Sarah's Reads

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha

2011-09-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things by Neil Pasricha

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book up because the title was funny to me: The Book of Awesome...I wanted to see if it really was awesome!

The author Neil Pasricha made this book out of the blog he keeps (http://1000awesomethings.com/). Basically, the blog & book are about the little things in life that are really awesome--like popping bubble wrap and waking up early and realizing that it's actually Saturday.

I enjoyed this book and have recommended it to a few coworkers who were looking for a funny, quick read.

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Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow

2011-09-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In 1945 Russia, dogs are rare--because of the war, many died from starvation or in battle. This is why 13-year-old Mikhail is shocked to one day find an injured man with a German Shepherd in the woods near his home.

Mikhail's family did all they could for the man, but he dies, leaving behind his dog whose name, they learned, is Zasha. Zasha is such a good dog that they decide to keep her, although it will be dangerous for them because some might view them as traitors for having a German dog (the Russians hated all things German during the war, and, even though the war is over, many people continue to feel that way). They must do all they can to keep Zasha safe from those who might do her harm or try to kidnap her--especially since they find out that she is expecting puppies!

Readers will appreciate Mikhail's love for Zasha--along with the trying times he and his family experience in post-war Russia. Those who enjoyed this book about dogs and World War II might also enjoy Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury.

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Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill

2011-09-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Based on real people and events that took place during the Salem Witch Trials, this book is told from the point of view of three girls, ranging in age from twelve to seventeen; these are the girls that made the accusations of witchcraft. Told in free verse format, readers learn about the motivations behind the girls' "afflictions"--which led to 19 innocent people being hanged.

This book received starred reviews across the board (Booklist, School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus) but I just didn't like it! Maybe it's because I listened to it? I just didn't like the characters or the way their story was told. My favorite part of the book was the note at the end that described the people upon which the characters were based. Readers who enjoyed this might also enjoy another Salem Witch Trials book Beyond the Burning Time by Kathryn Lasky.

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True...(Sort of) by Katherine Hannigan

2011-09-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

True... Sort of by Katherine Hannigan

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

11-year old Delly is considered a bad kid by her family and teachers because of her behavior--but she doesn't really understand what is so bad about what she does. For example, if the weather is too nice to miss during the day, she simply skips school; when she sees a canoe on the river that she wants to ride in, she just takes it. Is that so wrong? She just understand doesn't why everyone calls her a bad kid...and hearing it over and over again starts to make her think she is a bad person through and through.

Things change when a new girl named Ferris Boyd arrives in town--she doesn't speak and won't let anyone touch her. Delly takes an immediate interest in her and decides that she wants to be her friend. She, Ferris, and Delly's younger brother R.B. end up spending a lot of time together in a tree house in the woods near Ferris's house. Being around timid Ferris and sweet R.B. help to make Delly more aware of her actions and the effects her actions have on others, and she starts to be not as much as a trouble kid as she was before.

I have to say that I didn't enjoy this book at all. As I listened to it, I knew that this was going to make it onto a list somewhere (themes of: 'bad kid' main character on a road to self-discovery, sibling rivalry/sibling love, making new friends/learning to get along with others, troubled friend with a troubled homelife, etc.)...but it's not that good! The first thing that struck me was Delly's ridiculous made-up vocabulary--some might find it charming, but I found it extremely irritating. I also didn't find Delly all that likable; she's bossy, acts before she thinks, and is wild. Finally, the fact that Ferris doesn't speak and the fact that animals seem to magically flock to her might appear to be related to an unsuspecting young reader. Even the ending of the book is unrealistic! I haven't read anything else by Katherine Hannigan, but I think I'll stay away from the rest of her books.

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The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood

2011-08-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Hidden Gallery (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #2) by Maryrose Wood

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This story continues the tale of Penelope Lumley and her three charges, the Incorrigibles. The children are still learning how to behave like children--instead of wolves--and the group faces more challenges when they take a trip to London with the Ashtons while the mansion is being repaired.

Strange things keep happening to Miss Lumley and the children: the guidebook they have doesn't seem to be of the normal variety, they encounter a fortune-teller who gives them a cryptic warning, and they notice Mr. Ashton getting twitchy near the time of the full moon. Luckily, Miss Lumley finds a friend in Simon, a young man who helps them find their way when they first arrive in unfamiliar London. Throughout all of this, Miss Lumley can't stop thinking about her parents--where they are and who they are.

I was excited to get this because I really enjoyed the first book (The Mysterious Howling) but I have to say that I was disappointed. This story felt like it lacked the humor/excitement/special something that the first book did. This book ended with many loose ends, so I expect there will be another book in the works.

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Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell

2011-08-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Janie was younger, her parents moved their family from a house in the suburbs to a 'wanna-be farm' outside of town. (It's a 'wanna-be' farm because it's so small, only has goats, and has a small area to grow vegetables.) The fact that their farm is 'wanna-be' doesn't matter to the kids in Janie's classes at school her freshman year--the fact that she lives on any type of farm is definitely weird to them.

Janie has a tough time adjusting to high school life at first; she seems to blend in to the point of invisibility. In fact, the only time the other kids notice her is when she has hay in her hair or goat poo on her shoes. She sits through lunch alone in the library because her friends have a different lunch period...and she pretty much drifts through her day until she reaches the classes she has with a friend.

Janie, however, doesn't give up completely; she and her best friend Sarah join an after school Jam Band (where she learns how to play the bass!), they work on an important interview project with the help of Sarah's awesome older sister, and she actually starts to make some new friends. Freshman year isn't looking as bad anymore...as long as she tries to forget about that popular blog her mother maintains about her family and the 'wanna-be' farm.

I enjoyed this book! I especially enjoyed how Janie has a strong sense of self and can see when a boy isn't as great as she thought he was when she gets to know him a little better--I think that is a great message for young girls. Those that liked this book might also like Itch by Michelle D. Kwasney.

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Shark Wars by E.J. Altbacker

2011-08-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Shark Wars by E. J. Altbacker

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

In ancient times, Gray is a young shark who is part of Coral Shiver (a clan). Because Gray is such a huge shark for his age, he often sneaks off to find more food when he's not supposed to, putting his shiver in danger--and this eventually leads him to be exiled. Luckily, his best friend Barkley (who's a dogfish) sticks with him, and together they try to find a new shiver to join.

The two of them soon find a small group of sharks and they decide to form their own new shiver--calling themselves Rogue Shiver. Later, they inadvertently get involved in a conflict between two other evil shivers...and the Rogue Shiver get confused, not knowing who they can really trust anymore.

This story has a lot of action, which readers will be sure to enjoy. A lot of issues weren't tied up at the end, but it's the first book in a series. Readers who enjoyed this animal book might also enjoy Ragtag by Karl Wolf-Morgenländer.

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Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

2011-08-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Heart of a Samurai: a Novel Inspired by a True Adventure on the High Seas by Margi Preus

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the year 1841, 14-year-old Manjiro and his fisherman friends are washed ashore on a remote island after a storm destroys their boat. Luckily, an American whaling ship finds and rescues them before they starve to death.

The captain of the whaling ship and Manjiro soon form a bond (which was unusual in that time because the Japanese and the Americans didn't normally like or trust each other) and he offers to take Manjiro back to America with him as his son. This leaves Manjiro to decide whether he should accompany the captain to a new country and live a life of adventure...or to remain with the other young Japanese fishermen and return home. After much thought, Manjiro chooses to go with the captain and see America.

This book is based on the Manjiro's life story--he is widely accepted as the first Japanese person to set foot on American soil. Readers will learn of the prejudice he faced in America, as well as his happy reunion with his family in Japan 10 years after the shipwreck that changed his life.

Readers who enjoyed this book might also enjoy A Million Shades of Gray (by Cynthia Kadohata), which is another historical fiction / survival story.

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The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen by Geraldine McCaughrean

2011-08-09T08:48:00.001-07:00

The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen by Geraldine McCaughrean

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the 1890s, 12-year-old Cissy enjoys attending school and spending time with her friend Kookie. The highlight of their school days is receiving letters from their former teacher Miss Loucien, who left teaching to join a traveling theater group. When there's a diphtheria outbreak in their town, Cissy and her classmate Tibbie are sent away with their current teacher to find the theater group so that they can stay with them until the outbreak has passed. Happily for Cissy, Kookie tags along with them.

They find the theater group living in an old, abandoned paddle-boat that had washed up onto land from the Missouri River. After some work, the group gets the boat back into the river and their journey really begins!

This is a fun story with a huge cast of likable characters. Despite all of the crazy hardships faced by this group as they float down the river, they always work together and help each other out. This book is a follow-up to Stop the Train, but readers don't need to have read that book to understand what's going on in this one. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy another one of McCaughrean's books: The Death-Defying Pepper Roux.

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You'll Like It Here (Everybody Does) by Ruth White

2011-08-09T07:44:00.001-07:00

You'll Like It Here by Ruth White

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

11-year-old Meggie Blue lives a happy, comfortable life in North Carolina with her mom, older brother, and grandpa. However, the recent talk among her classmates about aliens makes her unhappy because it brings back bad memories from years ago of the crazy man who trespassed into her class looking for aliens. An experience like this would traumatize any young child, but this was especially traumatizing for Meggie because she is, in fact, an alien.

Meggie's family first moved from the planet Chroma to Earth when Meggie was just a baby. They had to leave their home planet because the pollution there was too overpowering. They first lived in California, but then moved to North Carolina after the crazy man incident in Meggie's class. Now that the people in North Carolina are growing suspicious of them, they decide that it's time to move on again, but this time they decide to move to an entirely different planet.

Interestingly, they end up on a planet called Earth...but a much different Earth from what they're used to. The place they find themselves in is called Fashion City, a city run by "The Fathers," where adults are assigned to mindless jobs, clothing isn't allowed to be colorful, and taking "Lotus" pills to make one feel good and numb is encouraged. The Blue family can't wait to get away from this awful version of Earth, but will they be able to escape before falling victim to the overbearing ways of the city?

I enjoyed this book a lot--I began the story without knowing the plot and was completely surprised to find out that the Blue family are actual aliens! The Blue family is a nice group of people who genuinely care about others, and this trait shines through strongly when they're in Fashion City and want to help all of its citizens stuck in their dull, repetitive lives. Those who enjoyed this alien story might also enjoy The True Meaning of Smekday (Adam Rex).

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Seven Sorerers by Caro King

2011-07-06T12:39:00.001-07:00

Seven Sorcerers by Caro King

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Nin normally hates Wednesdays, but the Wednesday her little brother disappears—along with all of his things—is the worst Wednesday by far. When Nin realizes that their mother doesn’t remember that Toby ever existed, she knows something is very wrong.

Nin soon learns that her brother didn’t just disappear; he was kidnapped by a Boogeyman and taken to The Drift, an alternate world where magic and strange creatures exist…along with Mr. Strood, the immortal man behind all of the kidnapping cases like Toby’s. Determined to get Toby back (along with her mother’s memories of him), Nin sets off through The Drift with the help of Jonas, a boy who has been living in both the Drift and the regular world ever since he escaped from one on Mr. Strood’s Boogeymen.

This is an action-packed story filled with fantasy and adventure that both girls and boys will surely enjoy. One of my favorite characters was Jik, a mudman Nin created—who can only say nonsense words rhyming with his own name. Watch for a planned sequel to this book!

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The Naming by Alison Croggon

2011-06-29T14:55:00.001-07:00

The Gift by Alison Croggon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maerad has lived a lonely life of slavery ever since her family was killed. This changes when a man quite literally appears out of nowhere in the barn she’s working in and offers to help her escape. Unsure of who this mysterious man is, but unwilling to let the chance at freedom pass her by, she agrees to sneak off with him.

Maerad learns that Cadvan is the man’s name, and that he is a Bard—he has magical abilities. Using his abilities, he sees that Maerad has some powers of her own; in fact, he soon believes that she is actually The One from prophesies who is meant to fight the Nameless (a dark power opposed to the Bards and the overall balance of the world). Together, they head off across the land towards the special schools that teach those like them how to harness their power for the good of the world.

