Smells Like Treasure (MG)

Smells Like Treasure. Suzanne Selfors. 2011. Little, Brown. 416 pages.

There are two types of people in this world--people who sit by their mailboxes and wait for a delivery from the Map of the Month Club and people who don't. You might be asking yourself, What kind of person would sit by his mailbox and wait for a map? An image might pop into your head of a nerdy sort of person with messy hair and pants that are too short. A soft sort of person who'd rather sit in his room and dream about treasure than climb a tree or ride a bike. A smart sort of person because map reading uses 2.5 million more brain cells than watching television. Did you know that the person you've just imagined is Homer Winslow Pudding? 

This is Homer Pudding's second novel. His first adventure can be found in Suzanne Selfors' Smells Like Dog. Once again Selfors assures her readers that Dog, our hero's oh-so-faithful companion, will be alive and well at the end of the novel. From the introduction, "I hate stories about dogs that die, and so I will never, ever write that kind of story. That is my solemn promise. In fact, I believe there should be some sort of punishment for people who write stories about dogs that die. Maybe they should be forced to peel gum off the bottoms of movie-theater seats, or file old people's toenails, or clean the shark tank at the zoo. That's what they deserve after bringing such terrible unhappiness into our lives."

So is Homer Pudding ready for his second adventure? Mostly. He has been looking forward to the county fair for months and months. But when he's banned--in part due to Dog's enthusiasm--on opening night, he's a little relieved to learn that L.O.S.T. will be meeting very, very soon. And their meeting will be to see if he will inherit his uncle's seat within the oh-so-secret-treasure-hunting-club. Zelda shows up in her cloud copter to tell him the news and take him to the club's clever tailor for his first professional treasure-hunting-suit. With a little lie or two, his parents are convinced that their son will be safe with Uncle Drake's good friend, Zelda, whom they've never actually met, for a week. The fair being a very good distraction, I think!

Zelda has told Homer that there is one club member that does NOT want Homer to become a member of the club. But can he figure out which member it is? Well, appearances can be deceiving. It looks like it's just a formality, until a former friend, Lorelei, shows up and starts telling smooth lies. Claiming that Uncle Drake promised her his seat in the club, that Uncle Drake gave her his membership coin. Many know she's lying. Many remember Uncle Drake speaking of Homer and how he is the one to inherit. But not everyone is eager to welcome Homer into the club, and well, this is a convenient way to make him earn it.

If Homer wants to be accepted into L.O.S.T. he'll have to prove himself worthy against his opponent. Both will receive the same clues. Both will have a sponsor member to provide transportation and such. Both will have to solve the mystery and find the "missing" coin that will be hidden somewhere--anywhere--in the world.

Can Homer prove that he has what it takes to be a real treasure hunter?

I liked Smells Like Treasure. I'm not sure that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it like I did the first book. But it was nice to visit with Homer and Dog again. I liked getting to know the characters introduced in this second novel like Hercules, Homer's sponsor. I didn't like him immediately, in fact, I thought he was a bit annoying. But by the end of the novel, well, I had changed my mind. I think Hercules is better for having this real adventure.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

No Passengers Beyond This Point (MG)

No Passengers Beyond This Point. Gennifer Choldenko. 2011. Penguin. 256 pages.

My mom says worry is like a leaky faucet--every drip makes you imagine something bad on the way...trouble...trouble...trouble...do something...do something...do something. But when you're twelve and the only guy in the house, you're responsible for an awful lot. It isn't just the heavy lifting and taking out the garbage either. You've got to be aware.

India, Finn, and Mouse are three children on their way--by plane--to their Uncle Red's house. They're not going on vacation, this won't be a short stay. No, the three will be there to stay. Their mom has every intention of joining them when the school year is through, but for now, they'll need to stick together and take care of one another. This move is sudden and not-so-sudden. It's definitely a surprise to the three kids. To the mom? Well, she's been fighting to save her home from foreclosure for the past six months. And then the fight is over, and she's lost. Now she has to tell her kids they'll be going to stay with Uncle Red in Colorado, they'll be leaving the next day. No time to say goodbye to their friends. No time to pack up their belongings properly. No, one suitcase a piece is all they'll be taking with them. This move seems so crazy, so weird. Yet it's the sanest part of the book, perhaps?!

After the first fifty pages, well, No Passengers Beyond This Point reads like an episode of The Twilight Zone. For those that love realistic fiction--and only realistic fiction--this may be an unpleasant surprise. For those that love a bit of fantasy and mystery, well, this change may be quite welcomed. (Is it a difficult mystery to solve? I'm not a good judge of that. I certainly began putting the pieces together early on, BUT that doesn't mean it won't be suspenseful to kids. And even though I had a good idea on where this one was going, it didn't take the fun out of reading it.)

