FINISHED:
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1937). The hobbit. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.


[.]


STARTED:
Rowling, J.K. (2012). The casual vacancy. New York: Little, Brown.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Phillips, Helen. (2012). Here where the sunbeams are green. New York: Delacorte/Random House.


[(Reviewed from ARC.)  Madeline (Mad) and Ruby (Roo) travel with their mother to a high-end, ultra-green spa (La Lava) located in a remote area of  Central America to investigate the lack of communication they’ve had with their father, an ornithologist there to study a rare bird once believed to be extinct.  There’s something (sinister) going on at the glitzy resort, however, when the girls’ mother seems to be falling under a spell, their father is acting out of character during the few glimpses they’ve been allowed to have of him, and they are told that to catch a Lava-Throated Volcano trogon (LTVT) would drive a person insane and that when the last LTVT dies the local volcano will erupt.  A hint of magical realism elevates this ecological mystery, and a Stepford Wives-ish tension surrounding La Lava – as if the sheen of perfection must certainly be hiding something sinister – keeps the reader exceedingly engaged.  Mad is a believably depicted tween who belittles herself next to her spunky and outgoing little sister, and her dealings with the crush she is developing on local Kyle are true-to-life:  “I mean, now I know he likes me, but why?  How?  What did I do?  I just really want to ask him this before we never see each other again.”  Throw in a plot from the girls to expose the REAL La Lava at a swanky, black-tie event with the help of a famous actress and an ailing LTVT, and Mad having to, ultimately, be the one to save the day, and you’ve got a compellingly rich tome, with a strong sense of family and place, that refuses to be genre-defined.  An Author’s Note includes a discussion of extinction, Lazarus species (animals believed to be extinct but are sighted again), and the author’s trip to Costa Rica which inspired the novel.]


STARTED:
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1937). The hobbit. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

[Um, I think there's a movie version coming out soon...]

*

FINISHED:
Fairlie, Emily. (2012). The lost treasure of Tuckernuck. New York: Katherine Tegan/HarperCollins.


[Sixth-grader Laurie is mortified to have to do her middle school years at her parents’ alma mater, Tuckernuck Hall, a private school with a clucking chicken for a mascot, while the rest of her friends get to stay together at the local public school.  The school year gets interesting, though, when Laurie is named “gerbil monitor” in her classroom, and she embarks on a mission to solve the unsolvable hidden treasure puzzle in the school created by Maria Tutweiler, eccentric school founder and principal, 80 years earlier.  This serviceable mystery has a bit of humor, mostly revolving around the gerbils that Laurie, and her co-gerbil keeper and treasure seeker classmate Bud, are tasked with keeping watch over, as well as some poignancy involving Bud and his demanding father who are mourning the loss of Bud’s mother.  Unfortunately, the characters are fairly one-dimensional, there’s the familiar “our school is being torn down so we need to find the treasure ASAP” plotline, and the clues leading to the titular treasure are specific to places, objects and people around the school, thus shutting out the reader who may hope to help solve the mysteries along with our protagonists.  As such, the sleuthing gets a bit tedious as Laurie and Bud continually run around to different parts of the school dodging staff members and nosy students.  The only thing that really makes the text stand out amongst the crowd of other treasure-hunting mystery stories is the liberal scattering throughout of notes, lists, emails, and letters created by the book’s characters – though these don’t always serve to move the plot forward, they are still a fun diversion and help to break up the somewhat lengthy chapters.]

STARTED:
Phillips, Helen. (2012). Here where the sunbeams are green. New York: Delacorte/Random House.

[Reviewing for ACL...]

*

FINISHED:
Martel, Yann. (2001). Life of Pi. New York: Harcourt.

[.]


STARTED:
Fairlie, Emily. (2012).  The lost treasure of Tuckernuck.  New York: Katherine Tegan/HarperCollins.

[Reviewing for ACL...]

*

FINISHED:
Meloy, Colin. (2012). Under Wildwood. New York: Balzer + Bray.


