Wintergirls

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by Laurie Halse Anderson
ages: 14+
First sentence: “So she tells me, the words dribbling out with the cranberry muffin crumbs, commas dunked in her coffee.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

You can’t say that Laurie Halse Anderson writes fluff. Her books — the ones I’ve read anyway — are anything but. She’s not afraid to tackle the hard issues, the ones that so many people skirt around, and to do it head-on, no-holds-barred. These are not kind worlds her characters inhabit; they’re tough, brutal, scarring.

And, yet, somehow, Anderson makes it all come up, well if not roses at least something less harsh than what went on throughout the rest of the book.

This time around, Anderson tackles anorexia. It’s not a pretty picture. It’s not a pretty book. It’s a tough book — almost too tough, too brutal. Lia is an anorexic. She’s been admitted to a treatment facility twice, but it hasn’t seemed to help (much). And now, her (former) best friend, Cassie, has been found, dead, in a motel room. She’s taken to haunting Lia, who can’t shake the feeling that she should have done something (what?) to intervene. And yet, she’s finding she can’t save herself from her own demons.

It wasn’t so much the story in this book — Lia’s a miserable main character, and is happiest inflicting misery on those around her — as the way it was told. Part of the reason Lia is a miserable main character is that we live inside her head. We hear the demons — written in a smaller, different font than the rest of the text — we see the inner conflicts — written so effectively like this. The constant battle Lia is waging with herself, with the control she wants to have in her life, with the emotional neglect, with the perception she has of herself. It’s quite moving. Harsh and terrifying, yes. But also very, very moving.

Which is everything we’ve come to expect from a Laurie Halse Anderson book.

May Jacket Flap-a-Thon

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Good heavens, where did May go?

It’s Memorial Day here in the states, and that’s not a holiday I’ve given much thought to since I graduated from high school and stopped attending my small town’s Memorial Day parade. Though things have conspired this year to make me feel guilty about that, and I’m looking for some suggestions as to what to do to remind my children that there are men and women out there sacrificing their lives so we can live in comfort and freedom. Suggestions?

And I suppose, since it is the last day of the month, I ought to give you my three favorite jacket flaps, huh?

Academy 7 (Speak): “Aerin Renning is a scarred fugitive, Dane Madousin a rebellious son of privilege. On the surface, they have nothing in common. But the two most competitive freshmen at Academy 7 share an undiscovered bond. Both harbor a dangerous secret that threatens their own destruction. And while their safety depends on their staying apart, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. Evan as unknown forces conspire to separate them, their competition turns to friendship, and their friendship to romance. Now, not only their lives — but their hearts — are at stake. To survive, the two must unite all their knowledge, skills and gifts to uncover a secret bigger than either could have imagined. A secret as big as the entire universe…”

It’s not exactly accurate to the story, and it kind of blows things out of proportion, but, man, it makes you want to read the book. Doesn’t it?

Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Dutton Juvenile): “One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens–both named Will Grayson–are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical. Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans.”

Spot-on. Captures the essence, without giving too much away. Perfect.

Crossing Stones (Farrar, Straus and Giroux): “Maybe you won’t rock a cradle, Muriel. Some women seem to prefer to rock the boat. Eighteen-year-old Muriel Jorgensen lives on one side of Crabapple Creek. Her family’s closest friends, the Normans, live on the other. For as long as Muriel can remember, the families’ lives have been intertwined, connected by the crossing stones that span the water. But now that Frank Norman—who Muriel is just beginning to think might be more than a friend—has enlisted to fight in World War I and her brother, Ollie, has lied about his age to join him, the future is uncertain. As Muriel tends to things at home with the help of Frank’s sister, Emma, she becomes more and more fascinated by the women’s suffrage movement, but she is surrounded by people who advise her to keep her opinions to herself. How can she find a way to care for those she loves while still remaining true to who she is? Written in beautifully structured verse, Crossing Stones captures nine months in the lives of two resilient families struggling to stay together and cross carefully, stone by stone, into a changing world.”

I think it’s a bit too detailed, but perhaps they felt a need to spell out the plot because it’s a novel in verse. It’s still pretty good, though.

Other books read this month:
Radiant Darkness
My Double Life
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
French Milk
Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence; Sabine’s Notebook; The Golden Mean
Confections of a Closet Master Baker
God Went to Beauty School
Running out of Time
The Wide-Awake Princess
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Letter to My Daughter

Running Total: 72
Adult fiction: 17
YA: 26
MG: 15
Non-fiction: 7
Graphic Novel: 9
Didn’t Finish: 5

Sunday Salon: Summer Reading

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There was an article in Thursday morning’s Wichita Eagle about kids and summer reading, and in the wake of all the BEA posts (and since summer started this past week for us here), I thought I could muse about what we do to encourage reading during the summer.

My first thought was keep it less scheduled, but I noticed last year that less scheduled lent itself to more YouTube watching than reading. So, I think this year, we’re actually going to have scheduled reading times. Probably in the morning — the school-age girls have workbooks they want to do (yes, you read that right: they asked for the workbooks!), and we’ll probably combine an hour reading time with that. It’ll be most helpful for A, who just finished Kindergarten, who needs a chance to practice her new found reading skills.

We’re also going to join the summer reading program at the library. (Can’t live without my library!) All the girls will do this, and, honestly, they all look forward to it. There will also be weekly trips to the library — we’ll have to experiment with what time, since the summer programs make for crowded libraries. Maybe we’ll pick a letter and choose books that way. And we’ll probably ransack the non-fiction, poetry and fairy tale shelves, which we never seem to do during the school year.

Another idea is audio books: we go places during the summer — big vacations, yes, but also little trips around town. And, instead of listening to the same old music over and over (which we do like to do), we can pop in a book and listen to that. The years when we’ve done this, there have been times when we’ve become more interested in the book than where we’re going.

As for me, I’ll probably keep my afternoon reading time, an hour or two just for myself to read, plus a bit of reading in the evenings. (Though it seems my TV and movie watching go up in the summertime; maybe I’ll be more regular about my Book to Movie posts!)

There’s some of my ideas: what are yours? How do you encourage reading for your kids, or make sure you have some time, during the summer?

Running Out of Time

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by Margaret Peterson Haddix
ages: 8-12
First sentence: “The light woke Jessie, though it was just a glimmer downstairs.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Jessie is a thirteen-year-old girl living in the village of Clifton, Indiana in the year 1840. She’s curious, loves doing dares, and is pretty much happy with her life. Until a diphtheria epidemic breaks out in her village, and her mother, concerned, breaks some news to Jessie: it’s all a hoax. The year is really 1996, the village is a tourist attraction (where the tourists are hidden); the adults were in on the “gimmick”, and were supposed to tell their children when they turned 12. However, things have made a turn for the worse, and the owner’s “men” have people terrified of leaving, or even spilling the secret. Since her mother feels that letting children die as part of a gimmick is unethical — which isn’t the only unethical decision adults make in this book — she asks Jessie to brave the real world and get some modern medicine to help. Jessie has no choice: she has to go, even though the thought of it terrifies her.

The dichotomy between the modern world and the life Jessie has known is, of course, fascinating. Jessie has to figure out most of the things we take for granted: light bulbs, toilets, refrigerators. But there’s also a tension: the palpable feeling that someone is out to get her, even if you don’t know fully the reason why. But that’s where the book fails. Haddix sets up the conflict, and makes Jessie quite awe-struck at what the modern world has to offer. But when resolving all the conflicts, addressing the unethical behavior of the adults, she completely falls apart. Part of it is age group: you can’t address the craziness of Jessie’s father — who truly believes it’s 1840 — or the unethical behavior of the man who set up the village in the first place in a middle grade book. And so, Haddix just ends the story. There is an interesting promise for the future, but no actual, real resolution.

What I found myself most interested in, though, is the mother: what were her motivations for going along with the father? What did she think of all this? Did she ever want to leave? Why did she stick with it for as long as she did?

Maybe, someday, Haddix will tell that story.

The Wide-Awake Princess

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by E. D. Baker
ages: 8-11
First sentence: “‘We can’t let it happen again,’ Queen Karolina said.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.

In a world where everyone royal is enhanced by magic — handsomer, prettier, better — Princess Annabelle (Annie to her friends) stands out. She doesn’t have any magic. In fact, no magic will work on her, and the longer she’s around, the less potent others magic becomes. So, she’s not exactly welcomed by her parents, or her sister Gwendolyn who, they say, is the most prettiest princess in all the kingdoms.

So, when Gwendolyn pricks her finger on a spindle and puts the entire castle to sleep, it’s up to Annie and one of the king’s guards, Liam (who was out running an errand when the spell hit), to find Gwendolyn’s true love and bring him back to the castle to wake her up.

One of the most charming things about this book was the myriad of fairy tales it breezes through: there’s Sleeping Beauty, of course, but also Hansel and Gretel, Rose Red, Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel, as well as a host of others that I’m sure I missed. The more one knows about fairy tales, the more fun this book is. That’s not to say that it isn’t fun on its own: Annie is a plucky character, and there is more than one instance where she manages to get out of scrapes (no damsel in distress in this book!) or into humorous situations because of her non-magic status. There’s no real bad characters, and sure, the romance that blossoms is to be expected, and the dialogue is a bit stilted, and… but, you know, it works. It’s charming, it’s light, it’s fun, it’s a fairy tale with some clever twists.

And, really, it’s quite delightful.

Armchair BEA: Why You Should be a Professional

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When I went to sign up for today’s topics, this one popped out at me. Partially because no one else had tackled this subject, but also the idea of ethics and professionalism appeal to me. It’s very important, I think, to remember that even while we’re doing this for ourselves, we’re not alone in this vast Internet void.

Yes, we’re just bloggers. Yes, we get looked down upon by the “professional” media. No, we’re not paid (most of us). And no, we’re technically not professionals. But, that said, here are five good reasons why we should act professionally.

1. Because we’re not alone: when I first started blogging, I figured I’d just be putting it out there for myself and maybe a few friends and family. I never dreamed I’d have readers. I’m sure those starting blogs today aren’t that naive, but still. It’s good to remember that there are people following what you say. And, as a result, you should be professional about what you write. That’s not to say you can’t talk about your family, your kids, your life outside of books… but, there is a line that you should. not. cross. There is such a thing as too much information. (That’s not to say you can’t be chatty, you can. Just don’t be crude.)

2. Because a blog can lead to something more: think of it not just as a hobby, but a part-time volunteer job. It can go on resumes. It can be used to springboard into something else. It doesn’t have to, but make sure that your blog is some place you would be proud to show to a stranger.

3. Because we’re all adults (mostly) here: disagreements: fine. We all disagree. There are issues that need to be discussed. But name-calling, back-biting, dissing, whatever you want to call it… is not. acceptable. It’s okay to be honest. But be nice about being honest. And that goes for the comments, too.

4. Because no one likes a liar: This goes for the ethical side of things. My personal policy is: if I don’t intend to (eventually) review it, I don’t accept it. Which is why I’ve been trying to slow down accepting ARCs. I’m finding I can’t get to as many as I once did, or I’m not as interested in getting to them. But, whatever the reason is: if I accept a review copy, I feel obligated to read it. That may not be your policy. But, whatever your policy is, state it, and then stick by it.

5. Because the world is a happier place when we’re all acting like professionals and are ethical in our dealings with each other. Enough said.

Crossing Stones

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by Helen Frost
ages: 14+
First sentence: “You’d better straighten out your mind, Young Lady!”
Support your local independent bookstores: buy it there!

