Friday, October 9, 2015

R My Name is Rachel

R My Name Is Rachel
Title: R My Name is Rachel
 
Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
 
Summary: Rachel is growing up in the Depresson/1936 with her two younger siblings (Joey & Cassie) and father (her mother died when she was only two). Rachel has enjoyed a somewhat carefree life in the city - writing, reading, and enjoying the company of her best friend; a lady, Miss Mitzi, who owns a flower shop in the town.
One day, as the Depression gets worse and worse, Rachel and her family are forced to leave and use the rest of their money to buy a farm in the country - far away from everything Rachel has always known. When Rachel's father is forced to go far away from the farm for a job, Rachel and her two younger siblings must help each other survive for the months he is gone.
 
Comments: Patricia Reilly Giff is just a really talented, accomplished author in general; I love her works of historic fiction. The last book of hers that I read, Winter Sky, was definitely not a favorite of mine, but I think this one may be my favorite! Rachel is a great main character, and she is very relatable. She enjoys reading and writing; and some of her favorite books are my favorites too (I love classics)!
The book really showed the hardships of the Depression in a way that isn't too harsh for young readers and it isn't too light for older readers either. 
This book wasn't very long, but there was a lot of description and a clear story. The characters, especially Cassie, aren't perfect, and I like that - all the characters are realistic.
I think that this story could be suitable for all ages - though it would be best enjoyed by those of an old enough age to know about the Depression.

Complaints: None.

Rating: 5 stars
 
 

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies
Title: The Girl Who Threw Butterflies
 
Author: Mick Cochrane
 
Summary: 8th grader Molly Williams recently lost her father who died in a car accident. Now she has been left with her mother, who doesn't understand her at all - Molly has always been closest to her dad; especially her love of baseball. She misses playing catch and watching games with her dad; who taught her different baseball skills, such as how to throw a knuckleball - a skill that takes lots and lots of practice. At school, she doesn't want to continue to play on her usual softball team - girls softball just isn't the same as baseball.
So, she tries out for the baseball team; she wants to be known as the girl on the baseball team; rather than known as the girl who lost her dad. As she plays on the baseball team, she meets a new friend and begins to restart her life again and find a connection to her father as time goes on. The only problem is her mother, who may just ruin things for her.
 
Comments: I really enjoyed this book. Molly had feelings similar to mine - I much prefer baseball over girls softball and I've yet to find a character in a book that shares those feelings. I like Molly's bravery to try out for the boys team and it was refreshing to see a character who stood strong even when she was bullied at first by the boys on the team. Eventually, they accepted her; and this showed a good lesson that if one doesn't back down; things will turn out right.
Molly was likeable and relatable in many ways; her desire to be seen differently, to prove others wrong, her love of baseball, and just her overall character. 
This book doesn't really have any "iffy" content - there is a little detail on the night/morning of her father's death; but there is no descriptions or anything that any reader over 8 couldn't handle. Molly's grief and sorrow over the loss of her father is very strong, and her emotions seem very real. The book is pretty suitable for any reader 8+. There is one word, "crap" said once by Molly's friend Celia. While this book could be suitable for ages 8+, due to Molly's age, it would be best enjoyed by those who are 10+.  The word was not necessarily in a bad context, and while it is seen as an inappropriate word by a lot of families I know (including my own), however, just because it is written once in the book does not mean that you shouldn't read this amazing novel!While this book could be suitable for ages 8+, due to Molly's age, it would be best enjoyed by those who are 10+.  
 The book really spoke to me in a lot of ways; the love of baseball, the protagonist (Molly's) goal to follow her dreams...
 
Complaints: None.
 
Rating: 5 stars 

Thursday, October 8, 2015

The Thing About Luck

The Thing About Luck
Title: The Thing About Luck
 
Author: Cynthia Kadohata
 
Summary: 12 year old Summer and her younger brother are staying with their grandparents during the harvesting season. As Summer travels the road with them harvesting crops, she learns a lot about herself and who she is and she may just find better luck too.
 
Comments: There really isn't much of a summary for this book, because there really isn't too much to the story. Summer is a likeable character, though besides the backstory about her having had malaria and her now being fascinated with mosquitoes, there really isn't too much character development.
Her brother seems a little stereotyped as the "different sibling" and her grandparents seem a little stereotyped too as the "foreign, strict grandparents".
The book has A LOT of information on combines and harvesting, which could appeal to many girls who read this book, but some younger readers or uninterested readers may find all the harvest talk to be a bit of a slow-down or bore. I personally found it interesting, but I could see myself getting easily frustrated with all of the details of driving a combine, if I wasn't interested in learning about it.
I like how Summer makes an effort to dare to be different; I find that a redeeming quality in her character.
However, I think that the part where Summer falls in love with a boy (the child of the woman who runs the harvest team) was just too much. It just seemed like too much detail of kissing and all that in the book.) I think that the whole scene was just a little ridiculous and I wonder why I lot of books nowadays seem to always have a love story woven in - it just didn't feel quite necessary.
This didn't take up the whole book though; so I'm still going to rate it okay for 10+, but it may not be.
The characters in the book; besides Summer, didn't really seem to develop throughout the story.
Overall, I think that the book was okay. It was a little slow, but if the reader is "into" the book enough to read into everything, it can really be a deep book that makes an impact on the reader.
 
Complaints: I think some of the scenes were a little too mature for the book's target audience. There was also too much information on the harvest process; at times it felt more like an informational pamphlet on harvesting than it did a fiction book. Some of the characters fell short of my expectations and were a little flat.
 
Rating: 3 stars

Words with Wings

Words with Wings
Title: Words with Wings
 
Author: Nikki Grimes
 
Summary: Gabby's life has been hard lately; her parents have divorced and now she is living with her mother. She has never been as close to her mother as her father; who understands her. Gabby's life, though, now seems taken over by daydreams; lots of daydreams. Now, they are starting to affect her schoolwork and life. However, Gabby's special teacher may just find a way to help her turn those daydreams into writing.
 
Comments: I really liked this book. It won an award, and I can certainly see why. The book is very short and told through verses/poems. The story is laid out clearly and the reader will receive all the information he needs to know to follow the book; however, the reader won't find much more than the necessary information. It isn't a very detailed book; it is very to-the-point and short, which makes it a refreshing read that isn't complicated and requires a little less thinking and brain-power to understand. The main character, Gabby can probably speak to anyone who has been through or is going through a hard time; whatever it  may be.
Nikki Grimes is an amazing author; her work on the book The Road to Paris, well, it was just amazing. I really enjoyed that book (the review for that book is on here too - to access it quickly, just click on the tag Author:Nikki Grimes tag at the bottom of this post!) In fact, I think that The Road to Paris is even better than this book! I just love that book! (Okay, I know, this is supposed to be a review for Words with Wings)
Read anything written by her - there is a reason her books have been awarded.
This book is a nice quick read that is suitable for all ages.
 
Complaints: None. I would complain about it being too short, but I thought that it was tastefully done.
 
Rating: 5 stars

Monday, October 5, 2015

Ruby on the Outside

Ruby on the Outside
Title: Ruby on the Outside:

Author: Nora Raleigh Baskin
 
Summary: It's the summer before middle school and 11-year-old Ruby is worried about starting 6th grade. She wants to make a true friend, and when she meets a girl, Margalit Tipps at her apartment complex's pool, she thinks she has found the one. The two become fast friends, but Ruby still can't tell her everything - she can't bring herself to tell anyone her deep secret.
Ruby's mother is in prison. She went to prison when Ruby was just about 5 and Ruby lives with her aunt, Matoo (Ma, too) and she visits her real mother once a week on Saturdays - and she will until she is 31 years old. Ruby has never told anyone this and as she gets closer to Margalit in friendship, she finds it hard not to.
However, just as Ruby gets up the courage to tell her, Ruby realizes that Margalit's family's past seems to cross with Ruby's mother's past.
 
