Jessica's Guide To Dating on the Darkside

Fantaskey, Beth. 2009. Jessica's Guide to Dating on The Dark Side. Harcourt. 354 pages.

The first time I saw him, a heavy, gray fog clung to the cornfields, tails of mist slithering between the dying stalks.

Jessica, our heroine, never set out to fall in love with a vampire. It wasn't on her to do list. It wasn't a fantasy of hers--not by a long shot--but such is the case when a strange--but strangely handsome--guy appears in her life claiming to be an 'exchange' student. The truth? The two were betrothed back when they were infants back in Romania. Before Jessica (then named Antanasia) became an orphan. Before she was adopted by an American couple and taken to the states to live. Our hero, Lucius Vladescu, is here to remind her that not only are they supposed to be engaged...she is really, truly a vampire princess. But she's not a vampire yet*. Does she want to be a vampire princess? Not at first. No, her crush is the ever-adorable-but-oh-so-ordinary Jake Zinn. And she's more than thrilled that Jake seems to be crushing on her too. But Lucius is ever-lurking about. Watching. Protecting. Generally being creepy and in the way. But ever-so-slowly, Jessica starts liking her lurker-would-be-lover. Starts being tempted by his charms--craves his touch, his kiss, his bite. But as she starts falling for him, he begins having second thoughts. Does he really want to turn Jessica into a vampire? Isn't her American upbringing a major weakness in being a vampire? Isn't she unsuited to the task of ruling as a vampire? Why would he want to do this to her? The more he resists, the more she desires. It also helps things along that he begins dating another girl, Faith, that her desire (Jessica's desire) is magnified by jealousy. If he is going to be biting anyone's neck, it should be her neck. This is another will-he/won't-he vampire romance.

I liked this one. It was fun in a way. If I was annoyed with anything in this one, it was Lucius' voice. I'm not sure what century "old-fashionedness" he was trying to channel for being a proper vampire. But I didn't buy him as a modern hero, a modern vampire, a modern Romanian who just happens to be a vampire. True, it's not like there are any direct correlations between this and real life so you can say he should sound like this, not that. But still, he didn't come across as authentic anything. He sounded stereotypically speaking-English-in-a-weird-movie-supposed-to-be-European-accent vampire. That's not a big problem. I was able to get used to in during the course of the novel. But it did jolt me a few times in the narrative. But I was able to get right back into it. So no big deal.

*(A concept that takes some getting used to. Her parents were vampires, yes. But she's not a vampire until she's bitten by her vampire lover/husband? But as she grows up, matures, her body starts craving that vampire bite, that change? But does that mean Lucius was born a vampire and was raised that way? Raised on blood? Did he have to be bitten? Or was his being a vampire something that happened at puberty? And how are all these vampires having babies to begin with? How do the undead reproduce? Are these vampires even among the undead? Lucius acts like he's alive--growing, changing, maturing into an adult, BUT he does drink blood.)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
If you're reading this post on another site, or another feed, the content has been stolen.

Just One Wish

Rallison, Janette. 2009. Just One Wish. Putnam. March 2009. 272 pages.

I would have expected to see this sort of line if, say, Elvis had returned from the dead to give a concert.

Just One Wish is both predictable and heartfelt. On the one hand, we've got Annika Truman, a big sister with all the bravado in the world, who'll do whatever it takes to make her little brother, Jeremy, feel safe and secure heading into his surgery: he's got cancer, brain cancer. She's a girl with no bounds; she'll be in-your-face and won't-take-no-for-an-answer. She'll out-maneuver and outwit anyone and everyone who stands in her way. Rather it be the bully-of-a-man at the toy store who has all the Teen Robin Hood dolls in his basket. Or the real-life star of Teen Robin Hood, Steve Raleigh. You see, she's promised her brother the impossible: that wishes really do come true. Now to prove it, she must get Robin Hood to visit him--Jeremy--in person before his surgery which is just a handful of days away.

Can a girl--no matter how bold and impulsive--and her best friend do the impossible? Go to Hollywood, crash the set of their favorite show, and convince the star himself to go back home with her?

