The Girl Who Played With Fire

Just finished the second book in Larsson's trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire. Have to say I will probably finish trilogy although I'm not in love with the author's writing style. Too many underdeveloped characters. Probably due to his work being published posthumously and editors may not want to mess with the original too much. The Swedish names and places gave me trouble at first, but then it is easy to ignore some of the trivial information and stick to the plot. Although the third is out in hardback, I am going to switch gears and read a young adult novel by Mike Lupica, one of our tween boys' favorites.

Million-Dollar Throw is supposed to be one of Lupica's best so far. Apparently, according to the blurb, the story follows an 8th grade boy as his family tries to deal with our economy, he tries to deal with his best friend's illness (she's going blind), and the pressure to win a million-dollars if he can complete a pass during the New England Patriot's halftime show. He's nearly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed. Haven't we all felt that way before?

I'll let you know what I think...
Happy Reading!
RC

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Currently reading the newest thriller by Stieg Larsson, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. A fellow book buddy of mine had already loaned it to me and highly suggested I read it this summer when I noticed that the book had climbed to #1 and graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly. So, I've been reading it and so far, I'm not hooked. However, I have faith in my book buddies that love the book and will stick it out due to my faith in their opinions and the book's popularity.

Crime fiction...may not be for me.
Happy Reading!
RC

Storm in the Barn

A graphic novel makes the Kentucky Bluegrass Award Nominee List for the first time. In place of our usual nonfiction choice, Storm in the Barn is in fact one of the better historical nonfiction graphics. Part folktale, Matt Phelan's story depicts the Dust Bowl of the 1930s in a way no other author has attempted. What a wonderful teaching tool for US History teachers.

Matt Phelan wrote and illustrated this beautifully crafted graphic novel after much research and study over primary documents and b/w photos from the 1930s. To paraphrase Phelan, if I might, he was 'haunted' by the faces staring back at him from the photographs and knew he needed to tell their story in a new and unique way that would speak to a different audience. He definitely achieves this goal.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of Storm in the Barn, if for no other reason than to gaze upon Phelan's beautiful drawings.

*Matt Phelan illustrated the cover to The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. You'll recognize his work if you've seen this Newbery Winner before.

Happy Reading...
*And a Happy Father's Day to you fathers out there! One of the best gifts you can give your children is the gift of reading. Share a book with them today!
RC

Flawed

I'm in love. Again. He has red hair that sticks up a little in the front, loves to kiss and is fiercely loyal. The only flaw? He has 3 legs. Yes, he's a dog. His name is Sam and he's the main character in the book I started and finished yesterday. It's that good! Flawed Dogs, by Berkeley Breathed, is a sweet novel based on a picture book of closely the same name. If you've ever loved a mixed breed "mutt" or adopted a dog from the "pound", then you'll cheer for Sam and his "commandos". (Please excuse the overuse of quotation marks.)

Recognize the author's name, do you? Well, I did too. Seems that Mr. Breathed published a popular comic strip by the name of Bloom County. He's a Pulitzer Prize winner for cartooning as well. The illustrations in Flawed Dogs blow your mind. There are several full-color pages and the novel is sprinkled with black-and-white drawings as well. I think these visuals will help tweens who have trouble creating those movies in their heads that successful readers take for granted.

Here's the full title and a quote from the author's website: (www.berkeleybreathed.com)
Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster
"A heartwarming and humorous ode to the unconditional and lasting love we and our pets share."

I'm still laughing and crying.
Happy Reading!
RC

SLOB

SLOB absolutely makes my list of "Best Books Ever for Young Adults!". I really need to write that list down sometime, don't I? Anyhow, finished SLOB this morning and had that "can't believe the story has ended" feeling. You know that feeling, right? You smile as you finish the last paragraph, you turn the page hoping for an epilogue, you search the cover and flaps for anything you might have missed before you started the book, and you hold the book close to your chest thankful that you have added this wonderful story to your repertoire of unforgettable stories.

SLOB is one of those books I wish every middle school student could read, and not simply for the lessons taught throughout the story. I love the way Ellen Porter writes. She has her own unique style. When I saw that Booklist compared her to Roald Dahl and Polly Horvath, I thought "yeah, right". But it's so true! As soon as I thought I had her story figured out, she surprised me. And it was a pleasant surprise each time. Porter is an excellent author.

Ellen Porter personally replied to my email yesterday and quoted her author visit price of $1500.00 plus travel expenses. She lives in upstate New York.

If you can't get your hands on a copy of SLOB, try another of her books. She writes the Olivia Kidney Series. I'm sure they won't disappoint.

Ellen Porter for President!
*And you'll never believe what happened to Owen's Oreo cookies! ;)
Happy Reading...
RC

Out of Print Shirts

So excited about a shirt I just received from Out of Print, a company out of New York that scours library stacks and dusty bookstores to find classic book titles to print on tee shirts! Each shirt is "printed and treated to feel like your favorite book". Their mission is to share the gift of reading. Every purchase makes possible the donation of one book to a community in need through their partner, Books For Africa. www.outofprintclothing.com

I ordered the Walden by Henry David Thoreau shirt and it's so cool! I love, love, love the library card tag and the "Book Crossing" label that comes attached to the tag. Don't know about book crossings? Well, you'll have to check out that website as well! www.bookcrossing.com

Gotta gather books to set into the wild...
*Still don't know what happened to Owen's Oreos.
Happy Reading!
RC

Welcome Book Lovers

This is the first official post and my last official work day for the month of June! Now the summer begins...have a stack of books waist-high that I'm anxious to begin. Will reveal more about how and why this blog was born in later posts. I'd like my first post to start strong, so let me tell you about a great young adult book I just finished. Jane in Bloom by Deborah A. Lytton is a fantastic read for tween girls. 6th grader Jane, who desperately wants her ears pierced, must deal with more pressing matters, like the agonizing situation with her older sister, Lizzie. This novel speaks to me about the sister relationship I never had, (and which my husband and children will never know), the importance of spending quality time with EACH of my children, the anorexia/bulimia epidemic spreading fiercely through our youth, and the need to slow down and smell the roses. Literally. As I began this book, I was forced to slow down my reading (which is a good thing, I tend to read too fast) by the author's choppy style. I love how this reflects Jane's thinking. Such a strong, subtle technique. Tween girls will identify with Jane from the first sentence and will come to love her through to the end. There's a romance blooming as well!

Currently, I'm reading Slob by Ellen Porter. Hilarious! Good boy book! I'm trying to solve the mystery of Owen's missing Oreo cookies. Have you seen them?

Back to work...
Happy Reading!
RC