When Flora saves a squirrel from a powerful vacuum cleaner, she discovers that he has super powers. She names him Ulysses and brings him home to teach him what it means to be a hero, and she watches and waits for his true superpowers to emerge. Ulysses’ powers do emerge: a deep love for Flora and the gift of poetry. Her desire to protect him and his power to communicate changes Flora’s life in unexpected ways.
My family and I listened to this as an audiobook on our vacation. I loved the comics that Flora reads and how they were a bond between her and her dad. Ulysses totally had me from the moment he walked onto the page. The tone of the story is playful and fun, but it delves pretty deep into some emotional territory. Flora’s parents have separated, and that really unsettles her. She doubts her mom’s love for her, resenting the household lamp shaped like a shepherdess that her mother keeps in a prized spot in the house. During the separation, Flora’s relationship with her father becomes strained. Having Ulysses in her life is this huge, positive thing, and soon he begins to affect everyone around her.
Throughout the story, we laughed, we teared up. We shouted, “Holy Bagumba!” right there along with Flora and her dad. It was a great read, and a lot of fun.
Cultural Elements
Smalltown America. I don’t recall racial descriptions of characters.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few expressions like, “what the heck,” “holy unanticipated occurences,” and “for the love of Pete” pepper the story. Nothing heavier than that.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content A woman briefly discusses Pascal’s Wager with Flora and what it means. (That believing in God on faith means one has less to lose than not believing. She also mentions that her husband, who has died, is “singing with the angels.”
Flora quotes from a comic that says, “Do not hope. Only observe.” She wrestles to follow this advice but realizes that she can’t help hoping, and that hope is what carries her through some hard moments.
Violent Content Flora’s mom wants her dad to take Ulysses out and bash him on the head with a shovel to kill him.
At one point, a man with a chef’s knife starts toward Ulysses. With her father’s implied permission, Flora trips the man.
September is my favorite month– it’s also my birthday month– and I had the opportunity to review some excellent books. I also received my first OwlCrate shipment, which was incredible! My husband ordered me a six month subscription for my birthday. Here’s what my first box looked like:
I also received one of my new favorite things ever as a gift from a super awesome friend. It’s a stamp that embosses a book page with my blog name. So from now on, if you enter a giveaway that I’m hosting (not ones hosted as part of a blog tour) and you win, your book will have this fancy stamp inside! Exciting. And so thoughtful and clever! I never would have thought even to look for something like this. Here’s a picture of the stamp and what the embossing looks like:
In addition to all the birthday fun, I also received some great books. Some will probably be featured in my next giveaway!
September was also a big month for blog tours. I participated in a whopping SIX blog tours. Here’s a quick recap:
Tom Crosshill posted a list of top ten things which inspired his fantastic novel The Cat King of Havana via Irish Banana Blog Tours. See the list.
Dusty Crabtree posted a list of her top ten favorite book quotes from her novel Shadow Eyes. Read the quotes.
Cat Clarke joined me for an interview about her book The Lost and the Found via Irish Banana Blog Tours. Check out the interview.
I posted my review of Swan Riders by Erin Bow as part of an Irish Banana Blog Tour. See it here.
I posted my review of The Last Messenger of Zitol as a part of a blog tour organized by author Chelsea Dyreng. Find it here.
My review of The Second Season was yesterday’s stop on a blog tour organized by author Heather Chapman. My review is here.
I also had the pleasure of interviewing author Monica Lee Kennedy about her trilogy of books that begin with The Land’s Whisper in which the land is sentient and different countries have different personalities. Congrats again to Theresa, our giveaway winner! Find out more here.
Last but of course not least, here’s the recap of my reviews this month. If you’re looking for a great family read, I recommend The One and Only Ivan. My favorite book is probably This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills, but The Cat King of Havana is a very close second. Both were excellent, though both contain some mature content. See my review for details.
Rick Gutierrez, known as the founder of a highly successful cat video site, is out to craft a new identity for himself. He falls for a gorgeous salsa dancer, convinces her to visit Cuba with him, and hopes for the romance to blossom. This was such a great story and I loved the Cuban setting.
After surviving a car accident that killed his brother, Jacob reevaluates everything once believed, including everything he believed about his twin brother. This was a really emotional read for me. I liked that it explored a church family and asked some hard questions about faith and doubt.
Caroline Stellings is one of my favorite authors, and I loved this story. She had me at Janis Joplin and a young blues singer. I could not wait to read the book, and I was not disappointed. I love the way it pulled a lot of different layers and ideas together, and the way things worked out in a completely different way than the protagonist expected. So much like life.
I’d been meaning to read this book for a long time, and I’m so glad I finally had the chance. It reminded me of John Boyne’s Stay Where You Are and then Leave plus Disney’s Fox and the Hound.
This is a book about a transgender girl who finds the courage to talk to her family and friends. I felt like it was important to review this book that so tenderly reaches into these issues.
A girl is raped at a college party. The story follows her roommate and the boy’s roommate as they try to piece together what really happened that night. It’s dark and mature, but I liked that Padian dove into the question of consent and forced us to sift through the things people say, well-meaning or otherwise, in the wake of a situation like this.
Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee and Susan McGovern
An incredibly moving story about a boy who grows up in North Korea and eventually escapes. This is the first young adult memoir about someone from North Korea, and definitely worth adding to a history or current events curriculum.
After reading the first book in this series, The Scorpion Rules, I knew I had to read this one. Greta has become AI in order to save her friends and possibly her world. But a new threat rises against the AI, and even Greta’s new abilities may not be enough to stop it. If you like complex political sci-fi, this is probably right up your alley.
I loved the fun cast of characters in this story. Lottie and her friends just want to return Eliot to the human world, but an evil king bars their way and threatens Lottie’s life. They must outsmart his most deadly assassins in order to stop him from destroying the land of Limn.
I really enjoyed First & Then by Mills, so when I saw this one available to review, I had to jump on it. This Adventure Ends is all the things I loved about First & Then— the quick banter, absurd situations, angsty romance– only MORE.
This was a tough read for me. I’d hoped to complete this study with my eleven year-old daughter, but found the content to be better suited for older girls since much of it focuses on marriage and dating. So instead, we’re exploring some other options for study.
Irena’s Children follows events during World War II in Warsaw as a young woman and her associates fought to rescue 2,500 children from Jewish ghettos and death. An incredible story about bravery and courage.
My family and I listened to this story on the way home from vacation, and it was a hit with all of us. While some parts moved slowly, the characters were interesting, and I loved learning that Ivan was in fact based on the story of a real gorilla.
This was a bit off my usual path, but I find that I usually like historical fiction, so I was excited to read this one. It reminded me of the types of romances I used to read in seventh grade or so, which was pleasantly nostalgic.
Have you read any of these books?
If you’ve read these titles, what did you think of them? Which ones on this list look most interesting to you?
Eleanor Hopkins has lived in disappointment for far too long believing that her husband only married her for fortune, and she determines to protect her own daughters from such misery by scheming to secure offers for both Lucy and Caroline based on mutual rank and reputation. When Caroline finds that the handsome and reputable Lord Searly desires her as his wife, she finds that no amount of planning or pretending can convince her to accept him. Instead, she is confronted with an unexpected and reluctant suitor in the respectable shoemaker Thomas Clark.
My Review
The story is a bit unusual in that it flips back and forth between the present, in which sisters Lucy and Caroline seek husbands in London, and the past, in which their parents enjoyed a whirlwind romance and a disappointing marriage. I liked the juxtaposition of the past and present and the fact that the story was told from so many different points of view. I wanted the parents’ story to have some kind of satisfying ending, but on the other hand, not everyone’s story does, right? So that kind of made it more realistic. I loved that Tom was a shoemaker. I don’t read tons of this particular genre, but I liked that it was the humble tradesman who had worked so hard to improve himself who got to shine.
The Second Season is a pretty quick read at under 200 pages. I kind of loved and hated that, too. Some parts felt rushed, and I wanted to linger especially in the budding romance phase of the tale instead of pushing through to the next bit. Overall, though, it was an enchanting, romantic story.
Cultural Elements
Important characters are English middle or upper class.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content A couple of m/f kisses. At one point, a creepy guy plots to create a scenario in which the woman he desires to marry appears to have her honor compromised and will then be forced to marry him. All that still stays pretty PG.