[Prue and Curtis are reunited in this sequel to Meloy’s own Wildwood (Balzer + Bray, 2011), with Prue being drawn back to Wildwood by the voices of the vegetation there (a newly-discovered ability that she has), and Curtis having become a full-fledged Wildwood bandit-in-training.  The two of them embark on a quest to unite a fractured land by finding a just and rightful leader for Wildwood, along the way finding themselves underground and assisting mole people in a war to regain their throne from an usurper.  Meanwhile, Curtis’s parents leave his two sisters at an orphanage to watch the girls while they are away in Istanbul, having received a tip that Curtis may have been spotted there.  In typical fashion, the orphanage turns out to be a factory sweatshop run by a faded Russian movie starlet and her inventor boyfriend who is obsessed with finding a way into the Impassable Wilderness, sure that it’s potential as an industrial site is untapped.  There’s A LOT going on here, and it’s not until 400 pages into the novel that things begin to overlap and you understand how all of the storylines are related, but the language is rich and it does flesh out the woods more, exploring new terrain and expanding upon the world-building in the first book.  In addition, as with the previous tome, this one comes with fanciful and striking spot art illustrations (as well as a couple of full page, color plates) by Meloy’s wife, Carson Ellis. One of the major storylines deals with the topical issue of the growing economic disparity in the world and rise of rampant corporate growth:  after the Russian starlet Desdemona sees The 1% Journal on a desk, Meloy writes, “She didn’t understand the industrialist sensibility…  She’d fallen in with the crowd because she’d been attracted to the money… though she understood now that there was more to success and satisfaction than just blindly following the money.”  Whereas the first book could work as a contained story on its own, this one feels like a “middle book” – a bridge between stories – which, at the end, leaves all of the characters with things left to do and concludes with, “Their daily struggle, the tenuousness of their lives in the vacuum of power that has remained in the wake of a revolution, can wait until tomorrow.  Winter is passing.  A Spring will soon arrive.”  And the next installment can’t come soon enough.]

STARTED & FINISHED:
Kibuishi, Kazu. (2012). Prince of the elves [Amulet: Book 5]. New York: Graphix/Scholastic.


[.]


STARTED:
Martel, Yann. (2001). Life of Pi. New York: Harcourt.

[Re-reading before the film is released.  One of my favorites, so I'm glad to read it again...]

*

FINISHED:
Hunter, Erin. (2012). Survivors: the empty city. New York: HarperCollins.

[After surviving a catastrophic natural event that has left the city in ruins and caused all humans (a.k.a. longpaws) to evacuate leaving the city desolate, Lucky escapes from the cage in the “Trap House” where he found himself and sets out to fend for food and shelter.  Lucky eventually comes across, and grudgingly agrees to “lead”, a diverse pack of wayward dogs who were all pets before The Big Growl and now don’t know how to survive on their own, and ends up training his long-lost sister to become the leader of the group.  In this dystopian dog story (dystopian stories aren’t just for humans anymore!), the Erin Hunter consortium (in this case, Gillian Philip) turns its eye to canines after its success with cats (Warriors) and bears (Seekers).  This one continues to spread the messages of Earth preservation and spirituality found in the other series, but the plot wanders as aimlessly as the pack of dogs, a lot is left unexplained (What caused The Big growl?  How did all of the human evacuate so quickly?  Why was Lucky in the the “Trap House” to begin with?), and there are some ridiculous exchanges between the pups.  For instance, when one of the dogs suggests putting the food they have scavenged into the cold river and calling it a “cold-box”, one of the other dogs remarks, “But can we call it our ‘river-store’?  Instead of a cold-box?”  The first replies, “Well, I don’t see why not.  That’s a much better name anyway.  More… more doggish.”  Sure, because it seems more “doggish” for an animal to have a complicated system of bartering goods than to be able to recognize a basic sensation and a simple shape…  That said, it is interesting to get to see Lucky turn from staunch loner to reluctant leader over the course of his journeys (as seems to be par for the course for Hunter’s protagonists) and ultimately try to get the former “pet dogs” to be self-sufficient.  A cliffhanger ending ensures that Hunter enthusiasts will pick up the next installment when it is released this coming spring.]

