Teen/YA Review: The Deathday Letter

The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson is a teen/YA novel with more depth and warmth  than first appears.  It grew on me the longer I read, and, as I finished it, I was surprised to realize that I had actually liked it quite a bit.

The premise of the book is quite simple: it’s a society where people receive a Deathday Letter the day before they will die.  Fifteen-year old Ollie receives his Deathday Letter at the start of the novel and has only 24 hours left to live.  He wants to make the best of his last day.

I expected the novel to delve deeper into the concept of the Deathday Letter itself – why this happens, how it happens – but it didn’t.  It just assumed this was the way things were and moved onto Ollie’s own story, which turned out to be just fine with me.

Since the novel is told from the point of view of a teenage boy, it is filled with all sorts of lewd observations and actions – sex, drugs, and roll ‘n roll, right?  At first, this nonstop barrage of jokes and sex talk was irritating to me, but then it occurred to me that maybe this is really how a teen boy would react to his impending death, covering his real feelings with humor.  Here, he has just told his best friend about his letter:

Shane claps me on the back.  “Listen, I’ve known you since you were a baby, man.  You’re like a brother.  I know everything there is to know about you, and lots of stuff I wish I didn’t.  It’s not just my job to tell you the truth, it’s my obligation.”

We stand in silence until finally I say, “What do we do about my letter?” because standing around not talking about our feelings feels way gayer than actually talking about our feelings.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not going back to class.  I already know how the war ends.  We won.  And I don’t want to stand around and cry about my letter.”

So, Ollie and Shane skip school and bring along Ronnie, their childhood friend and Ollie’s recent girlfriend (who broke up with him).  They embark on the kinds of things you would expect teenagers with nothing to lose to embark on.  Filled with dark humor, The Deathday Letter explores life and death, love and sex, and the meaning of friendship.  Though crude at times, the novel redeems itself with a tender, thoughtful, and thought-provoking ending.  I’m glad I read it.

240 pages, Simon Pulse

For more information, check out the author's website and blog. 

It's Monday 5/30! What Are You Reading?

These Monday holidays always feel strange - doesn't really feel like a Monday, does it?  I have spent most of the holiday weekend struggling with a severe flare-up of my chronic illness.  This just came out of the blue - it's been almost a year since I had an episode this bad - and I don't know what triggered this.  All my plans for getting caught up around the house had to be set aside.  I have been reading a lot, though, and trying to rest.  Thank goodness for engrossing books!  Here's what we're reading this week:

• I finished reading The Condition by Jennifer Haigh, one of my favorite authors.  Like her earlier novel, Baker Towers, this one is also about family.  Everyone in my book group enjoyed it very much.
• Because of book group commitments, I've read several adult books in a row without my usual alternating between kids/teen books and grown-up ones, so next I read a teen/YA book, The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson.  Narrated by a teen boy who knows he will die in 24 hours, this was a bit crude, but its dark humor and thoughtful ending grew on me.
• Now I'm reading The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon, a local author here in Delaware.  I loved her two memoirs, Riding the Bus with My Sister and Building a Home with my Husband.  This novel about a young mentally handicapped woman locked up in an instituation in the 50's and 60's is absolutely wonderful - I was completely hooked within the first chapter (perfect for sick days!).
• My husband, Ken, is reading Num8ers by Rachel Ward, a teen/YA thriller, based on my recommendation.
• 16-year old Jamie is still working his way through a re-reading of the entire Redwall series by Brian Jacques, in between getting through his last weeks of school.  He says he has only 3 books left to go!

I posted a review of The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht last week at Book By Book.


What are you and your family reading this week?  Hope you're enjoying the holiday weekend!


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

It's Monday 5/23! What Are You Reading?

Huh?  What?  Monday already?  I was just sitting here trying to catch up on my 100 e-mails from the weekend, when I remembered it was Monday, and I was late writing my book post!  Slow start...


This time of year is just so busy, with all sorts of end-of-year school functions, last soccer games, overwhelming yard work needed, plus last-minute vacation planning before summer starts.  We spent our weekend on all of those, with more coming up this week.

Still trying to squeeze in some reading, as well!

