Sparrow Road

Title: Sparrow Road

 

Author: Sheila O'Connor

 

Summary: 12 year old Raine O'Rourke is upset at first to be spending her summer at Sparrow Road, a summer artists colony with rules like "no talking" and "no telephones." She misses her Grandpa Mac and his store and her house and is confused as to why they came to Sparrow Road for her mother to work as the maid. However, when Raine finds out that she'll have the chance to meet her father who she never remembers meeting before, Raine realizes how important it was for her to travel to Sparrow Road and the summer before 7th grade is the summer when Raine finally discovers who she is and who she comes from.

 

Comments: I really, really liked this book. In fact, it could be in my Top #5 for my reading in 2015. Raine is a little wise beyond her years, but she is relatable and likeable and believable too - all of the things that the main protagonist should be. Her character grows immensely throughout the story, and it is very obvious by the end.

At first, I had a problem with how much seemed to lie on Raine's shoulders. She seemed like she was so stressed out all because her mother constantly hid things from her (all with good reason I suppose, but still). I think if the lines of communication had been different between her and her mama, I think the book would've been much different; but not necessarily better.

The setting is just painted so beautifully; an old orphanage with beautiful rolling hills and a tiny town right near by - the whole thing seemed like a setting from a fairy tale and there really are places like that and I think that it was the perfect setting for this book. Hearing about the orphanage in its past was very neat (I'm a history fan). I thought Raine's supernatural connection with Lyman the orphan was pretty neat and each artist had a little secret, which I found was a nice touch.  

I did find it strange however, that the rules presented in the beginning about no talking until supper and no phone calls seemed to be lifted once Josie and Raine started planning out the Art Extravaganza.

I couldn't tell exactly when this book took place, but with all of the events described, I like to think it was in the early to mid 80s; but I like the fact that the author left it up to the reader to decide. She may have provided the clues, but the reader had to think and decide.

This book would be best enjoyed by those who are 10+ because of its length and the complex problems presented throughout the book.  

 

Complaints: None.

 

Rating: 5 stars

 

Reaching for Sun

Title: Reaching for Sun

 

Author: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

 

Summary: 7th grader Josie Wyatt lives with her Gran and mother on a farm that has now dwindled down into a garden after the sale of most of their land to a housing company. Josie is different; she has cerebral palsy. She can still walk and can talk too, but she has speech and physical and occupational therapies all requested by her mother who won't let her forget her problems. But Josie's mostly lonely life changes when a boy named Jordan moves in nearby. They become good friends and Josie grows in many ways as she navigates her early teen years.

 

Comments: This is another book that is written in poetry verses. That seems to be pretty popular nowadays, and I must admit that it is really growing on me. With these sort of books I find it hard to learn enough about the characters to be able to relate to each one on a personal level. The only book written in verse that I was really able to relate to was May B. which I definitely recommend.

Josie's character did develop colorfully throughout the story, and by the end she was different, but I don't feel as though I got close enough to her to be proud of her accomplishments or to really know her.

I thought it was so beautiful and encouraging how Josie was portrayed as a girl okay with being different. She managed to live such a vibrant and colorful life and to be a good friend even with her disabilities that she could've easily allowed to get in her way.

The book has a few references to "older girl" stuff, but it would probably still be appropriate for 8-9+ years.

This book is a coming of age novel written in verse that I did enjoy, even if I did not feel able to completely relate to the characters on a personal level.

 

Complaints: I felt left wanting more information on the backgrounds of each character. The story did not feel complete.

 

Rating: 4 stars

With a Name Like Love

Title: With a Name Like Love

 

Author: Tess Hilmo

 

Summary: 13 year old Olivene "Ollie" Love, daughter of the Reverend Everlasting Love, travels by trailer around the country in 1957 with her mother, father, and her 4 younger sisters preaching to towns. Ollie is tired of moving on from each town, homeschooling with her sisters and not living in an actual house, but she doesn't think anything of the town, Binder that they stop in for a few days. But during a quick trip to the general store, she meets a boy, Jimmy Koppel who has a lot more mystery to him than any outsider would think. His father was murdered and his mother was wrongfully jailed for it.

Ollie and Jimmy become close and Ollie does everything she can to try and uncover who really murdered Jimmy's abusive father.

 

Comments: I loved this book. I believe I especially liked it because I was so easily able to relate to Ollie. I too am the oldest of my sisters, I am homeschooled, my family has quite similar Christian values, and I am 13 years of age as well.

The characters in this book are all likeable and I really enjoyed the writing. I felt that there was a slight romance between Ollie and Jimmy, but it wasn't overplayed and it was all very subtle and left for the reader to interpret in their own way. The mystery in this book made for a great storyline, and the mystery didn't take up the whole story.

I do feel like the book kind of justified the murder of Jimmy's father because of the abusive person he was. Some could disagree with this; however it was not outright said; it could just be interpreted this way.

Ollie is a good example; she wanted to get what she desired, yet not if it meant the others around her not being happy. She was also a good role model for older sisters everywhere.

The book is not predictable (or it wasn't for me anyway, and I read mysteries regularly).

I'd recommend this book for 10+ because the descriptions of Jimmy's father's abusive ways could be disturbing to young children.  

 

Complaints: None.

