25. Heroes

Heroes. Alan Gratz. 2024. 272 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "It's an attack!" Stanley cried. "Enemy airplanes--dozens of them. Coming in low over the water!" 

Premise/plot: Frank and Stanley are best friends living on [one of the islands] of Hawaii in December 1941. When the novel opens, these two are bonding over comic book superheroes. In fact, these two want to write and illustrate their own comic book series. So many ideas. So much potential. But that near-perfect day is soured when bullies enter the scene. Stanley stands up to the bullies, and Frank, well, Frank is too scared to stand up for what's right and just. The next day, December 7, will be a big day. Frank must find a way to repair his relationship with Stanley. The two will be going on a tour of a battleship. But Frank's confession of a deep, dark secret takes second place to the drama-trauma of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Can Frank and Stanley be heroes when it counts the most? 

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, crazy-loved this historical novel for children and middle grade. Definitely my best read of the year--granted it is February. I loved Frank. I loved Stanley. I loved all the talk of superheroes and origin stories and comic books. I loved the creativity. I loved the HEART and substance of this one. I thought the book was great at SHOWING and not telling. Of course, that is my perspective. I loved the narrative. The writing was outstanding.

 I already want to reread this one.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

73. While You Were Dreaming

While You Were Dreaming. Alisha Rai. 2023. 432 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The main character? Not me, not in real life. That's what my daydreams were for. At some point, the disappointment of crashing back to earth might teach me to stop engaging in said daydreams.

Premise/plot: Long story short...While You Were Dreaming is a YA spin on the classic film While You Were Sleeping. Sonia Patil, our protagonist, is seriously crushing on James, a classmate, and when she witnesses him falling into the canal, she jumps in to save him. (She just happens to be cosplaying at the time.) She doesn't stay on the scene--reasons, reasons, more reasons--but she does care what happens to him. She's mistaken as James' girlfriend when she drops by his house--she's there to deliver notes/homework as they share class(es). His family loves her because she is not James' normal 'type' (mean, and, well, b*tch*y). Liam, James' brother, finds himself drawn to her...and it's mutual. The misunderstanding is cleared up much, much, much earlier in this one. But essentially, it's a spin on that story. Sonia's reasons for not wanting to be KNOWN or seen is that her mom was recently deported and her sister who is undocumented risks deportation as well. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. While You Were Sleeping is a favorite of mine. I'm not sure if it's equally beloved by the book's target audience. But regardless of how much you love/like the movie...this one offers a twist on the traditional love triangle. I like how Sonia realizes the dangers of insta-love, or, putting too much faith in insta-lust or insta-attraction. Just because she daydreams about James non-stop doesn't mean that she knows him at all--like at all at all. I also like that this one doesn't stay strictly focused on romance. Other relationships matter too.

I LOVED James and Liam's family.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

14. The Worlds We Leave Behind

The Worlds We Leave Behind. A.F. Harrold. Illustrated by Levi Pinfold. 2023. [February] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Hex wasn't entirely sure how the girl had come to be hurt. That morning he and Tommo had got on their bikes and they'd headed over the train tracks and down the hill, down to the woods. On a map, the woods were a fat finger pointing away from town.

Premise/plot: Twilight Zone times ten--that's how I'd describe A.F. Harrold's The Worlds We Leave Behind. It begins with two friends--Hex (short for Hector) and Tommo (short for Thomas) hanging out together. They had absolutely NO plans at all of hanging out with a "baby" (Sascha). But this neighbor-kid, Sascha, tags along despite the two trying their hardest to get rid of her. (Who wants to be responsible for a strange neighbor kid in the woods??? Certainly not these two.) Playing on a rope swing turns tragic--in more ways than one. She falls off the swing and breaks her arm--it is way more complicated than that...and the world (yes, the world) will never be the same.

Be careful who you meet in the woods. That's all I have to say about that. I know the jacket flap goes into much more detail....but why purposefully spill twists and turns????? 

My thoughts: The Worlds We Leave Behind is certainly atmospheric and creepy. It isn't just horror lite. I think it could qualify as horror-horror. The pace was quick and intense. The premise and plot--stranger danger times a thousand--is uniquely odd and strangely familiar. It does feel like a blend of horror and fairy tale. 

Sensitive readers might want to stay away. But for upper elementary grades and middle school who are looking for something spooky/scary/suspenseful/mysterious packed with twists and turns...this one might be a good fit. I do recommend it for adults who are nostalgic for the Twilight Zone.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

64. My Own Lightning

My Own Lightning. (Wolf Hollow #2) Lauren Wolk. 2022. [March] 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I didn't know there was a storm coming. Had I known I might have done things differently.

