, and a believable heroine, and it started well. I think everyone, at least once in their lives, has felt like Ant: a misfit whose parents don’t understand her and prefer their siblings. I believe everyone has probably lied before, and for some of the same reason that Ant lied. I really liked that start, and I liked the ending, too.
But the middle, I had problems with the middle. I hated Ant’s parents. I’m used to reading about parents who are slightly patronizing or difficult, but Ant’s parents weren’t just that. They were frustrating and selfish who seem to want to just ignore her. Especially her mom. I don’t blame Ant for sticking to her ‘real’ parents.
Parents can be frustrating; they can be bad. But I think this was unrealistic. Ant had tried many times to get through to her mother; it seemed to me like if Mrs. MacPherson didn’t believe her daughter or her daughter’s teacher the first times, why would she believe her the last time?
I liked the plot; I liked the idea. But to me, the parents kind of fouled the story. No one likes parents that are as hard as the MacPhersons. Unless Ant was exaggerating without realizing it, I truly doubt this.
I like Ant; I like Harrison, Ant’s best friend, and I like Just Carol, the teacher. I even like Elizabeth and Kate, her sisters. But I couldn’t like Ant’s parents. I suppose I was somewhat reconciled to Ant’s mom eventually, but I definitely did not like Ant’s dad. I like this book; I just think it might be better if shortened with a few confrontations between Ant and her mother cut out.
06.21.08
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period
by Gennifer Choldenko, read by Ariadne Meyers & Francois Battiste (4 Discs)
“Kirsten’s world is crumbling. Her parents are always fighting; her best friend prefers the popular Brianna to her; and to top it off, she’s definitely fat. She’s gained forty pounds in three months.
“Walker Jones’ main goal is to survive his new (basically all white) private school. His mother has sent him there because she thinks he’s going to screw up like his cousin. But he’s a good kid, as is his new friend Matteo, though for some reason, Matteo will do anything the blonde Brianna asks.”
This is a good, nicely written book. It’s sweet and realistic and painful too, in parts. I was really fond of Kirsten and her fresh, honest voice. There were some things that bothered me, like how she almost seemed to have no peer pressure, but it was smoothed over most of the time.
Walk I had a harder time getting used to, but I think he’s a well rounded character; funny, nice, and sometimes bad, sometimes stupid.
I also liked Kirsten’s mom. Sure, I about hated her, but I think she was crafted nicely. A mom who tends to think her daughter is a recluse and that her daughter is picky and that her daughter needs to get out more, a mother who sides with the popular moms’ kids. Yes, not a very good mom, but yes, a nicely formed character. Especially because she didn’t mean bad; she thought she was helping.
One thing that struck me as strange (not necessarily bad but strange) is that on the blurb it says:
“Then Kirsten discovers something that shakes her and Walk to their cores…”
I spent a long time waiting for this secret. If I remember correctly, it didn’t come until Disc 3. It didn’t make the book any more boring, because I suppose the author needed ample time to supply us on the characters, and normal life, but I thought she spent most of the time filling us in and not as much time solving the problem outlined on the back. Not that I was ever bored, or compelled to turn it off, because a lot of other problems were also brought up, but I thought it might have been better if the secret was brought up a little sooner. I pretty much predicted it by Disc 2. I wasn’t perfectly sure, but I was pretty sure.
But on the whole, it’s a nice book, nice and full of the unpredictable behavior and feeling that is a very normal occurrence, at least for me. I liked it how Kirsten and Walk were uncertain about things and flipping back and forth on others. Very, very nice.
06.19.08
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree
by Lauren Tarshis
“Emma-Jean Lazarus is definitely different from everyone else at William Gladstone Middle School. That’s okay; she knows it. She is fond of her peers but she prefers to stand and watch their illogical behavior from afar.
“Colleen Pomerantz tries so hard to be nice—to everyone, even strange Emma-Jean Lazarus. But now the meanest girl in school is trying to steal her best friend, and it seems that the only one who cares is Emma-Jean Lazarus.
