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I keep getting distracted by other books (and work, and school, and life in general), but I have managed to make a little headway into those 25 books I pledged to read for the Hub Reading Challenge. So far, I’ve discovered some great YA books—and I finally got around to reading Code Name Verity, one of last year’s most buzzed about books.
So anyway, here’s a quick look at my progress so far:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews Genre: Realistic Fiction Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Greg’s strategy for surviving high school is to stay under the radar. He doesn’t want true friends but maintains a superficial sort-of-friendship with every group in the school, from the jocks to the Goth kids. Of course, none of the other groups is meant to know that he is “friends” with the others. In a school full of cliques, Greg is Switzerland. But when his mom pushes him to befriend (or refriend) a classmate recently diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, his plan goes to hell. Suddenly, Greg is facing uncomfortable, emotionally charged situations and he has no idea how to react. Even worse, people find out about his secret filmmaking hobby. This book is far from the sad, angsty teen “cancer book” you probably expect from the description. Biting, frequently crude humor and a strong narrative voice make Jesse Andrews’s debut novel a truly compelling read. Greg’s lack of self-awareness and total cluelessness about the male/female dynamic reminded me of Brent Crawford’s Carter Finally Gets It. While the characters of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl aren’t exactly endearing, they are nuanced, believable, and incredibly well-grounded in the novel’s Pittsburgh setting.
Boy21 by Matthew Quick Genre: Realistic Fiction Rating: 4/5 Stars
Finley is used to being an outsider. He’s the only white guy on his high school basketball team and he doesn’t have much to say, even to his longtime girlfriend. But in a town ruled by gangs and the Irish mob, that may not be such a bad thing. Then his basketball coach encourages him to befriend a new student. Russell is really a basketball phenom from an elite private school in California, but he claims to be an alien called Boy21. This is a unique story, subtly told. The writing is clear and simple, perfect for reluctant readers, and the characters and relationships are well-drawn and compelling.
Cool fact: Quick is also the author of the adult novel The Silver Linings Playbook, the film adaptation of which is nominated for several Academy Awards this year (including Best Picture and a Best Actress nom for Jennifer Lawrence, otherwise known as Katniss Everdeen). The Awards will air this coming Sunday.
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Rating: 3/5 Stars
When Sunday Woodcutter befriends an enchanted frog, she has no idea that her new friend is really Prince Rumbold of Arilland, the man her family blames for the death of her brother Jack. This reinvention of the “Frog Prince” fairy tale is full of twists and frequently intertwines with other fairy tales, yet it is a wholly original story that stands on its own. Personally, I felt that Sunday and Rumbold’s relationship need more development. Also, although some of the fairy tale tie-ins were amazingly clever, sometimes the multitude of fairy-tale references became overkill, stealing focus from the main story. Still, I am eager to learn more about some of Sunday and Rumbold’s relatives in the next installment of the Woodcutter saga.
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Genre: Historical Fiction/Suspense Rating: 4/5 Stars
Probably the least said about this book plot wise, the better. Suffice it to say, it is about friendship, espionage, and courage. When a teenaged spy is captured by the Nazis, she agrees to confess everything. It is then up to the reader to read between the lines of that confession and discover the truth of who “Verity” really is. Incredibly compelling and carefully plotted, with convincing historical detail, this is a multi-layered tale well worth reading.
Next up:Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, which my blogging partner Lucinda has already read any enjoyed. (So you know a Dual Review will be coming soon!)
For those of you participating, how many titles have you checked off your list so far? Which is your favorite book so far?
Summary: In the summer of 1987, two 15-year-old loners meet and forge a powerful friendship. Ari is a brooding “tough guy” who obsessively questions his place and purpose in the world; Dante is his complete opposite, relentlessly positive, self-assured, and emotionally open. Over the course of a year and through his friendship with Dante and Dante’s parents, Ari finally comes to terms with himself and the unspoken secrets that haunt his family.
First Line: “One summer night I fell asleep, hoping the world would be different when I woke.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
This book blew me away. The writing is deceptively simple, poetic, and quietly powerful. It’s easy to slip right into Ari’s mind, to feel every nuance he is feeling, from confusion to impulsive anger. Despite this, Ari remains a bit of a mystery—he refers to himself as “inscrutable”—as even he does not understand himself. I love that Ari is more than a little angsty as a character, but it’s not a dark and overblown angst. Yeah, he’s confused and often feels quite lost and even angry, but the book never once feels depressing. Not that certain issues addressed in the book aren’t emotional and potentially upsetting. Yet Sáenz handles it all gracefully without being heavy-handed in the slightest; in his capable hands, Aristotle and Dante’s story is far more sweet than bitter, but it never minimizes those ever-present “issues.”
Family drama, issues of sexual and ethnic identity, and even PSTD play a part in this stunning novel, and yet none of these elements overwhelms the story. Ari’s coming of age plays out slowly and patiently, and the novel unfolds in a realistic manner. Although one particular family revelation feels a bit coincidental, I bought it. And although it may seem a bit unlikely, I loved that the parents were so accepting of Ari, Dante, and their possible more-than-friends feelings for one another. Perhaps this wouldn’t have been the norm in 1980s Texas, but I appreciated that Sáenz didn’t need to go there. There is a lot going on in this book, but it all works together seamlessly, without any wasted subplots or characters. At its core it is less a book about sexual identity than about family, friendship, and having the courage to speak honestly and freely to the people who matter.
… Cause what ya’ll really want to know is what I think, right? Hey, humor me here.
So, the Newberys, Caldecotts, Printz Awards, and other key ALA book awards were announced yesterday, and I was rather proud of myself for having read so many of the honorees. Here’s how things played out (with a little commentary from me :)).
Medal Winner: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
This book was unique and absorbing, bittersweet and altogether lovely. I approve 1oo%. Many of the past medal winners have skewed more toward tweens (10–14), but The One and Only Ivan is perfect for younger ages as well. Again, I approve.
Newbery Honor: Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
Not long after I started reading this book, I found myself thinking This is a book that will win awards. I also thought that it was a book that might have more appeal for adults than kids, one of those books that adults really, really want kids to love, but which turn out to be right only for that small, perfect audience. Who will love it with a passion. It’s undeniably well written, but I couldn’t bring myself to get excited about it although I enjoyed it and admired it in a impersonal kind of way. But if you (or your child) always wished Oliver Twist had a bit of dark fantasy mixed in, this may be just the book for you. (Okay, that sounds really intriguing. Maybe I should give this one another go…)
Newbery Honor: Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
In my mind, this one was pretty much a shoe-in for a nod. I’m not a huge reader of juvenile nonfiction, but the storytelling here was compelling and informative. Thumbs up. Bomb was also the winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award and of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.
Newbery Honor: Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
I was so excited—and the teeniest bit surprised—to see this one get an honor nod. While there is no magic in this book in the supernatural sense, it is magical nonetheless. Turnage’s storytelling—the sense of place, character, voice, and tone—here is fantastic, and Mo is an unforgettable heroine if there ever was one.
**What’s Missing: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I adored Wonder and firmly believe it should be required reading for every upper elementary or middle school student. And then their parents and older siblings need to read it too.
Medal Winner: This Is Not My Hat, illustrated and written by Jon Klassen
Personally, I thought Klassen was cheated out of a Caldecott last year for I Want My Hat Back. He’s a genius when it comes to providing subtle visual cues to punctuate the sly humor that makes both of his “hat” book shine.
Caldecott Honor: Creepy Carrots!, illustrated by Peter Brown and written by Arron Reynolds
This was one of my absolute favorite picture books of 2012, and I am pleasantly surprised to see it get a nod here. I loved the cinematic feel (one review I read likened it to a Hitchcock horror movie—for kids of course), and the palette of orange, black, and gray. A fascinating combo of kiddie horror and humor. Well done, Caldecott committee.
Caldecott Honor: Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen and written by Mac Barnett
So they’re really making up for overlooking Klassen last year. Although the text/story of Extra Yarn didn’t completely do it for me, I loved Klassen’s artwork—which is what counts for the purpose of this award.
Caldecott Honor: Green, illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
This is the book I expected to win, though I am quite pleased with the final outcome. Seeger’s work here is innovative, and the wonder of Green is made abundantly clear in this book trailer.
Caldecott Honor: One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small and written by Tony Buzzeo
I liked it, but didn’t love it, which is why it didn’t make the cut for our list of the Best Children’s Picture Books of 2012. But, as with Extra Yarn, I quite liked the illustrations. So I’m totally “cool” with this one too.
Caldecott Honor: Sleep Like A Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagaresnski and written by Mary Logue
Once again, I liked the book and the illustrations but it didn’t really make a strong impression on me one way or the other.
**What’s Missing:Oh, No!,illustrated by Eric Rohmann and written by Candace Fleming and Nighttime Ninja by illustrated by Ed Young and written by Barbara DaCosta, both of which I expected to make the list. And—while I always saw it as a long shot—I really, really love Ashley Wolff’s artwork in Baby Bear Sees Blue. I also think illustrator Doug Santat did some phenomenal work this year. But then, everybody can’t win 🙂
Medal Winner: Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Okay, not only does this one break my reading streak—I hadn’t even heard of this book yet. But then I already admitted that I’m not much of a juvenile nonfiction reader…
King (Author) Honor: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
A gentle yet powerful picture book about bullying from the side of the (belatedly regretful) bully, and one of our picks for Best Children’s Picture Books of 2012
King (Author) Honor: No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie I’ve heard fabulous things about this one, and it is currently sitting at home waiting for me to find time to read it.
