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.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Edgar Sawtelle
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Summary: The story of Edgar Sawtelle, a boy born without the ability to speak, as he comes of age while learning to breed and train dogs on the family farm and uncover the mystery behind his father's death.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Comments: I just finished reading this book and still can't decide whether or not I liked it. At some points during my reading, I was thinking it was a 4 star, bordering on a 5 star, novel and loved it. At other times, I felt bored, and found myself counting pages until the chapter ended, certain I would give the book a solid 2.
Let's start with what I liked: 1. Edgar. I connected with him and grew to love him very much.
2. Almondine. Without doubt my favorite character. She was the perfect dog--loyal, perceptive and loving. Her death was the most emotional part of the book for me, as I was really looking forward to her reunion with Edgar. Why did she have to die (and how did she die)?
3. The description of Trudy grieving over her lost baby (and later, her husband) and how she was able to force the darkness back to a tiny seed, never gone, but no longer consuming. It made me understand a little more how she could let Claude into her life.
4. I think it would make an amazing discussion, and I wish I had read this with a book club. I know there are things I missed, and I am sure I could appreciate it much more if I had a group to help me make sense of it all.
5. I was emotionally involved, and have thought about the book often as I have read. That is always a good thing.
6. The dogs were wonderful. I am wishing I could have a Sawtelle dog myself.
Things I didn't like: 1. The length. This was my biggest gripe with the book. It was too LONG. It started slow, picked up momentum, then stalled time and again before finally reaching the climax. I thought the middle section, with Edgar on the run, was very long and I wanted him to turn around much sooner.
2. So many details were unnecessary, yet I often wished for more. It was quite confusing. I never really got a sense for what was important to know
3. The ending. I never picked up on the fact that this was a retelling of Hamlet (I guess I need to brush up on my Shakespeare), and I was not prepared for the tragedy that was the conclusion. I felt cheated, as if the ending wasn't worthy of all the build-up.
4. It was plain weird. A crazy woman at the grocery store is some sort of seer/fortune teller, yet we know nothing about her. Edgar communicated frequently with ghosts (what was the deal with the old farmer anyway? I didn't understand that).
I am still unsettled. A good book. I am glad that I read it. Definitely not my favorite and I think it could have been a whole lot better.
Summary: The story of Edgar Sawtelle, a boy born without the ability to speak, as he comes of age while learning to breed and train dogs on the family farm and uncover the mystery behind his father's death.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Comments: I just finished reading this book and still can't decide whether or not I liked it. At some points during my reading, I was thinking it was a 4 star, bordering on a 5 star, novel and loved it. At other times, I felt bored, and found myself counting pages until the chapter ended, certain I would give the book a solid 2.
Let's start with what I liked: 1. Edgar. I connected with him and grew to love him very much.
2. Almondine. Without doubt my favorite character. She was the perfect dog--loyal, perceptive and loving. Her death was the most emotional part of the book for me, as I was really looking forward to her reunion with Edgar. Why did she have to die (and how did she die)?
3. The description of Trudy grieving over her lost baby (and later, her husband) and how she was able to force the darkness back to a tiny seed, never gone, but no longer consuming. It made me understand a little more how she could let Claude into her life.
4. I think it would make an amazing discussion, and I wish I had read this with a book club. I know there are things I missed, and I am sure I could appreciate it much more if I had a group to help me make sense of it all.
5. I was emotionally involved, and have thought about the book often as I have read. That is always a good thing.
6. The dogs were wonderful. I am wishing I could have a Sawtelle dog myself.
Things I didn't like: 1. The length. This was my biggest gripe with the book. It was too LONG. It started slow, picked up momentum, then stalled time and again before finally reaching the climax. I thought the middle section, with Edgar on the run, was very long and I wanted him to turn around much sooner.
2. So many details were unnecessary, yet I often wished for more. It was quite confusing. I never really got a sense for what was important to know
3. The ending. I never picked up on the fact that this was a retelling of Hamlet (I guess I need to brush up on my Shakespeare), and I was not prepared for the tragedy that was the conclusion. I felt cheated, as if the ending wasn't worthy of all the build-up.
4. It was plain weird. A crazy woman at the grocery store is some sort of seer/fortune teller, yet we know nothing about her. Edgar communicated frequently with ghosts (what was the deal with the old farmer anyway? I didn't understand that).
I am still unsettled. A good book. I am glad that I read it. Definitely not my favorite and I think it could have been a whole lot better.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Savvy
Savvy by Ingrid Law (juvenile fiction, Newberry Honor book for 2009)
Summary: Just before Mibs turns 13, the long awaited birthday when her "savvy," or special ability will be revealed, her father is in a terrible car accident and is lying in a hospital bed in a coma, causing Mibs to wish with all her might that her savvy will somehow be able to wake her father up.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Comments: I really, really enjoyed this book. It is a tall tale, and is so different from other books I have read. Mibs (short for Mississippi) belongs to an unusual family, who each have to learn to "scumble their savvy" after they turn 13. Her older brother, Rocket, can manipulate electricity, while another brother, Fish, can create storms from water. Highly inventive, and I loved the language in the book, full of made up words that roll easily off the tongue. I loved the idea that we all have a savvy, even if we are unaware what it may be. I loved the ending, it brought tears to my eyes. I would recommend this book to any young girl, as well as their mothers. Great story.
Summary: Just before Mibs turns 13, the long awaited birthday when her "savvy," or special ability will be revealed, her father is in a terrible car accident and is lying in a hospital bed in a coma, causing Mibs to wish with all her might that her savvy will somehow be able to wake her father up.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Comments: I really, really enjoyed this book. It is a tall tale, and is so different from other books I have read. Mibs (short for Mississippi) belongs to an unusual family, who each have to learn to "scumble their savvy" after they turn 13. Her older brother, Rocket, can manipulate electricity, while another brother, Fish, can create storms from water. Highly inventive, and I loved the language in the book, full of made up words that roll easily off the tongue. I loved the idea that we all have a savvy, even if we are unaware what it may be. I loved the ending, it brought tears to my eyes. I would recommend this book to any young girl, as well as their mothers. Great story.
The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (juvenile fiction, Newberry Award winner for 2009).
Summary: A toddler escapes the home where his family has been murdered and finds protection in a nearby graveyard, where the spirits who live there vow to raise him and protect him from the murderer who still wants him dead.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Comments: I am not disappointed that this was the Newberry winner this year. I found the book very original and entertaining, just not something I fell in love with. I would hand this to any boy who loves ghosts and ghouls and doesn't mind a little darkness. I had a few minor issues with the book, and wanted a bit more explanation for a few things (the Jack of all Trades association for one), but a good book.
Summary: A toddler escapes the home where his family has been murdered and finds protection in a nearby graveyard, where the spirits who live there vow to raise him and protect him from the murderer who still wants him dead.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Comments: I am not disappointed that this was the Newberry winner this year. I found the book very original and entertaining, just not something I fell in love with. I would hand this to any boy who loves ghosts and ghouls and doesn't mind a little darkness. I had a few minor issues with the book, and wanted a bit more explanation for a few things (the Jack of all Trades association for one), but a good book.
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