Thirteen-year-old Charlie stands up to a bully and soon finds himself on the run. When he ducks into an abandoned warehouse, he discovers someone else already hiding there: a giant! Charlie soon learns that the giant is on his way to meet his family, but an evil doctor and his team of scientists are close to finding him. If they find the giant, they’ll harvest growth hormones and use them to make a fortune on athletes and soldiers. Charlie vows to help his new friend escape and to keep him from becoming anyone’s science experiment.
The story moves quickly, right from the first page. The bad guys are uncomplicated in their villainy. Charlie and the giant, whom he names Bruce, develop the kind of friendship that can only come of shared adventures. At one point, they visit a drive-in movie theater to watch a movie, and of course, things go horribly but hilariously wrong. Charlie teaches Bruce some moves he learned in Bruce Lee movies, something he used to share with his brother who’s now gone. Opening up to the giant allows Charlie to begin processing his grief over his brother’s absence. It’s clear the friendship has a healing effect on both boys. Giant Smugglers is perfect for fans of urban adventure and friendship.
Recommended for Ages 10 up.
Cultural Elements
Mostly white characters.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity and crude language used rarely. The bad guys drop a few mild swear words.
Romance/Sexual Content One kiss between a boy and girl.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content A boy punches another kid. A giant tosses a human around. One man called The Stick attacks a giant and clearly has no remorse for harming others.
At one point Charlie takes his stepdad’s car without his permission. Charlie doesn’t know how to drive, but he’s the champ of a car racing video game called Total Turbo, and he relies on his gaming skills to keep him safe on the road.
Drug Content
A man uses his son to test a steroid-like drug to make him faster and stronger.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s theme: books coming out in spring 2017 I can’t wait to read. Here’s my list…
A teen spin on You’ve Got Mail? Sign me up! Film geeks who’ve been happily chatting it up online end up in the same town– only she can’t stand him. She doesn’t know it’s him she’s been pouring her heart out to via the web, but eventually, she starts to feel, well, something. Is it worth trading in her perfect online romance for an imperfect reality?
A girl with an online graphic design business who uncovers secrets in her house? Yes, please. Also, I’m totally intrigued by the feisty step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother. Sounds like a story with a unique protagonist that explores blended family relationships.
Since I read Chokshi’s debut The Star-Touched Queen, I’ve been desperate to read more. She called this book more a sister than a sequel, so it’s totally fair to read it without reading The Star-Touched Queen first. (Though I’m not sure why you would want to, since the first was SO good.)
I saw this book on Aisha Saeed’s blog listed as a must-read, and lo, I was able to get my very own review copy! It’s a little more serious than It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel, but I love Amina’s relationships with her family and her tender heart. This is a perfect story to encourage a shy kid.
I fell in love with Taylor’s writing in the opening pages of her debut novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. This story– about the aftermath of a war between gods and men– promises to have the same sort of fascinating twist on myth, tortured heroes, strong heroine and heartbreaking, gorgeous storytelling as the other series. I. Can’t. Wait.
If you love sister books, you need to check this one out. Two sisters grow up in an unstable home where they can only count on each other realize they may have to sever their relationship in order to survive. Zarr has an amazing ability to write characters so that you feel like you’re sitting inside them. This is a must-read for contemporary YA fans looking for an emotional story.
Samurai, bandits, assassins, politics, and secrets. This looks absolutely delicious. When a girl promised in marriage to raise her family’s fortune journeys to meet her future husband, she’s attacked by bandits sent to kill her. She disguises herself as a boy and infiltrates their ranks, only to learn terrible secrets which make her question everything she’s ever known.
A girl desperate to save her planet from a robot army finds help in an unlikely place: an advanced prototype whose programming commands him to obey her. As they work together, she begins to think maybe there’s more to him and his loyalty than programming. Definitely looks like a brain-bendy, action-packed sci-fi adventure.
A suspenseful novel featuring a parkour expert? Yup! When Eric’s family goes missing, he teams up with unlikely new friends to uncover dangerous secrets.