• I finished reading The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (though not until the day after my book group discussion!).  It was well-written but a very complicated book - we all agreed it was a good thing we had each other to talk to!  I still have some lingering questions about it.  Definitely a literary novel.
• As soon as I finished The Tiger's Wife, I moved onto my book group book for this week (sometimes they fall one right after the other like this!), The Condition by Jennifer Haigh.  I am loving this novel so far.  Haigh is one of my favorite authors - she is especially talented at writing about family relationships.
• I finished Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton on my iPod, a fascinating memoir about a very unusual life.
• I started a new audio, Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, a teen/YA novel about a troubled teen girl who becomes engrossed in the story of a teen girl during the French Revolution.  It's excellent so far.
• My husband, Ken, finished Once a Spy by Keith Thomson and moved onto its sequel, Twice a Spy.  He's enjoying this author.
• 16-year old Jamie is still working his way through a re-reading of the entire Redwall series by Brian Jacques.  We're planning a 3-week trip to California, and he's very worried about how to bring enough books.  On our usual road trips, he packs a whole duffle bag with nothing but books, but this time we're flying.  I think we'll ship a box out there to my aunt's house before we go!

I posted two reviews last week:  Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese at Book By Book and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher here.  I also posted a link to an excellent radio interview with author Diane Ackerman that I really enjoyed last week.


What are you and your family reading this week?


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

Teen/YA Review: Sapphique

Last year, the teen/YA audio novel Incarceron kept my family riveted during our spring break road trip to Louisiana and back.  Author Catherine Fisher had created a very unique world that combined modern technology with an old-fashioned veneer.  This spring break, as we drove to Oklahoma and back, its sequel, Sapphique, helped the miles fly by.  (I tried to avoid second book spoilers here, but if you haven’t read Incarceron yet, you’d be better off reading that review).

As in the first book, the action of this second novel switches back and forth between Incarceron, the grimy, industrial, living prison and the outside world, where nobility and peasants live as though it were an earlier century, despite the ignored existence of very advanced technology.  Now, really, if you haven’t read Incarceron yet, you might want to skip the next two paragraphs…

At the start of the novel, Finn is trying to adjust to life Outside with Claudia, but he finds that it has its own challenges and is not the utopia he’d thought it was.  Meanwhile, the friends he left behind in Incarceron, Attia and Keiro, continue to struggle within the prison, in search of a magical glove, said to have been the way that the legendary Sapphique escaped.  

Claudia worries about her father, who is now trapped within Incarceron, and her beloved tutor, Jared, whose health continues to worsen, and can’t help but have doubts as to whether Finn is truly the missing prince, though she wants to believe it.  When another young man shows up, also claiming to be the lost prince, Finn must somehow prove he is the true heir in order to save both his and Claudia’s lives.

I think we all favored Incarceron just a bit, perhaps for its surprising turns and new setting, but Sapphique had plenty of its own twists and surprises to keep us listening happily for hours.  Reader Kim Mai Guest did a marvelous job with both books, giving each character his or her own unique voice.  Fans of fantasy and dystopian novels (though this isn’t strictly dystopian) will thoroughly enjoy both books in Catherine Fisher’s imaginative and fast-paced set.

Listening Library

Listen to a sample of Sapphique:

   AUDIO: 

It's Monday 5/16! What Are You Reading?

Monday...and another dark, rainy day.  It's supposed to rain all week, with possible thunderstorms and hail today!   I am just hoping life will return to (somewhat) normal this week.

Last week, my family traveled to Washington, DC, to give testimony in front of the CFS Advisory Committee (within the Department of Health and Human Services) about how the immune disorder, ME/CFS, has affected our lives.  If you're interested, you can watch our testimony at this link.  While in town, we also met with a couple of our Congressional representatives to ask for more equitable distribution of funds for ME/CFS research.


Anyway, it was very rewarding but completely exhausting!  My oldest son is still home from school, and I was pretty useless the rest of the week, though feeling better now.  I had no time at all for blogging last week and not much time for reading, either, so please excuse me if I didn't have a chance to visit your blog or reply to your comments.  I hope to be able to make the round this week!  Here's our reading update:

• I am reading The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht for my neighborhood book group.  It took me a while to get into it because I was only reading about 5 pages a day!  It's very good, and I'm glad to have a chance to read such a hot new novel - I often don't read new books until they've come out in paperback.  Now I need to somehow find time to finish it before Wednesday - it's not looking good!
• My husband, Ken, is now reading Once a Spy by Keith Thomson, a book I found at the library.  He said he's enjoying it so much that he's also bringing it's sequel, Twice a Spy, with him on a business trip this week (it must be good for him to carry two hardcovers with him!).
• Jamie, 16, read another 3 Redwall books by Brian Jacques last week, in his quest to re-read the entire series!  Since he's been home sick, this has worked out well - these are his "comfort books," old favorites.
• Jamie is also reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne for his American Lit class...but much more reluctantly than the Redwall books, as you can imagine!
• I am still listening to Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton on my iPod.  She has certainly led an interesting life, to say the least!  I think I am almost done with this fascinating memoir.

