Wicked Girls
By Stephanie Hemphill
Balzer + Bray, 2010. 408 pgs. Teen fiction
This fictionalized account of the Salem witch trials alternates between the points of view of three of the girls who claimed to "see" witches--Mercy, who is an orphan and a servant who has been abused by a past master and wants to find her place in the world; Ann, who wants to get her parents' attention and is the ringleader of the group; and Margaret, who is jealous of Mercy and worried about her relationship with Isaac Farrars. Each of the girls has her own motivations and joins in the accusations wholeheartedly, but as time passes, they wonder what would happen if they were to tell the truth.
This novel-in-verse is an interesting account of the Salem witch trials and the different reasons why the girls would make accusations against members of their community, as well as who they chose to accuse. At the same time, it's hard to actually really like any of the girls (despite the pain in their own lives) because they did wrongly accuse and cause the deaths of many people. So, the characters are intriguing if not likable. All in all, a fine work of historical fiction.
3 stars.
Monday, April 25, 2011
It's a Book
It's a Book
By Lane Smith
Roaring Brook, 2010. 1 vol, unpaged. Picture book
As a monkey tries to read a book, his friend, a donkey, questions him about it--can you blog with it, where's the mouse, etc. The monkey repeatedly responds no and tries to explain that it's a book. This is a funny, tongue-in-cheek book with a bit of surprise at the end, which has stirred up a bit of controversy, because many people feel it's not appropriate for children. For me, I have to say I wouldn't necessarily want to give this to my children...but I also think I'd get a bigger kick out of sharing it with adults. Although it's a picture book, for me it seems like it's one that would be funnier for adults than kids anyway. I don't think younger kids would understand it anyway.
By Lane Smith
Roaring Brook, 2010. 1 vol, unpaged. Picture book
As a monkey tries to read a book, his friend, a donkey, questions him about it--can you blog with it, where's the mouse, etc. The monkey repeatedly responds no and tries to explain that it's a book. This is a funny, tongue-in-cheek book with a bit of surprise at the end, which has stirred up a bit of controversy, because many people feel it's not appropriate for children. For me, I have to say I wouldn't necessarily want to give this to my children...but I also think I'd get a bigger kick out of sharing it with adults. Although it's a picture book, for me it seems like it's one that would be funnier for adults than kids anyway. I don't think younger kids would understand it anyway.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
White Cat
White Cat
By Holly Black
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010. 310 pgs. Teen fiction
Cassel Sharpe lives in a world where curse workers (people with the ability to curse other people by touching them) are a constant threat). Cassel, whose family members are all curse workers, begins to suspect that he has been "worked" by his brothers and that they have been hiding a lot of things from him--including who he is and what really happened to his best friend three years before.
This book is part fantasy, part mystery with the mafia (made up of curse workers) thrown in. Full of twists and turns, this is a high-paced, attention-grabbing, makes you want to sit down and read it all at once type of book.
3.5 stars.
By Holly Black
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010. 310 pgs. Teen fiction
Cassel Sharpe lives in a world where curse workers (people with the ability to curse other people by touching them) are a constant threat). Cassel, whose family members are all curse workers, begins to suspect that he has been "worked" by his brothers and that they have been hiding a lot of things from him--including who he is and what really happened to his best friend three years before.
This book is part fantasy, part mystery with the mafia (made up of curse workers) thrown in. Full of twists and turns, this is a high-paced, attention-grabbing, makes you want to sit down and read it all at once type of book.
3.5 stars.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Flesh and Blood So Cheap
Flesh and Blood So Cheap
By Albert Marrin
Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. 182 pgs. Middle Grade/Teen Nonfiction
On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory caught on fire and 146 workers died, either trapped inside the building or leaping out the windows to their deaths. This event horrified the New York community, and investigations into working conditions ensued. This event had a profound impact on American life, and Marrin provides readers with a great understanding of the event. He discusses the workers (many of whom were Italian and Russian Jewish immigrant girls, working as breadwinners for their families), the garment industry (including sweatshops and factories) and the strike that took place shortly before the tragedy, the tragedy itself, and the aftermath. The book rounds out with a comparison of sweatshops of the past with sweatshops in developing nations today.
A highly informative book, it actually spent less time talking about the fire itself and more time talking about the conditions that led up to it and on the strike preceding it, but it gives a great look at why something like this tragedy occurred--how workers were desperate for jobs but trying to improve working conditions, while employers were looking for cheap labor and used shameful tactics to get it. Informative and interesting, I read this in one sitting.
