Category Archives: Blogger’s Favorites

Review: Wonder by R J Palacio

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Wonder by R. J. PalacioWonder
R J Palacio
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published February 14, 2012

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Fifth grade student August Pullman faces his first day at school. After being homeschooled for his entire previous education, his parents have decided it’s time for him to be around other kids his age. He’s prepared academically. He’s even met a couple of students already who’ve been very kind. But no one has prepared the rest of the school for August and his unusual appearance. When some students turn cruel, Auggie and his few friends band together, determined to outlast the hazing.

The story is first narrated first by Auggie and then others in his life, each of whom battle a deep insecurity, often less visible than Auggie’s. The changes in point-of-view at first seem like it might distract from the depth and poignancy of Auggie’s story. Instead, each adds richness and harmonious layers and broadens the view and understanding of a remarkable boy and his equally remarkable family and friends.

When an author can include an entire commencement speech and make even that jaw-droppingly wow-worthy, the rest of the book can only be more incredible. And with Palacio’s novel, this is most definitely so. Each character is so lovingly crafted. Even Auggie’s parents (let’s face it, a lot of kids’ books have half-created, silly parents) were phenomenal. I adored his entire family.

Each time the story changed to a different point-of-view, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to like the new narrator as much as the previous one, and each time I was proved wrong. There were so many great moments, from the building of friendship between Auggie and his classmates to his sister’s struggles with her own friends. Ack! And the moment Auggie’s dad tells him what really happened to the mask? I was a blubbering mess. So moving.

Not since reading The Book Thief for the first time has a story so fully reached out and latched onto my heart and soul. This is an amazing story, one all young readers and their parents should read.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Boys pick on another boy younger than they are and a fist-fight ensues. It ends quickly.

Drug Content
None.

 

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Review: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

The Hero and the Crown (Damar #2)
Robin McKinley
Open Road Integrated Media
Published November 18, 2014 (Orig. 1984)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Hero and the Crown

Surrounded by royalty blessed with magical ability and rumors of her mother’s despised foreign ancestry, Aerin never felt at ease as the king’s daughter. Desperate to escape her loneliness, she befriends a retired war horse with a weak leg and stumbles onto an ancient recipe for a fireproof lotion. When rumor of a small dragon terrorizing pasture animals and children in a nearby village reaches Aerin’s ears, she decides to ride out from the castle alone and attack the beast herself.

Thus begins her reputation as a dragon-slayer, not a noble enterprise in her kingdom, but a place and an identity for Aerin. When a dragon emerges who is greater and more terrible than any she’s ever faced, Aerin bravely rides out to meet it. But the dragon proves to be only a small part of a grave evil which seeks to destroy her homeland forever. With a strange blond man from her dreams to guide her, Aerin begins another quest to save the people who do not love her from a threat they cannot understand.

My Review

I first read this story as a teenager and read it many times since. It’s been years since the last time I visited Damar and Aerin, so I was eager to see if the story was as great and engrossing as I remembered. It’s definitely still one of my favorites. I’d forgotten that there are some passages that leap from one point-of-view to another, causing some momentary confusion, but the characters are phenomenal. Aerin is the perfect misfit. Her horse, Talat, has enough character for three companions, and he doesn’t even speak! Great stuff.

As often happens in the way of fairy tale romances, Aerin has two admirers, one familiar and the other mysterious. For myself, I felt like there wasn’t enough virtue in the mysterious guy to make him worthy of her. He is powerful and handsome, but sort of aloof and selfish. I much preferred the other guy. The preference didn’t cheapen my experience reading the story, though.

Also – side note – I love the new cover!

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Aerin spends nights with her traveling companion and accepts his invitation to “not sleep” one night. Their intimacy is hinted at but not described in any way.

Spiritual Content
Brief mentions of religious icons or priests of Aerin’s people. Many people claim that Aerin’s mother was a witch. (She was indeed a student of a mage.) Trouble from the north is referred to as demon mischief. It’s not precisely described as to whether it’s a creature or more of a spiritual problem.

Violence
Brief descriptions of battles between men and beasts.