Premise/plot: My Own Lightning is the sequel to Wolf Hollow (2016). It is a historical novel set in 1943 during the Second World War. Annabelle, our heroine, continues to come of age. Soon after the novel opens, Annabelle is struck by lightning. Miraculously, she survives...with a little help from an anonymous person... but the experience changes her. She finds herself more in tune to understand/relate/communicate with animals.

My thoughts: I didn't love, love, love Wolf Hollow when I read it. It was getting a LOT of buzz when it released. Everyone was talking about how awesome it was. Because it was historical middle grade set during one of my favorite time periods to when about, I wanted to love it. I just didn't. I thought at the time--and I do still think this to some extent--that it was just a difference of expectations. It was too buzzed about. 

I hadn't thought about Wolf Hollow in years. This wouldn't be a book I thought "needed" a sequel. 

I liked this one okay. Probably more than the first book. (Though I think it would have been much appreciated to better sum up the events of book one. Whether you are a first time reader who hasn't read Wolf Hollow OR a reader who read Wolf Hollow years ago (2016 feels like ages ago), there are some gaps. Names are dropped--Betty, Toby--but with NO context really. I was hoping that things would come together. I'd have some memory of the first book. But nope. Plenty of readers, I imagine, would be picking this one up without any previous knowledge of the first book. A little context would make a world of difference. Since this book explores the relationship between Andy and Annabelle. 

There were things I liked about this one. 

Quote:

"Just because he..." My mother let out a little gasp. "Annabelle, there is no just about that." My grandmother looked at me, her face lovely and sad. "But there is forgiveness my girl. A good deed doesn't erase a bad one, but it's worth a lot. And I happen to think it's worth, even more considering...well, considering it's Andy we're talking about."

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

15. Worst-Case Collin

Worst-Case Collin. Rebecca Caprara. 2021. [September] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I used to dream about normal stuff like making the swim team, acing my social studies quiz, getting revenge on Liam for pranking me all the time. These days my main goal is to prevent disaster from striking again. Or, at the very least, to be better prepared. Which is harder than it sounds when you're in middle school and calamities of various sorts occur daily.

Premise/plot: Collin, our twelve-year-old protagonist, is a worrier carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It wasn't always like this. There was a Before. But he's been living in the After for almost two years now. Life without his mom is barely life. Collin has some great friends--Liam and Georgia--who are clueless about the secrets he's been keeping from them. There's a good reason he hasn't invited them inside his house--ever, ever, ever. But keeping secrets and hiding out can only take you so far...

Worst-Case Collin is a coming of age novel--with a school setting, with a strong theme of friendship--written in verse. It's also what you might call a problem novel. (That is one reason why I am reviewing it here at Becky's Book Reviews instead of Young Readers.)

My thoughts: I have many thoughts. On the one hand, WHAT A STORY. I loved meeting Collin and his friends, Liam and Georgia. I thought his two friends continually offered a ray of hope and happiness. Collin and the reader needed that hope. (I also thought Liam's mom was superb!!! It was so nice to see a good parenting role model.) On the other hand, IT IS HEAVY AND INTENSE. I think it is good heavy and good intense. But also potentially triggering--depending on the reader's home environment. 

Collin is juggling many, many, many emotions: sadness, worry, fear, frustration, anger, regret, bitterness, anxiety, hopelessness, grief, and SHAME. Collin only has a tiny amount of places where he feels safe. On the one hand, he wants to tell someone--anyone--what is going on at home and how things are different since his mom died. On the other hand, he fears what might happen if anyone ever learns the truth. He struggles daily with this dilemma. Can I go on living like this? Will it ever get better? 

Quotes:

Gravity might always win,
but I've got a choice:
fall
or
dive.
I choose to dive.
She bends her knees.
Preferably with style!
She leaps, twists, splashes.

Georgia says
there is space inside
the human heart
for infinite love
and infinite sadness
and all the messiness
in between.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Extremely Cute Animals Operating Heavy Machinery

Extremely Cute Animals Operating Heavy Machinery. David Gordon. 2016. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: One beautiful summer day, Karen, an extremely cute animal, was the playground, making a sand castle....Skyler appeared out of nowhere.

Premise/plot: This picture book is about playground bullies. Karen and her extremely cute friends are bullied--repeatedly--by Skyler, Mike, and Trent. Karen and her friends--mainly girls, I believe, though it's hard to tell--never give up, never surrender. As the bullying progresses, they get MAD. And when they get mad, they prepare to operate HEAVY machinery. They ultimately end up building an amusement park on the playground--instead of a sandcastle in the sandbox.