This was an enjoyable story, and readers will be sure to become attached to Maerad, who is very much a normal girl with totally unexpected powers. This is the first book of the Pellinor series, which continues with The Riddle, The Crow, and The Singing.

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Liar, Liar: the Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Deception by Gary Paulsen

2011-06-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

14-year-old Kevin has a talent he’s very proud of: telling lies. In fact, he thinks that by lying about everything, he makes his life easier; after all, he tells people what they want to hear and he often gets his way.

Then Kevin begins to push his luck when he goes from telling small lies to telling huge lies, and things start to get a little messy. For example, to get out of doing his share of a school project, he doesn’t just tell his partner that he’s not feeling well—he tells her that he suffers from relapsing-remitting inflamobetigoitis…and she believes him! He also lies to his older brother and sister, which leads to a fight—so they get their car taken away. Things keep spinning out of control until Kevin is forced to tell the truth about everything he’s been lying about…but does telling the truth make his life any easier than lying did?

This is a short, funny book that readers will be sure to enjoy. Kevin is a likable character whose rationalization for lying will (almost) have readers convinced that lying is okay. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy The Adventures of Jack Lime (Leck).

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Deadly by Julie Chibbaro

2011-06-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Deadly by Julie Chibbaro

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Prudence lives in a cramped New York City tenement with her mother. She attends Miss Browning’s School for Girls—and hates it. Instead of paying attention to lectures on how to properly

run a household, Prudence finds herself daydreaming about people and what makes them healthy or sick, especially since her brother died from injuries from a cart horse and her father is still missing in action from the Spanish-American War.

When she has the chance to work as a secretary for an engineer at the Department of Health and Sanitation, she’s thrilled—and this means that she’ll have to stop attending the School for Girls!

Because she shows such an interest in the diseases she reads about as she types up her boss’s notes, he changes her job to also include accompanying him on trips to examine disease cases. When one case turns up a healthy cook who inexplicably makes people sick with the typhoid through her cooking, Prudence faces some of the toughest challenges of her life when her department wants to quarantine this lady—who comes to be known as Typhoid Mary.

I enjoyed this book very much and read it fast! It’s written in a journal format, which gives the story an added dose of realism to this scary subject. Those who enjoyed Fever, 1793 (Anderson) might want to give this book a try.

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The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

2011-06-07T17:22:00.001-07:00

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Centuries in the future, Eva Nine lives in an underground sanctuary with Muthr (her robot mother). She has never seen another human being and doesn’t even know if humans still exist on the planet they live on, called Orbona. In fact, Eva has never been to the surface. She lives a peaceful life (if not a little boring, although they have all the technology one could ask for) until a hunter flushes them out into the open—he wants to capture them so that they can be added to the Queen’s museum as display items.

Never having been to the surface before, Eva must rely entirely on her Omnipod (her talking handheld device that is similar to a computer). However, her Omnipod is having trouble identifying nearly everything she sees! Since her underground sanctuary has been destroyed, she can’t return there, and she begins to despair. Things get a little easier when she meets Rovender Kitt, a lanky creature who is out exploring on his own—he agrees to help her reunite with Muthr. The whole time Eva is on the surface, she clings to a picture she found in the sanctuary (of a girl, a robot, and a man in a hat) and hopes that she can find some clues as to who they are: she calls this picture her WondLa.

This is a good book that I enjoyed very much. The pictures are so interesting, plus there’s a website readers can visit (http://www.wondla.com) with interactive maps and more! Watch for a sequel, as readers are left with a lot of unanswered questions.

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Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

2011-06-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Doug isn’t happy when his father is fired from his job, which forces the family to move from their home in Long Island to a tiny town called Marysville so he can get more work; in fact, when Doug first sees Marysville, he decides that he hates it and calls his new house ‘The Dump.’

Not surprisingly, Doug’s dad doesn’t like his new job and takes it out on the rest of the family. Things get worse when his brother keeps getting accused of stealing…and things get even worse when his oldest brother returns home from Vietnam in a wheelchair.

However, there are some bright spots in Doug’s life in unsuspecting places: he realizes that he adores the Audubon prints on display at the library, and the librarian teaches him how to draw them; he meets Lil Spicer, the daughter of the town’s store owner, and she helps him get a job delivering groceries for her dad; and his grocery delivering job helps him to meet and get to know people in town. After living in there for a few months, Doug thinks that maybe Marysville isn’t so bad after all.

Readers will immediately like Doug, who played a minor role in the companion novel The Wednesday Wars (Schmidt). Doug uses a believable voice that will be sure to resonate with male and female readers alike. This is an excellent book that I enjoyed so much, I didn’t want it to end!

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48 Hour Book Challenge

2011-06-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've started reading! Well, listening. On the approximate hour commute to work, I listened to The Search for Wondla.

= 1 hour

With the office's permission, my coworker and I are listening to Heart of a Samurai while we work at our desks.

*update*

Well, my coworker and I did as best as we could while planning storytimes, working on other summer programming, working our reference desk shifts, and having lunch. I think we averaged about 3 hours listening to Heart of a Samurai, which isn't too bad!

+ 3 hours = 4 hours

Now that it's nearing the end of my work day, I'll listen to The Search for Wondla on the commute home for another hour--so I think I'm doing pretty well so far, considering I'm working a full day!

Tomorrow, Saturday, will also be tough because I'm working the reference desk all day. I plan to make a sign that explains why I'm reading all day long at the desk--I'll try to post it here afterwards.

*update # 2*

Here I am on Saturday, and I'm disappointed to say I'm not doing super-great with my reading today. Here's where I stand as of 11:50am:

Last night visiting various blogs = 1 hour

Commute to work this morning, listening to The Search for Wondla = 1 hour

Visiting more blogs today = 1 hour

Total so far = 7 hours

I'll try my best to read a lot here at work! We've been pretty steady with patrons today, so we'll see how far I get with my reading. I am starting the book Seven Sorcerers. And here is the sign I made to put out at the reference desk:

This image is from http://www.motherreader.com/

*update # 3*

I must hang my head in shame, as the 48 Hour Book Challenge is over and I didn't do well at all. :( Here's where I stand:

Reading at work...probably only an hour and a half total with all of the interruptions, and that's being generous.

+ 1.5 hours = 8.5 hours

Then after work on Saturday, I drove from work to visit my parents (including picking up my brother from work, approximately 1 hour). Then no reading there of course! Then I drove my brother home before going home myself (another approximate hour)...so I can only add two more hours here:

+ 2 hours = 10.5 hours

And that's it, as I didn't read when I got home because it was already SO LATE.

I got a taste of just three books--and I didn't finish any of them! I plan to, though, so watch for a review of each of these:

Thanks for all of the support, everyone! I didn't beat my time from last year, but there's always next year! (And hopefully I won't be working again those days!).

grand total for 2011 = 10.5 hours

48 Hour Book Challenge!

2011-06-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

The time has arrived for the 48 Hour Book Challenge! It takes place June 3--5, and I plan to read/listen to as much as possible within these 48 hours. I participated last year and was only able to get up to 11.25 hours! AND I'm working again this weekend,so it's going to be tricky. I suppose all I can do is try!

Here's what I hope to tackle:

The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi in audio book format

Living in isolation with a robot on what appears to be an alien world populated with bizarre life forms, a twelve-year-old human girl called Eva Nine sets out on a journey to find others like her. Features "augmented reality" pages, in which readers with a webcam can access additional information about Eva Nine's world.


Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus in audio book format

In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island, fourteen-year-old Manjiro, who dreams of becoming a samurai, learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States.

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith

Unhappy at being sent to stay with his grandmother at the inn she operates, The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, Scrub discovers that each room is actually a portal to space and the inn's visitors are aliens who are vacationing on Earth.

Seven Sorcerers by Caro King

When eleven-year-old Nin Redfern wakes up one rainy Wednesday morning to discover that her younger brother has ceased to exist, she must venture into a magical land called the Drift where she grapples with bogeymen, tombfolk, mudmen, and the spirits of sorcerers to try and rescue him.

The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick

Noah and his friends follow a trail of mysterious clues to uncover a secret behind the walls of the Clarksville City Zoo--a secret that must be protected at all costs.

Wish me luck--and good luck to anyone else reading for these 48 hours!

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

2011-06-02T09:26:00.001-07:00

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

11-year-old Delphine has always watched out for her sisters, and she continues to do so during the summer of 1968 when their father decides that they should spend a month across the country with their mother Cecile—whom they barely know. Thinking that they’d spend their time at Disneyland having fun and getting to know Cecile, the girls are disappointed when they quickly learn that she wants nothing to do with them and that they’re visiting only because their father insisted on it.

Cecile doesn’t let them come into the kitchen because that’s where she does her poetry work. She
also doesn’t want them around during the day, so she sends them to the local Black Panthers’ Community Center. At first Delphine doesn’t pay much attention to the activists, but then she finds that the ladies there are actually very nice. She uses some of the strength she learns from them to finally stand up to Cecile.

This is a great book—readers will definitely like the girls: Delphine, who seems older and wiser than her years; Vonetta, the drama queen; and little Fern, who carries her (white) babydoll Miss Patty
Cake around with her everywhere. Those who enjoyed the setting of this book might also enjoy My Life with the Lincolns (Brandeis) or Sources of Light (McMullan).

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I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

2011-06-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

12-year-old Emma doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere—even her name is strange (‘Emma Freke’ sounds just like ‘I’m a freak’). She stands out in her mother’s side of the family because they tend to be short with dark hair, while Emma herself is tall with red hair. She thinks this probably has something to do with her father, whom she’s never met.

When she receives an invitation to a reunion for her father’s side of the family, she’s shocked. Although Emma’s mother tells her that her father will likely not be there, Emma is curious about this group of people she’s never met who make up half of her DNA. She decides to make the reunion trip—alone—to Wisconsin from her home on the east coast. Will she fit in any better than she does with her mother’s side of the family? Will they be nice? Will she regret the decision to attend this reunion for the rest of her life? Emma has tons of worries about whether she made the right choice to go.

This is a cute story about fitting in that I enjoyed very much. Emma is a very likable character with whom young girls will surely be able to identify. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy The Last Best Days of Summer (Hobbs).

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The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

2011-05-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Every year, the Life is Sweet candy factory sponsors four 12-year-old contestants to compete in the Confectionary Association’s candymaking contest. Each contestant’s goal is to create a new and different candy that, if chosen as the winner, will be made available worldwide.

This year, Logan, the son of the Life is Sweet’s head candymaker, is old enough to participate and he doesn’t want to let his parents down. Also competing is Miles, a quiet boy whose oddly light backpack never leaves his shoulder; Daisy, who reads aloud from her romance novel whenever she’s alone; and Philip, a snobby boy who never misses a chance to make fun of someone. Will this peculiar group stay out of each other’s way long enough to make an awesome new candy?

I enjoyed this book very much, and I think both boys and girls will have a good time reading it. Plus, who doesn’t want to read about what goes on in a candy factory? Each contestant tells his/her own story, so the point of view switches in each section of the book, starting with Logan. Recommend this book to those who enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society books (Stewart).

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The Pretty, Pretty Bunny by Dave Horowitz

2011-04-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Pretty, Pretty Bunny by Dave Horowitz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think this book is very funny; some coworkers don't think so because it doesn't teach a lesson, but I just find it humorous!

The story is about a bunny named Narcissa who thinks she's the prettiest thing around. Not only is she in love with herself, she makes fun of whomever she encounters. For example, when she sees a beaver, she says "Boy, am I glad I don't look like *that* guy...Just look at those silly teeth--and what a goofy tail."

She goes on to make fun of a turtle and a moose before she settles down in front of a pond to gaze at her reflection. When a magic frog shows up and grants her a wish, she doesn't even hear what he says because she is too busy laughing at him. This makes him mad, so he places a spell on her that makes her look ridiculous--with a beaver tail and teeth, moose antlers, and a turtle shell.

Of course, she's devastated, and says to her reflection "How I *wish* I could do it all over again" and poof! the wish the frog granted to her comes true and she's back to normal, gazing at her reflection.

And that's it!