What are you and your family reading this week?


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

It's Monday 5/9! What Are You Reading?

Please pardon the very late post today - our life has been a whirlwind of travel lately (and this week will continue in that vein).  After our boys' two soccer games Saturday, we drove up to Connecticut to spend Mother's Day with my mom and my sister and their families (this week is also my mom's birthday).  Then we turned around and drove back home less than 24 hours later!  Despite the quick turnaround, it was good to see everyone.  No one can make me laugh like my family!  I hope everyone else had a good Mother's Day. 

This morning, my son and I headed back up the NJ Turnpike to see our Lyme doctor (a 90-minute drive each way).  We didn't have much time for reading this week:

• I have finally, just today, finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  It took me over two weeks to read this hefty novel, but it is well-worth it, a unique story of a set of twins, born conjoined at the head, and raised in Ethiopa.  I finished it today and thought, "Shoot, that wasn't for a book group...now who will I talk to about it??"
• My husband, Ken, finished Fear, a thriller by Jeff Abbott.
• He has now moved onto Once a Spy by Keith Thomson.  I had pulled Twice a Spy off the New Release shelf at the library for him, but when he tried to read it, he discovered it was the sequel to another book, so I requested the first one from the library for him!
• Jamie, 16, is still on his Redwall re-reading binge.  I asked him today if he was planning to re-read the entire series (for perhaps the third time?), and he said, "Yes!  And I'm trying to read them in chronological order this time," which is different than the order they were published in.  I have no idea how many more he read this week - I gave up trying to keep track!
• On our way to and from Connecticut, we finished listening to Sapphique by Catherine Fisher in the car.  Though I think we all favored the first book, Incarceron, slightly, the sequel was well worth our time and provided a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Because I've been reading the same book for two weeks, I didn't post any reviews last week but did post a variety of other fun stuff:  my April reading summary, a photo of a surprise bookmark Jamie found in one of our older books and a discussion of found bookmarks, and my lists of Top Ten Books I Read Based on Recommendations both here and at Book By Book.


Tomorrow we head to Washington, DC, for a special awareness event and lobbying day on Wednesday for kids and teens with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (the immune system disorder that both of my sons and I have) - exciting but hectic!  So things may be quiet here at the book blog for much of this week.


What are you and your family reading this week?


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

Children's Book Choice Awards Winners Announced

At a big event Monday night, the 4th annual Children's Book Choice Awards were presented.  Why is this awards show news-worthy?  Because kids themselves choose the winners!

Here are the major category winners:

Kindergarten to second grade: Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (Putnam)

 

Third to fourth grade: Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf)

 

Fifth to sixth grade: The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles: Book 1) by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)

 

Teen: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (Dutton)

 

In addition, David Wiesner was named Illustrator of the Year and Rick Riordan was named Author of the Year.   This is a big honor for Riordan, who just 5 years ago was a middle-school teacher stunned by the success of The Lightning Thief back in 2006 when I corresponded with him after reviewing his first book for Family Fun magazine (don't you just love stories like that in the writing world?)

Check out this article at Publisher's Weekly for all the details, plus photos from the awards ceremony.

Have you read any of the winners?  Do you agree with the kids' choices?  Who would be your choice for Author of the Year?

Found Bookmarks

Have you ever found an unusual bookmark in a library book or used book you purchased or borrowed?  It's often a quirky little bit of serendipity that makes you wonder about the book's previous readers!

This happened within our own home a couple of weeks ago.  My 16-year old son, Jamie, was home sick and reading straight through the entire series of Orson Scott Card's that begins with Ender's Game.  He was reading book 3, Xenocide, when he called me over to show me what he'd found stuck in its pages - this adorable little laminated photo of himself, at about 18 months old, sitting on Santa's lap!  That must have been the last time I read the book.

This unexpected find made us both smile and reminded me that I'd heard before about blogs that post odd bookmarks found within books.  Here are two of them:  Forgotten Bookmarks and Pre-Owned Bookmarks.

I typically use real bookmarks to mark my place - paper ones from our local indie bookstore or nice ones I received as gifts - but my husband uses whatever slip of paper he finds nearby - receipts, golf score cards, greeting cards, etc.  Jamie doesn't use bookmarks at all - he just remembers what page he was on!  I could never do that.


How about you?  What do you use as bookmarks?  And what is the oddest thing you have ever found stuck in a borrowed or second-hand book?

