tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24731032197769106112024-03-14T12:10:22.433-07:00Fizzwhizzing FlushbunkerSnozzblogging about books and writing for kidsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-45491916578223626072013-08-20T09:57:00.003-07:002013-08-20T09:57:59.609-07:00RIPFizzwhizzing Flushbunker is officially taking a long nap (you know...the forever kind). Thanks to those of you who followed and supported the site. Archived reviews will remain available.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-4708003605199254562013-01-16T15:39:00.002-08:002013-01-16T15:39:33.955-08:00A Monsterific Tale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YwrbFxovhDI/UPcFi6YuPxI/AAAAAAAABRo/iz1x-Sy2B1g/s1600/book.Lubar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YwrbFxovhDI/UPcFi6YuPxI/AAAAAAAABRo/iz1x-Sy2B1g/s200/book.Lubar.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
Hyde and Shriek<br />
by David Lubar<br />
Starscape (January 2012)<br />
Ages 8 and up<br />
<br />
<br />
With typical <a href="http://www.davidlubar.com/">David Lubar</a> flair, his latest offering—<i>Hyde and Shriek: A Monsterific Tale—</i>promises a screaming good time with its fast-past delivery and no-holds barred, attention-grabbing narration, beginning with its delightfully creepy opening confession: "I love kids. They make great hood ornaments." So says the story's narrator, Ms. Jackie Clevis, an elementary school science teacher with a few...um...<i>issues</i>.<br />
<br />
After accidentally infusing her breakfast drink with a personality-altering elixir, Ms. Clevis morphs into the best and worst versions of herself—an unnaturally sweet sixth grader (Jackie) and a genuine terror of a teacher who lives to cause misery for her students (Ms. Hyde). Both sides battle for control, but with Hyde's ability to gain strength from all the negativity she stirs up, the odds are stacked in her favor.<br />
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Hyde's scenes produce the sort of cringe-inducing, peek-through-your-fingers-oh-no-she-di'int reactions that make this a terrifically fun read. They also make it hard not to wonder if any real life teachers harbor similar feelings (I'm looking at you, Mrs. Schroeder,<span style="font-size: small;"> ya </span>mean old bat.) Ms. Clevis is at risk of losing herself if she can't find a way to unite her two extreme sides (hey—maybe Congress needs to read this). It's up to the kids to put two and two—or, Jackie and Hyde—together and figure out how to save their teacher before she destroys them all. <br />
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<i>Hyde and Shriek</i> is Lubar's first tale in a new series of monster-morphing at Washington Irving Elementary. It's exactly the type of book I watch kids hunt through the book van hoping to find—a dash of danger with plenty of wicked humor—and when they do...the smiles on their faces are priceless. No doubt, legions of demented readers will love this book (and the series—so hurry it up, Lubar!).<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I bought my copy at <a href="http://www.orcabooks.com/">Orca Books</a>.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-1219183524200503822012-10-11T06:48:00.002-07:002012-10-11T06:48:39.991-07:00Bling Reviews Three Times Lucky<style>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I4aO1EwhFUc/UHbMy6w2wpI/AAAAAAAABQU/BiVZ1QMmkFs/s1600/Threetimeslucky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I4aO1EwhFUc/UHbMy6w2wpI/AAAAAAAABQU/BiVZ1QMmkFs/s200/Threetimeslucky.jpg" width="132" /></a>Three Times Lucky<br />
by Sheila Turnage<br />
Dial (May 2012)<br />
Ages 10 and up <br />
<br />
Reviewed by <a href="http://fizzwhizzingflushbunker.blogspot.com/p/contributors.html">Blingin' My Game</a><br />
<br />
"Three Times Lucky" by Sheila Turnage is about a girl named Moses Lobeau (they call her Mo for short) who was just a baby when a hurricane hit North Carolina and she was separated from her mother. During the hurricane, she was found by a man (the Colonel) who kept Mo and eventually married Miss Lana. It’s now eleven years later and Mo and her best friend, Dale, are working at a cafe when they hear about a murder. They decide to put their business, Desparado Detectives, up to the big test of solving the case. <br />
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When Joe Starr, an official detective, comes to town to solve the murder, Mo doesn't like him. Neither does Dale, who just doesn't like any teacher or law official. Starr brings along his partner, Deputy Marla, which turns out to be not such a great idea. Murder is bad enough, but Mo and Dale are not prepared an unexpected kidnapping and every other twisted detail that will leave you wanting more. <br />
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I liked the point of view of the story, which is told by Mo. I felt like I was in her place and could imagine what was going through her head the whole time. It was written in a way that was mysterious and a little scary at times, making me think, "Whoa, what if this happened to me?" <br />
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I feel this book would be great for middle schoolers because they could relate to the main character, Mo, who is around a middle-schooler's age. When I was reading the book, I couldn't stop reading! I would read this book at school and every time I had to stop, it would leave me wanting more. It’s one great story. <br />
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I give "Three Times Lucky" 3 thumbs up!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-78004175480685270982012-09-28T10:20:00.003-07:002012-10-31T08:00:35.602-07:00Haunted WatersI'm pleased to have my story,<i> Skin of the Duppy</i>, included in this gorgeous Fall issue of <span style="color: #20124d;"><a href="http://www.hauntedwaterspress.com/From_the_Depths/From_the_Depths.html">From the Depths</a> </span>by Haunted Waters Press. The story is loosely based on my years as a teen, living in a basically abandoned hotel that was rumored to be haunted because it had been built over a swamp. From what we were told by locals, swamps were breeding grounds for duppies (patois for evil spirits). The hotel was situated right beside a slow moving river on one side and the sea on the other, just like the locale in this story. The tide from the sea pushed the river backward, except during storms when it turned into a nasty rush of debris from the mountain—coconut husks, limbs, banana plants, and mud. Lots of churning mud. It was the perfect setting for a ghost story. And a personal redemption of sorts.<br />
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(If the embedded issue doesn't appear below, click <span style="color: #20124d;"><a href="http://www.hauntedwaterspress.com/From_the_Depths/From_the_Depths.html">here</a></span>.) <br />
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Picture of me beside the stagnant river that inspired this story:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pYMB2KGuQVo/UGdE8M7S2vI/AAAAAAAABPY/n6H7kbPQ6k8/s1600/Jamaica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pYMB2KGuQVo/UGdE8M7S2vI/AAAAAAAABPY/n6H7kbPQ6k8/s1600/Jamaica.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-80762740222641749662012-08-30T07:10:00.000-07:002012-08-30T07:12:29.026-07:00The Spider and the Fly...The Yummy Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QpDHoxFGEA4/UD5qtrQScMI/AAAAAAAABDA/SfY4XlKVhuE/s1600/SpiderandFly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QpDHoxFGEA4/UD5qtrQScMI/AAAAAAAABDA/SfY4XlKVhuE/s200/SpiderandFly.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">The Spider and the Fly 10th Anniversary Edition</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">based on the classic 1829 poem by Mary Howitt</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Simon & Shuster (August 2012)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Ages 6 and up </span><br />
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It's true, I was reading-deprived as a child; however, not until I read the 10th anniversary edition of Mary Howitt's 1829 poem, illustrated Tony DiTerlizzi, did I realize just what an abomination that was. For crying out loud...this little masterpiece has been around since 1829? Of course, maybe if DiTerlizzi had been there to illustrate it sooner, there's a good chance we would have crossed paths. Thankfully, a 10th anniversary edition just came out and I was ready for it.<br />
<br />
In this thinly veiled morality tale about the perils of vanity, self-absorbed little Fly
is courted by silver-tongued master manipulator, Spider, who preys on