I just think it's funny, but I can see how others might not like this story. I think it would be a great flannel board story, so maybe I'll work on that this summer.

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The Greedy Sparrow retold by Lucine Kasbarian

2011-04-26T16:49:00.001-07:00

The Greedy Sparrow: An Armenian Tale by Lucine Kasbarian

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book up because the drawings and colors reminded me of Medieval pictures. It ended up being an Armenian tale, so it wasn't Medieval in any way, but I still enjoyed it.

The story is about a sparrow who has a thorn in his foot and asks a woman who is baking bread to remove it for him...she does, and then she tosses it into the oven. When the sparrow wants it back, she obviously can't give it back to him, so he demands some bread as compensation. He next asks a shepherd to watch his bread for him while he does something else...however, he's gone so long that the shepherd gets hungry and then eats the bread. When the sparrow returns, the shepherd obviously can't give it back, so the sparrow demands a sheep as compensation...and so the story goes. It ends up coming full circle, as he gets another thorn in his foot at the end.

An author's note explains part of the first line to the story 'Once there was and was not', meaning that "fantastical tales may be real or imagined" (copyright page). It's nice that this bit was included because I questioned that very line.

I liked this story about the greedy sparrow and am glad I picked it up. It's nice to read alone or in pairs, but is too long for a storytime.

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Take Care of Me from A to Z by Harriet Ziefert

2011-04-26T16:20:00.001-07:00

Take Care of Me from A to Z by Harriet Ziefert

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was drawn to this book because the 2 stuffed animals on the front (a yellow bear and an orange beaver)--they're so cute! The rest of the book is made up of various brightly-colored stuffed animals using each letter of the alphabet as a suggestion of something to do with 'me'; for example, the letter R is "Read to Me" with a bear holding a book and the letter S is "Sniff me" with a rabbit holding a bottle of perfume.

It's cute but not particularly clever, so I don't know that I'd buy this for someone with a young child. It's nice to look at once though.

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Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleve

2011-04-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleve

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

11-year-old Polly lives on an unusual rhubarb farm where it rains every Monday at 1:00pm. Because Polly doesn’t have any friends (other kids think that she’s weird), her best friend is a chocolate rhubarb plant named Harry who communicates with her by moving its leaves.

The weekly rain is important to the farm because they live in a part of the country that is normally very dry. When the rain suddenly stops coming, everything begins to dry up and die. Polly’s aunt Edith isn’t upset by this because she wants to sell the farm and move away to a big city, but the rest of the family is devastated. Aunt Edith gives her a book of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self Reliance and encourages her to think about leaving the farm when she gets older, but how can she—especially after she learns about some of the family secrets hidden in the old tower of their house?

This is an imaginative story that readers will be sure to enjoy. Polly is a likable character who only wants to do what’s best for her beloved family and farm. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy Savvy and Scumble, both by Ingrid Law.

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Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt

2011-04-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Fredle lives between the walls of the Davis’ kitchen until he is cast out and left to fend for himself. Luckily, when Mister and Missus find him on the kitchen floor, she places him outdoors rather than using a mousetrap. Never having been outside the house in his life, Fredle is both terrified and fascinated.

Fredle has never seen such things as the sky, dirt, or other types of animals (besides cats and dogs). In fact, he has never even heard many of these words until a mischievous field mouse teaches him. Fredle builds a nest under the porch, near where Missus set him down. He learns about the compost pile (he gets delicious food from there!), he meets raccoons (who, luckily, don’t eat him), and much more! When he finally returns home after traveling through the cellar—and meeting the cellar mice—he’s quite a changed mouse, and he can’t wait to tell everyone about his adventures in the place they call “outside.”

The companion book to Angus and Sadie (Voigt), this is a good book full of adventure. Readers will enjoy trying to figure out what Fredle sees for the first time using his descriptions (of a peppermint patty, flowers, grass, etc.). Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy The Tale of Despereaux (DiCamillo) and The Borrowers books (Norton).

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Middleworld by Jon Voelkel

2011-04-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Middleworld by Pamela Voelkel

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Fourteen-year-old Max likes tv, video games, and playing the drums, so he can’t understand how his parents can care so much about Mayan history that they often leave him home with the housekeeper to travel all over the world doing archeological digs. Their newest dig is in Central America, in the [fictional] country of San Xavier.

A few days after they leave for the dig, the housekeeper tells him that he has an electronic plane ticket waiting for him that will take him to meet up with his parents, and that his uncle (who lives in San Xavier) will pick him up. A little confused with the circumstances, Max obligingly travels to San Xavier…but when he gets there, he finds that his parents have mysteriously disappeared. Not sure if his uncle is trustworthy, Max takes to the jungle where he meets a girl named Lola, a native Mayan girl who knows how to survive in the rough conditions. Together they try to solve the mystery of his parents’ disappearance by making contact with the Ancient Maya.

This is book 1 of The Jaguar Stones Trilogy. The story is full of action, suspense, and Mayan gods and goddesses. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy Discordia: the Eleventh Dimension (Salmon) or the Peter and the Starcatcher series (Barry).

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Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Moving Day by Meg Cabot

2011-04-11T07:35:00.001-07:00

Moving Day by Meg Cabot

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In order to create some sense in her life, 9-year-old Allie Finkle decides to create a list of rules to live by, including such rules as: ‘Don’t stick a spatula down your best friend’s throat’, ‘Never eat anything red’, and ‘You can’t take your rocks with you.’

This list is even more helpful to Allie when she finds out that her family is moving to a huge, old house across town. She doesn’t want to move!...even though a Dairy Queen is right around the corner, she’ll be allowed to get a new pet kitten, the girl next door is her own age and awesome (unlike her current best friend that she doesn’t like very much and who is known to cry over everything), and her new teacher is very nice. Allie thinks this new house is haunted and has no desire to move in there, despite all of the cool things that promise to be a part of that new life. She’s going to do everything in her power to sabotage the sale of her current house using her new book of rules!

This is a great book and I liked Allie right away. She’s funny, honest, and has a good heart. Moving Day is the first book in this series; read more about Allie in The New Girl . Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy the Just Grace series (Harper) or the Clarice Bean novels (Child).

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Flirt Club by Cathleen Daly

2011-03-23T08:14:00.001-07:00

Flirt Club by Cathleen Daly

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This story is told entirely by notes and journal entries. Annie and Izzy have been best friends for nearly their whole lives. They keep up with each other throughout their busy school days by writing notes back and forth and leaving them in each other’s locker—and use code names: Annie is “the Bean” and Izzy is “Cisco.” Soon after they begin their eighth-grade school year, they realize that they are hopelessly lacking in the flirting with boys department, so they decide to start a secret club to hone their skills.

As the girls come up with ways to flirt, they practice on boys they like—with surprising results! They soon realize, however, that boys are a lot more complicated than they originally thought…and that balancing friends and boyfriends isn’t as easy as it’s made out to be.

Readers are sure to enjoy the glimpses into the lives of Annie and Izzy, especially because many of their notes to each other are so funny! For example, the Bean writes “Write me back if you can, my little pork chop” and Cisco writes, “Promise me you’ll feed this note to a llama as soon as you read it. PROMISE.” Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy Only Girls Allowed (Moffitt).

I have to add that I was kind of shocked at what these girls were doing with boys in 8th-grade...Izzy made out "with tongues" and was "felt up" by the guy she liked; she was also at a party (the parents were out of town) where other kids in her class were drinking beer and got drunk (she didn't drink any beer--she just held a cup full of it). These kids are 13 years old!! That wasn't what I was doing at age 13, that's for sure...and I don't think I'm in the minority. Are most 13-year-olds doing this sort of thing these days? I hope not! This whole idea makes me sad. If these girls were in high school, I wouldn't mind so much...but 8th-grade? I just hope young girls don't read this book and think that this sort of stuff is what "normal" 13-year-old kids do.

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Dragon Games by P.W. Catanese

2011-03-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Dragon Games by P.W. Catanese

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hap’s mentor Umber loves taking him along on adventure after adventure with his crew to learn about the extraordinary and dangerous creatures that live in Kurahaven, Sarnica, and beyond, even though Hap pretty much dreads it all.

Before Umber took Hap in, Hap had mysteriously been transformed into a Meddler (a being that has special powers such as having visions, being able to see in the dark, and not needing to sleep), although he has no memory of this. Because he hasn’t yet learned how to harness his powers, the fact that he is a Meddler is of no help to the crew as they encounter not only jealous princes and kings, but also bidmis (small, gnome-like creatures), crabs that trap lost souls, and baby dragons. This is one adventure that none of them will ever forget!

Dragon Games is book two of the Books of Umber series. Readers don’t need to be familiar with the first book, titled Happenstance Found, to enjoy this one. The first book deals mostly with Hap’s life before he became a Meddler and his life immediately following Umber’s rescue of him. The series continues with End of Time.

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Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley

2011-03-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Invisible Order, Book One, The: Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley

12-year-old Emily has had to take care of her little brother Will ever since their parents mysteriously disappeared. Living in Victorian London, she’s able to earn a little money by selling watercress. This is what she is doing when she suddenly finds herself in a battle between two groups of faeries—up until then, Emily doesn’t even know that she has the Sight. She ends up rescuing a small piskie named Corrigan after the battle…but by doing this, she is drawn further into the faerie world.

Emily soon learns that the faerie world has been planning to take over the human world and is determined to stop them with the help of Will and her friend Jack.

I enjoyed this book, as it has a bit of everything: history, fantasy, adventure, and suspense. The Rise of the Darklings is the first book in the planned trilogy of The Invisible Order. Those who enjoyed this story might also enjoy The Faerie Wars Chronicles (Brennen).

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Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

2011-03-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

Words In The Dust by Trent Reedy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet and caring Zulaikah is the second-oldest girl in her large family. They live in a small village in Afghanistan—a country that places a lot of importance on marriage prospects for their children. For Zulaikah, this reality is hard to take because she has a cleft palate, which makes her less desirable for a match in marriage. After watching her sister get married to an older wealthy man, Zulaikah wonders what her life will become other than helping to raise her younger siblings and doing chores.

Things change completely when two things happen: first, when American soldiers arrive in their village, one of them notices Zulaikah’s mouth and offers her father the chance for her to have free surgery to fix her problem; and second, when she meets a former university professor in her village who offers to teach Zulaikah how to read and write. All of a sudden, her future is looking much brighter—but will her father allow her to follow her dreams?

This is an excellent book. It’s fascinating how different a teen girl’s life in Afghanistan is from a teen girl’s life in the United States—but there are also many similarities, too. Those who enjoyed this book might also like Where the Streets Had a Name (Abdel-Fattah) and Jungle Crossing (Salter).

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Ghost Hunt: Chilling Tales of the Search for the Unknown by Jason Hawes

2011-03-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ghost Hunt: Chilling Tales of the Search for the Unknown by Jason Hawes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In this spooky book there are eight short ghost stories, all based on case files and events experienced by the group on the show Ghost Hunters. The stories are told from the point of view of Lyssa, the new interviewer for all of their cases.

There are a variety of ghost stories in this collection, such as one about a case involving a ghost who would leave behind pennies each time it visited; another case helped a family who had a ghost without legs appear to walk up their stairs each night! And as a bonus, at the end of the book there is a guide that includes a quiz, a description of devices used on ghost hunts, and step-by-step instructions on how to conduct your own ghost hunt.

The reader doesn’t need to be familiar with the Ghost Hunters show or the crew that appears on it—I’m not and I enjoyed this collection of stories very much. Those that enjoyed this book might also enjoy the Haunted Mysteries series (Grabenstein).

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The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse

2011-03-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I picked this book up after reading Barnhouse's newer book _The Coming of the Dragon_, which I enjoyed very much. This book, however, wasn't as enjoyable for me.

This story revolves around a young girl named Johanna who is a servant to Margery Kemp, the well-known religious woman of the Medieval era. It follows them as they make the pilgrimage to Rome from London with a small group of others. Dame Margery, as Johanna calls her, is very extreme in her demonstrations of her faith as she is prone to wailing and loud sobbing. This makes it nearly impossible for the others to tolerate her, and eventually they refuse to travel any further with her--except they keep Johanna with the group to serve them. When a mean man in the group threatens her, Johanna runs off on her own and must find her own way in the strange new country.

