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.)

It's Monday 11/21! What Are You Reading?

I'm a little late posting today.  I went to my son's middle school this morning and gave presentations about reading, books, book reviews, and writing to two 8th grade English classes.  I go back tomorrow for two more.  I had to promise not to embarrass my son!

Here's what we've been reading this past week:

• I finished Midwives by Chris Bohjalian last night.  It's basically a legal drama about a midwife being tried for the death of one of her mothers and was very good.
• Today, I plan to start Goldstrike by Matt Whyman, a teen techno-thriller and the sequel to Icecore which I really liked.  I'm in the mood for some fast-paced suspense.
• My husband, Ken, realized halfway through Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld that he'd already read it!  That's not the first time one of us has done that!
• Ken is now reading Unwind, Neal Schusterman's amazing teen dystopian novel - I've been bugging him to read it for ages!
• My 17-year old son, Jamie, is re-reading a favorite series, the Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan so that he can read his latest one, Book 8: The Kings of Clonmel.  So far, he has read Books 3 and 4 (we think we lent Books 1 and 2 to a friend).
• 13-year old Craig is reading Revenge of the Witch, Book One in the series The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney and enjoying it very much.

 Last week, I posted a review of The Roar by Emma Clayton, an awesome middle-grade/teen dystopian/sci fi novel filled with action and suspense.


I also posted two lists -  Top Ten Unread Books on my Shelf and Top Ten Unread Kids/Teen Books on my Shelf - and movie trailers for the upcoming adaptations of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Hunger Games.  Both look so good!


What are you and your family reading this week?


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

P.S. One question stumped me this morning at school.  A lot of the 8th grade girls enjoy Sarah Dessen's books, and I'm embarrassed to admit I've never read one!  Anyone have suggestions of other books/authors for teens who like Dessen's novels?

Middle-Grade Review: The Roar

For the past month or so, whenever I began reading a new book, my 17-year old son would say, “Mom!  You started another book!  You HAVE to read The Roar next!”  So I finally listened to him (sometimes kids know best) and recently finished The Roar by Emma Clayton, an action-packed dystopian sci fi novel for middle-grade and teen readers.  He was right – I absolutely loved it!

The Roar is set in London in the future.  An Animal Plague spread a deadly virus across the world and forced all remaining humans to barricade themselves behind The Wall.  To accommodate the population in such limited space, they built up instead of out.  Now, as you might expect, the wealthy and powerful live in the new, elite upper levels of London, with the poor masses crammed into dark, wet slums below or dismal towns filled with “fold-down” apartments further north.

Twelve-year old Mika leads a gloomy existence in one of those tiny apartments with his parents.  A year ago, his twin sister, Ellie, disappeared and was declared dead, but Mika knows in his heart that she is still alive.  The reader learns, on the very first page, that this is true, as Ellie attempts to escape from her captors.  When the government begins a new program to strengthen kids and launches a new battle-filled video game, complete with competitions featuring unbelievable prizes, Mika is suspicious of their motives but knows he must go along with the program if he hopes to find his sister.

It’s an original and thoughtful story, filled with action and suspense and cool technology, that moves along at a fast pace.  I stayed up way too late at night reading until I finished this book!  There is even an element of the paranormal here, in the amazing connection between Ellie and Mika that grows even stronger as the story progresses.  Some elements (the game, for instance) reminded me a bit of Ender’s Game, though this is a wholly unique tale with its own twists and surprises.  My son and I both loved this novel, and it looks as if a sequel is in the works, so we have more to look forward to!

481 pages, Scholastic

NOTE:  The publisher says the book is appropriate for ages 9 and up, and I do think it will be popular with middle-grade readers, but it will also appeal to teens (and adults!).

If you like The Roar, you might also like Spacer and Rat by Margaret Bechard, another good sci fi novel that my son recommended to me.

Top Ten Unread Kids/Teen Books on My Shelf

It's Tuesday, and that means it's Top Ten day over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Head on over there to link to lots of great blogs and lots of fun lists.