My thoughts: I picked it up because of the title. I suppose that books about bullying are needed. And I suppose that books about bullies can be entertaining at the same time. But I'm not sure this one is. I didn't like the language in this one (stupid, butts); the message is appropriate, but, the language while realistic perhaps might be deemed inappropriate by some families and even some classrooms. (I know there are words that you are not allowed to say at school.) Overall, I was disappointed with this one.

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations: 2 out of 5
Total: 4 out of 10

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Second Life of Abigail Walker (MG)

The Second Life of Abigail Walker. Frances O'Roark Dowell. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 240 pages.

I really liked Frances O'Roark Dowell's newest book, the Second Life of Abigail Walker. It didn't wow me as much as Kristin Levine's The Lions of Little Rock OR Rebecca Stead's Liar & Spy, but, it was a gentle, satisfying exploration of first friendship. The heroine, Abigail Walker, does not have many friends, and what "friends" she did have once her true best friend moved away the year before, she's since lost because she was brave enough to stand up for herself. (Her new "friends" liked to pick on her every day, boss her around, call her names, criticize her, etc.) When she didn't say, "yes, you're right, throwing up would be a great way for me to lose weight," well she became "dead" to them and they started making her life miserable. But this is a hopeful story in many, many ways, a quirky story too. (Every other chapter was narrated by a fox.) For Abigail does find her way, she does make new friends, she is able to bring hope and joy to others just by her being herself. The message was a good one. And I did like many things about this one. I liked the friendship theme. I didn't enjoy the focus on Abby's weight as much, though I suppose it felt authentic enough in showing her daily struggles. But it was sad too. The pressure others put on her in addition to the messages she told herself, it all felt sad to me. I could see *why* she was turning to food. It isn't a book with an easy answer at the end, which was good, I suppose.

Personally, I think I would have loved this one a little bit more without the fox fantasy-elements. But I think it is still a good read.

Read The Second Life of Abigail Walker

• If you are a fan of Frances O'Roark Dowell
• If you like MG fiction, coming of age stories
• If you like stories about the healing powers of friendship

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The List (YA)

The List. Siobhan Vivian. 2012. Scholastic. 336 pages.

From the prologue: For as long as anyone can remember, the students of Mount Washington High have arrived at school on the last Monday in September to find a list naming the prettiest and the ugliest girl in each grade. This year will be no different.

The List has an interesting enough premise. It is a novel with eight narrators. The prettiest freshman, ugliest freshman, prettiest sophomore, ugliest sophomore, prettiest junior, ugliest junior, prettiest senior, ugliest senior. Each girl, of course, has a name, but at least at first, names and personalities don't matter oh-so-much. The focus is on the label, the judgment. It is a question-driven novel, in a way.

How do others see me? Is that how I see myself? Do I care what everyone else thinks? Who is this 'everyone' else anyway? Do I feel prettier or uglier than I did the day before the list was posted? Am I going to let the list change me? Am I going to let myself be defined and objectified by others?

One of the strengths of the novel is showing that every single person on the list is a human being. No matter the appearance, no matter the popularity ranking. A pretty girl can have just as many problems and issues going on in her life as the next person. Being pretty doesn't mean living life problem-free without a concern or care in the world. The prettiest junior girl, for example, has an eating disorder. This problem popped up over the summer. And others may see her as beautiful, as pretty, as having everything she could possibly want or need. But all she knows is that food is the enemy, that fat is the enemy, that eating means that she will no longer be beautiful. She cannot accept herself or see herself as she truly is. She doesn't love herself. Her daily life is a torment to her in many ways. Yet she is supposed to be thrilled, happy, ecstatic that she is the most beautiful girl in her class.

I think at least five or six of these characterizations would have been strong enough to carry an entire novel. With eight narrators, little justice can be done to each story. So at times it was all a little too much.

The ending. I didn't really like this ending at all. I thought the last fifty or so pages of this one was a mess. Yes, books can have tricks; twists or turns that you aren't supposed to see coming. But. I felt that the ending would ruin any rereading of the novel. (Of course, I haven't tried it myself.) It's just that the semi-big-reveal doesn't feel right to me. It doesn't feel natural to how the character was presented up until that point. If it had just been a story or conflict between these two characters--the prettiest senior and the ugliest senior--if the whole novel had been about these two, then I think it might have worked better. It could have shown the necessary depth. These two were friends--close friends--in junior high. But before the start of high school, the prettiest dumped the ugliest. This relationship--past and present--could have been explored more. I think that just enough was revealed to create a spark of interest, but then it all ends right there.

