Review: The Truth About Forver by Sarah Dessen

genre: young adult

When Macy's father unexpectedly passes away, she does a fine job of keeping the trauma inside. She sneaks into a shell inside herself, puts on a "best daughter show" for her mother and "best girlfriend show" for her boyfriend Jason and feels great security in things going just how they're planned. But when Jason leaves for the summer and a chance meeting with a unique crew of caterers turns Macy's summer upside down, she starts to find a few cracks in that shell of hers. Soon, unexpected chaos, and new friends help her begin to wonder if maybe things that have been kept long inside need to start seeing the daylight.

Macy is a pretty complex character. She's conflicted, sincerely grief-stricken and very slow to open herself up. One the one hand, this made me believe in her as a character, on the other hand - the book moved a little slowly for me, especially the romance. I think, though, that in this one the romance is not the point as much as is her emotional journey.

review: Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

genre: adult fiction
book 3 of 8 for the Orbis Terrarum Challenge 2010
source: publisher

For Ah-Kim, her new life in America was supposed to be an improvement over life in Hong Kong. But after 10 years in China, Brooklyn is a major adjustment. To survive, her mother has to work like a slave in a factory while Kimberly struggles not to fail in school - the one place in China where she'd thrived.

So, it's the story of Kim's double life - her school life where, clearly gifted, she has to try so hard to fit in and succeed and then her home life, working at the factory and living in a practically condemned apartment.

This book reminded me so much of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but with a great "immigrant" twist and a deep cultural presence. I loved learning English along with Kim when the author would write what our language sounded like to her and I liked all the explanations of Chinese expressions.

I think it has heart. I liked watching her learn and grow. I finally learned to appreciate that she, and especially her mom, did things differently than I would because of our cultural differences and once I let that vague irritation go, I was able to relax a lot more when reading.

If you adored a Tree Grows in Brooklyn, you'll find a lot to enjoy in this one. And even if you haven't read that yet, I wouldn't be surprised if you liked it anyway.

Review: The Pearl by John Steinbeck

genre: adult fiction
book 2 of 5 for the Classics Challenge

A poor oyster-diving fisherman. His loyal and humble (but not unknowingly submissive) wife. Their sparse existence on the shores of Mexico.

Life is hard yet familiar, with the strengthening song of family allowing them some contentment with their infant son. And then, diving one day, he finds it. The Pearl of the World. Huge and beautiful, sure to provide for the life of comfort they've never even had the courage to imagine. Right? Something that is so big and beautiful has to bring you joy, right?

This hauntingly simple and short story is pretty transparent - the thing you dream of bringing you grief. And yet, there is a depth to the changes in husband and wife, how riches in the hand suddenly change your view of what's always made you happy before. There are lessons to be learned in these pages, if you are willing to accept the somewhat triteness of the message. As always, Steinbeck is a genius with words, it reads so smoothly and heartfelt. His Mexico feels so real: the boats and the heat, the brush houses and the almost too closely knit community. This was a fast and interesting read.

Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

genre: adult fiction

What does Oskar want to invent? Something that can keep people safe. Something that his dad could have used and maybe he wouldn't have died on September 11th. A nine year old, both wiser and more innocent than most, digs into our deepest fears and longings as he searches for meaning in a life cut short.


Oskar is in intricate, quirky character. His curiosity and his need for a more-than-one-word answer rang true with other nine year olds that I know - although he was a bit over the top on occasions, almost TOO wise. When he finds a key among his father's things, he begins searching New York City, sure that whatever it opens will shed some light on the man he misses most. Oskar's not the only character, though, whose viewpoint we read. His grandparents, their horrible and defining experiences, their complicated history, is spewed to us in spits and starts and sometimes was hard for me to sort through. I felt like it was so either so brilliant (or so convoluted) that I was missing things, like I was swimming through Jello and trying to see through it, but then all of a sudden I'd read something really insightful and be okay again.

I think my thoughts of this book boil down to this: loss changes us. It changes us all in different ways but it surely changes us and even if we can find our way to a new kind of happiness, we are never the same.

Sometimes funny, sometimes crude - intense and deeply felt, I don't think I'll be forgetting this one any time soon.

review: Skellig by David Almond

genre: middle grade

When Michael moves into his new house, he's immediately drawn to the run down garage (as any 10 year old boy would be). When he finally dares to go in and explore, what he finds (is it man or beast or some strange combination?) will change everything about the way he looks at the world. Weaving through this plot is Michael's new friendship with the William Blake-loving Mina and his tiny baby sister who is clinging precariously to life.

This book reads like poetry half the time. Mina's way of looking at the world is so fresh and deep, she helps Michael to look beyond his schoolbook learning and really LOOK at the natural world and its possibilities. She has a bit of that superior edge that some homeschoolers have, but Almond carefully crafts her personality in such a way that you respect her and her mother's teaching, and almost yearn for that kind of education. I love the British tone of the writing,their turns of phrase and the village-y feel of where Michael lives. The plot with the baby sister is so tenderly played out, I think this is a beautiful, beautiful piece of work.

book 2 of 8 for the Orbis Terrarum Challenge

Review: The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Bulla

genre: Children's Literature

This book makes me want to cheer. My 7.5 year old has been ready to move into chapter books with a thicker plot, but thicker plot usually means chapters that are a bit too long. Enter this perfect book. There's knights and castle intrigue, a mute wise man and King Aurthur himself. It's exciting and engaging but on just the right level for him. Every chapter has an illustration and the vocabulary was totally accessible for him -except for the names. He had to ask a couple times about that, but there you go. I don't really feel like I can complain about that.

Anyway, I tried to get him to read a chapter or two a day but some days he read three or even four. The choices and personalities of the characters led to some interesting moral discussions about loyalty and hospitality. I purchased this study guide to help me dig deeper and while some parts were a bit too old for him, a lot of it was just right. I made him write some and dictate some and I think it rounded out the experience a lot.

In the end, this was a great starter chapter book for my boy and the story was interesting enough to keep me interested as well. With all the knights and swords you could hope for, I highly recommend it for children who are on the verge of breezing through Magic Tree House type books.

Review: North of Beautiful by Junstina Headley

genre: young adult

When you finish a book and you actually, literally, get chills and tears at the same time, THAT'S a good book.

Terra has the perfect look, if not for the port-wine stain birthmark on half of her face. Between that and her overbearing father, she's dug a hold inside herself and sh
oved in what she really wants and how she really feels: her college plans, her love of art - those things have a hard time rising to the surface because Terra's so afraid of what the world around her thinks when they see her.

But all it takes is one person to challenge everything you know about yourself, and Terra's new acquaintance Jacob somehow keeps stripping loose the pieces of Terra that have been hidden for years.

My sister told me it was amazing, and to be honest, it took me a little while to get into the groove of it. I didn't know why she raved so much until I got about half way through. Not only does it chip at the core of what we (especially as young women) view when we see ourselves in the mirror, it also touches on what we need from the people around us - and what we have the right to ask for. I had no idea of where this book was going to take me, and while one conflict in particular I saw coming, the rest I didn't. The only flaw, to me, is that every once and a while the dad seemed a little one dimensional to me, but I was so enthralled with how it affected the story, I was able to let it slip on by.

I love that it wasn't just about Terra and her looks. It went so much deeper, into standing up for yourself, resisting abuse, loving your family, embracing creativity, opening yourself to being loved. Throw in some geocaching and some amazing map-metaphors for life, and you've got yourself a serious winner.

Review: Broken Birds: The Story of my Momila by Jeannette Katzir

genre: memoir

I've read dozens of Holocaust memoirs. All were horrible, and yet, strangely empowering with their tales of survival. They typically end at the completion of the war. Maybe you get a chapter of epilogue, but that's the end of the story.

Broken Birds is a Holocaust story, but that's only a part of it. Katzir tells the war stories of both her parents - their sufferings and the circumstances that allowed them to survive. Two unique stories, one within the camps and one without. And that's only the beginning. We learn of their early marriage and the childhood and life of our author. While she recounts her family's struggles, she sees within their failings the effect that the horrors of the Holocaust had on future generations.

I'm torn over this book. Katzir's parents stories are intriguing and it's clear that she truly loves them and honors their past. She's willing to forgive them for their mistakes and places much of the blame (rightfully or not) on their tragic pasts. Her mother, especially, as difficult as she is to deal with, is portrayed with respect, for the most part.

However, the bulk of the later part of the book is more of a hashing out of all the problems amongst her and her siblings. I made my way through selfish legal battles and was depressed by their lack of cohesion. I recognize that this is Katzir illustrating how the survival instincts, fear and loneliness of holocaust survivors can harm their children, but the long list of wrong-doings by everyone sometimes gave me the feeling that the text itself was vindication for past wrongs. For me, all the bitterness played my emotions differently than other memoirs of the era.

Despite that, I give kudos to Katzir for her raw honesty about many frustrating situations. She's created a story that does get into the heart of family battles that may really ring true for many other families who have had a parent or two who have survived horrible situations. If you are already interested in Holocaust memoirs, this definitely adds a different sort of history to the genre.

review: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

genre: young adult

WOW what a smashing finish!! Percy, Annabeth and Grover have to face the end, that final battle between the Titans and the Olympians, and both Gods, demigods and mortals have to pick sides. There are traitors and spies, new heroes and reliable allies, plus the required host of new bad creatures. Will New York and the rest of the civilized world survive the battle?

I think this book might be my favorite of them all. So many wonderfully loose ends tied up, so many secrets revealed. Percy is such a rounded character - Harry Potter-like in his compassion and courage. And the lesser main characters made for such a thicker, more intricate story. All those Gods! I still just love their interactions with the demigods and humans, their caricatured-ness was so fun to read. It's certainly a more battle and strategy oriented novel (some parts were skimmed, but it didn't annoy me), and it had to be that way. There was enough other interesting stuff going on that I read this one in a day because I couldn't put it down.

Melissa of Book Nut, thank you for making me pick these up :)

Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

genre: young adult

In Battle of the Labyrinth, Percy Jackson encounters a whole new set of enemies (of course) as well as a few new allies. While you still know that the worst is yet to come (one book left!), this is a great installment. We explore that famous maze, find things that are lost, feel betrayed, and even have a chance to forgive someone that may or may not deserve it.

I do love these books. The integration of Greek Mythology, scenes and characters from The Odyssey and modern-day places is just a really interesting combination. Percy is so...male. He's definitely more of a teenager in this one and his lack of romantic know-how is endearing. I'm a fan of this series, that's for sure.