Middle Grades, Historical Fiction; ARC provided by publisherI love historical fiction, and Chasing Secrets has everything that makes the genre great: A riveting story, an intriguing moment in history, and a brave heroine. Chasing Secrets even has an element of mystery that makes it masterful. Lizzy is the daughter of a doctor living in San Francisco in 1900. She loves science and medicine, and when one of her house staff gets trapped in the Chinatown quarantine, she does everything she can to find him and bring him home. She discovers that the quarantine itself is a mystery that no one will talk about, and she uses her bravery and understanding of medicine to find answers. The entire plot is fast-paced and packed with suspense. Choldenko still manages to pack it full of history, as well. Chasing Secrets is empowering to young readers, girls especially, as Lizzy is not held back by her gender in a time when women did not study science or go to college. But, Lizzy is more than just brave and smart, she is also incredibly kind. Kindness is a message throughout the book in a way that is compelling. Add a diverse group of character's and Choldenko's strong writing, and this book is practically perfect. 5 stars all the way!
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Middle grades, uncorrected proof provided by publisherI got this review copy at the ALA national conference, and it came with a piece of chocolate that was wrapped to match the book. I just have to say that this was a smart move! The book stuck out in my mind as one to read. The story is pretty good, but it’s not quite chocolate. It starts out strong, with some great character introduction. There is Zack, who wants to be unseen by teachers and students. And then, there is Jose, the class clown and bully. Sure, he is funny, but only at the expense of other students. Jose is one of the major reasons Zack wants to sit quietly with no notice. Overall, Anderson’s characterization is masterful. I, personally, fell in love with Mrs. Darling, the shamelessly uncool librarian. (Okay, maybe I just want to be Mrs. Darling.) There is also Janie, a bully victim that who accidentally turns into a villain. The entire cast of characters is well developed and represents a realistic middle-school population. The plot is also strong, with Zack finding himself in a new, challenging situation, and growing from it. However, the weakness is in the humor. Sometimes, the jokes are a hit, but mostly, they are just one-liners from the characters. When I read this, I felt myself thinking, “eh, it’s kinda funny.”, but then I think about reading a Tom Angleberger book, where I am laughing aloud like a crazy person and waking my husband up with my giggles, and Zack Delacruz just doesn’t compete. The humor in this story simply comes from words, not actions, and so it does not feel natural, and actually feels forced. The story is still touching and strong, and it reflects a diverse, realistic middle school population that comes together in a time of need. As a debut novel, this is strong. I look forward to more work from Jeff Anderson. 3 stars. Middle Grades, Historical Fiction I was fortunate enough to read this while on a cruise to Alaska, just north of where Written in Stone takes place. When I started the story, I had just spent the day walking through the Alaskan town of Hoonah, and the things I saw were reflected in this story. Just as described in Written in Stone, "Every front door faced the ocean", and the modern houses had traditional carved crests. Although this story takes place in the 1920s, it gave me an understanding of the life the native people of the Pacific Northwest are living today. Pearl is the proud daughter of a whaler, and her tribe lives off of the annual whale catch. When the whalers fail to catch a whale, and come back without her father, the survival of the whole tribe is at risk. They can send members to lumber mills or canneries, which will separate them all, and risk injury and death. While making these difficult choices, the tribe is confronted by entrepreneurs who do not have the people's best interest in mind. Can Pearl's family maintain their native traditions and survive to the next year? This story deals with adult problems, but will appeal to young readers because it is told through the eyes of young Pearl. Her story also tells the story of her peers, specifically her cousin, Charlie. "He walked away with a waddle in his step like Charlie Chaplin at the movies. Grandpa may have thought that Charlie would grow up to keep all his sacred songs, but I knew he really wanted to be a jazz singer, a movie star, a hunter of applause." The conflict is skillfully presented throughout all aspects of this story. The story is also beautifully written, and I give it 4 stars! Middle Grades, Uncorrected proof provided by publisherSwaab's book has some interesting style ideas, but he just doesn't quite pull it all off effectively. The book is in the popular notebook or diary style, which is always fun. From the start, the reader is a character who is being swayed by Max, the self-proclaimed boss of the school. It's fun to be in the book, as a reader, but it takes a skilled author to make a one-sided conversation interesting, and the Max's voice ends up reading like a how-to book. I actually feel that this could have been an effective how-to book instead of a full story. The book gets confusing when the conversation changes from Max persuading you to join his plan, to you in a negotiation with Randy, the class clown. I think the ultimate goal is for you, the reader, to be