So Many Books So Little Time

Review: The Hunger Games

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:42:26 GMT

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of the signs of a great book, in my humble opinion, is that the book stays with you when you turn to that last page. While I was skeptical of how good the Hunger Games could be, after all, with all that hype it would just disappoint, I found myself riveted from the early pages. And while I finished the book a couple of days ago, I'm still thinking about the characters and the plot and wondering what happens next.

What used to be North America is now the country of Panem. A country that is led by the Capital city, which controls 12 outlying cities. Years before, there had been a rebellion, and the capital had quashed the rebellion, but to punish the people the Hunger Games were instituted.

2 children, a boy and a girl, between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen each year. They are put into an arena and must fight to the death. There can only be one victor. The one who is the last to live.

When Katniss's 12-year-old sister is chosen, she offers to go in her place. It's up to her to survive. But can she keep her humanity while fighting to the death?

The characterization was so rich. The plot so deep, that it was hard not to think and wonder on the characters. Does she keep her humanity? Can she? Will she try to overthrow the government?

I know there's a lot of hype for this title, but it's hype that is well deserved.

View all my reviews >>

Jumped

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:51:37 GMT

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Told in 3 POVs - this is the story of one girl getting jumped in her high school for the most innocuous offense. When Trina cuts through Dominique and her friends early in the morning, Domnique, already infuriated by the fact that she was benched from her basketball team decides to jump Trina at 2:45 p.m. when school ends. Leticia witnesses the episode - and though excitedly tells her friend - does not warn Trina or go to the authorities to try and prevent it.

The action moves very slowly - taking us through the girls' day in school. The final jump scene is just pages from the end and the scene itself is a bit muddled and incoherent. It took away from the horror of such a scene.

In addition, the 10 page follow-up to the jumping leaves readers quite blah, because in the end - no one (except maybe Trina, the victim) has grown. Dominique has no remorse. Leticia is still spoiled and reveling in the action, but never wondering if it's wrong.

This is a book that has so much potential and fell very short. One thing Williams-Garcia did manage was to truly capture the voices of urban teenagers.

View all my reviews.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:50:54 GMT

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
4 students borrowed this book before I had the opportunity to take this one home. They all came back with similar feelings: This was too sad. Some loved it because it was so sad and intense and others couldn't finish it. So I knew what I was in for, but - wow! - what an intense read. I haven't had that in ages.

The story is about Lia, an 18-year-old girl battling Anorexia-Nervosa. Her best friend Cassie just died. Cassie was Bulimic, not anorexic and their friendship had been on the brink for months. Lia is haunted by Cassie as she struggles with her illness.

This still doesn't top Anderson's first novel, Speak. But it's a close second. I'm sure come award time this title will be making waves.

View all my reviews.

The Eternal Smile

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:42:02 GMT

I've been sucked in... Yesterday, I signed up for Goodreads. When I saw the blog in the post feature, I felt I had to to it, since I've been so negligent in posting to my book blogs.

But I did review this title for a professional journal and didn't feel it was proper to do a full review. Forgive the cryptic review.

The Eternal Smile: Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Not everything is what it seems. Compelling. Wonderful artwork. Worthwhile book to read more than once.

View all my reviews.

Audrey, Wait!

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:50:03 GMT

Audrey, Wait!
By Robin Benway
Razorbill (a division of the Penguin Group USA)
ISBN 978-1-59514-191-0 $16.99 320 p.
April 2008
Ages 14 and up
It’s been a really long time since I’ve updated this blog! At one point, I promised myself, that I’d post about a book a month. The dumb thing is, I’ve been reading a lot more than that, but haven’t had the time to sit and write about what I’m reading.

But Audrey, Wait! put me in the mood to blog again. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I picked this up after hearing about it on a YA literature discussion group. The reviews were unclear as to age appropriateness, and I knew that before purchasing this title for my library’s (middle school) collection, I would have to read it for myself. I’m glad I did.

Here’s the scoop: Audrey Cuttler is an ordinary 16-year-old girl who’s obsessed with music. Her first boyfriend, Evan, is part of a band, but when she realizes that he cares more about himself, his band, and music she decides to break it off.

Using the pain of the break-up Evan writes a song titled, Audrey, Wait. The song is an immediate hit, and because some music exec. is at the concert, Evan’s band the Do Gooders are signed on. The song goes from college radio, to national radio, to national TV. And Audrey, the subject of the song is in middle of all of it.

Audrey can do without the notoriety. But she is in the center of it all. She’s getting calls from reporters, offers to star in a reality TV shows, and offers to endorse lip gloss products. Not to mention she’s being stalked by the paparazzi. But all Audrey wants is to get to know James, the guy who works with her in the Scooper Dooper, an ice cream shop. Will the madness ever end for Audrey? When and how will her 15 minutes of fame end?

