12.12.08
Recent Reads – December 2008
I’ve been reading a lot lately, and I just hate it when I read too much and cannot post on them. Therefore, today I shall post my recent reads with little reviews next to them.
by Jeanne Birdsall
A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
I loved reading this book. It was so fun! It’s one of those old-fashioned, squeaky clean books full of humor and adventure (and trouble!)
by Robin McKinley
She’s just a beekeeper with a woodright; she shouldn’t be Chalice, second in command. But she is, and she has to deal.
It’s been so long since I read a Robin McKinley book for the first time – and it’s so nice. Her writing is so detailed and enjoyable. It could have been a short story, but it was written into a novel and it’s probably better that way.
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Josie has celebral palsy, which makes her different from everyone else. But she wants to just forget her difference and live.
This book was written in verse. I’ve wanted to read this for so long, and I’m delighted that I finally have. The verses were compelling, and sweet, just like Josie herself.
by Irene Hunt
Julie’s mother has died, so she, with her brother Chris, leaves her father to live with her stern, spinster aunt. She cannot at all imagine what will happen to her.
This is a very old book (I think it was published sometime when my parents were born) but it was so good I decided to include it anyway. The book was detailed, the characters very lovable, and the story charming.
10.23.08
Out of the Wild- Sarah Beth Durst
by Sarah Beth Durst
The Wild was conquered weeks ago by Julie. Or so she thought. But all of a sudden, the Wild swallows one of the three blind mice-only instead of growing, it spits out her father. Rapunzel’s prince.
But Julie’s father is terribly outdated. He doesn’t understand anything around him, and worse-he doesn’t understand how he is fueling the Wild, by doing everything he is supposed to do. So as Julie’s father sets out to rescue a captive Sleeping Beauty, leaving Rapunzel and Gothel as mere pumpkins, Julie has no choice but to follow, knowing that she must stop her father.
This was a wonderful book. I devoured it, and not just because of the newness of it, either (although I do love new books). Julie was an honest character, true to her age and insecurities. The plot was beautiful and sweet, and the other characters-some new, some old-were fantastic.
The plot did start really fast, which launched me straight into the story. It was a wonderful sequel, more satisfying and happily-ever-after than the first one. My only complaint? I wish it was real! I can just begin imagining what I would do, if this book was only non-fiction instead of fiction. 
10.13.08
Into the Wild-Sarah Beth Durst
by Sarah Beth Durst
Julie lives the life of a normal girl in a normal home with normal family friends. But under the pretense, she has some secrets. Under her bed lives a collection of green vines. These are the Wild, which her mother, Rapunzel (yes, the fairy-tale one), somehow defeated and escaped from five hundred years before.
Besides enduring the monster under the bed, Julie also has to live with her mother’s wide range of friends, all fairy-tale characters who also escaped. But the Wild doesn’t just give up. And when the Wild returns, kidnapping Julie’s mother and terrorizing her town, she must go and be the hero in a cruel place which she has underestimated for nearly all her life.
This book was gripping. Nearly every chapter had a cliffhanger ending. The plot is convincing, the intermixing with twists on traditional fairy-tales intriguing, and the characters well-drawn.
What I liked about this book was how the fairy-tale characters regarded the Wild. It had an interesting perspective I’d never heard before, accented by a warning on the back:
Beware of the Wild.
It bites…
The Wild takes hold and doesn’t let go. Just like this book.
09.28.08
Bird Lake Moon-Kevin Henkes
by Kevin Henkes
The blurb on the book:
Spencer thought the house might be haunted.
MItch knew it wasn’t. And he knew why.
The whole time Spencer and Mitch hung out together at Bird Lake that summer, there were secrets keeping them apart.
And maybe a secret knowledge keeping them together, too–together like members of the same tribe. Like friends.
This was a good book. Lots of the emotions were brilliantly portrayed. And yet… I didn’t really fall into this book. It seemed to me like there was too much tell, not enough show, and not enough story. It had one of those not-completely-ended-because-you-know-the-rest endings. The problem was, I didn’t really know.
I think I would have liked this book better had it been simpler and perhaps longer. It seemed to be a book about children to adults, rather than a book about children, to children.
Bird Lake Moon was a nice book, but it wasn’t particularly capturing. I don’t know. It’s a hard book to describe.
08.30.08
All Alone in the Universe- Lynne Rae Perkins
by Lynne Rae Perkins
Debbie lives in a town called Seldem. Over the summer, she likes to hang out with her best friend, Maureen.
But there’s another girl in their town. Her name is Glenna, and she likes Maureen, too. Slowly, Maureen starts to float away from Debbie, and Debbie is devastated, because her best friend is gone.
This is a really sweet book. Debbie is a very, very real heroine. It’s not hard to believe that she does truly exist, and she did really write this book.
This novel is, basically, about friendship, which is explored thoroughly throughout the book. There are really some places which make you stop and wonder and ponder what it means. There are some places that make you laugh, and there are some places that make you sober up. I have to say, I really liked this book.
08.21.08
Saffy’s Angel- Hilary McKay
by Hilary McKay, read by Julia Sawalha
Saffron lives with her two sisters, one brother and mother, Eve. Her father lives in London. She’s perfectly contented-that is, until she learns to read and discovers her name isn’t on the paint chart with the rest of her family. Along with this discovery soon comes the important on: Saffy is adopted. She is really the daughter of Eve’s sister, born in Siena and raised there until her mother died in a car crash.
Then comes more news: Her grandfather has died. He leaves each of the children something-to Saffy, he leaves ‘an angel, a stone angel.’ And with the help of her family, Saffy leaves for Siena to find her angel.
This book was charming and funny and entertaining. Caddy and Rose, Saffron’s sisters and Indigo, Saffron’s brother, were kind and fun. This is about a family, definitely not normal, but a family all the same.
This book talks about belonging. Ever since she realized she was adopted, Saffron doesn’t feel like she quite belongs. It tells about belonging, about how you don’t have to be biologically related to be part of a family.
I loved this book. It was descriptive and sweet, and it even had a little mystery. I think it’s my favorite book about the Casson family.
08.12.08
Forever Rose-Hilary McKay
by Hilary McKay
Rose is the youngest of a crazy family. But lately, it seems that everyone is gone, and she’s alone in the dark, dark house: nobody knows where Caddy is; Saffy and Sarah and Indigo are always busy; Mummy’s in the shed, finishing her paintings; and Daddy’s in London.
And at school, there’s mean Mr. Spencer, who tortures everyone and says Rose can’t read—which gets Sarah started on a project to get Rose addicted to books. And on top of all that, there’s Rose’s friend Molly, who has come up with an idea and has gotten Rose to agree to do it—without knowing exactly what the idea is.
This book was so fun. Told in first-person narrative by Rose, it was funny and intelligent and brimming with honesty. Rose is a compelling character, sarcastic and unaware and sensitive. More than once I found myself laughing because of an unexpected remark. It takes some time to get used to Rose’s creative and dramatic way of writing (and exaggerating) but not a lot and it’s worth it when you do.
This is a completely funny story of family life, and I couldn’t help but enjoy it. Rose was marvelous.
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.
06.19.08
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.