Top Ten Books That Came Recommended

It's Tuesday and that means it's Top Ten Day!  Today's topic, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is books that I probably wouldn't have read if not for the recommendations of other book lovers whose opinions I respect.

You can read my list of adult books that came recommended over at Book By Book.  I've limited this list to just kids/teen/YA books.  This list was a challenge because for years now, most of my kids/teen books are read for review.  So, I had to dig a bit to come up with this list.  As you'll see, many of the recommendations came from my son, Jamie, now 16, who is an avid reader:

1. The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins – I can't even remember now who recommended this fabulous middle-grade series to me years ago, but I know I wouldn't have chosen to read a series about giant cockroaches and rats on my own (but I'm so glad I did!).
2. Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale - my son, Jamie, urged me to read the first Pendragon book, and I ended up reading the entire 10-book series!  It's one of my all-time favorites for older middle-grade and teen readers.
3. Nothing But the Truth by Justina Chen Headley - a favorite author recommended by talented young blogger, Miss Erin.
4. Alabama Moon by Watt Key - my husband chose this middle-grade book, with the help of the staff at our local Indie bookstore, and it is still a family favorite!
5. Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld - recommended by both my husband and my son.
6. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - this is one I never would have read without the recommendations of dozens of my favorite book bloggers.
7. Everlost by Neal Shusterman- another one recommended by my son, Jamie.  My only regret is that I waited so long to read it - it's one of my favorite teen series.
8. The Thief Lord by Cynthia Funke- also recommended by Jamie (seeing a trend here?) - he and my younger son, Craig, became totally enamored of Venice because of this book.
9. The Last Treasure by Janet S. Anderson - Jamie again, back in 2006 - I believe his exact words were, "Mom, this is one of the best books Ive ever read!"
10. House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer - Jamie bought this one for my husband for his birthday, then we both read it, too - don't you just love gifts like that?

How about you - which books did you read and enjoy because they were recommended?

It's Monday 5/2! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday - not only back to the work week for us but back to real-life after our 10-day spring break trip to Oklahoma.  Re-entry is always tough.  I so enjoy the break from every day life, having very few responsibilities or obligations, able to just go with the flow, hang out with my husband and kids, and allow my mind to rest and wander.  Now it's back to laundry and writing and very long to-do lists!!  If anyone knows the secret to bringing a bit of that vacation mindset back home, let me know.

We enjoyed some good books while we were away:

• I am still reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  It's a looong book!  You would think I'd have MORE time to read while on vacation, but of our 10 day-trip, we spent 6 days in the car, and I can't read in the car without getting sick.  Anyway, I'm enjoying the novel very much - it's just as good as everyone has said.
• My husband, Ken, finished Eyes of the Innocent by Brad Parks, a thriller in the humorous style of Janet Evanovich, and enjoyed it.
• Ken is now reading Fear, a thriller by Jeff Abbott that I picked up in the 50 cent pile at the library's used book sale.  He says it's fascinating because the plot revolves around a scientific breakthrough of using beta blockers to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, an especially interesting premise for him since I started beta blockers in January.
• 16-year old Jamie read another 3 or 4 of his old favorite Redwall books by Brian Jacques this past week.  I quit even trying to keep track of the exact titles because he was flying through them so quickly and had brought so many from the series with him on the trip!  Jamie can read in the car and does so almost non-stop (though he had homework to do on the way home).
• Craig, 13, finished Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain for his English class.  I wanted so badly to be able to stop in Hannibal, MO, on the way home to show him Mark Twain's boyhood home and the town and cave that inspired Tom Sawyer, but with 1400 miles to cover in only 3 days, we had no extra time to spare!  We had to settle for admiring the Mississippi River as we crossed through St. Louis.
  
• Craig and I have also been reading aloud from 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson, a middle-grade novel about kids finding alternate worlds through cupboards in their attic.  I really appreciated having the extra leisure time to enjoy a read-aloud with him - something that has become increasingly rare in our busy lives.  We used to read with the boys every single night before bed; now we don't usually have time unless we're on vacation.
• We've all been listening to Sapphique by Catherine Fisher in the car.  Last spring break, we listened to the first book in the series, Incarceron, on our way to Louisiana and loved it.  We are on the last CD now, and this second book has kept our rapt attention all throughout our long drive.  Now we have to find time to finish it!

No reviews last week, since I was on vacation.


I do want to take a moment for an overdue thank you to Books Kids Like, a wonderful book blog that awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award a few weeks ago.  Though I have already accepted this award previously, I very much appreciate the thought.  Please take a moment to visit Books Kids Like, a fabulous blog filled with reviews of books for kids of all ages!

