Bookmas Unleashed

Here’s the deal: it is the week before Christmas and there are last minute gifts to finish, review deadlines, and packing to do. You probably have a similar list. Anyway, due to the giveaway earlier this week I’ve fallen a bit behind on my book recommendations. Also, since I don’t really want to recommend a book on Christmas day (kind of late notice anyway) I’m going to give you three recommendations right now. One for yesterday, one for today, and one for Christmas.

Got it?

Great.

Bookmas Day 6:

Grandpa Green

Grandpa Green
by: Lane Smith
Roaring Book Press
Ages: 5 & up
2011 

The story about grandpa Green’s life is told by his young, great-grandson, who is traipsing through grandpa’s beautiful garden, full of topiary creatures. The greenery is the visual element to the story, so we see grandpa growing up on a farm, stealing a kiss in middle school, meeting his wife in Paris, serving in the Army, and on and on. What really makes this a great picture book (for me) are the topiary’s. I loved the creativity and inventiveness of telling a story through bushes. The story itself is sweet, but not very memorable. For me, it was the artwork that made me want to look at it again, whereas the story did not pull on my heart strings like I expected.

Rating: 6

Bookmas Day 5:

Divergent

Divergent
by: Veronica Roth
Katherine Tegen Books
Ages: 14 & up
2011

This is a perfect read for the teenage girl in your life, or for your inner teenager. If you read Hunger Games (and loved it) you’ll love this one. Dystopian Chicago is divided into five factions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the kind), and Erudite (the intelligent). At the age of 16, teenagers are required to choose a faction, and there is no turning back. When Beatrice chooses Dauntless, instead of the Abnegation faction she had grown up in, her life will never be the same.

Rating: 7

Bookmas Day 4:

Junonia

Junonia
by: Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow Books
Ages: 8 & up
2011 

Alice, soon to be ten, and her parents are headed to the coast for their annual visit. She can’t wait to collect shells (Alice really wants to find the rare junonia shell this time), play on the beach, and say hello to old friends. However, everything is different this year, and Alice struggles with all the change. This is such a tender, coming of age story that I got super choked up at the end. Not only is it beautifully written (some of the sentences are simply profound), but Henkes accurately portrayed one child’s process of moving from childhood into maturity.  This is one of my favorite reads of 2011.

Rating: 9

Filed under: Middle Grade, Picture Book, Young Adult

Dead End in Norvelt

Dead End in Norvelt

Dead End in Norvelt
by: Jack Gantos
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Ages: 10 & up
2011

The summary: Jack is grounded. For the summer. But just when Jack thinks his summer will be a boring monotony of digging a bomb shelter and cleaning up his perpetual bloody nose, he is enlisted by one of Norvelt’s oldest residents to help write obituaries. Faster than you would expect, the elderly start to die, and some people start wondering if maybe they were murdered. Oh, and there are also some hell’s angels that wreak havoc, the threat of nuclear war (hence the bomb shelter), and an unknown someone buying up all of Norvelt. What started out as a potentially boring summer is shaping up into something quite different entirely.

The good: I listened to this book, and it was hilarious. Jack Gantos is the author and reader for the audiobook, and his dry, sardonic tone highlighted the humor of the story. The novel takes place during the ’60′s when people where terrified of the Russians and nuclear war, and the setting is Norvelt, PA, which was actually founded by Eleanor Roosevelt to help people get back on their feet during the depression. The story is part autobiographical, part history, and part fiction. I loved, loved, loved it, and I’m not usually a fan of historical type fiction. What can I say? Put history into an obituary and apparently I’m hooked.

Rating: 8 (fantastic)

This video is a fun description of the book:

Filed under: Family, Middle Grade, Mystery

12 Days of Bookmas

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Book-mas!

In honor of the 12 days before Christmas, I am going to post lightning fast reviews/suggestions for all those book lovers in your life. The reviews will be lightning fast because, let’s face it, I don’t have a ton of time to write in depth reviews, and you probably don’t have time to read in-depth reviews. I’ll still be doing my mock Caldecott reviews on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, but on the other days I’ll post a little something extra.

Woo hoo!

Here’s the first recommendation:

Inside Out & Back Again

Inside Out & Back again
by Thanha Lai
Harper Collins
Ages: 8 & up
2011 

First of all, this is the National Book Award winner for young people’s fiction. Second of all, wow.

I hesitated to read this book because I am not drawn to novels written in verse, mainly because I don’t feel like I know how to read them correctly. How does the rhythm go?? But Forrest coached me on it, and once I got into the groove of the story I was completely captivated.

The story is about a little girl named Ha (there should be an accent over the ‘a’ but I do not have that kind of power in WordPress), who immigrates from Saigon to America during the Vietnam War with her mother and three older brothers. The transition is a painful one, especially as the family continues to wonder if their missing in action father/husband is alive or not.

I loved being inside the head and heart of someone who is just learning English and desperate to fit in, all while missing the familiarity of home. This novel is breathtaking and eye-opening.

Buy it for the age group suggested (8 & up), or buy it for yourself. You won’t be sorry.

By the way, the highlighted book info by the picture takes  you to the Amazon link for easy purchase; however, if you are going to buy it, won’t you consider buying it from your local independent book store?  Thanks!

Filed under: Coming of age, Middle Grade

The Mostly True Story of Jack

The Mostly True Story of Jack

The Mostly True Story of Jack
by: Kelly Barnhill
Little, Brown and Company
Ages: 9-12
2011

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Keywords: Magic, Friendship, Family life

Summary: Jack has been invisible for as long as he can remember. Bullies, kids at school, and even his own parents seem to look straight through him; however, when he is sent to live with his weird aunt and uncle in Iowa he is surprised when everyone notices him. Without even trying Jack has made friends and been threatened by a bully. Despite the attention, Jack can’t shake the feeling that there is something strange going on in the town, but is reluctant to admit it is the magic his uncle and friends talk about. However, when one of his new friends disappears Jack knows that he is the key to solving the mystery of the town’s magic, and in the process uncovers some surprising truth about his past.

The good: The themes of family, friendship, and belonging are prominent in this story and well-developed. I felt sorry for Jack, as well as confused/frustrated, by the way his parents completely ignored him and I was hoping that by the end someone would pay attention to him and love him. The language is beautiful, and it is obvious that Ms. Barnhill was a poet first, children’s book writer second; however, I struggled to really appreciate the prose because I was so confused and anxious for questions to be answered. The disclosing of the mysterious magic in the town was slow in coming, and maybe I am just impatient for books to wrap up because of my teetering tower of books to read, but I thought the plot development was a little on the slow side.

The verdict: All in all a well-written story that is different from anything I’ve read before. I would recommend it to girls first, though I am sure that boys who don’t mind a slow-paced read would find the magic intriguing as well. I would not recommend this to a reluctant reader of either gender.

The rating: 6

Filed under: Middle Grade, Mystery

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
by: Jeanne Birdsall
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Ages: 9-12
2011

Genre: Classic-esque, Feel Good, Middle Grade

Keywords: Sisters, Beach, Summer vacation, Maine, Adventure, First kiss, Love

Summary: This is the third book featuring the four Penderwick sisters – Rosalind (13), Skye (12), Jane (10), and Batty (5) – but this time they are splitting up! It is time for summer vacation and Rosalind is going to the beach with her best friend while the remaining sisters, Aunt Claire, Hound (the dog), and their dear friend Jeffrey are headed to the Maine coast. From the onset of their trip Skye worries about being the OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick), Jane faces writers block (for the first time), and Batty discovers her musical talent. But a Penderwick’s tale would not be complete without some trouble – a sprained ankle, falling in love, and a new friend who bears a striking resemblance to someone else they know. One thing is for certain: this is a summer the Penderwick sisters soon won’t forget.

The good: When I read a Penderwick’s book I slip into a world that almost seems too perfect to exist. While this could overwhelm and sicken some, I find it a welcome reprieve from a very imperfect world. While the sisters do have a tight bond and the thought of a summer without Rosalind makes all of them sad (the sappy bit), they don’t always get along, and this helps ground the book in reality. There is also a timeless quality to these stories, which is exemplified by the lack of technology or cultural references that firmly root some books in the year they are written.  The individuality of the characters is strongly communicated, and Birdsall seamlessly shifts the perspective of the book so that the transition from Jane’s voice to Skye’s (or Batty to Jane or Rosalind to Skye, etc) is neither clunky nor forced. Needless to say, the characterization is brilliant and the subtle nuances that are specific to each sister make them seem all the more real and lovely.

The verdict: I would recommend this book to girls in the age range suggested who enjoy books like Little House on the Prairie, The Borrowers, or Ballet Shoes – to name a few.

Rating: 8

Filed under: Classic-esque, Feel Good, Middle Grade