Bobbing for Books

Shiver

Miriam — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:25:29 +0000

Title: Shiver
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls #1

Author: Maggie Stiefvater (blog) (twitter)

Genre: Supernatural, Romance, Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic Press Publication date: August 1, 2009

Hardcover: 400 pages

Original Language: English (American)

Audiobook or physical book: Overdrive Audiobook (10:43:04)

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Amazon Description

Starred Review. Grade 9 Up—Grace, 17, loves the peace and tranquility of the woods behind her home. It is here during the cold winter months that she gets to see her wolf—the one with the yellow eyes. Grace is sure that he saved her from an attack by other wolves when she was nine. Over the ensuing years he has returned each season, watching her with those haunting eyes as if longing for something to happen. When a teen is killed by wolves, a hunting party decides to retaliate. Grace races through the woods and discovers a wounded boy shivering on her back porch. One look at his yellow eyes and she knows that this is her wolf in human form. Fate has finally brought Sam and Grace together, and as their love grows and intensifies, so does the reality of what awaits them. It is only a matter of time before the winter cold changes him back into a wolf, and this time he might stay that way forever. Told from alternating points of view, the narrative takes a classic Romeo & Juliet plot and transforms it into a paranormal romance that is beautiful and moving. Readers will easily identify with the strong, dynamic characters. The mythology surrounding the wolf pack is clever and so well written that it seems perfectly normal for the creatures to exist in today’s world. A must-have that will give Bella and Edward a run for their money.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

My summary/Description

When she was a little girl Grace was attacked by a pack of wolves in her backyard. One of the wolves, the one with the yellow eyes, stopped the attack saving her life. Since that day Grace has looked forward to the winter when she sometimes spots her wolf in her yard, staring at her house.

At the age of 17, events start to happen, a town boy is attacked and killed by the same pack of wolves. The townspeople are outraged and set out to kill the wolves. Grace is worried for the safety of her wolf, and she comes home to find him injured on her back porch. Something amazing happens, he turns into a teenage boy. The wolf, Sam, is actually a werewolf. In this version of the werewolf tale, wolves turn when they get cold.

Grace and Sam set out for a whirlwind romance, a love that started when he was a wolf, and she a girl. But the inevitable is coming, if they are not incredibly careful he may turn back into a wolf.

Overall

I think I had high expectations of this book, it was pretty much perpetually checked out on my library system’s audiodrive network. At the same time, I think I was getting a little sick of the Twilight fad. And I think both those ideas were unfair to the book. The love affair with Grace and Sam is tender, loving and beautiful. It isn’t as destructive as the Bella/Edward relationship. I wanted them to work out.

But I also found parts of the book to be slow. They lingered too much on the central relationship. It does speed up a little in the end and has some action sequences.

Overall, I will probably read the sequel Linger and may be willing to read this book again in the future, but its not an instant favorite.

As for teen rating, there is some sexual aspects between two loving teenagers.

Locations
Mercy Falls, Minnesota

Golden

Miriam — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:41:18 +0000

Title: Golden

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes (blog) (twitter)

Genre: Supernatural, High School, Young Adult

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Publication date: July 25, 2006

Hardcover: 256 pages

Original Language: English (American)

Audiobook or physical book: Overdrive Audiobook (5:50:11)

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Amazon Description

When Lissy James moves from California to Oklahoma, she finds herself in the middle of a teenage nightmare: a social scene to rival a Hollywood movie. And if understanding the hierarchy of the Goldens vs. the Nons isn’t hard enough, Lissy’s ever growing Aura Vision is getting harder and harder to hide, and if she’s not careful, she’s going to become a Non faster than you can say “freak.”

But it’s becoming clear that Emory High has a few secrets of its own. Around the halls, the term “special powers” goes way beyond one’s ability to attract the opposite sex, and there may be something more evil than the A-crowd lurking in the classrooms. Lissy can see a lot more than the average girl, but she’s about to learn the hard way that things aren’t always as they appear and you can’t always judge a girl by her lip gloss.

My summary/Description

Felicity “Lissy” James is moved from California to her mother’s hometown in Oklahoma. The reason, her mother’s psychic ability was unable to rescue one kidnapped and murdered little boy until after to was too late. She dreads starting over at a new school.

Lissy herself has a gift, known in her family as having the sight. She sees auras around people, auras that tell her about people’s personalities and moods. She quickly dreads her new high school, with a popular clique known as Goldens, along with their pink and purple auras.

During the first day of school she discovers additional uses to her powers and finds a person with an evil aura. She must find a way to fit into her new school and untangle the many mysteries and secrets the student body has to hide.