Spiritual Content Caroline discovers Tom having a private picnic and reading the Bible.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
About Heather Chapman
Being the youngest of four sisters (and one very tolerant older brother), Heather grew up on a steady diet of chocolate, Anne of Green Gables, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Austen, and the other staples of female literature and moviedom. These stories inspired Heather to begin writing at an early age. After meeting and marrying her husband Mark, Heather graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University and finally settled down in a small farming community in southeastern Idaho with her husband and four children. In her spare time, Heather enjoys time spent with family, volleyball, piano, the outdoors, and almost anything creative.
Ivan has a small life within the glass walls of his domain in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He watches TV and spends time with Bob, a stray dog, and Stella, an elephant. He makes art using crayons and paper given to him by his owner, Mack. He doesn’t think of his early life or his far away home in the jungle. And then Ruby, a baby elephant comes to the Big Top Mall, and everything changes. The mall is the wrong place for Ruby, and it’s up to Ivan to make everyone see that. He must find a way to show the humans where he and Ruby belong.
My family and I listened to an audiobook version of this story on our way home from vacation. We had listened to Flora and Ulysses a few days earlier, which was a tough act to follow. As The One and Only Ivan began, I wasn’t sure I’d like it. The beginning contains a lot of descriptions of where Ivan lives and who else lives there. It felt like not much was happening. Not much does happen until Ruby comes into the picture. Suddenly Ivan has a goal, a mission, and he won’t stop until he succeeds. For me, the story was much more entertaining at that point. My favorite character was Bob, the stray dog who always has some smart-aleck comment but who has a sweet heart underneath.
At the end of the story is an author’s note describing how Applegate was inspired by a real gorilla’s tale. Ivan was a real gorilla in captivity who spent later years of his life at the Atlanta Zoo (which I really want to visit!) I thought it was really cool to bring a real story into a novel like this.
Though the overall pace was a little slow for me, I did enjoy reading this book. It has been on my To Read list since it came out in 2012, so I’m glad to finally be able to say I read it. If you like stories featuring animals as central characters, this is a definitely must-read.
Cultural Elements
Most of the characters are animals. I can’t remember any race descriptions.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Ivan mentions that he sometimes flings dung at rude visitors. (He’s in a glass enclosure, so it’s ineffective.)
During World War II, Irena Sendler worked with an underground network to rescue 2,500 Jewish children from Nazi occupied Poland. Her unwavering commitment to human rights began long before the war, and endured through her own incarceration and torture. She worked tirelessly to save as many as she could, and through it all insisted that she was not a hero. She’d only done what any ordinary human would do.
Though it’s nonfiction, I could not put this book down. I was so captured by the life of this incredible woman and the way her life affected so many people. I love that there’s a young reader’s edition of this story, especially because it was a group of students whose research drew community interest in Irena’s largely untold story.
This may be one of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever read. I think what touched me most was the fact that throughout her life she insisted she wasn’t a hero. That anyone could do what she’d done. And I believe that is true. That we can each make an incredible difference in the world if it’s what we pursue.
I read her story and think about some of the things happening in our own country now. While I don’t want to draw a comparison between our nation and Nazi occupied Warsaw, there are injustices happening around us. I think about the courage with which Irena Sendler faced each day, and the resolve she must have felt as she set out to rescue each child. It didn’t begin with the Nazi occupation. She stood up against prejudice during her time in college, and it nearly cost her education. It would have been easy to sit down quietly and ignore what was happening around her. To just worry about herself and her own life. Instead she protested along with her Jewish peers.
It’s easy to look back at history and say we would have been among those who fiercely opposed Nazi ideas. How many of us really would have done it, though, at risk to our own lives and the lives of our families? This is the kind of story that really challenges you to think about those things. And they’re worthy things to think about. In the end, I want Irena to be right that she’s not a hero, that her faith in us, in humanity to stand up for one another, is well-placed. That truly, ordinary people reach out to help and protect others, no matter how different from us they may be.
Recommended Reading Age: 12 up.
