I Wish this Book had been around when I was a Kid

Summerlost by Ally Condie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This would be a delicious summer read for a kid. Yes, it's about loss, but it's also about finding a best friend and having adventures together and helping each other through hard times. There's a bit of mystery thrown in and some comedy, too. Even a bit of ghostliness. It might even spark a kid's interest in Shakespeare because of its vivid Shakespearean festival setting. A rich, heart-warming read.

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All Better Now

All Better Now by Emily Wing Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All Better Now is a memoir, written for a YA audience, detailing Smith’s young life as the thank-God-she-got-hit-by-a-car girl. She uses episodic chapters to tell the story of her awkward and angry childhood and the aftermath of a car accident that was also a blessing. The chapters are interspersed with such things as pictures, medical records and letters from her imaginary boyfriend, “Rembrandt,” which serve as a reminder to the reader that this is not fiction, but a real person’s story. The narrative is so rich in detail that it reads like fiction and Smith’s voice so vivid on the page that she could be sitting next to the reader, telling her story as a good friend would tell secrets to another. She’s funny, quirky and real. A must read for anyone who’s ever felt broken, awkward or alone. I loved this book.

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A Practically Perfect Middle Grade Read

Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave by Jen White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Welcome to the most perfect middle grade book I've read in a long while.
It has
1. an endearing 12-year-old protagonist who takes her job as protector of her little sister very seriously.
2. a heart-pounding plot, where the palpitations begin on page one.
3. achingly beautiful prose in which every word seems to be exactly the right one.
and
4. enough fun and interesting animals facts woven throughout to delight boys and girls alike.
I thought about this book long after I finished it. I'm pretty sure you will, too.

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Go Behind the Scenes with Not in the Script

Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For me, one of the things that elevates a book to I'll-read-it-again status is when the characters feel like friends. Not in the Script has that quality in spades. The characters are multi-layered and so well imagined and written, that I felt like I would recognize them on the street (or the TV screen) if they walked by. Their banter is real-sounding and laugh out loud funny at times. By the end of the book, I had warm feelings for all of the characters, even those who'd made some questionable choices.
Another thing I enjoy is when a book takes me to a place I've never been before. I most often have to read fantasy or historical fiction to get that fix, but Amy Finnegan did that for me with a contemporary. Her behind-the-scenes at a TV series is fascinating, and from what I've read from those in the know, she nailed the details.
What a fun read!

Book Review: THE END OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

The End or Something Like That by Ann Dee Ellis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One day my best friend named Kim died.

So begins Ann Dee Ellis’s quirky, funny and sweetly sad novel, THE END OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

Ellis’s simple opening sentence accomplishes several things at once. The reader learns the problem, that a best friend, Kim, is dead. We understand, through the short, clipped prose, that the protagonist is hurting. And we take our first taste of Ann Dee Ellis’s concentrated style of writing. Her words are spare but each practically shouts in the voice of the protagonist. We hear Emmy talk, see the world through her eyes. By not very many pages into the book, she’s as real to the reader as though she were sitting next to us, telling her story aloud.

And that’s important because Emmy’s story is strange. It might even be unbelievable if Emmy weren’t so darned believable. Her dead friend, Kim, has made Emmy promise to try to contact her. Emmy tries but it’s the dead science teacher who appears instead, and Emmy didn’t even like her. Through flashbacks, we learn the story of Emmy and Kim’s friendship and come to know quirky Kim through Emmy’s memories. We ache with Emmy and we learn with her.
I loved this book.


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Waiting

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Reading a book by Carol Lynch Williams is like slipping into someone else's skin, walking around as her, breathing her air, and, especially, feeling what she feels. In the case of WAITING, we're inside the skin of London, a teenage girl who's lost her brother and whose family is crumbling because of his death.

London's skin is not a comfortable place to be--and yet, I didn't want to leave. I wanted to know more about her and to stay long enough to make sure she would be okay. And when the story was over, I was glad I stayed. I was glad I took that difficult journey with her. Because at the end, there was hope, and faith, and life. Imagine all that coming from a death.

If you're a fan of Williams's books, you won't be disappointed. She tackles tough topics and WAITING is no exception. I found her teenage protagonist to be very realistic. What teen--what adult, even--doesn't do some things that might be confusing to those around them, especially as she's grasping at straws to heal herself and her family. For instance, London seems to be attracted to two boys. But is she, really? Read and find out.

I also found London's friends a refreshing group in a teen lit world of backstabbers. Not at all the cliche that London feels her life to be.

If you want to read a book about grief and healing, go elsewhere. If you want to live one, WAITING is it.





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ICEFALL

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There are so many things I loved about this book but I can't mention some of them because it would give away the ending. I'm afraid, though, that the cover already does that and if I could change one thing about this book it would be the cover.

So, what can I mention?

I loved the Nordic setting and the Norse myths woven thoughout the narrative. The stories within a story lent a rhythm to the novel and added beauty to the already beautiful language.

I loved the main character. I could relate to her struggles to embrace a talent that was, at times, uncomfortable for her.

And, yes, I did love the ending. Just read it and we'll talk later.



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