This book is a really fast-paced and engaging read. Audrey is a well-drawn character as is her best friend Victoria. She has loving parents (which seems like a real change in YA literature, or at least the literature I’ve been reading lately.) The madness of Audrey’s life is palpable and it’s hard not to go along for the ride.

Music lovers especially will adore this title, because it’s riddled with tidbits about the music world, and captures the throbbing, pounding pulse of the music world.

As for my concerns on age-appropriateness… there’s definitely a lot of swearing and mentions of casual teenage sex. Yet it’s so seamless within the story that it doesn’t feel offensive in the least. (This comes from someone who does not swear!)

So some libraries will put this for high school age only. Some parents will choose to tell their children to wait and read this title. But for those who want and can read this book – it’s a fun ride.

Life Sucks

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:17:44 GMT

Life Sucks
By Abel, Jessica
Soria, Gabe
Pleece, Warren

ISBN 978-1-59643-107-2

Sometimes, after finishing a book, we put the book down and think, ok, now what? That was sort of the feeling I had when I finished Life Sucks. Dave is a reluctant vampire. He was turned against his will by an opportunistic Lord Radu, who needs cheap (meaning free) labor to make a greater profit. Dave is forced to work the graveyard shift (the deadliest) at Radu’s corner bodega, as he is now a vampire slave to Lord Radu (since he was turned by him). Dave hates his life, or rather unlife. Since he refuses to suck on people for blood, he is left weak, unlike the other vampires around. Dave has his eyes on a Goth girl but is up against a much stronger vampire to win her affection. Will Dave succumb and start sucking on humans so he can win Rosa’s heart?

The artwork is strangely dull and uninteresting, considering the bold colors. And while the plot should have grabbed me, I think that the unsympathetic characters just sucked the life out of this story. The last two lines (of this review) make it sound like this book is terrible and it’s not. I did keep turning the pages. I wondered how Dave would turn outt and if he’d get the girl. I also think that with the popularity of vampire novels/stories (Vampire Kisses by Schreiber and Twilight by Meyers), this should be an easy sell to teens. I’m just wondering if they’ll be left as I was when finished reading this book…. “so what?”

While not terribly graphic or violent, this book is suited best for teens and high school libraries.

Savvy

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:17:52 GMT

Savvy
By Law, Ingrid
Dial (An imprint of the Penguin Group) ©May 2008 352pp.
978-0-8037-3306-0

Mibs’ family is not like other families. On their 13^th birthdays members of the Beaumont family receive their savvy (a sort of magical talent) that potentially wreaks havoc on their life. Her older brother Rocket can create electricity, but be weary of his anger or frustration because he’s caused blackouts of an entire city. Fish can start a storm or a hurricane. The hurricane he caused on his 13^th birthday forced the Beaumont family to move to the middle of nowhere between Kansas and Nebraska so that he’d be safe to storm and not create too much chaos.

On the eve of her 13^th birthday, Mibs’ father- who has no savvy- is in a 10-car-pile-up on the highway and is lying in the hospital in a coma. Rocket and Mibs’ mother go to the hospital, but the rest of the Beaumont children and their grandfather are left behind in the care of the minister and his wife.

When the minister’s well-meaning wife hears that it’s Mib’s birthday, she decides to throw a birthday party, not realizing that for a Beaumont at age 13 this could spell disaster.

Mibs is eagerly waiting to find out what her savvy is, and in the wake of her father’s accident is hoping that it will help wake him from unconsciousness. Instead, havoc begins when Mibs notices a tattoo on Bobbi, the minister’s rebellious 16-year-old daughter. It talks to Mibs and seems to tell her what Bobbi is really thinking. That’s when Mibs faints. When she wakes up, voices are screaming at her, and all she can think to do is run. She sneaks on a bus hoping it will take her to the hospital. Bobbi and Walter, the minister’s son who is crushing on Mibs, follow as do Fish and Mibs youngest brother.

But the bus goes the wrong way and it leads the five teens on the adventure of their lives.

My attention was capture from the first page as Law’s lyrical prose sang off the pages. Colorful characters with colorful language, humor, adventure, all rolled up into a rollicking fun read. This book is full of boisterous energy and will surely be a hit with young readers (grades 4-7). A touch of fantasy, lots of realism, and many well-rounded characters.

The book is published by Dial in conjunction with Walden Media. I imagine it will eventually be optioned into a movie and the potential for a fun family film lies within this book.

Cross posted to http://cornerbooks.blogspot.com/

SVH: Double Love

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:22:17 GMT

Double Love (Sweet Valley High)

by Pascal, Francine
Random House: Laurel Leaf ©April 2008 240pp.
ISBN 978-0-440-42262-4

Starting in 5^th grade I devoured the Sweet Valley High series. My mom hated that I read the “drivel,” and I had to hide them from her. I remember getting in trouble for reading one title (Out all Night?) in class behind my textbook. Worse, when the principal wanted to know why I brought “such a book,” to school, I said it wasn’t mine and ratted out the friend who lent it to me. (I was so mean! I’m sorry, A. I should have never ) SVH, was not high on the list of upstanding teen literature in my day. In fact, in the early days of the series, you couldn’t find the books in the public library. Though by the time I became a (young adult) librarian, I was weeding out the series for more current and popular ones even though many of the spin-offs remained.