King (Illustrator) Medal: I, Too, Am America, illustrated by Bryan Collier and written by Langston Hughes
I read it and loved the art. Unfortunately, the Langston Hughes text didn’t quite resonate for me (I know; awful, right?). As a result, the book wasn’t very memorable for me. But I may have to take anthor look.
King (Illustrator) Honor: H.O.R.S.E., illustrated and written by Christopher Myers
I am not familiar with this title 🙁 .
King (Illustrator) Honor: Ellen’s Broom., illustrated by Daniel minter and written by Kelly Starling Lyons
Don’t know this one either.
King (Illustrator) Honor: I Have a Dream., illustrated by Kadir Nelson and written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Yay!!!! Enough said.
Michael L. Printz Award
As a side note, I must say: There was LOTS of debate yesterday and into today on librarian listservs and blogs about the recent winners of this category, some stating that the winners are often too literary to appeal to teen readers or that engaging stories are overlooked in favor of technical writing or literary experimentation. As this is an award for literary excellence, I would say the winners should be extremely well written. But in my view, literary merit depends upon that magical element of good storytelling as well as good technical writing. I’m not going to comment on how these specific qualities do or don’t apply to the specific winners and honorees (past or present) because here’s the thing: judging books—anything really—is SUBJECTIVE. Rant over.
Medal Winner: In Darkness by Nick Lake
I haven’t read this one yet and have read mixed reviews, but can’t wait to read for myself.
Printz Honor: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Just finished this last weekend and immediately it became my Printz sleeper favorite. It’s compulsively readable plus incredibly well written (but not in a showy or gimmicky way). I couldn’t be happier that Sáenz also nabbed the Pura Belpré (Author) Awardand the Stonewall Book Award. I really have to read his highly praised book Last Night I Sang to the Monster ASAP.
Printz Honor: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
I know people who absolutely LOVED this book and others who found it so confusing they couldn’t finish it. Based on early buzz, I thought for sure it was going to be selected as the medal winner. It’s still sitting at home in my (rather tall and wobbly) to-be-read pile.
Printz Honor: Dodger by Terry Pratchett
Haven’t read this one, and haven’t heard too much buzz up till now. But you can never count out Terry Pratchett, and I will get to this one someday…
Printz Honor: The White Bicycle by Beverly Brenna
This one was a surprise to many; at least many of the commenters to my various listservs hadn’t yet heard of it. But then, that’s what I love about book awards: the chance to discover wonderful books that might’ve been otherwise overlooked.
**What’s Missing: Lots of people are up in arms over the exclusion of John Green’s A Fault in Their Stars, which I adored and agree to be incredibly well written. At the same time, I didn’t think it was a perfect book and am not overly disappointed. Maybe I’m just too happy about Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. And A Fault in Our Stars wasn’t completely left out as it garnered the Odyssey Awardfor the audiobook.
Other ALA Award winners announced yesterday include:
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, William C. Morris Award winner
I found this to be an excellent debut novel featuring a well-developed fantasy world and an intriguing take on dragons. I can’t wait for the sequel. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth, William C. Morris Award finalist
I found this book quite engaging, but for me it begins to drag a bit in the middle. I actually had to set it aside for a while. That being said, even though I wasn’t reading it for a while, the writing and characters stayed in the back of my mind. I completely understand why the book has been compared to The Catcher in the Rye, although Cameron is a gay girl in 1980s small-town America and the book actually takes place across several years (as opposed to a few days). That being said, I was surprised that it wasn’t a Stonewall Honor Book
For a complete list of awards, winners, and honorees (if you’re not sick of awards lists by now), you can read yesterday’s ALA Press Release.
Summary: Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible in her family. Her dad is obsessed with the family restaurant and hardly ever comes home for dinner anymore; her mother is constantly escaping to her special room to meditate; and her perpetually critical sister Sara is miserable to be stuck at working at the family diner while her friends are all away at college. Fern has always had a special bond with her older brother Holden, but now that he’s started high school he’s busy coping with school bullies and his own emerging sexuality. And then there’s adorable, irrepressible three-year-old Charlie, the constant center of attention within the family.
The only person keeping Fern sane is her eternally calm and optimistic
best friend Ran, who almost makes her believe that “all
will be well.” But then tragedy strikes and even Ran can’t see how things will ever be okay again.
First Line: “The very best day of my life, I threw up four times and had a fever of 103 degrees.”
Tracy’s Thoughts: This is a book that will make you laugh, break your heart, and then somehow, against all odds, make you smile again. Knowles’s characters are fully developed, with authentic emotions and flaws. Quiet, introspective Fern makes a wonderful narrator, and though the lens through which she sees each of her family members is necessarily skewed by her own perspective, readers are able sympathize with each of the characters. Fern’s voice is distinct and engaging, often with shades of unintentional humor. This is especially true when she talks about her family:
Holden is always running off in a huff, and I am always the one searching for him and bringing him home. Holden’s named after the main character in The Catcher in the Rye. I wasn’t supposed to read it until I’m older, but I snuck my mom’s paperback copy out of her room last year. The pages were all soft from her reading it so many times. The book is about this boy who’s depressed because he thinks everyone he knows is a phony, so he runs away. I understand why my mom liked the book and all, but I personally think is was a big mistake to name your kid after a boy who tries to kill himself, even if he is thoughtful and brilliant. My favorite parts in the book are when the main characters talks about his little sister, Phoebe. Sometimes I think I’m a little like Phoebe to our Holden. Because in the book she’s the one he goes back for. And that’s sort of like me. Only I have to go looking for him first. (25–26)
The first third of the book introduces the quirk-filled family, from
Fern’s goodhearted, embarrassing father to demanding, loveable Charlie.
But then everything—the simple coming-of-age story you thought you were
reading—comes to a devastating halt as tragedy strikes. The emotions
become even more palpable, and the characters more real.
Relationships shine in this book, particularly the bond between
Holden and Fern—and later, when she steps up after the tragedy, Sara.
Fern’s friendship with Ran and Cassie—which also adds a minor love triangle to
the mix—rings equally true and enjoyable. I don’t want to spoil the “tragedy” that shifts the direction of the
narrative, so there is not much more I can say about this gripping
story. Characters must cope with guilt, grief, and other complex emotions, but the story never becomes maudlin or melodramatic. But there are hints of brightness amidst the darkness that comes. This is a simply but incredibly well-written story, full of humor, compassion, heartwrenching tragedy, and, eventually, healing.
Summary: Caren Gray is a strong, educated African American woman and a single mother. She has mixed feelings about managing Belle Vie, the sprawling plantation where she grew up and where her ancestors were once slaves. Despite the unease that the former slave cabins instill in her, she feels tied to the place. But when an immigrant sugar cane worker is found dead on the edge of Belle Vie and Caren decides to launch her own investigation, all of her latent misgivings are stirred up again. And even as centuries-old secrets from the past rise up from the past, in the present Caren begins to fear that her nine-year-old daughter may know more about the murder than she’s telling.
First Line: It was during the Thompson-Delacroix wedding, Caren’s first week on the job, that a cottonmouth, measuring the length of a Cadillac, fell some twenty feet from a live oak on the front lawn, landing like a coil of rope in the lap of the bride’s future mother-in-law.
Tracy’s Thoughts:
A nuanced mystery with gothic undertones, Attica Locke’s second novel (after Black Water Rising) is far more than a typical whodunit. The atmospheric Southern setting and eerie history of slavery permeate the plot, adding depth and weight to the story. Issues of race, class, and history are key, but these themes are seamlessly and subtly integrated into the plot rather than a carelessly tacked on “moral.”
Attica Locke’s writing is stellar, descriptive and even poetic at times: “[B]eneath its its loamy topsoil, the manicured grounds and gardens, two centuries of
breathtaking wealth and spectacle, lay a land both black and bitter,
soft to the touch, but pressing in its power.” However, I did not find the characters quite as captivating as the setting. I had a bit of a struggle warming up to Caren, who is a bit of a mystery herself. I appreciated that she is a strong but flawed woman, and I was pulling for her 100%, and yet, for me, she remains distant throughout the novel.
But despite my quibbles (and, if you haven’t noticed by now, I almost always have quibbles), I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The linkage of past and present, along with the blending of history, social issues, and various relationship issues make for a complex and satisfying read.
Summary: Everyone thinks the Dunnes’ marriage is perfect, until the beautiful and clever Amy Dunne disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary under suspicious circumstances. Nick claims to know nothing about his wife’s disappearance, but as the police look Nick’s way, he is caught out in lie after lie. Juxtaposed with Nick’s story and the investigation are excerpts from Amy’s diary, which further contradict Nick’s story and present a disturbing tale of a marriage gone wrong.
Tracy’s Thoughts: From the start, this book reminded me of a Dateline episode about a husband killing his wife to escape a bad marriage. But as this novel was written by Gillian Flynn—author of the dark and twisty novels Sharp Objects and Dark Places—things are not quite as straightforward as they initially seem.There are enough twists and turns here to satisfy even the most gung-ho rollercoaster fanatic, but—unfortunately—I saw them all coming. I blame it on one too many M. Night
Shayamalan movies. But then, I knew Bruce Willis was dead all along, so maybe not…
Anyway, while the book didn’t have the same tense, edge-of-your-seat mystery for me that was shared by many other reviewers, I was still riveted. Flynn’s writing is stellar, and her characters are complex and scarily believable. What really got me about this book was the rawly honest look at individuals’ darkest thoughts, their secret desires and beliefs about relationships. Seriously… If I had commitment issues before, now I’m terrified. (Just kidding. Mostly.)