4.5 stars
By Albert Marrin
Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. 182 pgs. Middle Grade/Teen Nonfiction
On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory caught on fire and 146 workers died, either trapped inside the building or leaping out the windows to their deaths. This event horrified the New York community, and investigations into working conditions ensued. This event had a profound impact on American life, and Marrin provides readers with a great understanding of the event. He discusses the workers (many of whom were Italian and Russian Jewish immigrant girls, working as breadwinners for their families), the garment industry (including sweatshops and factories) and the strike that took place shortly before the tragedy, the tragedy itself, and the aftermath. The book rounds out with a comparison of sweatshops of the past with sweatshops in developing nations today.
A highly informative book, it actually spent less time talking about the fire itself and more time talking about the conditions that led up to it and on the strike preceding it, but it gives a great look at why something like this tragedy occurred--how workers were desperate for jobs but trying to improve working conditions, while employers were looking for cheap labor and used shameful tactics to get it. Informative and interesting, I read this in one sitting.
4.5 stars
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Grimm Legacy
The Grimm Legacy
By Polly Shuman
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2010. 325 pgs. Teen fiction
Elizabeth gets a job as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository where patrons can check out items such as fondue sets, parasols, or shoes. The Repository has special collections, though, including the Grimm collection, which features magical items featured in the Grimm brothers' fairy tales--and someone is stealing these items. One page has gone missing, and a giant bird seems to be following another. Elizabeth and her fellow pages try to figure out who the thief is but soon find themselves in over their heads.
The idea of a circulating repository of magical items was just to fun to pass up, and readers will be satisfied with the book. While it's not exactly a fairy tale itself, fairy tale standards such as magic, romance, and a quest are all present in this story. A great pick for teen girls, I give this one 4 stars.
By Polly Shuman
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2010. 325 pgs. Teen fiction
Elizabeth gets a job as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository where patrons can check out items such as fondue sets, parasols, or shoes. The Repository has special collections, though, including the Grimm collection, which features magical items featured in the Grimm brothers' fairy tales--and someone is stealing these items. One page has gone missing, and a giant bird seems to be following another. Elizabeth and her fellow pages try to figure out who the thief is but soon find themselves in over their heads.
The idea of a circulating repository of magical items was just to fun to pass up, and readers will be satisfied with the book. While it's not exactly a fairy tale itself, fairy tale standards such as magic, romance, and a quest are all present in this story. A great pick for teen girls, I give this one 4 stars.
Dark Life
Dark Life
By Kat Falls
Scholastic Press, 2010. 297 pgs. Teen fiction
In a future world, Ty has spent his whole life living under the sea, and he loves it there. However, problems threaten to change his way of life: a group of bandits, called Seablite, attack ships coming in from the government, and the government threatens to cut off all supply shipments if settlers don't form a posse and track them down. At the same time, Ty meets a Topsider, Gemma, who has some underwater to look for her brother, and Ty, who hasn't ever had any other teenagers to hang out with, quickly becomes involved in her search--and in trying to keep her, and others, from discovering that he has a dark secret: people have speculated that children of the sea settlers has special powers, and while Ty does indeed have a dark gift, he doesn't want anyone to know.
This underwater western-style book mixes in adventure, dystopia, and a hint of romance. The ending is resolved a little bit too quickly, with not quite enough attention and detail given to Gemma's brother or her future, and Ty and his sister both have a chance to display their special talents, but the climatic scenes where they do that are wrapped up in fewer than twenty pages, making it a little rushed for my tastes. Additionally, the romance could have been built up a little bit more; it's introduced rather abruptly, and while I believe that a 15-year-old boy has been falling for the girl all along, the story doesn't really show that. (Maybe that's a plus for male readers, but as a female reader, I'd have liked a little more to show that he's interested, rather than just a retrospective "oh, yeah, I've wanted to kiss her since I met her" thought.) All in all, though, readers looking for an adventure will like this one.
3.5 stars.
By Kat Falls
Scholastic Press, 2010. 297 pgs. Teen fiction
In a future world, Ty has spent his whole life living under the sea, and he loves it there. However, problems threaten to change his way of life: a group of bandits, called Seablite, attack ships coming in from the government, and the government threatens to cut off all supply shipments if settlers don't form a posse and track them down. At the same time, Ty meets a Topsider, Gemma, who has some underwater to look for her brother, and Ty, who hasn't ever had any other teenagers to hang out with, quickly becomes involved in her search--and in trying to keep her, and others, from discovering that he has a dark secret: people have speculated that children of the sea settlers has special powers, and while Ty does indeed have a dark gift, he doesn't want anyone to know.