STARTED:
Meloy, Colin. (2012). Under Wildwood. New York: Balzer + Bray.

[Reviewing for ACL... but this doubles as a pleasure read because I loved the first book...]

*

FINISHED:
Burns, John. (2005). The many adventures of Pengey Penguin. San Francisco: San Francisco Story Works.

[.]

STARTED:
Hunter, Erin. (2012). Survivors: the empty city. New York: HarperCollins.

[The Erin Hunter machine tries its hand at dogs (I kind of enjoy the bear ones...).]

*

FINISHED:
Schmidt, Gary D. (2012). What came from the stars. Boston: Clarion.

[.]


STARTED:
Burns, John. (2005). The many adventures of Pengey Penguin. San Francisco: San Francisco Story Works.

[A patron wrote it...]

*

FINISHED:
Dashner, James. (2012). The kill order. New York: Delacorte.


[.]

STARTED:
Schmidt, Gary D. (2012). What came from the stars. Boston: Clarion.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Hartman, Rachel. (2012). Seraphina. New York: Random House.



[.]


STARTED:
Dashner, James. (2012). The kill order. New York: Delacorte.


[The Maze Runner and its followup novels have been some of my absolute favorites from the past few years...]

*

FINISHED:
Lin, Grace. (2012). Starry river of the sky. New York: Little, Brown and Company.


[.]

STARTED:
Hartman,  Rachel.  (2012). Seraphina.  New York: Random House.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Spratt, R.A. (2012). Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan. New York: Little, Brown.


[.]

STARTED:
Lin, Grace. (2012). Starry river of the sky. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Fasick, Adele M. (2011). From boardbook to Facebook. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.


[.]

STARTED:
Spratt, R.A. (2012). Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan. New York: Little, Brown.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Amis, Martin. (2012). Lionel Asbo. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.


[.]

STARTED:
Fasick, Adele M. (2011). From boardbook to Facebook. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Steensland, Mark. (2012). Behind the bookcase. New York: Random House.

[ACL review forthcoming....]


STARTED:
Amis, Martin. (2012). Lionel Asbo. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[My second "grown up" book in a month!]

*

FINISHED:
Walker, Karen Thompson. (2012). Age of Miracles: a novel. New York: Random House.

[Julia is on the cusp of her 12th birthday when the world changes:  the Earth's rotation begins to slow down causing the days to become longer.  Soon, the length of a day gets so long that the government steps in and decides that we should continue to live in a 24-hour cycle, with those who would rather continue to live by the rising and setting of the sun being labeled as outcasts who are forced to form their own communities.  In addition, everything we know about gravity and the Earth's magnetic fields begins to change, birds start falling from the skies, the tides are more extreme, whales beach themselves en masse, too much/too little sun makes it difficult for crops to grow, and a sickness strikes a number of the world's citizens.  This is the not-so-perky backdrop to Julia's typical preteen life navigating first love, her father's secrets, piano lessons, soccer practice, and difficult friendships with other girls.]

STARTED:
Steensland, Mark. (2012). Behind the bookcase. New York: Random House.

[Reviewing for ACL...]

*

FINISHED:
Hartinger, Brent. (2005). The Order of the Poison Oak. New York: HarperCollins.

[Russel is back!  This time, it's summer break and he volunteers to be a summer camp counselor with his friends Min and Gunnar - newly "out", it's his effort to be somewhere where he won't be harassed for being "the gay kid".  And, it turns out to be a summer filled with misbehaved 10-year old burn survivors, encounters with love (even if they turn out to be jerks), forest fires, poison oak, and therapeutic folktales.]

STARTED:
Walker, Karen Thompson. (2012). Age of Miracles: a novel. New York: Random House.

[Who doesn't love a good end-of-the-world book??]

*

FINISHED:
Eichler, Glenn. (2011). Mush!: Sled dogs with issues. New York: First Second.

[.]

STARTED:
Hartinger, Brent. (2005). The Order of the Poison Oak. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Schlitz, Laura Amy. (2012). Splendors and glooms. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.