To illustrate what I mean, check out these passages:
No relationship is perfect, they say—they who
make due with dutiful sex and gassy bedtime rituals, who settle for TV
as conversation, who believe that husbandly capitulation—yes, honey, okay, honey—is the same as concord. He’s doing what you tell him to because he doesn’t care enough to argue, I think. Your
petty demands actually make him feel superior, or resentful, and
someday he will fuck his pretty young coworker and you will actually be
shocked. Give me a man with a little fight in him, a man who will
call me on his bullshit. (But who also kind of likes my bullshit.)
(Page 29)
I speak specifically of the Amy of today,
who was only remotely like the woman I fell in love with. It had been an
awful fairy-tale reverse transformation. Over just a few years, the old
Amy, the girl of the big laugh and the easy ways, literally shed
herself, a pile of skin and soul on the floor, and out stepped this new,
brittle, bitter Amy. My wife was no longer my wife but a razor-wire
knot daring me to unloop her, and I was not up to the job with my thick,
numb, nervous fingers. Country fingers. Flyover fingers untrained in
the intricate, dangerous work of solving Amy. When I’d hold up
the bloody stumps, she’d sigh and turn to her secret mental notebook on
which she tallied all my deficiencies, forever noting disappointments,
frailties, shortcomings. My old Amy, damn she was fun. She was funny.
She made me laugh. I’d forgotten that. And she laughed…
She
was not the thing she became, the thing I feared most: an angry woman. I
was not good with angry women. They brought something out in me that
was unsavory. (Page 49)
I have never been a nag. I have always been
rather proud of my un-nagginess. So it pisses me off, that Nick is
forcing me to nag. I am willing to live with a certain amount of
sloppiness, or laziness, of the lackadaisical life. I realize that I am
more type-A than Nick, and I try to be careful not to inflict my
neat-freaky, to-do-list nature on him. Nick is not the kind of guy who
is going to think to vacuum or clean out the fridge. He truly doesn’t see
that kind of stuff. Fine. Really. But I do like a certain standard of
living—I think it’s fair to say the garbage shouldn’t literally
overflow, and the plates shouldn’t sit in the sink for a week with
smears of bean burrito dried on them. That’s just being a good grown-up
roommate. And Nick’s not doing anything anymore, so I have to nag, and it
pisses me off… (Page 85)
Gillian Flynn blows me away with her ability to zero in on the little flaws and secret resentments that are common to human nature, but then to twist them just a bit into something incredibly disturbing. I would read anything she writes just for her slightly skewed insights into human psychology.
Here is yet another of my favorite passages from Gone Girl:
For several years, I had been bored. Not a
whining, restless child’s boredom (although I was not above that) but a
dense, blanketing malaise. It seemed to me that there was nothing new to
be discovered ever again….Mona Lisa, the Pyramids, the Empire
State Building. Jungle animals on attack, ancient icebergs collapsing,
volcanoes erupting. I can’t recall a single amazing thing I’ve seen
firsthand that I didn’t immediately reference to a movie or TV
show….You know the awful singsong of the blasé: Seeeen it. I’ve
literally seen it all, and the worst thing, the thing that makes me
want to blow my brains out, is: The secondhand experience is always
better. The image is crisper, the view is keener, the camera angle and
the soundtrack manipulate my emotions in a way reality can’t anymore. I
don’t know that we are actually human at this point, those of us who are
like most of us, who grew up with TV and movies and now the Internet.
If we are betrayed, we know the words to say; when a loved one dies, we
know the words to say. If we want to play the stud or the smart-ass or
the fool, we know the words to say. We are all working from the same
dog-eared script.
It’s a very difficult era in which to be a
person, just a real, actual person instead of a collection of
personality traits selected from an Automat of characters….
It had gotten to the point where it seemed like nothing matters, because I’m not a real person and neither is anyone else.
I would have done anything to feel real again. (Pages 72–73)
So while I was a bit disappointed with the plotting of this novel, the characters—their individual voices—are still living in my head. For me it was not the unpredictable tour de force that had other reviewers exclaiming and handing out 5-star reviews left and right (even KirkusReviews, which is notoriously stingy with that coveted 5th star), but it is memorable without question. And the ending? Chilling, disturbing, and absolutely perfect.
As we wrap up our Awesome 80s month here at BCPL, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the best picture books from the 1980s. How many of these titles do you remember fondly? Which do your children or grandchildren still love today?
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, illus. by Michael Martchenko Year: 1980 Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Picture Book– Fairy Tale/Humor
After a dragon burns down the castle and kidnaps her fiancé, Princess Elizabeth is slightly singed and has nothing to wear but a paper bag. But Elizabeth doesn’t let the loss of her finery stall her for long as she intrepidly goes off to rescue her Prince, armed with nothing but her wits. This is a quick, lighthearted read with plenty of humor and a twist at the end. The drawings—especially the characters’ expressions—perfectly reflect the text. This is a great book for teaching resourcefulness and independence. Budding young feminists (and their like-minded parents) will love it. Ages 3 to 5.
Doctor De Soto by William Steig Year: 1982 Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Picture Book– Humor Doctor De Soto will make a great story to build up a child’s courage before a dreaded dentist visit. Dr. De Soto is a very dedicated mouse-dentist in a world where animals act as humans.They drive cars, push baby strollers down the road, and visit a mouse-dentist for their toothaches. Of course, Dr. De Soto wisely refuses to treat animals—such as cats!—that might be tempted to eat him. That is, until the day a fox, in tears from the pain, begs Dr. DeSoto for his help. The story is slyly humorous and engaging from beginning to end. The kiddos will be fascinated by the ludicrous size discrepancies: Dr. De Soto uses a ladder to treat large animals and a pulley, operated by his wife/assistant, is necessary to reach the extra-large ones. He even climbs inside their mouths, “wearing rubbers to keep his feet dry” and is able to do such delicate work that his patients “hardly feel any pain.” Subtle visual cues, like the separate large and small staircases outside the office, keep the size theme running throughout. And of course there is plenty of amusement to be derived from Mr. Fox’s guilty desire to snack on his dentist and the De Sotos’ clever plan to outfox the Fox. This is one of the shortest books (32 pages) ever to be named a Newbery Honor Book; it also shared the 1983 National Book Award for Children’s Books with Barbara Cooney’s Miss Rumphius. Ages 4 to 7.
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, illus. by Don Wood Year: 1985 Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Picture Book– Humor
King Bidgood apparently loves a good bath, and instead of dealing with the business of the kingdom, he decides to hold all his meetings and events in the bathtub. Meanwhile, various members of the court are attempting to persuade him to come out. I had a huge smile on my face all the way through this one, beginning with the copyright and dedication pages, which shows a young page lugging a large, leaking cask of water up the winding castle stairs. The story is delightfully silly, and the illustrations are amazing, with plenty of little details to linger over. There is the Duke baiting a hook with a wiggling worm while fish watch eagerly; the page always pictured off to the side, watching and cleaning up after the court’s antics; and, of course, the members of the court, clad in elaborate Elizabethan dress, emerging drenched and dripping from their failed attempts to lure the King from his bath. Unsurprisingly, this delightful book was a 1986 Caldecott Honor book, losing out only to the much loved book The Polar Express.
More Great Picture Books from the ’80s: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Arachambault, illus. by Lois Ehlert (1989) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff (1985) Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (1981) Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
by Ed Young (1989) Miss Rumphius
by Barbara Cooney (1982) The Mitten
by Jan Brett(1989)
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (1984)The Napping House
by Audrey Wood(1984) Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illus. by John Schoenherr (1987) The Polar Express
by Chris Van Allsburg (1985) The Relatives Came
by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Stephen Gammell(1985)
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scietzka(1989)
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle (1984)
Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill (1980) Where’s Waldo? by Martin Handford (1987)
What’s your favorite ’80s picture book? Did I leave your personal favorite off the list?
Summary: What if your father is the most notorious serial killer of the century? What if you were trained to be the perfect killer from the time you were a child? Seventeen-year-old Jazz, son of the infamous Billy Dent, has to live with that reality every day. Jazz never truly understood how wrong his childhood was until the day Billy was arrested four years ago. As a child, Jazz played with human teeth like dice; by nine, he knew how to dissolve a body in quicklime. His father brainwashed him to believe that Dents are superior and above the laws that govern the rest of mankind. For Jazz, it is instinctive to size up his “prey,” quickly assessing the best ways to charm and immobilize his victims. But Jazz hasn’t killed anyone. Yet. Or, at least no one that he remembers.
Jazz’s greatest fear is ending up a killer like “Dear Old Dad.” Ever since his father’s arrest, Jazz has been living as normal a life as possible, despite the fact that his grandmother/official guardian suffers from dementia and is notoriously strange. But now a new serial killer in on the loose in Lobo’s Nod and Jazz fears his past is coming back to haunt him. So he decides to use his inside knowledge of a serial killer’s mind to be on the side of good, launching his own investigation into the identity of the “Impressionist,”whose crimes are eerily similar to those of Billy Dent.
