Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
Living in Louisiana during the 1940s, Ida Mae knows how difficult life can be for African Americans, even if they are light skin as she is. All she wants to do is fly, but her gender and her race both are against her. Then, WWII hits home when her older brother enlists. Itching to do her part for her country, and to be in the skies once again, Ida Mae takes a chance to pass and becomes part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Here she forges deep friendships and masters her life’s passion. She also struggles with who she is pretending to be and who she really is.
What a wonderfully written tale! The author does note that, to her knowledge and research, there were not any African American women in the WASP (passing as white or otherwise); however, the story she tells of the WASP struggle to be officially recognized as part of the US Armed Forces, and the amazing duties they performed is completely true. Ida Mae’s internal struggle has a ring of truth about it, just as the deep friendships she forms while a WASP.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Life Lessons
One of the books that I am currently reading, Leo and the Lesser Lion by Sandra Forrester has a very sad plot element. I’m not giving anything away that you wouldn’t know just from reading the back of the book or the inside cover. The main character’s brother dies. She does too, but she is revived.
Knowing that this was going to happen, I couldn’t help the anxious feeling I had reading the first part of the novel. How could I? As that part was getting nearer, I almost put the book down. I didn’t want to read of the hurt and grief that Bayliss (the main character) and her family would experience. I trudged on, though, and am now past the initial shock of Leo’s death. Bayliss is healing, physically and even starting to heal emotionally. Even though at first I was apprehensive to continue reading this novel, now I can’t wait to read what she does next.
In other news, I finished Flygirl by Sherri Smith. The review will be posted later. First I need to write it!
Knowing that this was going to happen, I couldn’t help the anxious feeling I had reading the first part of the novel. How could I? As that part was getting nearer, I almost put the book down. I didn’t want to read of the hurt and grief that Bayliss (the main character) and her family would experience. I trudged on, though, and am now past the initial shock of Leo’s death. Bayliss is healing, physically and even starting to heal emotionally. Even though at first I was apprehensive to continue reading this novel, now I can’t wait to read what she does next.
In other news, I finished Flygirl by Sherri Smith. The review will be posted later. First I need to write it!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
So many books...
As anyone reading this blog can tell, I read a lot. From time to time I wonder if I should challenge myself to read more or different books. Perhaps I should read at least one award winning novel every month, or more non-fiction written for youth. I like to think that my reading choices are a lot like my music collection – varied and eclectic, but are they really?
There are the times that someone mentions a book that is considered a classic or an author who is noted as one of the best in children’s literature and I realize that I have no clue what or who that person is talking about. What does that say about me and my career of choice?
I’ve always been a voracious reader. As a child I devoured books by Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. I gobbled up Baby Sitter’s Club and Sweet Valley Twins books like they were going out of style. The Secret Garden? Check. Anne of Green Gables series? Check (thanks to a paperback set as a birthday gift from my Aunt M.). A Wrinkle in Time? Check. I delved into books about mythology and parapsychology (how many middle school kids know that word?), and read as much as I could of fables and fairy tales. But what have I missed? Am I lacking because I’ve missed those Great Works of Literature?
It stands to reason that there are more books for youth being published today than there ever has been. That’s logical considering the technological ease of publishing compared to just a few decades ago. Is this an excuse to skip over those classic youth novels?
So, I sit here contemplating my ever growing list of books to read, and wonder if there are some missing. As the saying goes, “So many books…so little time.”
There are the times that someone mentions a book that is considered a classic or an author who is noted as one of the best in children’s literature and I realize that I have no clue what or who that person is talking about. What does that say about me and my career of choice?
I’ve always been a voracious reader. As a child I devoured books by Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. I gobbled up Baby Sitter’s Club and Sweet Valley Twins books like they were going out of style. The Secret Garden? Check. Anne of Green Gables series? Check (thanks to a paperback set as a birthday gift from my Aunt M.). A Wrinkle in Time? Check. I delved into books about mythology and parapsychology (how many middle school kids know that word?), and read as much as I could of fables and fairy tales. But what have I missed? Am I lacking because I’ve missed those Great Works of Literature?