[Review forthcoming...]

STARTED:
Eichler, Glen. (2011). Mush!:  Sled dogs with issues. New York: First Second.

[.]

*

STARTED:
Schlitz, Laura Amy. (2012). Splendors and glooms. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[Reviewing for ACL (and The Emerald Atlas was becoming an albatross)...]

*

STARTED & FINISHED:
Fearing, Mark. (2012). Earthling! San Francisco: Chronicle.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Hartinger, Brent. (2003). The geography club. New York: HarperCollins.

[REALLY liked this one, and I'm excited to find out that it is the first in a series of novels about the central character, Russel.  Russel and 4 other students at his high school come together in solidarity over the fact that they are all either gay or bisexual and have no one else to talk to about this fact.  SO, they decide to start a fake geography club at school - believing that the name implies that the club is so boring that no other students will actually inquire about joining - where they can hang out together.  This is a FANTASTIC portrayal of high school dynamics that teachers should ABSOLUTELY have young students read in an effort to combat bullying, and to promote acceptance and tolerance.  Nothing is cut and dry, Russel is complex and conflicting, and there are SO MANY talking points around cliques and the treatment of others that this is a great read for kids who have outgrown James Howe's The Misfits (Atheneum, 2001).  Oh, if only this funny and spot-on portrait of a young teens coming out was around when I was growing up...]

STARTED:
Stephens, John. (2011). The emerald atlas. New York: Knopf.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Lowry, Lois. (2012). Son. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

[.]



STARTED:
Hartinger, Brent. (2003). The geography club. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Wright, Bil. (2011). Putting makeup on the fat boy. New York: Simon & Schuster.



[.]

STARTED:
Lowry, Lois. (2012). Son. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

[!!!!!!!!!!!!]

*

FINISHED:
Hautman, Pete. (2012). The obsidian blade: The Klaatu diskos: Book 1. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[[Reviewed from ARC.]


Tucker Feye lives with his mother and preacher father, Adrian, in small-town Hopewell County, Minnesota. One day while fixing a shingle on the roof, Adrian gets sucked into a swirling disk and disappears, only to return a short time later denouncing his faith and with an odd girl in tow. After his parents then leave to find a cure for a mysterious illness that has overtaken his mother, Tucker moves in with his Uncle Kosh and decides to see what these swirling disks are about, jumping into one and getting transported to the top of one of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. Though the novel’s first third has a sense of eerie mystery, once Tucker begins being transported through space and time via the portal disks, things get kind of convoluted and a tad confusing. There are a couple of different kinds of “beings” that Tucker encounters who aren’t clearly drawn or distinguishable, and one is never quite sure how all of the portals and their various worlds are interconnected. However, a compelling discourse on faith and religion in the digital age is here (“The greatest plague of all is upon us: The Digital Plague.”), as well as questions on the nature of time and space (“Is a future, once observed, still changeable? Or does the fact that we have observed it make it an immutable part of our personal past?”), adding to the novel’s mind-bending appeal. The first title in a trilogy, this one smacks of a lot of set-up, leaving a whole lot unanswered which one can only hope will be resolved in the next installments. That said, Hautman’s sci-fi tale is smart and thought-provoking with an intriguing cliffhanger ending that hints at jaw-dropping things to come.]


STARTED:
Wright, Bil. (2011). Putting makeup on the fat boy. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[Been in the mood for a young adult title with some strong gay characters.  This Stonewall Book Award winner should fit the bill...]

*

FINISHED:
Stead, Rebecca. (2012). Liar & spy. New York: Wendy Lamb/Random House.

[.]


STARTED:
Hautman, Pete. (2012). The obsidian blade: The Klaatu diskos: Book 1. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[Reviewing for ACL...]

*

FINISHED:
Marcus, Leonard S. (2012). Show me a story!: Why picture books matter: Conversations with 21 of the world's most celebrated illustrators. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
[Fascinating read for ANYONE interested in children's literature - particularly children's picture books.  Interesting that most of the authors interviewed here never had any idea that they would end up writing/illustrating children's books.  A majority seemed to start out in graphic design and ended up falling into making books for kids. Some amazing names talking here: Mo Willems, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, TANA HOBAN (!)...]


