Books for a variety of ages...

Heartsinger by Karlign Stoffels - Perhaps something was lost in translation. This book was originally published in Dutch. It is the tale of two teenagers who have a magical gift of song. One is the singer of sorrows. The other is the singer of joy. This is also the tale of several of the people who they sing for – including a princess who does nothing but sit and look at herself in the mirror all day.

*yawn* Why did I think this sounded like a good book? I did finish it…but it was only 134 pages long.

For last month’s book group, I read Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve. The premise of the tale is an interesting one – the story of King Arthur as seen through the eyes of a child raised by Merlin (or Myrddin as he is called in the book). The story falls short, though, leaving the reading wanting more….something. Too often the text seems so flat.

I also finished the book 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass. Now, this is a story that I really enjoyed. Written for that tween group, it is the story of Amanda and Leo. Both were born on the same day. After overhearing Leo say something unkind, Amanda leaves their 10th birthday party – and doesn’t speak to Leo again. A year goes by, and the two are going to celebrate their birthdays separately for the first time in their lives. After a lackluster day, Amanda wakes up the next morning – not to the day after her 11th birthday, but to relive the unhappy birthday all over again! Can Amanda figure out why she keeps reliving the same day over and over again, or will she be cursed to relive her eleventh birthday for the rest of her life?

The story’s basic plot reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day. That’s not a bad thing…I like that movie! Well written and an overall fun book, this story is about forgiveness and friendship. It is one of my favorite books so far this year!

I’m still listening to Drums of Autumn, and am nearly halfway through! I am reading Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith (a book club pick – and an excellent story) and Wintergirls (also a book club pick – which I just started). I think I am going to return The Shadow in the North. I’m just not getting into the story at all.