So lo and behold, was I surprised to find out that Random House is reissuing the series for today’s teens. The school newspaper is now on the web. The girls have cell phones. They eat Mexican food, drive a Jeep Wrangler and are very obviously living in the 21^st century. Fortunately, the attitudes of librarians, educators, and parents have changed much over the years since I was a pre-teen/teen (for the most part). It no longer matters what teens are reading as long as they are reading. So young teen girls who pick up the reissued series will probably not be met with the same resistance I did. (Though I think my religious upbringing had more to do with it than the quality of reading.)

And reading the advanced reading copy (ARC) just reaffirmed that Sweet Valley High is nothing more than a fun read, meant to be devoured at the beach. (The fact that it’s about 30°F here didn’t mitigate my enjoyment.) The Wakefield Twins have not changed in the least. Jessica is still a self-absorbed drama queen. Elizabeth is still the smart, studios, but not so self-assured twin who lives in her sister’s shadow.

In volume 1, Double Love, Elizabeth is crushing on Todd Wilkins the captain of the football team. When Jessica intercepts a phone call at the house, she sets his eyes on him and decides that she, captain of the cheerleading squad, and him, would make the perfect couple. There are lots of miscommunications, backstabbing, and fun to be had. All PG-13.

I can’t wait until Tuesday – to bring this ARC to work to see if today’s teens and tweens will enjoy this as much as I did (both at that age and today).

Cross-posted to http://cornerbooks.blogspot.com

Long May She Reign

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:42:31 GMT

Long May She Reign
by Ellen Emerson White
708pp.©2007
ISBN 978-0-312-3676-1

Reading Long May She Reign was like catching up with an old friend. And just like when you’re in the midst of catching up with said friends - you start talking and talking and let everything (from meals, dishes, and other chores) just pile up and left undone. So my house is a mess. There are mounds of unfolded laundry, and stacks of unwashed dishes, but I’ve completed the 4th book about Meg Powers, daughter of the first woman U.S. President.

Meg Powers was first introduced (I believe) in 1984 in the President’s Daughter. There were two more books written in the series, White House Autumn and Long Live the Queen, but the books went out of print. The premise: Meg’s mom runs for president and wins. As the stories progress, Meg goes through a lot. Besides the pressure of being a teenager, Meg has secret service agents tagging along behind her, too much notoriety, and of course, she’s the president’s daughter. There’s an assassination attempt on Meg’s mom (who thankfully survived) and in the third installment Meg is kidnapped by terrorists.

Long May She Reign picks up a few months after Meg comes home from the hospital. She’s suffering from severe injuries and depression. Her family isn’t the same… the tension between her parents is thick. Steven, Meg’s brother, is distant and sullen. And Meg is floundering as college was postponed due to her ordeal, but she decides it’s time to move on with her life and start college.

College life means extra secret service detail, dorm mates who are somewhat uncomfortable with their new neighbor, classes, boy troubles and high but different expectations – all while Meg is still suffering terribly from her injuries. Meg battles depression, anxiety and an eating disorder. Yet this complicated novel grabs the reader and draws them in. Characters are rich and colorful. Old favorites are back … Preston who’s a combination of a father figure and good friend. Beth, Meg’s loyal but zany best friend. And of course, Meg’s parents and her two brothers… cheerful Neal and the sullen (teenager) Steven. There is also such careful attention to detail, (this is either very well researched or the author’s imagination is so vivid she drew a completely believable picture of White House routines and procedures), that it’s impossible not to be sucked into this book.

Readers who’ve never encountered Meg before won’t have trouble picking up this book and diving right in. There’s enough background deftly woven into the story so that readers can follow along. (Lucky for us, the books are being updated and reissued in July 2008… My copies are on reserve.) Yet, Long May She Reign is not a book for reluctant readers. This book is more suited for the mature and thoughtful teens. (Though once the first books are out, which are definitely for reluctant readers, I think this will be an easier sell.) The length of the book will intimidate some as well as the rich SAT words that are sprinkled generously throughout the text. (Yup, I looked words up in the dictionary!)

I’m also torn as to whether or not this book is appropriate for middle school students. (That’s what happens when I become passionate about a title: common sense tells me I can’t add this to my collection, but I want to share it with my students! **PW recommends it for ages 12+, SLJ grades 9+, VOYA Jr. & Sr. High, and Booklist grades 9-12.) The earlier books, to the best of my recollection and judging from reviews, are perfectly okay. But Meg is now in college. She’s living in a co-ed dorm. She meets a boy she really likes. There’s frank and open talk about sex. She’s been through a severe trauma and there are severe repercussions. There are also tough ideas to digest here: such as Meg has coming to term with her mother’s refusal to negotiate with terrorists when she is kidnapped.