Fly's superficiality. Spider plies Fly with fanciful promises and compliments, slowly drawing both Fly and reader into his web. Meanwhile, the illustrations tell the real tale as the ghostly apparitions of
past victims try to warn her away (a really lovely touch). <br />
<br />
DiTerlizzi has created a delicious visual feast with classic Hollywood horror film flair. I do believe this is the first Gothic-style picture book I've come across, and if that's not already a thriving genre, it should be. (Gris Grimly has illustrated some rhyming collections of macabre, but I can't think off the top of my head of a picture book with this sort of vintage horror quality to it.) <br />
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A big bonus in this 10th Anniversary edition is the movie poster printed on the inside of the dust jacket:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FxI0fDW9qcQ/UD9xj82lGJI/AAAAAAAABDg/x57DAaXb1sA/s1600/spiderposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FxI0fDW9qcQ/UD9xj82lGJI/AAAAAAAABDg/x57DAaXb1sA/s400/spiderposter.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-54720529969340316692012-08-09T09:35:00.003-07:002012-08-09T09:35:57.123-07:00Twisted Tombstones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aln2F1O4Ot8/UCPcAh_erQI/AAAAAAAABBM/S795HvVkLH0/s1600/LastLaughs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aln2F1O4Ot8/UCPcAh_erQI/AAAAAAAABBM/S795HvVkLH0/s1600/LastLaughs.jpg" /></a></div>
Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs<br />
Written by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen<br />
Illustrated by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins<br />
Charlesbridge (July 2012)<br />
Ages 7 and up<br />
<br />
Can a book of epitaphs for animals really be all that funny? Why, yes it can, especially if you combine the pithy wit of Jane Yolen and J. Patrick Lewis with the playfully dark illustrations of Jeffrey Stewart Timmins.<br />
<br />
For the most part, this picture book of sly final farewells delivers on its twisted promise to delight in the animal kingdom's dearly departed. While I felt a little let down with a few of the them, the many brilliantly (ahem) <i>executed</i> epitaphs more than make up for any lost momentum. Among my favorites, Lewis' "Chicken Crosses Over" puts to rest any notions about the endlessly debated road crossing, and Yolen's "Hen's Last Cluck" makes mischief with a beautifully rendered nine-word, two-line salute to fowl behavior.<br />
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The epitaphs, while delivered tongue-in-cheek, are so wide ranging in their subjects—from the farm to the sea and all points high and low—that <i>Last Laughs</i> is a sneakily tender tribute to the animal kingdom. Truthfully, I never thought I'd feel for an eel or regret a piranha's sudden passing. <br />
<br />
<i>Last Laughs</i> has a life beyond its reading, offering inspiration and prompts for young writers to pen their own animal epitaphs. In fact, I took a stab at this (poorly rhymed) epitaph for several crows:<br />
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Look no further.</div>
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This was a murder. </div>
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A great gift for Halloween.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-76816262587374725452012-08-07T07:36:00.001-07:002012-08-07T08:34:19.872-07:00A Wonder(ful) Book<style>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLjYn3dfaUE/UCEXWq1_cBI/AAAAAAAABAw/f-HvVsxLf0I/s1600/wonder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLjYn3dfaUE/UCEXWq1_cBI/AAAAAAAABAw/f-HvVsxLf0I/s1600/wonder.jpg" /></a></div>
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Wonder</div>
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R.J. Palacio</div>
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Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 2012)</div>
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Ages 8 and up </div>
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Contributor: <i><a href="http://fizzwhizzingflushbunker.blogspot.com/p/contributors.html" style="color: #20124d;">Blingin' My Game</a></i></div>
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Wonder caught my eye by the cover, which shows a boy with a truly unusual face. When I started reading the book, I absolutely loved it!!! The story is about a boy named August Pullman who was born with a deformed face and has been home schooled his whole life. By the time he reaches fifth grade, his mother decides that it’s time to go to a private school. </div>
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August faces lots of challenges and has some good and bad moments. When his middle school principle, Mr. Tushman, introduces him to his new school, August isn’t sure that he wants to be there, knowing that the students and teachers will stare at his one-of-a-kind face every day where it can't be hidden. He has to deal with the whispering, laughing, staring and pointing at him as he walks by in the halls. He goes to sleep every night, thinking about having to go through it all over again the next day. Through it all, his sister Olivia and his mom and dad don’t want him to give up going to school, so he has to dig deep to keep going. I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that after readers get done with this book it will make them think about how they treat others they meet and if they have treated them in the right way.<br />
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I would recommend this book to anyone from 5th grade to as old as you can read. A wonderful book that I find very inspirational, especially for anyone that has had to deal with life’s challenges. It teaches people that everyone is different in their own special way, and everyone should be treated the same even if they look different. </div>
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Happy Reading!! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-45225659795671497012012-07-09T10:58:00.001-07:002012-07-09T15:20:08.669-07:00Simply Devine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0p4CrMao5KA/T_pOKjqHfGI/AAAAAAAAA-s/D05AYN4I0Bk/s1600/Devine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0p4CrMao5KA/T_pOKjqHfGI/AAAAAAAAA-s/D05AYN4I0Bk/s200/Devine.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
DEVINE INTERVENTION<br />
Martha Brockenbrough<br />
Arthur A. Levine Books (June 2012)<br />
Ages 12 and Beyond<br />
<br />
As soon as I finished <a href="http://marthabrockenbrough.squarespace.com/" style="color: #20124d;">Martha Brockenbrough's</a> debut novel, <i>Devine Intervention</i>, I rushed to type out my thoughts before they evaporated like the last hope of a delinquent dead kid and his luckless charge. Words like <i>smart, insightful, fast, funny,
fresh, poignant, surprising, layered,</i> and <i>utterly satisfying</i> came to mind, but even those sentiments don't quite capture the essence of what makes this book sing. It's a cliche to say it, but I laughed, I cried,
and if I hadn't acquired a new fear about being watched by disembodied
souls with no boundaries and poor social skills, I would have even danced.<br />
<br />
Want more? <i>Devine Intervention</i> is a brilliantly-constructed, sharply-written, well-paced, beautifully-conceived and deftly-executed piece of work. But a debut novel? <i>Motherflasking</i>* impossible. If John Green and Libba Bray had a love child, she would wish she could write like Martha Brockenbrough. It's true, I've been a fan of her writing for some time (her MSN.com articles read like a modern day Erma Bombeck and her <a href="http://grammatically.blogspot.com/" style="color: #20124d;">SPOGG</a><span style="color: #20124d;"> </span>posts are cringeworthy-hilarious), but <i>Devine Intervention</i> sealed the deal. It's a rare breed of book that has both heart and humor, skillfully delivered in a tightly woven narrative that really shoops along (to borrow a phrase from the book's many freshly imagined phrases).<br />
<br />
Before I get into why I feel so strongly about this gem of a story, allow me to reveal a bit of the plot, which in itself should give any reader a taste of the glorious ride ahead: A wayward teen soul (Jerome) is serving time in heavenly rehab and has to earn his way to Heaven's main gate (instead of one of the seven levels of hell that await him should he fail rehab). His one task is to assume the role of guardian angel to a child (Heidi). It is, in his mind, a simple matter. Certainly not worth cracking open his <i>Guardian Angel Handbook</i>,<i> Soul Rehab Edition</i>. Apparently, he's not much of a linguist because he misunderstands the tiny bit he did manage to flip through. That commandment about not discoursing with the living? Well, let's just say dictionaries should be read and not used to balance uneven table legs.<br />
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Poor Heidi grows up with Jerome's voice in her head and an extra helping of social awkwardness that makes regular high school hell look like a vacation hot spot. In short, while avoiding the seven levels of Hades for himself, Jerome inadvertently sentences Heidi to a living one on Earth. But that's just the beginning. Things go from bad to worse to <i>oh-no-he di'int</i>. And, when Heidi gets a taste of just how inept Jerome really is, and her soul has to pay the price, that's when the story really soars.<br />
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Any decently drawn main character has a core flaw that drives decision-making and, as a result, worsening conditions/interesting plot, but Jerome's core is chock-a-bloc full of 'em. Despite it all, and despite everything he does to Heidi, he's hard not to love. A big reason for this is that Brockenbrough finds a way to show, over time, the reasons why he is the way he is, and she does it without contrived sentimentality. Heidi, in contrast, doesn't have a core flaw so much as a uphill battle trying to make her way through the levels of teen hell, which makes her immediately sympathetic.<br />
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The chapters alternate between their two points of view—Jerome's
first person and Heidi's third—each with a distinct and vibrant
voice that further develops their characters. Just like their conflict-ridden relationship, the
narrative structure keeps the plot engaging and lively.<br />
<br />
It would have been easy to chart a predictable trajectory as Jerome tries to redeem himself and save what he can of Heidi's dubious existence, but Brockenbrough throws so many plot twists and turns—which I am dying to reveal but am forcing myself not to...except that some of it involves a dog, a squirrel, an action figure, and an evil, pizza-huffing angel—it's nothing short of amazing that she was able to tie every loose thread together. From the get-go, she leaves such casual clues and foreshadowing details that are so ordinary they don't give even a little hint as to what wicked things Brockenbrough has in mind. So don't bother looking for them. Just trust that there's a greater mind at work here, and I'm clearly not talking about Jerome's (or even His). The ending is so <i>flasking </i>satisfying, I don't want to risk ruining it. Let me just say this: I rarely cry at the end of a book (unless it's just so bad, I cry over the loss of coffee money), but this one hit me in that soft spot, right where rumor has it my heart should be. So, bravo for that, Ms. B.<br />
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There's really only one question that's left hanging at the end of this heavenly read: <i>When does the movie come out?</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*One of the <i>Ten Commandments for the Dead</i> that Jerome tries to observe is the prohibition against swearing. Instead, he invents replacement words like motherflasker, Chevy (if you've ever owned one, as I have, you know what a piece of Chevette looks like), and applehat. It's not only a smart way to avoid the sticky issue of language, it also gives Jerome's personality a strong voice on the page.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-73270537164591556322011-12-28T14:17:00.000-08:002011-12-28T15:23:49.227-08:00Saving the Best for Last: A Monster Calls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7XsbwvHl8CQ/Tvt5ANn_OKI/AAAAAAAAAoU/RecIYDIh_SU/s1600/AMonsterCalls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7XsbwvHl8CQ/Tvt5ANn_OKI/AAAAAAAAAoU/RecIYDIh_SU/s1600/AMonsterCalls.jpg" /></a></div>A MONSTER CALLS<br />
by Patrick Ness<br />
Inspired by an idea of Siobhan Dowd <br />
Candlewick Press (September 2011)<br />
Ages 12 and up<br />
<br />
I've waited months to read this book. I even pre-ordered it last July when I first saw the cover and thought, oh yeah, this one does not deceive. I was wrong. It does deceive. But in the very best way possible. <i>A Monster Calls</i> is not a horror story (as the title and cover suggest) so much as a haunting story of grief and denial, clinging and letting go, love and fear. There are so many layers to this book—stories within stories, the collision of the natural with the supernatural, truth and self-deception—it is stunning in its blend of ordinary and unhinged reality.<br />
<br />
<i>A Monster Calls</i> unfolds slowly, seeping onto the pages with hypnotic cadence and shadowy, shapeshifting illustrations (beautifully imagined by Jim Kay). The truth of what's happening is revealed over a short span of weeks in the life of thirteen-year-old Conor O'Malley whose mother is nearing the end of her battle with cancer. Bullied and alienated at school, abandoned by his father who left England to start a new life and new family, and forced into the reluctant care of his very ungrandmotherly grandmother, Conor has nightmares. The monster is not one of them. The monster, which takes the shape of a yew tree, doesn't frighten Conor, but it does challenge him. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>At last</i>, said the monster. <i>To the matter at hand. The reason I have come walking.</i><br />
Conor tensed, suddenly dreading what was coming. <br />
<i>Here is what will happen, Conor O'Malley</i>, the monster continued, <i>I will come to you again on further nights.</i><br />
Conor felt his stomach clench, like he was preparing for a blow.<br />
<i>And I will tell you three stories. Three tales from when I walked before.</i></blockquote>The monster goes on to explain that the fourth tale will be told by Conor. And it will be the truth. The stage is set and the story unfolds, layers deep, alternating between everyday reality and the shadow world of grief, fear and denial. The tales told by the monster have unexpected endings, twisted meanings. Good and evil are not as clear cut as they seem. It's smart, sophisticated writing that does not cheat the reader by spelling everything out.<br />
<br />
The language of the monster echoes the ancestral drumbeat of fireside storytelling. It's the perfect vehicle for this sort of tale, where the truth of real life is just too blinding and unacceptable to acknowledge. Instead, it pulses with words and smoldering images that bring to mind the way things look like other (more menacing) things in the dark. The ending is what every writer should be lucky enough to achieve: inevitable, but surprising. Knowing what's coming does nothing to lessen the blow of its impact.<br />
<br />
<i>A Monster Calls</i> is self-identified as being for readers aged 12 and up. Many reviewers have categorized it as Young Adult, a strong contender for the Printz; however, I wouldn't be surprised to see it on the Newbery announcement next month. Regardless of where it lands on the shelf, it's a winner through and through.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I cashed in a gift card through <i>mumbletysomething</i>azon and ordered my copy there because I wasn't going to let it go to waste and fill their coffers with an unused certificate. Otherwise, I would have purchased it from an independent bookseller, which is what I recommend to you.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-71244924883278617532011-12-17T12:30:00.000-08:002011-12-19T07:45:52.466-08:00Move Over, Scrooge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>My story, <i>Move Over, Scrooge</i>, is now live and online at the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-1218-story-20111218,0,924393.story" style="color: blue;">Los Angeles Times Kids' Reading Room</a>. Check it out!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6zTCfNdQXA/Tu6JMM4M6BI/AAAAAAAAAnY/8ASMDx3xXoo/s1600/LATimes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6zTCfNdQXA/Tu6JMM4M6BI/AAAAAAAAAnY/8ASMDx3xXoo/s320/LATimes.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-47427412170825187432011-12-16T08:17:00.000-08:002011-12-16T08:18:57.873-08:00The Nerdwurld Strikes BackWhile the longstanding Star Trek v. Star Wars debate may never be settled (too bad because, duh, Star Trek: TOS is the clear winner), George Takei unites the nerdwurld in a battle against the true storytelling evil of our time:<br />
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<iframe width="480" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mvTCr5Z-0lA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-36314807328130582011-12-13T08:52:00.000-08:002011-12-13T08:52:37.560-08:00Review: Warp Speed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OPOLEDD1P_o/TuPVpyzKoaI/AAAAAAAAAmk/1jqea15KxJg/s1600/bookcvrWarp+Speed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OPOLEDD1P_o/TuPVpyzKoaI/AAAAAAAAAmk/1jqea15KxJg/s200/bookcvrWarp+Speed.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>WARP SPEED<br />
by Lisa Yee<br />
Arthur A. Levine Books (March 2011)<br />
Ages 9 and Up<br />
<br />
Just when I thought I couldn't take another book that deals with bullying, up pops Lisa Yee's fresh, fast and witty take on one of the most insidious social cancers of our times. In <i>Warp Speed</i>, Yee pulls no punches when it comes to looking at life through the eyes of seventh grade lunch meat, Marley Sandelsky, a self-proclaimed AV nerd and Trekkie targeted by middle school neanderthals he nicknames the Gorn.<br />
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Marley's humorous first-person narration—present tense no less (kudos to Yee for pulling that off with ease)—absorbs the harsh blows of his sickening reality, as do his Captain's Log entries that cloak his emotional pain in Trekkie-esque lingo ("The enemy Gorn have infiltrated a satellite substation. Damage was minimal. However, the stigma of the attack remains.")<br />
<br />
The daily abuse of being shoved in his locker, spit on and beat up is something Marley has come to expect, but it's also an ugly truth he hides from his parents and teachers. I initially had a hard time with the fact that he treats his situation lightly, but then I realized, <i>duh</i>, I was looking at this through an unrealistic adult's viewpoint and needed to get over myself. From Marley's perspective, humor is the best way to cope. So is running....really fast...to avoid the Gorn. It's his running <i>away</i>, which turns into running <i>for the joy of it</i>, that's his saving grace.<br />
<br />
As a writer, it's incredibly difficult to place your character in a situation that no one has figured out a way to resolve in real life and, well, figure out a way to resolve it. Then, to do it in a way that puts the power in the hands of the main character and not some intervening authority figure. Although, to his credit, Marley tries to enlist the help of an outside force—the <i>Star Trek</i> action figures from whom he draws strength to face his tormentors. The crew of the Enterprise isn't much help, however, when it comes to wooing Emily Ebers, the girl he's beginning to think likes him for more than his garbage gown modeling skills. Honestly, the scenes with Emily in which Marley spontaneously erupts in Klingon are about as painful to read as the ones in which he's being pummeled by the Gorn. In spite of all he has going against him, however, Marley has guts when it comes to surviving love and war at Rancho Rosetta Middle School. <br />
<br />
A nice subplot to Marley's story is his family's struggle to maintain their historic movie house, the Rialto, which Marley fears his parents will have to sell. They're kind people, his folks, and their love for each other and Marley offers a solid anchor to what could have become a lopsided bullied nerd saga.<br />
<br />
<i>Warp Speed </i>is a well-rounded novel with great pacing, humor and appeal for kids in the upper range of middle grade readers. The best part is that it picks up where three of Yee's previous Rancho Rosetta Middle School novels left off. It reads just as well without ever having read the other books, and will make readers want to go check them out to see what they've been missing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-64030970034791059552011-12-05T10:46:00.000-08:002011-12-09T09:38:29.411-08:00Review: Lucky Cap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6NSTsHo4Vaw/Tt0FBmaNIUI/AAAAAAAAAlc/-mskWlZuvy8/s1600/Bookcvr.LuckyCap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6NSTsHo4Vaw/Tt0FBmaNIUI/AAAAAAAAAlc/-mskWlZuvy8/s200/Bookcvr.LuckyCap.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>LUCKY CAP<br />
by Patrick Jennings<br />
EgmontUSA (April 2011)<br />
Ages 8-12<br />
<br />
Patrick Jennings has got to be one of my favorite writers, not just because he writes in such an easy going carefree style, delivered with engaging humor and peppered with pathos, but because he takes risks. He does his own thing, regardless of conventional expectations. Case in point: <i>Lucky Cap</i>, his latest novel for middle grade readers.<br />
<br />
In <i>Lucky Cap</i>, eleven-year old Enzo Harpold goes from average to amazingest in the blink of an eye when his father takes a management position with the ultimate sporting goods company, Kap, and off they go on a summer tour of Kap outlets, complete with personal lessons by sports legends and an all around can't-be-topped experience. The story opens just as Enzo's fantasy summer is coming to an end and he's faced with the horror of starting sixth grade. His biggest fear is that he'll go from top of world to bottom of the heap just as quickly as he ascended to glory.<br />
<br />
Except for one thing: Enzo has a special prototype cap given to him by his dad's boss at Kap. Enzo is convinced that this cap has imbued him with some sort of magical middle school mojo. Given the phenomenal good luck he has on his first day of sixth grade (being nominated class president, attracting girls left and right, getting in with the cool kids), Enzo's confidence runs amok. Read: this kid has an out-of-control, over-the-top ego. And this is where Jennings takes his biggest risk. Creating a character/narrator that's, well, rather hard to love.<br />
<br />
If Enzo's ego and good fortune hadn't been so over-the-top, it would be difficult to justify an entire novel in his defense. But since it is over the top, and there's no defending the way Enzo treats his best friend from elementary school (not to mention girls and kids who get in his way), by the time he loses his cap and spirals out of control, it all starts to come together.<br />
<br />
In a way, Enzo's story reads like a deal with the devil, in which the devil's abode looks and functions a lot like middle school and survival of the best-dressed/most-glib/social climbers—in fact, a microcosm of the larger world we all live in. His dad's boss at Kap behaves a lot like a silver-tongued emissary from corporate Hades, plying young Enzo with a philosophy of accumulation and egocentrism. This kid goes completely off the rails, thanks to the fine makers of athletic wear and cold-hearted competition. Some readers might miss this, thinking Enzo is just a jerk, but I've read enough of Jenning's work to know he's not one to promote the slope-headed mentality of commercialism and convention.<br />
<br />
The proof is in the ending, which I won't give away. You'll just have to read it to find out.<i> Lucky Cap</i> is not for readers expecting to cheer for a beleaguered underdog, but it shines as a tale of middle school madness.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Copy provided by the publisher.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-54373565368405657582011-11-28T06:00:00.000-08:002011-11-28T06:00:01.927-08:00Oh Boy, Canada: Three Great Reads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4erYoX-e40/TtMG8YSys0I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/YglYW3c07II/s1600/BookcvrDeadlyVoyage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4erYoX-e40/TtMG8YSys0I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/YglYW3c07II/s200/BookcvrDeadlyVoyage.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>I AM CANADA: DEADLY VOYAGE<br />
by Hugh Brewster<br />
Scholastic Canada (September 2011)<br />
Ages 9-12<br />
<br />
This recent release of <i>I Am Canada</i> tells the fictionalized account of a fourteen year old boy, Jamie Laidlaw, who travels with his parents on the Titanic's maiden (and well, let's face it, final) voyage. It's rich with detail, but not one bit pedantic or boring as Jamie recounts his excitement and wonder at seeing the ship for the first time, and being a curious boy, it's through his eyes that much of what's known about the real life passengers and their lifestyle aboard ship is conveyed. Jamie's father is a banker whose trip is courtesy of the Imperial Bank, a benefit that positions Jamie in the midst of first class luxury.<br />
<br />
While his parents hobnob with power brokers of the time, Jamie befriends another boy and off they go exploring, giving the reader a top notch tour mixed with little dramas to personalize the story (Jamie's dog is in the kennels, his friend's pet rat gets loose). Of course, the reader knows what's coming, but that knowledge doesn't diminish the suspense one bit. Once the ship hit the iceberg and people are told to go above out of caution, I could not put the book down. Brewster relates the details of those hours— the mounting confusion and Jamie's dawning awareness of the trouble they're in—to maximum effect. I've always had a fear of ships at night (having been passenger on one and employee on another), and reading this just about gave me flop sweat. The chronicling of the lifeboat shortage is pretty disturbing, knowing that half the passengers are doomed, but witnessing it through the eyes of a boy who's only just beginning to understand this heightens the horror even more.<br />
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I could go on and on, but I don't want to give away the ending. If readers who love adventure based on real life can get their hands on <i>Deadly Voyage</i>, I don't think they will be disappointed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rDQIM51CexE/TtJj7mVYhTI/AAAAAAAAAlI/gftCBpwPQq4/s1600/BookcvrThatFatalNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rDQIM51CexE/TtJj7mVYhTI/AAAAAAAAAlI/gftCBpwPQq4/s200/BookcvrThatFatalNight.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>DEAR CANADA: THAT FATAL NIGHT<br />
by Sarah Ellis<br />
Scholastic Canada (September 2011)<br />
Ages 9-12<br />
<br />
<i>That Fatal Night</i> takes a different kind of dramatic approach to the Titanic saga. Instead of telling about her story of survival, twelve year old Dorothy Wilton's diary avoids talking about what happened when she traveled alone (with an escort) aboard the doomed ship. It's the avoidance, with haunting clues (needing to have her shoes by her at night, the obsessive desire for neatness), that creates the dramatic tension in this fictionalized account.<br />
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Dorothy talks around the tragedy—writing in her diary that she will record everything <i>but</i> that event. Instead, she focuses on the good times she had visiting her grandparents in England and the days after her return. These accounts are incredibly well done, with Dorothy inventing a script to describe scenes that shed light on her internal struggles (she plays the rold of CG—Canadian Girl, other cast members include her grandparents, cousins and the dog).<br />
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It's clear that she carries guilt about something related to Miss Pugh, the woman who accompanied Dorothy on the voyage but didn't survive. There's enough anticipation created through this device of avoidance to pull the reader along, with revelations that are both heartening and heartrending. I could say that girls will love this book, but I'd like to think that boys would pick it up, too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dtOQ2DXujgU/TtJj7AkRWOI/AAAAAAAAAlA/Jl-nyZdihGw/s1600/BookcvrShotatDawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dtOQ2DXujgU/TtJj7AkRWOI/AAAAAAAAAlA/Jl-nyZdihGw/s200/BookcvrShotatDawn.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>I AM CANADA: SHOT AT DAWN<br />
by John Wilson<br />
Scholastic Canada (February 2011)<br />
Ages 9-12<br />
<br />
Here's a revolting little fact about World War I that was news to me (granted, much of WWI is news to me, overshadowed as it is by part II): Deserters from several countries were court marshalled and shot, Canada included. <i>Shot at Dawn</i> is the fictionalized account of one whose been arrested and is awaiting dawn where he expects to be executed, a young soldier by the name of Allan McBride.<br />
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There's not much I can say about the details of this account that won't be utterly disturbing—the appalling conditions under which they fought, the brutal treatment of the army's own soldiers to keep them from deserting, not to mention the horrors on the battlefield and all the ways a body and mind can be destroyed. The most compelling, in this case, is the mental stress and trauma that unravels so many soldiers. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is a condition that's recognized and treated today, but back then it was just not understood. In <i>Shot at Dawn</i>, Allan interprets the behavior of his commanding officer (and friend from back home) as cowardice. It's only later that Allan's account takes us right into the mind of someone who's broken by the wickedness of war.<br />
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There is no glamorization of war going on here, and the futility of it rings loud and clear. For young readers of war history, this book is well worth the journey. <br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Review copies provided by the publisher</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-84487113569284282412011-11-25T12:43:00.000-08:002011-11-27T09:36:53.463-08:00Rearranging Lifeboats on the TitanicI recently read two compelling middle grade books about the Titanic. My reviews will come in a couple days, but in the meantime, I wanted to mention a factoid that struck me as I read the back matter of one of the books:<br />
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63% of first class passengers were saved<br />
43% of second class passengers were saved<br />
25% percent of third class passengers were saved<br />
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It occurred to me that this would never happen today.<br />
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First, there wouldn't really be any second class passengers, and those that were in first class would be a very small percentage of the overall manifest (let's say, oh, 1%).<br />
<br />
Second, instead of women and children first, there would be a democratic election in which it would be pointed out to the third class passengers that it makes more sense for 100% of first class passengers to be saved because only they can create jobs so that all those suffering third class passengers have some hope of improving their circumstances--otherwise, what's the point in surviving if you haven't got something to look forward to? Let's face it, no one wants to be in third class forever. The first class is offering a different kind of life boat. It will just take a little longer to arrive.<br />
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Third, first class passengers need more room for their valuables, which are necessary to fuel the economy so that they can create jobs for the people sinking into the frigid deep blue.<br />
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Fourth, there might be some third class hooligans who object to this arrangement, but they are so poorly dressed and LOUD, it's almost hard to understand what they're saying. In fact, their message is deemed too unclear and, well, not very credible.<br />
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It's decided that the obvious choice is to allow first class passengers full use of the lifeboats so that they can go home and make life better for everyone. Besides which, they are already inside the boats and it would take too much time to roust them out, leaving everyone to perish.<br />
<br />
It occurs to leaders of the first class passengers, however, that it might look bad if they are the only ones to survive, so they decide to take on some of the third class passengers. Actually, they are crew members, but it's getting dark and hard to tell all the screaming people apart. It works out to be useful because now they have someone to row the lifeboats and get them out of there.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, as the third class passengers are swallowed up by the sea, the survivors hone their message for the folks back home. It's important to present a united, unyielding front, unlike the drowning masses whose voices are all garbled...<br />
<br />
Anyway, it's just a thought that occurred to me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-79092883676571005762011-11-25T07:12:00.000-08:002011-12-09T09:39:09.890-08:00Review: The Underwear Dare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-592e_1vyDxk/Ts-mwat5ybI/AAAAAAAAAkw/oGvvoo9rtN4/s1600/UnderwearDare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-592e_1vyDxk/Ts-mwat5ybI/AAAAAAAAAkw/oGvvoo9rtN4/s200/UnderwearDare.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>THE UNDERWEAR DARE<br />
by the Nardini Sisters<br />
Sorelle Publishing (February 2011)<br />
Ages 8-12<br />
<br />
Caution: Adults are not likely to be charmed by <i>The Underwear Dare</i>, with its heavy doses of gross out humor and bully vs nerd well trod trope; however, this adult found herself laughing in spite of herself, and there's no doubt kids will be entertained as two step brothers square off in a series of dares that has them each doing the unthinkable—acting in ways they each want each other to behave.<br />
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The story starts off with painfully tired stereotypes—nerdy Josh suffers from his stepbrother Eddie's cruel pranks. They share a room. They fight. The situation seems unchangeable, until Josh's dad announces that he's turning the attic into a bedroom. The catch: the boys have to decide, without fighting, who gets the coveted room. Thus, the dares. Each boy has a week to complete his dare. If they both complete their dares by Friday, they move into a new dare the following week and the week after that, culminating in the ultimate dare: the first one to run through the cafeteria during lunchtime wins.<br />
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Josh dares Eddie to stop bullying kids (i.e., taking protection money) and to do something nice for everyone he's been mean to. And Eddie dares Josh to produce an earsplitting belch in class. Both are challenging enough to turn the first week into a fun drama of failures and mishaps, resulting in both of them being brought in for weekly sessions with an earnest school counselor.<br />
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As the dares progress, tidbits emerge that shed light on Eddie's behavior and the boys' relationship slowly transforms. The Nardini Sisters do a really nice job of not being preachy. Instead, Josh's insights are lightly tossed and always secondary to his main occupation: winning the dare by being more disgusting than his step brother. The ending is perfect and well earned.<br />
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My only real quibble is with the typesetting (of all things). Funny that I would even notice this, but it's off just enough to have distracted me in the beginning, especially the large first line indentations. The story and writing grabbed me soon enough to get past that, though. It's such a fun read, with surprisingly touching revelations, I'd definitely recommend this one to reluctant readers, especially those who love to be grossed out.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-25501711587676653792011-11-23T08:16:00.000-08:002011-11-23T08:16:47.360-08:00Review: True (...sort of)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CgfwhB1ynA/Ts0VgxrluUI/AAAAAAAAAkg/oZz_nYwyvZw/s1600/truesortof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CgfwhB1ynA/Ts0VgxrluUI/AAAAAAAAAkg/oZz_nYwyvZw/s200/truesortof.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>TRUE (...SORT OF)<br />
by Katherine Hannigan<br />
HarperCollins (April 2011)<br />
Ages 8-12<br />
<br />
Delly Pattison is about as likeable a troublemaker as they come. She's irrepressibly curious, passionate and, unfortunately, a bit lacking in self control. (Naturally, I took to this kid right away.) She's got a plan to stay out of trouble by attaching herself to the new girl, Ferris Boyd, as it seems that the air doesn't stir much around Ferris.<br />
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In fact, Ferris, who doesn't speak and cannot be touched, is such a mystery to Delly that she decides to take the new girl on as a project, following her into the woods to see where she disappears and, ultimately, devoting herself to protecting Ferris from unknown peril. Ferris also draws the interest of a Brud Kinney who mistakes Ferris for a boy and is enamored of "his" deft basketball skills.<br />
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There's clearly something wrong with Ferris and her home situation, but what happens there is not revealed until the very end. Delly's story is so lighthearted and entertaining, and Ferris is carrying such a dark secret, that the shift at the end felt almost too much. I wish it had been integrated earlier.<br />
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There's a whole community feel to Hannigan's novel, with lives intermingling, separating and colliding. For the most part, she pulls this off quite nicely; however, the shifts in point-of-view are often so sudden and random that, for me, it sometimes becomes a jumble of head hopping. I wish the story had kept to Delly's point of view, and maybe Brud's, but the others' thoughts intruded on the flow just enough to be a distraction. <br />
<br />
Even with my quibbles, this story has stayed with me, and that tells me there's a lot to recommend here. It's worth reading for the voice of Delly alone, and the lovely way Hannigan introduces readers to a character who, without saying a word, says a lot more than most.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I received a review copy from the publisher.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-33200513776682392112011-11-19T14:36:00.000-08:002012-07-09T15:54:54.916-07:00Review: Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xw5n79O2Bes/Tsge6_1NoaI/AAAAAAAAAkY/tvnCG9U78Vc/s1600/CharlieJoeJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xw5n79O2Bes/Tsge6_1NoaI/AAAAAAAAAkY/tvnCG9U78Vc/s200/CharlieJoeJ.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
CHARLIE JOE JACKSON'S GUIDE TO NOT READING<br />
by Tommy Greenwald<br />
Roaring Brook Press (July 2011)<br />
Ages 9-12<br />
<br />
If there's one topic that makes my blood boil, it's the issue of boys who hate reading, the reason being that this is usually followed by the need to write more books that boys like—in other words, books that don't have girls for main characters. Before I launch into a mini rant, I need to state first that <i>Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading</i> does not perpetuate that heinous cultural bias.<br />
<br />
Once I realized this, my ire had no where to go. In fact, one of Charlie's tips is: <i>If you have to read, read about girls</i>. What's not to love about that? Tommy Greenwald created such a likeable character in Charlie—a boy whose sole aim is to get through school without ever reading a book—I simply gave up looking to be irritated and went along for the ride. Sure, he's a cheater and a schemer, but he's a fundamentally good kid with a great sense of humor. <br />
<br />
The premise of the book is, of course, ironic. Here's a boy who hates to read so much he's written a slew of tips to get out of the dreaded task. He even makes an agreement to keep his chapters short and his syllables mono—promises he can't keep, given that it turns out he's actually got a good story to tell. So, while on the face of it, this appears to be a fluffy little book of tips, it's actually a fluffy-esque little book with great pacing and a narrative arc that's satisfying.<br />
<br />
(Now for the rant.)<br />
<br />
Although Charlie's reason for not wanting to read has nothing to do with girl characters—the book he's currently avoiding is about a boy and it involves baseball, so there goes that theory—in real life, it's a reason that many people seem to accept as valid. Why is that? Can't boys be encouraged to broaden their gender-centric horizons? Unfortunately, the answer to that is <i>no</i>, at least not enough of them. It's a deep societal bias. (The Institute on Gender in the Media states that only 28% of speaking characters in film and television--both real and animated--are female. This, despite the fact that girls and women compose 51% of the population.)<br />
<br />
A case in point: I was volunteering at the book van one day, and we had a stack of <i>Powerpuff Girls</i> books. Two little boys came along at different times of the day and each grabbed a <i>Powerpuff Girls</i>. One mother told her son to put it back. "That's for girls," she said. Her tone was so harsh, he dropped it immediately. The other mother didn't object to her son's choice, at least not at the time (who knows if it ended up being discarded). I might have suggested a better book, but not because of gender. <br />
<br />
It's far from a scientific study, but the reaction of the mother who objected to the <i>girl book</i> gave me the chills. She was teaching her son that reading about girls is bad. Her tone was shaming. Girls, on the other hand, read all sorts of books regardless of the main character's gender. <br />
<br />
If the idea is to write books about boys so that boys have books to read, I refuse to acquiesce. If, however, the idea is to write an engaging story that clips along, then I'm all for that. I don't write for genders, I write for readers. I do believe that boys may gravitate toward more plot-driven than character-driven stories, and I think that's a valid consideration. There are girls who also prefer similar plot-driven stories. <br />