STARTED:
Stead, Rebecca. (2012). Liar & spy. New York: Wendy Lamb/Random House.

[Reading the ARC that I got at ALA last weekend!]

*

STARTED:
Marcus, Leonard S. (2012). Show me a story!:  Why picture books matter: Conversations with 21 of the world's most celebrated illustrators. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[I've gotten QUITE stalled on Redwall #18 - it's just not flying with me right now so I thought I'd move on to something that I KNEW would compel me...]

*

FINISHED:
Gantos, Jack. (2011). Dead end in Norvelt. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 

[.]

STARTED:
Jacques, Brian. (2005). High Rhulain. New York: Philomel/Penguin.

[I've been WAY overdue for another Redwall book (#18?)...]

*

FINISHED:
Beil, Michael D. (2012). Summer at Forsaken Lake. New York: Knopf.

Twelve-year old Nicholas, and his younger twin sisters, travel from New York City to spend the summer on a lake in rural Ohio with their Uncle Nick.  Thus begins a summer of discovery and growth for Nicholas including learning to sail, restoring an old boat, discovering the joys of reading (and classic titles, to boot!), and a mystery involving an accident that occurred while Nicholas’s father was trying to make a short film (“The Seaweed Strangler”) when he was Nicholas’s age.  Nicholas makes a friend (and more?) in Charlie, a strong girl who can strikeout any boy with her amazing pitching arm, and his uncle teaches him to ride a bike by having him ride alongside a barn with one hand brushing against the side for stability.  This, and letting Nicholas take a boat out on the lake alone, go miles in building Nicholas’s confidence and teaching him to be an independent adult – especially since Nicholas rarely sees his father, as his dad travels around the world with “Doctors Without Borders”.  Michael D. Beil, author of the Red Blazer Girls series (Knopf/Random House, 2009) (LOVE them!) has written one of those “summer coming-of-age” stories with vivid characters and setting that should appeal to BOTH boys and girls.]

STARTED:
Gantos, Jack. (2011). Dead end in Norvelt. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

[ALA is coming up and I'm going to the Newbery/Caldecott banquet so I thought I ought to read last year's winner...]

*

FINISHED:
Durbin, Frederic S. (2012). The star shard. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

[.]

STARTED:

Beil, Michael D. (2012). Summer at Forsaken Lake. New York: Knopf.

[By the author of the Red Blazer Girls!]

*

FINISHED:
DiTerlizzi, Tony. (2012). A hero for WondLa. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[.]


STARTED:
Durbin, Frederic S. (2012). The star shard. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

[Reading for ACL Distinguished...]

*

FINISHED: 

Losure, Mary. (2012). The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
 [.]

STARTED:
DiTerlizzi, Tony. (2012). A hero for WondLa. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[The first in the series was my favorite book of 2010.  Been anticipating the followup for awhile!]

*

FINISHED:
Steward, Trenton Lee. (2012). The extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict. New York: Little Brown.


[.]

STARTED:
Losure, Mary. (2012). The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
McMann, Lisa. (2011). The Unwanteds. New York: Aladdin.

[The society of Quill sorts 13-year olds into three categories each year:  the Wanteds (who are valued), the Necessaries (who'll be put to work), and the Unwanteds... who are punished for their creative urges by being put to death.  While Alex's twin, Aaron, is labelled a "Wanted" and goes to work for the oppressive government, Alex himself, because he once drew a house in the mud, is an Unwanted.  What Alex and the other Unwanteds don't know, however, is that being labelled an Unwanted isn't quite the sentence to death that they thought they were in for.  In fact, though the government of Quill isn't aware of this, the Unwanteds are brought to a magical, colorful place run by Mr. Today, where they will hone their creativity and learn to fight in anticipation of the day when they are discovered by Quill.  I'd say that the blurb on the cover which describes this as "Hunger Games meets Harry Potter" is actually pretty apropos.  Though hardly a substitute for either, I found this one to be SUPER compelling and quite fun.  Granted, the action moves a bit quickly and there really isn't time for much character development or relationship building (Alex does find a Hermione/Ron-ish group of pals), but the premise is intriguing and you've got me any time a major plot point revolves around a restrictive government that is called into question.  A VALUABLE lesson for the youth of today!]