The Breakfast Club plus a murder. Five strangers walk into detention. Only four walk out alive. So, who did it? The brain? The beauty? The criminal? The athlete? They all have something to hide. I can’t wait to read this!
Okay, technically I’m cheating since this came out the last day of February and that isn’t really spring. But, seriously. I’ve heard nothing but praise for this daring, timely novel about a girl who witnesses the shooting of an unarmed boy.
A simple text kills his three best friends. As if that’s not horrible enough, Blake learns he’ll be under a criminal investigation. When his best friend’s grandmother asks him to spend a day with her saying goodbye to her grandson, he hesitates. But as he begins to try to help others deal with their grief, he begins to find his own path toward healing.
11-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog Carl Sagan—named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog) launched his Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is like. But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he’ll uncover—from the truth about his long-dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around brother, he has way more family than he ever knew.
My Review
See You in the Cosmos is told as if it’s the transcripts of Alex’s iPod recordings. I loved the unique format and the rambling voice Alex had, but it also meant for lots of long paragraphs which made the pages a little harder for me to read. Struggling readers might have trouble with this, too.
At the beginning of the story, 11-year-old Alex takes a train by himself to a convention where he hopes to launch his rocket. I loved his bravery and how innocent he was in taking off on this journey like it was nothing (his maturity and independence definitely reminded me of Willow from Counting by 7s.) But as I read the story, I was so nervous about his trip. I have an 11-year-old, and kept thinking about how terrified I’d be for her to be riding trains across the country and traveling with strangers. Obviously Alex finds great friends along his journey, and his trust in the world pays off in that way. I struggled—he did not.
I thought the reveal of the family situation (don’t want to give it away) pulled a lot of things together. Just as I started thinking, wait, this isn’t right, the pieces fell into place and Alex learned what was really going on. The one character I really didn’t connect with was his brother. I thought he did some odd things that really didn’t add up.
I loved the fact that Alex was so interested in rockets, but I wished there was more about those mechanics and his plans in the story. Most of the focus ends up being about his hopes in extraterrestrial life and his relationships with his family and community, which were also enjoyable themes. If you liked Counting by 7s, add See You in the Cosmos to your list.
Recommended for Ages 10 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
“Bleep” appears instead of any profanity.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Alex meets a new friend who is Buddhist and has taken a vow of silence. He communicates through writing on a small chalk board.
Violent Content One young man punches another in a fight over a girl. Alex is injured in an accident and hospitalized.
Drug Content
Alex’s friends (who are much older) drink alcohol. Later, one of them listens to the recording Alex made while they were drinking. She hears herself in the background talking and feels embarrassed about her behavior. She expresses regret for drinking in front of Alex.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Eighteen-year-old Piper Sail’s best friend Lydia goes missing from a neighborhood street in 1924 Chicago. Piper vows to find her friend, even if she has to take up the investigation herself. As Piper begins to hunt for Lydia, she soon learns everyone in her neighborhood hides a secret, even her father and the handsome detective who’s working the case. Piper realizes finding the truth may cost her newfound love, her respect for her family, and possibly, her own life.
I loved this book! I was hooked from the first page. Immediately we meet interesting (and funny!) characters and see complex relationships. There were a few elements of the mystery that I kind of saw coming, and I worried that would make the ending too obvious. It did not. The Lost Girl of Astor Street had plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing at the real story behind Lydia’s disappearance and the odd behavior of some of the other characters.
The plot elements tied together well enough to be believable but also not feel too convenient—which I think is a delicate balance in a mystery. Piper kept busy with a lot of sub-plots, all interesting stuff that ultimately provided other pieces in the grander puzzle of the story.
One really random thing I enjoyed a lot was all the hats. It seemed like whenever anyone went anywhere, there were great hats involved. I loved that!
I definitely recommend this book. I loved the characters, found the mystery elements well-paced, and seriously enjoyed the adventure in 1920s Chicago. This one is a must-read for mystery and historical lovers.