Have you read this one? What did you think?

Read The List

• If you like high school dramas set during Homecoming Week
• If you like realistic YA
• If you like books about mean girls and/or bullies
• If you are looking for 'issue' books (bullying, eating disorders, etc.)

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

A Monster Calls (MG/YA)

A Monster Calls. Patrick Ness. Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd. 2011. September 2011. Candlewick Press. 224 pages.

The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.
Conor was awake when it came.
He'd had a nightmare. Well, not a nightmare. The nightmare.
The one he'd been having a lot lately. The one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming. The one with the hands slipping from his grasp, no matter how hard he tried to hold on. The one that always ended with--

There's a part of me that doesn't want to tell you anything at all about this book. The part that says that there is nothing I could say that would do it justice. The part that says this one is best discovered by readers in the moment. That knowing even the littlest things about it--the things the reader can conclude from the second or third chapter--would be knowing too much.

So I could simply tell you that it is beautiful and haunting and emotional and original. I could ask you just to trust me that it's worth a read. But would you believe me?

Conor, our hero, has been having nightmares. But it's the monster he meets shortly after midnight--on more than one occasion--that intrigues him the most. For it is this monster that he's brave enough to face. This monster that he's brave enough to speak with face to face. And if the monster is to believed, this is the monster that the boy called himself. This is the monster that both promises and threatens. He's got three stories--three tales--to share with the boy. But in return, he asks the boy to tell him a true story, his true story. And it is the threat of having to speak the truth out loud that causes Conor anxiety.

I could say more. I could mention the things going on in Conor's life--his daily life in his home and at school. But I really do think this is one you need to read for yourself, to experience for yourself.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Under the Dome

Under the Dome by Stephen King. 2009. [November 2009]. Simon & Schuster. 1088 pages.

From two thousand feet, where Claudette Sanders was taking a flying lesson, the town of Chester's Mill gleamed in the morning light like something freshly made and just set down.

How many books can you think of that make you thankful--really thankful--for fresh air, for oxygen?

Stephen King's Under the Dome is quite a book. At over a thousand pages, it has plenty of drama to offer readers. King's message that absolute power corrupts absolutely is well played out in its pages. As readers meet some really dirty, really corrupt, downright evil politicians.

The book begins by introducing us to Dale Barbara, one of the heroes--one of the good guys; he is on his way out of town. After having one too many confrontations with "Junior" the son of the most evil politician (who just happens to be a used car salesman too) in town, Barbie has decided he's had enough. It's time to move on. And quickly. But. He never makes it out of town. Something stops him. The dome. On the day the dome appears (October 21), life changes dramatically and drastically. The dome isolates this little town. No one can get in or out. In fact, nothing can get in or out. Not water. Not wind. Not rain. Not air. (Not much air at any rate.)

What's to keep the residents from panicking? Not much! Especially with Jim Rennie in charge. In fact, he thinks Dome Day is just about the best thing that ever happened to him. Suddenly, he's the guy in charge. There is no one to stop him. He can implement anything in the name of "doing good for the city" and who can challenge his authority? The fact that the President of the United States has chosen Dale Barbara to take command? Not gonna stop Big Jim! It's just one more reason why Barbie (or Baaarbie needs to be taken care of). And Barbie knows it. As do his friends.

How long can a community stay a community? How long before residents start turning on one another? How long before they become "us" and "them"? How long before the mob mentality takes over completely? Will any one be safe under the dome?

I imagine it has enough appeal for readers of horror and readers of science fiction. Is it for everyone? No. I don't think a book has to be for everyone. This one has plenty of horrific details. The language. The graphic nature of death and violence and sex and drug use. It's going to turn some readers off. Also this one could definitely be offensive to those who are religious. King's depiction of Christianity is abrasive, harsh. (No question about that!) What I wasn't expecting exactly in this very dark, very horrific book is the humor. (Though it was often a dark sense of humor.) Like this description of a trucker colliding with the Dome:

The trucker might have been overloaded and moving too fast, Barbie thought, but at least he was getting a Viking funeral. (41)

Or this one of an unlucky farmer:

On God Creek Road, Bob Roux had been digging potatoes. He came in for lunch (more commonly known as "dinnah" in those parts), sitting astride his old Deere tractor and listening to his brand new iPod, a gift from his wife on what would prove to be his final birthday. His house was only half a mile from the field he'd been digging, but unfortunately for him, the field was in Motton and the house was in Chester's Mill. He struck the barrier at fifteen miles an hour, while listening to James Blunt sing "You're Beautiful." He had the loosest of grips on the tractor's steering wheel, because he could see the road all the way to his house and there was nothing on it. So when his tractor came to a smash-halt, the potato-digger rising up behind and then crashing back down, Bob was flung forward over the engine block and directly into the Dome. His iPod exploded in the wide front pocket of his bib overalls, but he never felt it. He broke his neck and fractured his skull on the nothing he collided with and died in the dirt shortly thereafter, by one tall wheel of his tractor, which was still idling. Nothing, you know, runs like a Deere. (34)