STARTED:
Steward, Trenton Lee. (2012). The extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict. New York: Little Brown.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Dumon Tak, Bibi. [Laura Watkinson, translator] (2011). Soldier bear. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.

[Interesting (true!) story about a group of soldiers in WWII who took in a bear as their mascot, but was then made an honorary soldier because of the theraputic nature of the bear to the soldiers.  Great story, but I found the writing (maybe it's a translation issue?) to be kind of stilted and plodding.]

STARTED:
McMann, Lisa. (2011). The Unwanteds. New York: Aladdin.

[It's touted as "Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games"...  Who WOULDN'T want to read this one?!?]

*

FINISHED:
Lawrence, Caroline. (2012). The Case of the Deadly Desperados: Western Mysteries, Book One. New York: Putnam.

[ P.K. Pinkerton, a 12-year old, half Lakota indian living out in the Wild West in 1862, comes home one afternoon to find his foster parents slain and now on the run from outlaws who are after a piece of paper that P.K.’s mother entrusted to him on her deathbed; a piece of paper that would grant the bearer land believed to contain a large natural deposit of silver.   After hopping a stagecoach, P.K. finds himself in Virginia City and continually getting side-tracked on his way to get his paper notarized by engaging in a host of adventures including spending the night in an opium den while keeping watch over a prostitute, helping a guy cheat at poker, dodging bullets while disguised as a girl, and, ultimately, deep in a mine.  The first paragraph of the book reads, “My name is P.K. Pinterton and before this day is over I will be dead,” and it’s full speed ahead from there on out, with most chapters ending in classic “How will he possibly get out of this situation?” cliffhangers.  Lawrence draws a vivid and realistic depiction of the old West by including the rampant racism against Native Americans and Chinese during that time, and not shying away from gruesome details (scalping, chopping off a finger, etc.) or the fact that “soiled doves” (prostitutes) and opium dens existed in the city.  And, P.K.’s character is kept interesting and given depth by the fact that, although it is never explicitly spelled out – likely because it was never identified at the time – he is clearly operating somewhere on the autism spectrum, having a photographic memory, an amazing talent with numbers, and constantly having to consult his mental notes on what people’s various facial expressions might indicate about their motivations.  This is an explosive, nonstop beginning to what should be a rip-roaring, fun new series.  Includes a glossary of colloquial language used at the time and places and people (including Sam Clemens [a.k.a. Mark Twain]) referenced in the novel [Review based on ARC.] .]

STARTED:
Dumon Tak, Bibi. [Laura Watkinson, translator] (2011). Soldier bear. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
 Tyler, Anne. (2012). The beginner's goodbye.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[Well, the New York Times review that I've linked to (click title above) says that this is one is "arguably this talented author’s tritest and most predictable novel," and I might be somewhat inclined to agree.  I'll tell you, even when the book was first announced and I saw that it was going to be under 200 pages I thought, "Well, this one's going to be kind of thin..."  Thirty-something Aaron loses his wife, Dorothy, in a "freak" accident and attempts to move forward, occasionally seeing Dorothy at random places and times.  There are definite shades of The Accidental Tourist (Random House, 1985) here (the main character works in publishing a series of "how to"-ish books, his sister ends up with someone Aaron knows) which made this one seem like a bit of retread, though I enjoyed hearing about Aaron and Dorothy's "unconventional" relationship because it reminded me a bit of my own...]

STARTED:
Lawrence, Caroline. (2012). The Case of the Deadly Desperados: Western Mysteries, Book One.  New York: Putnam.

[Reviewing for ACL...]

*

FINISHED:
 Wood, Maryrose. (2012). The unseen guest [The incorrigible children of Ashton Place #3]. New York: Balzer + Bray.