 

Rating: 5 stars

Here Today

Title: Here Today

 

Author: Ann M. Martin

 

Summary: Ellie is growing up in a small New York town in 1963 along with her two younger siblings, and her father, and her mother who has always had an burning (and I mean burning!) desire to be famous. She does everything she can to become famous in her small town, often times forgetting about how the rest of her family feels and often only thinking about herself. Ellie, who has recently entered 6th grade, is having a hard time in school and she is being bullied along with her friend Holly and the rest of the kids on her street which has been deemed as eccentric and weird.

As school gets harder to deal with, the situation gets worse when Ellie's mother, Doris Day Dingman decides that she needs to go to New York city in search of fame. So, she leaves her family for a while to go to New York City, saying that the rest of the family will move with her after the school year. But things aren't working out and 1963 is the year that Ellie learns that she has to let go to move forward.

 

Comments: I really enjoyed this book. Ann M. Martin is the author of my guilty pleasure series, The Babysitters Club, and she is also the author of several other books that I have enjoyed and reviewed on here (click under the Ann M. Martin author tag to see my reviews). The characters in this book feel real - they are all really unique. The outline of the characters may be a little stereotyped at times, however I didn't feel that it took away from the book.

Ellie is likeable - her mother isn't, but her mother isn't sold to the reader as unlikeable right away, which I like; it is up to the reader to decide at first. I felt terrible at her decision to leave Ellie and her siblings and by the end of the book, though she was just a fictional character, I was so angry with her! I especially was upset when Ellie got to finally visit her grandparents and she had to go to her mother's audition with her. Ellie was a great example of an ordinary girl who proved to be very strong when a less-than-perfect situation was thrown her way.
This book was so well written, yet Ellie's situation was almost painful to read. Ellie's relationship with her mother was sad, yet I felt even worse for her younger siblings.

This book has some more mature themes I'd say, so I'd probably recommend it to 10+. This book was just wonderful and Ann M. Martin really worked her writing magic with this book once again. The writing was just beautiful. Ann M. Martin is the classic writer of today, I think. I was quite pleased and I think that any reader of the 10-13 age range would be pleased too!

 

Complaints: None.

 

Rating: 5 stars!  

Eggs Over Evie

Title: Eggs Over Evie

 

Author: Alison Jackson

 

Summary: Evie Carson is going through a tough time in her life; her parents recently got separated and she misses her dad, who is a famous chef and always inspired Evie to cook. Her dad now lives in another house with his new wife who is expecting their twin babies, and Evie's dog. Evie loves to cook just like her dad, and she enrolls in a rec center cooking class where she meets a boy, Corey, who is the nephew of the eccentric cooking teacher. As Evie goes through a summer of change, she learns to navigate through her love of cooking, her feelings towards Corey, her dad and his new family, and maybe even her grumpy next door neighbor, Ms. Hamilton.

 

Comments: This book was pretty good. Evie was likeable and her emotions seemed real and so did her family. Her dad was not the stereotypical "divorced with a new family" dad that is sometimes found in modern books. Each character was pretty unique and the book was not as predictable as it looks. There are small illustrations scattered through the book and the sketches of Evie are a wonderful device for the reader to have a guide to envision how parts of the story are happening. The book and illustrations really struck a balance where the book didn't feel like an early reader picture book yet it wasn't a huge work of literature either.

The book goes quick and I don't really have anything to complain about, though it is not by any means my favorite book. I enjoy baking mostly and I certainly do not have as adventurous a taste palate as Evie, so perhaps this book would be better enjoyed by one who is as passionate about cooking as she is.

The book would probably be best enjoyed by 10+, because of Corey the boy crush and also Evie's mother goes on dates, divorce is talked about, and her stepmother having twins is discussed too, so I'd probably say 10+. Also, Evie herself is 13 years old.

 

Complaints: None.

 

Rating: 5 stars

Breakaway

Title: Breakaway

 

Author: Andrea Montalbano

 

Summary: LJ feels best when she is scoring goals on the field and playing soccer. Not only does she enjoy it, but she's good at it too. However, because she thinks she is so good, she tends to take the ball and become a "one man show" rather than play with her team, which includes new popular girl, Tabitha who LJ just may be becoming friends with. When she is suspended and made to sit on the sidelines, though, she realizes that she has to learn to lose her temper and become a team player.

 

Comments: This book would definitely be best enjoyed by those who play soccer. There is some soccer terminology in it that could be confusing to the reader who has no experience in the sport or a sport of that kind. I personally didn't enjoy this book, but I'm not a soccer fan or anything - I just couldn't relate to the character. For me, LJ was just so unlikeable and throughout the whole book she was full of self-praise. In the end she claimed to learn a lesson, but from a reader's perspective I did not see enough character or personality growth descriptions that reflected what she had supposedly learned. I feel like she may have just forced herself to learn something so she could have a chance at participating in the big game despite her suspension.

I found the "rich girl" Tabitha to be very stereotyped, with a driver and mansion and maid and such. She didn't have the stereotypical personality though, so I guess I can let that slide.

 

This could have the potential to be a good book for the earlier reader and soccer player, but it "fell short of the goal" for me.

 

Complaints: All complaints written in comments.

 

Rating: 3 stars