And maybe my students won’t be finding this book in our school library…. Even so I fervently hope they find it some day and spend a day or week catching up with Meg Powers.

P.S. The terrorist is never caught. Does this mean there’s a fifth coming out?

Minerva Clark Gets a Clue

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:34:56 GMT

Minerva Clark Gets a Clue

by Karen Karbo

ISBN 1582347476

When I read this gushing post about Minerva Clarke Gives up the Ghost, I just had to go and see what this book was about for myself. Alas, at the time, Brooklyn Public Library did not own the book and so I went ahead and reserved a copy of the first book from this series: Minerva Clarke Gets a Clue. And just like the blogger at Book Shelves of Doom says: How did I miss this?

Minerva is fun and sassy. She has three doting, concerned, cool (well sort of ) older brothers. Absentee parents. And she talks right to the heart of every middle school student. This is going to be a perfect booktalk and a perfect sell to those younger students who don’t need to read those nitty gritty urban reality books that so many of my young readers cherish.

Minerva is like any other 7^th grade girl. Self Conscious. On the worst day of her life, she falls flat on her rear end in public while attempting to play DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). She ends up getting a ride home from her cousin who’s picked up by the police for a broken taillight and arrested because of an outstanding warrant, and finally on the worst day of her life, she’s electrocuted.

Or is it the best day of her life? Because after Minerva is electrocuted suddenly she doesn’t care that much about what others think about her. Before electrocution, Minerva worried about her fat backside, her height, her frizzy hair. After electrocution, Minerva looks into the mirror and sees perfection!

If it weren’t for being electrocuted, Minerva probably wouldn’t have gotten involved with the mystery of her cousin’s arrest, possible identity theft, or the murder of the young book store clerk that she met on the worst day of her life. But Minerva is suddenly questioning things. Will she solve the mysteries without putting her life in danger?

Crossposted to http://cornerbooks.blogspot.com/

Schooled

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 23:09:10 GMT

Schooled
By Gordon Korman
978-0-7868-5692-3
Hperion ©July 2007 224pp.

Gordon Korman changed my reading habits. As a teenager, I thought that the world was painted black. There was nothing funny. Happiness was fleeting. If I didn’t have a school uniform, I would have dressed in black each and every day. My reading habits reflected my outlook on life. In short, I was morbid. I was a voracious reader and if a book wasn’t sad – it couldn’t be good.

One day I picked up Gordon Korman’s A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Can. It was funny, humorous, light and I liked it. I realized books could be funny and written well. Ever since then, I’ve been a huge fan of Gordon Korman. (And yes, it was the highlight of my career to host an author visit back in 1998 – the first I organized with Mr. Korman. He had no idea what a fan base he had in my neighborhood!)

Schooled is classic Gordon Korman. Full of mishaps and misunderstandings that are so absurd, yet somehow Mr. Korman makes them work.

Capricorn Anderson was raised by his grandmother Rain on a 1960s style commune. It thrived back in the day, but now it’s just Rain and Cap living in an ideal world of their own. But when Rain falls out of a tree while picking plums and breaks her hips, there is no one to care for Cap while she completes rehab. He’s taken in by his social worker, a former resident of Garland [the commune] and thrown into the wiles of Middle School.

There’s a long standing tradition at C[l]average Middle School. The biggest loser is nominated to run for 8th grade Class President unopposed. Usually, the target of this terrible prank has a nervous breakdown and leaves school. This year’s target was Hugh Winkleman that is until Cap Anderson arrived at C-Average Middle School. Now Zach Powers, the big man on campus, nominated Cap. But will the table turns?

Told from several different POVs, I was surprised at how seamlessly this story flowed. The different POVs doesn’t become too confusing and the situations get more absurd and more bizarre with each chapter, and yet, Korman writes it in such a way that in the back of your mind the reader sees the events unfolding and can almost (but not quite) see how events will turn out while laughing out loud as they turn the pages.

This is a perfect read for Middle Schoolers. Boys!!!! The language is clean. The situations mild. Finally, something for my sixth graders. Can’t wait to booktalk this one.

Minx Line

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:12:58 GMT

The Plain Janes
By Cecil Castellucci
ISBN 978-1401211158
Minx ©2007 pp.

Re-Gifters
By Mike Carey
ISBN 978-1401203719
Minx ©2007 174 pp.

Clubbing
By Andy Watson
ISBN 978-1-4012-0370-2
Minx ©2007 149pp.

The first three titles in the Minx line, an imprint of DC Comics, are a strong start and a hard precedent to follow. The Plain Janes and Re-Gifters were nominated for YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels Read Committee and will (IMO) make it to the list. The titles, though in graphic format, read like a YA novel. The titles are aimed at tween girls (Girls between the ages of 10-14.) They’re perfect for a middle school collection.

