Month: October 2008

October Jacket Flap-a-Thon

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Presenting the Halloween edition of the Jacket Flap-a-thon…

5. The Gollywhopper Games (Greenwillow Books): “Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Welcome to the biggest, bravest, boldest competition the world has ever seen! The Gollywhopper Games! Are you ready? Gil Goodson sure hopes he’s ready. His future happiness depends on winning the Golly Toy & Game Company’s ultimate competition. If Gil wins, his dad promised the family can move out of Orchard Heights — away from all the gossip, the false friends, the bad press that have plagued the Goodsons ever since The Incident. Gil’s been studying for months. He thinks he knows everything about Golly’s history and merchandise. But does he know enough to answer the trivia? Solve the puzzles? Complete the stunts? Will it be more than all the other kids know? Gil’s formidable opponents have their own special talents. He must be quicker and smarter than all of them. The ride of Gil’s life is about to begin. Win! Win! Win!”
Aside from the cloying “Win!Win!Win!” at the end, it’s a pretty good blurb, getting readers geared up for the fun ride that the book is.

4. Frankenstein (Signet Classics): “The story of Victor Frankenstein and of the monstrous creature he created has held readers spellbound ever since it was published almost two centuries ago. On the surface, it is a novel of tense and steadily mounting horror; but on a more profound level, it offers searching illumination of the human condition in its portrayal of a scientist who oversteps the bounds of conscience, and of a monster brought to life in an alien world, ever more desperately attempting to escape the torture of his solitude. A novel of hallucinatory intensity, Frankenstein represents one of the most striking flowerings of the Romantic imagination.”
Short, to the point, and intriguing.

3. Diamond Willow (Frances Foster Books): “Twelve-year-old Willow would rather blend in than stick out. But she still wants to be seen for who she is. She wants her parents to notice that she is growing up. She wants her best friend to like her better than she likes a certain boy. She wants, more than anything, to mush the dogs out to her grandparents’ house, by herself, with Roxy in the lead. But sometimes when it’s just you, one mistake can have frightening consequences . . . And when Willow stumbles, it takes a surprising group of friends to help her make things right again.”
A hard novel to write a blurb for, but I think they did a pretty good job capturing at least the essence of the story.

2. Coraline (Harper Collins): “In Corlaine’s family’s new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close. The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own. Only it’s different…. At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there’s another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Other children are trapped there aw well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself. Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.”
Good. Creepy. And makes me want to read the book. (How does she get out?)

1. The Call of the Wild (Simon and Schuster): “Buck lived the happy, comfortable life of a pet in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley. But when one of the garden workers brings him to the train station and sells him, his whole life changes. Buck is caged and forced to travel by train — without food or water — to the frozen North. When he arrives, he is full of fury. But a man with a club shows Buck who’s boss, and Buck has no choice but to obey. So begins the story of a dog taken from his home and master, and forced to learn the ropes as a sled dog in the tough, frozen world of the Klondike gold rush. Unaccustomed to the savage, unruly ways of the North, Buck learns by trial and error. But his spirit is unbreakable, and he grows strong in the wilderness. From one master to another, Buck thrives on hard work and discipline, becoming a lead dog on the team. He toils long and hard, keeping the other dogs in line. He remembers his easy life in California, bu this new life stirs up ancient instincts, and Buck knows that he belongs in the wild. With vivid, passionate details of the North, Jack London tells the classic story of a sled dog during the 1900 Alaskan gold rush. An introduction by award-winning author Gary Paulsen and realistic, evocative illustrations by Bary Moser make this edition of The Call of the Wild one to be treasured for generations to come.”
A bit long, but evocative. Granted, it tells you pretty much the whole story (at least a good part of it), but in this case it actually helps rather than hurts.

The One Worst:
Sense and Sensibility (QPBC): “Perhaps the most affecting and accomplished of Jane Austen’s novels, Sense and Sensibility (which grew out of an adolescent sketch “Elinor and Marianne”) tells the story of two sisters, polar opposites Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, whose hopes of marrying well are smashed when their family’s estate is left to an arrogant stepson upon the death of their father. Thus pauperized, the practical, almost prissy Elinor (the “sense” of the duo) sets out to hide her deep affection for her brother-in-law, pained at the fact that they cannot marry. But when younger Marianne, indulging her almost hedonistic pursuit of passion, becomes infatuated with a dashing rogue, her clamorous spirit threatens to blind her to a more lasting and genuine love. Delicately piercing and exquisite in its irony, Sense and Sensibility — Austen’s first published novel — is a profound examination of two sisters who discover the limits of both mind and the heart.”
Okay, it’s not that bad (it is accurate after all)… but it is a bit chatty for Jane Austen, and calling Elinor prissy?! C’mon.