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Fortunately, this is not an issue in <i>Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading</i>, a book for readers looking for a good story with lots of laughs. I would especially recommend this book to reluctant readers of any species or gender.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I borrowed my copy from the library. Libraries are great. You could borrow this very book from one for <i>free</i>. However, if you decide you want a copy of your very own, I suggest buying one from an <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/">independent bookseller</a>, or even Barnes & Noble, because they have four walls and people you can interact with. Plus, there are no shipping charges and they say nice things like, <i>What a great choice you made.</i> <i>I need to read this, too</i>! And that feels good.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-37323880328184976982011-11-14T06:48:00.000-08:002011-12-09T09:39:49.107-08:00Review: Pearl Versus The World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3MfC9ngp6iw/TsBLeefXMnI/AAAAAAAAAkI/OIk0cOhRmqk/s1600/Pearlvstheworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3MfC9ngp6iw/TsBLeefXMnI/AAAAAAAAAkI/OIk0cOhRmqk/s200/Pearlvstheworld.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>PEARL VERSUS THE WORLD<br />
by Heather Potter<br />
Candlewick Press (August, 2011)<br />
Ages 8-12<br />
<br />
For a book of its size (80 slender pages), Heather Potter's <i>Pearl Versus the World </i>sure does create a large and lasting impression. It's got that lingering quality I look for in a good story, a feeling of fullness that lives on long after its ending.<br />
<br />
Narrated by Pearl in spare free verse, <i>Pearl Versus the World</i> handles some very heavy topics with a gentle touch as Pearl comes to terms with the fading away (and, ultimately, death) of her beloved grandmother who suffers from dementia. Meanwhile, Pearl is fading away too. At school, she feels like a friendless outcast, a group of one who doesn't fit in, just like her verse doesn't fit in with her teacher's expectations to write poems that rhyme. As Pearl explains, <i>"There is no rhyme in my life."</i><br />
<br />
With few words, Potter crafts a surprisingly complete portrait of Pearl as she navigates grief, loss, love and friendship. Despite the heaviness of the topic, Potter handles Pearl's story with such easy grace, there's a feeling of completion and peace that's very reassuring. More vignette than novel, and very young in tone, <i>Pearl Versus the World</i> is an excellent book for young readers, especially those who, like Pearl, are coming to terms with loss and grief.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I received a review copy from Candlewick Press</span><i><br />
</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-64866425848219652602011-11-10T08:27:00.000-08:002011-12-09T09:40:16.781-08:00Review: The Luck of the Buttons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LF8fL0GdPmc/Trvy8W59-QI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/IazLVwLl47U/s1600/LuckoftheButtons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LF8fL0GdPmc/Trvy8W59-QI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/IazLVwLl47U/s200/LuckoftheButtons.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>THE LUCK OF THE BUTTONS<br />
by Anne Ylvisaker<br />
Candlewick Press (April 2011)<br />
Ages 8 and up<br />
<br />
It's 1929 in Goodhue, Iowa and twelve-year old Tugs Button is yearning to break free from generations of hapless Button tradition in which winning is a pompous pursuit and badge of shame. Due to the great good fortune of being the exact same height as the town's most popular girl, Aggie Millhouse, Tugs Button is a prime candidate to pair up with Aggie for the Fourth of July three legged race and maybe, just maybe, have a shot at a blue ribbon. The idea of winning something, anything, opens up a world of other possibilities for Tugs, all of which fly in the face of Button family values. <br />
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<i>The Luck of the Buttons</i> is an utterly delightful, delicately crafted novel of life in small town America, where Rowdies rule the road and a flim flam man is poised to fleece its residents of their life savings. Ylvisaker resists cliche's (the popular girl is actually kind and helpful and being poor isn't a shame, it's just a way of life) and offers up a subtle, yet lively, spin on shedding limitations and trusting one's instincts.<br />
<br />
Ylvisaker shows great restraint by weaving in storylines such as the flim flam man without taking away from the primary focus, which is Tugs internal struggles to rise above the lucklessness of the Buttons. This is a character driven novel that's beautifully blended with its engaging plot, clipping along at a fast pace while still maintaining the slow sway of Goodhue's way of life.<br />
<br />
This is one great read.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I borrowed my copy from the library.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-57038589440056483702011-11-08T09:26:00.000-08:002011-12-09T09:40:46.767-08:00Review: The Romeo and Juliet Code<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cXVjAkIhdHw/TrlbD-dCcfI/AAAAAAAAAjI/MomAZNnQFOo/s1600/RomeoandJuliet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cXVjAkIhdHw/TrlbD-dCcfI/AAAAAAAAAjI/MomAZNnQFOo/s200/RomeoandJuliet.jpg" width="144" /></a></div>THE ROMEO AND JULIET CODE<br />
by Phoebe Stone<br />
Arthur A. Levine Books (January 2011)<br />
Ages 9 and up<br />
<br />
First of all, please ignore the cover of Phoebe Stone's <i>The Romeo and Juliet Code</i>. Its contemporary teen love story vibe simply does not do this book justice. For one thing, the story takes place during WWII. For another thing, if it's a love story, then I completely missed this fact. What it is, however, is one heck of a well-narrated tale of family secrets and wartime intrigue. (And yes, there's a crush in there, too, but it's nothing like what the cover suggests.)<br />
<br />
The novel opens just as eleven-year old Felicity Bathburn Budwig arrives at her grandmother's moody, broody home on the coast of Maine after having been spirited away from bomb-torn London by her American father and British mother. They leave her there to be watched over by a troubled uncle, despairing aunt, secretive grandmother and a resident known only as Captain Derek who never leaves his room. <i>The Romeo and Juliet Code</i> riffs on works by Frances Hodgson Burnett<i>—The Secret Garden</i> and <i>A Little Princess</i>, which Felicity becomes an authority on—and, while it has the same sort of English orphan feeling of abandonment and hidden truths going for it, it doesn't delve as deeply into matters of healing and transformation that <i>The Secret Garden </i>does.<br />
<br />
More than anything, it's the voice of Felicity that makes this book work. She's smart, articulate, and wonderfully unreliable in her misinterpreted memories of Danny and Winnie (her parents). The reader, of course, suspects what Felicity's parents have been involved with long before she does, which makes the narration all the more engaging. If only her inability to recall and interpret the past had been set up a little better, I could have bought the fact that she didn't know what was going on. The fact that she assumes her parents will return soon is hard to understand, considering that she arrives in May and her mother leaves her with a letter that's to be given to her uncle at Christmastime. Trauma can explain a lot when it comes to a character's denial, but I found I had to create my own justification in order to keep believing that she was so slow to tumble.<br />
<br />
My other issue is that the ending would have happened no matter what Felicity did or didn't do. Although her actions affected a couple sub plots (her lonely aunt and mysterious Captain Derek), she was primarily uncovering secrets that (and this may be a spoiler) would have been revealed anyway. Her growth is more of an acceptance, and that would have come in time regardless. <br />
<br />
Despite all that, I still liked the book <i>a lot</i> and would recommend it to readers who love to be immersed in moody settings, secrets and wartime mysteries.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I borrowed this book from the library. The real one.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-71707351873660855102011-11-04T09:36:00.000-07:002011-12-09T09:41:14.166-08:00Friday TwoferTwo stories. Two girls. Different continents. Different lives. Great reads.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gppm0LIG8Bc/TrQDVhWzcWI/AAAAAAAAAi4/Uf5CwFu9LsA/s1600/WordsintheDust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gppm0LIG8Bc/TrQDVhWzcWI/AAAAAAAAAi4/Uf5CwFu9LsA/s200/WordsintheDust.jpg" width="182" /></a></div>WORDS IN THE DUST<br />