It stands to reason that there are more books for youth being published today than there ever has been. That’s logical considering the technological ease of publishing compared to just a few decades ago. Is this an excuse to skip over those classic youth novels?
So, I sit here contemplating my ever growing list of books to read, and wonder if there are some missing. As the saying goes, “So many books…so little time.”
A couple of honorable books
Flash burnout: a novel by L.K. Madigan
Fifteen-year-old Blake lives a pretty good life. He has a
beautiful girlfriend, two loving parents and a passion for comedy and photography. When his friend Marissa (She’s just a friend!), recognizes her mother in a photo Blake took, Blake’s life starts getting more complicated than he ever would have imagined.
Marissa’s mother is a meth addict living on the streets.
Blake is torn between his loyalty to and worry for his friend and his openness with and love for his girlfriend. High school isn’t supposed to be this serious.
The story is told in Blake’s words and views, giving the reader an inside look at his confusion, indecision and, sometimes, typical teenage boy cluelessness. The relationship between him and his brother is drawn wonderfully. They argue like typical siblings, but when Blake really needs him, Garret is there.
There is an appropriate mix of humor and gravity. Often Blake’s inner dialogue will make the reader laugh. There are times, though, that Marissa’s situation, and Blake’s place in it, darken the tone.
This book won the 2010 William C. Morris Debut YA Author Award
Claudette Colvin: twice toward justice by Phillip Hoose
Growing up in Alabama, Claudette Colvin lived in a world ruled by segregation and racism. As a teenager, her anger and frustration grew as adults continued to act as if this normalcy of Southern life was alrigh
t. In Montgomery, Alabama, on March 2, 1955, Claudette stood her ground by sitting – and staying – in a bus seat, refusing to give it up just because of her skin color. The teenager was consequently dragged from the bus and taken to jail.
This event took place more than a year before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat; however, due to her age and her place in society, Colvin was deemed unfit to be the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
This book chronicles Colvin’s life leading up to and during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, using both the author’s research and Colvin’s recollections of the events. While most of the time she stood quietly on the sidelines, her participation in the Civil Rights Movement was instrumental in making changes to the “normal” way of life.
It is no wonder that this book recently won so many honors and awards. The use of Colvin’s own words intensifies the importance of her actions. Here is a woman who, as a teenager, stood up for what was right, proving that regardless of age, anyone can make a difference.
This is one of the best pieces of teen non-fiction that I have read, and a book that I highly recommend to everyone.
A very short list of awards and honors:
Fifteen-year-old Blake lives a pretty good life. He has a
beautiful girlfriend, two loving parents and a passion for comedy and photography. When his friend Marissa (She’s just a friend!), recognizes her mother in a photo Blake took, Blake’s life starts getting more complicated than he ever would have imagined.Marissa’s mother is a meth addict living on the streets.
Blake is torn between his loyalty to and worry for his friend and his openness with and love for his girlfriend. High school isn’t supposed to be this serious.
The story is told in Blake’s words and views, giving the reader an inside look at his confusion, indecision and, sometimes, typical teenage boy cluelessness. The relationship between him and his brother is drawn wonderfully. They argue like typical siblings, but when Blake really needs him, Garret is there.
There is an appropriate mix of humor and gravity. Often Blake’s inner dialogue will make the reader laugh. There are times, though, that Marissa’s situation, and Blake’s place in it, darken the tone.
This book won the 2010 William C. Morris Debut YA Author Award
Claudette Colvin: twice toward justice by Phillip Hoose
Growing up in Alabama, Claudette Colvin lived in a world ruled by segregation and racism. As a teenager, her anger and frustration grew as adults continued to act as if this normalcy of Southern life was alrigh
t. In Montgomery, Alabama, on March 2, 1955, Claudette stood her ground by sitting – and staying – in a bus seat, refusing to give it up just because of her skin color. The teenager was consequently dragged from the bus and taken to jail. This event took place more than a year before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat; however, due to her age and her place in society, Colvin was deemed unfit to be the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
This book chronicles Colvin’s life leading up to and during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, using both the author’s research and Colvin’s recollections of the events. While most of the time she stood quietly on the sidelines, her participation in the Civil Rights Movement was instrumental in making changes to the “normal” way of life.