Jane moves to the suburbs after a bombing in the city in where she lives. She starts a secret club with her new friends – all named Jane – where they have ‘real life’ art. The police don’t take kindly to the art left around town and think it’s the work of terrorists.

The Re-Gifters is a story of teen crushes. Dixie is talented in martial arts, but lately she’s taken by a boy in her class who doesn’t return her feelings. While trying to be noticed, she buys him a gift she can’t really afford and spend the money her father gave her to enter the tournament. It’s an empowering story – that doesn’t mitigate the intensity of crushes at that age – and yet still subtly points out the silliness we could succumb too while pursuing the object of our affections.

Clubbing is the least likeable in the series. It has a decided British slant – though a glossary in the back will translate those words Americans aren’t familiar with. But it’s not the British flavor of this book that had me hemming and hawing. It was the story. Charlotte is caught trying to get into a club with a fake ID and so her parents send her to live with her grandparents for the summer at their country club. Charlotte is bored – limited Internet access and no mobile phones – but a mysterious death changes all that. The artwork is magnificent – Bold lines. Wonderful shadowing – the strength of this book. Yet the resolution of the mystery is somewhat farfetched and just odd. Even so, I think this title will appeal.

Crispin: At the edge of the world

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:43:06 GMT

Crispin: At the edge of the world
By Avi
ISBN 0-7868-5152-x
Hyperion ©2006 234 pp.

Crispin’s adventure continues with Bear. For a short while they revel in their freedom, but it’s not long before the men of the Secret Brotherhood that think Bear has betrayed them pursue the duo. Bear is injured and near death. Crispin must turn to an old hag and a young deformed girl to save his beloved friend. I read the first part of (what is now going to be) a trilogy eons ago and with the amount of reading I do it’s difficult for me to recall details… and so it was almost as if I hadn’t read the first part and still I was able to enjoy the adventure immensely. In my experience the tweens today don’t clamor to read historical fiction, but the intrigue, betrayal, and action should make this a title adults can sell to them.

No Castles Here

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:33:27 GMT

No Castles Here
By A.C. Bauer
ISBN 978-0-375-93921-1
Random House, ©October 2007

A sweet if a bit saccharine fantasy/realistic fiction. A young boy living in a rough neighborhood loses himself in a fairy tale book that seems to have magical powers. In his real life there are bullies, drugs, violence and a chorus that might change everything. The urban part of the story won’t quite cut it for the tough inner city crowd of readers, but will still have some appeal.

Shanghai Shadows

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:53:36 GMT

Shangahi Shadows
By Lois Ruby
ISBN 0823419606
C2006 Holiday House 284 pp

I don’t know when I first heard about the [Jewish] Holocaust, but it was pretty much a part of my upbringing. The story of the Mir Yeshiva (which is mentioned in this book) was also part of that history. How did an entire Yeshiva — its teachers, students, and their families — relocate during WWII? By the benevolence of one Japanese diplomat named Sugihara. There have been books and articles written about this, but that’s not what this book is about. It’s just the story that made me pick this book up. I hadn’t realized that there had been an existing Jewish community in Shanghai or that there were other Jews who had fled there. I thought this would give me a glimpse to that time period.
It does just that. The beginning of the book is slow moving. Ilse is not a particularly likeable character. She’s spoiled and immature. But she her character grows during the story.
Her family escapes Austria and is stuck in Shanghai while they wait for the war to end. They dream of going home one day, but as time goes on and the reality of Hitler’s madness is revealed they realize there is no home to go to.
In the meanwhile, Ilse and her brother join the Shanghai underground. It’s mere child’s play to Ilse. She doesn’t realize the dangers involved or the meaning behind being part of the underground. Unfortunately, this is not the compelling part of this story. What the author does solidly bring to life is the appalling conditions the refugees lived in. It brings to light the difficulties of war and how life is changed by it (something that I think is hard for most American children to fathom).
This book is for those who are willing to stick it out with a book, but those who do will get a glimpse of another time and another place that isn’t often explored.

The Off Season

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:28:20 GMT

The Off Season
By Catherine Gilbert Murdock
ISBN 9780618686957
c2007 Houghton Mifflin, 288 pp.

This sequel to Dairy Queen starts where we last left off. D.J. Schwenk is now the only female on her high school’s football team. She’s made it to eleventh grade. She’s sort of dating Brian Nelson, the rival town’s starring quarterback and Dairy farming is still hard work. Those who didn’t read the first book won’t have any difficulty in catching up, thought it’s well worth the read.
While sports and humor are peppered generously throughout this book there are very serious issues explored here when D.J.’s brother is injured during a football game and paralyzed. (Someone pointed out the Friday Night Lights connection. It’s a good one. It went right over my head.) D.J. is once again holding her family together. Mom has a bad back and dad can’t deal so he leaves it up to his 16-year-old daughter. D.J. flies out to Seattle herself to face her newly injured brother. She’s supposed to give him courage and support and yet she’s just a child.
On one hand, D.J. at the helm is the empowering part of the novel. She steps up with courage and grace that teen readers can look up to. The adult in me was livid that a 16-year-old was asked to assume an adult role before she was ready. Why is D.J.’s father such a weakling?
Despite my little niggle, this is a fantastic read and will fly off the shelves.

