ALA Announces Award Winners!

This week, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the latest winners of the Youth Media Awards, including such well-respected awards as the Caldecott Medal, the Newberry Medal, Coretta Scott King Award and more.  It's an impressive list of books, audio books, and videos from picture books to Young Adult novels.

Of all of these prestigious award-winners, I have only read one of them: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (which I happen to be reading right now!) which won the Schneider Family Book Award for "artistic expression of the disability experience."

Looks like I need to get busy!

Teen/YA Review: Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth was the hottest new dystopian release of 2011.  My 17-year old son read it as soon as it came out and kept saying, “Mom, you have to read this!”  I also read many great reviews of it and watched with interest as it showed up on many Best of 2011 lists. I finally found time to read it last week and discovered that all that hype was well-deserved; Divergent is an exciting, original novel.

Among the decrepit buildings of Chicago and the enormous swamp that used to be Lake Michigan, the community has been rebuilt into five factions, each with their own unique role in society:  Abnegation (the selfless who govern), Dauntless (the brave who defend the city), Erudite (the intelligent who pursue knowledge), Amity (the peaceful who grow food), and Candor (the honest who always tell the truth). 

At age 16, each person must choose their faction.  While most choose to stay within the faction they were born to, some change factions at this time.  It is a decision with life-long consequences, determining whom they will live with, what kind of job they will have, and even their core beliefs.  Beatrice has lived happily and peacefully in Abnegation with her brother and parents her whole life, but she isn’t certain it is where she really belongs.  She is worried about her aptitude test and the Choosing Ceremony the following day and has no idea which faction she will choose.

I don’t want to say anymore about what Beatrice chooses or what the consequences of that choice are – no spoilers here!  But things are not quite as simple as they first seem in this new kind of society, and there are some conflicts brewing behind the seemingly peaceful surface.  As Beatrice goes through her initiation (whether you are born into a faction or transferred in, you must go through initiation when you become an adult), she learns things that are disturbing and makes some new friends as well as some enemies.

Divergent is a fast-paced, action-packed story with lots of surprising plot twists.  I remarked to my son that it was more violent than I’d expected, and he rolled his eyes and teased, “Mom, you are such a girl!”  Yes, I am!  And yes, some of the violence did surprise me, though it is a very common element of dystopian fiction.  Despite that, I was totally absorbed into this story and hated to set the book down to go to bed each night.  I finished it yesterday and was immediately ready to read its sequel (Insurgent, which is due to be released May 1, 2012).  And that is the sign of a good book.

496 pages, Kathryn Tegen Books (imprint of HarperCollins)

Can't get enough of Divergent?  Check out the Divergent fan site.

P.S. I was just as fascinated by the author’s backstory as I was by the book itself.  Veronica Roth is a very young author, just out of college, with a very big success with her first novel!  Read more about her at her blog.

It's Monday 1/23! What Are You Reading?

Very busy week and not a great weekend.  We enjoyed a gathering of friends on Saturday evening but spent the rest of the weekend frantically trying to get our taxes started, finish the FASFA form for college financial aid, and apply for a scholarship that requires more information than most college applications!  Very frustrating work.  Going through our medical records for taxes, I uncovered a half dozen mistakes our health insurance company made on our claims last year.  How can a company survive when they are that incompetent?  (Of course, most of the mistakes are in their favor!)  No wonder health insurance is so expensive.  So, now I have some wonderful phone calls to look forward to this week to straighten all this out.


As always, books provided a nice respite for us, although I don't think any of us had much time for reading last week:

• I am still reading Divergent by Veronica Roth (almost finished).  It's a teen dystopian novel that garnered a lot of attention when it was released last year.  It's excellent - I kept wanting to ditch all my work and read more this weekend!
• I am also still listening to an audio book, The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore, and enjoying that as well, although I'm not thrilled with the narrator of the audio.  Also, I can't figure out how to turn off Shuffle on the audio book on my iPod, so I have to stop after every chapter to find the next chapter - it's very confusing listening to the chapters out of order!  
• My husband, Ken, is still reading one of his Christmas gifts from me, In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.  He says it's fascinating that good people didn't see what was coming with the Holocaust.
• Jamie, 17, finished The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness, Book Two in the Chaos Walking trilogy, and immediately moved onto Book Three: Monsters of Men.  He says this post-apocalyptic trilogy is excellent and just keeps getting better!
• Craig, 14, had a lot of trouble deciding what to read next, but he finally settled on Chronicles of the Red King: The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo, a prequel to one of his all-time favorite series, Charlie Bone.

I posted one review last week of The Novice: A Story of True Love, a Thai folktale about Buddhism that I enjoyed.  I also posted my list of Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Normally Read YA.  And I posted a summary of the 5 Reading Challenges I've chosen to participate in for 2012 (finally!).