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Cultural Elements
Piper learns a little bit about the Irish and Italian mafia. She dates an Italian detective, and some friends/family members disapprove of the relationship. Piper’s friend Lydia has seizures.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content A few brief male-female kisses. Piper hears a story about a girl her age rescued from a human trafficking ring. She visits some places that prostitutes frequent as part of her search for Lydia.
Spiritual Content At one point, Piper feels discouraged, feeling like she’ll never find Lydia. She says the only thing left to do is cry out to God, if you believe He’s there.
A couple of scenes are set in a church—funeral and wedding.
Violent Content A young woman is shot. A captor interrogates a young woman, hitting her and shoving her underwater when the girl refuses to answer questions.
Drug Content
Piper’s family enjoys wine with dinner, despite Prohibition laws. (Piper herself doesn’t drink.) Piper’s brother comes home drunk and says some unkind things to her.
I feel like I always start these posts with some surprised exclamation like, OMG, how is it MARCH ALREADY?!
But we’ll move past that and get to the good stuff! First… book mail. I got so many books this month from participation in Irish Banana Blog Tours, a Disney blog tour, Children’s Literature, and directly from Bloomsbury. It was like Christmas all over again! (And if you know my family, you know we just finished celebrating Christmas like four weeks ago, so it’s like the magic continues…)
So here’s my book stash for February 2017:
Have you entered the giveaway for a chance to win TWENTY books?
Also– here’s something you do NOT want to miss. To celebrate the release of Beauty & the Beast: Lost in a Book, I’m hosting a giveaway for an incredible prize pack. One winner will receive TWENTY books, y’all. Here’s the prize pack.
Click the image to visit my blog post and scroll down to find the entry form. So far, there aren’t a lot of entries, so your chances of winning are pretty good.
February 2017 Reviews Revisited
In terms of reviews, here’s what you may have missed…
I’m a huge fan of fairytale characters re-imagined, so this story about Robin Hood’s daughter was a pretty sure bet for me. I loved the way the tales got a bit twisted as the story went on. Fun! Great pick for Ever After High or School of Good and Evil fans.
Really fascinating fantasy tale. This is book two in the series, so I’d recommend starting with book one. I had a hard time following some of the events and wonder how much of that was because I was missing the backstory from the earlier book.
I almost fell out of my chair when I learned there was going to be more to Ollie and Moritz’s story which began with Because You’ll Never Meet Me. SO. GOOD. I forgot how much I love those boys.
This is one of my recent favorites. I LOVED Jade and the window into her art, her family, and her struggles in her community. Well done. Check out the post where Renee Watson shared her list of favorite poems about loving life, too.
I snagged a review copy of this book after hearing Lance Rubin speak on a panel at YALLFest in Charleston last November. He’s hilarious, but also shared a lot about what it’s like to write about best friends. The book is also super funny, and definitely a great testament to friendship.
This one pretty much had me at its description of an often overlooked moment in US history. I wasn’t crazy about the POV chosen for the historical parts of the story, but overall– it’s powerfully told. A great read if you’re looking for something that explores history and race relations or if you’re looking for an unusual mystery tale.
This is the story of an adopted girl now in college who decides to find her birth mother. It’s inspired by the author’s own journey. I loved the poetry and the relationships between Liz and her siblings.
The Fearless Traveler’s Guide to Wicked Places by Peter Begler
If you like wacky, otherworldly adventures, this is a must-read. I loved the main character, Nell, and the commentary from her little brother made me laugh out loud.
Book Burners by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Mur Lafferty, and Brian Francis Slattery
So I got mixed up– this isn’t YA, it’s adult fiction, which I didn’t realize when I agreed to review it. Nonetheless, I found the story really kept me turning pages. It’s told in short episodes (each one is like 50 pages) which can be purchased individually or as a whopping nearly 800 page paperback. You can read the first episode free here.
I picked up this non-fiction title because my daughter is nearing the age where she’ll leap into the social media frenzy. I wanted some guidelines and wisdom as a parent and also a resource for her on how to behave in a godly, responsible way in the wilds of cyberspace. This book is exactly what I needed.
Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly
This one had me at Jennifer Donnelly, one of my favorite authors. It reads like a deleted scene from the movie (okay, more than a scene, because obviously there’s a whole book plot that happens) which begins after the Beast gives Belle the library and ends in the library again, ready to resume the familiar story. Great stuff. Also– you can win a copy of this plus NINETEEN other books if you enter the giveaway on my post before 3/10/17.
Today I’m part of a blog tour with Disney to celebrate Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly! My review copy of Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book and a complimentary copy of Belle’s Library: A Collection of Literary Quotes and Inspirational Musings was provided by Disney.
Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book
Jennifer Donnelly
Disney Press
January 31, 2017
Smart, bookish Belle, a captive in the Beast’s castle, has become accustomed to her new home and has befriended its inhabitants. When she comes upon Nevermore, an enchanted book unlike anything else she has seen in the castle, Belle finds herself pulled into its pages and transported to a world of glamour and intrigue. The adventures Belle has always imagined, the dreams she was forced to give up when she became a prisoner, seem within reach again.
The charming and mysterious characters Belle meets within the pages of Nevermore offer her glamorous conversation, a life of dazzling Parisian luxury, and even a reunion she never thought possible. Here Belle can have everything she ever wished for. But what about her friends in the Beast’s castle? Can Belle trust her new companions inside the pages of Nevermore? Is Nevermore‘s world even real? Belle must uncover the truth about the book, before she loses herself in it forever.
My Review
I won’t lie– I agreed to review this book for two reasons: one, because I love Jennifer Donnelly’s writing (A Northern Light is still my favorite, though I’ve enjoyed other books she’s written) and because I needed a little more Beauty and the Beast in my life to tide me over until the movie comes out next month. Right? You know.
Because I know what a fantastic writer Donnelly is, I didn’t worry that this book would be overly cheesy, and in fact it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong– there are still silly antics between the household characters, like Cogsworth rambling about grand stories and Lumiere gently teasing him while Mrs. Potts mothers everyone. But on the whole, the story has a more serious tone– much like the original animated movie. The prologue and epilogue feature two sisters– Death and Love playing chess together and discussing a wager they’ve made over the lives of Belle and her Beast. That sets a darker tone for the story, but for the most part, the tale isn’t dark.
I liked that the story tied into some of the memorable moments from the movie– Beast sharing his library with Belle, and the way he saved her from the wolves. But there were added moments, too, where the reader gets to see expanded scenes from those referenced in the movie and a lot more of the process of Belle trying to figure out where she belongs and whether to trust her new castle friends.
The story about the enchanted book felt like it definitely could have happened between scenes of the original movie. I liked that I didn’t have to abandon one of my favorite childhood movies in order to enjoy this, but it didn’t try to compete with the movie, either. This was a fresh, different story that still tied in with the overarching tale.
Overall? I definitely recommend this one to Beauty and the Beast fans, especially those counting down the days to the release of the new movie who need a little something to get through until it hits theaters.
Recommended for Ages 9 up.
Cultural Elements
Belle comes from a small French town. In Nevermore, she meets a fair-skinned countess and her sister, who has dark skin and silver hair.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity near the beginning of the book. (Beast makes a comment that he and his companions are cursed.)
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Some magical elements. Two sisters– Death and Love appear as sisters and make a wager on Beast and Belle. Death intends to win the bet by any means necessary. Throughout the story, as in the original Disney movie, Belle learns that it’s the strength of heart, of love that matters and that loving takes great courage.
Violent Content A brief battle scene in which Belle fights off clockwork beings and briefly faces down Death herself.
Jennifer Donnelly is an award-winning, best-selling author of books for young adults and adults, including the Waterfire Saga: Deep Blue, Rogue Wave, Dark Tide, and Sea Spell. Her other young adult novels include These Shallow Graves, Revolution, and A Northern Light, winner of Britain’s prestigious Carnegie Medal, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature, and a Michael L. Printz Honor. She has also written Humble Pie, a picture book, and the adult novels The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and The Wild Rose. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley. You can visit her at www.jenniferdonnelly.com, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jenwritesbooks.
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