It is no wonder that this book recently won so many honors and awards. The use of Colvin’s own words intensifies the importance of her actions. Here is a woman who, as a teenager, stood up for what was right, proving that regardless of age, anyone can make a difference.
This is one of the best pieces of teen non-fiction that I have read, and a book that I highly recommend to everyone.
A very short list of awards and honors:
- YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist
- National Book Awards - Winner
- Newbery Honor Book
- Robert F. Sibert Award - Honor
crown secrets
Crown of earth by Hilari Bell
This is the third, and final, installment of the Shield, Sword and Crown trilogy.
When Weasel is mistakenly kidnapped in place of the prince, Prince Edoran takes it upon himself to rescue his friend. As his orders weren’t followed, he embarks on this trip alone. Along the way he meets up with the kidnapper’s daughter, Arisa (who has also left to save Weasel), his ex-fencing tutor (who was banned from the country) and the leader of the Hidden (who saves him in several ways). He also experiences – for the first time in his life – what it is like to not be known as a prince. But…can he manage to save his friend and his country?
While I did enjoy this tale, and the somewhat surprising way it ended, it was not nearly as engaging as the previous two stories. Edoran’s character does grow and change from the nearly spineless prince he once was. This is a plus. It is definitely a story that you need to read the previous installments to understand what’s going on. I’m glad I read it, since it brings closure to the tale, but I was less than impressed with it.
Tropical secrets: Holocaust refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle.
While I was in Boston, I first heard about the topic of this book. They were discussing it at one of the meetings I attended. It immediately went on my list of books to place on hold.
Set during WWII, this is the story of three individuals – and of hundreds, if not thousands of peoples. Daniel has been shipped away from Nazi Germany by his Jewish parents, in hopes of his survival. Many years before, David, also Jewish, left the Ukraine and ended up in Cuba. Paloma’s father is the one who decides if the passengers on ships like Daniel’s will be allowed to stay in Cuba, or if they will be sent back to the awaiting horrors in Europe.
Their stories are told in verse, bringing alive the voices of all three and the stories of the people who tried to escape the Hitler’s genocide and find freedom and the inhabitants of a small tropical nation who tried to help them.
This was a story from history that I had not known. It is now one that I wish to learn more about. Engle’s beautiful writing has sparked my interest. How many ships full of Jewish refugees were turned away from the United States, Canada and then, their last hope, Cuba? How many people were sent to their deaths because someone was greedy and thought their lives were worth mere money?
This is the third, and final, installment of the Shield, Sword and Crown trilogy.
When Weasel is mistakenly kidnapped in place of the prince, Prince Edoran takes it upon himself to rescue his friend. As his orders weren’t followed, he embarks on this trip alone. Along the way he meets up with the kidnapper’s daughter, Arisa (who has also left to save Weasel), his ex-fencing tutor (who was banned from the country) and the leader of the Hidden (who saves him in several ways). He also experiences – for the first time in his life – what it is like to not be known as a prince. But…can he manage to save his friend and his country?While I did enjoy this tale, and the somewhat surprising way it ended, it was not nearly as engaging as the previous two stories. Edoran’s character does grow and change from the nearly spineless prince he once was. This is a plus. It is definitely a story that you need to read the previous installments to understand what’s going on. I’m glad I read it, since it brings closure to the tale, but I was less than impressed with it.
Tropical secrets: Holocaust refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle.
While I was in Boston, I first heard about the topic of this book. They were discussing it at one of the meetings I attended. It immediately went on my list of books to place on hold.