Drug Content
Aerin hallucinates and suffers physical ailment after eating leaves from a surka tree.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The Manager by Caroline Stellings

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

The Manager
Caroline Stellings
Cape Breton University Press
Published October 1, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Convinced an experimental surgery will solve her problems, Tina drags her sister on a wild journey from Nova Scotia to Boston. Along the way, Tina finds a gem of a boxer and convinces him to let her operate as his manager. Though skeptical at first, Jesse Mankiller begins to respect Tina’s unorthodox style. Together they hope to prove they have what it takes to win the big fight.

Like its protagonist, Tina MacKenzie, this is definitely one of those books that you might overlook at first. But while the cover won’t reach out and grab you, the story certainly will. Whip-quick narrative and dynamic characters make this novel a one-sitting read and one of the best I’ve read this year. It’s not often that an author assembles the perfect mixture of heroism and flaw in her characters, but Stellings really does it this time. It’s absolutely fabulous. Sports fans will love the journey of an unknown fighter going for a major title and readers looking for a heartwarming tale will fall in love with Tina’s sharp mouth and soft heart. It’s a beautiful story.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
Mild profanity, moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
References to sexual behavior, but no details. Brief nudity.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Descriptions of boxing matches. Limited details about injuries, etc. A character is threatened at gunpoint by mafia thugs.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Update – 1/15/15
The Manager by Caroline Stellings has just been honored with the 2015 Hamilton Literary Award for fiction. The novel is also a finalist for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction at the 2014 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards.

 

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Review: Rebels by Jill Williamson

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Rebels (The Safe Lands #3)
Jill Williamson
Blink – Zondervan
Published January 1, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Mason and Omar’s friends helplessly watch from their hiding places as the brothers face liberation, a process which remains a mystery to all Safe Landers. Once the boys learn what it is to be liberated, they begin plotting to bring the truth to all the people of the Safe Lands. After all, the only way to bring freedom to the Safe Lands is to expose the horrible secrets that fuel the leadership’s power.

From his place in hiding, Levi continues to pursue his one goal: getting his people free of the Safe Lands. Before he can make his move, though, his wife Jemma is captured and forced to serve as a Queen, a woman carrying a child for the Safe Lands. Levi vows to rescue her, but each day’s broadcasts seem to show Jemma slipping further into the ways of the Safe Landers.

Series readers will not be disappointed in this thrilling conclusion to a fascinating series. As her readers have come to expect, Williamson delivers an immersive story world. Each major character faces a great challenge to his or her beliefs or expectations about life and really wrestles through the disappointment. Romances are kindled and fears conquered.

Some of the drug content and concern about the thin plague, which is often transmitted sexually (experiences are not described) make this series a bit too heavy for younger readers. This is a novel more suited to readers ages fourteen and up.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
A few kisses. Brief, vague references to sex.

Spiritual Content
Many characters wrestle with bitter disappointments which threaten to damage or destroy their faith in God. Though the threads of faith are a little more subtle in this story, there are some really deeply spiritual moments. My favorite moment is when Shaylinn attempts to explain the mystery of faith versus the law to a group of highly disciplined and judgmental people. The conversation doesn’t roll as perfectly in the scene as it did in her mind, which is just so true to the experience so many of us have had in trying to explain the deeper things of faith. Her courage despite the difficulty is heartwarming.

Violence
Mason and Omar face multiple opponents. Both are severely beaten. Details are minimal.

Drug Content
Omar continues to use drugs and alcohol as an attempt to relieve emotional pain.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Nest by Esther Ehrlich

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Nest
Esther Ehrlich
Random House Children’s
Published September 9, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Chirp begins fifth grade looking forward to another year of beloved family traditions: dancing with her mother, bird-watching hikes, and impromptu performances with her older sister Rachel. But something is different in the Orenstein house. Rachel hushes Chirp when she asks questions or wants to show her mother some new dance steps. Chirp can’t understand how these things could make her mother sad like Rachel says.

Then comes her mother’s devastating diagnosis. There will be no more dancing. As her mother’s health deteriorates, Chirp’s family unravels. Even her father’s ever-positive, talk-about-it outlook can make this okay. Nothing will be okay again.