Expect plenty of drama and devastation. But I found the book to be an engaging read.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Food, Girls, And Other Things I Can't Have (YA)

Food, Girls, And Other Things I Can't Have. By Allen Zadoff. 2009 [September 2009] Egmont USA. 320 pages.

My name is Andrew Zansky. I'm fifteen years old, and I weigh 307 pounds.

What harm can a little lie do? What about a bunch of little lies? Can they change who you are? Make you unrecognizable even to yourself? Andrew, our narrator, never expected to be found out. About any of his little lies. Especially since some of these lies were ones he was telling himself, that he believed to be true. Who is Andrew? What is his story?

Andrew doesn't want to be "the fat boy" who is always getting picked on, teased, and bullied. He wants to be the one who gets the girl for a change. So when a fairy godmother* of a football player (O) takes him under his wing, under his protection, gets him a tryout for the football team, teaches him what he needs to know about girls, sports, parties, and how to be one of the team, well, life becomes a bit of a fairy tale for a while. Until Andrew starts asking himself some tough questions...

A good coming-of-age story is enjoyable. And while Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have has more than its fair share of predictable moments and insights, it is still enjoyable. What is it about? It's about a boy wanting oh-so-much more than what he has. It's about a boy not knowing what he really wants or needs. And because that is true for so many of us--so many of us have felt confused and frustrated in our lives be it past or present--it makes him--his story--easy to relate to.

*Okay, so he's not really a fairy godmother type. He's the captain of the football team. The most popular guy in school. But he does in a way appear to Andrew to be the means of how he gets all his wishes, all his dreams.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Bystander (MG)

Preller, James. 2009. Bystander. Feiwel and Friends. 226 pages.

The first time Eric Hayes ever saw him, David Hallenback was running, if you could call it that, running in a halting, choppy-stepped, stumpy-legged shamble, slowing down to look back over his shoulder, stumbling forward, pausing to catch his breath, then lurching forward again.

Bystander is a book about bullying. Eric, our narrator, fits strangely into his new school. New and slightly confused, he begins associating with the wrong crowd. Kids he knows to be bullies. Because--at least at first--he's not the target of the bullying, he accepts everything. There are a few instances here and there that make him squirm. But at the same time, it's easy to laugh along with the other kids, the other witnesses or bystanders. As long as the bullying isn't too much--then he's not willing to speak up about it. But there comes a time when it does get to be too much. When what he witnesses makes him so uncomfortable that he wakes up and gets a conscience. But now that he doesn't want to be all buddy-buddy with his former friends, will he become the next target? Will standing up for what he knows to be right lead to his own fall? And can he live with that if it is?

What's a boy to do when so many of the kids around him are bullies? True, not everyone bullies with kicks and punches, but there are so many different ways of bullying. Why does everyone have to be so mean in middle school?

This is more of a message-oriented novel.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Alibi Junior High (MG)

Logsted, Greg. 2009. Alibi Junior High. Simon & Schuster. 244 pages.

I hate airports. I've been in airports all over the world, but they're basically all the same. Places of painful partings and awkward greetings.

Our hero, Cody Saron, is new to town. His father, an agent for the CIA, has left him in the care of his aunt, Jenny, and for the first time, he'll be attending a real school. He knows plenty of stuff--very smart, very observant--but he doesn't know the basics even of how to survive in junior high. How to interact with kids--both sexes--his own age. How to attend classes without getting in trouble with the teachers and coaches. Whose fault is that? Does Cody have an attitude problem? Or are the teachers seeing what they want to see? The book is from his opinion, and from his perspective at least plenty of the teachers (and principal) are jerks, they just have it in for him no matter what. (It was weird how I was getting the Speak-vibe from this one. The two have little in common. At least on the surface.) Can Cody survive his first year of junior high?

Did I like this one? Mostly. It was enjoyable. A quick and easy read for sure.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of A Tree (MG)

Tarshis, Lauren. 2007. Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of A Tree. Penguin. 200 pages.