Sports Fiction

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:03:30 GMT

Vanishing Act
by John Feinstein
ISBN 037583592x
c2006 Random House, 256 pp.

Football Genious: A Novel
by Tim Green
ISBN 9780061122705
cJuly 2007 HarperCollins, 256 pp.

Books with strong boy appeal are hard to find. I'm continiously on the prowl for books that will appeal to the crowd that doesn't want to read. For the most part, boys gravitate to nonfiction. (I know this is a generalization, but 9 years as a youth services librarian and I'm telling you this is true.) But many do want to read fiction. Many have to read fiction for schools. Finding a book that will keep their interest is challenging. So I was delighted to read these two books, both of which have a sports backdrop. What they also have in common is authors who are immersed in the world of sports. John Feinstein is a well-known sports writer. I believe his columns are nationally syndicated. Tim Green is a retired NFL star, who is also an acclaimed adult author. This is Tim Green's first book for kids, though first in a series. This is John Feinstein's second book for kids, the second in a series.

In Vanishing acts, Stevie and his friend Susan Carol meet up in NYC to cover the U.S. Open. When a young tennis star is kidnapped, Stevie and Susan Carol who have previously uncovered a potential scandal at the Basketball's Final Four, set out to find out who's behind the kidnapping and why.

Troy White is the star of Football Genius. He has a remarkable gift - he can predict football plays before they happen. After his mother starts working for the Atlanta Falcons, Troy tries hard to help his favorite team out, but only seems to land himself in a world of trouble for his efforts.

Neither story is very deep or meaningful. The stories move. The stories entertain. The stories name drop a lot. Seth Halloway (I don't know football, but I know him!) plays a prominent roll in the stories. I recognized a few tennis stars, but I don't follow the sport much. In part, that makes me believe that these book will have a limited shelf life. It doesn't detract from the stories. I just don't think they'll have the staying power. (The advice I used to get from my writing teachers was not to limit my story with brand names or events and people that are too current since it will mean nothing to the reader in a few years.) But I won't worry about tomorrow. Instead, I'll worry about my readers today. The boys will go for these books.

My husband read Football Genius when he saw it lying around the house and thorougly enjoyed it. He thought it had the perfect mix of action and sports and enough story to make it all work together. He's the demographic I want to hit - except - you know - the age.

All in all, a great read for reluctant readers.

Bloom

Tue, 08 May 2007 13:14:37 GMT

Bloom
By Elizabeth Scott
ISBN 9781416926832
C2007 Simon Pulse, 231 pp

The first thing I thought of when I finished this book was why the title? (I’ve been hanging out in the back of too many Language Arts Classrooms this year.) But in fact, flowers do not play a prominent role in this story. Lauren (the protagonist) doesn’t even get flowers from her boyfriend or the guy she really likes. No this title refers to Lauren’s coming of age and her maturation. On the cover, author Deb Caletti is quoted: “A fresh, honest, and heartfelt story of first love.” And I could make an argument for her quote, though I tend to disagree that Evan was Lauren’s first love, (maybe true love), but this story is so much more than a love story.

At seventeen, Lauren is grappling with a lot. Her mother abandoned her at the age of six without a backwards glance. Her dad is so emotionally dettached that he only sometimes realizes what’s going on in his daughter’s life… and doesn’t remember meeting her boyfriend Dave (does he wonder if Dave is good to her? Does he wonder if she and Dave are being safe or was the trip to the gynecologist 2 years before enough to scratch it off his to do list.) Lauren is also lost in school. The only thing there that she’s good at – music – is something she feels like she needs to hide from her friends. Then Evan Kirkland comes to town. Lauren’s dad and Evan’s mom were once a couple. They even moved in together for what amounted to less than a year. Then Evan and his mom Mary moved away. She doesn’t hear from them again and there are successions of girlfriends, who are moved into the house since that time. So it’s a shock for her to see Evan. It’s an even bigger shock when she realizes she likes Evan. She’s attracted to Evan.

Lauren has the perfect boyfriend. Dave is smart, popular, well liked by adults and respected. The 9th grade girls all want to be Lauren. Dave isn’t even interested in sex, but has decided to wait until he’s married, which (okay, I admit, I loved that part of the book. It’s so infrequent that this side of the topic is explored and between books, movies, and TV, we just assume all teens are doing it and want to do it) to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure that this was a plus for Lauren or not. She’s just not happy being with him. Evan reminds her of this.