Jimmy’s Stars

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True: There are a LOT of books about World War II out there.

True: There is also a lot of books about kids dealing with war and the effects it has on daily life.

True: Jimmy’s Stars is one of those books.

However, even though it’s a WWII book about a child, Ellie (age 11), dealing with how the war touches everyday American life, it doesn’t come off as trite, or overdone, or sentimental. True: it’s a very touching portrait of a girl trying to come to grips with her brother, Jimmy, entering the war. It’s simultaneously a very simple book and a very complex one.

The thing that carries this book from the beginning, is Ellie. She’s so real, so believable, so heart-breakingly hopeful that she literally leaps off the page and into your heart. You want her life to be okay, everything to go on as normal, and yet nothing can because of the war. It touches her life in so many ways — from the big: Jimmy going away, her Aunt Toots coming to live with them, her mother and sister going to work; to the little: to the dreaded summer canning, a girl’s bragging about her brothers being heros.

Interestingly enough it’s both an anti-war book (war does things to people that aren’t very good; is war really worth it), as well as one that subtly chastizes those who don’t appreciate what the soldiers — especially the ones who were just the line soldiers — have done (and do) for the safety of the country (and the world). It’s not often you see those two sentiments paired in a book, but it works well here. And it made me think not only about those who served in World War II, but those that are currently serving. And the sacrifices their families make so I can type here on my computer in relative saftey and freedom, telling you to go read this book.

You won’t regret it.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel. Thank you.)

Bloody Jack

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Leila mentioned this book on her blog a while ago, and I stuck it on my list. But, honestly, I completely forgot about it. Then, I was wandering the aisles, looking for books for M, and it jumped out at me. (It was only later that I realized it was one that Leila had recommended…) She loved it, and passed it my way with a “You HAVE to read this!” So, taking a break from middle grade books, I did.

Jacky Faber was orphaned at an early age and grew up with the rest of the orphan scrabble on the streets of 18th-century London. One day, however, when Jacky’s gang leader, Charlie, was brutally murdered, Jacky decides to make a career change. Hiking down the Thames to the sea, Jacky enlists in His Royal Majesty’s Navy, becoming a ship’s boy. The hitch (and you probably figured this one out): Jacky is a girl. She not only has to deal with not being detected, but she — in an incredibly hilarious twist — ends up going through puberty while on the ship, which only complicates things. She does make a bit of a name for herself, battling against pirates, and ends up stranded on an island (but doesn’t get there the usual way), and falls in love. In short, she’s quite busy.

As far as seafaring/piratey/girls-masquerading-as-boys books go, this one’s a winner. A rip-roaring adventure book, it’s not for the faint of heart (boasting battles, fights, an almost-rape-scene, among other things). But it is: humorous, witty, exciting, thrilling… and has something for just about everyone. And, M’s right: you HAVE to read this. (Well, you don’t have to, but you won’t be sorry if you did.)

Totally Off Topic: Picture Tag

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Booklogged tagged me for this one, and it sounded like it was 1) easy and 2) fun. The rules: go to your pictures folder and select the 4th folder. Within that folder, you select the 4th picture and post it online.

Here ya go:

Actually, I cheated a bit; there’s only two folders in the folder where I keep my pictures (I’m obsessive about keeping the computer drive “clean” and save most stuff on disks)… so it’s the fourth picture from the second folder. I think it’s one I took at Botanica last summer.

Anyway, I tag my bloggy friends that post pictures regularly:
Corinne
Kellie
Cami
Lucia

and anyone else who feels like playing.

The Gollywhopper Games

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I was totally charmed by this book. Sure, it’s a book about a kid who solves puzzles to win stuff (my initial thought was “oh, dear, ANOTHER puzzle book?”) but the feel of the book completely won me over. I smiled. I cheered. I was thoroughly entertained.

The Gollywhopper Toy Company is having a contest to celebrate its 50th anniversary. only 2500 kids, ages 11 to 15, will be allowed to compete, and Gil Goodson is one of those kids. The son of a former Gollywhopper executive (he was arrested under suspicion of embezzlement, but ended up wtih a not guilty verdict after a trial), Gil is determined to win. Partially to “get back” at the company that made his father’s (and his) life so miserable, but partially because he’s made a deal with his dad: if Gil wins, they’ll move.