First Line: “By the time Jazz got to the field outside town, yellow police tape was everywhere, strung from stake to stake in a sort of drunken, off-kilter hexagon.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
Do you love Dexter and Criminal Minds? Or maybe Chelsea Cain’s Archie and Gretchen series is your cup of tea? Perhaps you wish there were more (or, any) books like this in the YA genre? Then you won’t want to miss the first installment of Barry Lyga’s Jasper Dent series! It’s deliciously twisted—taking an all-too-realistic look at the thoughts and actions of a sociopath—without becoming overly explicit. But the restraint regarding gratuitous blood and gore actually makes I Hunt Killers all the creepier.
The mystery aspect of this book is compelling if not wholly original. For me, the true appeal was in the characterization of Jazz. Every dark thought and insight into the mind of the killer causes him to wonder if he is destined to become a killer himself. While he doesn’t mind using his childhood lessons to his
advantage—Jasper is a master of reading and manipulating people, knowing
exactly how to smile and push the right buttons to get what he wants—he
can’t help feeling a prickle of guilt at the ease of it and worry that
one day he will step over an invisible line he can’t come back from.Still struggling (understandably) with the brainwashing of his childhood, Jazz has a personal mantra to keep himself human: “People matter. People are real.” He considers it a way of “casting a shield against his own evil.” And even more intriguing than the who-is-the-killer plot thread is the mystery of Jazz’s past. His mother disappeared years ago and Jazz is almost sure is father killed her, but he can’t know for certain. Also, there are those events from his past that Jazz can’t quite recall.
Unsurprisingly, given its parallels to other popular TV shows, I Hunt Killers may also be coming soon to the small screen—it was optioned by Warner Bros. for development early on. As for book two in the series? We’ll have to wait until April 2013.
Summary: Fifteen-year-old high school freshman Charlie is anxious about starting high school, especially after his only friend committed suicide last year. So he chooses an unnamed stranger as his confidante. Over the course of a year, he sends anonymous letters describing his triumphs and tribulations as he befriends two seniors who welcome him into their eccentric group of friends and show him how to engage with the world.
First Line: “Dear Friend, I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn’t try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
Charlie is now one of my all-time favorite book characters. His narrative voice is one of the strongest I’ve ever read, engaging and startling in its naive honesty. Charlie is unguarded about his emotions, often to the bafflement of those around him, and honestly clueless about many of the basics of social interaction. Take the following passage between Charlie and his older sister:
“I hate you.”
My sister said it different than she said it to my dad. She meant it with me. She really did.
“I love you,” was all I could say in return.
“You’re a freak, you know that? Everyone says so. They always have.”
“I’m trying not to be.”
He is vulnerable, awkward, and sometimes downright brilliant. In a word, he has depth. The book’s other characters, including the “unconventionally beautiful” Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, are equally well drawn and likeable. This book’s story and characters seem completely real, and it is almost impossible not to relate to them no matter how different your life may be.
Wallflower has been frequently compared to classic coming-of-age novels like The Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Peace. But although it addresses a lot of “issues”—suicide, sex, drugs, depression, abuse, homosexuality, bullying, teen pregnancy, etc.—it’s not all angst. Instead, it is a completely engrossing story full of hilarity, heartbreak, and inspiration. There were parts that made me laugh out loud; others left me stunned, anxious, saddened, hopeful. Although this book was published over a decade ago, it speaks to an age-old high school experience. It doesn’t feel outdated at all, though I could be a bit biased considering I was a high school student myself in the 90s. But considering the movie adaptation is coming out next month—featuring what promises to be a very un-Hermione role for Emma Watson—I don’t think I could be too biased. (The cast also includes Logan Lerman from the Percy Jackson movies as Charlie, with Paul Rudd, Mae Whitman, Vampire Diaries‘ Nina Dobrev, and others.)
In addition to the excellent characterizations and well-crafted story, I love how Charlie relates to so much through books and music. (As we’ve covered before, I am a sucker for books featuring characters who have a special relationship with books and/or music.) For me, The Perks of Being a Wallflower more than lived up to its reputation. I loved it, which in turn makes me a bit wary of the upcoming movie adaptation. But since Stephen Chbotsky wrote the screenplay and directed as well, I have faith the film will remain true to the novel. Here’s the official trailer, in case you haven’t seen it yet:
I don’t actually go to the movies very often (the last movie I saw was The Hunger Games), but I am looking forward to seeing this one. What about you? Do you plan to see the movie adaptation when it comes out?
So I recently realized that over the past year I’ve read several YA books that I never got around to reviewing. Now, many of these books have sequels out or soon to be released. Here’s a quick look at some of the books I overlooked:
All These Things I’ve Done (Birthright #1) by Gabrielle Zevin
Genre: Dystopia/Crime Fiction/Romance
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
In a near future where chocolate and
caffeine are contraband, water and
paper are carefully rationed, and curfews are strictly enforced, sixteen-year-old Anya Balanchine finds
herself coping with an ailing grandmother and mothering her orphaned siblings.Oh, and she also gets herself tangled up in the illegal family business while falling for the son of New York’s new District Attorney. Anya is a strong and fascinating character and this book provides a slightly different slant in dystopian literature, but I felt that some of the details strained credibility. For me the book fell a bit flat, especially the romantic relationship. But there’s still hopefor this wonderful premise and characters: Book 2, Because It’s in My Blood, is due out September 18, 2012.
Ashes (Ashes Trilogy #1) by Ilsa J. Bick
Genre: Apocalyptic Fiction/Horror
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
On the run from an incurable brain tumor, 17-year-old Alex is camping alone in the mountains when catastrophe strikes. The sudden explosion of an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) instantly kills most of the adults and turns many of the younger humans into crazed, flesh-eating monsters. Tough and resourceful, Alex teams up with a contrary eight-year-old and a young soldier named Tom. The first half of this novel is a high-energy gorefest that kept me enthralled, but events take a sudden turn midway though. The creepy factor ratchets up in a totally new way, but the sudden veer had me baffled for a bit. However, the cliffhanger ending takes a turn back in the right direction. There are tons of questions left in the air, and I can’t wait for the sequel, Shadows, due out September 25, 2012! For its foray into societal issues and mores as well as the vivid action sequences, Walking Dead fans will definitely want to check this one out.
Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Decades ago, when it became clear Earth would not survive much longer, two pioneer spacecraft were launched to locate and colonize a New Earth. Fifteen-year-old Waverly and her boyfriend Kieran were born aboard the Empyrean, a completely self-contained habitat. The Empyrean and its inhabitants are still at least 40 years away from reaching their goal when their sister ship, New Horizon, inexplicably attacks and kidnaps all of the girls. Suddenly, Kieran finds himself in a power struggle with Seth, who becomes both a romantic rival and a rival to Kieran’s role as future leader of the ship. Meanwhile, Waverly must figure out a way to thwart her captors. This is a fast-paced space epic with some fascinating twists. A less-than-subtle dig at the corruptible qualities of organized religion may alienate some readers. The second installment of the series, Spark, was released July 17, 2012.
Hourglass (Hourglass #1) by Myra McEntire
Genre: Science Fiction/Mystery/Paranormal Romance Rating: 3/5 Stars
Seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole sees ghosts. Or, at least she believes that’s what they are. Now that she is home—after being hospitalized for a nervous breakdown—her older brother and guardian has hired the Hourglass Institute to help Emerson deal with her “hallucinations.” But Micheal Weaver is not the therapist Emerson expects; instead he is a consultant for a secretive organization that works with gifted people of the X-men variety, helping them to develop and use their abilities for good. Emerson believes he’s nuts at first, but soon she’s thinking all sorts of things might be possible, including time travel. This book isn’t perfect, but Emerson is a likeable, slightly offbeat narrator, and the romantic triangle that develops with Michael and Kalebis intriguing if a bit predictable. Hourglass is a clever combination of science fiction, superheroes, and paranormal romance that will appeal to a wide range of readers. The sequel, Timepiece, is now available.
Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) by Lauren DeStefano
Genre: Post-apocalyptic Fiction Rating: 3/5 Stars
In a future world where genetic engineering has created a disease that kills women by the age of 20 and men by the age of 25, polygamy has become a way of life for the rich and a means of ensuring survival of the species. Rhine is sixteen when she is kidnapped from her Manhattan neighborhood and forced to become the bride of Linden Ashby, one of the most handsome and affluent young men in Florida. Even as Rhine struggles with her feelings about her new husband, she also develops a wary relationship with one of the household’s male servants. And yet she is determined not to allow her developing relationships to make her lose sight of her goal to escape and somehow reunite with her twin brother. This is a creepy, dangerous world filled with hidden agendas. The narrative tension is high and although I was often frustrated by Rhine’s inner conflicts, I fully plan to discover more of this disturbing world in Fever.
Summary: In a small North Carolina mountain town outside Asheville, evil has festered for years in the form of Pastor Carson Chambliss, an ex-con and born-again Christian who encourages his congregation to speak in tongues, handle deadly snakes and fire, and drink poison to prove their faith. Adelaide Lyle recognized the danger years ago and insisted that the congregation’s children steer clear of Chambliss’s raucous services and attend Sunday school with her instead. But a series of events, beginning with the snooping of a young boy, brings the evil out into the open and shatters a family forever.