Aside from the fresh and light narrative (in my chemo-hazed hand-burned state, concentrating on books isn’t that easy), I didn’t find Lauren likeable. She’s dating one guy, stringing him along, and sneaking around with a second guy. And I think that’s what I liked about this book. That Lauren isn’t perfect. That’s she’s round and whole and real. And eventually, she does the right thing, even if she stumbles along the way. And yes there’s hurt caused on the way that she can’t undo, but in reality that’s life. Don’t we all have something that we said or did that we wished we could take back after its too late?

Twisted

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:42:35 GMT

Twisted
By Laurie Halse Anderson
ISBN 978-0670061013
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Over the summer Tyler Miller has blossomed. He was just another geek that was picked on the year before. Then he was arrested for what he calls the awful incident; spray painting graffiti on his high school. Probation led to community service with the custodians at the school and a summer of hard labor with a landscaping company. So scrawny Tyler is now buff and developed. The kids have started to notice him at school, including the popular Bethany Milbury.

Things are not great at home. His father is harsh and distant. His mom seems to live under his father’s shadow. His younger sister has started high school and Tyler feels very protective, especially when she starts dating his best friend. But Tyler is constantly on guard, because of his probation, yet he’s caught up in the attention that Bethany Milbury has started to show him.

Attending a party he should never have been at (because it broke the rules of his probation - underage drinking, drugs, and past curfew) leads to another awful incident. Bethany is drunk and throws herself at Tyler. He rebuffs her advances because she’s drunk and he knows it’s just not right. (It was hard for me to believe that a teenage boy would be so noble, but I was still cheering for Tyler.) Everyone hears about it and so when compromising photos of Bethany end up on the Internet, Tyler is the first suspect in the police’s investigation.

Let me start by saying that Twisted, was a quick and gripping read. Tyler’s voice was enjoyable. I really liked grew to like Tyler. I felt his deep despair and wanted him to conquer all. I wanted everyone to see he was in the right. And Laurie Halse Anderson (author of the Printz honor book Speak) has a simplicity in her writing that capture’s a reader’s attention.

(And I guess this contains spoilers….. so you might not want to read this part….)

Yet, I really wasn’t sure what I thought about this book, until someone posted a request for a YA title that deals with suicide and someone mentioned this book as a possibility. It wasn’t Tyler’s spiral into despair that bugged me. Home life sucks. School sucks. His only and best friend is too busy dating his sister to pay much attention to him. So the spiral rang true, but the climb back to a strong sense of self is what lost me. This wasn’t a book about suicide – though Tyler does flirt with the idea. He holds the gun, yet I never believe that Tyler would do it, even though his misery is so real. And what makes this not a suicide book in my opinion, is that to be so close to taking your own life, you need help. You need to talk to someone a friend, a trusted adult, because the climb back to self-worth is just not going to happen on its own. That’s where this book lost me. Tyler accomplishes it all on his own. He confronts his father on his own and comes to self on his own. That's what I don't believe.

Twisted is a great read and fans of Laurie Halse Anderson will surely want to pick up her latest accomplishment and it wouldn’t surprise me if this picked up some critical mention.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:01:55 GMT

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
By Carter, Ally
ISBN 142310034
Genre: Romance, humor, action
c2006. Hyperion. 288pp.

Cammie Morgan is no ordinary high school Sophmore. She's a Gallagher Girl. A prestigious, top secret school, that trains genius young ladies into killer spies. Instead of Algebra, Spanish and climbing ropes in PE, these girls can speak 14 different languages and are trained in advanced martial arts. When out on an assignment for Covert Operations, Cammie is approached by a young boy. She's not used to being noticed, especially by a boy who thinks she's just a regular girl. She and her friends team up to make sure that Josh is on the up and up while trying to purse a relationship.
This is by no means a work of literary fiction, but this is definitely on my list of fun novels to read. This has the perfect balance of humor, action, and romance that will appeal to junior high school girls. This is a perfect beach read (and those days are creeping closer and closer) - to relax and to unwind. A sure hit with reluctant readers.

The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:55:04 GMT

The ~~Life~~ Murder of Bindy Mackenzie
By Jaclyn Moriarty
ISBN 0-439-74051-7
C2006. Arthur A. Levine Books. 494 p.
Genre: Realistic Fiction, humor, suspense

I first discovered Jaclyn Moriarty, an Australian author, with her book Feeling Sorry for Celia was published here in the US of A. It’s a hilarious book, written entirely in letters and notes about a young girl who is getting reacquainted to her father and dealing with her best friend Celia who ran away to join the circus. The premise (well part of it) alone makes you laugh out loud. Her second title, The year of the Secret Assignment, didn’t disappoint and so I couldn’t resist picking up her latest book.