The book is mostly about the games — a series of questions and puzzles that Gil (and the decreasing number of contestants) have to solve. It’s a bit like Mysterious Benedict Society that way, except that Gil isn’t one of those pretentious geniuses figuring everything out. In that way, I think that The Gollywhopper Games is more accessible: Gil’s just a regular guy who happens to be pretty good at deductive reasoning. The puzzles were tricky, but nothing over the top. And yeah, they were kind of fun to figure out. But it’s also about Gil making peace with the past, about working together, and about gaining the confidence to do not only what is right, but what you think you can do. It’s not an especially challenging or even plot-heavy book, but I’m not sure that’s the point. I think it’s more about the mood — about having fun and doing your best, and enjoying the ride while you’re at it.

Of course Gil wins in the end– like Charlie Bucket, there’s no doubt that he would. But getting there is a whole lotta fun. Which makes it charming, fun, and ultimately quite satisfying.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel. Thank you.)

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

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I picked this one off the library shelves because it was a Cybils nominee, but I knew nothing beyond that. Turns out that it’s a second-in-a-series, but, hey, I found out that it works well as a stand-alone. I’m curious to know what happened in the first adventure, but Stewart did a smashing job working it into the plot of this book, so I really didn’t feel too left out. (Which, I suppose, could be a complaint: I wonder if it came off as too heavy-handed on the back story for those who’ve read the first one?)

The basic plot surrounds four children — Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance (who’s only three, an important point to remember) — who are geniuses, children with “special” talents, and part of a society founded by their patron, and friend, Mr. Benedict. This book takes place a year after the first adventure, when the four were going to meet Mr. Benedict for a special surprise. However, it turns out that Mr. Benedict, along with his assistant, Number Two, has been kidnapped by their nemesis, Mr. Curtain, and is being held for ransom. And (because it is the way in these books), it’s up to the four to follow Mr. Benedicts clues and rescue him. And (because it is the way of these books), it doesn’t go exactly to plan, ensuring that adventures, near-scrapes, and some close calls will occur.

Sounds corny, but I really enjoyed this book. Sure, my sophisticated brain was saying “These kids are precocious twerps” and “yeah, right” but, as is the way with blow-em-up-movies, I was having too grand a time to care. I liked the precocious kids, especially how they worked together. If there ever is a book about mind over matter (brains over brawn!), this is one. Hooray for the geeky genius kid who knows everything. But beyond that, the book screams for it not to be taken seriously. A random passage:

“How do you know all that? Constance asked.

Milligan glanced at her. She was sitting up straight in the passenger seat — unlike the others she hadn’t needed to duck — and Milligan frowned as something occurred to him. “You should be in a child’s car seat. It’s dangerous without one.”

Constance looked at him incredulously. “Are you joking?”

“A bit. Still, let’s do buckle up, everyone.” Keeping his eyes on the road, Milligan reached across and pulled down Constance’s seat belt strap, which because of her height (or lack thereof) ran diagonally across her face. She glared at him with her one visible eye.

“Feel free to adjust that,” Milligan said, giving her a lop-sided grin.

I think it’s meant to be all in good fun (nobody gets killed, for heaven’s sake), and for the sense of adventure — and friendship, and working-together-ness — to win out over anything more sinister. And I think the book is better for it. If it had been serious (think, oh, Alex Rider), I probably would have mocked it for its pretentiousness. But because it’s lighthearted, because it invites you to laugh along with the story, it’s able to tell a pretty far-fetched story without seeming heavy-handed. (And come off with a good “moral” in the end.) As and added bonus: no cliff hangers, no to-be-continued; the story nicely wraps itself up, while leaving just the slightest thread that could be spun into yet another book.

Which makes it that much better.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel. Thank you.)

Because it Sounded Interesting Today

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And, like always, because there’s books that I haven’t read, and should read.

NOTE: Changes from last year are in red.

What: Reading at least 4 books by Jewish Authors or about Judaism
When: December 21, 2008 (Beginning of Hanukkah) to April 27, 2009 (End of Passover)
Who: Anyone who wants to participate! Bloggers or Non-Bloggers alike
Where: Right here of course! You can also post your picks and reviews to your own blog if you have one of course.
How: Sign the comments on THIS post to join the challenge. Also tell me if you want to be added to the blog. If so, include your email address. (put it like this to prevent spam: yourname AT yourdomain DOT com) Once I’ve added you, you can post your picks here and when the time comes, post your reviews here too. I’m sure you’ll want to post about this challenge on your blog too. Use the banner above and link to this blog.