Emma Jean Lazarus knew very well that a few of the seventh grade girls at William Gladstone Middle School were criers. They cried if they got a 67 on an algebra test or if they dropped their retainer into the trash in the cafeteria. They cried if their clay mug exploded in the kiln and when they couldn't finish the mile in gym. Two even cried in science, when Mr. Petrowski announced it was time to dissect a sheep's eyeball. Of course Emma-Jean had no intention of participating in such a barbaric and unhygienic activity. But crying was not a logical way to express one's opposition to the seventh-grade science curriculum.

Emma Jean is unique, no doubt about it. (You can tell that from the start. She has her own voice, her own way of seeing the world, of expressing herself.) But can she learn to be less logical and more compassionate? Can she use her powers of observation, her logic to help others, to make new friends, to keep old ones? Emma Jean has heart--I don't doubt that for a second--but can she learn how to interact better with others?

Set in middle school, it features students--some with bigger problems than others--all trying to do the best they can. (Yes, there's a bully or two, a mean girl or two, but there are plenty of nice students with friend-potential.)

I don't think I've done the book much justice at all. I think I've failed to communicate just how great a story it is. Emma Jean is someone you really should get to know--on her own terms of course! (There are two stories about Emma Jean now.)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had (MG)

Levine, Kristin. 2009. Best Bad Luck I Ever Had. Penguin. 264 pages.

I've been wrong before. Oh, heck, if I'm being real honest, I've been wrong a lot. But I ain't never been so wrong as I was about Emma Walker. When she first came to town, I thought she was the worst piece of bad luck I'd had since falling in the outhouse on my birthday. I tell you, things were fine in Moundville before Emma got here, least I thought they were. Guess the truth is, you'll never know how wrong I was till I'm done telling and explaining--so I'd better just get on with the story.

I'll be honest from the start. I love, love, love this book. I do. I mean this is one oh-so-good, oh-so-magical, practically-perfect-in-every way type of book. But that's my opinion.

Our narrator, Harry Otis Sims (aka "Dit") had me at hello. His oh-so-southern voice won me over. I guess maybe this won't appeal to everyone. I mean some people love Southern fiction--books set in the Deep South--and others don't. (This one is set in Alabama.) This one is also historical fiction. So there's that as well.

The year is 1917. (The novel does go into 1918 as well. In fact we see the influenza epidemic come into the story. Winnie's War is set around this same time only in Texas.)

Dit is your typical boy. He's more interested in fishing and playing baseball than almost anything else. And he really wants--more than anything--to have a best friend his own age who shares his interests. That is one reason why he's excited the town is getting a new postmaster. He's hoping he'll have a family, a son, just the right age.

Emma. She's a girl. (Obviously.) And she is colored. (That's the word they use in the book, for the most part.) The Walker family has just moved from Boston. (The postal service has transferred him. He'll be here a year at least.)

What's this small community to make of this new family? What's poor Dit to think of this new girl? Can the two ever be friends? And what would that friendship look like?

I loved Emma. I mean I love, love, loved Emma. I loved how smart she was. I loved her bookishness. I loved how her love of books baffled young Dit. How he just couldn't understand how awesome reading is. I don't want to go into all the details, but I just thought this story had it all.

The characters. The dialogue. The story. Everything just right. Well, almost. I still think the cover could have been better. It's not that the flying bird doesn't work thematically. It's just that it doesn't scream read me, read me. What do you think? Based on the cover alone, would you pick it up?

Other reviews: TV and Book Addict, Semicolon, Book Bits, Patchwork of Books, Musings of a Book Addict.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Knights of the Lunch Table

Cammuso, Frank. 2009. Knights of the Lunch Table: The Dragon Players. Scholastic. 127 pages. (September 2009)

This graphic novel is the second in a series. (I haven't read the first one in the series, Knights of the Lunch Table: The Dodgeball Chronicles. But I found it didn't matter. I was able to pick this one up and read it as a stand alone without any confusion.) Artie King is a young boy attending Camelot Middle School. The school is preparing for a big day, Dragon Day. Many activities are in the works. And readers get to see the whole thing come together. (There are several story lines going on.) The big focus of this one is the robot competition. Artie King--whether he likes it or not--has signed on to compete. He and his friends must build a robot. Then come Saturday--Dragon day--that robot will have to battle it out with other robots. Artie's big temptation is whether or not he should just do the best he can do, or if he should try to cheat.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Body of Christopher Creed (YA)

Plum-Ucci, Carol. 2000. The Body of Christopher Creed. Hyperion. 331 pages.

I had hoped that a new start away from Steepleton would make my junior year seem like a hundred years ago, rather than just one.

To say that The Body of Christopher Creed is haunting is an understatement. It is compellingly atmospheric. It completely draws you in. It's nearly impossible to put it down. Our narrator, Victor "Torey" Adams, is giving readers a personal glimpse into his nightmare. When the novel opens, we meet Torey. A new student--a senior--at a boarding school. We learn that there's something from his past that still haunts him. Maybe not quite so torturously as it once did. But something still holds him back from being that "normal" kid from two years ago. The football player.The musician. The boyfriend. The oh-so-normal, somewhat-popular guy. What is this something? Or should I say who is this something?

Who is Christopher Creed? Why should the reader care? The reader only sees Chris Creed through the eyes of various characters. We get impressions of him from Torey, from Bo, from Ali, from Alex and Ryan, etc. According to his classmates, Chris was weird. A definite freak. Someone who was out of touch with reality. A guy with a big, goofy grin who never knew when to shut up. Who never could quite sense when he was being obnoxious and annoying just by being there, by being himself. According to his mother, Chris was a happy, well-adjusted teen. He had no reason whatsoever to runaway from home. No reason to commit suicide. Therefore his disappearance must mean foul play. Surely, Chris, her very own son, would never of his own free will vanish. Who's the primary suspect? Well, that would be Bo, a boy from the wrong side of town. In this small-town, apparently, there is a lot of prejudice going on. It's nothing to talk trash about Boons, (folks from Boondocks; aka poor and trashy side of town, you know, where everything bad happens.) The whole town seems to have an us-versus-them mentality which is just freaky to be a little honest. But Ali and Torey believe Bo is innocent. In fact, there is a lot of disagreement. You've got folks thinking he was murdered. Folks thinking he committed suicide. Folks thinking he just ran away to get away from his controlling parents. Which of these theories is the truth? Will anyone ever be able to puzzle out the truth?

All of this is revealed through Torey. His written account of the events that led him to where he is today...to who he is today.

Writing it was supposed to bring me some quote-unquote "healing," at least that's what Dr. Fahdi had said. Maybe it did; who knows? I got a load off my chest. But I was looking for other things, more important things, like the peace you get when things make sense and life seems fair. I never got that peace. Some nights I would remember and write and remember and write, and I was sure I was just being Dr. Frankenstein, trying to re-create a dead human. The dead never come back the way they were in life. Some nights I got convinced I was creating a monster.

The story is a complex blend of realistic fiction and mystery. (It'd also be right at home in the coming-of-age genre.) And It's just-right in the drama department. Plum-Ucci is a great storyteller. The way she weaves together the story, the way she reveals it bit by bit. It's gripping and intense that's for sure. It's atmospheric as well. I feel this town almost has a persona of its own in an eery kind of way.

This book is very well done. It is easy to see why this one earned a Printz Honor.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

SLOB

Potter, Ellen. 2009. Slob. Penguin. 208 pages.

My name is Owen Birnbaum, and I'm probably fatter than you are. This isn't my low self-esteem talking. This is pure statistics. I'm five foot two and I weigh 156 pounds. That's 57 percent fatter than the national average for a twelve-year-old-boy.
I'm also probably smarter than you. I don't mean that as an insult. Again, statistics. They had my IQ tested in the second grade. I won't tell you my score. Actually, I can't tell you my score because I promised my mother I wouldn't do that anymore. I used to tell everyone. My mother said that was obnoxious. I think she was also worried about giving my sister, Jeremy, a complex. Jeremy is a year younger than I am and not the brightest crayon in the box. She's a good kid. Just very so-so in the cerebral cortex region.
I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of books start out with some kid's first day at a new school. You can see why, of course. It makes for great suspense. The new kid is feeling very nervous. Everything seems slightly sinister. Half the kids in the class look like they want to smash his face in, and the other half look like they would love to see the first half of the class smash his face in.
The thing is, when you are fatter and smarter than the national average, practically every day is like the first day at a new school.
So I'm starting this book on a Tuesday, and school has already been in session for a few weeks now. (1-2)

There were moments I had my doubts with this one. But. (And this is the good kind of but). Generally speaking, I liked this one. It had heart and soul. When I first started, I worried that it might become all issue-y or message-y. Your typical pity the fat friendless boy. (The scenes where he's almost alone at the lunch table or where he's teased in gym class about his somersaults.) And there were elements that I thought were just plain weird. Understandably weird in the geeky kind of way. But naively geeky if that makes any sense. Misplaced logic and wishful thinking. (The scenes where he spends all his time and energy on an invention that will allow him to see two years back in time.) But the character of Owen had me at hello. Here we have a very human, very vulnerable, mostly tender narrator who has a way with words. I cared. I felt his frustrations, his worries, his joys. I felt what he felt. And because I cared about Owen, I kept reading. And it was worth it. Very worth it.

I thought Ellen Potter did a great job with her characters. They were all--generally speaking--complex and multi-faceted. (From the misunderstood Mason Ragg to Izzy Shank and Andre Bertoni. I can't think of another novel--at least not right off hand--that so fully fleshes out the minor characters of a class. That makes all the characters seem so real, so understandable. I could easily want to read stories about some of these. I thought it was interesting to see the matter-of-factness regarding Jeremy. Jeremy is Owen's little sister. (Her girl name is only revealed halfway through the novel.) Before the book opens, she joins a club GWAB--Girls Who Are Boys--and begins calling herself Jeremy. (Members of the club all act and dress like boys and adopt boy names.) Jeremy is said to be small but tough. While the book reveals that the mother ISN'T at all happy about this Jeremy business, Owen seems to be so loving of his sister that this change is a non-issue. If she wants to be Jeremy, then Jeremy it is. Perhaps this comes from hopefullness on his side: to be accepted as you are. No questions asked. Part of me thinks that it would be interesting to see the world through Jeremy's eyes.

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

Jumped

Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2009. Jumped. HarperCollins. 168 pages

Zero Period. You got that right. Fail one math test and you're up before the first chirp of day. Up before street-lights turn off and sun rays shoot through the blinds. Fail one math test and you're stepping over a snow-covered homeless lump to get to the stop, shiver, and wait for the city bus to pull up to your boots. (1)

Wow. Rita Wialliams-Garcia not only had me at hello--hooked from the very first chapter--she kept amazing me time and time again. What a book this is!

Jumped is the story of three girls. Three teens who are so very different from one another. But who--on one fateful day--just happen to intersect.

Leticia. Trina. Dominique. One bully. One victim. One witness. (Note, I didn't say who was who!) The book is narrated by all three, they take turns revealing the events of one day in high school. And oh what a world of difference there is in the perspectives! It brings to mind so many questions. As each girl shares her perspective, the reader gets an inside glimpse into her life. A glimpse that reveals the inner struggles and emotional waves that each tries to hide from others--in a way.

This novel made me think, really think, and that's a good thing. I'd definitely recommend this book. It treats the subject of girl violence in a very compelling--always gripping--and authentic way.

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

Swimming with the Sharks

fischer, Debbie Reed. 2008. Swimming with the Sharks.

The list is titled Top Ten Guys Who Are Still Virgins. Dorkowitz tops it off at number one, of course.

I didn't care for this one. I'll be honest. It's a book about mean girls--mean cheerleaders to be exact--who go to great lengths to torture the newest cheerleader, Ellika, and 'persuade' her into quitting. Why is she on the team to begin with? Her family is rich, they made a very large contribution to the school--to the gym I believe--and this was one of the stipulations: a place for their chunky/plus-size daughter on the varsity cheering squad. Our narrator, Peyton Grady, goes along with Operation Smellika--in fact she commits several of these cruelties personally--including smashing Ellika's glasses to pieces. It isn't until bones get broken and heads get concussed that Peyton sees the bigger picture and decides to break the pact. And even then it's a tough decision for her.

I suppose we're supposed to 'like' Peyton. This bystander who silently questions but still acts and goes along with the others on the team. Peyton has a conscience, but she's choosing to not listen to what her instincts are telling her. Peyton is clueless about many things. Things that the reader won't be. It's easy to predict each twist and turn in this one. Only Peyton and Ellika seem not to see the truth that's right in front of their faces.

Ellika. I have a hard time in believing in Ellika as a character. Yes, I feel sorry for her--in a way--but I have a hard time believing she could be so stupid or naive. Ellika is used to being teased, used to being called names, so why she goes and seeks out the popular crowd is beyond me. She's a new student, and she wants to 'buy' her way into the 'in' crowd? She thinks it will work? That she'll suddenly become popular? become accepted? That she'll be like that girl in the movies--the ugly duckling who transforms herself into the most popular, beautiful girl in the school. The fact that she perseveres no matter how much abuse--physical, mental, emotional--is piled onto her by her teammates...that she doesn't quit the team, that she doesn't tell her parents, that she doesn't want to change schools, etc. That she honestly believes that she can outlast and outwit the cheerleaders. That if she endures the pain, the torment, the abuse, that by the end of the school year she'll have made it, made new friends, found a place to belong. Why would she want to "belong" in the first place? Why would she want these bullies to be her friends? Why does she seek out their acceptance knowing how cruel and mean and stupid they all are? I have a hard time believing that anyone could ever welcome that much abuse into their lives.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews