I have been a huge Jenny Han fan since The Summer I Turned Pretty came out in 2009. You shouldn't be surprised by that information, since I just reviewed Burn for Burn and Fire with Fire here and I already said how excited I was to read Ashes for Ashes. So I shrieked out loud when I walked out my front door one morning, and discovered a package from Simon & Schuster. The padded envelope contained the ARC of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, along with a notebook and pen. I love getting publishing swag, and the fact that it was Jenny Han swag just made it that much better. I started reading right away (with the Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson duet stuck in my head, unfortunately). I saved my review to post once the book was published. Now the book is out so you can all run out and get it. It is also a great choice to kick off my contribution for #weneeddiversebooks within the 48 Hour Book Challenge, so I am thrilled to be talking about it tonight.
Lara Jean Song is a romantic at heart. She is the middle sister - there is an older sister, Margot, and a younger sister, Kitty. Their doctor father has raised them alone since their mother died when Lara Jean was ten. The sisters are sometimes called "the Song girls" - their mother (who was Korean)'s last name was Song, and "we all have Song for our middle name, and we look more Song than Covey anyway, more Korean than white." (p. 9) Margot grew up quickly when their mom died, and runs the household most of the time. Their father is an OB/GYN, and is unpredictable in his schedule, so the girls rely on each other. Lara Jean and Kitty are used to Margot caring for them and keeping their lives organized. Now Margot is going abroad to Scotland for college, and Lara Jean already misses her tremendously. On the other hand, she is also determined to show Margot how successfully the rest of the family can survive when she's gone. Right before Margot leaves, she breaks up with her boyfriend, Josh. Lara Jean has spent lots of time with Margot and Josh (he is their neighbor too). While she doesn't understand why Margot broke up with Josh, she has kept a secret for a long time. Lara Jean has always been in love with Josh too.
Lara Jean has a ritual for ending her crushes on guys - she writes them one last letter. "They're not love letters in the strictest sense of the word. My letters are for when I don't want to be in love anymore. They're for good-bye. Because after I write my letter, I'm no longer consumed by my all-consuming love....If love is like a possession, maybe my letters are like my exorcisms. My letters set me free. Or at least they are supposed to." (unpaged) She has kept these letters in a hatbox, and there are five of them, the latest one to Josh. So in the first week of school, Lara Jean is shocked when one of the popular crowd, Peter Kavinsky, tells her he wants to talk to her. He says a letter was mailed to his house. She can't figure out how this might have happened, and Lara Jean is mortified. Because if Peter got his, then Josh did too. And that means he knows how she feels about him still. Even though he has belonged to Margot all along.
When Josh tries to talk to Lara Jean about the letter, she panics. She sees Peter (who has just broken up with his girlfriend Gen) in the hall, and runs up and kisses him, in an effort to convince Josh that she doesn't like him at all. Afterwards, Pete and Lara Jean decide to fake a relationship to make both Gen and Josh jealous. It seems to be working. At the same time, Josh is trying to figure out where he fits, both at school and in the Covey family, without Margot there. And he's considering Lara Jean with new eyes, now that he knows that she liked him too.
While this book is created with some of my favorites subjects in mind - school and romance, it also has a strong sense of family and sisterhood, something I relate to very much. You know I see the sister relationship in Frances and Gloria these days. I've also written here about my relationship with my own sister previously. My relationship with my sister is one of the most important things in my life, and it is quite often the lens through which I see myself.
This is also true of Lara Jean. She always sees herself in relation to Margot, and Margot is a typical oldest sister. On top of that Margot feels very responsible for her sisters, and takes care of most things for Kitty and Lara Jean. The first time Lara Jean drives after Margot leaves for Scotland, she admits that her directional skills are under-developedc: "I've never had to know how to get to the mall, because Margot always drove us there. But now I have to do better, because I'm responsible for driving Kitty around." (p.33) That is a perfect middle sister quote if I've ever heard one. At the beginning of the novel, Lara Jean is bookended by her two sisters. I've described Margot, and Kitty is demanding, slightly devious, and a little spoiled. Kitty is cute, Margot is smart. There is nothing about Lara Jean that makes her stand out from her sisters when Margot leaves. She doesn't actually want to stand out - Lara Jean is perfectly content to be one of "the Song girls".
When Margot goes away to college, all three sisters are forced to rethink their relationships to each other, rethink the definitions they comfortably fell into in the past few years. For instance, Lara Jean and Margot have always babied Kitty and taken care of her every need. "After Mommy died, we all had to realign ourselves. Everybody had new roles. Margot and I were no longer locked in battle, because we both understood that Kitty was ours to take care of now." (p. 338-9) But with Margot gone, Lara Jean begins teaching Kitty some of the chores she had done with Margot previously. They had always just done them, and shielded Kitty from having to do any chores. Kitty becomes more independent as Lara Jean begins doing more with Peter and his friends, and it is a good thing.
Even from Scotland, Margot has been protecting her sisters. She doesn't want them to know how unsure she is in her new environment, how lost and homesick she feels. When Margot arrives home for Christmas break, Lara Jean realizes how much things have changed: "Is this how people lose touch? I didn't think that could happen with sisters. Maybe with other people, but never with us. Before Margot left, I knew what she was thinking without having to ask; I knew everything about her. Not anymore." (p. 294) This really resonated with me. I, too, went away to college, although not as far. But I know how it feels to see the change in your family from the outside and not be able to find your comfortable place in your family again when you return. You've changed. They've changed. Margot finally says to Lara Jean "'But then I left, and it's like you didn't need me as much as I thought.' Her voice breaks. 'You were fine without me.'" (p. 344) I have been in Margot's shoes and I know how she feels. But what I hadn't considered was Lara Jean's perspective as the younger sister. Lara Jean retorts "'Only because you taught me everything!'" (p. 344) It is a watershed moment for the girls as they see their relationship anew.
I haven't talked much about the romance at the heart of this book, which is unusual for me. But I will say this - I did love the romance here. I was surprised at how much I rooted for Lara Jean and wanted her to realize the potential of what she might have as her relationships change. She's never seen herself outside of her sisters before, and she has something to offer. To me, this book is so much more about the sisters and how they change, but it is a fun look at romance too.
These sisters can weather anything together, and I love their friendship. It was a great moment in my life when my sister and I became friends besides being sisters, and the Song girls need each other's friendship even more than they realize. Jenny Han has scored another winner.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Jenny Han. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014.
ARC sent to me by the publisher for review
Friday, June 6, 2014
48 Hour Book Challenge!
Hello! I am so excited to report that I will be participating in the 48 Hour Book Challenge again this year. It's the 9th year this challenge has been going on, but I only participated for the first time last year, and I loved doing it!
If you are interested in this challenge, more information is available here.
Don't get me wrong, with the girls and their schedule and prepping for a trip, I won't be reading the entire 48 hours. But I will do my best to read and review as much as I can this weekend. I am shooting to read somewhere between 12-24 hours over my 48 hours (approximately 6pm MT time Friday through 6pm MT time Sunday). We'll see if I make it!
This year the focus of the 48 Hour Book Challenge is #weneeddiversebooks - this is something that has been much discussed in the past few weeks. I do have a couple of diverse books on my plate for this weekend, including my next blog post, so I can make that commitment. I will be posting brief reviews as I complete books, so check back to hear to see how I am doing!
Don't get me wrong, with the girls and their schedule and prepping for a trip, I won't be reading the entire 48 hours. But I will do my best to read and review as much as I can this weekend. I am shooting to read somewhere between 12-24 hours over my 48 hours (approximately 6pm MT time Friday through 6pm MT time Sunday). We'll see if I make it!
This year the focus of the 48 Hour Book Challenge is #weneeddiversebooks - this is something that has been much discussed in the past few weeks. I do have a couple of diverse books on my plate for this weekend, including my next blog post, so I can make that commitment. I will be posting brief reviews as I complete books, so check back to hear to see how I am doing!
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Benny and Penny in Lights Out!
So if you are a regular reader of my blog (or even an occasional reader!), you know that I have two young girls - Frances, who just turned 7, and Gloria, who is 5 1/2. I've talked before about their names here and how those aren't the names my girls were born with, just the names that I use on the blog so as not to identify them. There are a lot of similarities between the Frances and Gloria Russell Hoban created and my girls. They have similar personalities - my Frances can be way too trusting, like in A Bargain for Frances; my Gloria likes to play with her sister, but on her own terms, like Gloria in Best Friends for Frances. But lately I've seen a tendency towards sibling behavior like that of Benny and Penny in Benny and Penny in Lights Out!
This is the fourth book in the Benny and Penny series of easy-to-read comics from TOON Books. From the very first panel, it is clearly bedtime. Benny is peering at the moon outside the window. Penny is trying to keep them on track with their bedtime routine. Benny continues with his antics - "haunting" Penny with a flashlight, burping, basically acting up in that way that only children who should really be asleep do. Then Benny realizes that he left his pirate hat...gulp! outside. In the dark playhouse. It is only his sister's bravery and their teamwork that rescues the needed pirate hat.
One of the parts of the Benny and Penny series that appeals most to me is the sibling relationship. Benny and Penny aren't perfect and they don't always get along. There is tons of sibling squabbling. Penny announces imperiously "It's time to brush our teeth." (p. 6) And Benny promptly ignores her mandate, like most siblings would. He tells her he is busy. Then Benny cooks up a plan to scare Penny when she's brushing her teeth. He turns off the light and uses a flashlight to try and scare Penny with threats of the Boogey Mouse. It's all very familiar to those of us with more than one child - our constant refereeing of fights over a blanket, an inch of floor space, a perceived fight. And the also constant picking at each other - just like Benny does in this book. He's really only teasing Penny with his prank about the Boogey Mouse. But siblings can get under each other's skin unlike anyone I've ever seen.
But there is something equally redeeming about siblings and the way they can put aside their fighting when needed. Benny realizes that the pirate hat he can't fall asleep without is still in the playhouse out in the backyard. He sneaks out the window, and when it takes longer than Penny thinks it should, she is out the window after him. She's scared, though Penny keeps reminding herself that "The Boogey Mouse is not really real. It's just a story!" (p. 17) Ultimately, even though he drives her crazy, Penny is there to support and lend a hand. When she finally makes it to the playhouse, Benny is too scared to go in. It takes both of them together to rescue the pirate hat.
Another thing I enjoy about this story is the "just-right" sized adventure. There isn't anything really fancy about this adventure. To a parent's eye, there isn't even anything dangerous about their trip out to the dark backyard. But seen through the eyes of the two young mice, the story becomes perilous indeed. The two mice are on their own - no parents in sight as the story progresses. They feel real responsibility for what they must do to rescue Benny's hat. They are at that age where they want to solve the problem themselves, without parental involvement. And Benny and Penny take satisfaction from having saved the hat on their own. It's only after Benny has fallen asleep that Penny asks their mother for her help, but only with reading a story.
And that brings me to one of the best themes of this story - reading and storytelling. It combines the best of Penny and Benny. Both children like to read and tell stories, but of course their stories are very different. Penny loves fairy tales - they combine princesses with a sense of storytelling structure that appeals to Penny, with her love of routine. Benny, on the other hand, retells stories with drama, action and adventure. Those stories appeal to his daydreaming, adventurous side. He throws in some whimsy when he tells a story about a dinosaur that lives at the circus. The two children have a shared love of reading and story. They fight about story too. Penny primly gets under the covers and informs Benny that she is trying to read. He chimes in "You can't read." She says "Yes, I can." (p. 10) You can hear this fight going on for an eternity, but thankfully Benny burps loudly and breaks it up. Both mice can "read", but the stories they are "reading" really comes out of their imagination. Hayes very naturally shows the connection between adventures, imagination and literacy. Everyone loves the idea of a good story, and through reading, Benny and Penny have created their own adventure story.
As you know, TOON Books is one of my favorite publishers because of their innovative approach to literacy through comics. On their website they have an online CarTOON maker which Gloria loved using. It's a lot of creative fun. Benny and Penny in Lights Out! is a Level Two comic, designed for readers in grades 1-2. One of the descriptions of Level Two books in the back of this particular book says that Level Two books include "a story arc with few characters in a small world". This is a perfect description of Benny and Penny. It's intimate: Benny and Penny never go more than a few steps from their window, yet it seems a long, long way away.
Benny and Penny in Lights Out! Geoffrey Hayes. TOON Books, 2012.
sent by the publisher for review
This is the fourth book in the Benny and Penny series of easy-to-read comics from TOON Books. From the very first panel, it is clearly bedtime. Benny is peering at the moon outside the window. Penny is trying to keep them on track with their bedtime routine. Benny continues with his antics - "haunting" Penny with a flashlight, burping, basically acting up in that way that only children who should really be asleep do. Then Benny realizes that he left his pirate hat...gulp! outside. In the dark playhouse. It is only his sister's bravery and their teamwork that rescues the needed pirate hat.
One of the parts of the Benny and Penny series that appeals most to me is the sibling relationship. Benny and Penny aren't perfect and they don't always get along. There is tons of sibling squabbling. Penny announces imperiously "It's time to brush our teeth." (p. 6) And Benny promptly ignores her mandate, like most siblings would. He tells her he is busy. Then Benny cooks up a plan to scare Penny when she's brushing her teeth. He turns off the light and uses a flashlight to try and scare Penny with threats of the Boogey Mouse. It's all very familiar to those of us with more than one child - our constant refereeing of fights over a blanket, an inch of floor space, a perceived fight. And the also constant picking at each other - just like Benny does in this book. He's really only teasing Penny with his prank about the Boogey Mouse. But siblings can get under each other's skin unlike anyone I've ever seen.
But there is something equally redeeming about siblings and the way they can put aside their fighting when needed. Benny realizes that the pirate hat he can't fall asleep without is still in the playhouse out in the backyard. He sneaks out the window, and when it takes longer than Penny thinks it should, she is out the window after him. She's scared, though Penny keeps reminding herself that "The Boogey Mouse is not really real. It's just a story!" (p. 17) Ultimately, even though he drives her crazy, Penny is there to support and lend a hand. When she finally makes it to the playhouse, Benny is too scared to go in. It takes both of them together to rescue the pirate hat.
Another thing I enjoy about this story is the "just-right" sized adventure. There isn't anything really fancy about this adventure. To a parent's eye, there isn't even anything dangerous about their trip out to the dark backyard. But seen through the eyes of the two young mice, the story becomes perilous indeed. The two mice are on their own - no parents in sight as the story progresses. They feel real responsibility for what they must do to rescue Benny's hat. They are at that age where they want to solve the problem themselves, without parental involvement. And Benny and Penny take satisfaction from having saved the hat on their own. It's only after Benny has fallen asleep that Penny asks their mother for her help, but only with reading a story.
And that brings me to one of the best themes of this story - reading and storytelling. It combines the best of Penny and Benny. Both children like to read and tell stories, but of course their stories are very different. Penny loves fairy tales - they combine princesses with a sense of storytelling structure that appeals to Penny, with her love of routine. Benny, on the other hand, retells stories with drama, action and adventure. Those stories appeal to his daydreaming, adventurous side. He throws in some whimsy when he tells a story about a dinosaur that lives at the circus. The two children have a shared love of reading and story. They fight about story too. Penny primly gets under the covers and informs Benny that she is trying to read. He chimes in "You can't read." She says "Yes, I can." (p. 10) You can hear this fight going on for an eternity, but thankfully Benny burps loudly and breaks it up. Both mice can "read", but the stories they are "reading" really comes out of their imagination. Hayes very naturally shows the connection between adventures, imagination and literacy. Everyone loves the idea of a good story, and through reading, Benny and Penny have created their own adventure story.
As you know, TOON Books is one of my favorite publishers because of their innovative approach to literacy through comics. On their website they have an online CarTOON maker which Gloria loved using. It's a lot of creative fun. Benny and Penny in Lights Out! is a Level Two comic, designed for readers in grades 1-2. One of the descriptions of Level Two books in the back of this particular book says that Level Two books include "a story arc with few characters in a small world". This is a perfect description of Benny and Penny. It's intimate: Benny and Penny never go more than a few steps from their window, yet it seems a long, long way away.
Benny and Penny in Lights Out! Geoffrey Hayes. TOON Books, 2012.
sent by the publisher for review
Saturday, May 10, 2014
The Dyerville Tales
I have been waiting to share this book with you for a long time. I read it almost three months ago - I was lucky enough to win a copy in a Walden Pond Press giveaway (side note: Walden Pond Press is a super-cool publisher with lots of other great books too!). But I don't like to blog about books that I love until you are able to read them too - it doesn't feel fair to tempt you like that! So now The Dyerville Tales has been out for a few weeks, and I'm ready to talk about it!
You might recognize the author's name from Juniper Berry, which I loved, here in this post. I was surprised at how much I loved Juniper Berry and again at how much I loved The Dyerville Tales. Both of Kozlowsky's books have a mood in common - one of building uncertainty and fear. They also both look at the mysteries of the adult world with a steely, clear-eyed gaze. Very few adults escape these books whole. The building tension, combined with the look at how adults compromise themselves, is one of the things I love best about Kozlowsky. But his books can also keep me up at night, worrying about what might happen next.
You might recognize the author's name from Juniper Berry, which I loved, here in this post. I was surprised at how much I loved Juniper Berry and again at how much I loved The Dyerville Tales. Both of Kozlowsky's books have a mood in common - one of building uncertainty and fear. They also both look at the mysteries of the adult world with a steely, clear-eyed gaze. Very few adults escape these books whole. The building tension, combined with the look at how adults compromise themselves, is one of the things I love best about Kozlowsky. But his books can also keep me up at night, worrying about what might happen next.
The Dyerville Tales begins with Vince Elgin. He lives in an orphanage, because his mother died in a house fire when he was ten years old. Vince believes that his father escaped the fire, somehow, and is still alive. He believes this because while Vince's mother died in the hospital room next to his, after getting Vince and herself out of the house. Vince knows that "the authorities never discovered a single trace of him in the ashes of their home. No bones, no teeth, not even the gold ring Vince had been promised. And for Vince, this changed everything. This was where he found his hope." (p. 11)
Vince isn't sure exactly why there was a fire, nor is he really sure about the events leading up to the fire. He remembers how scared his parents were the night before but has lots of questions about what actually happened. But the younger children in the orphanage love to hear most of the tale of Vince's arrival at the orphanage, and so he retells it (and relives it) over and over again. It is full of magic to the other children, because it has parents in it, parents who care about Vince's safety, who want to protect him from the evil that surrounds them.
When Vince goes to the orphanage, after his mother's death and his father's disappearance it's because the only relative he has left is his grandfather. His grandfather was believed to be crazy and was living in a nursing home. When this story begins, it is with a package that arrives from Dyerville, the town where his grandfather lived, addressed to Vince. In the package, a letter informs Vince that his grandfather has passed away, and that the funeral will be in a week. Enclosed in the package is a book - a collection of tales his grandfather told in his nursing home, much as Vince has told stories in the orphanage. Vince knows he must get to the funeral. After all, it is his father's father. And if Vince has any chance of seeing his own father again, it will be there, at the funeral.
The director of the orphanage tells Vince that there is no possible way he can go to the funeral - the orphanage doesn't have the money or the resources to get him to Dyerville, which is a long way from the town where the orphanage is located. Vince is determined, though. He escapes from the orphanage with the help of a friend, Anthony. "Vince heard the commotion but told himself not to look back. He had to concentrate on climbing. He thought of what would be waiting for him at the end of this journey. In Dyerville he would find his father. A new life would be waiting; all he had to do was make it to the other side of the gate. Suddenly it didn't seem so impossible." (p. 52) And he makes it. It's just one little step in what could be a very long journey. But as he clears the fence around the orphanage, "somewhere deep within his mind there was now a spark glowing. It was small, but it wanted to grow." (p. 53) I don't want to ruin the suspense of the well-plotted story. You just need to pick it up.
But here's what I will talk about. This book isn't just about stories and telling them (although clearly that is a major focus, considering what I've already told you about Vince and his grandfather). It feels just like a fairy tale set in real life. After all, there are not one but two epic journeys written about here. Each time Vince opens his grandfather's book, there is a picture that helps add to the drama of Vincent's journey. Both stories have fairy tale elements in them - things that are almost too incredible to be true. And yet they are. There are also some elements of reality that are fairy tale scary, too. Here is one of those moments: "Her breath was colder than the wind. With her lips touching his skin, and in a childish voice, she began to sing: 'Oh, I have the moon in me. And everything beyond. I am a black hole, you see. And I'll eat me some vagabond.'" (p. 144) Just writing that quote totally out of context made the hair on my arms stand up!
There are, of course, lots of parallels between both journeys -both Vince and his grandfather are 12 when their journeys start. When the director of the orphanage brings Vince the package, she asks Vince "' You were named after him. Am I right?' Vince nodded. 'My parents said I looked just like him too. Almost identical. I don't know. I didn't see it.'" (p. 24) Both boys are on their own, trying to solve a mystery of their own lives. And of course, when the book begins, they are both stranded in places (the orphanage or the nursing home) without any family connection. There are so many magical things that happen in this book to tie the two together, over and over.
I was truly spellbound by this book, as you should be by any true fairy tale. It has adventure, magic and leaves you questioning Please pick it up - you'll dive right in.
The Dyerville Tales. M.P. Kozlowsky. Walden Pond Press, 2014.
I won this ARC in a giveaway, without expectation of a review.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Burn for Burn, Fire with Fire
There are many sayings about revenge, but the one that kept coming to my mind as I read these books was this one: Revenge is a dish best served cold. Ironic that that saying is the one that best applies to book that have to do with fire: Burn for Burn and Fire with Fire.
To begin with, there are three teenage girls: Mary, Kat, and Lillia. It is their senior year in high school, a year that is supposed to be full of fun, starry-eyed excitement, and big plans. Those plans, for most seniors, include college, graduation, and one last year of freedom. But for Mary, Kat, and Lillia, those plans are focused on revenge for past wrongs.
Lillia is one of the in-crowd. She and her best friend Rennie run the cheer leading squad. Lillia's little sister Nadia is on the squad, too, and she basks in her older sister's popularity. Lillia doesn't have a boyfriend, but she has a close guy friend, Alex Lind, who she secretly wishes could be a little bit more. Lillia and Nadia are rich - the kind of wealthy where everything comes easily, where they don't think twice about having the kinds of things others covet. So what could Lillia possibly need revenge for?
Kat is a tough girl. Unlike Lillia, not much comes easily to Kat. Instead she has always been given scraps of attention, food, whatever is around. She was raised by her father, and has an older brother who seems to be going nowhere. She, too, has a connection with Alex Lind - they have spent the summer hanging out together, and suddenly their relationship has changed. But that is no reason for revenge. Her reason has to do with Rennie, Lillia's best friend.
And lastly, there's Mary. Mary has just returned to Jar Island, where they all go to school, to live with her aunt. As Kat and Lillia get to know her, she reveals her own desire for revenge and what has caused it. Kat's story is full of friends who are not really her friends, cruelty, bullying and a final event that makes you want to cover your eyes. This is how the fire starts smoldering.
When Kat, Mary and Lillia first become friends, Kat seems to be the ringleader. As I mentioned before, she's a little bit tough, tougher than the other girls by far. So it's Kat who talks the other two girls into coming together to help each other get revenge. She talks Mary into it by emphasizing their friendship: "'I don't have to know you to see that you're a total mess over whatever happened, like, years ago. And hey, it wouldn't be a free ride. You'd have to get your hands dirty too. But we'd be in it together. The three of us.'" (p. 129). That's all it takes. Kat, Lillia and Mary agree to participate in the revenge plot, with the idea that they will take down one of their grudges at a time.
There were many times in the first 250 pages of Burn for Burn where I felt uncomfortable with the central idea of this trilogy. Revenge felt a bit too mean-spirited for me, and the ideas the girls came up with seemed too extreme for what had happened to some of them. And the girls are fairly single-minded in their pursuit of revenge. It doesn't matter if people's reputations get ruined, their futures in jeopardy, or if they get physically hurt. Once that fire starts burning, it is difficult to put out.
The events of both books are like a rolling stone - they just keep on gathering speed. And I sort of wondered when one of the girls would start to speak up and put a halt to this process. But the three girls have very different personalities, and they aren't exactly conducive to stopping revenge. Those personalities combine into a perfect storm. Mary is mild, quiet, and deeply hurt by the events that unfolded. Although those events happened years ago, she cannot let them go, and they have brought her back to the island. Lillia is more of a people-pleaser, and does not stand up for what she thinks. For example, although most people believe she and Rennie are best friends, Lillia can't stand Rennie. But it's easier to just go along with the flow, to let others believe what they want, to not rock the boat. And Kat continues on with the revenge because she can see how the others' revenge plans can benefit her own. It's sneaky, but also strong-willed.
As I said, I couldn't imagine how these girls could really feel so strongly about getting revenge. Lillia's original revenge, in particular, feels a little petty. Then, on Homecoming night, things change. And while the revenge idea still made me feel a little discomfited, I was totally caught up in what happens to all three girls. Secrets begin to be revealed, and they are shocking. It is truly astonishing the lengths to which these girls will go for revenge. I can't say anything more about these books without spoiling something, but it is can't-stop reading.
I am always interested in authors collaborating in the way Han and Vivian do. According to the blurb on the back of Fire with Fire, the authors "met in graduate school in New York City and have been inseparable ever since." When I read books that are co-written, I like to play "Spot the Seam". The authors often split writing duties in some obvious way - one author writing in one voice, the other creating a different character. But there are three main characters here (each with their own chapters in both books), and while I've read both authors' work previously, I couldn't decipher who wrote which character. And that just made me keep reading! I'm not sure if they created a hybrid tone for these books, but it was seamless and fascinating!
Another thing that I think works very well in these books is the genre-busting. While these books are primarily realistic, school fiction, there is a...hint of something else. Realistic and school fiction are my two favorite genres of teen fiction, and these books work particularly well. But the introduction of another genre also is believable and clever, and totally surprising. I was shocked by what happened and how that changed my reading of the novels. Frankly, the switch took this series from one I would have enjoyed to one I wanted to blog about.
And, finally, perhaps the thing that I loved most - the island setting. I know I've mentioned before that I spent two years living on Nantucket. I still have a real fondness for islands, and am very familiar with how hard it is to change people's reputations in a small town. These girls, particularly Kat and Lillia, have their reputations set before they are even old enough to care. On the island, life is an open door (sorry!) for Lillia, and that door is locked tight against Kat, no matter what she does. It is interesting to see how that affects each of them.
I sped through the second book, Fire with Fire, in record time, and will be waiting with bated breath for the third, Ashes to Ashes, which will come out next fall. I can't wait to see how revenge plays out for these girls.
Burn for Burn. Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012.
Fire with Fire. Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.
both books sent by the publisher for review
To begin with, there are three teenage girls: Mary, Kat, and Lillia. It is their senior year in high school, a year that is supposed to be full of fun, starry-eyed excitement, and big plans. Those plans, for most seniors, include college, graduation, and one last year of freedom. But for Mary, Kat, and Lillia, those plans are focused on revenge for past wrongs.
Lillia is one of the in-crowd. She and her best friend Rennie run the cheer leading squad. Lillia's little sister Nadia is on the squad, too, and she basks in her older sister's popularity. Lillia doesn't have a boyfriend, but she has a close guy friend, Alex Lind, who she secretly wishes could be a little bit more. Lillia and Nadia are rich - the kind of wealthy where everything comes easily, where they don't think twice about having the kinds of things others covet. So what could Lillia possibly need revenge for?
Kat is a tough girl. Unlike Lillia, not much comes easily to Kat. Instead she has always been given scraps of attention, food, whatever is around. She was raised by her father, and has an older brother who seems to be going nowhere. She, too, has a connection with Alex Lind - they have spent the summer hanging out together, and suddenly their relationship has changed. But that is no reason for revenge. Her reason has to do with Rennie, Lillia's best friend.
And lastly, there's Mary. Mary has just returned to Jar Island, where they all go to school, to live with her aunt. As Kat and Lillia get to know her, she reveals her own desire for revenge and what has caused it. Kat's story is full of friends who are not really her friends, cruelty, bullying and a final event that makes you want to cover your eyes. This is how the fire starts smoldering.
When Kat, Mary and Lillia first become friends, Kat seems to be the ringleader. As I mentioned before, she's a little bit tough, tougher than the other girls by far. So it's Kat who talks the other two girls into coming together to help each other get revenge. She talks Mary into it by emphasizing their friendship: "'I don't have to know you to see that you're a total mess over whatever happened, like, years ago. And hey, it wouldn't be a free ride. You'd have to get your hands dirty too. But we'd be in it together. The three of us.'" (p. 129). That's all it takes. Kat, Lillia and Mary agree to participate in the revenge plot, with the idea that they will take down one of their grudges at a time.
There were many times in the first 250 pages of Burn for Burn where I felt uncomfortable with the central idea of this trilogy. Revenge felt a bit too mean-spirited for me, and the ideas the girls came up with seemed too extreme for what had happened to some of them. And the girls are fairly single-minded in their pursuit of revenge. It doesn't matter if people's reputations get ruined, their futures in jeopardy, or if they get physically hurt. Once that fire starts burning, it is difficult to put out.
The events of both books are like a rolling stone - they just keep on gathering speed. And I sort of wondered when one of the girls would start to speak up and put a halt to this process. But the three girls have very different personalities, and they aren't exactly conducive to stopping revenge. Those personalities combine into a perfect storm. Mary is mild, quiet, and deeply hurt by the events that unfolded. Although those events happened years ago, she cannot let them go, and they have brought her back to the island. Lillia is more of a people-pleaser, and does not stand up for what she thinks. For example, although most people believe she and Rennie are best friends, Lillia can't stand Rennie. But it's easier to just go along with the flow, to let others believe what they want, to not rock the boat. And Kat continues on with the revenge because she can see how the others' revenge plans can benefit her own. It's sneaky, but also strong-willed.
As I said, I couldn't imagine how these girls could really feel so strongly about getting revenge. Lillia's original revenge, in particular, feels a little petty. Then, on Homecoming night, things change. And while the revenge idea still made me feel a little discomfited, I was totally caught up in what happens to all three girls. Secrets begin to be revealed, and they are shocking. It is truly astonishing the lengths to which these girls will go for revenge. I can't say anything more about these books without spoiling something, but it is can't-stop reading.
I am always interested in authors collaborating in the way Han and Vivian do. According to the blurb on the back of Fire with Fire, the authors "met in graduate school in New York City and have been inseparable ever since." When I read books that are co-written, I like to play "Spot the Seam". The authors often split writing duties in some obvious way - one author writing in one voice, the other creating a different character. But there are three main characters here (each with their own chapters in both books), and while I've read both authors' work previously, I couldn't decipher who wrote which character. And that just made me keep reading! I'm not sure if they created a hybrid tone for these books, but it was seamless and fascinating!
Another thing that I think works very well in these books is the genre-busting. While these books are primarily realistic, school fiction, there is a...hint of something else. Realistic and school fiction are my two favorite genres of teen fiction, and these books work particularly well. But the introduction of another genre also is believable and clever, and totally surprising. I was shocked by what happened and how that changed my reading of the novels. Frankly, the switch took this series from one I would have enjoyed to one I wanted to blog about.
And, finally, perhaps the thing that I loved most - the island setting. I know I've mentioned before that I spent two years living on Nantucket. I still have a real fondness for islands, and am very familiar with how hard it is to change people's reputations in a small town. These girls, particularly Kat and Lillia, have their reputations set before they are even old enough to care. On the island, life is an open door (sorry!) for Lillia, and that door is locked tight against Kat, no matter what she does. It is interesting to see how that affects each of them.
I sped through the second book, Fire with Fire, in record time, and will be waiting with bated breath for the third, Ashes to Ashes, which will come out next fall. I can't wait to see how revenge plays out for these girls.
Burn for Burn. Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012.
Fire with Fire. Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.
both books sent by the publisher for review
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse
More than a year ago, I received an email from TOON Books, telling me about their Fall 2012 line. Among those books was this title from Frank Viva, A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse. I requested it immediately, because I loved Viva's previous book, Along a Long Road. And when it came, it went right into my "To Blog" pile, because I was excited about it. And sadly, there it sat. Through two Cybils panels, through many, many other blog posts, it sat in the pile. And it wasn't because I didn't like it - it just always seemed like I was on deadline for something else or had another book I was really enthusiastic about. And A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse waited patiently for me.
In the meantime, Frances and Gloria grew and changed. They both are voracious readers now (just like their mama). And while I am enthusiastic about this book, it truly belongs to Gloria. In fact, at least once a week Gloria asks to take it to bed with her. She also asks regularly when it will get out of my blog pile so she can keep it in her room for good. So now it's time to talk about A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse so Gloria can finally get it for her very own.
One of the things I love best about Viva's artistic style is how he regularly breaks "out of the box". The story begins on the endpapers. As a ship sails through a series of icebergs, there is one sad question "Are we there yet?" With just four words, Viva manages to convey the length of the journey to Antarctica and the tedium of such a lengthy journey by sea. On the title page comes the answer "Soon, Mouse." It is in a differently colored speech balloon, to indicate a different speaker. All you can see is the freighter, sailing placidly along under a midnight sky.
Once they "get there", Mouse and the other speaker (a young boy) peer over the side of the ship. And all Mouse wants to know is "Can we go home now?" The anxiety is evident in his face as he asks - whiskers sticking straight out in alarm, worry lines radiating around his wide eyes. But the answer is "Not yet, Mouse." The reader can plainly see that the trip does not agree with Mouse, even before he lists all the things that are difficult to do in the waves: "eat...sleep...kiss...draw...and stand!" Mouse does not want to be there, and he doesn't care who knows it.
As his friend excitedly explores Antarctica, with its enormous sky, its penguins and whales, Mouse's familiar, repeated chorus is "Can we go home NOW?" There is always the steady, patient reply "Not yet!" The discoveries continue, until finally the ship sails off into the horizon. And on the endpapers, one final question from Mouse: "Can we go back there soon?'
This is a fun book, a funny book. Viva does a terrific job bringing Antarctica to the comprehension level of the youngest readers (it's marked Level One, which is defined as approximately K-Grade 1). Mouse is the perfect foil to the other explorer. Not only does Mouse's repeated question help beginning readers decode the action, but his plaintive request will most likely sound familiar too. Gloria quite often gets somewhere fun (a movie, a birthday party) and announces "I want to go home.". Sometimes parents talk up an activity, and it isn't quite what the child has envisioned. So many children can feel for Mouse and his preference for home.
I mentioned already that Mouse and his friend use a list style to give facts about the Antarctic. It is a fun way to give a lot of information. For instance, when Mouse friend notes "It is COLD out there, Mouse." Mouse suggests that he needs "boots...mittens..a hat...a scarf...and a snowsuit!" And quickly adds "Can we go home now?" On many pages, four of the options take up one page. Each choice in the list is in its own box, with bold, heavy black lines separating the panels. The last choice is on its own page. In the list of clothing, Mouse is shown in each panel adding on more clothing also. So by the end, in the snowsuit panel, Mouse looks quite silly indeed, peering out of one boot with mittens over his ears. And those worry lines around his eyes haven't gone away.
Viva keeps the lists feeling fresh. In a list of different types of penguins, each penguin is seen through a telescope, which gives the effect of an old-fashioned cameo. A goldenrod line leads from one speech balloon to the next, guiding the reader's eye. It keeps the sense of fun for new readers, and it is one of the things I appreciate most about TOON Books. These are very visual stories, and this style suits Viva's graphic sensibility perfectly.
One final thing I loved about this book came at the very end. In a page about the author, it is noted that this book was based on Viva's own trip to Antarctica on a Russian research vessel. What an amazing experience! But the blurb also notes that Viva, much like Mouse, became very seasick. It forms a great connection between the author and the story, and can lead to some interesting discussion with children. This could also be paired with simple nonfiction books about Antarctica to enhance their learning about this continent.
I can't wait to read other collaborations between Frank Viva and TOON Books. This seems to be a natural, dynamic fit. In the meantime, I started writing this post one afternoon, and then set my notebook down. As soon as Gloria saw the book with my notebook, she started asking for it again. I need to hit publish so she can have it back!
A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse. Frank Viva. TOON Books, 2012.
sent by the publisher for review
In the meantime, Frances and Gloria grew and changed. They both are voracious readers now (just like their mama). And while I am enthusiastic about this book, it truly belongs to Gloria. In fact, at least once a week Gloria asks to take it to bed with her. She also asks regularly when it will get out of my blog pile so she can keep it in her room for good. So now it's time to talk about A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse so Gloria can finally get it for her very own.
One of the things I love best about Viva's artistic style is how he regularly breaks "out of the box". The story begins on the endpapers. As a ship sails through a series of icebergs, there is one sad question "Are we there yet?" With just four words, Viva manages to convey the length of the journey to Antarctica and the tedium of such a lengthy journey by sea. On the title page comes the answer "Soon, Mouse." It is in a differently colored speech balloon, to indicate a different speaker. All you can see is the freighter, sailing placidly along under a midnight sky.
Once they "get there", Mouse and the other speaker (a young boy) peer over the side of the ship. And all Mouse wants to know is "Can we go home now?" The anxiety is evident in his face as he asks - whiskers sticking straight out in alarm, worry lines radiating around his wide eyes. But the answer is "Not yet, Mouse." The reader can plainly see that the trip does not agree with Mouse, even before he lists all the things that are difficult to do in the waves: "eat...sleep...kiss...draw...and stand!" Mouse does not want to be there, and he doesn't care who knows it.
As his friend excitedly explores Antarctica, with its enormous sky, its penguins and whales, Mouse's familiar, repeated chorus is "Can we go home NOW?" There is always the steady, patient reply "Not yet!" The discoveries continue, until finally the ship sails off into the horizon. And on the endpapers, one final question from Mouse: "Can we go back there soon?'
This is a fun book, a funny book. Viva does a terrific job bringing Antarctica to the comprehension level of the youngest readers (it's marked Level One, which is defined as approximately K-Grade 1). Mouse is the perfect foil to the other explorer. Not only does Mouse's repeated question help beginning readers decode the action, but his plaintive request will most likely sound familiar too. Gloria quite often gets somewhere fun (a movie, a birthday party) and announces "I want to go home.". Sometimes parents talk up an activity, and it isn't quite what the child has envisioned. So many children can feel for Mouse and his preference for home.
I mentioned already that Mouse and his friend use a list style to give facts about the Antarctic. It is a fun way to give a lot of information. For instance, when Mouse friend notes "It is COLD out there, Mouse." Mouse suggests that he needs "boots...mittens..a hat...a scarf...and a snowsuit!" And quickly adds "Can we go home now?" On many pages, four of the options take up one page. Each choice in the list is in its own box, with bold, heavy black lines separating the panels. The last choice is on its own page. In the list of clothing, Mouse is shown in each panel adding on more clothing also. So by the end, in the snowsuit panel, Mouse looks quite silly indeed, peering out of one boot with mittens over his ears. And those worry lines around his eyes haven't gone away.
Viva keeps the lists feeling fresh. In a list of different types of penguins, each penguin is seen through a telescope, which gives the effect of an old-fashioned cameo. A goldenrod line leads from one speech balloon to the next, guiding the reader's eye. It keeps the sense of fun for new readers, and it is one of the things I appreciate most about TOON Books. These are very visual stories, and this style suits Viva's graphic sensibility perfectly.
One final thing I loved about this book came at the very end. In a page about the author, it is noted that this book was based on Viva's own trip to Antarctica on a Russian research vessel. What an amazing experience! But the blurb also notes that Viva, much like Mouse, became very seasick. It forms a great connection between the author and the story, and can lead to some interesting discussion with children. This could also be paired with simple nonfiction books about Antarctica to enhance their learning about this continent.
I can't wait to read other collaborations between Frank Viva and TOON Books. This seems to be a natural, dynamic fit. In the meantime, I started writing this post one afternoon, and then set my notebook down. As soon as Gloria saw the book with my notebook, she started asking for it again. I need to hit publish so she can have it back!
A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse. Frank Viva. TOON Books, 2012.
sent by the publisher for review
Friday, March 14, 2014
Max Makes a Cake
Max is just like many other preschoolers I know. He can do some things on his own successfully, like getting dressed, and singing the Four Questions for Passover in both Hebrew and English. He can soothe and entertain his younger sister, Trudy, and even feed her a little. One thing he cannot do on his own, however, is make a cake for his mom all by himself. But his father is busy getting Trudy ready for a nap and can't help him yet. Max just wants to get started.