I just couldn't get into this story. I found that I didn't care about Johanna or the others in her group--especially Margery Kemp, who was just obnoxious. I can't put my finger on what exactly I disliked about this book, but I wasn't sad when it was over. I'm glad I read her other book first, otherwise I would never have bothered reading it after having read this one.

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Little Chimp's Big Day by Lisa Schroeder

2011-02-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

Little Chimp's Big Day by Lisa Schroeder

I initially passed on this book on the new book cart because I don't like monkeys that much, but a coworker said that it's really cute, and...she was right!

This story is told in a rhyming format and is about a little chimp who falls to the jungle floor when the branch he's sitting on snaps. He's left to his own devices in the jungle for the first time--he sees a bunch of neat things and sees other jungle animals...but he still misses his mom.

Sure enough, his mother finds him at the end of the story and all is well.

The pictures are really cute! This would make a good storytime book.

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In One Ear Out the Other by Michael Dahl

2011-02-23T14:36:00.001-08:00

In One Ear, Out the Other by Michael Dahl

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book, but I didn't like it at all. The strange pictures are what drew me to it, but they couldn't make up for the lack of story.

The story is about a monster named Bud that never pays attention to anything and ends up feeling the results of it. This would make sense if the story told it that way, but this is the turning point in it: he says, "I have to keep these words in my head, and I know the perfect way to do it...I will use my socks!"

What? Okay...

And it continues: "Not only did Bud fix his listening problem, but he always knew where to find his socks."

Umm...

A coworker and I couldn't figure out what his socks had to do with him finally listening to what's going on around him. It looks like he sticks his socks in his ear. How will that help him listen better? Is the author being ironic? Who knows? But I do know that I won't be reading this one again.

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Pick a Pup by Marsha Chall

2011-02-23T14:16:00.001-08:00

Pick a Pup by Marsha Chall

This book was on the new book cart and a coworker noticed it and had me read it. It's cute; it's about a boy who is going to adopt a dog but is worried about how he'll pick the right dog for him. His grandma, though, assures him that he'll know the right dog when he sees it.

On the way to the place where they'll adopt a dog, the boy pays close attention to all of the dogs they pass.

Sure enough, when they see of the the dogs up for adoption, a dog chooses the boy--problem solved! A happy ending.

This book would make a cute storycards story--or maybe even a prop story.

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Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

2011-02-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I came across this on our 'new books' cart and it caught my eye. It's cute! It's about a goldfish who does his thing in a fishbowl (describing his days in a journal/diary format), but then his bowl gets more and more crowded--stuff, other fish, and other creatures are added to it and he isn't happy. But before he knows it, he's taken out of the bowl and put into a tiny bowl.

While there, he realizes that he misses how crowded his bowl was and starts to wonder about how everyone/everything is doing. Luckily, he finds himself scooped up again and placed in a new, big place--with everyone and everything he left behind! A happy ending...and he meets a new girl fish, too!

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Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

2011-02-23T09:14:00.001-08:00

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Liam is a totally normal guy; he likes stuff like computer games, video games, and amusement parks. The only thing is that he is really tall—taller than the kids in his class…even taller than most adults. In fact, most people think he is an adult, which can have its advantages (like getting to –almost— test drive a new car).

When Liam wins a contest to test a ride at a new amusement park, his dad thinks it’s a scam and refuses to follow up on it. Thinking about how people always mistake him for an adult, he pretends to be his dad while his friend Florida pretends to be his daughter so that they can redeem the prize. The plan works perfectly, only Liam and Florida get way more than they bargained for on this exclusive new ride.

I enjoyed this book very much and was disappointed when it was over. Liam is such a likable character—I wish I knew someone like him when I was that age! Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy The Tapestry series (Neff).

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Savvy by Ingrid Law

2011-02-18T14:46:00.001-08:00

Savvy by Ingrid Law

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I thought that I should read this book, seeing as it's on the 2010 Rebecca Caudill list and students really seem to like it AND the sequel (_Scumble_) came out not that long ago...so I finally got around to it. And I was disappointed!

The writing (in my opinion) just isn't that good. For example (I listened to this story, so maybe I noticed this more because of hearing it) the author uses more similes and metaphors in the first few pages of the book than one should have in the entire book. I swore to myself that if I heard one more 'something something WAS LIKE something something', the cd was coming out of the player and I would be done with it. Luckily I suppose, the similes and metaphors became more spaced out so I was able to deal with them as they came.

I also found the story to be inconsistent. I often found myself wondering, 'well, if this is like this, then why did this happen then? Wouldn't this happen instead?'

Finally, I just didn't find the characters all that likable. They're fine, but I didn't really get attached to any of them. And, just to be petty, I hated the fact that all the kids in the family are named something weird: the main character is Mibbs, and her brothers are Fish, Rocket, and [something I forget] and her sister is Gypsy. Even the other kids in the story are named Bobby (a girl) and Will Jr. Ugh! All of this just made me dislike the book more.

I'm glad I know more about what the book is about now, but I will not be reading anything else by this author.

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The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud

2011-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Bartimaeus is a djinni—one of the most powerful spirits that exist. His home is The Other Place, but, being a spirit, he is able to be summoned by any magician and made to be his/her slave until he is dismissed and freed.

Bartimaeus suddenly finds himself summoned to 950 B.C.E. by a cruel man who commands him to complete tasks that are WAY below his intelligence (such as chasing off bandits outside Jerusalem) until he his freed…only to be immediately summoned by a young girl named Asmira. She commands him to attack King Solomon and steal his magical ring, as this ring will protect Asmira’s queen and homeland. Although this task is better than chasing bandits, Bartimaeus still doesn’t like it because it will surely end with the death of them both!

This book is a prequel to The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Readers don’t need to be familiar with the trilogy to enjoy the story, as it stands firmly on its own. Bartimaeus is a hilarious, cheeky character that is sure to bring smirks to readers’ faces. Those who enjoy this book (and series) might also enjoy Stroud’s other book Heroes of the Valley (2009).

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Enchanted Glass by Diane Wynn Jones

2011-01-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When Andrew’s grandfather passes away, Andrew receives his large, magical estate in the will. He decides to leave his university job to care for it full-time; he realizes that there are magical things he has forgotten over time and wants to properly care for the property with all its magical beasties.

Soon after Andrew moves in, 12-year-old Aiden shows up, explaining that his grandmother, before she died, instructed him to come to the estate after her death. Andrew lets him stay, and it’s a good thing he does—Aiden has magical abilities, and he helps Andrew to remember

his own magical past. He also helps Andrew figure out the mystery surrounding the enchanted glass in the back door of the house.

This is a fun story that has both realistic and fantastical elements. Aiden does regular things like clothes shopping—and then uses his magical wallet that always seems to produce the exact amount he needs when he needs it. There are also fun characters like Groil (a giant who eats only vegetables) and Rolph (a were-dog who can turn from boy to dog at will). Readers who enjoyed this book might also like the Erec Rex series (Kingsley).

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Out of My Mind by Nora Raleigh Baskin

2011-01-17T13:09:00.001-08:00

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This story is about 10-year-old Melody. She has cerebral palsy and needs help in nearly every area of her life--she isn't even able to speak. She stresses that, just because she can't speak or make her body do what she wants it to do, doesn't mean that she's unintelligent or deaf. In fact, she is very bright.

Melody tells the reader about her life at home and at school--where she's in the special education class and has teachers that usually assume all of the students in that class don't really need to learn. Things change a bit when she starts having inclusion classes, which are a couple of class sessions during her day that she spends with the rest of the kids in her grade with an aide.

Things really change for Melody when she gets a device that she can input words and phrases into (along with music!) that allows her to communicate for the first time in her life.

This is a very touching story; there were just some aspects of it that seemed unbelievable or inconsistent to me...her mom's character, for example. But that wouldn't keep me from recommending this to others. And those that enjoy this book might also enjoy _Anything but Typical_ by Nora Raleigh Baskin.

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Art and Max by David Wiesner

2011-01-12T13:31:00.001-08:00

Art & Max by David Wiesner

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I didn't particularly like this story. The drawings were pretty neat (I like the picture of Max in front of the cactus) but the story was sort of stupid. I felt like the author came up with the picture idea first and then tried to write a story around it.

Art is a big lizard and Max is a small lizard. They're both in the desert, and Art(hur)is painting on a canvas. Max sees this and wants to paint too. Not knowing what to paint, he begins painting Arthur. When Arthur shakes the paint off, he loses all of the paint color--along with his original color, making him nothing more than lines. Then Max tugs on the lines and Arthur collapses into nothing.

Max bends the lines back together to make Arthur, then uses a fan to blow all of the shaken-off paint back on. However, he doesn't look like how he did before; he's all pixelated...but this appears to be the answer, because that's how Arthur remains. And that's the end.

This is the sort of book that's okay to read once...it won't make it onto any of my favorite lists or anything.

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The Coming of the Dragon by Rebecca Barnhouse

2011-01-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

The Coming of the Dragon by Rebecca Barnhouse

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When Rune was an infant, he was found washed ashore in an old rowboat. Amma, a wise, elderly woman, takes him in and raises him as her own. Now 14-years-old, Rune is a quiet young man, always wondering about the meaning of the symbols on the necklace he was wearing when he was found as a baby.

While chasing after his loose goat in the woods, Rune sees a dragon fly overhead and is terrified; dragons hadn’t been seen in ages—why would one be out flying now? Has someone stolen from its treasure hoard and made it angry? It seems like it, as the dragon goes on to burn large parts of the countryside, killing dozens of people. When King Beowulf and his warriors plan to search for the dragon’s lair to exact revenge, it turns out that only Rune knows the direction to head. Will Rune find the courage to face the dragon again?

This is a great story of courage, survival, and action. The author based some of the characters and events on the last section of the famous tale of Beowulf. Those who enjoyed this story might also enjoy Barnhouse’s other medieval book The Book of the Maidservant or John David Anderson’s Standard Hero Behavior.

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Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

2011-01-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I picked this book up for a couple of reasons: 1)it's a book about dragons, and 2)I thought it might be good for the 7/8 list. I felt as though it is too old for middle school students--not because of the main story with the dragons, but because of the sub-story with her best friend always talking about sex and how the main character should sleep with her boyfriend.

Kay is a 17-year-old girl living in a world where dragons are a reality. There was a peace pact created many years before separating the dragons and the humans by providing each with their own areas of land that were not to be crossed by the other. This pact has been upheld, more or less, since its creation, until Kay (who lives right by the border) unintentionally crosses the border after she falls into the river after rock climbing.

She probably would have drowned were it not for a dragon later named Artegal; he sees her and rescues her from the fierce river. Although terrified at first, Kay learns that Artegal knows English and is as interested in humans as she is in dragons. They become friends (tentatively, as each of them is breaking the law each time they meet) and figure out from an ancient text that dragons and humans used to be friends hundreds of years ago. Kay wonders if she and Artegal can help let their societies know that it's possible for both sides to be friends.

This book was okay; it was a little slow-going in parts, and the whole 'you must be the last virgin at Silver Ridge High' got to be annoying--although, to be fair, virginity comes into play later. Although it's an okay story, I think it's more suited for older readers.

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Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde

2011-01-11T15:47:00.000-08:00

Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book! I've read another book by Velde (_Now You See It..._) and enjoyed that one, so I thought I'd pick this one up when I saw that it was new. I'm glad I did!

Written in short stories, this is a quick read. What Velde does is take the fairytale of _Little Red Riding Hood_ and write it eight different ways. For example, we are told the story from the point of view of the girl, the grandma, and even the cloak itself!

I will definitely recommend this book to others, as it's so funny! The author's note in the beginning is also a must-read.

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Zora and Me by Victoria Bond

2010-12-31T12:12:00.001-08:00

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Carrie and Zora are best friends in the small, all-black town of Eatonville, Florida around the beginning

of the 20th century. Zora is considered one of the most creative people in their town, although she’s also known to be a frequent liar. When a young man gets killed trying to wrestle an alligator, Zora’s imagination runs wild with stories of gators—including one about her claiming to see a local elderly man appearing to be half man, half gator.