Set during WWII, this is the story of three individuals – and of hundreds, if not thousands of peoples. Daniel has been shipped away from Nazi Germany by his Jewish parents, in hopes of his survival. Many years before, David, also Jewish, left the Ukraine and ended up in Cuba. Paloma’s father is the one who decides if the passengers on ships like Daniel’s will be allowed to stay in Cuba, or if they will be sent back to the awaiting horrors in Europe.
Their stories are told in verse, bringing alive the voices of all three and the stories of the people who tried to escape the Hitler’s genocide and find freedom and the inhabitants of a small tropical nation who tried to help them.
This was a story from history that I had not known. It is now one that I wish to learn more about. Engle’s beautiful writing has sparked my interest. How many ships full of Jewish refugees were turned away from the United States, Canada and then, their last hope, Cuba? How many people were sent to their deaths because someone was greedy and thought their lives were worth mere money?
magic?
Magic under glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
I read this as an ARC, but it has since been published.
It’s the story about Nimira, a young girl from a different country. She performs as a singing and dancing "trouser girl" in a somewhat seedy part of the big city. Her beautiful singing voice gets her recognized by an aristocrat who wishes to hire her to sing with an automaton that he possesses. She discovers that all is not as it seems, especially concerning the automaton.
The story is full of mystery and magic and love. Nimira must decide whether to follow her heart, causing turmoil that will upset the world she has adopted.
I felt rather lukewarm about this novel. The characters were flat and predictable, as was most of the story. There was several loose ends left open, especially at the end. I am left wondering if the author hoped to write a sequel, or if she just thought it was a good way to end the tale.
This book has had some controversy about the cover (and rightfully so). On the ARC, Nimira is portrayed as a light skinned young woman, yet in the story itself, she is described as being exotic, with darker skin and hair than the people from her adopted country.
ARC cover
Published covers
I read this as an ARC, but it has since been published.
It’s the story about Nimira, a young girl from a different country. She performs as a singing and dancing "trouser girl" in a somewhat seedy part of the big city. Her beautiful singing voice gets her recognized by an aristocrat who wishes to hire her to sing with an automaton that he possesses. She discovers that all is not as it seems, especially concerning the automaton.
The story is full of mystery and magic and love. Nimira must decide whether to follow her heart, causing turmoil that will upset the world she has adopted.
I felt rather lukewarm about this novel. The characters were flat and predictable, as was most of the story. There was several loose ends left open, especially at the end. I am left wondering if the author hoped to write a sequel, or if she just thought it was a good way to end the tale.
This book has had some controversy about the cover (and rightfully so). On the ARC, Nimira is portrayed as a light skinned young woman, yet in the story itself, she is described as being exotic, with darker skin and hair than the people from her adopted country.
ARC cover
Published covers
Books , books everywhere
I have piles of books everywhere. Many of the books are ones to be read. It seems like these piles keeps growing, even though I’ve started placing holds on books so that they won’t arrive for at least a month.
My current pile includes:
(Juvenile)
The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge
Alchemy and Meggie Swan by Karen Cushman (ARC)
(Teen)
Shiver by Maggie Steifvater
Almost astronauts: 13 women who dared to dream by Tanya Lee Stone
I know there are more. Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
Items on hold:
(Juvenile)
A taste for red by Lewis Harris
Invisible lines by Mary Amato
One crazy summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.
Big Wolf & Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme; [illustrated by] Olivier Tallec; [translated by Claudia Bedrick]
(Teen)
Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan
Splendor: a Luxe novel by Anna Godbersen
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld; illustrated by Keith Thompson.
The monstrumologist: William James Henry by edited by Rick Yancey
Newes from the dead: being a true story of Anne Green, hanged for infanticide at Oxford Assizes in 1650, restored to the world and died again 1665 by Mary Hooper
Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes
All unquiet things by Anna Jarzab.
Kit's wilderness by David Almond.
I think it’s time to step up the reading!
Just because all of these are books that I have slated to read, it doesn’t mean I will actually read all of them. Some I might put in the dud pile. That’s what I did with Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech. I just couldn’t get past the weird speech of the angel. I found it distracting. So…back to the library it went.
Another pile? Books I’ve finished recently and need to write about. But that is for another post.
My current pile includes:
(Juvenile)
The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge
Alchemy and Meggie Swan by Karen Cushman (ARC)
(Teen)
Shiver by Maggie Steifvater
Almost astronauts: 13 women who dared to dream by Tanya Lee Stone
I know there are more. Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
Items on hold:
(Juvenile)
A taste for red by Lewis Harris
Invisible lines by Mary Amato
One crazy summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.
Big Wolf & Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme; [illustrated by] Olivier Tallec; [translated by Claudia Bedrick]
(Teen)
Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan
Splendor: a Luxe novel by Anna Godbersen
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld; illustrated by Keith Thompson.
The monstrumologist: William James Henry by edited by Rick Yancey
Newes from the dead: being a true story of Anne Green, hanged for infanticide at Oxford Assizes in 1650, restored to the world and died again 1665 by Mary Hooper
Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes
All unquiet things by Anna Jarzab.
Kit's wilderness by David Almond.
I think it’s time to step up the reading!
Just because all of these are books that I have slated to read, it doesn’t mean I will actually read all of them. Some I might put in the dud pile. That’s what I did with Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech. I just couldn’t get past the weird speech of the angel. I found it distracting. So…back to the library it went.
Another pile? Books I’ve finished recently and need to write about. But that is for another post.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
bah. humbug.
le sigh
I'm hearing more and more of the same thing about the Percy Jackson movie. Why must Hollywood mess up movie adaptations of such excellent books?
I'm hearing more and more of the same thing about the Percy Jackson movie. Why must Hollywood mess up movie adaptations of such excellent books?
Monday, February 08, 2010
villains in the real world
Troll’s Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales Edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
This youth anthology of stories (and a couple of poems) takes a different view of fairy tales: that of the villains. From Rumplestiltskin to Hansel and Gretel’s witch, various well known authors tell the tales of classic fairy tale fiends.
As can be imagined, some of the stories are more engaging than others, though I felt that the edition was on the whole quite enjoyable.
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Seventeen-year-old Marcelo is not like other teens. He has something that is very similar to high functioning Asperger's syndrome. When his father, a high power attorney, decides that Marcelo must work the summer in “the real world” (i.e. his law office), Marcelo finds himself questioning how he is and the changes and decisions he must make.
Wow. This book is written in first person, so the reader is in Marcelo’s mind, experiencing his confusion and frustration. Expertly told, it is little wonder that this book won the Schneider Family award for Teen Literature. The character of Marcelo is wonderfully drawn. I did feel that a few of the secondary characters were flat – and even a bit stereotypical (such as Wendell); however, that did little to detract from the story.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Going to the movies...or maybe not
*grumble*
I read the other day that the book Beezus and Ramona is being made into a movie. In the books Beezus is around 10 and Ramona is around 4. So, why are the actresses for the movie, renamed Ramona and Beezus, each at least six years older than their character from the book?
Adding to that, I was very excited about the upcoming release of The Lightning Thief, the first book of the Percy Jackson series. That was, I was very excited until I looked up info on the movie today and saw that Percy Jackson is in HIGH SCHOOL for the movie. WTH? In the first book he is almost12. This is important for the series, since there are five books and Percy is possibly part of a prophecy about a half blood saving or destroying Olympus when he turns sixteen. Now I’m more worried than before that they are going to shove several of the books into one movie.
Le sigh.
I read the other day that the book Beezus and Ramona is being made into a movie. In the books Beezus is around 10 and Ramona is around 4. So, why are the actresses for the movie, renamed Ramona and Beezus, each at least six years older than their character from the book?