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you treading Monday is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.)

Back to real life.  Wishing we were still in our little camper...

It's Monday 4/25! What Are You Reading?

Good morning and happy Monday!  I hope you all had a nice Easter.  Ours was a bit odd - spent in the car mostly - but we arrived in Oklahoma in time to have a nice Easter dinner with my father-in-law.  The kids got their Easter baskets in our camper in the morning in Arkansas!

With all the work of packing up last week, then 3 1/2 days of driving, my husband and I haven't had much reading time (I get sick if I read in the car), but between being sick all last week and having 8 hours a day on the road, my oldest son has been reading non-stop!

• I am still reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  It's a hefty one!  It's different than I expected, but I am engaged by the story now and enjoying it.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading Eyes of the Innocent by Brad Parks, from our library.  This is the thriller that's been compared in style to Janet Evanovich, so he's enjoying it very much.
• Jamie, 16, has been on a reading marathon, reading about a book a day!  While sick last week, he read three books in the series by Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide.
• Still sick, Jamie decided to take a break from the Ender's Game series and comfort himself with some old favorites from the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.  I haven't tried to keep track of the titles, but I think he's now on his 4th Redwall book since we left home!  It's probably the third time he's read most of these.  He says he has two more that he brought along with him before he resumes newer books.
• We've all been listening to Sapphique by Catherine Fisher in the car.  Last spring break, we listened to the first book in the series, Incarceron, on our way to Louisiana and loved it!  The sequel is excellent so far.
• Last night, we began reading the book from Craig's Easter basket together, 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson, a middle-grade novel about kids finding alternate worlds through cupboards in their attic.  We've just started it, but it sounds intriguing. 
  

Last week, I posted reviews of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton at Book By Book and a middle-grade novel, The Kind of Friends We Used to Be by Frances O'Roark Dowell.  I also posted a preview clip for the movie adaptation of The Help - I can't wait to see it!


What are you and your family reading this week?


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

Middle-Grade Review: The Kind of Friends We Used to Be

I had always meant to read The Secret Language of Girls by award-winning author Frances O’Roark Dowell and somehow never got around to it, but I did finally read its sequel, The Kind of Friends We Used to Be, last week and enjoyed it very much, despite missing the first book.

This middle-grade novel, like its prequel, is about two friends, Kate and Marylin, who are coping with all the changes and growing complexities of life in middle school.  The two girls have been friends for many years but are finding that their interests are no longer the same:

The night before [Kate] decided to learn how to play guitar, she’d gone to a Back-to-School party at Marylin’s house.  Throwing a Back-to-School party was a very Marylin thing to do, which Kate would know, since she and Marylin had been friends since preschool and had managed to stay friends, even though Marylin was now a middle-school cheerleader and cared too much about her hair.

As Kate and Marylin enter 7^th grade, they find themselves drifting apart, even though they still like each other and want to be friends.  Kate has a new interest – playing guitar and writing music – and she meets new friends through that interest, while Marylin has a whole new set of friends on the cheerleading squad.  Marylin senses that some of her new friends aren’t very nice, but she loves being a cheerleader.

Their story is told in alternating chapters from both girls’ points of view, as they discover new interests, meet new friends, and try to retain their cherished old friendship.  They are both struggling with common issues for middle-schoolers:  how to fit in, how to be true to yourself, and how to negotiate the complex and confusing social landscape of middle-school.

I really enjoyed this novel and came to care for both main characters.  They felt real to me, and I’m sure their problems will be familiar to kids of this age.  The novel didn’t wrap up in a nice, neat conclusion, but real life is seldom nice and neat either.  Instead, it came to a satisfying end, giving you the impression that both girls were well on their way to finding their places in the world.

234 pages, Athenenum (imprint of Simon & Schuster)

It's Monday 4/18! What Are You Reading?

Happy Monday!

I have two boys home sick today.  Just a flare-up of their chronic illness, the result of too much fun this weekend.  Jamie went to his prom Friday night and stayed out until 2 am, and Craig had a sleepover at a friend's house Saturday night.  Hopefully, they will both recover quickly.