Michelle Edwards and Charles Santoso have teamed up in these pages to depict a perfectly real little boy. The text rings with the tone of an exasperated child. "'Hurry,' said Max. 'We have a cake to make.'" When his father starts back down the stairs after Trudy is asleep, Max calls "'Cake time'" and wakes Trudy again. As a parent, I've been there many times before, where you get one child to sleep and the other child's exuberance wakes them. Of course, Max has to wait again and he is rapidly losing patience.
Santoso's illustrations are also replete with Max's energy. Max dashes from the kitchen to the foot of the stairs. He taps his foot impatiently, shakes the special box of Passover cake mix. He just.can't.wait.
Max has a brainstorm. While they have gotten cake mix, they haven't gotten frosting, and he begins to experiment. Max stirs together jam and cream cheese to make frosting, and he discovers that it tastes quite good. It gives him the confidence to try a cake all on his own.
This is a warm, sweet look at family life. As Daddy cares for Max and Trudy on this particular day, Mama is shown downstairs working in her studio. There are great details in this story - Max stands on a stool as he mixes frosting, in front of a kitchen island lined with books and family odds and ends. Their home isn't particularly neat and tidy - this is the house of a family that values their time with each other more than a perfect home. Even though Max wakes up Trudy, his father doesn't scold him. He simply goes back upstairs to to take care of her. Max's father is also very capable of handling the daily routine on his own - a happy thing to see.
The subtext of this story is hurrying. At the beginning, Max tells his sister that she will have to learn the Four Questions (as the youngest child, it will be her responsibility to recite the Four Questions, but right now she is far too young). Trudy will also learn the Passover story. Max explains it to Trudy this way: "'A long time ago, the Jews were slaves in Egypt. When Pharaoh freed them, they had to hurry,hurry, hurry away with their bread on their backs. The sun baked it flat like crackers. That's what matzoh is." It is Max who is in a big hurry during the story. In fact, he wishes his dad would hurry up many times during the story (which is opposite what usually happens, where the adult wishes the child would hurry up!). The Passover story is so nicely integrated into Max's emotions. He feels that same sense of urgency. And matzoh, one of the symbols of Passover, finds its way into Max's Hurry, Hurry, Hurry cake.
This is a picture book, but I love that it still has some age-appropriate back matter to help provide context. There is an easy recipe for the Hurry, Hurry, Hurry cake, a more complete explanation of the Four Questions, and a slightly longer retelling of the Passover story. All of these help make some of Max's story more understandable to children not previously familiar with Jewish culture. And the recipe would be fun to make and customize after reading.
I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in the blog tour for this book. I was also lucky enough to be sent an extra copy of the book for one of you! The giveaway is below, and it will be open until March 21st. Enter and win - I can't wait to share it with you! If you'd like more information on the author, or want to follow along on the blog tour, click here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Max Makes a Cake. Michelle Edwards; illustrated by Charles Santoso. Random House, 2014.
sent by publisher and Provato Events as part of the blog tour
Michelle Edwards and Charles Santoso have teamed up in these pages to depict a perfectly real little boy. The text rings with the tone of an exasperated child. "'Hurry,' said Max. 'We have a cake to make.'" When his father starts back down the stairs after Trudy is asleep, Max calls "'Cake time'" and wakes Trudy again. As a parent, I've been there many times before, where you get one child to sleep and the other child's exuberance wakes them. Of course, Max has to wait again and he is rapidly losing patience.
Santoso's illustrations are also replete with Max's energy. Max dashes from the kitchen to the foot of the stairs. He taps his foot impatiently, shakes the special box of Passover cake mix. He just.can't.wait.
Max has a brainstorm. While they have gotten cake mix, they haven't gotten frosting, and he begins to experiment. Max stirs together jam and cream cheese to make frosting, and he discovers that it tastes quite good. It gives him the confidence to try a cake all on his own.
This is a warm, sweet look at family life. As Daddy cares for Max and Trudy on this particular day, Mama is shown downstairs working in her studio. There are great details in this story - Max stands on a stool as he mixes frosting, in front of a kitchen island lined with books and family odds and ends. Their home isn't particularly neat and tidy - this is the house of a family that values their time with each other more than a perfect home. Even though Max wakes up Trudy, his father doesn't scold him. He simply goes back upstairs to to take care of her. Max's father is also very capable of handling the daily routine on his own - a happy thing to see.
The subtext of this story is hurrying. At the beginning, Max tells his sister that she will have to learn the Four Questions (as the youngest child, it will be her responsibility to recite the Four Questions, but right now she is far too young). Trudy will also learn the Passover story. Max explains it to Trudy this way: "'A long time ago, the Jews were slaves in Egypt. When Pharaoh freed them, they had to hurry,hurry, hurry away with their bread on their backs. The sun baked it flat like crackers. That's what matzoh is." It is Max who is in a big hurry during the story. In fact, he wishes his dad would hurry up many times during the story (which is opposite what usually happens, where the adult wishes the child would hurry up!). The Passover story is so nicely integrated into Max's emotions. He feels that same sense of urgency. And matzoh, one of the symbols of Passover, finds its way into Max's Hurry, Hurry, Hurry cake.
This is a picture book, but I love that it still has some age-appropriate back matter to help provide context. There is an easy recipe for the Hurry, Hurry, Hurry cake, a more complete explanation of the Four Questions, and a slightly longer retelling of the Passover story. All of these help make some of Max's story more understandable to children not previously familiar with Jewish culture. And the recipe would be fun to make and customize after reading.
I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in the blog tour for this book. I was also lucky enough to be sent an extra copy of the book for one of you! The giveaway is below, and it will be open until March 21st. Enter and win - I can't wait to share it with you! If you'd like more information on the author, or want to follow along on the blog tour, click here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Max Makes a Cake. Michelle Edwards; illustrated by Charles Santoso. Random House, 2014.
sent by publisher and Provato Events as part of the blog tour
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