Maniac Magee 05/15/2010

Maniac Magee
Jerry Spinelli
Little, Brown, 1990
Newbery Medal, 1991
Top 100 Children’s Novels Poll, #17

Maniac Magee is a homeless orphan who unknowingly breaks an unspoken rule in his new town: he’s a white boy who wanders into the black part of town, and is taken in by a black family. Even when he finds out what he’s done, he doesn’t care. Because to Maniac, it just doesn’t make sense. (Ain’t that the truth?). He tries his best to bring the two sides of town together, but naturally, learns that some people are just set in their ways, and some kid who can untie a knot better than anyone else ain’t gonna change everything.

Racism. Homelessness. Identity. Pretty heavy for a children’s book, but somehow Spinelli’s story doesn’t seem heavy at all. It’s got great characters: from Mars Bar, the kid who got his nickname from the candy bars he eats, to Amanda, who carries her entire library around with her in a suitcase to protect her books from her younger siblings, and Maniac himself, who is a little Forrest Gump-ish in his naiveté (and his knack for running). It’s one of those rare books that could be handed off to a boy without much complaint, which in my book, is top notch.

Sarah, Plain and Tall 05/11/2010

Sarah, Plain and Tall
Patricia Maclachlan
HarperCollins, 1985
Newbery Winner, 1986
Top 100 Childrens Novels, #90

This is the shortest book I have ever read. Just kidding. There are 5 picture books that are shorter. In all honesty, I finished this book in about 2 hours (2.5 hours total, really — I took a nap about halfway through).

It’s about a family in the Midwest who lost their mother; their father places an ad in a newspaper for a new wife. Sarah, from the sea, introduces herself as “plain and tall” in her first letter. She’s looking for a change. Her brother is getting married, and she feels that the house isn’t hers anymore.

The children, Anna and Caleb, are of course freaked out that they will become attached to Sarah only to have her leave them. (She doesn’t.)

Perhaps what is the most intriguing/fun/interesting aspect of Sarah is her refusal to play by the rules — it’s almost as if in her first letter, she lets Papa know that she is a woman of her own. She’s got a cat who’s coming with her no matter what; she plays in the rain; she goes to town by herself (much to the chagrin of Caleb, who is convinced that she will either die or never return). I like Sarah. She’s the kind of lady I would want to have been in the 19th century.

Challenge: Newbery Winners 05/11/2010

Okay, the Newbery Award. Given by the American Library Association to the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” for a given year. Pretty heavy, I suppose.

Here’s where I will tick off the titles that I’ve read so far (I’m starting from scratch; anything that I read as a child is going to be reread for this challenge). A tally, if you will. If there’s a line through it, demand that I write about it!! (You don’t really have to do that; it is mostly for me.)

List of Newbery winners, 1922-present (2010):

Hi there. 05/11/2010

In an effort to keep myself blogging, I’ve decided to set up a few challenges for myself.

I’ll be writing about the following (in no particular order):
My Newbery Challenge: Read Newbery Winners, 1922-present
Top 100 Childrens Novels Challenge: Read winners of the Top 100 Childrens Novel Poll by School Library Journal Blogger Betsy Bird
Top 100 Picture Books Challenge: Read winners of the Top 100 Picture Books Poll by School Library Journal Blogger Betsy Bird

I’ll try to write about these as I go (although I’ve already started), and I’m also planning to re-read books that I read in school. And I’ll be writing about new stuff, too, but mostly stuff I like.

Alright K, start blogging!

I’m Still Standin’ 03/30/2010

Hi. I’m back again. Been reading some books. Liked most, not all. I have a habit of not finishing books I don’t like, which could be why most of my books on my librarything are 3.5 stars and up. Speaking of .5 stars, I really am a big fan of the half star rating. It’s just….so useful!!

Okay, I promise to post some reviews soon. Promise!

Watersmeet 02/16/2010

Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbott.
Marshall Cavendish, 2009. 341pp.

I…think I may have to give up on this book before finishing. Never before have I experienced such euphoria in beginning a book (I was thoroughly engrossed and impressed at how good it was), only to feel crushed at how the book and characters failed to deliver after the 3rd section or so.

Abisina lives in Vranille, where she is an outcast for having dark skin, dark hair, and green eyes. The only person allowed to talk to her is her mother. Some guy-demon named Charach shows up one day (he has apparently been expected and eagerly awaited) and instructs the villagers to kill the outcasts. Abisina escapes, and her mother is killed — but not before she gives Abisina instructions to find her long lost father in the mythical, magical land of Watersmeet. Along the way, Abisina meets dwarves, centaurs, and all sorts of other creatures she’s been instructed to hate her whole life. Eventually, she makes it to Watersmeet and meets daddy, and that is where the book turns bad.