Adding to that, I was very excited about the upcoming release of The Lightning Thief, the first book of the Percy Jackson series. That was, I was very excited until I looked up info on the movie today and saw that Percy Jackson is in HIGH SCHOOL for the movie. WTH? In the first book he is almost12. This is important for the series, since there are five books and Percy is possibly part of a prophecy about a half blood saving or destroying Olympus when he turns sixteen. Now I’m more worried than before that they are going to shove several of the books into one movie.
Le sigh.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
The End
One more book review for you:
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.
The time has come. Percy, just days from being sixteen, and his fellow demigods must battle to
save the world from Kronos and his army. As the gods and goddesses fight Typhon, it is up to the demigods to save Olympus. Can they do it?
Wow. Just wow. The fifth and final installment of this series was artfully packed full of action. Riordan has achieved what few other series authors seem to be able to do. He has written a series where each book is on par with the rest in their excellence. I am only sad that there aren’t more, though he did hint that their might be a companion series in the future. One can only hope.
This series is firmly on my list of All Time Favorite Book Series. That is a short list.
The Lightning Thief hits the theaters later this month. I'm anxiously waiting. I really hope that Hollywood doesn't screw up the film adaptation of the books.
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.
The time has come. Percy, just days from being sixteen, and his fellow demigods must battle to
save the world from Kronos and his army. As the gods and goddesses fight Typhon, it is up to the demigods to save Olympus. Can they do it?Wow. Just wow. The fifth and final installment of this series was artfully packed full of action. Riordan has achieved what few other series authors seem to be able to do. He has written a series where each book is on par with the rest in their excellence. I am only sad that there aren’t more, though he did hint that their might be a companion series in the future. One can only hope.
This series is firmly on my list of All Time Favorite Book Series. That is a short list.
The Lightning Thief hits the theaters later this month. I'm anxiously waiting. I really hope that Hollywood doesn't screw up the film adaptation of the books.
Ah ha! or The Heart of the Matter
I knew I wrote a bit about the books I recently finished! If only I would have more carefully looked over a few of my recent posts I would have seen that.
So...without much further ado, I bring you reviews of In a Heartbeat and Charles and Emma.
In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth (ARC copy)
I started reading this book while I was in Boston. It was one that I picked up from a vendor, hence it being an Advance Reader Copy. I wanted to finish it before getting home so I could pass it along to my friend.
Two teenagers from different states are forever linked. When 17-year-old Eagan hits her head during pre-competition practice, not only does she lose her chance at ice skating stardom, but also her life. Fourteen-year-old Amelia needs a new heart, which she gets from Eagan.
The chapters switch back and forth between Eagan and Amelia, as each girl deals with the changes; Eagan with being dead, and Amelia with being alive. As Amelia discovers more about the changes in her personality, the desire to meet her heart donor’s family grows.
The idea of the story is interesting, and some of the writing was well done; however, it could have been pieced together more seamlessly. I couldn’t connect to the characters, and was left with an overall blah feeling for the story. After reading a bit about why the author wrote the story, I was convinced that it was more of a therapeutic endeavor than a literary quest.
This book was published February 2, 2010.
Charles and Emma: the Darwins' leap of faith by Deborah Heiligman.
Charles Darwin’s theories on the origin of life left him questioning faith and God’s hand in creation. His wife was staunchly religious, and believed in a loving God who created the world (albeit not in seven days). Yet, even with this huge disagreement in beliefs, the two had a very loving and devoted relationship that lasted until the end of their lives. This non-fiction book focuses on more on the relationship between Charles and his beloved Emma than on the science of Darwinism.
As I wrote on my other blog:
The only thing lacking in this book is that I wanted to know more about the couple and their children. I would love to know what modern speculations are about Charles’ lifelong illness and the cause of their daughter Annie’s death.
My other complaint isn’t about that is missing in the book, but rather a style element that just annoys me. That would be how Heiligman pluralizes Charles. She uses Charles’s whereas I’ve always liked the cleaner look of Charles’. Both are correct, so it is just a pet peeve of mine.
Here is Heiligman's website for the book.