All these elements--a girl who can manipulate herself into and out of a hundred and one crazy scenarios--make for a plot that at first seems so unbelievable that it's hard to care. However, I'll be the first to admit that this silly plot--ordinary girl meets dreamy-celebrity-heartthrob--turns into so much more by the end. Yes, those elements were predictable. And I have a hard time finding them realistic--pure fantasy and wish fulfillment in my opinion. (Like most teen romance movies that you get all giddy about when you see them on the screen.) But as this persona she portrays breaks down--layer by layer by layer--we see the vulnerable-and-achy, scared-silly girl that you can't help loving.

Just One Wish is both a novel about family and a novel about love. As a family drama--the story of a brother and sister, it is heartfelt. Not all of her family is fleshed-out, far from it, but her devotion she feels for her brother--her worry, her hopes, her fears, her genuine love--is there throughout. As a romance, it starts off silly I admit. But by the end, I was satisfied with how it all developed. I liked it.

Author's blog; website;
Jen Robinson's review;



© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Travel the World: Australia: Jellicoe Road

Marchetta, Melina. 2008. Jellicoe Road.

Prologue:

My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted. It happened on the Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I'd ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-la. We were going to the ocean, hundreds of miles away, because I wanted to see the ocean and my father said that it was about time the four of us made that journey. I remember asking, "What's the difference between a trip and a journey?" and my father said, "Narnie, my love, when we get there, you'll understand," and that was the last thing he ever said.
We heard her almost straightaway. In the other car, wedged into ours so deep that you couldn't tell where one began and the other ended. She told us her name was Tate and then she squeezed through the glass and the steel and climbed over her own dead--just to be with Webb and me; to give us her hand so we could clutch it with all our might. And then a kid called Fitz came riding by on a stolen bike and saved our lives. Someone asked us later, "Didn't you wonder why no one came across you sooner?" Did I wonder? When you see your parents zipped up in black body bags on the Jellicoe Road like they're some kind of garbage, don't you know? Wonder dies.

Powerful, isn't it? I won't lie...Jellicoe Road is a difficult read in many different ways. But worth it? Yes! Resoundingly yes! Why is it difficult? It weaves two stories together. The stories are seemingly unconnected...at least in the beginning. And because you--the reader--don't know what is going on...it's easy to get frustrated. Easy to get confused. We've got the past--from which the prologue serves as an introduction--and the present. (In a way it reminds me of Tamar.)

The present. We've got several teens whose lives intersect--Taylor Markham, Ben Cassidy, Jonah Griggs, Chaz Santangelo, Raffaela, Jessa McKenzie--of whom Taylor is the main character. Taylor doesn't know where she fits in, "One day when I was eleven, my mother drove me out here and while I was in the toilets at the 7-Eleven on the Jellicoe Road, she drove off and left me there. It becomes one of those defining moments in your life, when your mother does that. It's not as if I don't forgive her, because I do" (20). Taylor is one of many students at Jellicoe School, a boarding school; she's the leader of her dorm or "house". (There are six houses.) And the school tradition is that there are "wars" between three sects--those that live at the boarding school (led by Taylor), the Townies (led by Chaz Santangelo), and the Cadets (led by Jonah Griggs). These wars involve territories. And these games last six weeks or so. And they're a big deal for those involved. But what at first seems like a senseless, pointless book on children playing war--tactical strategies, trapping, pranking, and such--soon turns into an emotional journey of the heart, soul, and mind.

Taylor Markham is concerned, worried, anxious about Hannah, a woman who is the closest thing she has to family, when she disappears without a word. One day she's there, the next day she's gone. And Taylor can't get a straight word out of any of the adults around at the school or in the town about Hannah's whereabouts. Taylor--though Hannah is still missing--likes to take refuge in Hannah's house. She loves to read Hannah's manuscript, for example, which is the story of five kids who live on Jellicoe Road: Tate, Narnie, Webb, Fitz, and Jude.