“Emma-Jean thinks it prudent to observe her fellow seventh graders instead of getting mixed up in their troubles. But now Colleen Pomerantz is asking for her help, and how can she say no?”
I really loved this book. It kind of reminded me of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, in the way that it was centered on friendship (though in different ways) and the humor, the way it was serious but funny at the same time. I liked how both TSofTP and this book is deep, but in a light, enjoyable way. It, at times, made me giggle out loud (which is unusual) and other times feel sympathy for the people. But through the entire book, I was rooting for Emma-Jean and Colleen.
I found Emma-Jean and Colleen and all their fellow classmates believable people. Definitely real in the way that none are perfect, but none are ridiculously bad, either, the way some books seem to portray people. They are well rounded, sweet, and all have ups and downs. (Perhaps that’s what I like best about them: they all have downs).
It did slightly strike me as unusual that Colleen was one of the most popular girls in school, and yet she still took weird Emma-Jean as a close friend, and managed to convince all her friends to do the same. But I guess that situation is possible if not probable, and, other than that, it was an enjoyable book.
I’m not usually the sort to love books right off the bat and to continue to love them, even as it finishes and even days later, but I have the feeling that I’ll enjoy this book always. It’s sweet, funny, serious, and deep. The caption says it’s ‘for listeners ages 8 to 11’, but I think it can be enjoyable to everyone—maybe more to older people, who might understand it—and appreciate it—as much as it deserves to be.
06.12.08
Heartbeat
written by Sharon Creech, read by Mandy Siegfried
I haven’t been reading lately, so I’ve been stocking up on audio books. I just finished reading Heartbeat by Sharon Creech. I love audio books—I used to think they were slow, but now I like that about them; they let you think in between, while you’re listening and while you’re resting.
When I’m reading, I tend to finish reading, then wait for a day or two until I write the book review. During that day or two, I think what happens is that the story gets arranged in my mind, and that makes it fairer when I judge. I tend to judge better a day or so after than right after with the words still ringing in my head or ears.
But with audio books, they’re nice, because I think I have the strange tendency to rush through books. I think this is because I read so many books of little worth when my reading career was beginning, that I tended to rush to the end, for hope of better plot, character design, etc., even if I didn’t realize it. And it’s been a habit ever since. I usually go back a few times, to reread certain sections, and it seems that every time I reread a book, I realize something new, which probably means I skim a lot.
In audio books, I can’t miss anything. Not anything. And it’s gives me a lot of time to think in between.
Um, to Heartbeat.
“Annie is twelve years old. Lately, her world has been changing, and she’s not exactly sure to good or bad. Her mother’s expecting a baby, and Annie’s been an only child all her life. Her grandfather seems all mixed up and confused, and much more forgetful. And her best friend, Max, is preoccupied with ambitions, which she’s not sure if she’s part of or not.”
This was a sweet, lovely book. I’m not sure if the voice of Mandy Siegfried is really the voice I’d imagine for Annie if I’d been reading instead of listening. I thought briefly about that at the beginning of the first CD, when I was beginning to know Annie. But by the time it was done, I didn’t think about it any more. Not that my opinion of the voice changed, but it was so familiar it didn’t really matter before.
I listened to the CDs (there were 2) first while I packed for the weekend camp, then while I hemmed my skirt, then while I knit a scarf, and then I just sat on my bed, hearing Annie’s bright, clear voice fill the room.
And I loved the book. I loved the rhythm of her voice, pure and sure. There was humor, and there were sentimental parts.
One thing I love about Sharon Creech is that often she leaves the character at the end of the voice, with things still unresolved, but with the hope that the main character can fix things now. You get the feeling that it doesn’t matter if she didn’t narrate it; the main character is going to fix it all, anyway.
It was the same with Heartbeat. The ending wasn’t absolutely clear, and it wasn’t the usual sort of ending, but at the same time, it was nice and comforting and sweet and kind.
And I would like to recommend Heartbeat to anyone, and everyone.