Comments: I think this was a wonderful book. Margalit and Ruby were both very likeable. Poor Ruby had such stress on her at such a young age that the reader can't help but feel sorry for her. The conflicting thoughts going on in her mind about whether or not to truly love her mother or whether or not she wanted to see her seemed very realistic to me.
I thought that Margalit's and Ruby's crossing pasts was just such a huge coincidence.
This book was very light, despite the heavy subjects that were displayed in it. It feels like a less-dramatic and less mature version of the book All the Things You Are. (I have a review for that book on this site - it is very similar to this book in that both mothers are in jail - however, they are both very different too and I recommend both).
I would still rate this as a 10+ just because of the prison themes and the descriptions of how her mother got in prison. There are some mature themes, but they are dealt with in a child-appropriate way, unlike other books (Nest).
 
Complaints: None.
 
Rating: 5 stars!
 
 

White Fur Flying

White Fur Flying
Title: White Fur Flying
 
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
 
Summary: Zoey and her family (sister, mom, & dad) are a foster family for Great Pyrenees dogs. They take in any Great Pyrenees in need and they train them and give them love until they are adopted by their forever family.
One day, new people move into the house across from Zoey. The boy, Phillip, is strange - he has just stopped talking. Everyone is worried. He doesn't talk anymore - he doesn't even make an effort.
Maybe, the Great Pyrenees and Zoey's family will be the key to Phillip talking again.  
 
Comments: This book was a book that I could really relate to, because my family, like Zoey's family, also fosters dogs. It is rare for me to read a book that mentions fostering dogs. Usually, adoption of dogs is the only topic covered in most books. I think that this book will raise awareness for the importance of fostering dogs. Adoption isn't the only option!
The book is suitable for all ages and I like that because books that can be enjoyed by all readers are becoming few and far between it seems. Phillip does go missing for a time (only a few hours) and there is just enough drama to not make it overly dramatic and just enough suspense to not make younger readers overly worried about Phillip. This book is exciting and fun to read and can be enjoyed by all!
The book was a little quick for my taste, but it is definitely a good choice for a read-aloud book or sibling story time or something. I know that I enjoyed reading this book with my sisters!
 
Complaints: None.
 
Rating: 5 stars!
 
 

Kizzy Ann Stamps

Kizzy Ann Stamps
Title: Kizzy Ann Stamps
 
Author: Jeri Watts
 
Summary: Kizzy Ann is a smart and courageous girl growing up in 1963. Kizzy Ann's life is changed when she finds out that the schools in her town will now be integrated rather than segregated. Kizzy Ann is worried about going to the "white school" - she is not white and she has a long scar down her face that makes her fear what the other children at the new school will think of her.
Starting the new school is somewhat easy, however she does get trouble from a lot of the "white kids." Her brother is having a very hard time at his new high school and Kizzy Ann worries that the experience is changing him.
As she starts the new school, she finds a friend in an older man who helps Kizzy Ann train her dog, a border collie, Shag, so that they compete together in dog trials. However, it doesn't seem easy at first - Kizzy Ann isn't so sure that they will let her enter because of the color of her skin.
 
 
Comments: I loved this book! I wasn't really sure about reading it at first, but I am SO glad that I did. Kizzy Ann is so likeable and Shag is too. The book is told through letters to Kizzy Ann's new teacher at her new integrated school (the teacher is very nice). The whole book wrapped up nicely in the end - but not too nice to be unbelievable.
This book did deal with the integrated/segregated problem going on back in those days, so I'd say that the reader would have to already have a clear understanding of that before reading the book, because it does not really go into the background details of segregated/integrated like The Lions of Little Rock does. There is also some content that is more suitable for 10+.
 
Complaint: NONE!
 
Rating: 5 stars and beyond....