First Line: “I sat there in the car with the grave dust blowing in the parking lot and saw the place for what it was, not what it was right at that moment in the hot sunlight, but for what it had been maybe twelve or fifteen years before: a real general store with folks gathered around the lunch counter, a line of people at the soda fountain, little children ordering ice cream of just about every flavor you could think of, hard candy by the quarter pound, moon pies and crackerjack and other things I hadn’t thought about tasting in years.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
Human weaknesses and vulnerabilities are exposed in this evocative novel about rural life, fate, and redemption. Equal parts Southern Gothic and Greek tragedy, it calls to mind the work of Flannery O’Connor. The story is narrated by a chorus of three voices: Adelaide, the town
wise woman and healer, a woman who at nearly eighty tells it like she
sees it; Sheriff Clem Barefield, still somewhat of an outsider, a middle-aged man
haunted by his own family tragedy; and nine-year-old Jess, precocious
and adventurous, a boy older than his years from looking out for
his mute and most likely autistic older brother. The novel weaves
back and forth through time, seamlessly revealing events of the past to
elucidate the tragedy that occurs early on in the narrative. This
layering of perspective and events creates a dark, quiet intensity that
pulls you in, the tension gradually building up to the final,
inevitable conclusion.
And debut author Wiley Cash’s writing is fabulous.The dialog and idioms are spot on, perfectly capturing the flavor of the mountains and its people without introducing awkward, unreadable dialect. The lyrical prose is unpretentious, and the characters lovingly crafted.This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the work of Tom Franklin and John Hart. This book offers plenty of food for thought and discussion; it would make an ideal book club read.
Summary: For 11-year-old Julia, the morning that the world changed forever began just like any other Saturday in her suburban California neighborhood. But she soon learns that the Earth’s rotation is slowing down and that there are CONSEQUENCES AHEAD. Her mother leaps into panic mode, while her doctor father goes to work just like any other day. As the days grow increasingly lengthy, world governments declare that citizens should abide by the 24-hour clock even though it is 40 hours or more between sunsets and midnight might come during the brightest part of the day. Fringe groups of “real-timers” spring up in opposition to the “clock-timers.” Birds fall from the sky, people develop gravity sickness, crops fail. Julia herself feels a mild fear as the world around her gradually falls into turmoil, but she is also coping with the everyday disasters of adolescence: bullying at the bus stop, her parents’ rocky marriage, broken friendships, and her first crush.
First Line: “We didn’t notice right away.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
This book is written as a retrospective, where a now-adult Julia looks back on the time that her world—both her private world and the world at large—changed. As a narrator, Julia frequently provides insights that the 11-year-old Julia could not know (“It was the last time I ever tasted a grape.”). Sometimes these were effective, but at other times I felt that they were unnecessary and even a bit annoying. But Julia’s story is a compelling one. The changes on Earth are profound, and the daily changes to Julia’s everyday life as she adapts to her changing environment and goes through the ordinary growing pains are equally riveting.
Karen Thompson Walker’s writing is simple and vividly evocative. It is nuanced and descriptive without becoming cluttered or overdone. Take the following passage:
When we finally understood what was happening that morning, Hanna and I rushed outside to check the sky for evidence. But the sky was just the sky—an average, cloudless, blue. The sun shone unchanged. A familiar breeze was blowing from the direction of the sea, and the air smelled the way it always did back then, like cut grass and honeysuckle and chlorine. The eucalyptus trees were fluttering like sea anemones in the wind, and my mother’s jug of sun tea looked nearly dark enough to drink. In the distance beyond our back fence, the freeway echoed and hummed. The power lines continued to buzz. Had we tossed a soccer ball into the air, we might not have even noticed that it fell a little faster to the earth, that it hit the ground a little harder than before. I was eleven years old in the suburbs. My best friend was standing beside me. I could spot not a single object out of place or amiss.
I read this book in one sitting. It is a fast, easy read and a timely one. Despite the fast pace, this is a quiet read—not violently dramatic like so many of the other apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic novels glutting the market. The dramas here are mostly small, everyday ones, but they are numerous and poignant. Although I questioned some of the science and would have liked a bit more fullness to the story and characters, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant change from the average “world gone wrong” novel, and the premise was top-notch. I look forward to the next offering from this first-time author.
Summary: Following his return to the States after serving in the Korean War, Frank Money finds coping with “normal life” a challenge. He is haunted by what he has witnessed and by what he has done. Furthermore, he experiences panic attacks and occasional violent spells he has no memory of later. Recently escaped from a mental institution after an “episode,” Frank finds his purpose in a mission to rescue his younger sister from a dangerous situation. But to help Cee, he has no choice but to return to the Georgia hometown he detests.
First Line: “They rose up like men.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
Why haven’t I read more Toni Morrison? I loved Beloved, but haven’t brought myself to pick up any of her other works until now. Perhaps I am wary of the gut-wrenching, emotional devastation that I associate with her stories? There is certainly plenty of sadness and disillusion to be found in this slim novel, yet there is also redemption. In less than 150 pages, Morrison takes on PSTD, family dysfunction, and the rampant racism of 1950s America. But the heart of this novel is the relationship between brother and sister and their separate journeys to make peace with themselves, the past, and their lives now.
The novel skillfully interweaves the past and present and also offers up the barest hint of magical realism. Morrison’s prose is lyrical, restrained yet startling in its power, the rhythms of her words and sentences resonating like poetry. Her language is clear and accessible, yet still manages to feel lush. This novel is told mostly in third person omniscient tense, occasionally focusing on characters other than Frank, most notably his sister Cee. However, some of the most powerful moments are when Frank “interrupts” the storyteller to provide his own first-person account, which further illuminates and sometimes even corrects the story we have been told thus far. This novel is deceptively simple and could perhaps benefit from a bit more fleshing out, but the spareness has an undeniable power if its own.
Summary: Two weeks after the cliffhanger ending of City of Fallen Angels, Jace and Sebastian are still missing. The Clave is determined to locate and kill Sebastian, and Jace’s disappearance is of little consequence to them. Not so for Clary and the rest of the gang. She, Simon, Izzie, Alec, and Magnus are determined to get him back safely, but when they discover that Jace and Sebastian are bonded—harm one, harm the other; kill one, kill the other—their task becomes infinitely more difficult. While the rest of the gang searches for a way to sever the bond without destroying Jace, Clary undertakes a dangerous mission of her own. Because while Jace seems to have forgotten his hatred for Sebastian and is actually cooperating with him, one thing hasn’t changed. He still loves Clary, and now he wants her to join him to carry out Sebastian’s secret plan.
First Line: “Simon stood and stared numbly at the front door of his house.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
I have listened to this entire series on audiobook, and I must say that this latest addition is easily the most polished production so far. I almost didn’t even finish the last audiobook, which was alternately read by Ed Westwick and Molly Quinn. (Ed Westwick? Really??? I love his voice, but posh and British don’t really scream Simon or Jace to me.) But Molly Quinn on her own? Totally rocks. She does a fabulous job in CoLS, inhabiting each of the characters and embodying all the emotion, tension, and confusion that they experience through the course of the book.
While I found book four to be a bit of a disappointment, I have absolutely no real complaints about City of Lost Souls (well… I might have liked a bit more angst from the Maia/Kyle storyline). Love, betrayal, internal conflict,
violence, sacrifice, heartbreak; it’s all there. Cassandra Clare keeps the excitement level sky high while still allowing each major character time to have their own troubles outside of the main plotline. The characters and their relationships are so well established, and yet Clare is still capable of surprising us. Even Sebastian—a villain perhaps even more dangerous than Valentine—had me teetering between (short-lived) sympathy and loathing. This is a dark book in many ways, but that darkness is balanced with a sharp,
snarky humor and glimmers of hope. In fact, this one even has a happy ending—or at least a positive resolution—while leaving plenty of material for the next in the series. In my opinion, City of Lost Souls is the best book yet of this beloved series, and I am eagerly anticipating the (reportedly) final installment. Unfortunately, we will all have to wait until March 2014 (!!!!!!!) until City of Heavenly Fire will be released.
Summary: Shelley is just beginning to heal from her husband’s death three years earlier when a man appears on her doorstep with a set of photos—a man who looks almost exactly like her husband Max. His name is Paulo, and he claims that the bearded man in the photos is his grandfather—and also Shelley’s husband Max, who would only be in his thirties now. It’s impossible, but Shelley has to admit that the similarities between Paulo’s “Nonno” and her Max are too profound to be explained by coincidence. Even stranger, Paulo claims that Max is still alive and living on a secluded boat in the Philippines.
First Lines: “Jasmine. It was not Max Gallus’s top choice for his last thought, but it would have to do.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
This book instantly reminded me of both Audrey Niffeneger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife and Cecelia Ahern’s P.S. I Love You. At moments, it even evoked The Gargoyle,
one of my absolute favorite books in recent years. Yet Samantha Sotto’s
story is unique. Offbeat and romantic, Before Ever After moves easily from moments
of bittersweet sadness to zany humor. And Sotto’s writing style is fresh
and engaging, although I did find her constant use of metaphors
distracting at times.
Much of the story is told in flashbacks, and each bit
reveals a new aspect of the mystery that is Max. On a plane to the Philippines, Paulo and Shelley share what they know of Max. As she relates her love story with Max—who she first met after impulsively joining a back-roads history tour across Europe where Max was the tour guide —Shelley also reveals the folkloric tales he shared with the tour group at each stop, tales she now realizes to be clues into Max’s past. Each vignette features the struggles and loves of ordinary people during extraordinary times—from the 1871 slaughter of the French Communards to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius—and is interwoven with a stop in Max’s tour. The constant movement from present to past to the even more distant past may prove confusing for some readers, but for me it worked.