Up until the arrival in Watersmeet, the book was quite solid. Shockingly solid, I’d say. So, how in the world did it fall apart so badly? Maybe Abbott was possessed by a child while she was writing the second half of the book — that’s certainly how it reads. For example: Abisina is distraught at the idea of going to war for Watersmeet against Charach, because she doesn’t know if she can bear the thought of watching her father die in battle. She goes on for pages and pages about how she is NOT GOING TO WAR. Then, her father asks her to go for a ride (horseback), and a couple of trots in, she is all like OKAY YAY I AM TOTALLY GOING TO WAR. I mean, hello — show me some freaking inner turmoil, here! Or at least a couple of lines of dialogue in which Daddy tells Abisina not to be scared (we’re not dealing with Arwen, here)…

Also, we get kind of beat over the head with the messages of TOLERANCE! ACCEPTANCE! and IT IS TOTALLY OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT YOU GUYS, I MEAN SERIOUSLY, DWARVES ARE ACTUALLY REALLY NICE.

It just seems to be lacking…something. To say that I am disappointed in this book would be an understatement. However, I wouldn’t be nearly as disappointed as I am if the first 200 pages of the book weren’t as good as they are. (Sorry for the excess of negatives).

Anywho, if I ever finish this book maybe I’ll come back to tell you if it redeemed itself.

Everything Is Fine 01/11/2010

Everything Is Fine
Ann Dee Ellis
Little, Brown, 2009
160 p.

I’m pretty sure I finished this book in just under 2 hours. I think the setup of the book was helpful to my speed-reading — Mazzy, the narrator, speaks short, static sentences that tell us her story without divulging too much (unnecessary, in her eyes) information.

Mazzy’s father has abandoned her and her mother for a job opportunity with ESPN, and her mother’s become a walking zombie; a fact that Mazzy will admit to no one, despite the best efforts of her neighbors, friends, and her mother’s caretaker (thoughtfully hired by her father so someone would be there in his absence) to check in on Mazzy and pose some sort of intervention for her mother. You really feel for Mazzy — it can’t be easy to be 12 and have to hold your head up everyday and pretend like, as the title says, everything is fine. Ellis’ character is about as awkward as 12 can get (can you say, shoving oranges in your bra to try and impress the boy next door?), which is what makes the story refreshing, instead of woeful and melodramatic.

Looking for Alaska 01/09/2010

Looking for Alaska
John Green
Dutton Press, 2005
160pp.
Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature winner, 2006

Okay, I really shouldn’t wait until 2 months after I’ve read a book to write about it…it makes things hard.
But I REALLY liked this book…in fact, I’ve become something of a John Green fangirl as of late. It’s partially the Chicago connection, partially the Alabama connection (his three years at a boarding school in Alabama resembles the boarding school in ‘Looking for Alaska’, and we will forgive him for being a Bama fan), and also it’s just because he writes good books that I like.

And ‘Looking for Alaska’ is one of those books. It’s about a guy (Miles) who doesn’t really have any friends who decides to go to boarding school in Alabama. And there, he meets a girl who he really likes…a reckless and intelligent girl named Alaska, who intrigues every boy on campus. Of course, Alabama has a boyfriend, but she spends just enough time flirting with Miles to keep him hanging on. A realistic novel, an accurate capture of adolescence. And just super good.

If interested, John Green and his brother Hank have a youtube channel called the Vlog Brothers, where they sing songs and tell jokes and talk about nerdy and smart things (there is a difference.)

Here is a video of John’s adorable puppy explaining the health care bill:

Super Excited About… 01/05/2010

What a Jerk! 01/05/2010

Okay, here’s a secret: I can be a major slacker at times. I haven’t been slacking on my reading, but I have been slacking on my posting.

Here’s a brief list of what I’ve been reading with the first words that come to my head about the books, with a promise of some actual “reviews” to come:

Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins (FAVORITE)
Looking for Alaska – John Green (SECOND FAVORITE)
Everything is Fine – Ann Dee Ellis (REALLY FAST READ)
Best Bad Luck I Ever Had – Kristin Levine (ALABAMA)
Push – Sapphire (CRY)
Love, Aubrey – Suzanne LaFleur (LETTERS)
Liar – Justine Larbalestier (AWESOME)
The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman (AUDIO = AWESOME)
Notes from the Dog – Gary Paulsen (WOOF! CANCER)
Girl in the Arena – Lise Haines (TO HELP TIDE YOU OVER UNTIL THE NEXT SUZANNE COLLINS BOOK COMES OUT)
And a couple of Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris (VAMPYORS!).

I’m apologize to all four of you who actually read my blog. I’ll post some more soon, I promise!!

K