Cultural Elements
Follows the story of Jewish and Polish historical figures.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Irena and her network save some children by having them baptized into the Christian faith. Some families and members of the Jewish community object to this practice and some refused to let their children participate
Violent Content Disease and starvation plague the Jewish ghetto. The story talks briefly about the terrible cruelty of the Nazi soldiers toward the Jews, even toward babies. Few details are given, but it’s tragic and awful to think about it.
Drug Content
Irena visits a club in the wealthier side of the ghetto to hear a famous singer. Doctors perform operations with limited medical means. Irena smuggles vaccines into the ghetto.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
If you’ve been following the blog tour for author Chelsea Dyreng’s novel The Last Messenger of Zitól, you’ve made it to today’s stop! I’ll be sharing my review and some information about the author.
The Last Messenger of Zitól Chelsea Dyreng
Sweetwater Books/Cedar Fort Press
Available September 1, 2016
Rishi longs to visit the grand city of Zitól described in her grandfather’s stories. When her peaceful village is attacked, Rishi finds her path set toward the city, but whether she’s caught in an adventure or a nightmare is uncertain. The city has changed from her grandfather’s time, and now the people of Zitól believe in pursuing pleasure and in human sacrifice to please the gods. Rishi vows to protect her virtue, her most valuable treasure, in a city bent on destroying it. When she’s tasked with bringing a message to the gods, she embraces the honor wholeheartedly, longing to bring a change to the people and most particularly to the man she loves.
I thought it was interesting that the story is narrated by the ruler of Zitól. His story begins early in the tale and drops off for a time before reappearing. I liked his character. I liked Rishi, too, and the fact that she valued learning and virtue.
Her village shares a ceremony in which girls are given a white bead to symbolize their purity as virgins. They remain so until they marry and their husband gives them a turquoise bead in place of the white one. This definitely places a high value on virginity, and when one of the girls is attacked and raped, her bead is replaced with a brown bead, and she feels horribly ashamed. Rishi tries to return the girl’s white bead to her, explaining that since the attack wasn’t her choice, she should still be considered pure. The girl refuses to accept the bead.
The message about how pursuing pleasure leads to pleasing only oneself versus how pursuing love leads to a willingness to sacrifice for the good of others is admirable and well-integrated into the story. I also liked the way Dyreng uses dreams to play a role in the way the story unfolds.
While I loved that the story celebrated purity as a desirable thing (not a popular value so much in our culture today), I thought it was harsh on the girls whose lives didn’t match that ideal. This might be a confusing story for someone who has experienced abuse or trauma or is dealing with feelings of shame over sexual activity. See the notes below for other details on content.
Cultural Elements
Rishi’s village is attacked by a wild tribe of men described as short with flat noses. Her people are islanders. There aren’t many racial details given about many characters or the people of Zitól itself.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content Because of the very strong value placed on purity, this might be a confusing story for someone who has experienced abuse or trauma or is dealing with feelings of shame over sexual activity. Rishi and her friends are kidnapped and brought to a woman who intends to sell them. She believes men can be controlled with sex, and uses the tribal men who work for her as examples by offering one of the girls to them as a reward for doing her bidding. They rape and brutalize her (not shown) before returning her to her friends.
The woman hints that she intends to sell the girls for sex in some fashion. Keeping concubines is popular in Zitól.
One of the leaders in Zitól tries to convince a girl that because he is a holy man, sleeping with him will not compromise her virtue. When this fails, he attempts to starve her into submission. At one point he tries to touch her and she stops him.
Rishi and her love exchange kisses. He wants to share more, but she refuses.
Spiritual Content Rishi’s people believe in multiple gods. She also believes that the stars are the spirits of those who’ve lived before her. In Zitól, the people also believe in many gods as well as human sacrifice. Their ruler is said to be half-god.
Violent Content Rishi’s three older brother’s play pranks on her. Tribal men attach Rishi’s village and later, rape one village girl and attempt to rape another. One of the leaders in Zitól keeps a starving jaguar which threatens to attack. A man cuts another man with a knife.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Chelsea Bagley Dyreng is the author of “The Cenote.” She was raised in Wyoming and Idaho and earned her BA at Brigham Young University. She worked for several years as a librarian before moving to North Carolina where she and her husband are raising five God-fearing, book-loving, adventure-seeking kids.