Her stories grow even wilder when a man is found murdered just outside of their town; Zora, naturally, believes that the gator man did it! All of this is going on while they deal with issues in each of their families; Zora’s father doesn’t want Zora to “act white”, while Carrie’s father left for a temporary job in Orlando a year before and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Together, the girls face what new challenges life seems to be handing them in a world that isn’t as small and safe as they had once thought.

This is an interesting story based on Zora Neal Hurston, the author of well-known books such as Their Eyes Were Watching God, and her childhood best friend Carrie. Included at the end of the book is a short biography of Hurston’s life. Readers who enjoy stories that take place around the turn of the 20th century might also enjoy The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Kelly) and The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had (Levine).

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The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean

2010-12-31T10:57:00.000-08:00

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In mid-twentieth century France, Pepper’s malicious aunt claims to have had a vision of his death the night before he was born; in it, Pepper dies at age fourteen. Always the well-behaved child, he never thinks to question this and takes it as fact—along with the rest of his dim-witted family. Therefore, he’s forced to spend his childhood confessing his sins at church, memorizing the last rites, and learning about the saints. But when his fourteenth birthday arrives, he realizes that he’s not ready to die, so he decides on a whim to run away to become someone else—and so elude death.

Pepper begins his quest to escape death on board a ship where he pretends to be his own father, who is a captain. Other roles he later steps into include a deli meat slicer, journalist, telegram deliverer, member of the Foreign Legion, and more. He constantly wonders how he’s able to step into these parts so easily: “Well, people see what they expect. Don’t they? Or do they see what they choose?” (16). Despite all of the misfortune Pepper faces during this time, he retains his kind nature towards others, always putting their needs before his own. Luckily, there’s a person out there who’s keeping an eye out for Pepper’s best interests too—unbeknownst to him.

This is an excellent book, full of adventure and humor. Pepper is such a likable character that the reader can’t help but root for him from the very start. Those who enjoyed this book might enjoy Peter Pan in Scarlet, also by this author.

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Picture books for mock Caldecott

2010-12-30T14:39:00.000-08:00

Some recent posts here are going to include picture books that are on the mock Caldecott book list that I'm trying to read before there's an actual winner. The winner will be announced on January 10, 2011. More information about this and the books involved can be found here.

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)

2010-12-30T14:31:00.001-08:00

The Extraordinary Mark Twain by Barbara Kerley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book! The pictures were neat and the colors really pop. There are also pages from the journal written by his daughter Susy attached to some of the pages...and a note about Mark Twain and Susy at the end of the book.

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Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton

2010-12-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is just okay. It's too long to use in a storytime and the pictures didn't impress me at all; I feel as though this book is just an average preschooler book.

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My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall

2010-12-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Animals made of hearts; story is in rhyme...nothing special.

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Summer Birds by Margarita Engle

2010-12-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

Summer Birds by Margarita Engle

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Who calls butterflies...birds? This person, evidently.

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Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli

2010-12-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I [sort of] see how this book is important, but...

Many people visit the lady who comes to be known as Mama Miti; they visit her for help and advice. However, her advice is always the same: to grow Maathai trees. Well, taken literally, the starving family is still going to starve if they plant a Maathai tree--won't it take years to grow and bear fruit? And the family who needs shelter will still need shelter if they plant a Maathai tree--won't it take years to grow enough to take branches from to build a home?

Because this is just so outrageous to me, all symbolism is lost and becomes meaningless. The pictures are nice, though.

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My Garden by Kevin Henkes

2010-12-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked this book--the pictures are so sweet! I used this in a storytime already and bought a copy for the department's story collection.

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Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow by Gary Golio

2010-12-30T14:22:00.000-08:00

Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: a Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix by Gary Golio

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was just okay. The pictures are interesting, but I found the text looking disorganized on the pages because of all the color and fonts used. It may prompt older readers to wonder about Jimi Hendrix and seek out other materials about him.

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Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems

2010-12-30T14:20:00.001-08:00

Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion by Mo Willems

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was done with this story after _Knuffle Bunny, Too!_ I mean, really, how irresponsible is this family? Luckily, it should be over now. The author's letter to his daughter at the end is sweet, though.

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Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter

2010-12-30T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here Comes the Garbage Barge! by Jonah Winter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is based on the true story of trying to find a 'home' for garbage that no one wanted to take responsibility for. The pictures were funny and interesting but not cutesy. This would be a good book to read one-on-one.

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Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo

2010-12-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I didn't love this book; yeah, it was cute, but I thought that the taller one was an adult, so I thought their relationship was weird. Even later learning that they're friends doesn't make it extra special for me or anything. Kids will probably like it, but it's not really for me.

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Sir Charlie Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World

2010-12-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

Sir Charlie Chaplin by Sid Fleischman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charlie Chaplin dreamed of living a better life while he was stuck in the slums of London with his mother and older brother. He did odd jobs around town to help his family get by; as a teen, one of the jobs he

had was as a slapstick comedy performer in vaudeville acts (variety shows). When his small group was touring America, a director saw his act and signed him to do movies (which were silent and only a few

minutes long at that time).

Charlie soon gained enough confidence in his comedic acting ability—and earned enough money—to leave the production company he had originally signed with in order to not only build his own studio, but direct and star in his own films. The public loved these films and couldn’t get enough of him, making him a multi-millionaire—and making his boyhood dreams come true.

This is a very interesting book about a man that, when in costume, nearly anyone today can identify—but whose personal life isn’t as universally well known. His rags-to-riches rise from poor boy to Hollywood legend is a great and inspiring story. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy other biographies by Sid Fleischman, such as Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini (Harry Houdini) or The Trouble Begins at 8: a Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West (Mark Twain).

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The Genius Wars by Catherine Jinks

2010-11-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

The Genius Wars by Catherine Jinks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was very much looking forward to this book and I found it to be pretty good. This one took a while for me to get into, just as it took me a while to get into the first two books, but it's worth it.

In this book, the third (and final?!) in the series, Cadel is trying to live a "normal" life as a university student (although he's still years younger than the rest of the students there) and as part of a real family (he has been adopted). Prosper English seems to be ignoring him the same way he is ignoring Prosper, and all seems well...

...until strange accidents keep happening that Cadel doesn't believe are really accidents. People close to him keep getting hurt or almost killed and Cadel is sure Prosper has something to do with this. He's tired of running, he's tired of hiding, and he's tired of worrying about those he cares about getting hurt because of him.

This was such a good story (but not as good as the first one--to me) and I can't believe that this is the final book. The ending doesn't tie anything up at all! Maybe there will be another book added because this story is NOT over yet. Assuming that there is indeed another book coming, I would recommend this series to anyone wanting to read an interesting, different type of series.

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The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan

2010-11-22T10:01:00.001-08:00

The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In a small village in Chile, Neftali Reyes is a shy boy whose mind is always wandering; he finds beauty in the simplest things in nature and is fascinated by words. His father, however, wants him to be more focused and hard working so that he might become a doctor or a dentist.

The reader follows Neftali as he grows up; we learn that, as an adolescent, he still has trouble focusing in school and that he still has a love of words. In fact, he has filled dozens of notebooks with his thoughts. He also begins to notice the social injustices suffered by the Mapuche people in his homeland and unites with his caring uncle to spread the word about this. He continues to write once he gets to university, only he changes his name to Pablo Neruda so as not to shame his father.

This fictional biography provides the reader with an idea of what Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda’s life was like growing up. Not only does the book share both heart-warming and heart-wrenching stories from Neruda’s past, it also includes illustrations by Peter Sis and bits of Neruda’s own (translated) poetry. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy these other fictional biographies: A Mind with Wings: the Story of Henry David Thoreau (Hausman) or Bear Dancer: the Story of a Ute Girl (Wyss).

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Mockingbird by Kathryn Eskine

2010-11-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Caitlyn is a bit different from other kids because she has Asberger’s Syndrome. Although the kids she knows tend to think she’s weird, Caitlyn’s beloved older brother Devon knows that she can’t help disliking recess, most colors, and disruptions in routine (among other things). It seems like he’s the only person who truly understands her.

When Devon is killed at a shooting at his middle school, Caitlyn deals with his unexpected death much differently than others do; while others grieve for Devon, Caitlyn deals with his death in a rather matter-of-fact way—having Asberger’s makes it difficult for her to feel emotions as it applies to others. She continues seeing Mrs. Brook, a friendly school counselor who helps her better understand her emotions and Asberger’s. We see her slowly begin to grasp what it means to miss someone, along with what it means to have real friends.

This story is sure to touch the reader’s heart. Caitlyn is a likable character—along with her kind father, who tries his best as a widower to raise his now only remaining child. Readers who enjoyed this book might also enjoy Anything but Typical (Baskin), a story told by a boy who has autism.

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The Rivalry: Mystery at the Army-Navy Game by John Feinstein

2010-11-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

The Rivalry: Mystery at the Army-Navy Game by John Feinstein

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Stevie and Susan Carol, both high school freshmen who have been writing special sports columns for publications such as The Washington Post ever since they won a writing contest, are invited to write about the annual Army (West Point) versus Navy (Annapolis) football game, which is special that year because President Obamba will be in attendance. Each of them is also allowed to get to know some of the players and coaches, along with learning about the heightened security measures that are going to be in place due to the president’s appearance. Excited about this opportunity, Stevie and Susan Carol plunge into their investigating.

Because Stevie and Susan Carol shadow the Army and Navy teams two weeks before the actual game, they are invited to attend their games against other colleges—which is thrilling to them. However, they notice (along with the crowd, coaches, and players) that the calls the officials make seem unfair, though there’s nothing much anyone can do about it. When unfair calls are made by the same group of officials at the important Army versus Navy game, Stevie and Susan Carol resolve to get to the bottom of it.

This is a story that has a little bit of everything: sports, mystery, a touch of romance, and suspense. This book is actually the fifth book in the Steve and Susan Carol Sport Mystery series, but reading books 1-4 isn’t necessary to understand the plot; in fact, this book stands solidly on its own. Readers who enjoy this series might also enjoy The Million Dollar series (Gutman).

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Librarian on the Roof! by M.G. King

2010-11-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

Librarian on the Roof!: A True Story by M.G. King

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is just okay. Readers will admire the determination of the librarian RoseAleta, but it doesn't really excite me in any way.

When RoseAleta was hired as a new librarian at the Dr. Eugene Lark Library in Lockhart, Texas, she discovered that the library was very underused by the people in town (wouldn't she have learned this during pre-interview sleuthing about where she was going to interview?). The current staff seems generally apathetic, so she brings a new energy to the library personnel. When nothing she does-participates in parades, etc.-brings in children or adults, she re-evaluates the children's department and realizes that they need to update the furniture, computers, books, and more.

Of course, upgrades like these take money, and, of course, the library didn't have any money to spare. So RoseAleta endeavors to camp out on the roof of the library until 40,000 dollars is raised for the children's department. (Again, wouldn't she have gotten an idea of what the library's collection and budget were when she interviewed?).

All works out, happy ending, the library gets the money it needed to update the children's department, it is a busy place now, yadda yadda.

I understand that a suspension of belief is needed (maybe) for a story like this to succeed without having readers feel the need to ask questions like mine, but, like I said, I just can't get excited for this book.

I hope she got a raise after all she did for her library!

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A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata

2010-11-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s 1973: Y’Tin and his family live in a distant village in South Vietnam, and, for as long as he can
remember, his country has been at war with North Vietnam. While his father works as a guide for the American Special Forces, Y’Tin likes nothing more than to spend peaceful time with his beloved elephant, named Lady. In fact, he dreams of growing up and becoming one of the youngest elephant trainers ever. Yet things turn deadly when the Americans return home, leaving Y’Tin and his people vulnerable when the North Vietnamese troops invade their village.

While some villagers are able to escape into the jungle (including his family, as it turns out), Y’Tin and many others are taken prisoner by the enemy troops. However, Y’Tin and his fellow elephant-trainer friend manage to escape into the jungle. Happily, they find their escaped elephants, but the elephants aren’t their only concern, though, as they are being hunted by the North Vietnamese, trying to stay alive, and trying to catch up to the group of villagers who initially fled.

This is a thought-provoking book that strikes a delicate balance between Y’Tin’s love of his elephant and hate for the enemy troops. The reader is right there along with him as he escapes captivity and tries to stay alive in the jungle. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy Kadohata’s other books dealing with the grim realities of war, such as Cracker!: the Best Dog in Vietnam or Weedflower (pre-Pearl Harbor bombing).

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Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

2010-11-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Samuel is a thirteen-year-old boy who spends his free time hunting in the woods near the remote home where he and his parents live. In fact, he is in the woods when their home is seton fire, his parents kidnapped, and his neighbors killed—all by the British soldiers who are in America to fight in the Revolutionary War.

Being the skilled woodsman that he is, Samuel undertakes to follow the trail made by the group of soldiers and their prisoners—he is sure his parents are among those taken, as he sees their shoe prints. Although a head wound from a scalping band of Iroquois sidelines him for a number of days, he is determined to keep moving towards British-held New York City. (It is believed that his parents, along with most prisoners of war, have been imprisoned there). Along the way, he meets Annie, a young girl whose parents had been killed right in front of her. She resolves to stick with him from this point forward, so he lets her. The traveling becomes easier when they meet a man named Abner who is willing to take them to New York City on his cart. However, when they get there, Samuel realizes that rescuing his parents isn’t going to be as easy as he thought it would be.

This is an interesting story that drops the reader right into the American Revolution. Samuel’s dedication to rescuing his parents is admirable, and one can’t help but feel for little Annie. Paulsen adds short entries of nonfiction in between pieces of the story to create an even stronger image of what one might face living in the Revolutionary time.

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The Time Quake: by Linda Buckley-Archer

2010-11-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

The Time Quake: #3 in the Gideon Triliogy by Linda Buckley-Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Time Quake is the third and final book of the Gideon Trilogy, and I'm so sad that it's over. I enjoyed this series so much and I'm shocked that it wasn't more popular with the kids.

I was lucky to get my hands on the audio book version; I ended up having to request it from another library in this state. It's so good to listen to and was totally worth it!

Admittedly, this was my least favorite of the three books, only because the reader not only follows Peter and Kate, but also Lord Luxon, the Tar Man, Anjali and Tom, and of course Peter and Kate's families...which makes for a lot to keep track of. Plus, Peter, Kate, and Gideon were the characters I was most interested it and found myself a little impatient that so much time is dedicated to other characters. For example, Lord Luxon's plans on changing history were interesting, but I felt like I didn't know him well enough to really feel anger towards his character; rather, I disliked what he wanted to do more than the character himself. I found myself sort of sighing whenever the story focused on him.

There were also very serious parts to this story, such as Kate becoming more and more transparent (and fast-forwarding), Tom wanting so badly to go home (after we thought he was dead!), the Tar Man's ability to somehow travel back and forth between times, the secret about Gideon and the Tar Man, and, finally, the big ending where Peter has to make a choice about fixing everything that went wrong with time.

Speaking of the ending, I found it to be confusing--so much that I went back and listened to it again to see if I was missing something. I suppose that, when writing about time travel, events are bound to get jumbled up in a way that makes things difficult to keep track of. I kept playing the scene over and over in my mind (keeping in mind the other time travel book I read and loved: The Time Traveler's Wife) to make everything work out and makes sense.

Despite these issues, I found the series in its entirety very enjoyable and I look forward to watching for whatever Buckley-Archer sets her sights on next.

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Always with You by Ruth Vander Zee

2010-11-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Always With You by Ruth Vander Zee

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I came across this book while working on my library's weeding project. (I didn't weed it!) The book grabbed me because it looked like it would be very sad; I knew that a death was somehow involved, but I didn't know who or what the circumstances were.

It's a very quick read; it's a longer picture book that has a subject not so acceptable for browsing children/parents in the picture book section. I was right about my first impression though; it is indeed about a death.

This story is about a girl named Kim whose village is bombed during the Vietnam War. Her loving mother is killed and her dying words to Kim are: "I will always be with you."

An enemy soldier hits Kim with his gun, which ends up hurting her sight for the rest of her life. She is, however, eventually found by United States soldiers and taken someplace safe. Because she needed special surgeries for her eyes, she was sent to the United States for medical help and ended up staying in an orphanage there.

She ends up living a happy life overall, but she always remembers her mother's last words to her.

The story was so sad! But I think it's important to have pieces of literature like this so that we will always remember that events like this happened in our history.

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The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

2010-10-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I did not enjoy this book very much. I felt as though it wasn't very well written, although it's very popular with the kids; in fact, book four, _The Necromancer_, came out recently and kids are asking for it. Because of this, I decided to listen to, at the very least, book one...and now I know that this series isn't for me.

Before I discuss the plot, I also want to mention that my dislike of the book also has to do with the reader on the audio book; I had a huge problem with him. His 'voices' for each character are a bit annoying and his mispronunciation of words is simply unacceptable; "disoriented" is NOT pronounced "dis-or-ee-en-TATE-ted" ; "allied" is NOT pronounced "a-lied"...those were the ones that stuck out to me the most. I mean, come on!

Josh and Sophie are fifteen-year-old twins who get mixed up, completely by accident, with magical beings. It all starts when Josh, who works for a man named Nick Fleming, is in the store when a man comes in and attacks Nick; he forcibly takes a book from him, but Josh manages to save the last few pages. The fight between the men involve things Josh has never seen before--magical things. Josh and Nick are able to safely escape with Sophie (who saw the fight from across the street and joined them).

It turns out that Nick and his wife--who was kidnapped during the fight--are magical beings who are hundreds of years old. The book that the evil man took from Nick (whose real name is Nicholas Flamel) is a codex that is thousands of years old and holds all sorts of magical information. He tells the twins that they are in danger now that the evil man (whose name is Dr. John Dee) knows who they are; and now that he has most of the book, he will allow dark magic to rule the world.

Nicholas and his friend Scathach (who is also hundreds of years old) learn that Josh and Sophie could very well be the twins foretold in a prophecy. They all need to work together to fight the evil Dr. John Dee and his plan for a world controlled by dark magic.

This plot sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it? I mean, this is the type of book I reach for when reading children's literature; I enjoy these types of fantastical elements in a book. However, this book is just so poorly written that I couldn't get into it. I felt like it could have been shorter had it been edited some; because the omniscient narrator oscillates between Josh and Sophie depending on whether or not they are together in a particular scene, there is a repeating of facts that weren't even necessarily to understand the plot; for example, they each say a number of times that they have always had to stick together because their parents work a lot and they move a lot. Okay--after hearing one of them say it, let's move on!

Nonetheless, kids seem to like it; maybe the writing gets better in the later books; however, this reader isn't going to find out.

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The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

2010-10-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book picks up pretty close to where book 1 leaves off. We find Eugenides in very poor health in his room in the palace of Eddis (sp?), suffering from the amputation of his right hand. In fact, doctors aren't sure if he'll be able to survive the trauma. After a long while, he finally improves enough to leave his private room beside the library.

It turns out that Eugenides is, indeed, an important member of the palace, as he is the Queen's Thief. However, during the few journeys outside his room to appear at dinner or meetings, he is ashamed of his missing hand.

After a long while, he asks to take leave of the queen for approximately ten days. During his absence he spies on the queen of Attolia so that he may improve the lives of not only the Eddisians, but of himself as well.

This book was, again, just okay. The friend who recommended this series said that book 3 is her favorite, so I'll have to wait to see where the series goes.

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The Floods: Good Neighbors by Colin Thompson

2010-10-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

The Floods #1 by Colin Thompson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Flood family isn’t what you’d call totally normal—Nerlin and Mordonna, the parents, are a wizard and a witch, respectively; Valla, the oldest of the seven children, works at a blood bank (and brings his work home with him!); Satanella was once a cute little girl, but after a terrible magic accident involving a shrimp and a faulty wand, she turned into small dog; Merlinmary is completely covered in hair, so nobody knows if it’s a boy or a girl; Winchflat is the family genius—except that he looks like he’s already dead; the twins Morbid and Silent only speak to each other telepathically; and Betty, the youngest, is the only “normal-looking” child in the family—but she still possesses magical powers. The Flood family thinks that everything in their lives is perfect—except for their next door neighbors, the Dents.

The Dents are as obnoxious as can be! Their lawn is littered with garbage and old cars, their dog Rambo attacks anyone who comes near the house, the television stays on at full volume all day and night, the family communicates with one another by yelling, and the children are bullies. It comes to a point where the Floods decide that they aren’t going to stand for this anymore and take measures to change the Dent family’s ways.

This story is hilarious! The Flood family brings to mind those in The Addams Family and The Munsters—spooky and weird, but in a funny way. The author’s tone is humorous throughout the entire book, which is sure to make readers snicker. Continue reading about the Flood family in the rest of The Floods series!

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Paintings: A First Discovery Book by Claude Delafosse

2010-10-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Paintings by Claude Delafosse

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I came across this book when I was assisting a patron in the art section. She didn't end up needing this book, so I took it!

This book is very basic, but what drew me to it was the cool pages; it's one of those books that have clear pages with only a bit of text/picture on them, so when you turn the page you get a whole new picture!

I know nothing about art, so it was nice seeing a handful of famous paintings with only a few facts and cool pictures!

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Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

2010-10-12T17:45:00.001-07:00

A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Twelve-year-old Darren Shan (that’s not his real name—he had to change it to protect everyone he knows in order to tell his story) and his friends find out that there is a freak show visiting their town, and they really want to go, even though it’s illegal and cruel (according to adults). Darren and his friend Steve decide to go anyway when Steve gets his hands on some tickets.

Darren enjoys the show very much (he was only a little bit scared), but is concerned when Steve tells him to go on home without him; Steve plans on staying and talking to one of the freaks: Larten Crepsley, a creepy man who performs with a huge and dangerous spider. Instead of leaving, Darren hides and watches their exchange and learns that Mr. Crepsley is really a vampire and that Steve wants to join him and become his vampire apprentice; however, Mr. Crepsley denies this request and sends Steve on his way.

Weeks later, Darren is forced to seek out Mr. Crepsley’s help when Steve’s life is in danger. In exchange for his help, Mr. Crepsley wants Darren to be his assistant. What other choice does Darren have but to accept?

This is a story full of action and suspense—with vampires! Although this first book is mostly a set-up for the real vampire lifestyle that Darren will experience in the following books in The Saga of Darren Shan, readers are sure to be glued to the pages.

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Ghost Canoe by Will Hobbs

2010-10-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Ghost Canoe by Will Hobbs

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Listening to this book reminded me of why I avoid books like this.

I suppose that's a bit unfair; years ago I read _Jason's Gold_ and didn't mind it, and a coworker read and enjoyed _Go Big or Go Home_. But I just couldn't get into this! What kills me is that this book won all sorts of awards when it came out (1997), and literary reviews call it exciting! *sigh*

The story is about a younger teenage boy named Nathan who lives off the Pacific Northwest Coast in 1874. One of his favorite things to do is fishing with his adult friend Lighthouse George, a Makah fisherman.

One day they learn that a ship has crashed and that the captain's murdered body has floated to the shore. Nathan decides to figure out what exactly happened. Also involved in this twisted tale is the weird behavior of the local store owner Captain Dan, a canoe that Nathan finds lodged in a tall tree, and a man who's interested in becoming the new store owner. All of this is going on while Nathan's father is away and his mother is ill.

I have to admit, I couldn't wait til this audio book was finished. There's a lot of Makah culture weaved into the story, which is fine--but not necessarily interesting to me. I didn't hate this audio book as much as I hated _The Dark is Rising_ (Susan Cooper), but this was a close second.

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The Boy Who Looked Like Lincoln by Mike Reiss

2010-10-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Boy Who Looked Like Lincoln by Mike Reiss

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I picked this book up at the library because the illustrator David Catrow was a speaker at the Youth Services Author Breakfast at ILA 2010. Someone in the audience mentioned that Scholastic refuses to sell this book based on some readers' complaints. It was a long morning and I was sort of spacing out and didn't catch what exactly about the book made it so undesirable to Scholastic...which is why I read it yesterday.

The story is straight-forward enough; a boy tells about how people have thought that he looks like Abraham Lincoln ever since he was born, and how he's given stove pipe hats and Lincoln Logs as presents, etc. He realizes that he's happy to be the way he is after he attends a camp that specializes in kids who look like things/people.

As I read the story, I kept watch for something offensive and didn't see it. Yeah, the pictures aren't cute at all (or, rather, what I consider cute) and the child, quite honestly, is ugly!!

Then I arrive at the final page, where he states, "Now I just have to figure out how to help my baby brother, Dickie." ...Dickie is portrayed as Richard Nixon--"Tricky Dick"--with a very phallic-looking nose. BINGO! Of course, a child wouldn't recognize this, but adults surely will--and have!

I'm not for pulling this book from the shelves or banning it or whatever, and I think Scholastic is being a bit dramatic about it. When it comes down to it, the story isn't anything special and the pictures are yucky! Just pass this book on by when cruising the picture book section for a good read.

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The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination by Jimmy Liao

2010-10-07T11:17:00.001-07:00

The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination by Jimmy Liao

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came across this book while weeding the fiction section at work and I just had to put it aside to look at it more. This story is about a nearly blind lady who describes what she "sees" in her imagination as she walks through life.

The pictures are amazing; they are all interesting, if not what one would picture while on an acid trip--not disturbing...just sort of strange.

I got a feeling of wistfulness at some parts of the story; in fact, I felt it right at the beginning: "A year ago / I began to notice / that my sight was slipping away. / I sat at home alone / and felt the darkness settle around me. / But today I walked outside..."

And this part near the middle of the story: "Home is the place / where everything I've lost / is waiting patiently / for me / to find my way back..."

And also this part in the middle: "There must be someone / who'll sit beside me / sip tea, / tell me her hopes for the future, / and listen to mine..." (Aww! *wipes away a tear*)

There's an author's note in the back; I was curious to learn whether he is blind or losing his sight himself. It doesn't mention that, though it does state that he is a cancer survivor.

I don't know that I'd recommend this book to kids, though I'm sure they'd enjoy the pictures. Maybe if a child read it along with an adult...? Regardless, this book warmed my heart.

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The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

2010-10-06T14:19:00.001-07:00

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I began this series due to a recommendation from a friend. I dutifully read it but, admittedly, I didn't find it super-wonderful.

This story is about a young teen named Gen who is locked in a prison cell when the reader is introduced to him; he had been arrested in a wine shop after gloating about something he stole. He is approached by someone who works for the king who is interested in using Gen to help capture a very elusive item. Having nothing better to do, Gen agrees to help the man get the item for the king.

Gen accompanies not only the man who approached him, but also two other boys around his age who are apprentices--more or less--to the man, and also a royal guard.

This book is mostly about the group's travels to get to the location of the elusive item. It reminded me of book one of _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy--walking and walking and sleeping and eating and walking and walking. I didn't particularly love all of the traveling in the LOTR series, and I didn't particularly enjoy it here, either.

The reader grows to dislike Gen due to his snotty, smart-mouthed personality. I began to feel a bit of sympathy for him when he is in the place where the item is because it is so scary in there, but on their trek back, my sympathy would ebb and flow for him.

Once they reach their destination after the adventure, we learn that there is much more to Gen than we originally thought, setting us up for book two of the series, _The Queen of Attolia_.

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Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

2010-10-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was looking forward to reading (listening) to this book and I was -mostly- not disappointed. I love love LOVED the first book _Hunger Games_ and have faithfully continued to make my way through the trilogy.

This story finds Katniss rescued from the second Hunger Games she is forced to participate in by an underground group that has been attempting to fight the Capital. However, they weren't able to rescue Peeta, so he is captured by the Capital's people.

The rest of the story is about how they get Peeta back, the chaos all of the districts are experiencing, and how the underground group tries to fight the Capital. The epilogue brought to mind the epilogue in the _Harry Potter_ series, in that it completes the series so that there is no speculation as to what happens to the characters.

I thought that this book was fine; nothing can compare to the first book in the series, and this was a fine way to end it. There were a few parts in the book where I was like, "noooo!"--so I was pretty attached to some of the characters.

I've recommended book one to others, also mentioning that they don't necessarily need to read the rest of the trilogy.

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The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane by C. Millen

2010-10-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane by C. Millen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When I read the review of this book in a literary journal, I was really excited! I have a love of anything Medieval (my MA is in Early English Literature) and I thought this story would be right up my alley. But, as it turns out, not really...

This story is about a monk named Brother Theophane whose job is to copy text (along with other monks). However, Theophane isn't that great at his job because he daydreams all the time and feeds birds crumbs on the nearby windowsill. He eventually gets demoted.

His new job is awful; he must crush bark in a cauldron to make the ink used by the other brothers. One day, while out to retrieve more bark, he trips and falls on some blackberries and realizes that the juice stains...so he figures he can use this for ink. He goes on to discover other colors of ink in the nature around him.

Eventually, he no longer stirs bark in the cauldron, but grows a garden full of things he can get colors from.

In reality, it was early chemists who experimented with creating ink from things in nature (minerals, herbs, shrubs, etc.)...not necessarily a dreamy monk.

The pictures are nice, and the story is told in a poetic form, but those two things are really the only things I liked about the book.

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Making the Moose Out of Life by Nicholas Oldland

2010-10-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

Making the Moose Out of Life by Nicholas Oldland

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I admit that the pictures in this book are really cute, but that's where my praise ends.

The story is about a moose who is unfulfilled in life, so he decides to go on a boat trip to see if he can find what he's missing in life. He runs into bad weather and ends up on a deserted island.

However, it's not as deserted as he first thought, as he meets a turtle named Tuesday and they have all sorts of fun adventures together. One day, they spot a cruise ship, so they build a large fire to get its attention and the moose is rescued.

The cruise ship isn't heading home for a few weeks yet, so the moose enjoys all sorts of activities while on board. When he finally gets home, he decides that he's found what was missing in his life and invites his friends to go cliff jumping.

This story seems more geared towards adults stuck in a rut than small children wanting to hear a story. I just wasn't that impressed with it, but, like I said, the pictures are really cute.

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The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin by Michael Beil

2010-09-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin by Michael D. Beil

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Red Blazer Girl series. I listened to the first book and surprisingly enjoyed it (I normally don't like mysteries). I think a lot of it had to do with the reader of the book on cd being very good. So, when book two came out, I thought I'd give it a try.

There's nothing wrong with the story or anything like that; maybe my heart wasn't wholly into listening to another mystery or something...but I found my mind wandering during the story--not so much that I wasn't following the story, but enough where I felt that maybe I shouldn't listen to any more books in this series.

This story involves the same four girls as in the first one; this time they start out trying to find out who is mysteriously cleaning their school after hours, which then turns into a need to discover who stole a violin from the shop where Margaret goes...which is going on while Margaret receives a bow from an unnamed source that leads to the girls needing to solve a whole other set of clues provided by the sender (that would probably be impossible for most adults to solve, but that's beside the point!).

Maybe I got lost in the three big storylines, along with the bunch of new characters that are added to the ones from book one. It was kind of a lot to keep track of! Again, it's not impossible, but I suppose all of this added together soured me a bit on the story (and I want to know how these girls have so much energy--they go from meeting at the coffee shop before school, attending school all day, stopping at someone or other's house, practicing with their band, doing homework, etc., etc. EVERY day...it's simply exhausting to think about! Maybe I'm just jealous).

All in all, girls who enjoyed the first one will undoubtedly enjoy this one. Not only do the girls have mysteries to solve; there are also snotty classmates and boys to handle as well!

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Life-Size Zoo by Teruyuki Komiya

2010-09-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Life-Size Zoo: From Tiny Rodents to Gigantic Elephants, An Actual Size Animal Encyclopedia by Teruyuki Komiya

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first of the _Life-Size_ books; I received the next one, titled _More Life-Size Zoo_, first...but they don't need to be read in order; after all, it's a nonfiction book!

This book is just as neat as the first one I read: the photographs are big and clear and have a handful of facts about the animal on each picture.

My favorite animals in this book include the red panda and the sloth: interesting animals include the aardvark and the anteater; and the animals that grossed me out were the armadillo and the rhinoceros.

I just found out that there is an aquarium version as well, so I put it on hold.

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More Life-Size Zoo by Teruyuki Komiya

2010-08-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

More Life-Size Zoo: An All-New Actual-Size Animal Encyclopedia by Teruyuki Komiya

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found out about this book from one of the journals the library subscribes to. I interlibrary loaned it because the library doesn't own it, and I discovered that I'd really like to add this to the collection!

It is a book of photos of animals one might see at the zoo, which is always cute, but what makes this book special is that all of the pictures are the actual size of the animals! Noteworthy photos include the polar bear and the lion...but my personal favorite is the lion cub and the baby gibbon. (I was kind of grossed out by the hippo and the bison).

Kids will love this book! It's taller than most books, so it'll be a pain to shelve...but hopefully it'll be checked out more than not.

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Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

2010-08-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

_Gideon the Cutpurse_ is the first book in this trilogy. I had wanted to read this story for a while, and I’m glad I finally got around to it! I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading (or listening to) the second one.

The story begins normal enough—in present-day England—with a young teen named Peter. His parents are very focused on working, so his birthday gets pushed to the side. He ends up having to spend the day with his nanny (?) and accompanies her to her friend’s farm. There, he meets the Dyer family and gets to see the special area where Mr Dyer works on science experiments. During a tour, the family dog gets spooked so Peter and Kate (the oldest daughter and Peter’s age) chase it and suddenly find themselves in a totally different place.

After a while, Peter and Kate learn that they are no longer in the 21st Century; rather, it is 1763! They are at a total loss as to what to do until a kind man named Gideon helps them find “proper” clothing, somewhere to stay, and plan how to locate the man who took the machine they appeared in 1763 with before he sells it.

This is story has likable characters and is told at a good pace. It ends on a cliffhanger, and I’m very interested to see what will happen next! Suggest the Ulysses Moore series to those who enjoyed this.

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The Boy Who Drew Cats [adpated] by Arthur A Levine

2010-08-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

The Boy Who Drew Cats: A Japanese Folktale by Arthur A. Levine

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well, I have to say that I didn't enjoy this version of _The Boy Who Drew Cats_ as much as the first one I read by Margaret Hodges.

Because this is an old, old folktale, writers who retell this tale can add as much or as little as s/he likes, I suppose. Having read the Hodges version first, this version by Levine feels bogged down with extra details that the reader doesn't necessarily need. Also, the pictures in the Hodges version are much neater!

All in all, the reader gets the idea of the original folktale in each version; I happen to prefer the Hodges version instead.

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The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Tucker Frazier

2010-08-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

11-year old Minni and Keira are twins…but not only are they not identical, Minni is white (she has light skin and red hair) and Keira is black (she has dark skin and dark hair). This difference was able to occur because their mother is black and their father is white. The girls never really gave it that much thought, but Minni begins to notice how some strangers treat Keira differently from her (in school, in stores, etc.), and Minni suspects that it’s because of the color of Keira’s skin.

The girls feel this difference even more when they visit their grandmother and enter a beauty pageant for black girls; the other girls competing tell Minni that she’s not really black because of the color of her skin. On the surface of it all, Minni knows that’s not true, but deep down she becomes confused and wonders if she is white, or black, or…maybe, a mixture of both?

This is a great story about how a girl tries to find herself as she enters adolescence, which is made all the more difficult because her sister’s skin doesn’t match her own. For more books about sisters that readers might also enjoy, try The Sisters Club series (MacDonald).

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The Boy Who Drew Cats adapted by Margaret Hodges

2010-08-14T13:32:00.001-07:00

The Boy Who Drew Cats by Margaret Hodges

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I learned about this Japanese folktale from the book Wild Things by Clay Carmichael. This is a story about a Japanese boy who is the youngest boy in his large family. Because he isn’t physically built for farm work like the rest of his family, his parents decide to have him apprentice to the town’s priest so that he might become a priest one day.

However, the boy has an odd desire to draw cats all of the time. When he’s at the temple, he draws cats everywhere—enough to make the priest tell him that he would be better off as an artist—so he gets sent away. Before the boy leaves, the priest tells him to remember to not sleep in big spaces—to only sleep in small spaces. The boy doesn’t understand, but doesn’t ask the priest to clarify.

Rather than go home and shame his family, the boy decides to go to the temple in the next town. When he arrives, it appears as though no one is there. While waiting for someone to arrive so that he could ask to be apprenticed to one of them, he finds some ink and draws cats all over. When it gets late and the boy grows tired, he remembers the priest’s words and decides to sleep in a small cabinet.

During the night, the boy wakes to the awful sounds of screaming and fighting. Terrified, he stays still in his cabinet and doesn’t even peek through the crack until daytime. When finally does, he sees the dead and mutilated body of some sort of huge goblin. The boy wonders who could have killed this evil being until he looks around and sees that all of the mouths of the cats he had drawn are red with blood.

He then understood the priest’s advice…and was able to grow up to be a famous artist!

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Wild Things by Clay Carmichael

2010-08-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Wild Things by Clay Carmichael

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After her mother commits suicide, Zoe’s life completely changes—surprisingly, for the better. She goes to live with her Uncle Henry, a doctor-turned-artist, in his big house in a small town. With Uncle Henry, Zoe doesn’t have to take care of anyone except herself, unlike when she had to live with her mother and her male “friends.”

When not in school, Zoe spends her time trying to earn the trust of a stray cat she names Mr. C-mere, writing in her journal, and cleaning up an abandoned cabin she finds in the woods at the edge of Uncle Henry’s property. She is happy with her life with Uncle Henry and with the friendly adults she meets through him.

This is a good story about a young girl who is definitely a survivor. Some of the story is questionable (like how did she learn to read on her own, or how is she so ‘okay’ with her mother taking her own life?) but the good parts definitely outweigh the questionable parts. Another nice aspect of this story is how Carmichael incorporated the Japanese folktale The Boy Who Drew Cats. This prompted me to want to learn more about that folktale, so I read a version adapted by Margaret Hodges (and put another version on hold at the library). My next review will be about the Hodges version.

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The Red Blazer Girls: the Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil

2010-08-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a sweet story that I enjoyed--and I normally can't stand mysteries. It was well-written with very likable characters.

Sophie is a seventh-grader who is close friends with Margaret and Rebecca; they all attend St. Veronica's, a private school in New York City. While sitting in class one day, Sophie thinks she sees a figure in one of the windows of the church across the way in a place she thought was unused. She and her friends check it out and end up meeting a kind, if not odd, old lady who asks them to do her a favor.

The favor involves figuring out the series of clues that the old woman's father left for her daughter nearly 20 years earlier for her birthday, but were never solved. The girls accept the challenge and begin working together to solve each of the clues, which begin with a note and end with a ring!

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How to Clean a Hippopotamus: a Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

2010-08-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships by Steve Jenkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a cute book! Not only are the pictures adorable, but the information provided is interesting.

The information is presented in an almost comic book format, which is different for a nonfiction book. We learn about animal symbiosis--how certain wild animals/insects/fish/etc. work together to eat, get clean, hunt, and more.

Only 32 pages, it is a quick read!

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The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

2010-08-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is fine, it's just not really what I'd normally read--considering that I've only seen parts of the movie Star Wars 1 (or is it 3 now?). Since little boys these days love Star Wars and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, this book covers both subjects and is sure to be a hit!

The story is about a boy named Tommy who collects his fellow students' experiences while interacting with the weird boy in class's origami puppet of Yoda. Because of this, each chapter is written by a different student--with comments and drawings added by Tommy and his friends.

One would think that Origami Yoda would be something stupid created by the weird kid Dwight, but Origami Yoda isn't at all like Dwight; rather, he seems to be wise and full of good advice! So if Dwight was actually putting words into Origami Yoda's "mouth", wouldn't everything it said be stupid and weird? This is the dilemma the kids in Tommy's class face.

Recommend this to any reader who likes the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series OR Star Wars movies.

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The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

2010-08-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a good book! I liked the four characters very much. We first meet Reynie at the orphanage where he's lived ever since his parents passed away when he was a baby. Having only one (sort of) friend--who's actually his tutor--he feels quite alone. Everything changes the day he sees an ad in the paper asking for gifted children to come take a test to see if they would qualify for a special 'opportunity.' Having nothing to lose, Reynie decides to take the test.

Reynie and 3 other children (Sticky, Kate, and Caroline) qualify for the special opportunity, which requires them to infiltrate, more or less, a special school to see what the headmaster is up to. If any of this group, self-named The Mysterious Benedict Society, wants to quit at any time, s/he is welcome. No one quits, so they head off to the school to see what they can find out.

This is an entertaining story that will keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat at certain points. This book is the first in the series, followed by The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, then The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.

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Eva by Peter Dickinson

2010-08-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Eva by Peter Dickinson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This futuristic story is about an adolescent girl whose brain is put into a chimp's body in order to save her life after an accident destroys her own. This happens because her father works for a company that studies chimps, so she becomes part of the company's research.

I would have thought Eva would be more angry about having to live as a chimp for the rest of her life, but she seems to take it well--I think this is because she had spent a lot of time with her father and the chimps he studied. In fact, she knew the chimp whose body she now inhabits. She is able to communicate orally using a specialized keyboard that gives a voice to her words.

It was interesting to witness the changes that Eva goes through as her mind comes to terms with having lived as a human for over a decade, but then having to live as a chimp. At first Eva spends more time in the human world--she lives at home with her parents and she even attends school. But, as time passes, it appears as though she feels more of a connection with the chimps being studied.

I liked this book; I listened to the audio version of it, and I have to admit that it was entertaining listening to the reader make chimp grunting noises.

I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy futuristic stories, human/animal relations stories, or simply like stories about the strange and bizzare.

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2010-07-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this future society, there is no more United States; instead, Panem is divided into twelve districts, each of which must hold a drawing once a year to see which boy and girl will compete in that year’s Hunger Games. The Hunger Games were designed to remind the people of Panem that the Capitol has complete say over what goes on everywhere and that fighting back is futile. So this is why, every year, 24 adolescent participants kill each other off in a Capitol-made arena until there is one participant left—the winner.

Katniss’s name is drawn as that year’s female participant, while a boy she hardly knows named Peeta is drawn as that year’s male participant. Before she can truly grasp what has happened, she is saying goodbye to her mother, sister, and best friend, then being whisked away on train headed to the Capitol, where they provide her and Peeta with all the luxuries one could ask for before being left to fight for her life in the arena.

This is an excellent book that had me hooked from the beginning. The Hunger Games is the first book in The Hunger Games Trilogy. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Katniss and Peeta as they move forward from the terrifying experience of the Hunger Games. For those who enjoyed reading about the fight for survival in a futuristic society, give the Exodus trilogy (Bertagna) a try.

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Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman

2010-06-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
When Meggy’s mother unexpectedly sends her to live with her father, a man she’s never even met, Meggy accepts this without much hesitation because her mother has never loved her. Her father wants an apprentice in his alchemy lab, although he decides that he does not, in fact, want her to assist him once he sees that: 1) she’s a girl, and 2) she needs sticks to help her walk.

Having lived in a small town up until now, Meggy immediately hates London; it’s too loud, crowded, and confusing to her. She relies on her bitterness about her disability to help her get through each day. However, once she’s there awhile, she gets used to the city and begins making friends...and becomes less bitter. And when she learns about her father’s involvement in a sinister plot, she does all she can to protect him—although he barely acknowledges her existence.

This story is interesting because it follows the life of a sort of girl not typically written about in historic London—she’s not a princess (or rich) and she has a disability. Readers might also enjoy Avi’s The Book without Words: a Tale of Medieval Magic—another book about girls in long-ago England dealing with alchemy.

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Pop by Gordon Korman

2010-06-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

POP by Gordon Korman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Marcus isn’t sure about liking his new town, but he is sure about wanting to get onto his new school’s football team. This isn’t easy—the existing team is a tightly knit group that isn’t too wild about mixing everything up by adding a new guy.

When Marcus isn’t training on the football field, he is training at a nearby park—albeit by himself. When someone his father’s age shows up one day and starts helping him train, Marcus is skeptical at first, but quickly realizes that this guy knows his stuff. There’s something off about him, though: he never calls Marcus by his real name, he is consistently distracted, and he tends to forget (or ignore) practice times they set up together. What is the deal with this guy?

I enjoyed this book; Marcus is a likable character with a kind heart who doesn’t mean to get into trouble—trouble seems to find him. Readers who enjoyed this football story might also enjoy Football Hero (Green) or The Million Dollar Throw (Lupica).

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Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell

2010-06-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Isabelle has always felt as though she doesn’t belong; she knows that other kids think that she’s strange. For this reason, she is not too upset when one day she opens a door in the nurse’s office and inexplicably falls into another world.

The world Isabelle falls into appears to have a witch; the children she meets are hiding in the woods to avoid being eaten by her. Isabelle thinks that the witch sounds interesting, so she heads in the opposite direction of the children to find her. On the way, Isabelle meets a girl named Hen who has gotten separated from her siblings. They soon come upon an elderly healer named Grete, who sees that they need help and invites them to stay with her. Isabelle is happy where she is and has no desire to return to her normal life—plus, how would she even get back?

I liked this story; Isabelle is a great narrator and a sympathetic character. I didn’t think she was “strange” or “weird”—rather, I think the other kids at her school were the uninteresting ones! For those who enjoyed this book, recommend Now You See It— (Vande Velde) or The Great Good Thing (Townley), as both of these have regular girls being thrust into new worlds unexpectedly.

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My (not-so-successful) 48-hour Reading Challenge Results

2010-06-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

I tried to do as much reading and listening to books as possible for the challenge, but I didn't measure up very well next to others competing in this challenge. I broke down my reading time into what I read and when, but it's not very impressive. I suppose that it's okay for someone who had places to be for many of the 48 hours!

--Friday morning: 7:30-8:30--Read the [adult] book _House Rules_ by Jodi Picoult
--Friday morning during errands: 9:30-10:00--continued listening to _The Giant-Slayer_ by Iain Lawrence
--Friday afternoon during errands: 10:30-11:00; 12:00-1:00--continued listening to _The Giant-Slayer_ by Iain Lawrence
--1:15-3:15--continued listening to _The Giant-Slayer_ by Iain Lawrence
--Then, after all of my errands, I was cranky and didn't feel like doing anything but taking a nap! That's not very good for reading...so I lost a lot of time that way. After I woke up, I only read for another hour or so: 6:00-7:00--continued reading _House Rules_ by Jodi Picoult

Friday's total=6 hours

--Then, on Saturday, I had to work all day! On my long commute to work: 8:00-9:00--I finally finished _The Giant-Slayer_ by Iain Lawrence and then started right in on _Falling In_ by Frances O'Roark Dowell. (If I was already listening to an audio book and then I started another one, does that bypass the rule that I can only listen to one? I hope it does.)
--I tried to read while on the service desk, but that is much easier said than done; I kept getting interrupted or distracted by things going on in the department. I began _Redwall_ by Brian Jacques around 10:30 and only managed to read the first 10 chapters by 4:30. When I add all of the starting and stopping that took place throughout the day, I'd say that I only read maybe an hour and a half, total. Reading FAILURE!
--Breaktime at work: 12:15-1:00--I read a WWE magazine.
--On an errand and then to my parents' house: 5:15-6:30--I continued listening to _Falling In_ by Frances O'Roark Dowell.
--On the way home from my parents' house: 12:30-1:15--I continued listening to _Falling In_ by Frances O'Roark Dowell.

Saturday's total=5.25 hours

48-hour reading challenge total= 11.25 hours

Well...it's something to beat next year! Maybe I won't have errands for most of the day one day and have to work most of the day for the second day. Sigh.