allowed to hang with the class clown crowd. But, the class clown wants a favor, so the conversation changes and Max convinces you to get that favor from another clique, and the conversation changes to a negotiation with the head of that clique. And then Max convinces you to ask for that favor from another clique, so the conversation changes to a negotiation with the head of that clique... are you confused yet? I was for a while, too. The book continues as a back-and-forth between you and Max, and you and a clique leader. By the time the pattern starts making sense, the end becomes incredibly predictable. Since we only see each character, aside from Max, for brief negotiations, there's never any character development. They are all just flat stereotypes. Add the predictable storyline and ending, and this book has no story arc. Most of the jokes fall flat, too. They might work in a sarcastic how-to manual, but they all don't make a good story. Two stars. Middle Grades, Uncorrected proof provided by publisherI almost gave up on this book at the beginning. (I'm glad I didn't, but I'll explain that later.) The introductory chapter introduces a genie named Eden as a cliche, beautiful blonde girl who is reckless and ditzy and mean. The human she is granting for is greedy and just plain dumb. But, somehow, we are supposed to feel sympathetic to both characters. The scene is supposed to be funny, but the humor doesn't work, either. In the following chapters, we learn that Eden is angry because she is forced to live in her posh lamp. The descriptions of her home feels like a list designed to appeal to appeal to 10-year-old girls. Eden has down pillows with Egyptian cotton sheets, jewel-encrusted combs, and fancy dresses for every day wear. Her care-takers off her two kinds of pie, in bed, after an especially hard day. I rolled my eyes endlessly. We eventually learn that Eden is part of line of genies spanning thousands of years. They are all "terribly beautiful", and are living lives of luxury. The first one we meet seems to be living some sort of Eat, Pray, Love dream, touring Italy and doing lots of shopping. I wanted to scream, "It's 2015; you're immortal; go change the world!" But, thankfully, there are a lot of positive elements in this story, and the story turns around! As Eden makes her escape, Xavier, another care taker, tells her, "If I could, I'd spend every minute in here with you and Goldie. Eden, the world is a dangerous place. Not to say it doesn't have it's merits-it does. But there is cruelty, death, pain. Things the lamp protects us from ... things I don't want you to see." But she escapes anyway, and experiences just a small piece of these problems. Where will she find her next meal? Where will she sleep? This world provides a contrast to Eden's luxury inside the lamp. The story has a fun, villainous element in the former genies who want to steal the lamp. It is a great twist to the long-lasting history of genies. The stories of genies of the lamp are classic, and this book does the old stories justice. The rules of Eden's lamp are strong and consistent, as necessary in any fantasy; the story doesn't make unfitting exceptions to the rules to fit the plot. While I think this book is just a little bit off the mark, I'm really excited to see what Crowl creates in the future. She makes great additions to the tradition of genies, she has a complex plot that is still easy to follow, and the story is well-written. Overall rating: 3 stars. But I expect more in the future! by Charise Mericle Harper I'm way behind on book reviews, so this is going to be short and sweet. This is one of the books on this year's Nene Award nominee list that I had not read yet, and it's a great pick! First of all, this book is supremely funny. I woke my husband up in bed with my giggling. However, the best part about Alien Encouner is that it's so much more than just a funny story. The biggest strength is the characterization. Morgan and Lewis have unique backgrounds and qualities, but they are, essentially, just regular 11-year-boys. They're not very mature and they don't have special powers, but they are incredibly likable. Harper shares Morgan's inner thoughts to reveal his personality, and his viewpoint provides most of the humor. The humor is illustrated with Harper's simple line drawings that feel authentically young. The illustrations often reveal Morgan's inner thoughts, and even Morgan's acrostic poems, that always raise a question or bring a giggle. The story is also accessible to young readers with it's simple but engaging and entertaining storyline. When Morgan goes looking for the perfect stick to make a triple slingshot, he finds Lewis stuck in a tree by his underpants. Isn't that the making for a beautiful friendship? Together, the boys go on adventures without even leaving their neighborhood, and I certainly had the same experience growing up, which is one reason I loved this. I know that kids will love following Morgan and Lewis's adventures, too! Overall rating: 5 stars. It won't win a Newbery, but it's just perfect example of humorous realistic fiction. Several months ago I changed my book reviews page from blog style to standard web page. This deleted all the comments on the book reviews and deleted all tags. WHY would I do this? All I can think is that it was a rookie move. The changes cannot be undone. Silly Debby.
You can still view the old book reviews here. For quick reference, here are the books reviewed: |
Debby VandersandeDebby Vandersande is an elementary library school media specialist in Honolulu, Hawaii. ArchivesCategories |