And, you may have noticed that I changed the look of my blog a bit.  This is actually a really big deal for me...after 6 years of blogging!  I know very little about the technical side of blogging, so changing my blog's look and finally figuring out how to add separate pages (see my new page for 2012 Challenges) was a giant step forward.  Now that I know how to do it, I may add some additional pages - tell me what pages or tabs you have on your blogs.  And I still wasn't able to add a photo to the header of my blog - I have no idea how people do such creative and unique things with their blogs!



What are you and your family reading this week?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

2012 Reading Challenges

OK, we're more than half-way through January now.  I suppose if I plan to join some challenges for 2012, I better get going!  I don't normally "do" reading challenges - too much pressure and too little time! - but I did enjoy participating in two of them last year.  So, after much deliberation (plus some procrastination), I have settled on these five reading challenges for 2012:

 2012 Where Are You Reading Challenge, hosted by Sheila at Book Journey -
This was my very first challenge (in 2011), though I took the no-stress approach and just tracked the locations where my books took place, rather than making any attempt to hit a certain target.  My final tally for 2011 included 20 different states and 11 different countries.  We'll see how many different places I visit through books in 2012!

Books On the Nightstand 12 in '12 Challenge -
Hosted by my favorite podcast (if you've never listened to Books on the Nightstand, you must try it!), the 12 in '12 Challenge allows each reader to set his or her own +12 challenge for 2012.  My challenge is:

• To read at least 12 books from my TBR shelf, including at least 3 recommended by my husband.

My TBR shelves just keep getting more and more crowded, so I want to be sure to get to plenty of those books this year, including some my husband has read and recommended (and moved from his side of the TBR bookcase to mine).

2012 Dystopian Challenge, also hosted by Sheila at Book Journey -
I already have several dystopian novels on my TBR shelf, so I thought this one would be fun.  I am signing up at the Intermediate Post World Trainee, shooting for 4-6 dystopian novels in 2012.

What's In a Name 5 Challenge, hosted by Beth Fish Reads -
I decided to sign up for this one just for pure fun!  She has 5 very unique and creative categories set up for 2012.  "Read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
4. A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category."

2012 Memorable Memoirs Challenge, hosted by Melissa at The Betty and Boo Chronicles -
I love to read memoirs and have several already on my TBR shelf waiting to be read, so this one is  a perfect fit for me.  I am signing up The Diarist level, aiming to read between 1 and 4 memoirs in 2012 (though I may move up to the next level later).

So, that's it!  Now I just need to figure out how to make a separate tab on my blog to track my challenges.  Even though I have been blogging for about 6 years, I've never really moved beyond the basics!

What challenges are you signing up for this year?

It's Monday 1/16! What Are You Reading?

Not a typical Monday here.  The kids are off from school today, Jamie is recovering from a stomach virus, and I have a lot of work around the house to catch up on today because we were gone this weekend for Craig's birthday. 

Things have been hectic around here, but we still found time to enjoy our books this week:

• I finished Great House by Nicole Krauss last week and posted a review.
• I also finished my first audio book of the year, The Novice: A Story of True Love by Thich Nhat Hanh, which is a parable about living a life devoted to the teachings of Buddha.  I don't know a lot about Buddhism, but I enjoyed this unique book.
• Now I have started a new audio book, The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore, which I've been looking forward to for months.  It's good so far.
  
• Next I read Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, a sort of novelized prequel to her best-selling memoir, The Glass Castle.  I loved this book about Walls' grandmother's life and can't wait to talk to my book group about it on Wednesday.
• Last night, I started Divergent by Veronica Roth - finally!  It's an intriguing concept so far.
• My husband, Ken, is reading one of his Christmas gifts from me, In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.  I want to read it when he finishes!
• Jamie, 17, is reading The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness, Book Two in the Chaos Walking trilogy.  He says it is even better than the first book.
• Craig, 14 (as of Friday!), is finishing Alibi Junior High by Greg Logsted today.

Last week, I posted reviews of Great House by Nicole Krauss and the middle-grade novel Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. 


What are you and your family reading this week?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Middle-Grade Review: Breadcrumbs

When I heard that Anne Ursu had a new middle-grade novel coming out last year, I knew it would be something special.  I’m a fan of Ursu’s, having enjoyed one of her grown-up novels, The Disapparation of James, and her middle-grade trilogy, The Cronus Chronicles, which cleverly combines fantasy and wit.  I recently listened to her latest, Breadcrumbs, on audio, and this magical story did not disappoint.

Ten-year old Hazel has had a rough time lately – her father left her and her mother, they don’t have a lot of money, and Hazel doesn’t feel that she fits in with the other kids at school.  All of that is OK, though, because Hazel has her best friend, Jack, who lives next door.  Together, they create fantasy worlds, go sledding, and play superhero baseball, so it doesn’t matter if the other kids don’t want to hang out with her at recess.  Suddenly, though, Jack seems to have changed and Hazel feels him pulling away from her.  When Jack disappears, she puts her hurt feelings aside and goes after him because she knows she is his only hope.

When Hazel heads into the Minnesota woods alone, with her backpack filled with necessities (including an autographed baseball Jack gave her), she has no idea that she is literally stepping into another world.  In her quest to find Jack, Hazel encounters all kinds of strange characters, many of whom will be familiar to fans of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales.  In a classic struggle of good versus evil, Hazel uses her wits and her connection with Jack to seek out the Snow Queen and bring Jack back home.  It’s a sometimes scary journey for Hazel, but somehow you always believe that things will turn out well in the end.

The genius of this novel is the way that Ursu weaves a realistic story of 10-year old best friends struggling with the kinds of challenges that real kids face together with a fantasy world populated by fairy tale characters.  The blending of fantasy and reality (which was also evident in The Cronus Chronicles) is sure to appeal to middle-grade readers.  Add to that Ursu’s considerable talent for prose, peppered with references to popular children’s literature, and even a dose of her trademark humor, and you have a magical, engaging story.

Although I enjoyed the audio production of this book, I think this is a case where the traditional paper book is best, thanks to Erin McGuire’s beautiful illustrations.  I bought a copy of the hardcover for my 9-year old niece for Christmas, and she paged through the book reverently, pausing to exclaim over each illustration and running her hands over the beautiful cover.  She even gently removed the jacket and gasped in delight at the embossed snowflakes on the book itself (a girl after my own heart!).  It’s a beautifully produced book that makes a lovely gift for any young reader.

320 pages, Walden Pond Press

For more information about Anne Ursu and her books (including some of the illustrations from Breadcrumbs), check out her website.

It's Monday 1/9! What Are You Reading?

Well, so far the new year is off to a good start for me - I felt good all last week, enjoyed the warm, sunny weather at the end of the week, and even got all of my goals set for 2012 and my calendar set up (I am usually way behind!).  I also caught up with my end-of-year blog posts on my book blogs, though I still need to write one more catch-up post about the book challenges I am joining for 2012 - should be fun!

We enjoyed our books last week:

• I am almost done with Great House by Nicole Krauss.  This turned out to be a rather long read, even though the book isn't that big, because it is fairly dense prose, but I have enjoyed it.  I should finish it today.
• I started a new audio, The Novice: A Story of True Love by Thich Nhat Hanh, which is a parable about living a life devoted to the teachings of Buddha.  I thought this was an appropriate audio book for the start of a new year!  I'm enjoying it so far.
• My husband, Ken, finished his first-ever e-book, The Breach, a suspense novel by Patrick Lee.
• Next, Ken picked up the book he started before our trip, Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table by Sara Roahen, one of my favorite memoirs, and read a few more chapters.  I think he prefers this book in small tastes.
• Last night, Ken started one of his Christmas gifts from me, In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.  We're both looking forward to this novel set in Nazi Germany by the author of The Devil in the White City.
• Jamie, 17, finished The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare and loved it.
• Now he is reading another of his Christmas gifts, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Book One in the Chaos Walking trilogy.  He says it is very good, though somewhat dark and different than what he usually reads.
• Craig, 13, is reading Alibi Junior High by Greg Logsted, hoping to finish it this week so he can take his Accelerated Reader quiz before the end of the marking period next week.

I didn't write any new reviews last week, but I did post my year-end summary/list of Best Books Read in 2011, both here and at Great Books for Kids and Teens.  I also posted my wrap-up for the Where Are You Reading 2011 Challenge.  It was fun keeping track of the settings of all the books I read.


What are you and your family reading this week?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Best Kids/Teen Books Read in 2011

I went back through my reading journal yesterday and found that I read a total of 68 books in 2011.  Thirty-two of those books were for kids, teens, and YAs, and 36 were adult books (for a tally of the grown-up books, check out my year-end post at Book By Book).  Of the 32 kid/teen books:

• 2 were picture books
• 11 were middle-grade novels
• 19 were teen/YA novels
• 6 of the kid/teen/YA books I read were audios

I read so many good books this past year - it is always hard to choose favorites - but after much deliberation, these are my Top Ten Kids/Teen/YA Books Read in 2011:

• Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card (can't wait for the sequel!)
• The Roar by Emma Clayton
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (just as good the second time around)
• Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
• Thunder Over Kandahar by Sharon E. McKay (audio)
• Shiver, Linger and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (I know it's cheating to lump all 3 together!)
• Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
• Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (audio)
• Alibi Junior High by Greg Logsted
• Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (audio)

All in all, a very good year!

What were your favorite books read in 2011?

It's Monday 1/2! What Are You Reading?