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet
Title: This Journal Belongs to Ratchet
 
Author: Nancy J. Cavanaugh
 
Summary: 11 year old Rachel "Ratchet" (a nickname earned from fixing cars with her father) is a homeschooled girl who moves from town to town fixing up homes with her father in exchange for free rent. Her father is a bit eccentric and unusual, and because she is homeschooled and is often helping her father fix cars, she does not get out enough to make friends - not that anyone seems interested in being friends with her anyway.
As Ratchet spends time alone in the house after working on school and cars with her father, she always can't help but notice a special box that moves with them wherever they go yet it is never opened. Ratchet suspects that the box contains information about her mother - her mother that died when she was too young to remember her well.
The book details Ratchet's life as she learns to work with others to save an important park and as she navigates through finding true friends, being different, and discovering secrets about her past.
 
Comments: I enjoyed this book. It is written through Ratchet's school work in English/Language Arts class. She is homeschooled so she just writes whatever the lesson guide says to write (essay, poem, etc.), and she always makes her life and what is going on as the subject. I think that this was a very creative way to write the book.
Ratchet was not stereotyped like some homeschooled characters in books. She had a great personality, she wanted friends, and when she did talk to people, she obviously had good social skills. However, she did seem a little secluded from the world for my taste, but it wasn't too bad.
Ratchet was likeable and any reader will find themselves cheering for her. I would recommend this book to children 10+. There really isn't much iffy content, except some boy-girl stuff, details on her mother's death and what happened before it, and just some other minor things.
 
Complaints: None.
 
Rating: 5 stars!
 
 

Sunday, October 4, 2015

A Handful of Stars

A Handful of Stars
Title: A Handful of Stars
 
Author: Cynthia Lord
 
Summary: It's blueberry harvesting season in Maine and Lily is helping her grandparents run their shop during the busy time. One day, Lily's blind dog, Lucky, runs away from Lily and is caught just a few fields over by a migrant blueberry harvester who is Lily's age; Salma. Salma is very nice and the two become fast friends; doing lots of things together. Lily likes Salma because Salma is invested in trying to help Lucky see again; she is one of the only ones who believes in Lily's costly plan to save his failed eyesight.
To raise the money, Lily persuades Salma to enter the Blueberry Queen pageant to try and win a monetary prize to help Lucky get what he needs. However, the idea of Salma, someone not native to Maine, participating in the pageant is not an idea easily accepted by all.
 
Comments: I loved this book. It started out slow in the first few chapters, but it did not disappoint as I got further into the book. Both girls were likeable characters. Both girls' characters were well developed, though they were not very detailed or complex - most likely in hopes that if the characters were a bit more vague in background, then the reader would be able to identify or related to them easier.
I have read some of Cynthia Lord's other works (Rules & Touch Blue) and I have enjoyed the writing in both (especially Touch Blue). Her writing always creates a clear story with characters that are easy to relate to and I love her detailing of cozy little towns such as those in Touch Blue and this book.
She is a wonderful writer, so naturally when I saw this book I knew that I had to read it!
This book is very good, however it could be more suitable for an audience that is a bit older; younger readers may not understand Lily's parents' backgrounds (both parents are dead/gone when the story takes place), and some may not understand the hard time that Salma gets for entering the pageant. However, this s a wonderful story to help them understand too.
 
Complaints: None.
 
Rating: 5 stars!
 

Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s
Title: Counting by 7s
 
Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
 
Summary: 12-year-old Willow is a child genius who loves diagnosing medical conditions and planting/nature. As she starts middle school, she is sent to see a child counselor (by the school's recommendation) and during her meets with him, she meets two other children that are older than her; a brother and sister. She slowly forms a small friendship with them.
One day, she arrives at her house to find that her parents died earlier in the day in a car accident. Willow's friends, Mai and Quang-ha's mother offers to take her in while she waits for foster care, adoption, etc.
As Willow slowly recreates her life, she shows that one who goes through tragedy can come out being better than before.
 