As noted, Charles and Emma was the winner of the first-ever YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award. It also received a Michael L. Printz Honor Award.
So...without much further ado, I bring you reviews of In a Heartbeat and Charles and Emma.
In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth (ARC copy)
I started reading this book while I was in Boston. It was one that I picked up from a vendor, hence it being an Advance Reader Copy. I wanted to finish it before getting home so I could pass it along to my friend.
Two teenagers from different states are forever linked. When 17-year-old Eagan hits her head during pre-competition practice, not only does she lose her chance at ice skating stardom, but also her life. Fourteen-year-old Amelia needs a new heart, which she gets from Eagan.
The chapters switch back and forth between Eagan and Amelia, as each girl deals with the changes; Eagan with being dead, and Amelia with being alive. As Amelia discovers more about the changes in her personality, the desire to meet her heart donor’s family grows.
The idea of the story is interesting, and some of the writing was well done; however, it could have been pieced together more seamlessly. I couldn’t connect to the characters, and was left with an overall blah feeling for the story. After reading a bit about why the author wrote the story, I was convinced that it was more of a therapeutic endeavor than a literary quest.
This book was published February 2, 2010.
Charles and Emma: the Darwins' leap of faith by Deborah Heiligman.
Charles Darwin’s theories on the origin of life left him questioning faith and God’s hand in creation. His wife was staunchly religious, and believed in a loving God who created the world (albeit not in seven days). Yet, even with this huge disagreement in beliefs, the two had a very loving and devoted relationship that lasted until the end of their lives. This non-fiction book focuses on more on the relationship between Charles and his beloved Emma than on the science of Darwinism.
As I wrote on my other blog:
What an amazing love story! The two were completely devoted to one another, despite their differing opinions about religion and science.
When I was in Boston, I was had the chance to hear the author speak, as she won the Morris award for the book (in the category of best nonfiction for young adults). There were many in the audience, myself included, when she remarked on the adage "write what you know". She said that she likes to write, not what she knows, but what she wants to know more about; however, with this book she realized that she was also writing what she knew, as she, too, has a wonderful, devoted relationship with her husband. Coincidentally, her husband is a science-minded person (and Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time) and she has a degree in religious studies.
The only thing lacking in this book is that I wanted to know more about the couple and their children. I would love to know what modern speculations are about Charles’ lifelong illness and the cause of their daughter Annie’s death.
My other complaint isn’t about that is missing in the book, but rather a style element that just annoys me. That would be how Heiligman pluralizes Charles. She uses Charles’s whereas I’ve always liked the cleaner look of Charles’. Both are correct, so it is just a pet peeve of mine.
Here is Heiligman's website for the book.
As noted, Charles and Emma was the winner of the first-ever YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award. It also received a Michael L. Printz Honor Award.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Books as far as the eye can see
I have four books that I've finished reading recently that I still need to post about. Two of them I swear I already typed up the reviews. Hrm. Must check the laptop. I might have saved the reviews to the laptop instead of my thumb drive.
These are the four books:
I'm still listening to An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. No surprise there, as it is only 40 discs! I'm reading Marcello in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork and Troll's eye view : a book of villainous tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.
More excitedly, I received an ARC of Karen Cushman's newest book: Alchemy and Meggy Swann. I must read a few of the books I have checked out first, though, since that pile is getting very high.
So many books...so little time. Le sigh.
These are the four books:
- In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth (ARC copy, but was published as of today)
- The London Eye mystery by Siobhan Dowd
- Charles and Emma: the Darwins' leap of faith by Deborah Heiligman.
- The last Olympian (book 5 of the Percy Jackson series) by Rick Riordan
I'm still listening to An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. No surprise there, as it is only 40 discs! I'm reading Marcello in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork and Troll's eye view : a book of villainous tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.
More excitedly, I received an ARC of Karen Cushman's newest book: Alchemy and Meggy Swann. I must read a few of the books I have checked out first, though, since that pile is getting very high.
So many books...so little time. Le sigh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)