Chirp struggles to understand the new roles her family members adopt in the crisis and to interpret the behavior of the temperamental boy who lives in her neighborhood. This is a story about grief, about the way life doesn’t stay the same, but morphs into something new when we least expect it.

Each wonderful character brings a story of his or her own, and though the reader is limited to Chirp’s version of events, it’s easy to imagine the tales that fill the space between each line. As a young bird-watcher, Chirp often relates her experiences and emotions through the birds around her. Nest is filled with a rich emotional landscape, one that transcends words, just as its narrator’s emotions would lie beyond the capacity of an eleven year-old child to explain. It’s brilliantly done. Truly a great story.

Profanity and CrudeLanguage Content
One brief instance of mild profanity.

Sexual Content
A couple very oblique, brief references to sex. (A girl worries that someone might think she’s a “lezzie;” school children ask their teacher if she’s going to teach them sex education.)

Spiritual Content
Chirp’s family celebrates her Jewish heritage and does not observe Christian holidays. Sometimes other kids make fun of her family for this. One girl comments to Chirp that even if her family doesn’t ask Jesus into their hearts, surely God will still let them into heaven.

Violence
A boy bears a bruise on his face following an unexplained home situation.

Drug Content
Chirp goes with her sister to a party at which the adults smoke marijuana. She is frightened and goes home.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: It’s Addicting by Laura L. Smith

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, New Adult 18up, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

It’s Addicting
Laura L. Smith
Status Updates
Published April 23, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Palmer, Hannah, Claire and Kat begin the spring semester ready for any challenge. Kinda. Palmer wants to be among the elite writers of the university magazine, but she can’t seem to break into the group. That is, without a glass of Moscato in her hand. After years of being the supportive best friend to the girl who could have any guy, Hannah finally has a boyfriend of her own. When a chance to see Germany with her guy arises, Hannah really wants to go, even if it means missing the spring break beach trip with her roomies. Surely Palmer, of all people, will understand?

Claire and Kat almost have their own secret code. After the trauma Claire endured in France and Kat’s unexpected loss, they seem to sense the things that trigger the other’s grief. Counseling has helped Claire make progress toward healing, but when her mom flakes out and forgets to pay for, well, everything, Claire is stuck. Trying to break through her mom’s hyper haze isn’t working and though Palmer offers to pay for everything, Claire doesn’t want to be a charity project.

Running is the only salve to Kat’s wounds. Everything seems to remind her of her brother, but he’s gone. With pressure to perform on the soccer team building around her, Kat’s only escape is to work out until she’s too tired to feel anything. More and more, though, she finds herself alienated from those she loves most.

Smith really captures the beat of college living and the relationships between the girls and other students on campus. Hannah’s first-boyfriend experience will resonate with many as will her battle for balance in her relationships with her new love and her old friends. Palmer’s personal drive and her vulnerability to alcohol are well-explored without glorifying what she’s doing. Consequences follow her choices to drink.

Claire’s story offers a whole different perspective. As the functional one in her relationship with her mother, Claire struggles to maintain a healthy distance from her mother’s unhealthy behavior, something she’s never managed to do in the past. Her friends rally around her as a supportive community and a great message of hope.

Smith has been hailed as a brave voice, telling it like it is, and fearlessly digging through some of early adulthood’s tough issues. In the third novel in her Status Updates series, she lives up to that reputation, peeling back layers of denial and revealing hurting hearts and soothing them with the balm of hope in God.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief references to making out. A boy spends the night in one of the girls’ rooms, though she insists they simply fell asleep talking.

Spiritual Content
Through their experiences with addictive behaviors, the girls realize they need more than personal strength and determination to achieve their goals, whether social or academic. They realize their needs for mutual support they receive from one another and, even more, spiritual support from faith and relationship with God.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
Palmer uses wine to loosen up socially. Her friends notice what she does not: that more and more she turns to alcohol to relax and connect with others, and it’s getting out of hand. Claire battles her mother’s neglect from a distance, worrying when her mother’s behavior indicates she may be using (or overusing) some sort of pharmaceutical stimulants.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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