Overall

I love the student body has super powers genre, a little like Charlie Bone and Harry Potter. So I loved this book. It wasn’t too long and I loved the mystery surrounding strange events at the school. The final result was a little on the predictable side, but I think it was perfect for the younger teen audience for which I think this book is intended.

This was Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ first book, published when she was only 19. I wish my library’s audiodrive system had more books by her.

Locations

Oklahoma

All Unquiet things

Miriam — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 01:10:13 +0000

Title: All Unquiet Things

Author: Anna Jarzab (Blog) (Twitter: @ajarzab)

Genre: Murder-mystery, Young Adult

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Publication date: January 12, 2010

Hardcover: 352 pages

Original Language: English (American)

Audiobook or physical book: Overdrive Audiobook

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Amazon Description

Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.

Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.

As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.

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My summary/Review

Neily’s ex-girlfriend Carly was beautiful, brilliant, and rich. She was also self destructive and secretive. One day, after he ignored a phone call from her, Neily finds Carly murdered. The convicted murderer, her drunk uncle, father to her best friend Audrey.

But Audrey, not her father’s greatest fan, is convinced of his innocence. She convinces Neily to help her investigate what really happened to Carly. To uncover her secrets. What they find is a tangled web of secrets and the elite.

The world is full of drugs, money and violence. Cover ups and rumours. And a golden crowd that can make or break your position in the school.

Overview

One of the best murder mysteries for young adults I have ever read. I wouldn’t recommend it for younger readers though. There’s sex, drugs and violence. I found both Neily and Audrey to be endearing characters and as we learn more about Carly we see how she became so damaged.

I was actually surprised by the actual perpetrator, although I imagined that the individual had been much more involved in the murder than had been initially implied.

This was Anna Jarzab’s debut novel, I hope we see more from her soon.

Awards
YALSA Best Fiction Nominee for Young Adults (2010)

Location:
Empire Valley (San Francisco East Bay area), California

The Dead-Tossed Waves

Miriam — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:44:52 +0000

Title: The Dead-Tossed Waves.
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth #2

Author: Carrie Ryan

Genre: Young Adult, Post-apocalyptic, Zombie, Romance

Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, Published on: March 9, 2010

Hardcover: 416 pages

Language: English (American)

Audiobook or Physical Book: Audiobook (11:48:03)

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Amazon.com Book Description:

Grade 9 Up—Timid, thoughtful Gabry has grown up safely in the city of Vista. She lives in a lighthouse with her mother, Mary, the daring heroine of The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Delacorte, 2009), whose job it is to kill Mudo—zombies—as they wash ashore. Then one night, Cira, Gabry’s best friend, and Catcher, Cira’s brother, convince her to sneak outside Vista’s walls. With the attack of one Breaker—a fast zombie—everything changes: a friend is killed, Catcher is infected, and Cira is imprisoned and destined for the Recruiters, the army that protects the loose federation of cities left after the Return. Feeling both guilty for having escaped punishment and self-destructive after the revelation that Mary in fact adopted her, Gabry pushes herself to cross the city’s Barrier again. Some pieces of the narrative are well constructed: the constant, looming threat of the Mudo, Gabry’s quiet determination and daring in the face of fear, and villainous soldier Daniel’s palpably frightening power-grabbing sexual advances. Other details are less believable, like Mary’s suddenly abandoning her daughter and her duties to seek her past in the Forest. Though flawed, this volume has enough action, romance, and depth of character to satisfy, and the cliff-hanger ending will leave fans hungry for the third book.—Megan Honig, New York Public Library

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My Summary/Review

I thought this was a sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but it is more of a companion novel. We meet Gabry, the adopted daughter of Mary from the first novel.

After the events of the first novel Mary has settled in a peaceful seaside village acting as the lifehouse keeper. Her job is to kill the zombies (also known as Mudo and Unconsecrated) as they ride in on the waves of high tide (thus the name of the novel Dead-Tossed Waves).

But this novel is mostly about Gabry. She is a sheltered daughter in a quiet town. One night tragedy strikes when her friends sneak out of the protected area of the town and get attacked by zombies. Several of her friends die, most of the rest are imprisoned and her love interest is doomed to become a zombie.

The story takes us through Gabry’s story of trying to save her friends and learning more about her civilization’s view of the zombies. This includes zombie cults, and a view that no one is immune to the zombie infection.

The book ends with a cliffhanger leaving us to hope the 3rd book continues with Gabry’s story.