No Passengers Beyond This Point is narrated by Finn (middle child), India (oldest child), and Mouse (youngest child). And I don't always love appreciate it when authors do this. Multiple narrators can be a big disappointment at times. They can keep me from connecting with a book. They can keep me from getting to know any of the characters well enough. BUT. I didn't have a problem with it in No Passengers Beyond This Point. In fact, it was one of the novel's greatest strengths. Which narrator would I want to give up??? NONE OF THEM!!! I just loved and adored Mouse and her invisible friend, Bing. I loved seeing the world through her eyes. I loved her observations. And Finn, well, he was responsible--though worried--and was able to think things through without giving into panic. I definitely think he's a good brother for these two to have! And India, well, I might have struggled to like her at first. (Though I wouldn't say I see her exactly the same way Mouse does...) But her chapters--especially towards the end--are so INTENSE and compelling. And when it comes down to it, ALL the narrators are so important to the story itself.

So I definitely enjoyed No Passengers Beyond This Point. I loved the characters. I loved the family dynamics. I thought Choldenko did a great job with developing relationships between siblings. And, for me, the atmosphere, the setting--strange as it was--worked very well. I can't say that every reader will love it. But then again, the same is true for ANY book I review!

Some of my favorite Mouse observations:

Ever since I found out they kicked Pluto out of the planets, I have not been feeling so sure about a lot of things. If they can decide Pluto is not a planet all of a sudden like that, things are not being run the right way up top. Pluto is a planet in My Solar System on page one, page six, and all of chapter three.
My brother, Finn, who has no pimples, says that's because Pluto is a dwarf star, but Finn is wrong about this. Finn is wrong about a lot of things, but I keep quiet about how many. He is a nice big brother and I don't want to ruin him.
My sister, India, is fourteen and she's only nice when Mommy makes her. (26-27)

I do not like being way back here with Bing and Marvin. What is Marvin going to ask? I try to think of every answer I know.
"Name?" Marvin asks.
"Geneva Tompkins, but everybody calls me Mouse on account of I'm good at squeaking. Want to hear?"
Marvin shakes his head. "You're traveling with your mother."
"No," I say. "We've used up all our money. Mommy has to work because that's how she gets more. Is that how you get more, Marvin?"
Marvin writes this down on his clipboard. "Who exactly are you traveling with?"
"My sister, India, and my brother, Finn. India, Geneva, and Finland. Two countries and a city. That's me." I raise my hand. "My mother wanted to travel, but instead she had kids."
This is my grown-up joke. I got it from India. Marvin doesn't laugh.
"And your father?" Marvin asks.
"He died when I was in Mommy's tummy. I couldn't see him on account of there was skin in the way. But Bing saw him. He took a picture for me."
"Who is Bing?"
"He's my friend."
"Did you pack your own suitcase?"
"My mom and India did, only I made a few corrections."
"Which means?"
"I added the explosives," I whisper.
His face looks suddenly the color of my snot when Mommy says I have to stay home from school. "Explosives?"
"Have you ever seen mints explode? You put them in soda and Pfffffff." I make my best explosion noise, but it's not as good as Finn's.
"This is some kind of science experiment?" His voice squeaks.
"Oh, no. I don't have science yet. Not until third grade."
Marvin shakes his head and makes grunting noises. "Do you understand you aren't allowed to bring liquids on the plane? Liquids like vinegar, liquids like soda."
"I would have understood if Finn let me read the whole sign, but he said we had to--"
"You stay here," he snaps before I even finish explaining.
When Marvin comes back, Mommy, Finn, and India are with him. Marvin hands me my suitcase. It's very light. He's taken all the good stuff out. (31-32)

Now I have to go to the bathroom. But I don't want to go in a strange bathroom, so I hold it like at school. I will hold it until we get back from Uncle Red's. I only like the toilet paper at home. (42)

I'm used to knowing more than everyone else on account of Bing. He has in some knee-a, you know. You can find out a lot of things when you're awake at night. In the morning, Bing tells me everything he found out the night before. (86)

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Cover Her Face

Cover Her Face. P.D. James. 1962. 254 pages.

Exactly three months before the killing at Martingale Mrs Maxie gave a dinner party. Years later, when the trial was a half-forgotten scandal and the headlines were yellowing on the newspaper lining of cupboard drawers, Eleanor Maxie looked back on that spring evening as the opening scene of tragedy. Memory, selective and perverse, invested what had been a perfectly ordinary dinner party with an aura of foreboding and unease. It became, in retrospect, a ritual gathering under one roof of victim and suspects, a staged preliminary to murder. 

I enjoyed P.D. James' Cover Her Face. This mystery is the first novel starring detective Adam Dalgliesh. I'm guessing that I'll love other titles in the series even more.

As is the case in any mystery series, I think readers only grow in appreciation as they read on. There's a big difference, in my opinion, between reading your first Miss Marple or your first Rex Stout, and reading your sixth. You just grow to appreciate the little things more and more as you go on. So I do have high hopes for the series. I enjoyed it enough that I'd WANT to read more in the series.

I never know quite how much to say about any murder mystery I review. I could tell you a little bit about the victim, a little bit about the suspects, a little bit about the detectives on the case. But when it comes down to it, it's not those elements that will "sell" you on the novel itself. You either like mysteries or you don't.

Cover Her Face is a nice cozy mystery set in England. The Maxie family is at the center of this mystery. For it is their somewhat-newly-hired-maid, Sally Jupp, that is the victim. The opening chapters show just how many within the family, within the community, disliked her. Some thought this single mom had a bad attitude, an inappropriate smugness perhaps. The Maxie family definitely isn't perfect--it doesn't take the detective, Adam Dalgliesh, long to figure that one out! So many people within the family--or connected to the family--are lying! But what are they lying about? what are they concealing?

For me, what makes ANY mystery novel enjoyable is the investigative process. I LOVE to witness the suspects being interviewed and interrogated. I love to hear the detectives talk about their theories as to who did it and why. And I did enjoy Adam Dalgliesh, I did.

While I wouldn't say this novel is my favorite mystery that I've read this year, it was a good read, very enjoyable, a nice beginning.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Sunday Salon: Week in Review #28

What I reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

Trauma Queen. Barbara Dee. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 272 pages.
Possession. Elana Johnson. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 416 pages.

Star-Crossed. Linda Collison. 2006. Random House. 416 pages.
Elephants Can Remember. Agatha Christie. (Hercule Poirot). 1972. 212 pages.

What I reviewed at Young Readers

Grump. Janet Wong. Illustrated by John Wallace. 2001. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
I Like Toys. Lorena Siminovich. 2011. Candlewick Press. 10 pages.
I Like Vegetables. Lorena Siminovich. 2011. Candlewick Press. 10 pages.

What I reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

Mine is the Night. Liz Curtis Higgs. 2011. Waterbrook. 464 pages.
My First Read and Learn: Book of Prayer. Dr. Mary Manz Simon. 2007. Scholastic. 40 pages.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

I may not be blogging, but I'm reading...

I've been reading several books this week. But I haven't exactly been rushing the reading process. Just staying in the moment, enjoying it page by page without worrying about 'what I'll post about' the next day, etc.

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen. I always thought I didn't really "like" this one. At least in comparison to Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey. But I'm either in the right mood for it, or I'm reading it properly for the first time. Maybe NOT rushing it is giving me the time I need to really connect with each of the characters and to see things through their eyes. This time through I seem to be focusing on relationships and the tensions between the sisters and mom. I'm noticing what's being said, of course, but I'm also noticing what ISN'T being said. I'm seeing the meaning behind the words, picking up on little clues about what characters are *really* feeling. For example, I just finished a scene between Elinor and Lucy Steele. This has been a good year for Austen. I've read Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park. I'm now flirting with the idea of trying to finish the rest of her novels (all rereads of course) this year so I can say that I've read them all in a single year. (I've never managed to do that before.)

I've also been reading a new-to-me author, a mystery writer, P.D. James. I'm reading the first Adam Dalgliesh mystery, Cover Her Face. And I'm really liking it so far. I don't know if it's love quite yet. But I'm certainly always happy to spend some time in this one.

City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell. I am just LOVING this one. I do wish the chapters were a little shorter, but I'm weird like that. I read for longer periods of time when the chapters are shorter. The longer the chapter, the more hesitant I am to start it. (I don't really like to stop in the middle of a chapter. But when I flip ahead to see how many pages are in the next chapter, if I see that there are just a few, I'll read on. And then on and on and on and on. If the chapters are consistently short, I just can't say no to a little more.)

Smells Like Treasure by Suzanne Selfors. I haven't properly gotten hooked on this one just yet. But what I've read so far I really like. I just LOVED the first book in this series. And so I'm happy to read more!

Sunne in Splendour: A Novel of Richard III by Sharon Kay Penman. I can't begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying this one. The chapters are on the longish side, so far, at least. But I'm savoring this book one chapter at a time, one day at a time.

To the One Who Conquers: 50 Daily Meditations on the Seven Letters of Revelation 2-3 by Sam Storms. I'm *trying* to read one church a night. This doesn't always happen. I've missed a night or two this week. But I hope to finish it soon so I can review it on Operation Actually Read Bible.

How to Find God in the Bible: A Personal Plan for the Encounter of Your Life by Woodrow Kroll. This one arrived yesterday, and, I am really enjoying it so far!!! I've already read half of it!!! I will definitely be reviewing this one at Operation Actually Read Bible soon.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews