Braced (review)

Braced
Author: Alyson Gerber
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (March 28, 2017)

Rachel is excited about the start of 7th grade with its promise of soccer and friends and (just maybe) boys. But when the surgeon monitoring her scoliosis says the curvature in her spine is getting worse and that she must wear a back brace 23 HOURS A DAY, all her dreams seem doomed.

What follows is a year of difficulty and discovery, as Rachel learns to cope with the bulky clothes she has to wear, the difficulty in playing her beloved soccer, and the impact her brace has on her friends, teammates and her ever-so-cute crush, Tate.

What makes the story heartwarming is how Rachel starts to see the trials her friends and family are also going through, from her pregnant mom who used to wear a brace herself, to her friends coping with loss and love and confusion. There are times when this can be a little too convenient as far as lessons go, but what really works is how well the author captures the age and mindset of Rachel, and shows how she matures and gains perspective through her adversity.

Four out of stars

Amazon

Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland (review)

Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland HC
Author: Eric Shanower
Illustrator: Gabriel Rodriguez
Publisher: IDW Publishing (To be released May 26, 2015)

Based on the comic strip by Winsor McKay from the early 20th century, Eric Shanower has crafted an entirely new set of adventures for Slumberland. The illustrations are marvelous and intricate in the style of the illustrations of that era (best know from the Oz books, and are a joy to flip through.

In this series of adventures, King Morpheus' daughter, simply known as the Princess, is looking for a new playmate to replace a long line that have not worked out well. When she sees that one of the candidates is named James Nemo Summerton, she chooses him because of a previous favorite playmate was named Nemo.

Unfortunately, Nemo doesn't want to be known as Nemo, he prefers Jimmy. He doesn't like to play with girls, and especially not the Princess. The adventures range from various of the King's court trying to get Nemo to Slumberland (I especially liked these) to their attempts to get him to stay and play with the Princess.

The story feels a little dated, as I am sure is intended, and I imagine that will intrigue some and irritate others, but I would recommend it for anyone who likes comics and somewhat old fashioned stories.

Four out of five stars.

The War that Saved My Life (review)

The War that Saved My Life
Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Publisher: Dial Books (January 8, 2015)

Ten year old Ada has never left her apartment in pre-WWII London, because her Mam is ashamed of Ada's clubfoot. She doesn't even know how to walk, but then her brother, Jamie, brings home news that children are to be evacuated to families living in the countryside as the war threatens bombings. Ada doesn't want to be left behind with her abusive mother and starts a secret campaign to teach herself to walk. When they are notified that Jamie is to be evacuated, Ada's mother says she can't go, but Ada sneaks out and limps to the station to make her escape.

When they arrive, nobody really wants them, but the woman in charge finally convinces a spinster, Miss Susan Smith, to take them in for a while. Over the course of the book, Ada struggles with whether she can trust Miss Smith even as she learns to love her. She knows that at any moment, her Mam may take them back.

Brilliantly written and emotionally engaging, this well crafted book has a powerful message about what we deserve and what we get. It is also a wrenching story, especially with the abuse early on and the well described symptoms that we would call PTSD today. My only concern is that it may be too raw or powerful for some children. I might hesitate to offer it to a class of 4th or 5th graders, no matter what the reading level is. At the very least, a parent or teacher should probably read it first to know what is coming. With that caveat, I would strongly recommend this to boys and girls in 5th or 6th grade.

Five stars out of five.

The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens (review)

The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens

The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens
Author: Henry Clark
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (To be released April 14, 2015)

Ambrose Brody and his best friend, Tom Xui, meet a girl at the carnival and she takes them on a trip back in time to 1852. For three children of color (black, Chinese and Gypsy), it is a dangerous time to land, and they race to escape bounty hunters and other bad guys. Things gt even worse when they return to their own time to find it significantly altered... for the worse. As they race back and forth in time trying to fix what they have broken, they are aided by a copy of the I-Ching, a 3000 year old book of Chinese wisdom that mysteriously uses Morse code to give them clues about what to do.

I felt pretty mixed up about this book. The I-Ching/Morse code part was brilliant and will intrigue young readers a lot, the history was interesting and the action exciting. I had three problems with the book, but I don't know if middle grade readers will overlook them or not. The first is that the time travel issues seemed awfully reminiscent of the Back to the Future plot lines and other time travel tropes. That likely won't bother young readers who may not have read many time travel stories. The second is that the "bad guys" are drawn with such a broad brush that they feel like caricatures. I would guess that this will bother some readers, whether they are able to identify what is wrong or not.

The third problem is the most serious and troubling to me. While I admire the author for trying to include diverse (or one might say, normal and reflective of real life) characters, the result is quite stilted. I never got any sense of Ambrose at all and would not have known he was black if it were not revealed to us. Yes, revealed like an "aha!" moment. The depictions of his friend, Tim, as a Chinese boy and Shofranka ("Frankie") as a Gypsy girl only enforced stereotypes. I especially cringed at the following exchange which starts with Frankie speaking:

The Detective's Assistant (MMGM review)

The Detective's Assistant
Author: Kate Hannigan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 7, 2015)
Review copy courtesy of the publisher

I am thrilled to offer a great new historical novel with a terrific girl heroine for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.  From intrigue to history to ciphers, this book should interest many middle graders of either gender.

When eleven year old Nell Warne is dropped off at her Aunt Kitty's door not long before the Civil War, she is not wanted and not welcome. Kate thinks she has no use for the girl, but Nell's indomitable spirit, clever mind and dare devil attitude soon prove to her aunt that there is more to the girl than meets the eye, as Nell helps with some of the dangerous and tricky cases her aunt has to solve. Because Kate Warne is a detective with Pinkertons, and they are called to solve jewel heists and murders, and even to protect Abraham Lincoln as he makes his way through a sharply divided land to his inauguration.

In a very clever juxtaposition underlying the story of Nell and Kate is the story we learn through letters between Nell and Jemma, a friend whose family has fled to Canada. Though they have always been free blacks, the roving bounty hunters have little respect for the law. Nell and Jemma practice ciphers and code words to prevent anyone who intercepts the letters from finding out details about  Jemma's family and the people who help slaves escape to the North. We gradually learn how the underground railroad and the abolitionist movement are intricately involved with Nell's story, and in the end seal the increasing affection between Nell and her Aunt Kate while helping her faraway friend.

In short, the book is delightful. Nell is a terrific combination of smart and careless, take-charge and nervous. She has trouble with her spelling, embarrasses her Aunt and herself, and doesn't always (often) do as she is told. I think girls of today will love her spunk and courage while laughing at how she makes the same mistakes (and decisions) they do.

Five stars out of five!

To find other posts for MMGM, visit Shannon Messenger's blog where she toils to keep up with them.

The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other)
Author: Geoff Rodkey
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (To be published April 7, 2015)
Digital review copy courtesy of publisher via NetGalley

It is Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, so I thought I'd highlight a book coming out soon. It is available for pre-order, so follow the link above if you would like a copy.

Claudia and Reese are twins, but they are nothing alike. They have almost no goals in common, until they start a war (with each other) or pranks and practical jokes that gets increasingly out of hand and involves many of their classmates as well. The problem with a war is often how to end it, and neither one is quite sure how.

Written in an entertaining and often very funny combination of oral interviews (transcribed), texts between the parents (which are hysterical), screenshots and photos (Some quite silly), this book will entertain anyone in grades 3 to 7 who has to endure the trials and pitfalls of school, friends and family. I definitely recommend it.


Four stars out of five.

Arilla Sun Down (review)

Arilla Sun Down
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Publisher: Open Road Media Teen & Tween (November 11, 2014)
Digital review copy courtesy of publisher via NetGalley

Twelve year old Arilla is part Native American and part African American, struggling to find her place in the world and pulled in various directions by her older brother, her parents and her friends. An early theme is how she has to sneak out to be herself, whether to sled or skate or simply to find time to herself. Eventually though, a crisis allows her to find herself in the open, and earns her the name Arilla Sun Down, and the sense of identity she had longed for.

This is a challenging book to read. The language and idiom present the first challenge, but will be more accessible to some than others. In addition, the book is told non-chronologically, which can be challenging as well. Ultimately, if a young reader finds a connection with Arilla, this can be a very satisfying book, but for others it might be frustrating.

Three stars out of five.

Beat the Turtle Drum (review)

Beat the Turtle Drum
Author: Constance C. Greene
Publisher: Open Road Media Teen & Tween (January 27, 2015)
Digital review copy courtesy of publisher via NetGalley


Thirteen year old Kate wants to be a writer, and the author gives her a tremendous voice. I found myself reminded of Anne (of Green Gables) as she describes her family, and especially her almost eleven year old sister, Joss, who is horse obsessed and plans to rent a horse for her eleventh birthday. We are easily swept up in the joys and trials of their family and various friends and neighbors. I especially love how rich and real the side characters feel.

When tragedy strikes, it is almost unimaginable how close it strikes to home. I kept blinking back tears, and wanted to scream at the author that she couldn't hurt these precious, wonderful characters. In fact, if there is any flaw to the book, it is that we are so completely caught up in the normalcy and joy in their lives that the tragedy feels jarring, and happens late enough in the story that we don't have time to recover. But that is the beauty of the book as well, because we can truly feel what the characters are feeling as their lives are interrupted, and we struggle to recover from it just as they must.

Five out of five stars.

Originally published in the late 1970s, Beat the Turtle Drum has endured with its searing story, and has as much punch as it did back then. This digital reissue will attract a whole new generation of fans for Constance C. Greene. Note that the poem in the beginning of the book is easy to miss, but only by reading it will the title make any sense.

Fairy Tales for Young Readers (review)

Fairy Tales for Young Readers
Author: E. Nesbit
Publisher: Dover Publications (Jan. 14, 2015)
Review copy courtesy of NetGalley

When I was young, I remember reading and listening to a few of the wonderful children's books by English author, E. Nesbit, so I was intrigued to see that a book was being republished of her classic fairy tales interpretations. I expected to enjoy them, but I had forgotten what an influence she had been on writers such as P. L. Travers (Marry Poppins), C.S. Lewis (Narnia books) and J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter books), all of whom echo at times her wry, clever humor. I recommend that parents read these aloud to their children, as there is as much for adults to enjoy as for the children, and both will delight and laugh in the imagery and wit.

As I read through the stories, I kept stopping and reading passages to my wife, so I thought I'd share a couple that I shared with her.

From the middle of Cinderella:

For in those days shoes were not sold ready-made in shops, but were made specially to fit the people who were to wear them. And besides, the glass slipper was magic, and so had too much sense to have fitted any one but its owner, even if the country had been full of shops selling Rats' Ready-made Really Reliable Boots.

From the beginning of Jack the Giant-Killer:

In the long-ago days of King Arthur, who invented round tables, there was a sort of plague of giants in the West Country-just as nowadays there are plagues of wasps, and mosquitos, and millionaires, and the giants threatened to spread, like other plagues, till they had eaten up all the nice, proper-sized people in England.

While a few words may seem unfamiliar or antiquated, by and large the stories are timeless and charming. I strongly recommend these to both adults and children. They will remind you that children's literature can be so much richer than Captain Underpants without being boring or irrelevant to modern children.

Five out of five stars!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - Un Lun Dun

Un Lun Dun published in U.S. by Del Rey in Jan 2008
Author: China Miéville
Purchased personally

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday again, and I'm proud to be part of this great tradition started by Shannon Whitney Messenger promoting middle grade books.

I was browsing through Mac's Backs, a wonderful independent bookstore near us, and I happened upon Un Lun Dun without ever having heard of it before. As I very much enjoyed The City and The City, I bought the book to see if China Miéville could do as good a job with middle grade as he had with adult science fiction.

Like some wonderful mix between The Phantom Tollbooth, No Passengers Beyond This Point and Neverwhere, this book takes kids on a wonderful, somewhat scary but ultimately fantastic voyage through an abcity beneath London populated by fantastical creatures who have seeped down from London.

Filled with wordplay and incredibly imaginative characters, this should be appealing to 5th to 7th graders, as well as many older teens and adults who are willing to give it a try. While the main characters are girls, this is a book that will appeal equally to boys and girls. I would strongly recommend it.

Five stars!

Purchase a copy on Amazon.com
...or on Amazon.co.uk

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was started by Shannon Whitney Messenger. She, and others frequent MMGM posters are:

Shannon Whitney Messenger at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe
Joanne Fritz at My Brain on Books
Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Brooke Favero at somewhere in the middle
Myrna Foster at Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now
Kimberley Griffiths Little at Kimberley’s Wanderings
Barbara Watson at Novel and Nouveau

If you watch those blogs today, as well as Shannon's blog, you are likely to find other great middle grade book recommendations.

Digital Debuts: Enchantment by Charlotte Abel

Enchantment
Author: Charlotte Abel
Purchased from Amazon.com

Enchantment is an absolutely delightful and original book. It could be described as paranormal romance, but it is a far cry from the girl-meets-werewolf/vampire stories that abound. It combines magic, treachery, humor and thrills, as well as a rampant simmering sexuality that might seem out of place if you had not dealt with a teenage girl recently.

Channie Belks lives a hardscrabble life with her parents and siblings, crammed together in a small shack in the Ozark Mountains, but everything is about to get a lot worse. Her father's gambling leads to a nasty run-in with a powerful mage family, and the family has no choice but to leave in a hurry. Unsafe among any of the magic folks, they hide in a town of Magically Disabled people (like you and me). Channie, who has never been to a regular school, is suddenly faced with a very unfriendly student body, and prevented from using the one power she has that might have allowed her to make friends.

On the other hand, she meets Josh, a hot BMX racer with a killer smile, so perhaps you could call it even. Except for the curse.

That is what Enchantment is like, though I could never do it justice. Every corner hides a pitfall, but Channie faces them all. Not happily, or even nicely, but she faces them. We get carried along for the ride, and it is a wild one. I absolutely love the wonderful Ozark language and mentality, funny and different while never getting in the way. The book is flat out fun to read.

Younger readers, or squeamish parents, may have a little trouble with the obsession with sex. It is barely ever acted on or visible, and most girls over the age of 13 will have read stronger stuff, but I thought I should point that out. As for the magic, the folklore and the snappy plot, I can see those appealing to all ages.

Highly recommended. Five Stars!

Pick up a copy of Enchantment on Amazon.com or on BarnesAndNoble.com

Digital Debuts: Wren Emerson's I Wish...

I Wish... (The Witches of Desire) published by Lakehouse Press May 2011
Author: Wren Emerson

This is my second review in a series called Digital Debuts in which I review debut books for young adults (or younger) by authors who have chosen to publish in eBook format only, at least to start. Usually, these will be self-published, or as good as self-published, and thus usually under $5. They are also great books that will entertain and provoke, but not disappoint.

Product description:

Thistle Nettlebottom knows her life isn't exactly normal. She travels the country with her secretive mother and bestselling author grandmother in a pink RV going from book signings to crazy research trips. She's never been to public school or had a boyfriend, but she can pick a lock and hotwire a car. One day the phone rings and they set a course to a tiny town that's not on any maps. Suddenly, Thistle finds her whole life changing.

From this rather odd beginning, we launch quickly into an almost dystopian world where Thistle, whose real name turns out to be something else, must cope with the Witches of Desire. That is to say, witches in the town of Desire, and a more competitive, nasty lot you will have trouble finding anywhere.

Desire is a matriarchal society, and Thistle faces a constant struggle to stay safe, and even alive, due to powers she never knew she had. If only her powers would let her know who was truly a friend and who was not. Or let her know whether to pursue the enticing-but-verboten Ben or the handsome-but-too-compliant Evan.

In her debut novel, Wren Emerson weaves an exciting and different world, and you will quickly find yourself lost in the intrigue and danger. Meant for older teens and young adults, this is only the first in a planned series, and I am sure that readers will be lining up to buy the sequel when it comes out.

In fact, my biggest objection to the novel was the somewhat abrupt ending, a common objection with YA books in series these days. If this were a traditionally published print book and we had to wait six months to a year for the sequel, I would hold that against the author, but since this is published as an ebook, I may let it slide... if she will hurry up and get the sequel out.

I Wish... is $2.99, and well worth the price. Give it a try, and let me know what you think. I believe this is a series, and an author, you will want to follow.

Four stars out of five.

Buy 'I Wish...' on Amazon.com
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
Buy on Amazon.de

Review: Wish by Alexandra Bullen

Wish, published by Point/Scholastic in Jan. 2010
Author: Alexandra Bullen

I happened on this book almost accidentally, as Amazon had it available for free for Kindle as some sort of a promotion. I downloaded it, and promptly forgot it. I found it again while looking through my Kindle for something to read on my way home from Germany.

Olivia and Violet were twins, but very different. Where Olivia was quiet and studious, Violet was rebellious and exciting. This book starts a few months after Violet dies, with Olivia and her parents struggling to cope with her loss.

After they move across country to San Francisco, Olivia has even more trouble coping with her new school. Shy and withdrawn without her sister, she has trouble connecting with the teens in her new school, especially the ultra-cool ones. Her parents are no help. Her mother has thrown herself into her high-powered work, and her father putters about the house doing endless projects, but neither seems able to focus on Olivia.

A chance visit to a small and highly unusual shop leaves Olivia with an opportunity she cannot pass up. She has the chance to make three wishes come true, and there is no doubt in her mind what her first wish will be.

Unfortunately, there are three wishes, and the latter two are much harder. Therein lies the story, and it is a clever use of the classic three-wishes scenario. Should she wish for the handsome and cool Soren to notice her? Should she wish for something for someone else? Olivia learns a lot about herself and life as she tries to make those decisions without causing disaster.

I found the book charming and compelling, and there might have even been a tear in my eye at the end (but I'm an old softie). It isn't perfect. Some situations are resolved too easily, and I wish the author had developed the side characters more, but I would still strongly recommend this book to teens who like romance. (Parental note: there is some teenage drinking, although it is not celebrated, just realistic.)

Four stars out of five.

Find out more about 'Wish' on Amazon.com
Find out more about 'Wish' on Amazon.co.uk

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss, published by Dutton/Penguin in Dec. 2010
Author: Stephanie Perkins

I'm not sure where I first heard of Anna and the French Kiss, but everything I have heard has been positive. Actually, positively glowing would be more like it. While I don't review many YA books for My Comfy Chair, my curiosity was piqued, so I picked up a copy.

At its base structural level, this is pretty standard YA romance fare with heartthrobs and heartbreak and misunderstandings. What raises this book so far above its genre is the sheer appeal of its characters, and the believability of their reactions to the people and situations they face.

Anna Oliphant is looking forward to her senior year of high school in Atlanta, but her newly famous father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris. Rough life, but Anna isn't happy to leave behind her best friend and familiar life. What follows is a blend of humor and melodrama as Anna falls for the gorgeous Étienne St. Clair with his to-die-for English accent and his very steady girlfriend. He even seems to like her back, but throughout the tumultuous, emotional year, they can't seem to get on the same page.

As I said, standard fare, except that Stephanie Perkins has imbued these characters with all of the anguish, but little of the angst, of real teenagers coming of age and sorting through their feelings for parents, friends and love interests. Instead of rolling your eyes as the latest complication keeps Anna and Étienne apart, you find yourself cheering them on.

There is enough sexual tension that very young teens might be uncomfortable, but not enough that parents need worry. After all, what Anna longs for is indicated in the title. You'll have to read the book to see if she gets it.

I heartily recommend this for teenage girls who will love both the exotic Étienne and the city of Paris which provides a backdrop to the story, although not from a tourist point of view, but a teenager in a strange land point of view. I even think teenage boys might be interested, if only to get a glimpse of what the girls around them are really like. Of course, I couldn't blame any parents who picked this up and couldn't put it down again either. I was supposed to save it for a trip, and couldn't stop reading it.

Five Stars!

Buy this book on Amazon.com
Buy this book on Amazon.co.uk

Review: Crush du Jour by Micol Ostow

Crush du Jour, published by Simon Pulse in October 2007
Author: Micol Ostow

Paranormal romance may be at a peak of popularity right now, but it is a relief to know that there are still good contemporary romance novels out there. Micol Ostow has captured a fun and flirty style with Crush du Jour, where the teen angst is played with a light hand, and the mix of romance and restaurants makes for a quick but delicious read.

Laine is an over-achiever, both in school and with a succession of flirtations that never develop into the real thing.  In the summer before her senior year, she swears she will forego guys and concentrate on more important things, but her plans go quickly awry when she gets a job teaching cooking to a bunch of campers, and is teamed with the dreamy Seth.  Her pledge to stay away from boys is sorely tested, but even more so when Seth offers her a job in his family restaurant, Hype.

Laine may excel in other areas, but she is a disaster as a waitress, and her slips and falls are all noted with glee by Callie, a gorgeous honey-haired waitress who has her own plans for the scrumptious Seth. It doesn't seem that things could get any worse, until Laine's mother, a noted food critic, writes a terrible review of Hype.

Laine's troubles and turmoils are all blended together with her love of food, and spiced up by the yummy guys who seem attracted to her despite her awkwardness.  Her mixups and moods make this an entertaining, light read with plenty of laughs and heartache to spread around.

I would recommend this heartily for 11-15 year old girls, but also for anyone who likes a fun, light romance.

Five Stars!

Buy "Crush du Jour" from Amazon