Happy New Year!!  I hope you have all had an enjoyable holiday week with your families.  We just returned last night from a trip to Oklahoma to visit my father-in-law.  It was a nice visit (and great weather!), but it is wonderful to be back home now.  Jamie, our 17-year old son, was very ill all week with a flare-up of his chronic illnesses, so that marred the week.  On the upside, it is quiet and low-key there, so we all had plenty of time to read:

• I finished Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, a coming-of-age teen book about a young man with an Asperger's-like condition who is trying to fit into the "real world" per his father's request.  It was excellent - just as good as I'd heard.
• Now I am reading one of my Christmas gifts, Great House by Nicole Krauss.  I loved her novel, A History of Love.  This one took a bit of time to get into, but after reading on airplanes all day yesterday, I am enjoying it.
• My husband, Ken, brought his new Kindle Fire on the trip and spent a lot of time playing with it!  He's also been reading his first e-book download, The Breach by Patrick Lee, a suspense novel, though he watched movies on the flights - I think he's enjoying his new toy!
• Jamie, 17, read most of his Christmas gifts this week since he was sick!  He lugged the hefty Inheritance by Christopher Paolini all the way to Oklahoma and finished in in just days.  He said it was a different ending than he'd expected, a bit sad, but he loved the book.
• Next, he read I Am Number Four and The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore.  We'd watched the Number Four movie adaptation a couple of months ago, and he wanted to read the book and its sequel.  He enjoyed both very much.
• Now he is reading another hefty and long-awaited novel, The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare.  It kept him happily occupied through hours of flight yesterday.
• Craig, 13, got a laptop for Christmas, so he spent a lot of time this week playing with his new toy and watched movies on the planes, but he and I enjoyed reading Alibi Junior High by Greg Logsted at bedtime all week.  He was reluctant to read it (because I had recommended it!) but is enjoying it.

I don't normally travel with my laptop, but I brought it along this week specifically to catch up on my book blogs!  Here's what I posted:

• Books we got and gave for Christmas
• Kids/teen books we got and gave for Christmas
• Review of After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick, a wonderful middle-grade/teen book about a boy getting on with his life after cancer treatment.
• Review of Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, an excellent teen/YA coming-of-age novel (see above).
• Review of Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb.
• Wrap-up of the Fall Into Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens/YA Books
• Wrap-up of the Fall Into Reading Challenge (grown-up books)

Ah, it's nice to start the new year off all caught up!


What are you and your family reading this week?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Happy New Year!

Fall Into Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Back in September, I signed up for the the Fall Into Reading 2011 Challenge, hosted at Callapidder Days,my first-ever challenge!  I decided to challenge myself to read 10 grown-up books and 10 kids/teen books before the end of December (you can find my wrap-up for the grown-up books at Book By Book.)  I think I did pretty well for my first challenge.  I read 7 of the 10 kids/teen books on my list:

1. Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm (reading now!)
2. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
3. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater - I need to finally finish these sequels to Shiver!
4. After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick - I never got to it on vacation in June
5. The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, another post-apocalyptic novel
6. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
7. Goldstrike by Matt Ehyman, sequel to Icecore

The 3 books I didn't get to:

1. The Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede, based on my son's recommendation
2. Six Days by Philip Webb, a new post-apocalyptic novel
3. Sabotaged, The Missing, Book 3 by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I enjoyed the challenge and learned some lessons - mostly, not to be so ambitious!  There were several hot kids/teen/YA novels I wanted to read these last few months (including Wonderstruck and Blood Red Road), but I felt compelled to choose off this list instead, though I did insert a couple of new choices.  I prefer a little more flexibility, so next time, I will set more realistic goals for myself.  But I enjoyed it!  Thanks to Callapidder Days for hosting!

Teen/YA Review: Marcelo in the Real World

Ever since Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork was published in 2009, I have been hearing rave reviews of it.   I finally got around to reading it last week and found out what all the fuss was about!  It’s a warm, funny, and insightful novel written from the perspective of a young man on the autistic spectrum.

Marcelo is 17 and facing the summer before his last year of high school.  His doctors have never been able to exactly pin down his diagnosis, so he just describes it as something close to Asperger’s syndrome, though he is considered high-functioning.  He has attended Paterson, a school for kids with a wide variety of disabilities, for many years, and he feels comfortable there.  Marcelo is excited about his summer job, helping to care for the horses used for therapy there, and he is looking forward to learning enough this summer so that he can help to train the newer horses in the fall.  Marcelo’s dad has other ideas.

Arturo is a very successful lawyer with his own partnership.  He wants Marcelo to work there this summer, in the mailroom, so that he will learn how to succeed in the “real world,” as he puts it.  His hope is to show Marcelo that he’d be better off mainstreamed in the public high school in the fall rather than at Paterson.  They agree on a compromise:  if Marcelo works in the mailroom this summer and “succeeds” (i.e. accomplishes the tasks he is given), then he can make his own choice about which school to attend when the summer is over.  Marcelo is not happy about his new summer plans, but he is determined to do well.

His new boss in the mailroom, Jasmine, is not happy about Marcelo working there, either.  She’d already handpicked her assistant, and now she is stuck with the boss’ son instead.  Wendell, a Harvard law student and the son of the other partner at the firm, seems to be welcoming, but Marcelo isn’t quite sure whether he is a genuine friend or whether he is sometimes making fun of him.  As Marcelo works hard to adjust to the “real world,” he tries to apply all that he learned in his social interaction classes at Paterson so that he can succeed, by his father’s definition.  Along the way, he discovers something that no one else at the law firm seems to know about and is faced with a serious ethical dilemma for the first time in his life.

I don’t normally include so much plot description in a review, but this book was so wonderfully engaging and unique that I want to tell you all about it.  Marcelo is a warm, funny, likeable narrator, and the ethical question he faces is a difficult one with no simple answers.  It’s gratifying to see Marcelo learning to navigate relationships and gain self-confidence and independence, and it’s fascinating to see the world through his eyes and to understand the challenges he’s facing.  I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from Francisco X. Stork.

312 pages, Scholastic

NOTE:  If you enjoyed this book or are interested in other novels dealing autism, you might also enjoy the middle-grade novel Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin.

 

Middle-Grade/Teen Review: After Ever After

I’ve never read a Jordan Sonnenblick novel before, but After Ever After sounded like something I’d like.  After spending far too many months sitting on my To-Be-Read shelf, I finally found time to read it.  I really enjoyed it and would love to read more novels by this talented author.

Thirteen-year old Jeffrey is well known among his peers as “that boy who had cancer.” Back in fourth grade, he missed a lot of school and underwent a lot of difficult treatments, while his classmates made cards for him in school and went to fundraisers to help pay for his treatments.  That was all four years ago, and Jeffrey’s cancer hasn’t recurred, but the treatments left some side effects and cognitive challenges that are still difficult to deal with.  On top of all that, Jeffrey also worries about all the usual stuff eighth grade boys worry about: passing the new state-mandated tests, figuring out what his best friend is up to, and trying to impress the new girl in school without seeming like a total dork.  He’s been through a lot in his young life, but there are still plenty of challenges ahead.

I’ve never read a novel about the after effects of cancer treatment before (I didn’t even realize there were after effects), so that element of the book was fascinating.  There’s more to this novel than that aspect, though – it’s a well-written, realistic, even humorous portrait of a young teen’s life.  I was worried that it might be depressing (when I told my teen son what it was about, he said, “Oh, that sounds like fun” – insert sarcasm here.)  And there are certainly some very sad elements to the book, but it is also uplifting, a story of the ups and downs that occur in every life and the way that life somehow goes on in spite of the bad stuff.  I was impressed by the emotional depth of this novel and would definitely like to read more by Sonnenblick.

260 pages, Scholastic

NOTE: Although this book is officially categorized as a teen book, it is also appropriate and will appeal to middle-schoolers, with its 8th grade protagonist.

 

Kids' Books for Christmas

I hope you all are enjoying a nice holiday season with your families.  I posted a list of the books we received and gave for Christmas on Book By Book, and here are the books we gave for kids and teens on our list:

• We gave Jamie, our 17-year old son who is an avid reader, lots of books because that's his favorite kind of gift!  The most anticipated one was Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, the long-awaited conclusion to the series that began with Eragon.  Despite its huge size, he lugged it through airports for our trip to visit his Granddad in Oklahoma.  In fact, he's reading it right now!
• We also gave him I Am Number Four and The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore.  We watched the movie adaptation of I Am Number Four a while back, and he really wanted to read the book and its sequel.
• We also gave him Patrick Ness' highly acclaimed trilogy, Chaos Walking: The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men.  This was in part due to the many great reviews I read on other book blogs, so thank you for the recommendations!
• Jamie also got a Far Side cartoon book - he loves those.
• Jamie asked for a video game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for Christmas, and when I discovered there was a follow-up novel, I knew he would love it!  The book is called The Elder Scrolls: The Infernal City.
• We gave both our sons 4 Harry Potter DVDs, to round out their collection!
• For my 9-year old niece, I picked out Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, a new middle-grade release by an online friend of mine - it's magical and engaging (I just finished listening to the audio).  It's longer than most of the books my niece has read so far, but she was enchanted by the illustrations, the cover, and what I told her about it.  I love to see kids excited about books!
• We gave my 5-year old nephew Whoo's There? A Bedtime Shadow Book, a very cool book with cut-out illustrations that you project on the wall using a flashlight.  Our kids used to have a similar book when they were little and loved it.

You may be wondering why we didn't get any books for our 13-year old son.  Between middle-grade review books and all the books Jamie enjoyed a few years ago, our house is already filled with books that Craig wants to read!  He had plenty of other items on his wish list.

So, how about you?  What kids and teen books did you give and receive this holiday season?

It's Monday 12/26! What Are You Reading?

I hope you all enjoyed some wonderful holiday celebrations with your family this past week!  We had a very nice Christmas here.  I've included an "after" photo below of what our living room looked like after opening presents!  There were lots of great books exchanged, as always - I'll post a list later this week. 


Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we still managed to read last week:

• I finished a light-hearted holiday book, Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin', a warm and funny novel narrated by a fifth-grade boy in 1965.  I loved it!  Perfect reading for this past week.
• I am now reading  Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, a highly acclaimed teen book I had been meaning to read for a long time.  It's just as good as everyone said.
• I finished listening to Breadcrumbs, a wonderful, magical middle-grade novel written by Anne Ursu.
• My husband, Ken, is reading Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table by Sara Roahen, based on my recommendation.  I absolutely loved this book, and he is also enjoying reading about our favorite city and favorite foods.  
• Jamie, 17, is reading the final book in The Icemark Chronicles trilogy by Stuart Hill, Last Battle of the Icemark.  You know it's been a busy week when Jamie is still reading the same book he started last week!
  
• Jamie finished reading The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga for his World Lit class.  He says it's very good and that I should read it.
  
• Craig, 13, finished Curse of the Bane, Book Two of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney, just in time to take his Accelerated Reader quiz before winter break.
• Craig is now reading Alibi Junior High by Greg Logsted.  He wouldn't normally read a book that I recommended (it's a parent/teen thing), but I also recommended this book to his classmates, who've been loving it, so his teacher suggested he try it!

I only had time to write one review last week of a memoir, She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan (who used to be James) - it was fascinating and warm with a great sense of humor.  I hope to try to catch up on reviews and other posts during the break this week.


What are you and your family reading this week?  Enjoy your time off with a good book!



(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

The "After" Picture

It's Monday 12/19! What Are You Reading?

Fa la la la la!  Holiday time and very busy, like everyone else!  We spent the weekend in Pennsylvania with my family, celebrating an early Christmas, plus two birthdays.  It was great to see everyone and start to enjoy the season (as opposed to just running around like crazy), and I got to spend lots of time with my niece and nephew.  I hope you are beginning to enjoy the holiday season, too.

Lots of good books this week:

• I finished Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King,  book one of a new series, The Guardians, by children's book veterans William Joyce and Laura Geringer.  I enjoyed this seasonal fantasy and reviewed it last week.
• Next, I read another middle-grade novel, After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick, with a very different tone.  It's the engrossing, warm story of an eighth grade boy who is struggling with the after-effects of cancer treatment in addition to the usual middle school angst.
  
• Now, I am treating myself to a light-hearted holiday book, Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin', a warm and funny novel narrated by a fifth-grade boy in 1965.  It's great so far - lots of fun.
• I'm still listening to Breadcrumbs, a wonderful, magical middle-grade novel written by Anne Ursu, and gave a copy to my niece this weekend for Christmas.
• My husband, Ken, finished Stephen King's new release, 11/22/63: A Novel, about someone who time travels back to 1963 to try to prevent Kennedy's assassination, and enjoyed it very much.
• Ken is now reading Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table by Sara Roahen, based on my recommendation.  I absolutely loved this book, and he is also enjoying reading about our favorite city and favorite foods.  We've also been watching Treme on DVD, so he is immersed in New Orleans culture right now!
  
• Jamie, 17, is reading a favorite trilogy, The Icemark Chronicles by Stuart Hill.  He finished The Cry of the Icemark and Blade of Fire and is now reading the final book, Last Battle of the Icemark.  He says this is one of the best series he has ever read...and that's saying a lot!
• Jamie is also reading The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga for his World Lit class.  He says it's pretty good (high praise for required reading).
  
•  Craig, 13, is reading The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney - he's currently on Book Two: Curse of the Bane and hopes to finish it this week.

I didn't have much time for blogging last week, with all the holiday preparations, but managed to post a review of  Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce and Laura Geringer, a unique fantasy novel that tells of the origin of St. Nick.  I also posted my response to the last question in the Fall Into Reading Challenge, about what books I would like to receive for Christmas (easy one!).


What are you and your family reading this week?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Middle-Grade Review: Nicholas St. North (The Guardians)

 Paging through the Simon & Schuster children’s catalog last spring, I was intrigued by a big 2-page spread for a brand-new series called The Guardians by veteran children’s authors William Joyce and Laura Geringer.  What caught my eye?  The copy said that a movie adaptation was in progress…and the first book of the new series hadn’t even been published yet!  Companion pictures books (beginning with The Man in the Moon) are also planned.  I decided to check out this new multi-media concept and requested a review copy of Book One: Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King.

The series concept is that each book will tell the legend of the beginning of various Guardians of Childhood: the Man in the Moon, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, etc.  This first book, as you might have guessed, tells the story of St. Nick (and also the Man in the Moon), but you won’t recognize anything from other traditional stories you’ve heard.   As the inside flap says, “Here, in this first in a series of epic Guardian adventures, meet the legendary St. Nick.  You’ve known about him for years, but, it turns out, you don’t really know him at all…”

The story opens with a classic tale of good versus evil as the Nightmare King (evil, obviously) escapes from his state of frozen paralysis and also releases the spectral boy with his crystal dagger, powered by moonbeams (good).  Meanwhile, in the peaceful, isolated Siberian town of Santoff Claussen, a kind and powerful wizard named Ombric senses that something bad has happened and hastens to protect the people of his village.  Through a dream, he summons Nicholas St. North, a notorious bandit, to help him.  An epic battle ensues.

This is a fast-paced adventure story, full of imagination and fantasy, though it never did fully connect the St. Nick we know today with these early events that obviously helped to point him in that direction (perhaps the story will continue in one of the sequels).  I’m not familiar with Geringer but know that William Joyce is well known for his very creative stories, like George Shrinks, A Day with Wilbur Robinson (made into the movie Meet the Robinsons), and my family’s favorite, Dinosaur Bob.  This new middle-grade series has all the originality and imagination of those picture books and is illustrated by Joyce’s fanciful “illuminations.”  It’s sure to be a hit with kids who enjoy action and fantasy.

228 pages, Atheneum (imprint of Simon & Schuster) 

 

It's Monday 12/12! What Are You Reading?

Monday...a fresh start to a new week.  Everyone is healthy and in school, so that's an excellent start!!  We spent the weekend working on college and scholarship applications, make-up work (my son), and finally getting our Christmas tree and decorating it.

Remember a few weeks ago, I mentioned I gave talks on writing and reading at my son's middle school to the 8th grade English classes?  Well, on Friday, I received this note from the teacher:

The students are LOVING your recommendations!!! Esp. Mike Lupica, Everlost  and Alibi Junior High. Parents are thrilled with the fact that their kids are reading more. You really helped start this with your reviews and by talking to them. THANK YOU!

As a book lover AND a parent, this just made my day!  My son says that everyone is requesting books now, talking about my recommendations, and even recommending books to each other.  How exciting!

Meanwhile, my family is enjoying our books as well:

• I finished She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan, a memoir about James becoming Jennifer, for one of my book groups.  I loved this book - it was well-written, warm, funny, and fascinating.
• I am now reading the first book in a new series, The Guardians, by children's book veterans William Joyce and Laura Geringer.  Book One is Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King - I wanted to be sure to get to this seasonal novel before Christmas.  The series will explain the origins of legendary characters, including St. Nick, through the kind of imaginative fantasy tales you'd expect from Joyce.
• I'm still listening to Breadcrumbs, a wonderful, magical middle-grade novel written by Anne Ursu.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading Stephen King's new release, 11/22/63: A Novel, about someone who time travels back to 1963 to try to prevent Kennedy's assassination, and he is loving it.
• Jamie, 17, was sick all last week with a bad flare-up of his chronic illness, so he did a lot of reading.  He comforted himself with an old favorite series, The Great Tree of Avalon by T.A. Barron.  He read all three books: Avalon, Avalon: The Eternal Flame, and Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy.
• Next, he moved onto another old favorite series starting with The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill.  He's been waiting literally years to read the final book in the trilogy because a friend borrowed book 2 from him and never returned it.  His friend finally admitted he'd lost it, so Jamie bought the second book last week and is eager to get through the full series.
• Jamie is also reading The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga for his World Lit class.
• Craig, 13, is reading The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney - he's currently on Book Two: Curse of the Bane.

Not much time for blogging last week (or this week probably) because of all the holiday preparations, but I did post one review of The Songcatcher, a novel set in the Appalachians by Sharyn McCrumb.


What are you and your family reading this week?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Our Biggest Tree Ever!

It's Monday 12/5! What Are You Reading?

We are now in the midst of the busy holiday season!  I haven't even thought much about the holidays yet - other than some online shopping - because it is also college application season.  That has been occupying our time and attention - it's like having an extra full-time job!