Another busy week coming up - lots of work to do, plus spring break preparations.  Good thing we have lots of good books to read as well:

• I finished The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton but not in time for my book group!  That was OK since I was almost finished and had already figured out the ending.  Everyone in my book group loved this novel that is part mystery and part family epic.
• Next, I finished a book I'd started last week and had to set aside to read my book group book:  The Kind of Friends We Used To Be, a middle-grade novel by Frances O'Roark Dowell.  I enjoyed this book very much, even though it's a sequel and I hadn't read the first book, The Secret Language of Girls.
• Now, I am reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  This one has been sitting on my shelf for awhile, and I thought it would be a good one to bring along for spring break, since it's so long.  I'm finding it a bit slow to start, but I've heard so many great things about this novel, I'm sure it will pick up soon.
• On my iPod, I am listening to Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton.  I'd heard a wonderful review of this memoir on my favorite podcast, Books on the Nightstand.  It's excellent so far.
• My husband, Ken, finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and enjoyed it.  He says he learned a lot about Japan's role in World War II (me, too).
• I grabbed some more books for Ken off the new release shelf at the library, plus a stack of used paperbacks they were selling.  He's now reading one of the new releases, Eyes of the Innocent by Brad Parks.  The inside flap describes it as "an engaging mix between Harlan Coben and Janet Evanovich" and Ken agrees.  We're both Stephanie Plum fans, and Ken says he sees why this new thriller author is being compared to Janet Evanovich.
• Jamie, 16, is continuing his Orson Scott Card marathon.  He finished reading Ender's Shadow, and we were both excited to hear that there is a parallel series about Bean with three more books, so I requested the next one from the library for him.
• Meanwhile, he reread Ender's Game and is now moving onto the rest of the series.  He's on the couch reading Speaker for the Dead now.
• Jamie is also reading The Scarlet Letter for his American Lit class.  
• Craig, 13, is still reading Tom Sawyer for his English class, but - miracle of miracles - this morning he decided to read a book just for fun!  It's been a while since he's done that, so I am thrilled.  He said he was in the mood for a mystery like The Hardy Boys, so of course, I jumped up and found him a half dozen choices (I've been waiting years for him to ask me for reading suggestions!).  He has settled on The Slave-Girl From Jerusalem, from The Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence.  Since these wonderful books are like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in ancient Rome, I've been trying to get him to try them for years.  Though he's fallen asleep in the recliner right now (again!), I know he'll enjoy this book.

I didn't have a chance to post any reviews last week, but I did have fun putting together two lists of Top Ten Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies, both here and at Book By Book.

What are you and your family reading this week?

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

50 Books Every Child Should Read

My Goodreads friend, Amanda, sent me this link to a UK article, 50 Books Every Kid Should Read.  It includes top ten recommendations from five major UK children's authors and is lots of fun to peruse.  Their choices range from classics to modern hits.  How many of these fabulous books have you and your kids read?

Top Ten Kids & Teen Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for another Top Ten list from The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's topic is Top Ten Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies.  You can read my list of grown-up movie adaptations I'd like to see at Book By Book.

Here are my family's picks for kids'/teen/YA books we'd like to see made into movies (the first 5 are my picks; the last 5 are my sons' picks):

1. Prism by Faye and Aliza Kellerman – my whole family loved this imaginative dystopian thriller – it would make a great movie.
2. Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld – since I enjoyed studying the books’ amazing illustrations so much, I think the visuals in this steampunk series would make an awesome movie!
3. Wake, Fade, and Gone by Lisa McMann – creepy thrillers with a supernatural twist - would probably have to be rated R.
4. Thunder Over Kandahar by Sharon E. McKay – would make an excellent, action-packed drama about two girls in war-torn Afghanistan. 
5. Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale – my favorite kids/teen series would make great movies, but there’s need to be 10 of them! 

Jamie’s picks:

1. The Fasala Trilogy by Hilari Bell
2. The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill - Jamie says it might already be being made into a movie, but it's his top choice!
3. Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda - Jamie says it would have to be at least 3 movies.
4. The Book of Time trilogy (book two was The Gate of Days) by Guillame Prevost – he and I both enjoyed this series - all the time travel locations would make for a great movie!
5. Craig says his favorite book, Nick of Time by Ted Bell, would make an exciting action movie.

How about you?  Which kids' or teen/YA books would you like to see made into movies?

It's Monday 4/11! What Are You Reading?

Monday already?  Where did the weekend go?  I wasn't quite ready for it to end.  I spent much of the weekend planning our spring break road trip (to Oklahoma to visit my father-in-law) and our big summer trip (to California).  I want to keep thinking about vacations, but it's time to get back to work now.