Muriel Jorgensen is living a pretty ordinary life in late-1917’s Michigan. She’s about to graduate from high school, and she’s not terribly thrilled with President Wilson’s decision to enter into World War I. Her friend (and possible beau) Frank has decided to join the army, to go serve in France. And then her younger brother Ollie sneaks away to join up, also. What is Muriel to do, especially when she wants to do something, but everyone tells her that girls can’t do much of anything, except cook, clean, and have babies. Thankfully, there’s Aunt Vera and the suffrage movement to help Muriel figure things out.

That sounds trite, but this novel is anything but. Helen Frost has a way with words, yes — it’s a novel in verse, and Frost finds ways to do things with form that make the novel beautiful to look at as well as read — but it’s more than that. She’s written about a time in American history that I don’t think we talk about much anymore. There’s incredible relevance though: the impact of war, both on the boys who served as well as their families and communities. It’s a very pacifist book; the implicit message is that there is no such thing as a “good” war. Or, at the very least, all war has negative consequences. Combined with that is Muriel’s desire to speak out against the war, to find a way to express her opinion, which is difficult, considering there is no outlet for women at that time. Enter the suffrage movement, and the impact that it had on this country (women didn’t get the right to vote until 1920? Really? If I knew that, I’d forgotten.). There were brave women; not just the leaders of the movement, but the individuals out there trying to make a difference. But, most of all, this book is a moving story, powerful in its simplicity.

Another reason to really love novels in verse (and Helen Frost).

Library Loot 2010-19

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Oh, hooray! The library construction is DONE and everything is all sparkling brand-new (ish). I don’t have to wait in line for my holds, and they have a very nice self-checkout system, which K LOVED. She likes being useful… Though I do have to admit I’ll miss chatting with the librarians. At any rate, we finally have a full week’s loot!

Oh, and don’t forget to check out the Armchair BEA interviews today!

Picture Books:
Today I Will Fly!, by Mo Willems
There Is a Bird On Your Head!, by Mo Willems
Otis, by Loren Long
The Hallelujah Flight, by Phil Bildner/Illus. by John Holyfield
The Red Scarf, by Anne Vileneuve
One Red Apple, by Harriet Ziefert/Illus. by Karla Gudeon
A Beach Tail, by Karen Lynn Williams/Illus. by Floyd Cooper

Audio Books:
Blubber, by Judy Blume (Read by Halley Feiffer)
Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh (Read by Anne Bobby)

Adult Fiction:
Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman (Yes, I’ve read it. So has M. But Hubby wanted to read it, and has time for it now.)

YA Fiction:
The Cup of the World, by John Dickinson
Skunk Girl, by Sheba Karim
Finnikin of the Rock, by Melina Marchetta
Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs, by Ron Koertge

Non-Fiction:
Mysterious Messages: A History of Codes and Ciphers, by Gary Blackwood
Raucous Royals: Test your Royal Wits: Crack Codes, Solve Mysteries, and Deduce WhichRoyal Rumors are True, by Carlyn Beccia
A Kid’s Guide to Native American History, by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder

The roundup is either at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader or A Striped Armchair. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I’ll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it’s SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I’m going to keep doing it.

10 Questions for Suey

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Woot! For Armchair BEA today, I get to interview one of my favorite bloggers (and on my wish list to meet, next time I’m in Utah): Suey of It’s All About Books. I have no idea when I discovered her blog (years ago), or even what drew me to her (possibly good writing, fun reviews, and a similar taste in books), but if you’re not following her blog, you should be.

Me: What do you enjoy about reading? What keeps you picking up the next book?
Suey: First and foremost, I love the stories… and the characters. I love traveling to new places, both real and not. But I also love seeing what authors can do with words. Some of them completely blow me away with their word manipulation ability, so I love that experience, just enjoying the language itself. I keep coming back, and will never stop reading because there’s just so much out there to read! And the thought of experiencing that perfect wonderful story makes me keep on reading.