We are still squeezing in reading time, though:

• I finished The Songcatcher by Sharyn McCrumb for my neighborhood book group this week.  It's the story of an old ballad that is passed down through generations of family, from 1700's Scotland to present day Appalachia, including, of course, the stories of those family members.  I enjoyed it very much.
• I usually read a kid/teen book after an adult one, but I have another book group meeting next week, so I figured I better read that book first.  We are reading She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan, a memoir about James becoming Jennifer, so I'll start that today.
• I'm still listening to Breadcrumbs, a wonderful, magical middle-grade novel written by Anne Ursu.
• My husband, Ken, is reading Stephen King's new release, 11/22/63: A Novel, about someone who time travels back to 1963 to try to prevent Kennedy's assassination.  It's a hefty novel, and he keeps laughing out loud at King's spot-on descriptions of ordinary people (one of his many talents!).
• Jamie, 17, started a new teen dystopian series by Robin Wasserman, The Cold Awakening trilogy, starting with Book One: Frozen, but he gave up with only 30 pages to go!  He said it's well-written, but he suspects it's meant more for girls, with very little action in the first book.
• Jamie said he was more in the mood for fantasy than dystopian books, so he switched to an old favorite, The Great Tree of Avalon by T.A. Barron.
• Jamie is also starting The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga for his World Lit class.  It was hard to find a copy because there's a local book group reading it right now, as well as his entire senior class!
• Craig, 13, is still enjoying The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney, so he moved onto Book Two: Curse of the Bane this week.
• Craig has also been reading an excerpt from Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes for his English class - it's one of my favorite books and so sad!

Last week, I posted two reviews: Midwives by Chris Bohjalian and  Goldstrike by Matt Whyman, a teen thriller.  I also posted a summary of my Books Read in November.


What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Teen/YA Review: Goldstrike

I just finished reading Goldstrike by Matt Whyman, the fast-paced sequel to his techno-thriller Icecore.  Both my 17-year old son and I are enjoying this exciting series.  It’s going to be challenging to tell you about Goldstrike without giving away too much about what happens in the first book.

Carl Hobbes is an eighteen-year old hacker who was imprisoned by the CIA for breaking into Fort Knox.  Carl only did it to impress a girl and to see if he could (the motivation for most hackers), but the US government believes he is a threat to national security and suspects him of being a part of a terrorist network.  After he manages to break out of the arctic detainment camp where they imprisoned him, they are even more determined to stop him.  At the same time, there are real terrorists seeking revenge on Carl for some of the fallout from his escape.

As Goldstrike opens, the chapters jump around to locations all over the world, as both the CIA and the terrorists try to track down Carl.  Eventually, we find out where Carl really is and what he is now up to, as his main goal has turned to protecting himself and maintaining his freedom.  It’s a fast-paced, suspenseful novel, with lots of details on how Carl uses his hacking skills in his latest scheme to try to remain free.  The book reads like a classic thriller with the requisite high-tension chase scene at the end, only written for teens.  We can’t wait to find out what happens to Carl next!

262 pages, Atheneum

 

It's Monday 11/28! What Are You Reading?

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!  We drove about 8 hours to spend the weekend with my extended family in Rochester, NY.  It was a full weekend, with a large gathering each day with a different part of my family.  It was tiring but lots of fun - it was great to see everyone.  I've included a photo below of my sons with some of their cousins.  To me, that's what holidays are all about!

So, I had no time at all for blogging last week, after my Monday posts, but we still found time for reading:

• I finished Goldstrike by Matt Whyman, a teen techno-thriller and the sequel to Icecore.  The fast-paced suspense novel was perfect for a busy week.
• Now, I am reading the next selection for my neighborhood book group, The Songcatcher by Sharon McCrumb, about a song that has been passed down through generations from Scotland to the present-day Appalachians.
• My husband, Ken, finished reading Unwind, Neal Schusterman's amazing teen dystopian novel.  He said the premise was super-creepy (yup), but he enjoyed the novel.
• We stayed with my dad and his wife this weekend, and my dad lent Ken Stephen King's very new release, 11/22/63: A Novel, about someone who time travels back to 1963 to try to prevent Kennedy's assassination.  It sounds SO good!
• Jamie, 17, was home sick early last week and then had 16 hours in the car, so he read a LOT.  He continued re-reading a favorite series, the Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan, with Book 5: The Sorcerer of the North, Book 6: The Siege of Macindaw, Book 7: Erak's Ransom, and Book 8: The Kings of Clonmel.  He enjoyed the series very much (again).
• Now, Jamie is reading a new teen dystopian series by Robin Wasserman, The Cold Awakening trilogy, starting with Book One: Frozen.  He and I really loved Wasserman's middle-grade trilogy, Chasing Yesterday.
• Craig finished Revenge of the Witch, Book One in the series The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, and loved it.  I haven't seen him this excited about a series since Charlie Bone and The Unicorn Chronicles a couple of years ago.  We can't find Book Two - I think we lent it to a friend - so I need to check the library for him today.
• I started a new middle-grade audio, Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, last week.  Anne is a great author and a friend of mine, so I've been looking forward to this one.  Her trilogy The Cronus Chronicles was great!
• We also started another middle-grade audio during our car ride, Wildwood by Colin Melot.  Mostly, it was just Ken and I listening.  I was disappointed that the boys weren't interested in listening to an audio book on this ride, despite the variety I brought along!  They preferred to listen to their iPods and read their own books.  I guess they are getting older...sigh...
  

What are you and your family reading this week?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)