This is a really busy time of year for us - the kids' soccer season began last week (my husband coaches), lots of school functions going on, plus the trip planning - but we still found time to read last week:

• I realized early last week that I have a book group coming up this week, and I didn't even have the book yet!  How do I keep getting into these messes?  You'd think I'd learn.  So, I made a trip to the library and have been reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morgan.  This is a book that did not sound at all like my cup of tea, but I am really enjoying it - that's the beauty of book groups.  I still have hundreds of pages to finish before Wednesday, so wish me luck!
• I finished my latest audio book, Always Looking Up: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox, and immediately wrote a review - a rare accomplishment for me, so that gives you an idea of how inspired I was!
  
• My husband, Ken, finished The Ascent by Ronald Malfi, a pick from the recent release shelf at the library.  It's about a climb up the mountains of Nepal that turns dangerous...with an element of mysticism.  Ken said it was unusual, but he enjoyed it.
• Ken is now reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - he's been waiting for me to finish it so he could read it.  He must be enjoying it because he took it with him on a trip this morning, and he usually avoids traveling with large hardcovers!
• 16-year old Jamie finished Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull, a new series from a favorite author (author of the Fablehaven books).  He said it was great, just as good as the Fablehaven series.
• Jamie and I recently read (and loved) Orson Scott Card's newest teen/YA book, Pathfinder.  That put him in the mood for more Card.  He only recently found out that there is an entire series that follows Ender's Game (and we have them all here), so he decided to reread Ender's Game and then read the other three books.  Only one problem - we couldn't find Ender's Game last night, so he decided to read Ender's Shadow, a parallel novel to Ender's Game (and very good!), instead.
• Craig, 13, is still reading Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain for his English class and enjoying it very much.  He's alternating between reading it and listening to it at a free online site.

Besides my review of Always Looking Up, I also  posted a summary of Books Read in March at Book By Book and a review of the teen thriller The Chaos (sequel to Num8ers) by Rachel Ward.


What are you and your family reading this week?


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

Teen/YA Review: Num8ers - The Chaos

Our house is filled with stacks of brand-new books for kids, teens, and young adults, as there are always more review books than I can possibly get to, but I knew exactly which book I wanted to read next.  I had been waiting for the sequel to Rachel Ward’s unique teen/YA thriller, Num8ers, and The Chaos had finally been released.  I read the book in record time, devouring it as I had the first book in the trilogy.

I’m going to try to walk a thin line here, telling you enough about the book to intrigue you, without giving away any surprises because the suspense is one of its best qualities and I don’t want to ruin the first book for you.

Num8ers was about a teen girl named Jem who could see the date a person would die when she looked into his or her eyes.  The Chaos is about Jem’s son, Adam, now a teen himself, who has inherited his mother’s gift (or curse) but with an added twist: Adam also senses or feels how the person will die.  Adam and his grandmother (his “Nan”) move to London when the rising seas flood their seaside hometown.  Like Jem, Adam is a loner because it’s too painful to constantly see people’s demises.  After a short time in London, however, he starts to realize that a lot of people have the same death date: January 1, 2027, the upcoming New Year’s Day.

Alarmed by what appears to be some sort of looming disaster, Adam doesn’t know what to do.  Should he try to warn people?  Who would believe him?  All he knows for sure is that he wants to get himself and his Nan out of the city.

Meanwhile, at his new school, Adam meets a girl who has a unique talent of her own, though he doesn’t know about it yet, and she doesn’t understand it.  A misfit herself, her path and Adam’s keep crossing.  What catastrophe is coming with the new year and how can two struggling teens do anything about it?

Like its predecessor, The Chaos takes a unique concept and weaves a fast-paced, believable, and suspenseful story around it in a not-so-distant future.  You’ll find yourself rooting for the main characters and turning the pages way past bedtime.  I can’t wait for the third book, 1NF1N1TY, which follows the story into a third generation.

339 pages, Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic

NOTE:  This trilogy is definitely intended for older teens and young adults, with references to violence, incest, rape (not graphic), and drug use.

WHERE ARE YOU READING 2011:  I added a pin to London, England, where The Chaos takes place. 

It's Monday 4/4! What Are You Reading?