I don't want to spoil this one in any way. But I think this *may* help readers out a bit. I didn't catch on that the italicized portions--the stories of Tate, Webb, Narnie, Jude, Fitz, etc.--were written down stories. That Taylor was reading something Hannah had written down. I'm still not sure all of them are meant to be. But I think some of them are. And it is these stories which help Taylor to piece everything all together. (I had assumed that they were flashbacks. That they were there for the reader's benefit, but not for the characters within the book.)

This is a book that had to grow on me. It wasn't one that I knew I would love--or thought I would love--from the very first page. But by the time the story comes together, by the finale, it had me completely won over. The story is intricately told and well written. Haunting, yes. Bittersweet, definitely. But one that I think is worth reading and recommending.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Jane Eyre

Bronte, Charlotte. 1847. Jane Eyre.

There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.

I was a bit of a skeptic. I didn't think it was really and truly possible for me to love Jane Eyre. Didn't I try to read it as a teen and give up on it halfway through? Didn't I try to watch some rather bad movies of it in college? Surely, I'd given it my all and Jane Eyre just wasn't my thing, right? Wrong! (Now that I think about it, I think the main prejudice I had against it was that I hated Wuthering Heights (which was required unlike Jane Eyre) and it was by a Bronte.)

I wanted the adult-me to give Jane Eyre a try this year. I put it on several challenge lists. (Nineteenth Century Women Writers, Herding Cats, 1% Challenge, Classics Challenge, Daring Girls Challenge, Bronte Sisters Mini-Challenge, R.I.P. III Challenge, Fall into Reading 08, etc.) I unburied it from the depths of my classics which hadn't seen the light in a good number of years. But I kept putting it off and putting it off. With somewhat good reason. Carl's R.I.P. III challenge. I didn't want to read it too soon.

Before I started this one, I made the decision to check out the latest Jane Eyre movie (2006) from the library. I watched it. I loved it. I didn't just love it. I loved, loved, loved it. And then I picked up the book. And guess what, I loved it too! The movie was great because it was well done and entertaining. Little did I know--at the time--that the dialogue, the script, was lifted largely from the book itself. But when I began reading it I saw just how true-to-the-book the script was in many many ways. (I'm not saying that it was the most perfectly true-to-the-book movie ever made. But it is far closer than most attempts I've seen. Much closer than say most of the Austen movies I've seen done recently.)

Jane Eyre is the story of Jane Eyre, obviously. We first meet her as a ten year old living quite unhappily with the Reed family. Her uncle made his wife, Jane's Aunt Reed, (boo, hiss) promise to look after the child, the orphan on his death bed. She might have said and said and said those words, she said them but she lied them. Jane is treated differently from her cousins--Eliza, Georgiana, and John. They're all dreadfully spoiled and horrible. And she's, well, they call her the spawn of the devil, they're forever going on about how she's going to go to hell because she's an evil, spiteful girl. She's soon sent away to school, to Lowood. She has plenty of rough times there, but she does see kindness for really the first time. She meets a teacher who is sympathetic. And she gains and loses a best friend, a Helen Burns. (She dies.)

We then fast forward quite a bit of time. We next meet Jane when she is eighteen. She is now a teacher at Lowood herself, but she wants more from life. She advertises to be a governess, and she's hired by a Mrs. Fairfax. She's on her way to Thornfield, to care for a young French girl, Adele. She has no idea that Thornfield (and its inhabitants) will change her life forever. For one thing, she doesn't know of Mr. Rochester's existence. And even if she did, she couldn't possibly dream that her employer would take an interest in her, an honorable interest in her at that.

Plain Jane Eyre, the governess, the woman who feels most at home working behind the scenes is in for a pleasant surprise or two upon meeting Mr. Edward Rochester. He's an ugly sort of person himself--on the outside--and he's not that easy a person to read. He's got secrets. Lots and lots of secrets.

This one is just right for Carl's R.I.P. III challenge, while I'm sure most of you know the mysteries and secrets lodging within the book, I won't spoil the book here.

Definitely recommended.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Jimmy's Stars

Rodman, Mary Ann. 2008. Jimmy's Stars.

The two people Ellie McKelvey hated most were Adolf Hitler and Victoria Gandeck. Hitler lived in Germany, but Victoria was just across the alley. And right now, Ellie hated Victoria more.