by Trent Reedy<br />
Aurthur A. Levine Books (January 2011)<br />
Ages 10 and up<br />
<br />
Inspired by an encounter with an Afghani girl during his military tour of duty, author Trent Reedy offers a remarkable debut novel that's rich, satisfying and (from this outsider's viewpoint) so authentic it's hard to believe it was written by an American soldier, let alone a man. <i>Words in the Dust </i>is narrated with such confidence and intuitive understanding of what it means to be a girl living in an oppressive society, I was totally immersed in a world that should feel light years away in terms of geography and culture, but which Reedy crafts with such intimacy, I can practically taste the dust and disappointment as though I'm living it.<br />
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The story revolves around thirteen year-old Zulaikha who was born with a cleft palate, further isolating her from a society that already devalues her because of gender. Her mother having been killed years earlier at the hands of the Taliban, she lives in servitude to a stepmother who can't bear the sight of her. However, when American soldiers offer to correct her cleft palate, Zulaikha's hopes for a better life, free of abuse and ridicule. The question remains, however: Even with the surgery, what will life hold for a girl in a culture that denies the value of women?<br />
<br />
Reedy handles these (and other) painfully complex issues with careful respect, not once stooping to sentimentality or simplification of unresolvable issues. Despite the inability to provide a tidy ending, he manages to produce a satisfying and realistic conclusion.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERGr11gwCfw/TrQKpVzJf6I/AAAAAAAAAjA/TT_GqAkn7jY/s1600/Map+of+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERGr11gwCfw/TrQKpVzJf6I/AAAAAAAAAjA/TT_GqAkn7jY/s200/Map+of+Me.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><br />
THE MAP OF ME<br />
by Tami Lewis Brown<br />
Farrar Straus Giroux (August, 2011)<br />
Ages 8-12<br />
<br />
<i>The Map of Me</i>, by Tami Lewis Brown, was such a treat to read, I was sorry to see it end so soon. At 150 pages long, it's short, but complete (not one bit unfinished feeling). I simply wanted to spend more time in this topsy turvy world of twelve-year old Margie Tempset and her annoyingly brilliant little sister, Peep.<br />
<br />
Margie's first person narration is refreshingly different and, at times, laugh out loud funny, despite the fact that the story revolves around a deeply dysfunctional family and Margie's frantic search for their mother whom she believes has taken off in search of a Henny Penny Coin Canister. This is unreliable narration at its best—driven by a denial to face the truth rather than a narrator's intentional deception.<br />
<br />
Margie is so sweetly, fabulously flawed in her thinking, Brown has the reader pulling for her in spite of the fact that she lies fairly easily, steals her father's car and takes her little sister on a road trip that's not nearly as easy as she anticipates. The characters are so fully drawn, they walk right off the page. Brown depicts the parents with small strokes of brilliance—light touches that tell the reader these two kids are pretty much on their own even when both parents are around.<br />
<br />
As unbelievable as the story line might seem (two kids on a wild ride through the back roads of Kentucky), it's probably one of the most emotionally honest stories I've read this year. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I borrowed both copies from the library. The <i>real</i> library, not that hideous Amazon Kindle crap.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-41237937657844572892011-11-02T07:18:00.000-07:002011-11-02T07:18:04.881-07:00Uninvited...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aediDWFmFlo/TrFP3Go7SkI/AAAAAAAAAiw/NyztEaMYvlo/s1600/BLP+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aediDWFmFlo/TrFP3Go7SkI/AAAAAAAAAiw/NyztEaMYvlo/s200/BLP+cover.jpg" width="154" /></a>I never thought I'd be too busy to blog, but there you go. It happened. There are those who say if you can't blog every day, don't do it at all. Clearly, I'm not of that mind set.<br />
<br />
I'll be back to posting more reviews in a few days. In the meantime, the November issue of <a href="http://www.blacklanternpublishing.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2747780">Black Lantern Publishing</a> is now available for sale (pdf right now and full color print in two weeks). It's a gorgeous edition of macabre literature. My flash fiction, <i>Uninvited, But Not Unwelcomed</i>, makes its debut in there. Imagine that!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-40288916007633306542011-10-14T16:10:00.000-07:002011-12-09T09:41:32.557-08:00Friday Review: The Great Wall of Lucy Wu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFKbZh2vB9w/Tpiyu--13iI/AAAAAAAAAiE/QHMbjtqvlHk/s1600/GreatWall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFKbZh2vB9w/Tpiyu--13iI/AAAAAAAAAiE/QHMbjtqvlHk/s1600/GreatWall.jpg" /></a></div>THE GREAT WALL OF LUCY WU<br />
by Wendy Shang<br />
Scholastic Press (January 2011)<br />
Ages 9-12<br />
<br />
I can't think of anything better than a good book, except maybe a book that gives no indication of the surprise inside, the kind of surprise that starts off good and keeps getting better and better. Wendy Shang's <i>The Great Wall of Lucy Wu</i> is just that kind of book and that kind of surprise.<br />
<br />
It opens with a traditional Chinese story about finding the fortune in misfortune, creating a certain anticipation in the reader that this will be a thoughtful journey of self-discovery, a culturally rich experience. The beauty of this book is that, in a sense, it <i>is</i> very much a thoughtful journey of self-discovery wrapped inside a culturally rich experience; however, it's delivered with such wonderful wit, the fact that it has meaning is almost beside the point.<br />
<br />
Lucy Wu, who narrates the story, is a self-proclaimed <i>banana</i>—a derogatory term that refers someone who is yellow on the outside and white on the inside. (In other words, she's more hamburgers and fries than Chinese dumplings.) With her culturally correct sister going away to college, Lucy is primed to have the perfect year. She'll have her own room, and she's set to take sixth grade basketball by storm along with her best friend, Madison. That is, until her grandmother's long lost sister, Yi Po, settles in for a long visit from China and her parents force her to attend Chinese school during basketball practice. Lucy copes by doing what she does best—erecting barriers of all kinds to keep from being too Chinese. <br />
<br />
<i>The Great Wall of Lucy Wu </i>is a refreshingly light and surprisingly deep (in a sneak-up-on-you kind of way). No dull, stereotypical dialog and tired pre-teen tropes here. Lucy's wit and originality make this one enjoyable (and memorable) read.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: I borrowed this book from the library. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473103219776910611.post-6261087360530426362011-10-10T14:51:00.000-07:002011-10-10T19:39:27.305-07:00Hey! Hey! It's a Dead End in Norvelt Audio Book Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
I've got one free copy of the audiobook version of Jack Gantos' brilliant novel, <a href="http://fizzwhizzingflushbunker.blogspot.com/2011/10/friday-review-dead-end-in-norvelt.html"><i>Dead End in Norvelt</i></a>, to give away. (Narrated by Gantos himself!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-anDMUy6Q1ns/TpNiYEhqhoI/AAAAAAAAAhs/y7Kh9gyxMoo/s1600/DeadEnd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-anDMUy6Q1ns/TpNiYEhqhoI/AAAAAAAAAhs/y7Kh9gyxMoo/s200/DeadEnd.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><br />
To enter, just leave a comment on this blog, with your name and email addy—you know the drill to avoid spammers: soandso(at)suchandsuch(dot)something—by <b>midnight (PST) next</b> <b>Tuesday, October 18th</b>. Or, send an email to grierjewell(at)comcast(dot)net. No need to compose anything artistic, just say <i>Cheezus crust, sign me up for an audio book of Dead End in Norvelt!</i> or something Jack Gantos-y like that. The winner will be chosen at random.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10