Comments: I really enjoyed this book. It was recommended to me by a friend and I'm so glad that I decided to read it!
All the characters in the story were pretty well-developed for the most part, though I might have wanted to see a little more detail on Dell, the counselor.
Willow was such a likeable character and it was heartbreaking to see her going through such a tragedy; because her parents just seemed like such kind people who really understood her and I didn't know whether anyone else in the book could have that same connection with her. (Yes, I get pretty involved and intense in my reading - don't worry, I do know that she is just a fictional character!)
While I loved the book, I thought that the way Mai and Quang-ha lived with their mother just seemed somewhat unrealistic, even though they were poor. However, that can be overlooked and may have just been a little exaggerated to add some more intensity and drama to the book.
While this book is great and such a fine piece of writing, I must say that it is probably suitable for ages 10-12+ just because it is fairly long and some younger readers may be upset by all the tragedies and unfairness in this book.
This is probably going to go on my Top 10 list!
 
Complaints: I feel like the book might've wrapped up just a little too nicely; however it was good that the reader was able to find closure to the story by the end of the book.
 
Rating: 5 stars!
 

The Truth About Twinkie Pie

The Truth About Twinkie Pie
Title: The Truth About Twinkie Pie

Author: Kat Yeh
 
Summary: Gigi (Galileo Galilei - a name she hates) and her sister Didi (Delta Dawn) have just moved to a town in New York; having previously lived in a southern trailer park. Gigi misses her mother; whom she believes to have died when she was young. Gigi is just the average tween girl.
Then, after starting a new school (a very fancy one), she begins to make friends with a boy named Trip and enemies with Trip's other friend, a nasty girl, Mace. Gigi also makes friends with some other girls.
After finding out a secret that may reveal who her mother really is; Gigi takes matters into her own hands and flees her town in the middle of the night to see if she can find her real mother who really may still be alive.
Towards the end of the book, Gigi discovers many hidden secrets about herself and others around her that she never knew.
 
Comments: (Sorry if the summary wasn't that great for this book - I had a hard time coming up with a good summary for this one). Gigi and Didi are both likeable and unlikeable at different points in the story, which I guess just makes them more realistic. The book has recipes throughout the pages from their mother's recipe book for interesting dishes such as Twinkie Pie.
The book is seemingly innocent at first, but things get much deeper as the story goes on - Gigi sneaks away in the middle of the night and does a LOT of dangerous things that aren't necessarily a good influence on young readers. Also, there are some underlying themes in this book that aren't really appropriate and are only briefly covered. I would've liked a more detailed and in-depth scene between Gigi and who she thinks is her mother.
This book was not totally appropriate for children under age 12, in my opinion.
The book is still good though, and it is a captivating read, for sure.
 
Complaints: I feel like a few underlying themes could've been left out and that some details could've been left out while more details could've been added in other places instead.
 
Rating: 4 stars  

The Road to Paris

The Road to Paris
Title: The Road to Paris
 
Author: Nikki Grimes
 
Summary: Young Paris and her brother Malcom have been protecting each other while living in the foster system. One day, they get separated - Malcom is sent to a boys foster home and Paris is sent to live with another foster family; the Lincoln family. Paris is scared and upset at first; she misses her brother very much. The Lincolns are very nice, but Paris, with previous experiences with bad foster homes, finds it hard to trust them.
As the days and weeks pass, Paris begins to adjust to life with the Lincolns; she makes friends at school and gets along nicely with her foster siblings. There are a few bumps in the road, with one of Paris's friend's family turning out to be prejudiced against her (the family is "white" and Paris is not). However, Paris does make another good friend.
Then, one day, she is invited by her mother to come back home; her mother is ready for Paris and Malcom to come back to her and start a better life. Paris doesn't have to go, so she has to make the tough decision on what to do.
 
Comments: I really liked this book! It won an award for a reason! I think it would be a fine read for somewhat mature children 8+. There is some account of the harsh behaviors Paris and her brother were previously subjected to before the book took place. I would consider this book to be a good pre-read to One for the Murphys - another favorite of mine that is quite similar.
Paris is likeable and a very strong character and the end of the book is surprising.
 
Complaints: It was a little short and it seemed to pass by very quickly - however that could be a plus for the younger or reluctant reader!
 
Rating: 5 stars