Jimmy's Stars is the story of a family on the homefront in World War II. Ellie, our heroine, is a young girl, only eleven, when her brother Jimmy is sent to war. In one way, she's proud. His being at home won't give anyone in the neighborhood or at her school the ammunition to tease her and her family for being slackers, for being unpatriotic. But most of all, she's worried but doesn't quite want to admit it. (That is she's afraid to admit that Jimmy might die or get wounded.) She'd rather him be safe and here, than brave and over there. It doesn't help matters any that Aunt Toots, her least favorite relative, is moving into their house, moving into Jimmy's room, wearing Jimmy's clothes. War means change, and Ellie doesn't like it one little bit.

Ellie is forced by the war, by these changes both in and outside of her family, to grow up sooner than she'd like.

I've always liked (or almost always liked) fiction and nonfiction books about World War II. Especially about those on the homefront--any home front be it America, England, China, Korea, Germany, Poland, Russia, France, wherever. I like reading about how women and children were effected by war.

This one would fit in nicely with the others in the field. And it's one I'm happy to recommend.

For more on Jimmy's Stars and author Mary Ann Rodman visit:
01 Charger, A Childhood of Dreams, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, All About Children's Books, Becky's Book Reviews, Book Review Maniac, By the Book Reviews, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Looking Glass Reviews, Maggie Reads, Maw Books, Small World Reads, The Friendly Book Nook, The Hidden Side of a Leaf

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Jessie's Mountain

Madden, Kerry. 2008. Jessie's Mountain.

I liked the first Maggie Valley novel, Gentle's Holler (2005); I loved the second Maggie Valley novel, Louisiana's Song (2007); I really really loved the third novel in the series, Jessie's Mountain. My expectations were high. Really high. Yet somehow it surpassed them, my expectations that is. It was so beautifully done. I just love Livy Two Weems and her family. Even Grandma Horace is beginning to grow on me--much more than I ever thought she would when I first met her. The novels, in case you're not familiar with them, are set in North Carolina, in the mountains, during the early 1960s. (Jessie's Mountain opens in December of 1963.) There is so much depth, so much love, so much meaning in the pages. The Weems family has to be one of my favorite fictional families ever. The family is large, yet, it seems right. The siblings might seem confusable at first glance, but they're not.

Livy is our narrator, and this is her story, her coming-of-age story. The novel's moving force is in the characters and not the action of the plot. The plot is there, mind you, but don't expect a thrilling, adventure story that will have you on the edge of your seat. That is not this novel. It's gentler, subtler. I loved it, absolutely loved it. Definitely recommended. But do read them in order!!!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Julia's Kitchen

Ferber, Brenda A. 2006. Julia's Kitchen.

There are not enough words to describe how much I loved Julia's Kitchen by Brenda A. Ferber. I enjoy much of what I read. I love many. But there are a few that touch my heart and I know that I'll always alwayslove. Julia's Kitchen is now one of them. It is the story of a young girl, Cara Segal, as she goes through a heartbreaking journey of grief and sorrow when her mother and sister die in a fire. When we first meet Cara she is happy and carefree. Having stayed overnight at a friend's house she is unaware that her life is forever changed. One phone call changes everything. Suddenly a happy family of four is a confused and grief-stricken family of two. Having been her mother's pet, the two liked to bake together, she is struggling trying to connect with her father emotionally. Her mother, Julia, owned her own catering business "Julia's Kitchen" and Cara loved helping her mother. Now she's vowed never to eat another dessert. Cara's journey of how she learns to live again, love again, believe in God again, and yes, even bake chocolate chip cookies again is unforgettably touching. And there is even a recipe for those cookies in the book!

Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner 2007

VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2006

Junior Library Guild Selection 2006

http://www.brendaferber.com/books.htm
http://www.brendaferber.com/aboutme.htm
http://www.brendaferber.com/index.htm

Just For You To Know

Harness, Cheryl. 2006. Just For You To Know.

Cheryl Harness is not new to the field of children’s literature; she has been an author and illustrator for many years. However, with the publication of JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW, her first novel, she has targeted an older audience. (It is her twenty-fifth book.)