Wow, April.  Spring feels like it has returned today - no snow at least!  I'm glad to see spring but am a little stunned that it's April already - that means the first quarter of the year is already over.  Yikes.  I have so many goals I haven't even started on yet!  We did finish our tax returns this weekend, so that's a big weight off my shoulders.  Now spring break is only 3 weeks away, and I haven't even begun to plan our trip!  Well, at least my reading is progressing:

• I finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, an intense and compelling story of an Olympic runner who lived through unbelievable ordeals as a Japanese POW during WWII.  A stunning story, both in its content and the way it's written.
• It's been a while since I've read a kid or teen book, so after finishing Unbroken, I picked up a teen/YA book I've been dying to read: The Chaos by Rachel Ward, sequel to Num8ers, which I loved.  This is a fast-paced thriller about a boy who can see the date a person will die when he looks in their eyes, set 15 years in the future in London.  Book 2 lived up to my expectations - I could hardy set it down this weekend!  I just finished it at bedtime last night, and I haven't chosen my next book yet, but I know I have to get moving on my book group book for next week...as soon as I get it from the library (oops).
  
• I'm listening to Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox on my iPod and absolutely loving it so far.  His first memoir, Lucky Man, was fabulous, and I knew I'd like this one, too.  He's funny and smart and very inspirational.
• My husband, Ken, finished a new sci fi release we found at the library, Leviathans of Jupiter by Ben Bova, and enjoyed it.
• Ken has moved onto another library find from the new release shelf, The Ascent by Ronald Malfi, an adventure novel about a trip up into the mountains of Nepal that turns dangerous.  It sounds like it has some elements of mysticism in it.  Anyone else familiar with this author?
• Jamie, 16, is reading Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull, a new series from a favorite author (author of the Fablehaven books).  Last week's BookPage newsletter featured a review of The Beyonders and an interview with the author.
• Jamie is also reading The Red Badge of Courage for his American Literature class.  When my husband asked him about it yesterday, he said with surprise, "You know?  It's actually pretty good!"
• Craig, 13, is reading Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain for his English class and enjoying it very much.  What's not to like?  He's alternating between reading it and listening to it at a free online site.

Last week, I posted reviews of 365 Thank Yous, a memoir I really enjoyed, at Book By Book and a fabulous new teen/YA novel, Pathfinder, by Orson Scott Card, one of my favorite authors.

What are you and your family reading this week?


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

Teen/YA Review: Pathfinder

I’ve been a big fan of Orson Scott Card ever since 23 years ago when my then-boyfriend (now husband) lent me Ender’s Game, which still stands as one of my favorite books.  I went on to read the entire series and was captivated by Card’s unique plots, writing style, and in-depth characters.   I haven’t read much of his work since then, until last week when I had a chance to read his latest teen/YA sci fi novel, Pathfinder.  I was pleased to find that his new novel has all the characteristics I enjoyed all those years ago.

Each chapter of the book has two parts:  the first part, often brief, is written in a different font and follows the life of Ram Odin, a starship pilot.  The bulk of each chapter deals with thirteen-year old Rigg who lives a quiet life with his father, hiking through the forest and trapping animals for their furs, but who has a secret talent:

Saving the human race is a frantic business.  Or a tedious one.  It all depends on what stage of the process you’re taking part in.

***

Rigg and father usually set the traps together, because it was Rigg who had the knack of seeing the paths that the animals they wanted were still using.

Father was blind to it – he could never see the thin, shimmering trails in the air that marked the passage of living creatures through the world.  But to Rigg it was, and always had been, part of what his eyes could see, without any effort at all.  The newer the path, the bluer the shimmer; older ones were green, yellow; ancient ones tended toward red.

Rigg’s quiet life changes dramatically when his father dies.  As he sets out to follow his father’s last instructions, he begins to discover secrets Father had kept from him.  He also discovers a way to use his talent to go back in time.  He sets out on a journey, as his father asked him to, and meets some new friends along the way.

I won’t say too much more about the plot because half of the fun of this novel is the surprising twists and the ways that disparate things begin to come together.  Pathfinder was utterly compelling, keeping me firmly engaged right up to the last page, when I thought, “I can’t wait to read the next book!” (Card does mention in his acknowledgements that there will be a second book).

Card has created a fascinating story here, peopled by likable characters and intriguing secrets.  It’s a very complex story; one of the things my 16-year old son said he liked best about it was the characters’ discussions of time travel and the usual paradoxes that are created when someone goes back in time and tries to change the future (I love time travel plots, so I enjoyed this aspect, too).  He and I both loved this novel and are eagerly awaiting the next one.

657 pages, Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)

 

Free Classic Audio Books!

My son is reading Tom Sawyer for his 7th grade English class, and his teacher told the class they could also listen to it on audio and gave them the web address for Free Classic Audio Books. 

This site is so cool!  Just as the name suggests, it includes a bunch of audios of classic books, available for free (notice there are multiple pages).  Lots of these books are ones that are commonly assigned for English and Literature classes for middle-school, high school, and college students.  Thanks for the tip, Mrs. Hall!