Overall:
I enjoyed the book more than the first book, Gabry seems to be a much less selfish person than her mother was in the first book. The book still makes use of the love triangle. I agree with another reviewer that the love triangle is definitely overused in Young Adult books.

Born to Run

Miriam — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:28:20 +0000

Title: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen

Author: Christopher McDougall

Genre: Non-Fiction, Running

Published by: Knopf, Published on: May 6, 2009

Hardcover: 304

Language: English (American)

Audiobook or Physical Book: Hardcover

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Amazon.com Book Description:

Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

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My Summary/Review

Since I started wearing my Vibram FiveFingers last year people have approached me with questions about the shoes. Those who have read this book have often asked me if Born to Run was my inspiration to start barefooting. It wasn’t. I think the foot biomechanics article I read had been released to promote the book’s upcoming release.

When I did the barefoot race in Maine, several people mentioned the book as their inspiration to try barefooting.

So naturally I was expecting a book full of interesting aspects about biomechanics and the science of running. So I was frustrated at first when the first half of the book focused on short bits of history of ultra runners, ultra races and the Mexican Tarahumera tribe runners.

We do meet many exciting characters from the running community including the reclusive and mysterious Cabello Blanco, Scott Jurek 7 time winner of the Western States 100 and record holder for the Badwater 135, Jenn Shelton a crazy party girl and women’s record holder for 100 miles and Barefoot Ted a well known pioneer of the barefoot movement.

But I expected a more scientific book. Something I could learn from, I found myself a little frustrated. It’s great to learn about cultures but I expected to learn more about running in general. I was finally redeemed in later chapters of the book.

Chapter 25 focuses on barefoot running.
Chapter 26 has a small section about techniques for running in a more biomechanically efficient form.
Chapter 27 was my favorite chapter. We learn all about evolutionary biology of how humans are actually an efficient running animal. Specialized in persistence hunting.

Other interesting aspects of the book are discussions about the Standard American Diet (SAD) and the ability to run ultradistance on a mostly vegan diet.

Overall: I loved the parts of the book that were full of scientific knowledge, I loved learning about the tarahumera people. But I found the parts that had to do with the race in Copper Canyon in the middle of nowhere Mexico a little tedious. So be aware that the book is not mostly about barefoot running. It is about a full spectrum of studies of social and cultural interaction, scientific knowledge and humorous anecdotes.

Awards

Amazon’s Best Books of the Year: 2009 (#85)
ALA Notable Books for Adults
New York Times bestseller

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Miriam — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:54:03 +0000

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1

Author: Carrie Ryan

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Zombie, Romance

Publisher: Delacourte Books for Young Readers Published On: February 9, 2010

Hardcover: 336 pages

Original Language: English (American)

Physical or Audiobook: Overdrive Audioook (9:31:20)
Narrator: Vane Millon

Amazon Description:

Grade 9 Up—Mary knows little about the past and why the world now contains two types of people: those in her village and the undead outside the fence, who prey upon the flesh of the living. The Sisters protect their village and provide for the continuance of the human race. After her mother is bitten and joins the Unconsecrated, Mary is sent to the Sisters to be prepared for marriage to her friend Harry. But then the fences are breached and the life she has known is gone forever. Mary; Harry; Travis, whom Mary loves but who is betrothed to her best friend; her brother and his wife; and an orphaned boy set out into the unknown to search for safety, answers to their questions, and a reason to go on living. In this sci-fi/horror novel, the suspense that Ryan has created from the very first page on entices and tempts readers so that putting the book down is not an option. The author skillfully conceals and reveals just enough information to pique curiosity while also maintaining an atmosphere of creepiness that is expected in a zombie story. Some of the descriptions of death and mutilation of both the Unconsecrated and the living are graphic. The story is riveting, even though it leaves a lot of questions to be explained in the sequel.—Debra Banna, Sharon Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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My Summary/Review

What do modern teenagers enjoy in their literature? Romance and the undead? This book has both. It has aspects of Twilight and some sort of freaky Zombie movie I would never in a million years watch. The heroine doesn’t fall in love with the undead, but a love quadrangle occurs in a world terrorized by the living dead.

Teenage Mary lives in a fenced in colony in the middle of the Forest of Hands and Teeth. The villagers are told that they are the last colony on earth by the ruling religious Sisterhood. The area around the fence is surrounded by the non-consecrated, a group of undead, basically Zombies.

The colony’s society is ruled by important customs and traditions. Most important is marriage and reproduction. Women who are not spoken for join the Sisterhood. Mary is trying to attract Travis’ attention to become his wife. But his brother Harry seems ready to speak for Mary when she loses both her parents to the zombie infection. Her brother, Jed is upset at her for the loss of their mother and sends her to live with the sisterhood.

While at the sisterhood, Mary and Travis fall in love, although he is engaged to Mary’s best friend Cass. He is at the sisterhood due to an injury. While injured, the love triangle complicates because Cass and Harry develop feelings for each other.

One day the sisters bring a girl into the village. She has arrived from one of two fenced paths from the outside world. The Sisters keep her a secret and use her as an experiment. Except the experiment backfires and a zombie of incredible speed and stamina is created.

She attacks the village forcing a handful of survivors onto the path. Mary develops an obsession with reaching the ocean. Something her mother has told her about in bedtime stories since she was a child.

Over the course of the travels the love story unfurls, and zombies continue to add adventure to the story.

Overall: The love story is interesting and the action is much more gripping than that in Twilight. I think teenagers and adults will enjoy the story. And I find the story quite creative. It’s an entire world created to help us envision this post apocalyptic landscape. It’s a superb first novel and I look forward to continuing Mary’s journeys in the second book.

Awards:

A New York Times best-seller
A Junior Library Guild selection
A Borders Original Voices selection for April 2009 and Borders Original Voices finalist
Selected as an American Library Association “Best Book for Young Adults”

Before I Fall

Miriam — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:27:09 +0000

Title: Before I Fall

Author: Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins Publication Date: March 2, 2010

Hardcover: 480 pages

Original Language: English (American)

Audiobook or physical book: Overdrive Audiobook (12:25:48)

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Amazon Description

In this Groundhog Day meets Mean Girls teen hybrid, Sam Kingston is pretty, popular, and has a seemingly perfect boyfriend. But after a late-night party everything goes terribly wrong, and the life that she lived is gone forever. Or is it?

At the start of Before I Fall, Sam is self-consumed and oblivious about the impact of her actions on others. But as she repeatedly experiences slightly altered versions of the hours leading up to her death—and her relationships with friends, family, and formerly overlooked classmates bloom, end, or shift—it’s impossible not to feel for the girl whose life ends too soon. Oliver’s adept teen dialogue and lively prose make for a fast, page-turning story in which the reader is every bit as emotionally invested as Sam. –Jessica Schein

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My Summary/Review

Samantha Kingston has it all. Hot boyfriend, close group of friends, one of her high school’s “it” girls. Along with her friends Elody, Lindsay and Ally, she is part of the “in” clique in her second semester of Senior Year. Heading home after a party, her group of friends is involved in a car accident that leaves Sam in a perpetual state of living the same day over and over again.

No matter what Sam tries to change, the day always ends tragically. Either Sam, or the bullied to desperation Juliet Sykes ends up dead. Sam goes through stages of denial, of being a major bad girl, of avoiding others. She tries to get closer to her family, she tries to break away from her bad girl friends, she tries to save the girl she has bullied for years. But no matter how much Sam tries to fix the situation, she only learns slightly more about the secrets and lies that have led to her friends popularity and the downfall of others.

This is a fantastic book. Full of fascinating layers, great character development, and mystery. It is the typical story of a mean girl trying to mend her ways, of the reasons why bullies behave the way they do. It is a slightly predictable high school drama mixed with a Groundhog Day component. But the story is written beautifully and you find yourself cheering on Sam as she tries to do the right thing.

Universities mentioned
Boston University
Harvard University

Places mentioned
Ridgeview, Connecticut, USA

Favorite Quotes

“I used to think that’s what love was: knowing someone so well he was like a part of you.” — Lauren Oliver

“…how easy it is to be totally wrong about people-to see one tiny part of them and confuse it for the whole, to see the cause and think it’s the effect or vice versa” — Lauren Oliver

“Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there’s a tomorrow. Maybe for you there’s one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around it, let it slide like coins through you fingers. So much time you can waste it. But for some of us there’s only today. And the truth is, you never really know.” — Lauren Oliver

“It’s funny, isn’t it? When you are young you just want to be old, and then later you wish you could go back to being a kid.” — Lauren Oliver

“I vowed after that day that I would be your hero too, no matter how long it took” — Lauren Oliver

The Condition

Miriam — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:27:52 +0000

Title: The Condition: A Novel

Author: Jennifer Haigh

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Harper Publication Date: July 1, 2008

Hardcover: 400 pages

Original Language: English (American)

Audiobook or physical book: Overdrive Audiobook (14:09:47)
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Amazon description:

A dysfunctional New England family struggles toward normalcy in this poignant novel from PEN/Hemingway-winner Haigh, who follows the children of resentful, controlling, Paulette and distracted, needy Frank. Even during a childhood in idyllic Cape Cod, there are hints of a rocky future. When that future arrives, Billy, the most successful of the children, keeps a secret about his sophisticated New York life from almost everyone. Scott, formerly the uncontrollable brat of the bunch, sees himself in his own troubled son. Meanwhile, Gwen suffers from a genetic condition that prevents her from developing into womanhood. The story starts slowly, and while the setup feels familiar (a fractured New England family), the children take unexpected turns that shake up the narrative, leading to the most surprising twist of all: despite the sobering events chronicled, there’s a strong nod to the healing power of love. Haigh allows the reader to sympathize with each of the family members, and, in turn, to see their flaws and better understand them. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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My Summary/Review

This book starts off with Paulette McKotch traveling to Cape Cod to join her family at their family home. We glimpse the family’s life just prior to the point where it is torn apart by divorce.

While we are told that the cause of the divorce is the diagnosis of daughter Gwen’s “condition”, other clues are given to why Paulette and Frank’s union dissolved. This book is a story of a family’s rediscovery of themselves twenty years after events were set in motion.

Housewife Paulette is very protective of her three children. Focused on raising them properly and incredibly jealous of any attention given by her husband to other women. Twenty years later she is portrayed as a naive lonely wealthy woman. She is still overprotective of her children and has certain expectations of their proper behavior. She is portrayed as a vulnerable character.

Absent husband Frank is very involved in his research at MIT. Years after the divorce he is portrayed as alone and unable to move on with his life. His children are distant or absent from his life. He is forced to re-examine his priorities as his professional career is almost destroyed by an attractive grad student.

Eldest son Scott is the perfect child. A cardiologist in New York City. Perfectly dressed, charming and tidy. Except to his family, he has no relationships. They have no idea that he is a gay man with a long term partner. We examine his journey of self discovery and finding the courage to express himself to his relatives.

Daughter Gwen is diagnosed with Turner’s Syndrome. A chromosomal disorder that prevents her from going through puberty, keeps her at a childlike size and carries various other health risks. Her mother is overprotective. But a visit to a Caribbean island awakens new feelings in Gwen that allow her to grow as an individual and seize her independence.

Youngest child Scott is seen as the family’s black sheep. The pot head that drops out of school, abandons his family, marries the disaster of a woman, and has a non-prestigious job. Once an adventurer, now tied down, he longs for approval from his family.

Overall: I found the characters in this book to be very real. As much as parts of the book bored me, other parts drew me in. The book was written in a way that made me care about the characters and their plight. I think that was the author’s genius. It just takes a while to get into the story enough to want to know how the characters lives will unfold.

Locations: Concord, Massachusetts
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
New York, New York
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
Saint-Raphael (island in the Caribbean – possibly fictional)

Dairy Queen

Miriam — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:42:00 +0000

Title: Dairy Queen
Series: Dairy Queen #1

Author: Catharine Gilbert Murdock

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Publication Date: May 22, 2006

Hardcover: 288 pages

Original Language: English (American)

Audiobook or physical book: Overdrive Audiobook

Description from Amazon:

Grade 7-10-After her father is injured, 15-year-old D.J. Schwenk takes over the lion’s share of work on her family’s small Wisconsin dairy farm. Between milking cows, mucking out the barn, and mowing clover, this erstwhile jock takes on training Brian, the rival high school’s quarterback. A monster crush and a tryout for her own school’s football team ensue. D.J., a charming if slightly unreliable narrator, does a good deal of soul-searching while juggling her grinding work schedule, an uncommunicative family, and a best friend who turns out to be gay. Savvy readers will anticipate plot turns, but the fun is in seeing each twist through D.J.’s eyes as she struggles with whether she really is, as Brian puts it, like a cow headed unquestioningly down the cattle shoot of life. Wry narration and brisk sports scenes bolster the pacing, and D.J.’s tongue-tied nature and self-deprecating inner monologues contribute to the novel’s many belly laughs. At the end, though, it is the protagonist’s heart that will win readers over. Dairy Queen will appeal to girls who, like D.J., aren’t girly-girls but just girls, learning to be comfortable in their own skins. The football angle may even hook some boys. Fans of Joan Bauer and Louise Rennison will flock to this sweet confection of a first novel, as enjoyable as any treat from the real DQ.-Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA

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*Interesting side note – the author of this book is actually the sister of uber famous Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love)

The life of a dairy farmer isn’t easy and since her father’s hip injury 15 year old DJ Swank has been responsible for her family farm’s daily operation. She has been responsible for milking, haying, and painting among other things. