On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
Summary: Davy, a young boy growing up as the country prepares to enter World War II, idolizes his brother who is training to become a pilot, and hopes his hero will make it back home alive.
Rating: 3.5 out 5
Comments: Not Richard Peck's best book (that would be A Long Way from Chicago, in my opinion), but a great story about growing up in the 1940's. Peck creates some of the quirkiest, most lovable characters ever and I always enjoy reading his books. This book was no exception, and this short novel is a pleasure to read.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Summary: In a futuristic society, communities are required to send one boy and one girl, picked by lottery, to the capital to compete in "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death where only one will ultimately survive, bringing honor to their community.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Comments: I had heard a lot about this book, and it didn't disappoint. The story was fast paced and original, and I found myself wanting to find out more and more about Katniss and Peeta and how they were going to win the Hunger Games (which you knew they would). There is a lot of violence, but it wasn't too disturbing (not emotionally, at least) and I was absolutely not ready for the book to end when it did. A sequel is coming out in September, and it can't come soon enough! The best book I've read in a while.
Summary: In a futuristic society, communities are required to send one boy and one girl, picked by lottery, to the capital to compete in "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death where only one will ultimately survive, bringing honor to their community.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Comments: I had heard a lot about this book, and it didn't disappoint. The story was fast paced and original, and I found myself wanting to find out more and more about Katniss and Peeta and how they were going to win the Hunger Games (which you knew they would). There is a lot of violence, but it wasn't too disturbing (not emotionally, at least) and I was absolutely not ready for the book to end when it did. A sequel is coming out in September, and it can't come soon enough! The best book I've read in a while.
The Underneath
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
Summary: Two stories, one of an old dog, a cat and three kittens who live in the "underneath," keeping out of the way of Gar Face, a mean old man who has no sympathy for animals, and the other of a shape shifter who resides as a snake in a jar buried deep within the earth.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Comments: This was a book club book of ours, also a Newberry Honor book for this year, and I read it after we discussed it, so was prepared for the animal cruelty that is at times hard to read. The story was compelling, and I wanted to find out how the the characters would collide, as they were separated by 1,000 years. Definitely not a book for young kids, as many sad things happen to characters you truly love.
Summary: Two stories, one of an old dog, a cat and three kittens who live in the "underneath," keeping out of the way of Gar Face, a mean old man who has no sympathy for animals, and the other of a shape shifter who resides as a snake in a jar buried deep within the earth.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Comments: This was a book club book of ours, also a Newberry Honor book for this year, and I read it after we discussed it, so was prepared for the animal cruelty that is at times hard to read. The story was compelling, and I wanted to find out how the the characters would collide, as they were separated by 1,000 years. Definitely not a book for young kids, as many sad things happen to characters you truly love.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Magic of Ordinary Days
The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel
Summary: At the height of World War II in Colorado, Livvy Dunne finds herself pregnant and single, and agrees to an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer she has never before met to avoid familial humiliation.
Rating: 3 out 5
Comments: For a short novel, it took me a long time to read. The story was interesting, and I enjoyed reading about the Japanese-American interment camps during the 1940's, but much of the story dragged on for me. I expected there to be a little more magic found in Livvy's new ordinary life. I did enjoy the subtle love story, and the way she let herself fall in love with her new husband. I love the thought that sometimes we need to look a little closer to home to find what has been there all along. A good read, but not one I'll read again.
Summary: At the height of World War II in Colorado, Livvy Dunne finds herself pregnant and single, and agrees to an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer she has never before met to avoid familial humiliation.
Rating: 3 out 5
Comments: For a short novel, it took me a long time to read. The story was interesting, and I enjoyed reading about the Japanese-American interment camps during the 1940's, but much of the story dragged on for me. I expected there to be a little more magic found in Livvy's new ordinary life. I did enjoy the subtle love story, and the way she let herself fall in love with her new husband. I love the thought that sometimes we need to look a little closer to home to find what has been there all along. A good read, but not one I'll read again.
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