Me: What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Suey: I really enjoy the creative outlet that it is for me. Then there’s the obvious book discussion and sharing of a passion that is so fun. Discovering and being part of a huge community of other passionate readers has been a bonus, something I truly didn’t expect when I started, even though I was already participating in online bookish communities. It really is a rewarding and fun hobby.

Me: Are you a buyer or a borrower? Why?
Suey: My first response is that I am equally both. But then I looked back on the numbers and here’s what I found from the past three years. In 2007 I borrowed (from the library of course) 60 and 40 came from my own (bought or gift) pile. In 2008 it was 51 borrowed and 49 from my own pile. This past year in 2009 it switched to 35 borrowed and 52 from my own pile. So it appears I’m borrowing less and buying more! I think this is because I’m going to more author signings, and discovering more local authors whose books I feel the need to buy (thereby putting my money where my mouth is!) Also, it could be that I’m buying more because I got a little job and I can “spend my own money!”

Me: What do you do with your time when you’re not reading or blogging?
Suey: In between reading and blogging you can find me doing mom things… boring mom things. Cooking dinner, driving kids here and there, trying to keep the dishes clean and the floor bearable, washing and folding clothes, and a lot of worrying (about homework, graduation, college applications, dances, summer jobs, making kids practice for lessons, getting money paid where it’s needed, not forgetting all the stuff there is to remember!) So basically… all the normal stuff. I also work 12 hours a week at the library up in the Administration office where I help the Admin. Secretary. I also watch TV, as most of you know, but usually while I’m doing something else like folding clothes (or blogging!) Some shows I do watch live and just sit and enjoy. Before blogging, I used to scrapbook a little and quilt a little. But I haven’t done either one of those things in a long time!

Me: Sounds a lot like me! So, if you were at BEA, what would you most likely be doing?
Suey: I would be going to lots of panel discussions because I find them way too much fun. I would be getting books and having them signed by lots of authors. I would be networking with other bloggers and having fun with all the meet-ups. I would hopefully come home with a list of new-to-me authors to love, and bloggers too actually. Also, hopefully I would do a little promoting of the blog and come home feeling all pumped up to keep it going. The other thing I’d most likely be doing is having many many anxiety attacks while I try to overcome nervousness at doing all the above mentioned things! I would seriously not do well going to BEA on my own.

Me: I can totally empathize; I want to go, but it would be completely overwhelming. Ok, lighting round:
A favorite place to read?
On the couch in my living room.

A favorite author?
Markus Zusak remains my current favorite… even though he is making me crazy by not having a new book come out!

(I’m not surprised surprised; I was guessing either him or John Green!) A favorite blog?
Besides yours? 🙂 Dang, I have too many to pick just one. A fairly recent new favorite is Amused by Books.

*blush* Thanks for the compliment! A favorite genre?
I really do love fantasy, both YA and the “big people” kind.

And five books you think everyone should read?
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Isn’t she lovely? Thanks so much, Suey!

Armchair BEA: Author Signings

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If I ever went to one…

I would want to go to a signing for John Green, Shannon Hale, Mo Willems, Jackson Pearce, Rick Riordan, Sarah Beth Durst, Scott Westerfield, Beth Kephart, among others.

I would probably take one or more of my daughters, since they love the above authors as much as I do.

I would hope I’d say something intelligent, or witty, or at least memorable, and not dissolve into a puddle of giggles. (Which, honestly, could very well happen.)

I would also wish for a hug, but probably not get one. I would get a picture, though.

I would also hope that, if it’s someone my very cool friends loved and they hadn’t had the chance to see them yet, I’d be wonderful enough to get a book signed for them.

Kind of like what my friends (and very cool sister did for me):

(Okay, don’t know why it’s loading sidways today…)

And then I would treasure them always. 🙂

If there was any author you could meet, who would it be? Or, if you’ve been to a signing, what’s the best one you’ve been to?