Are you wondering more about what books are okay?
Fiction, Non-fiction, memoirs, Adult books, Teen books, Children’s books, books about the Holocaust, books about anti-semitism, books about Jewish Life, Jewish Culture, Jewish Customs. Books by Jewish Authors no matter what the subject.

My list:
1. Yellow Star, by Jennifer Rozines Roy
2. The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
3. Maus I and Maus II, Art Spiegelman
4. The Bee Season, Myla Goldberg

Random Thoughts on a Monday Afternoon

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I don’t usually do this, but I’m trying to figure out how to write a review of a book that I just don’t get (beyond saying I don’t get it), and there are assorted little things that I probably should post, but don’t want to write individual posts for them all… So. Here’s to wasting time:

  • I was excited when I found out that John Green was going on tour for his new book, Paper Towns. Granted, his books and I are batting .500, but I really like his vlog, and I’d love the opportunity to meet him. Unfortunately, the closest he is getting to Wichita is Oklahoma City, on a Sunday afternoon. Not happening. I did notice, however, that he in Boston over the weekend (I did notice this a while ago…), and I figured since my lovely sister lives there, then she can play fangirl surrogate and go to the signing. Well… didn’t happen. (No parking. It’s Boston. I don’t know what we expected…) I am a teeny bit bummed, though. Maybe next time.
  • My library just upgraded it’s online catalog search. Can I tell you how much I love this? Not only does it make searching for a book (or movie or CD) SO much easier, it allows me to sort my TBR pile by genre/however I want, so they’re not all lumped in together. It also sorts by publish date, and has the cover picture next to the title, so I know which book it is that I want exactly. Heaven.
  • Want to see what I got myself into with the CYBILS (who knew we’d have 129 books this year??)? The lists of nominations are up…. go have a looksee; there are many, many great books on the lists.
  • Lastly, but not leastly, Becky’s got the Bookworms Carnival up for your perusal. Lots of great Gothic books, and if you haven’t managed to find those last couple of books for the RIP III read, this might just give you an idea or two…
  • While we’re on the subject of Carnivals, There will be TWO bookworms carnivals in the month of November:

    Edition 17 hosted by: Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
    Deadline for submission: November 14, 2008
    Theme: graphic novels
    To submit a post, email: dewpie at gmail dot com

    Edition 18 hosted by: Bookopolis
    Deadline for submission: November 28, 2008
    Theme: Memoirs
    To submit a post, email: preferred.stock at gmail dot com

Okay. I think I’m done. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming….

The Call of the Wild

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I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book. Obviously, it’s about a dog, since there’s one on the cover. (As an aside: the illustrations in the book are done by Brian Moser, who also did the edition of Dracula I read. They were fabulous.) I also knew it was considered a classic. But beyond that I had no idea what to expect.

I was suitably impressed.

For those who don’t know: it’s the story of Buck, a husky. He was initially a pet, living a comfortable life in southern California, about the turn of the century, until one of his master’s servants sold him to pay off his gambling debts. Buck then found himself shipped north to Canada/Alaska, and was beaten and trained as a sled dog. He learned the ropes (unlike many “Southerner” dogs, who died from the hardship and the work), and was eventually passed through several masters. And practically run to death. He was saved by his last master, and stayed with him for while. Buck, however, became more and more restless, hearing (sorry), the call of the wild, until he finally left humanity (if that can be possible for a dog) altogether, joining the wolves in the end.

London is a tight writer — almost a poet — in that no word is wasted. There is so much packed into each sentence, into each page, that even though the book is only 111 pages long, it feels complete. There really was nothing missing, or anything superfluous. I’m also not one to enjoy pages and pages of narrative, but in this case, I was captivated. I liked how London treated the dogs, Buck especially. I felt like I knew Buck, even though he never spoke a word. He was personified for me, with emotions (fear, rage, jealousy, love), and with ambitions and desires. And the emotion of the book: it’s an adventure story, but it’s full of pain and love and anger and disappointment and happiness. I’m still amazed at how much London captured through the eyes of a dog.

I suppose this one could be easily written off as one of those English-major-only books, or perhaps one of those animal-lover-only books, but it’s not. (Since I’m neither of those….) It truly is a classic: something that can be enjoyed by everyone, on some level. It really is worth the time spent reading it.