Also thrown into the mix are Max and Shelley’s eccentric mix of
traveling companions—whose stories offer intriguing parallels to Max and
Shelley’s—and an ongoing motif of chickens and eggs. I would love to go on a real ‘Slight Detour’ tour through Europe, especially if there was a Max to entertain us with tales and prepare legend-worthy breakfasts. (I really want to try his baked eggs and cheese recipe and wish it had been included in the book. I’ll have to check for a recipe online…Maybe there’s a low fat version?) Anyway, as I’m a total sucker for road trip books and love genre-bending fiction, this book was right up my alley. And although the premise was not as well executed as I had hoped, I still enjoyed it thoroughly. All in all, Before Ever After is a charming read that will particularly appeal to casual history buffs, romantics, and fellow “armchair travelers”.
No dual review this time. Lucinda quit the series before finishing the first book. I almost did the same thing, and after starting the second book, I really did quit. In fact, I read the first and last chapters of Fifty Shades Darker, rolled my eyes (a lot), and decided that I was done with the series for good. Only I have this annoying compulsion to finish what I start (several family members frequently make joking references to my OCD), so I picked it up again a week later. And I enjoyed the last two books, despite my many reservations. I’ve already said most of what I have to say about this series in my review of the first book, but I thought the final two books in the series deserve a few comments as well.
First Lines: “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy is asleep on the floor. She has been asleep for a long time.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
In the final books of the series, a slight suspense plot is added to the mix, and the playfulness that characterized Christian and Ana’s e-mail correspondence seeps into their face-to-face interactions. As a result, both characters begin to feel more real. Ana, especially, becomes less of a cipher. They also cope more directly with their fundamental differences and learn to communicate in a more adult manner, though neither character changes extremely. I enjoyed the way they are able to acknowledge their own flaws and even joke about them. In one particularly notable moment, Christian gifts Ana with yet another expensive bit of technology, complete with a themed playlist. Among the included songs is “Every Breath You Take,” which they mutually agree is the stalker anthem and highly appropriate to Christian’s personality. While Christian’s stalker tendencies bothered me in the first book, they are less objectionable in those that follow, probably because they have at least been acknowledged. (One of my primary issues with the Twilight series—and there were many—was the fact that Bella never called Edward on his creepy stalking habits and didn’t even seem bothered by the fact that he invaded her space while she was sleeping and they were still practically strangers. But I digress…)
Anyway, I have to make an admission: E.L. James is a smart writer. She doesn’t take her characters too seriously, and at times seems to poke a bit of fun at romance conventions and expectations. She’s not a skilled wordsmith or a brilliant storyteller. And don’t even get me started again on her use of the “subconscious” to highlight Ana’s inner thoughts. But the writing does seem to get better as the books progress, or perhaps I just grew accustomed to it. Regardless, what E.L. James does do—and very well—is tap into familiar plot elements from bestselling mainstream fiction, using them to make her somewhat taboo story (on the surface at least) more familiar and comfortable for the general reader.
I’ve been thinking a lot about why this series has enjoyed so much mainstream success, where other erotic fiction is practically shunned by the general reading public. There is even a certain stigma about reading mainstream romance, let alone erotic romance or “romantica.” Certainly the media attention hasn’t hurt—but a certain level of interest had to have preceded the media coverage. One thing that I think helps is that the covers are less “embarrassing” that many romance novels, erotic or not. The Fifty Shades covers are somewhat stark and do not immediately identify the books as members of the romance genre. There are no half-naked clinches or waxed pectorals (often referred to on romance reader blogs as “mantitty covers”) to identify the genre to curious passersby.
But, as I commented earlier, there are parallels to certain mainstream novels that I believe are key to the series’s success. In fact, this “shocking” story is rather formulaic, using clichés from the romance genre and mixing in elements culled from other popular fiction. Here’s my theory about the formula for the Fifty Shades trilogy:
I have already outlined manyof the Twilight parallels in my previous post, but you may be thinking I’m a bit crazy for comparing the other two. But just hear me out.
Even if you haven’t read any of Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter books, many of you are familiar with the series on Showtime about a blood splatter analyst/serial killer. As a child, Dexter witnessed a traumatic incident involving his mother, which resulted in violent impulses as he grew older. Then, in his formative teenage years, an adult he trusted introduced him to a set of strict rules through which he was free to indulge in his abnormal impulses. Now think of Christian. He too has a “deviant” secret life, and claims that his sadist tendencies stem from his troubled childhood. And then “Mrs. Robinson” introduced him to the world of BDSM, where he finds an outlet for his violent impulses, but only guided strictly by a set of previously agreed upon rules. As such, this allows him to maintain strict control of his impulses in the other areas of his life. I am not saying that Dexter and Christian’s methods are comparable (after all, one kills and the other indulges in consensual bondage and discipline games), but I couldn’t help thinking of Dexter as I read about Christian’s past.
As for the parallels with Room—that doesn’t really kick in until book two, which begins with a peek into Christian’s past and is narrated by his 4-year-old self. This perspective, which appears again in the prologue to Fifty Shades Freed, is clearly reminiscent of Emma Donoghue’s Room, which is narrated entirely from the point-of-view of 5-year-old Jack, who has grown up in a room where his mother is physically and sexually abused. Again, I am not saying that the books themselves are similar, but I think that the influences on E.L. James’s trilogy are real and, perhaps, a key element to their continued popularity. The Fifty Shades books offer up a titillating subject, but they’re presented in a familiar way that makes them more digestible for the general reading public than typical erotic fiction.
So what do you think of my little theory? Am I crazy?
Summary: College student Anastasia Steele is just filling in for her friend and roommate when she meets and interviews powerful businessman Christian Grey, and it turns out to be a highly awkward and embarrassing experience. But when Christian seeks her out on her home turf then warns her away, Ana can’t help but be intrigued by the undeniable attraction they share. Soon, Ana learns that any relationship with Christian will be far different from her expectations, as he has a taste for bondage, dominance, and punishment—and Ana must decide if she can be the submissive he needs.
First Line: “I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror.”
Lucinda’s Views:
I tried my best to read this, having been urged on to finish it by several of the library staff, but I couldn’t. I don’t know if it was the wooden characters or the stalkerish behavior of the main characters that turned me off of this book, but try as I might I could not bring myself to finish the book. It did start off with an interesting, if done before plot and I was at first intrigued by this groundbreaking offering of erotica by a major publishing house. Things seemed to go downhill in subsequent chapters, however. The characters never seemed to develop any depth and I just couldn’t deal with Ana’s whining. All I can say is that I just lost interest. I was trying to read the Hunger Games Trilogy simultaneously and this offering just didn’t compete.
Tracy’s Thoughts:
Like Lucinda, I had several enthusiastic co-workers urging me to read this book. About a third of the way in I was ready to throw in the towel, but I stuck with it. And while I can’t say I loved it, I didn’t hate it either. At least, I didn’t dislike it any more than I did the Twilight series (but more on that later).
EL James is the first to admit that she isn’t a great writer, but her prose is… competent, if sometimes a bit robotic. She clearly has a fondness for certain words—many of them starting with the letter “P”—and I actually made a game out of spotting her frequent variations of the words purse, pout, and petulant. (These recurring word choices probably didn’t help Lucinda’s impression of Ana as an annoying whiner either.) What really captured me and kept me reading was the e-mail exchanges between Ana and Christian that begin midway through the book. This is the only time that the characters seem to come alive. In their e-mail conversations, they are playful, challenging, even funny. I especially loved the humor Christian showed in changing his e-mail signature to reflect their ongoing conversation. They have a personality in their e-mails—Christian particularly—that just doesn’t come out in their face-to-face exchanges or in Ana’s inner monologues.
Speaking of inner monologues… I got really tired of Ana’s conversations with her “inner goddess” and her subconscious. It began to sound like Ana has a split personality, especially in a few really strange moments when she describes her subconscious/inner goddess/whatever as “hiding behind the couch.” Not to mention how just plain WRONG it is for Ana to be observing and communicating with her subconscious, which is supposed to be, um, subconscious. As in, something she is unaware of. But whatever. As I said, EL James has no pretensions about being an accomplished writer.
As Lucinda points out, there is actually potential for a really good story here. Christian and Ana love each other (for whatever reason), but they have a
real conflict in their lifestyles and expectations. I would have loved
to see more about how they deal with that conflict, or how sometimes people can love each other but be basically incompatible. Unfortunately, James goes more for the Twilight plot treatment, much of it focused on Bella Ana’s inner angst and confusion. (Which isn’t so surprising, considering the novel originated as a piece of Twilight fan fiction). Here are just a few of the Twilight/Fifty Shades of Grey parallels that struck me as I was reading:
Enigmatic, adopted hero with unpredictable mood swings? Check. (Well, unpredictable for the heroine anyway).
Self-esteem challenged heroine who mysteriously attracts every male within a mile radius? Check.
Heroine parental issues, including a supposedly “scattered” mother and conversationally challenged father figure? Check.
Lots of immediate, internal obsessing on the part of the heroine over the hero? Check.
“Overprotective” hero that tracks down the heroine in unexpected places (i.e., behaves like a stalker) and is “concerned” over the heroine’s means of transportation? Check.