[Not my favorite of the 3 so far, but it's still a highly entertaining series.  Much like the TV show LOST (best. show. ever.) she seems to be presenting a whole bunch of clues to something (but, what??), and asking a whole bunch questions and not answering any of them.  In this one, the Widow Ashton comes to visit her son with her new boyfriend and their pet ostrich in tow.  When the ostrich mysteriously gets away, Penelope and the three incorrigibles head off into the forest to find it, eventually having to spend the night in a cave - a cave which Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia seems to know only too well...]

STARTED:
Tyler, Anne. (2012). The beginner's goodbye. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[NEW ANNE TYLER! NEW ANNE TYLER!!]

*

FINISHED:
Shelton, Dave. (2012). A boy and a bear in a boat. New York: David Fickling.

[Life of Pi meets Waiting for Godot... for kids!
That sounds like a joke, but it’s not.) This existential and esoteric title involves a boy who jumps in a rowboat captained by a bear and asks to be taken to the “other side” of a vast expanse of water.  What follows is 300 pages of hilariously dry, meaningless “action” including:  for a whole chapter the two play “I spy” with the only things to really spy being the sea and the sky (“Um, what did you say it began with again?” said the bear.  “S,” said the boy.  Like everything we’ve spied for the last hour, he thought.); the bear assures the boy that he knows where he’s going by pointing to a spot on an all blue map (“The boy was speechless.  A single tear traced a route down his cheek.  ‘No need to cry with joy,’ said the bear.  ‘It’s all part of the service.’”); and encounters with a terrifying creature from the deep (“Don’t hit him!” shouted the boy.  “Ask him if he knows the way!”) and a ghost ship (“What do you smell now?” said the boy.  “Danger!” said the bear.  “…or maybe marmalade.”).  The text is littered with cute, simple spot art every couple of pages which show a good amount of emotion (the bear is sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth while tying a fishing fly), and the chapters are episodic, relatively short, and easily digestible.  Although I fear this one might not get the response that it deserves, it sure made me laugh out loud!]

STARTED:
Wood, Maryrose. (2012). The unseen guest [The incorrigible children of Ashton Place #3]. New York: Balzer + Bray.

[Loving this series - they're pretty darned hilarious and clever...]

*

FINISHED:
Hall, Teri. (2011). Away. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

STARTED:
Shelton, Dave. (2012). A boy and a bear in a boat. New York: David Fickling.

[We were talking about whether or not to get this one at SFPL and couldn't decide - so I took it to read because it instantly made me think of The Life of Pi which I LOVED.]

*

FINISHED:
Mull, Brandon. (2012). Seeds of rebellion (Beyonders #2). New York: Aladdin.

[Well, this one suffered a bit from the "middle book" syndrome. It really seemed like not a whole lot happened in this one, even though it was almost 500 pages and took me way too long to read. There was a bunch of stuff presented that it seemed was set up for the final installment in the trilogy, and there were WAY too many characters and places (some of which weren't even included on the map at the beginning) to keep track of. Jason took a bit of a backseat and didn't really have a whole lot to do in this one, though the Rachel character was definitely given a greater role and it would appear that the powers she is developing will play a large part in Maldor's downfall. I'm still a Brandon Mull fan and eagerly await not only the conclusion to this series, but all other works from him in the future.]

STARTED:
Hall, Teri. (2011). Away. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Hall, Teri. (2010). The line. New York: Dial.

[In a dystopian future, Rachel's mother works as a housekeeper on an old estate and Rachel has begun helping to raise orchids. The greenhouse where she works is just yards from THE LINE, a line that was formed during a war where U.S. troops came in and sectioned off a large chunk of land. When Rachel comes across an old recorder playing a garbled message of help, she decides to assist a boy on the other side of the line whose family needs medicine. A FANTASTIC story that smacks of a classic, with just the right amount of politics and a message about questioning our government. Somewhat of a 1984 for tweens. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED... and I can't wait to read the sequel, Away...]

