Last one for the year. I’ve enjoyed thinking about jacket-flaps this year, and have learned that mostly it’s personal taste whether they “work” or not. In general, though: shorter is better, without giving away important (or near the end of the book details), while keeping to the style of the book all contribute (generally) to a good jacket flap.

I don’t think I’ll keep this up, though, next year (unless there are some of you that REALLY want me to…). Perhaps I’ll find some other way to keep track of my monthly reading.

5. Shooting the Moon (atheneum books for young readers): “Jamie thinks her father can do anything… until the one time he can do nothing. When twelve-year-old Jamie Dexter’s brother joins the Army and is sent to Vietnam, Jamie is plum thrilled. She can’t wait to get letters from the front lines describing the excitement of real-life combat: the sound of helicopters, the smell of gunpowder, the exhilaration of being right in the thick of it. After all, they’ve both dreamed of following in the footsteps of their father, the Colonel. But TJ’s first letter isn’t a letter at all. It’s a roll of undeveloped film, the first of many. What Jamie sees when she develops TJ’s photographs reveals a whole new side of the war. Slowly the shine begins to fade off of Army life – and the Colonel. How can someone she’s worshiped her entire life be just as helpless to save her brother as she is? From the author of the Edgar Award-winning Dovey Coe comes a novel,both timely and timeless, about the sacrifices we make for what we believe and the people we love.”

Slightly misleading… it makes you think her plays a more active role than he actually does (he kind of is an overarching presence, rather than an active player). But it captures the tone of this coming-of-age book well.

4. Persuasion (Quality Paperback Book Club): “In a letter to her niece, Jane Austen described Anne Elliot — the shy, intelligent heroine of Persuasion — as ‘almost too good for me.’ An increasingly spinsterish heiress, Anne is slighted by her spendthrift father and attendance social circle because of her past engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a young naval officer considerably below her in social class and prestige. Persuasion begins seven years after the end of that engagement, when Wentworth is thrown back into Anne’s sphere and the two are left to resolve the smarting wounds of their past liaison. Powers have shifted: Wentworth’s distinction has risen estimably in rank and measure, while much of Anne’s youthful beauty is gone. Persuasion, which some critics speculate is based loosely on Austen’s memories of a mysterious suitor, is the author’s most serious, compelling novel, a deeply felt tale of retaliation — and forgiveness — in the face of abiding love.”

It’s not often that I’ve liked a QPBC blurb; usually they’re abominable. But I think they do Persuasion justice.

3. A Christmas Carol (Dover): “In October 1843, Charles Dickens — heavily in debt and obligated to his publisher — began work on a book to help supplement his family’s meager income. That volume, A Christmas Carol, has long since become one of the most beloved stories in the English language. As much a part of the holiday season as holly, mistletoe and evergreen wreaths, this perennial favorite continues to delight new readers and rekindle thoughts of charity and good will nearly 150 years after it was first published. With its characters exhibiting many qualities — as well as failures — often ascribed to Dickens himself, the imaginative and entertaining tale relates Ebenezer Scrooge’s eerie encounters with a series of spectral visitors. Journeying with them through Christmases past, present and future, he is ultimately transformed from an arrogant, obstinate and insensitive miser to a generous, warm-hearted and caring human being. Written by one of England’s greatest and most popular novelists, A Christmas Carol has come to epitomize the true meaning of Christmas.”

Writing a blurb for something as well known as A Christmas Carol has got to be difficult. This balances information between the history behind and the story of the book quite nicely.

2. Alvin Ho (Schwartz & Wade books): “Here are some things you should know about Alvin Ho : 1. He is afraid of everything. Trains, bridges, substitute teachers, girls, school. Everything. 2. He is from Concord, Massachusetts, which is hard to spell. 3. He loves Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and all the superheroes of the world. In fact, he is a superhero himself — Firecracker Man! 4. He is trying very hard to be a gentleman, like his dad, but there are a lot of rules and they are hard to remember. 5. He can talk at home and on the school bus, but never, ever at school. It’s just too scary. (See #1.) And there’s a lot more to learn about this amazing kid, so meet Alvin Ho…”

Cute, clever, sweet… keeps the style of the book wonderfully, and entices just enough without giving much away at all.

1. Yellow Star (Marshall Cavendish): “In 1939, the Germans invaded the town of Lodz, Poland, and moved the Jewish population into a small part of the city called a ghetto. As the war progressed, 270,000 people were forced to settle in the ghetto under impossible conditions. At the end of the war, there were about 800 survivors. Of those who survived, only twelve were children. This is the story of one of the twelve.”

Short, to the point, and powerful.

The One Worst:
Thank You, Lucky Stars (Schwartz & Wade Books): “It’s the first day of fifth grade, and Ally is totally psyched. She and Betsy, her best friend — okay, her only friend — are in the same class. They’re even going to sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” together in the annual talent show. Ally is sure this is going to be the best year ever. But suddenly Betsy is ignoring her, and Ally doesn’t have a clue why. What’s worse, Betsy’s spending every minute with their sworn archenemy, Mona; they’re wearing matching jeans skirts, eating lunch at the same table as with the other cool kids, even planning to sing in a rock band together for the talent show! Now practically the only kid who wants to do stuff with Ally is the weird new girl, Tina, who wears her hair in Princess Leia buns and seems determined to make a fool of herself in the talent show. How could fifth grade, which looked so promising from a distance, turn out to be so lonely? Will disco, Ally’s favorite dance, make a comeback at the talent show? And can Ally be friends with a girl who enjoys being different… even if she knows Tina is a kindred spirit?”

I think it tries to capture the tone of the book, but just ends off coming annoying. I didn’t particularly want to read the book after reading the blurb, even though it turned out to be fairly cute.