This underwater western-style book mixes in adventure, dystopia, and a hint of romance. The ending is resolved a little bit too quickly, with not quite enough attention and detail given to Gemma's brother or her future, and Ty and his sister both have a chance to display their special talents, but the climatic scenes where they do that are wrapped up in fewer than twenty pages, making it a little rushed for my tastes. Additionally, the romance could have been built up a little bit more; it's introduced rather abruptly, and while I believe that a 15-year-old boy has been falling for the girl all along, the story doesn't really show that. (Maybe that's a plus for male readers, but as a female reader, I'd have liked a little more to show that he's interested, rather than just a retrospective "oh, yeah, I've wanted to kiss her since I met her" thought.) All in all, though, readers looking for an adventure will like this one.
3.5 stars.
These Is My Words
These Is My Words
By Nancy E. Turner
Regan Books/HarperCollins, 1998. 384 pgs. Adult fiction
Sarah Agnes Prine keeps a diary of her life, telling of her time journeying in a wagon train with her family, losing her father, and trying to keep her family together. On her journey, she meets the infuriating army captain, Jack Elliott, and falls in love with books. She settles into a loveless marriage, has a daughter, and manages a ranch. And ultimately, she finds true love.
My summary does not even begin to do this story justice. It's been a year or so since I've read it cover to cover (although I do go flip through it sometimes, to reread favorite scenes), so I'm a little fuzzy on some of the details, but I wanted to put this on here since I need more 5 star books, and this one definitely gets 5 stars. I love this book. I've heard a couple people say this book was boring; I, on the other hand, loved it from the first page. I like historical fiction, and I'm particularly drawn to historical fiction romances that take place in the west. However, I find most of them aren't really very well written. This book, however, is dazzling. The writing and dialogue are realistic, Sarah, who is spunky, strong, and stubborn, is a fantastic protagonist, and the love story is wonderful. I loved everything about this book.* Some of my co-workers have commented that I read a lot of romances; my response was that I'm on the quest for the perfect love story...and this book comes pretty darn close to giving that to me. Definitely five stars.
Side note: it's not exactly entirely "clean"; there's some sexual content, although not really explicit (and it's in the context of marriage).
In case you noticed, this is INTENTIONALLY labeled as a love story, not a romance. I feel like a lot of romances aren't really love stories, or not a love story I can really believe in. But for me, this is a love story. (And that's not to say nothing else on the blog is a love story, but for me, this is the love story of love stories.)
*SPOILER*
(Other than the fact that Jack dies, of course. That about killed me. I did not love that part. And yet, I can't entirely hate it because it was so well written.) And I refuse to read the sequels because I can't handle not having Jack in the story.
By Nancy E. Turner
Regan Books/HarperCollins, 1998. 384 pgs. Adult fiction
Sarah Agnes Prine keeps a diary of her life, telling of her time journeying in a wagon train with her family, losing her father, and trying to keep her family together. On her journey, she meets the infuriating army captain, Jack Elliott, and falls in love with books. She settles into a loveless marriage, has a daughter, and manages a ranch. And ultimately, she finds true love.
My summary does not even begin to do this story justice. It's been a year or so since I've read it cover to cover (although I do go flip through it sometimes, to reread favorite scenes), so I'm a little fuzzy on some of the details, but I wanted to put this on here since I need more 5 star books, and this one definitely gets 5 stars. I love this book. I've heard a couple people say this book was boring; I, on the other hand, loved it from the first page. I like historical fiction, and I'm particularly drawn to historical fiction romances that take place in the west. However, I find most of them aren't really very well written. This book, however, is dazzling. The writing and dialogue are realistic, Sarah, who is spunky, strong, and stubborn, is a fantastic protagonist, and the love story is wonderful. I loved everything about this book.* Some of my co-workers have commented that I read a lot of romances; my response was that I'm on the quest for the perfect love story...and this book comes pretty darn close to giving that to me. Definitely five stars.
Side note: it's not exactly entirely "clean"; there's some sexual content, although not really explicit (and it's in the context of marriage).
In case you noticed, this is INTENTIONALLY labeled as a love story, not a romance. I feel like a lot of romances aren't really love stories, or not a love story I can really believe in. But for me, this is a love story. (And that's not to say nothing else on the blog is a love story, but for me, this is the love story of love stories.)
*SPOILER*
(Other than the fact that Jack dies, of course. That about killed me. I did not love that part. And yet, I can't entirely hate it because it was so well written.) And I refuse to read the sequels because I can't handle not having Jack in the story.
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