Today's topic is Top Ten Unread Books On My Shelf.  This was a very easy list for me - I could have listed 20 or 30 Unread Books on My Shelf easily!   Not only on my shelf, but in baskets, in piles on the floor...you get the idea.  Although I have an overflowing bookcase of grown-up books waiting to be read (see my list over at Book By Book), there are even more kids', teen, and YA books stacked up around our house because those are the ones I accept for review.  And, many of the books in this list are ones my son, Jamie, has told me I have to read, but it's hard to find time for all of them!

• Sharp North by Patrick Cave - recommended by Jamie.
• Nation by Terry Pratchett - another Jamie recommendation, plus I've never read a Pratchett novel.
• The Search for the Red Dragon (book 2) and all the rest of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series by James A. Owen - I read the first one and loved it but never seem to find the time for the rest of them!
• The rest of the Tunnels series by Gordon Williams - ditto.
• Inkspell and Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke - ditto!
• The Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede - another one Jamie loved.
• The Mortals Instruments series by Cassandra Clare - Jamie says, "Mom, you HAVE to read this series!"
• Goldstrike by Matt Whyman - sequel to Icecore
• Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge - this one has been on the shelf for maybe 5 years!
• The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - another one that's been sitting her for years - I keep considering finally getting rid of it but then I read the cover again, and it sounds interesting!

How about you?  Which unread books are haunting your shelves?

First Peek at Hunger Games Movie Trailer!

Eeek!!  My 17-year old son, Jamie, and I watched the first movie trailer for The Hunger Games last night.  It looks so good!!  We can't wait!  March is too far away.



What do you think?

It's Monday 11/14! What Are You Reading?

(I just tried to publish this very long post and somehow managed to delete most of it instead!!  Let's try this again...)


A bit of a rough week here last week, with both my son and I down with a flare-up of our chronic illnesses.  We had a nice weekend, though, and enjoyed a visit from my mom and her husband.  All that downtime last week left lots of time for reading:

• I finished The Roar by Emma Clayton, a teen sci fi novel that my son recommended and enjoyed it very much.  We are both hoping there will be a sequel!
• I read the classic picture book A Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes for the library's book discussion but then wasn't able to go to the meeting.
  
• I referred to my Fall Into Reading Challenge list to choose my next book and settled on Midwives by Chris Bohjalian, a novel my neighbor lent me a very long time ago!
• My husband, Ken, brought one of his birthday gifts, The Affair by Lee Child, on his business trip with him last week.  He'd been saving it for a time when he needed some light, fun reading.  I asked him last night how it was, and he said, "Candy!"
• Ken is now back to reading Behemoth, the second book in the Leviathan trilogy, by Scott Westerfeld.
• Jamie, 17, was home sick, so he plowed through a lot of books, including all of the new books he bought at Barnes & Noble the week before (gotta love a kid who spends several weeks' allowance all on books!).  He read  Book Four: Necropolis of the series, The Gatekeepers by Anthony Horowitz.
• Next he read Book 8: The Kings of Clonmel of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan, another of his favorite series.
• Jamie read The Demon King, a Seven Realms novel by Cinda Williams Chima and loved it.  he wants to read more by this author.
• And he is finishing Graceling by Kristin Cashore, author of Fire which he also enjoyed.
• Craig, 13, is reading Revenge of the Witch, Book One in the series The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, based on recommendation from his brother and a friend.  he says it is good but too scary to read at bedtime!
  

Despite being sick, I had a busy week at both of my book blogs.   I posted:

•  A review of the audio memoir Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunée
• A review of the classic picture book A Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes 
• Top Ten Books That Took Me Out of My Comfort Zone  
• Top Ten Kids/Teen Books That Took Me Out of My Comfort Zone
• My reading summary for October 
• A discussion of a book that had a tremendous impact on my life (grown-up)  
• A kids' book that had a tremendous impact on my life 
• A link to Publisher's Weekly Top Children's Books of 2011 list.

What are you and your family reading this week?