And there are more similarities where that came from. Of course, Christian’s deep, dark secret isn’t vampirism. It is his BSDM lifestyle (along with whatever traumatic childhood event “caused” it). But believe it or not, this book wasn’t nearly as explicit as I was led to expect. For the most part, it was more unsettling (at least in the scenes where Ana herself was most uncomfortable) than sexy. Of course, the subject matter is for mature readers only, but the language used to describe Christian and Ana’s encounters is almost restrained, even clinical at times. At least it wasn’t as shocking to me as a some of the scenes from True Blood!
So, for me this book was a mixed bag, with untapped potential. But the e-mails and questions about Christian’s history still have me slightly intrigued. I have books two and three of the trilogy at home and am determined to give them a fair shot. (One co-worker told me not to judge by the first book, promising that the plot deepens as the saga progresses.)
A few questions for you:
For those of you who’ve read this book (and we KNOW some of you have!), what did you think? Are we being too harsh?
Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Picture Book, Short Stories Audience: All Ages (9 and up)
Summary: Three (very) short stories, each beautifully illustrated, are collected in this fantastical volume. The first two stories, “The Red Tree” and “The Lost Thing,” were written by Tan while the third, “The Rabbits,” was written by his fellow Aussie, John Marsden (Tomorrow When the War Began). Each story deals with varying themes of emotional disconnection and physical displacement.
First Line: “Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to…” (from “The Red Tree”)
Tracy’s Thoughts:
The key to all three of these stories lies in Tan’s moody, evocative paintings. The paintings are immensely detailed and often offer hidden treasures to observant readers. Some of the images are truly stunning, especially juxtaposed with the simple, lyrical text. In my favorite story, “The Red Tree,” a young girl wakes up and moves though her not-very-good day, her feelings shifting from disappointment to alienation and depression. And yet all along, there are tiny glimpses of hope to find in Tan’s artwork. “The Lost Thing” is
a more upbeat tale of a boy who discovers a strange, lost creature in a chaotic and highly industrialized world. Both of these stories feel very intimate, but the final story has a wider scope. It is both an allegory about imperialism—specifically the invasion of Europeans in North America and Australia—and also touches on environmental concerns. Both of Tan’s stories feel more personal—and, for me, more powerful—but each of the three stories calls to the reader’s imagination and is strong enough to stand alone.
You might also be interested to learn that Tan adapted the second story in this volume into an Oscar-winning animated short. Here’s a peek at the trailer:
We’ve got another guest review! Donna is a regular library patron and a second time guest reviewer for Book News & Reviews. She previously contributed a review of Home at Last by Bonnie Leon. This time around, Donna chose to review one of my absolute favorite reads of 2011, so I am also posting my mini-review from the last BCPL Recommended Reading List…
Genre: Short Stories/Realistic Fiction Audience: Adult
Donna’s Summary & Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It was another book that I could not put down once I started reading it. The novel is set in Ft. Hood, Texas. These are lives lived on the military base, a world all its own, complete with its own stores, movie theaters, even its own laws. The missing husbands are living on the other side of the world, deployed to wherever the government says they are needed.It actually is a collection of short stories, mostly written from the deployed soldiers’ wives’ point of view. There is one story at the end that is actually written from the soldier’s point of view.
All the stories are very down to earth and believable, with all the raw human emotions that come along with messy, long distance relationships. Qualities like jealousy, uncertainty, fear, pride, shame, disbelief, love, loyalty, they run the gamut. Siobhan keeps the stories short enough to make the reader want more, but long enough to make a genuine connection to the characters. If you are a wife living on base, or at home, while “your soldier” is away, you will surely know deep in your gut some of the feelings that surface here. If you are any other part of the military family, it will give you insight into what your soldier and their families are working through. I gave this book 4 stars, only because I would have preferred to have a more complete ending to each short story. I would think that each and every one of the short stories could be made into an individual novel. Other than that, it was a 5 star.
Tracy’s Thoughts:
As I said, this was one of my favorite reads last year, and I have been singing its praises to anyone I can get to listen. Here’s what I had to say earlier this year:
Eight gripping stories, each showing a different dimension of the domestic side of military life, make up this debut story collection set primarily around the military base in Fort Hood, TX. Fallon shies away from political commentary, instead focusing on the personal drama of families and soldiers coming to grips with extended absences of a year or more. The characters are real and haunting, and their stories are full of complexity and humanity. There is the wife with breast cancer who struggles with her daughter’s rebellion; the successful investment banker–turned–soldier who questions his place in the world; and a bored young wife who becomes obsessed with her Serbian neighbor’s suspicious behavior. In one particularly memorable story, a soldier on leave camps out in his basement on a covert mission to discover whether rumors of his wife’s infidelity are true. Fallon’s prose is simple yet elegant, and the life she breathes into each of her characters left me fully engaged in the book from cover to cover.
Would you like to contribute a guest review to Book News & Reviews? Find how here!
Summary: Nothing is going right for Hadley Sullivan. After a fight with her mom and a series of misadventures, she misses her flight to London—by four minutes! Even worse, her estranged father is about to marry “That British Woman” who is the reason for her parents’ break-up and his defection to another country. So there she is, stranded at the airport with her ill-fitting bridesmaid dress and hours before she can catch another flight, one that will land her in London mere hours before the ceremony. Then she meets Oliver, who is on his way home to England for a family event of his own, and the two share confidences on the long transatlantic flight. It seems ridiculous to feel such a strong connection with a stranger she’s known less than 24 hours, but in between meeting Oliver at the airport and coming to terms with her father’s remarriage, Hadley discovers that anything is possible.
Tracy’s Thoughts: The Statistical Probability of Love is a sweet, easy-going read with a lot going for it. It features a classic romantic premise—boy meets girl, boy charms girl with his offbeat personality, boy and girl fall in love. There are hints of the easy conversations and magical rapport that I loved so much in Amy and Rogers’s Epic Detour. Over the course of the 10-hour flight from JFK to Heathrow, Hadley and Oliver trade amusing thoughts and comments, talk about their families and relationships, exchange secrets, and almost share their first kiss. And despite the short time span, the story unfolds effortlessly. In a way it reminded me of the movie Before Sunrise or David Levithan and Rachel Cohn’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Hadley and Oliver’s conversations are serious, silly, and surprisingly natural. The fact that their relationship develops in the quiet darkness of a cramped plane rather than an exploration of a city only adds to the intimacy and realism. After all, what else do they have to do but get to know each other? That is, until the plane lands and Hadley and Oliver are separated at Heathrow’s customs line. The events that separate them and eventually allow them to meet up again might irritate the more cynical, but it was easy for me to ignore the niggling “Yeah, rights” and simply enjoy the story.
While the adorable relationship between Hadley and Oliver provides the impetus to the story, it is the strained family relationships—particularly between Hadley and her father—that makes this book memorable. Hadley’s heartache and confusion following her parents’ divorce is poignant and almost tangible at times. She loves her father but hasn’t been able to come to grips with the choices he has made. No one is made out to be a villain or a victim. Instead, Smith’s novel is packed with empathetic characters who are flawed and relatable. Things are wrapped up a little too neatly and some events and characters strain credibility (such as Hadley’s soon-to-be stepmom), but this is a satisfying read that is sure to put a smile on the face of romantics everywhere.
The Statistical Probability of Love is one of the ARCs up for grabs in our Spring Giveaway Event!
Summary: The real world in 2045 is a sad, desolate place of poverty, energy-depletion, and pollution. So is it any wonder that most people spend more time in the MMO virtual reality world of the OASIS than in reality? The OASIS is more than just entertainment; it has pretty much taken over the internet, becoming the preferred online platform for communication, work, and education. It is also the site of a virtual contest with real-world ramifications. When billionaire OASIS creator James Halliday died, he left behind a sort of online treasure hunt, declaring that the first person to solve a series of puzzles, discover three keys, and find the Easter egg hidden somewhere in the vast worlds of the OASIS will inherit his company and his fortune. Within a year, the outside world has immersed itself in all of Halliday’s obsessions—most notably a wide range of 1980s pop culture trivia—hoping to find clues to unravel Halliday’s first puzzle.
But it is 2045, several years after Halliday’s death, before the first key is discovered by an avatar called Parzival and the contest begins in earnest. In real-life, Parzival is 18-year-old Wade Watts, a student who lives in a crammed and precariously stacked mobile home with his less-than-loving aunt. He is obsessed with all things Halliday—from vintage coin-operated video games to Family Ties reruns—and escapes to an abandoned van to adopt his online persona. But now that “Parzival” has solved the first clue, the competition to find the egg intensifies. Along with the other scoreboard leaders, Wade now finds himself in mortal danger from a power-hungry corporation willing to do anything to win—even commit murder.
First Line: “Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest.”
Tracy’s Thoughts: Ready Player One is a total geek fest. If 80s flicks, classic video games, anime, comics, and Monty Python quotes make you happy, it’s definitely the book for you. Of course you don’t have to enjoy them all (I score a whopping one out of five) to get a kick out of this fast-paced—sometimes mind-bending—story of an underdog’s quest to save the day (and himself!). As I read the book, I found myself downright giddy at times. I by no means recognized all of Cline’s 80s references, but many of them (War Games! Better Off Dead! The Back to the Future DeLorean! Schoolhouse Rock!Speed Racer!) put a billboard-sized smile on my face. So, Ready Player One definitely gets an “A” for the 80s nostalgia factor.
But for all its 80s flashback moments, Ready Player One is also a darn good story. It sucks you in, just as OASIS sucks the book’s characters away from their reality. It was fun, for a while, to immerse myself in Wade’s quest and leave my own world behind. (I guess books are my video games!) Many people claim they read as an escape. This is clearly a primary motivation to Wade’s love of videogames and the OASIS:
Descending the network of metal girders had always reminded me of old platform videogames like Donkey Kong or BurgerTime. I’d seized upon this idea a few years earlier when I coded my first Atari 2600 game (a gunter rite of passage, like a Jedi building his first lightsaber.) It was a Pitfall rip-off called The Stacks where you had to navigate through a vertical maze of trailers, collection junk computers, snagging food-voucher power-ups, and avoiding meth addicts and pedophiles on your way to school. My game was a lot more fun than the real thing.
Of course, real life also bleeds into Wade’s virtual world. It is fascinating how, for me, the characters’ virtual reality and their “real lives” became entwined. I was just as invested in the avatars’ survival as the characters themselves. Perhaps more so.
Ready Player One isn’t a perfect book. The writing was a bit uneven at times (e.g., trivia-laden footnotes pepper the prologue then mysteriously vanish), and the romance between Wade/Parzival and his online crush Ar3mis felt a bit forced. Still, it is a clever, fun read with likeable characters and an intriguing premise. Plus, there’s that nostalgia factor 🙂
Summary: Jack Gantos can’t seem to stay out of trouble. It’s the summer of 1962 and, after an incident with his dad’s collectible WWII sniper rifle and getting caught in the middle of a parental feud, Jack is “grounded for life”! Now he’s only allowed out of the house to help his dad dig a giant hole in the yard and to type up the obituaries for his elderly neighbor, whose arthritic hands won’t allow her to use the typewriter. But somehow what promised to be a deadly-dull summer turns into one of the most memorable summers ever, filled with bloody noses, underage driving, Hells Angels, and a suspicious number of dead people.
First Line: “School was finally out and I was standing on a picnic table in our backyard getting ready for a great summer vacation when my mother walked up to me and ruined it.”
Tracy’s Thoughts:
I listened to the audio book in my car, and there were moments that I laughed hard enough to become a potential traffic hazard. This is a book with Personality, from the irrepressibly curious Jack to his loving, bickering parents. Then there are all the other zany characters that inhabit Norvelt: Bunny Huffer, Jack’s best friend and daughter of the local funeral parlor owner, who gleefully entertains Jack with nosebleed-inducing tales of gore; Jack’s uncle, who paints his horse’s mane in bold colors for effect; and of course the feisty, history-spouting Miss Volker, who tells it like she sees it and revels in a good argument. Possibly my favorite character was Mr. Spizz, a crochety old man who rides around town on a giant TRICYCLE, handing out citations and offering chocolates in his decades’ long mission to woo a resistant Miss Volker. I particularly enjoyed Gantos’s narration of Spizz’s character in the audio version; every time he called Jack “Gantos boy” in Spizz’s wheezy, condescending way, I couldn’t help but grin.
Dead End in Norvelt is a great mix of history, humor, and realistic fiction. It is richly layered, but for readers who prefer action and laughs over deep thoughts, the history and life lessons aren’t overly intrusive. Like most of Gantos’s books, it is loosely autobiographical. Perhaps that is why the book is imbued with so much energy and believability, despite the occasionally far-out scenarios. I very much enjoyed the dark humor, slightly off-kilter (often hilarious!) descriptions, and eccentric characters. Those with an interest in history (particularly admirers of Eleanor Roosevelt) will be especially pleased.
Here’s a look at the book trailer:
And here is a brief interview with Jack Gantos after Dead End in Norvelt was selected as the 2012 Newbery Medal winner:
Summary: Each page intructs the reader to perform a different action producing surprising results that will be different on each page.
Lucinda’s Thoughts: This book was a bunch of fun….each page brought a new action with surprising and delightful results. The bright, primary colors could be used to aid in teaching little ones colors as well as the concept of size, numbers, counting, and a host of other concepts. A must read for anyone who has little ones who are curious and eager to learn.
Tracy’s Thoughts:
I pretty much summed up my thoughts when I selected Press Here as one of the Best Picture Books of 2011. It was one of the most innovative, entertaining, and educational children’s books of the year. Here’s what I had to say then:
This ingenious, interactive picture book will incite wonder and delight in children ages 2 to 200. It doesn’t require batteries or have any fancy flaps or tabs. Instead, Tullet asks kids to suspend belief and participate by pressing on dots, shaking the book, turning it, and blowing on it—gently of course. When they turn the page, they see the results of their actions. The illustrations—somewhat reminiscent of Leo Lionni, without the personification—are simple, leaving room for the reader’s imagination. Ages 2 to 5.
Summary: Hazel Grace Lancaster is a walking miracle. Diagnosed with terminal cancer at 12, she is now 16, alive thanks to an experimental drug that keeps the fluid in her lungs in check. Still, breathing is an ongoing struggle, and there is no doubt the the cancer will one day kill her. She’s taking college classes but has little human interaction with people other than her parents and doctors. Her “third best friend” (after her parents) is Peter Van Houten, the reclusive author of Hazel’s favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. Despite numerous fan letters penned by Hazel, they have never met or even corresponded, but Hazel feels that he is the only person who understands what it’s like to be dying without having actually died.
Augustus Waters is a 17-year-old cancer survivor in remission. Hazel first meets him at a support group she attends only under protest. Before Hazel knows what is happening, the two are trading words and feeding off each other’s comments with an energy that Hazel hasn’t felt in… forever. Then they swap their favorite books, and Augustus makes it his mission to help Hazel find the answers to the many questions she has for Peter Van Houten.
First Line: Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.
Tracy’s Thoughts:
First, let me say this: John Green is awesome. I adored An Abundance of Katherines, and, although I was slightly less enthusiastic about the Printz-winning Looking for Alaska, I still found it smart, funny, and compelling. I have no good excuse for the fact that I still haven’t gotten around to reading Paper Towns or Will Grayson, Will Grayson—his much hyped collaboration with David Levithan—but you can be assured that both are now bumped up near the top of my TBR. No one writes smart teen characters like John Green. His books are both incredibly intelligent—pondering Big Questions with verve and style—and hilarious. Seriously, before I even hit the second chapter of The Fault in Our Stars, I was laughing so hard I was gasping for breath. Twice. In a book about terminal cancer.
At its heart, The Fault in Our Stars is a love story, if one we know to be doomed from the start. Augustus is an incredibly charismatic character, and the snarky, deep-thinking Hazel is his perfect match. Hazel and Augustus have a natural affinity that makes for truly riveting dialog, their separate intellects enhanced by the other. Both are quick-witted, with improbable vocabularies and bookish tendencies. In a way, their repartee reminds me of the nuanced banter of Briony and Eldric in Chime. But unlike Briony and Eldric, Hazel and Augustus are also believable as modern teenagers: they have in-jokes, play pranks, and have the requisite addictions to reality TV and video games. They still feel like teenagers, just teens with extreme intelligence and a situation-enhanced view of reality. Hazel’s narration grabbed me from the start—and, despite the comments of some other reviewers—I never felt that it was inauthentic. Here is one early sample:
The Support Group, of course, was depressing as hell. It met every Wednesday in the basement of a stone-walled Episcopal church shaped like a cross. We all sat in a circle right in the middle of the cross, where the two boards would have met, where the heart of Jesus would have been.
I noticed this because Patrick, the Support Group Leader and only person over eighteen in the room, talked about the heart of Jesus every freaking meeting, all about how we, as young cancer survivors, were sitting right in Christ’s very sacred heart and whatever.
So here’s how it went in God’s heart: The six or seven or ten of us walked/wheeled in, grazed at a decrepit selection of cookies and lemonade, sat down in the Circle of Trust, and listened to Patrick recount for the thousandth time his depressingly miserable life story—how he had cancer in his balls and they thought he was going to die but he didn’t die and now here he is, a full-grown adult in a church basement in the 137th nicest city in America, divorced, addicted to video games, mostly friendless, eking out a meager living by exploiting his cancertastic past…
Really, there isn’t much more I can say about this book without somehow taking away from the incredible journey that it takes you on. It is a wonderfully written book about love and loss and learning to live while coping with the reality of death, about wondering how you will be remembered after you’re gone and what will become of those you love. The Fault in Our Stars is not an easy read. It is intellectually and emotionally challenging—but worth the effort. By turns brilliant, hilarious, and heartbreaking, this is a book that is not easily forgotten.
Summary: Little Pea hates eating candy for dinner, but his parents will not let him have his spinach dessert until he cleans his plate.
Lucinda’s Views: Little Pea’s adventures are relevant for any young child. Not liking what is for dinner is a regular facet of childhood and Little Pea is no exception. The fact that Little Pea doesn’t want any candy is what tickles the funny bone in this book. The illustrations are very succinct and add to this story’s charm. For example, the facial expressions of Little Pea as he is eating his much hated candy meal are priceless. If you like a good chuckle in your picture books this is the one for you!
Tracy’s Thoughts: Amy Rosenthal is the author of one of my absolute favorite picture books from recent years, Duck! Rabbit! And while I don’t love and adore Little Pea with the same fervor, I still think this book is utterly charming. The story and illustrations are simple, yet adorable. And the reverse psychology is sure to convince a picky eater or two to try something new.