Set in Independence, Missouri, in the summer and fall of 1963, JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW tells the story of a young girl and her family as they experience some of life’s harshest lessons and greatest joys.

The Cathcart family could be described with many words, but ‘quiet’ and ‘organized’ won’t be among them. Carmen Cathcart, the oldest girl in the family, has five younger brothers and if that wasn’t enough noise and chaos for a twelve year old to deal with--she discovers to her dismay that another one is on the way. The book begins with their noisy transition to the new town and new home. Carmen is tired of her father’s reckless “pick up and go” attitude of living. Can’t they stay in the same town more than a year? This is her ninth home in twelve years! Carmen is embarrassed of her family. Embarrassed of the noise, the mess, the turmoil of all the voices yelling and tattling and whatnot. Tired of being perpetually on babysitting duty. She dreams of having free time to read books, to draw, to paint, to dream.

But Carmen’s priorities are about to be turned upside down when on her birthday her mother unexpectedly goes into labor. She walks into the kitchen to find her mother doubled over in pain and blood all over the floor. With screaming children in a panic she sends one of her brothers to find help at a neighbor’s house. The neighborhood bully--who up until that point hadn’t one redeeming quality--saves the day when he drives the mother to the hospital. But the panic and uncertainty remain with the kids as they wait and wait and wait to hear news from the hospital. Hours later they get the news they never wanted. They have a sister, BUT their mother is gone.

JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW shows how one family deals with the pain and grief of life along with the typical daily agonies of growing up, making friends, and learning responsibility. Longing for things to be the way they were, they learn to cope with life one day at a time. The novel is not forced in that it shows them one day waking up and everything being wonderful and perfect and problem-free. The novel instead shows that grief is a process, a struggle, something that doesn’t go away overnight. It’s a journey with many twists and turns along the way.

Some of her other works include: Our Colonial Year, The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin, Franklin and Eleanor, Ghosts of the Nile, Thomas Jefferson, The Revolutionary John Adams, Rabble Rousers: 20 Women Who Made A Difference, Ghosts of the Civil War, Remember the Ladies, George Washington, Ghosts of the 20th Century, Midnight in the Cemetary, Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi, Young Teddy Roosevelt, Ghosts of the White House, Abe Lincoln Goes To Washington 1837-1865, They’re Off! The Story of the Pony Express, Young Abe Lincoln 1809-1837, PaPa’s Christmas Gift, The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal, Young John Quincy, Three Young Pilgrims, and The Queen With Bees in Her Hair.

http://www.cherylharness.com/

From the Earth to the Moon...

Rupp, Rebecca. 2006. Journey to the Blue Moon: In Which Time Is Lost and Then Found Again.

Journey To The Blue Moon is an entertaining read for young readers; I’d say it would be great for fourth graders to sixth graders. But readers of all ages will find--if they read with open minds--that parts of Journey to The Blue Moon are very cleverly done. Our young hero, Alex, is your typical kid. He finds school pointless, a waste of time. He has difficulty concentrating on his homework. He wants to have fun and not waste his time being bored with learning stuff he finds irrelevant and pointless. His difficulties have only increased since he lost his grandfather’s pocket watch. Time has changed for him since then though he doesn’t quite understand how or why.

A weird encounter with an old woman, Lulu, at the library sends the young boy on a trip to the moon. Let me explain the premise of the novel. Have you ever wondered what happened to all the things we lose? Where do lost things go? Rupp answers this quite seriously by having ALL lost things go to the moon. Everything from the straightforward items like lost keys, books, watches, pencils, pens, toys, clothes, homework assignments to more abstract items like hearts, ways, intentions, memories, dreams, etc. Perhaps my favorite is when the hero and his friends find the place where all books which have been started but never finished are sent and as one of the character points out...they still have the original bookmarks. Our hero, Alex, has three days to find what he has lost and reclaim it or he will be stuck on the moon until the next time it is blue. Many travelers have been wandering lost on the moon for years, centuries, etc. But Alex is determined to go on his quest and suceed. His friends he meets on the way add to the story reminding me of such books as The Wizard of Oz. Each friend has his/her own goal. Each decides its best to have the support of friends along the way.