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

Picture Book Review: The Hundred Dresses

I was surprised to find out that my library’s selection for the November book discussion was a classic picture book, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes.  I wasn’t there when they chose the book, and, as it turned out, I wasn’t able to make it to the discussion this week, so I’m not sure what was behind the choice.  But I did read the book, for the first time ever, and enjoyed it.

Just in case you are as clueless as I was and have never read this well-known 1945 Newberry Honor winner, it is basically a warm and timeless story about bullying.  Wanda Petronski is different from her classmates.  She has an odd name, she lives far from town in a small house out in the country, and she wears the same worn, blue dress to school every day.  Another girl, Peggy, teases Wanda every day, asking her how many dresses she has at home, and every day, Wanda answers by saying she has a hundred dresses at home, beautiful dresses in all colors.

Peggy’s best friend, Maddie, goes along with this daily routine, but inside, she feels uncomfortable about it because her family doesn’t have much more money than Wanda’s.  One day, Wanda doesn’t come to school, and her classmates find out her family has moved to a larger city where they won’t be seen as different.  Maddie is gripped with guilt, and even Peggy wonders if maybe she shouldn’t have teased Wanda.  The girls write to Wanda and eventually come to understand exactly what the hundred dresses meant to her.

It’s a warm, tender story with a very important lesson.  Although the 1940’s book is a bit dated in some minor ways (like all the girls wearing dresses to school!), it is surprisingly relevant today.  In fact, bullying is a hot topic for both parents and kids right now, and this gentle story presents an ethical dilemma just as pertinent to today’s kids: Are you just as accountable for the consequences of bullying as the kid doing the bullying if you stand by and say nothing?   This book is as appropriate and enjoyable for modern elementary-aged kids as it was over 50 years ago.

80 pages, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

 

PW's Best Children's Books of 2011

Well, it seems a bit early to me, but Publisher's Weekly just released its list of Best Children's Books of 2011.  It includes picture books, as well as both fiction and nonfiction for older kids and teens/YA.

The only problem is that I haven't read a single book on the list yet!!  Yikes, I better get busy.  I do have Divergent and Wonderstruck both here waiting to be read.

Check out the list and let me know what you think.  Have you read any of these?  Do you agree with the list?  What do YOU think were the best books of the past year?

Fall Into Reading Challenge Question #7 & Update

You may recall that I have joined the Fall Into Reading Challenge hosted over at Callapidder Days.  She is posing a question each week, and this week's question is:

Is there a book that has had a tremendous impact on your life? One that made you look at life in a whole new way, or caused you to completely change something in your life?

I usually only post the weekly question on my grown-up book blog, Book By Book, but today I had a different answer for kids/teen books, so I thought I'd answer it at both blogs.


Even though I was totally hooked on reading from my very first book read, at age 4, (Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman), my second grade teacher had a dramatic impact on me when she began reading aloud to our class at the end of every day.  She read both The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian (both by C.S. Lewis), and we were all enthralled. That was the impetuous that took me from the picture book area of the school library to the chapter book area, where I immediately tore through the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia.  The rest, as they say, is history, and I have never stopped reading since.  Thank you, Mrs. Holzshuh!

Katrina over at Callapidder Days says today is also about the half-way point for the challenge and time to report on our progress.  Of my list of 10 kids/teen/YA books to read in fall, I have so far read 4 of them.  That's not too bad, and I think I will finish the challenge successfully.  I posted a separate update on grown-up books (and a separate answer to the question) at Book By Book.


What book has had a tremendous impact on your life?

Top Ten Kid/Teen Books That Took Me Out of My Comfort Zone

It's Tuesday, and that means it's Top Ten day over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Head on over there to link to lots of great blogs and lots of fun lists.

Today's topic is Top Ten Books That Took Me Out of My Comfort Zone.  I had an easy time making a list of adult books in this category (check it out at Book By Book), due to my many book groups, but it was tougher to make this list of kids/teen/YA books, just because I generally choose what I read...most of these pleasant surprises were due to recommendations.