STARTED:
Mull, Brandon. (2012). Seeds of rebellion (Beyonders #2). New York: Aladdin.

[This guy is becoming a favorite - can't recommend his Fablehaven series enough...]

*

FINISHED:
Hunter, Erin. (2012). Island of shadows (Seekers: Return to the wild #1). New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Hall, Teri. (2010). The line. New York: Dial.

[Ever since we got this one in I've been intrigued...]

*

FINISHED:
Marrone, Amanda. (2010). The multiplying menace: a magic repair shop book. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[When her parents have to spend a year abroad studying a new kind of cockroach, Maggie is sent to live in a small town with her grandmother. In town, Maggie finds a Magic Repair Shop and goes in to see if she can get a job, discovering that her grandfather was actually one of the original owners of the shop... and was able to do magic... just like Maggie. You see, Maggie has the ability to make (most of) her wishes come true, and she uses this power to get herself, and another hopeful student, into a prestigious school in town. Throw in a nefarious magician who seems to be making animals (and people?) multiply, and you've got an enjoyable - if a bit uneven, and clearly a set up for further novels - start to the Magic Repair Shop series.]

STARTED:
Hunter, Erin. (2012). Island of shadows (Seekers: Return to the wild #1). New York: HarperCollins.

[She's got me hooked with these Seekers books...]

*

FINISHED:
Reisfeld, Randi. (2012). What the dog said. New York: Bloomsbury.

[Grace has retreated from school, friends, everything since her policeman father was murdered in a drive-by shooting a few months back. Her older sister, Regan, is only concerned with getting into the Parsons School of Design and convinces their mom to let her get a rescue dog - the hope being that by enrolling the dog in classes to train it to be a "helper animal", that it will look good on her college application. At the pound, a homely dog, Rex, chooses Grace to be his owner by TELLING her to pick him. Can Rex, the talking dog whom only Grace is able to hear, help her figure out the circumstances surrounding her father's murder, and eventually move her through her grief? Well, of course...]

STARTED:
Marrone, Amanda. (2010). The multiplying menace: a magic repair shop book. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[Reviewing for SFPL...]

*

ABANDONED:
Morgenstern, Erin. (2011). The night circus. New York: Doubleday.

[It was just taking me WAY too long to get through this one. It wasn't really grabbing my attention, and I didn't find myself wanting to get back to it. Maybe another time...]

STARTED:
Reisfeld, Randi. (2012). What the dog said. New York: Bloomsbury.

[.]

*

A bit of a re-boot here. I'm pretty proud of myself for being so vigilant with this blog since its very inception (geez, almost 5 YEARS now), but I got a bit off track that last few weeks. Vacations, sickness, kind-of speed reading a few minor books not worth mentioning, etc.

BUT, we're back in business now...

STARTED:
Morgenstern, Erin. (2011). The night circus. New York: Doubleday.

[Such glowing reviews (except for the New York Times)! And, it was about time to throw in an "adult" book...]

*

FINISHED:
Oliver, Lauren. (2011). Liesl & Po. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Haskell, Merrie. (2011). The princess curse. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Applegate, Katherine. (2012). The one and only Ivan. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Oliver, Lauren. (2011). Liesl & Po. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Cline, Ernest. (2011). Ready Player One. New York: Crown.

[This one was FUN FUN FUN - mainly because it was targeted directly at me. Grow up playing videogames and going to arcades in the '70s? Is Wargames (MGM, 1983) one of your favorite movies? Did you watch all of the great sitcoms of the '80s like Family Ties? Cline (clearly a man that I could be friends with) has crafted a novel that is part Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, part DaVinci Code (only the best parts...) or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, along with a healthy dose of pop culture nostalgia and dystopian science fiction. 30 & 40-something geeks rejoice!]

STARTED:
Applegate, Katherine. (2012). The one and only Ivan. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Reeve, Philip. (2011). Web of air. New York: Scholastic.




[.]



Nolan, Han. (2010). Crazy. Boston: Harcourt.

[.]


STARTED:
Cline, Ernest. (2011). Ready Player One. New York: Crown.

[.]

*