Overall, I must say I found myself enjoying Journey to the Blue Moon despite the unfortunate book cover--although perhaps that is just my opinion. I find myself liking fantasy novels, but hating their covers. I don’t know how typical that is. But anyway, I would definitely recommend Journey to the Blue Moon.

Spotlight on Sarah Weeks

Name: Sarah Weeks
Born: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Resides: New York City

Picture Books: Crocodile Smile, 1994; Follow the Moon, 1995; Without You, 2003; Angel Face, 2002; If I Were A Lion, 2004; Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash, 1998; Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash, 2000; Oh My Gosh, Mrs. MCNosh, 2002; I’m A Pig, 2005; Two Eggs, Please, 2003; My Somebody Special, 2002; Paper Parade, 2004; Overboard, 2005; Counting Ovejahs, 2006; Brass Bone, 2006; Ella, Of Course, 2007; Who’s Under That Hat, 2005; Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine, 2006; Ruff! Ruff!, 2006.

Books for Young Readers: Beware of Mad Dog, 2004; Get Well Soon, Or Else!, 2004; Danger! Boys Dancing, 200?, Fink’s Funk, 200?, Tripping Over The Lunch Lady and Other School Stories, 2004; Baah Choo, 2005; Drip Drop, 2000; Splish Splash, 1999;

Books for Older Readers: Jumping the Scratch, 2006; So B. It, 2004; Guy Wire, 2002; My Guy, 2001; Guy Time, 2000; Regular Guy, 1999;

Official Site: Sarah Weeks
About Sarah Weeks by Pippin Properties, Inc.


Weeks, Sarah. 2004. SO B IT.

Weeks has created empathetic characters in Bernadette and Heidi. Heidi's narration is simply wonderful. Her voice is powerful and memorable. She seems honest and genuine in her narration--she is a character that lets you into her mind. She genuinely loves her mother "So B. It" despite her mental illness. Heidi's life isn't normal by any means--but Heidi doesn't complain--she's happy creating her own kind of unique family that embraces everyone's differences. The novel was memorable, enjoyable, and heartbreaking in some places. Heidi's loss is real, but the character is so strong--the reader knows she'll be able to survive. I absolutely loved this novel. Heidi is a girl who is gaining in wisdom. She knows that every person has their own weakness or flaw--and she accepts people as they are. She doesn't ask for what they can't give. While other girls might be embarrassed of a mother who is "mentally bum" since she only has a vocabulary of 24 words, one word "soof" not even being a "real" word, but Heidi, although she goes through times of frustrations, loves her mother unconditionally. It was just a sweet, moving, loving novel. Very well written. Definitely a must read for years to come. I hope it never goes out of print.

"I'd be lying if I said that given a choice, I wouldn't rather know than not know. But there are some things you can just know for no good reason other than that you do, and then there are other things that no matter how badly you want to know them, you just can't. The truth is, whether you know something or not doesn't change what was" (4).

Weeks, Sarah. 2006. Jumping the Scratch

Jamie Reardon is a our young narrator telling us about a painful chapter in his young life...and how his aunt Sapphy who has her own issues...help him 'jump the scratch' and move on in his life. You see, his aunt had an on-the-job injury at the local cherry plant. The head injury caused her to lose her short-term memory. She can remember things from before the accident, but very little if anything from after the accident. He feels that he can help her through this if he can find a way to 'jump the scratch' like he can do when he's playing a record. But the truth is, they both need help but don't know how to get it.

Jamie has a big, mysterious secret...that is only slowly revealed. His classmate, Audrey, is the closest thing he has to a friend. He relunctantly agrees to be hypnotized because he wants to forget his secret. The problem, it brings it clearly to the surface, and he can't help wanting to finally share it with someone. The solution. If you wanted to tell a deep secret but not have any consequences, you'd tell it to a person who would forget she ever heard it in half an hour or less. So he finds himself confiding in his aunt.

Enter the happy ending. Unburdening this weight from his soul helps Sapphy 'jump the scratch' in her own life. Both are able to live happily ever after.

I loved the book. I thought it was very well done.