Here are the Top Ten Kids/Teen/YA Books That Took Me Out of My Comfort Zone:

Shiver, Linger, and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater – I don’t normally read paranormal romance genre; in my reading journal I wrote, “I hate to admit it, but I loved it, just like everyone said I would!”

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick – ditto, but the audio was sent to me for review, and I felt obligated to read it.  I enjoyed it, though I didn’t feel compelled to read the rest of the series.

Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins (author of The Hunger Games) – it sounded gross to me, but I began reading it aloud to my kids, and our family ended up LOVING the entire series!

Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein – an old sci fi novel (probably not officially teen/YA) that my husband left in the bathroom – I started it and couldn’t put it down!

The Warriors series by Erin Hunter - reading about tribes of wild cats just wasn’t my thing, but my son loved the series, so I read the first one at his urging…and ended up reading six in a row!

Magic Street by Orson Scott Card – though I LOVE this author, this particular book didn’t sound like my kind of thing – a mix of fantasy and reality set in urban LA loosely following the story of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (see what I mean?) but Jamie recommended it, and Card’s excellent writing won me over.

20 Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler – it sounded like the sort of light teen romance I usually avoid, but I agreed to review it and found it had surprising depth and was about a lot more than just girl meets boy.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott – this book defines “out of my comfort zone,” from the perspective of a young girl who has been kidnapped and is being held captive and raped repeatedly – yes, it was horribly disturbing, but also very well-written and compelling.

Keeper by Kathi Appelt - a sort of magic realism (not a favorite genre for me) for kids; not my usual sort of book but the audio was sent to me for review.  I enjoyed some of it but didn’t love it.

A Million Shades of Gray by  Cynthia Kadohata- a difficult topic with some disturbing scenes, about a young boy living in the jungles of Vietnam during the war, but our whole family enjoyed the audio.

How about you?  What kid or teen/YA books took you out of your comfort zone?

It's Monday 11/7! What Are You Reading?

October is my favorite month, and it seemed to just fly by this year!  Here we are in November already, with the calendar seeming to move faster and faster toward the holiday season.  We are so overwhelmed with the college application process, I don't know how we fill find time for holiday preparations as well!

I didn't feel well last week, and then we had visitors for the weekend (my dad and his wife), so I had very little time for blogging last week but hope to catch up with all of you and with my own reviews this week.  It was a great reading week, though!

• I finished Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich - lots of good laughs and light-hearted fun.  Stephanie and Lula (and Grandma) just crack me up!
• I finally gave in to Jamie's urging to read The Roar by Emma Clayton, a sci fi novel that he said I would love.  He was right, as usual - it is very good so far and I'm staying up too late each night reading it!
• My husband, Ken, finished The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian author who has been compared to Stieg Larsson.  He enjoyed it very much.
• Ken is now reading Behemoth, the second book in the Leviathan trilogy, by Scott Westerfeld.
• Jamie, 17, read Book 3: Night Rise of the series, The Gatekeepers by Anthony Horowitz.  He really likes this series.
• Jamie also finished reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for his World Lit class.  He thought the book was OK, but he didn't like the main character and the way that he treated his best friend.
• Craig, 13, started a new marking period and a new book.  He took advice from his brother (!) and is reading Revenge of the Witch, Book One in the series The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney.

No new reviews last week, but I did post a discussion about plot versus character for the Fall Into Reading Challenge.

What are you and your family reading this week?

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

It's Monday 10/31! What Are You Reading?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Like many of you, we actually saw snow this weekend, in October!  Crazy!  Fortunately, we only got a dusting and didn't lose power - my thoughts are with those of you in New England without power.  Hope you have a roaring fire in the fireplace and a nice stack of books to keep you warm.

We love Halloween here, so today is a busy day.  We carved pumpkins last night and (finally) came up with costume ideas....kind of last-minute!  Even though our sons are teens, they still enjoy trick-or-treating, and our whole family gets into the fun.  Jamie decided to dress as Thing 1 for school today (with a friend as Thing 2), so Ken immediately started in on a Cat in the Hat costume for himself.  I have to hit the store today for a nightgown so I can be Cindy Lou Who.  A bookish theme for Halloween - fun!

Meanwhile, we did find time for reading last week:

• I finished The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, a newly released teen/YA post-apocalyptic novel that my husband recently read.  I really enjoyed this multi-dimensional novel; you can read my review here.
• I decided to keep up my October theme of fun, quick reads, so I am now reading Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich.  I just love Stephanie Plum and was already laughing in the first chapter!  Sometimes, you need a little light-hearted fun.
• I finished listening to Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Home, a memoir by Kim Sunee.  Though it dragged a bit in the middle when she was suffering from depression, I enjoyed it overall.
• My husband, Ken, is reading a thriller I gave him for his birthday, The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian author who has been compared to Stieg Larsson.  He says it just gets better and better and has a very intriguing plot.
• Jamie, 17, finished Blood Red Road by Moira Young, a much-anticipated new post-apocalyptic novel and loved it.  That one is high on my own TBR list, though Jamie has made me promise I will read Roar by by Emma Clayton next. 
• Next, Jamie re-read the first two books in a favorite series, The Gatekeepers by Anthony Horowitz, so he could read the third book which he recently purchased.  He read Book 1, Raven's Gate; Book 2, Evil Star; and Book 3, Night Rise.  He says this series is great!
• Jamie is also reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for his World Lit class. 
• Craig, 13, is almost finished with Woodsong, a memoir by Gary Paulsen, author of one of our favorite novels, Hatchet and its sequels.

I posted two reviews this week, of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley here and of  The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch at Great Books for Kids and Teens.


I also posted a discussion of skimming books versus reading every word for the Fall Into Reading Challenge.



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


Hope you have a great Halloween and a good reading week!  Any other book-inspired costumes out there?

Ready for school! (Their hair is blue, though it doesn't show here)

Teen/YA Review: The Eleventh Plague

The fall book catalogs for kids and teens were filled with dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels, thanks in great part to the success of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy.  My husband, 17-year old son, and I all enjoy these kinds of novels when they are done well, and this is the first of several that we plan to read this fall.  My husband and I both enjoyed The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch (our son hasn’t read it yet).

The novel opens in a post-apocalyptic America that has been devastated and destroyed by horrific wars, two-thirds of its population killed by a deadly flu-type virus nicknamed the Eleventh Plague.  Fifteen-year old Stephen Quinn wanders up and down the country with the seasons, accompanied by his father and harsh, military-trained grandfather.  They live as salvagers, struggling to find and trade for the necessities they need to survive another day and trying to avoid bands of violent Slavers and what is left of the military.

When Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father is injured, Stephen and his dad eventually find their way to a hidden community called Settler’s Landing.  Here, the people live much as they did before The Collapse – in houses, with schools and holiday celebrations and even baseball.  Stephen has never experienced this kind of life, and he is torn between returning to what he has always known and accepting this new life that seems too good to be true.  Of course, there is a girl involved, too: Jenny, a strong-willed, self-imposed outcast among her own people.  When a disaster occurs for which Stephen feels responsible, he must choose whether to run or stay and help his new community.

I was pulled into this novel right from the first chapters and finished it in a few days.  The characters are well drawn and real, the new landscape and situations intriguing, with plenty of action and suspense thrown in to move things along.  I was rooting for Stephen and for Jenny.  The beginning of the novel seems pretty grim, as do all post-apocalyptic stories, but there are elements of hope for a better future introduced along the way.  I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel by Jeff Hirsch and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

278 pages, Scholastic

NOTE: This book is classified as YA, but I think that older middle-grade readers will like it also if they generally enjoy post-apocalyptic novels.  There is, of course, some violence in it and some very mild romance.

It's Monday 10/24! What Are You Reading?

Well, it is now truly fall here - the weather has cooled down, and it seems as though the tress suddenly turned from all green to a riot of colors.  I love this time of year!  We made our annual trip to the pumpkin farm this weekend to pick out our pumpkins and gorge ourselves on still-warm, homemade donuts and fresh cider....oh, my gosh!  I forgot I have a leftover donut....ah...that's better! Mmmm...cinnamon-sugar donuts and typing don't mix well.


OK, I'm back.  Anyway, here's what we read last week:

• I finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's like Nancy Drew for grown-ups.  I want to be Flavia when I grow up.
• I am now reading The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, a newly released teen/YA post-apocalyptic novel that my husband recently read.  I really like it so far.  It's a bit like The Road, only not nearly as dismal and hopeless.
• My husband, Ken, is reading a thriller I gave him for his birthday, The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian author who has been compared to Stieg Larsson.  He likes it so far, though he says the translation is sometimes a bit rough.
• Jamie, 17, finished his Dad's old favorite fantasy series, The Belgariad by David Eddings with Book Five: Enchanter's End Game, the last book in the series.
• Jamie was home sick all last week, so he treated himself to a book he's really wanted to read, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.  He loved the Mortal Instruments series and has been looking forward to this prequel series.  He and I listened to the beginning of this book on audio, but he said he preferred to read it.
• Now, Jamie is reading Blood Red Road by Moira Young, a much-anticipated new post-apocalyptic novel.  He says it's good so far, though he doesn't like the author's convention of not using quotation marks for dialogue.  This one is on my TBR list, too.
• Craig, 13, is reading Woodsong, a memoir by Gary Paulsen, author of one of our favorite novels, Hatchet and its sequels.  He's enjoying it, though he says it's not as good as Paulsen's fiction.

Last week, I posted a review of a new picture book, M.O.M.: Mom Operating Manual.  I don't normally review picture books anymore, but this one was unique!


I also posted a recap and photo from my book group's meeting with author Rachel Simon, which we all thoroughly enjoyed, and a discussion of how many books we have in our house, with pictures of our overflowing bookcases!


What are you and your family reading this week?


Ooh...now I have a bit of a sugar-rush headache from that donut, but it was so worth it!


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

Picture Book Review: M.O.M. – Mom Operating Manual

I rarely review picture books anymore – after all, my owns sons are both teens now – but I just couldn’t resist taking a look at M.O.M: Mom Operating Manual.  It was written by picture book superstar Doreen Cronin, author of such fun classics as Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, with illustrations by Laura Cornell, who has illustrated many #1 New York Times bestsellers.  The combination is a book that appeals as much to parents as to kids!

Right from the first pages, you know this book will be a winner:

Introduction:

It is widely accepted that mothers are the most advanced human models on the planet.  They are capable of superhuman energy, strength, patience, and creativity.

They come in many shapes and sizes.

They have various talents and skills, like cooking, singing, sewing, Olympic athleticism, and neurosurgery.

Years of research, observation, and time-outs have given science some very important guidance on the necessary maintenance and care of mothers for optimal performance.  If you handle them correctly, tend to their basic needs (which are minimal), and refer to the care manual with regularity, your mom should be operating at peak performance for years to come.

Of course, this tongue-in-cheek text is accompanied by Cornell’s fabulous illustrations.  That last paragraph is illustrated with a mom picture ala Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, complete with multiple limbs, various multi-tasking accompaniments, and kids hanging on.  I really enjoyed this book, even though my kids are way beyond the picture book age.  The text is incredibly clever and funny, and every time I pick it up, I catch new little details in the illustrations that I missed the first time.

I was looking for some sample illustrations I could share with you, but instead I found a video that I think is even better.  This will give you an idea of the tone and quality of the book:

This book is sure to be a hit, with both kids and overworked moms in need of some good laughs!  It would make a great gift.

P.S. After perusing the illustrations, I am afraid I probably alternate between the Pleasant Yet Fried Around the Edges Mom and the Barely Upright But Still Functioning Mom!

54 pages, Atheneum (Simon & Schuster)