It didn’t disappoint.
Bindy Mackenzie is a socially inept genius. She’s perfect. She gets top grades, is involved in extra curricular activities, and as of late she types of transcripts of conversations all around her. In her Junior year of high school (Year 11 as its called in Australia), Bindy is required to take a new class, FAD – Friendship and Development – and is forced to interact with a group of kids totally unlike her. At first the students are a bit weary of her, but Bindy takes that lukewarm feeling and decides to get nasty. When that backfires – she tries to act super nice but the group doesn’t respond. In the meanwhile, Bindy is feeling ill, falling behind in her schoolwork and things are just falling apart. When she confides in the group they wonder if someone is trying to murder her.

Moriarty has this way of writing that’s just full of humor, but it’s not slapstick. Bindy is one of the most unique characters I’ve encountered in a long while. With her highfalutin language and unique take on life – the confidence and yet presumptuousness – that is Bindy kept me turning the pages.

What didn’t get me turning the pages was the plot. The book is 494 pages. The title is about her “murder” and yet no one started talking about it until the end. The story is masterfully crafted. Once you’ve reached the climax and as you’re reading the dénouement of the story, I realized how carefully Moriarty wrote this story. All the clues are there. I just wonder if it could have been pared down just a bit.

One of the other bits I love about Moriarty books is that they’re all written in the same universe. Characters from all her novels pop up in the books… and it makes me nostalgic to go back and read them again.

I would definitely recommend this title though. It’s fun and sassy. I would just suggest it to a reader with some patience. Someone who’s willing to stick with the story. Frankly the cover, title and the blurb on the inside jacket will have most readers hooked.

The Higher Power of Lucky

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:27:46 GMT

The Higher Power of Lucky
By Susan Patron
ISBN 978-1416901945
Genre: Realistic Fiction
c2006, Athenum, 144 pages

While I still have last year’s Newbery Award winning title sitting on my bookshelf unread, I was compelled to read this year’s book ahead of it. How could I not with all the controversy it’s generated over one little word — scrotum?

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book. I already formed half an opinion before I read it, based on all the discussion and news the title generated.

I’m someone who follows children and young adult literature fairly closely, and I’ve noticed that it’s been an increasing trend to sensationalize – throw out words, images, and ideas that kids and teens just aren’t ready for, but that will draw them into read. One argument is that there’s a lot of competition out there between IMing, television, computers, video games, etc. Anything that’ll draw them into read is okay. Yet, lately, I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable with this idea.

It comes from the fact that I see seventh and eighth graders devouring “street literature,” those nitty gritty reality books that are self published and not that well written. When I was there age, which is really not that long ago, I was playing with dolls and reading things I shouldn’t have been reading too. Yet, I was a lot more innocent than the teens and tweens I work with on a day to day basis. I wish they could maintain their innocence too.

So I worry.

The word scrotum doesn’t fall in the same category as the lurid sex scenes in some of these books – that really aren’t age appropriate. That’s the bigger picture. How do we steer teens and tweens to read what’s truly appropriate for their age, interest and maturity level. How do we keep kids from growing up too fast? Can we stop it or do we just ride the wave?

Back to Lucky.

It’s a sweet novel about at ten-year-old girl who’s being raised by her father’s first wife. He can’t be bothered with his daughter and Lucky’s mother died in a freak accident. But Lucky worries that Bridgette, her guardian, is not interested in raising her, but is looking back to move back to France.

How does the word scrotum fit in? In the opening scene, Lucky eavesdrops on an AA meeting. She thinks by listening in on these meetings it will help her find her Higher Power and keep Bridgette close to her. That’s when she hears Short Sammy tell the story of his dog getting bit on the scrotum by a rattle snake and Lucky wonders what does scrotum mean?… as will many of the young kids who are the intended audience for the book.

To be honest, the book could have been written without this little scene and it would have been equally as strong. Yet, it really doesn’t play such a huge role. In fact, I’d completely forgotten about the ‘offensive’ word when Lucky brings it up on one of the last pages. She asked Bridgette what it means. It bothered me, until I realized that this was about Lucky coming full circle. At the start of the story, she didn’t trust Bridgette enough to ask her if she was staying, or to ask what a word means. Lucky thinks she has to survive on her own. By the conclusion of the story, she trusts Bridgette enough to ask for help where she needs it.

As usual, the hoopla was overdone. Let the book sit on a library shelf. The bottom line is that parents need to be more involved with their children’s reading. If a parent is uncomfortable with their child reading this book, then please don’t let your child read it. But it’s not for any individual to decide what does or does not go on the library’s shelf because of one possibly offensive word.

Welcome

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:51:53 GMT

Hi all,
I discovered the joys of blogging approximately three years ago. While I discuss books every so often on my personal blog, I wanted to branch out a bit and get down and dirty about books. So I created a new blog. I love reading children and YA literature of all sorts. I'm constantly doing it for my job as a school librarian - it's a good excuse for all those people who raise eyebrows at my choice of literature. I'm hoping to post every so often about books I've read that have made an impression.
I'm not sure how frequently I'll be posting, but come along for the ride if you dare.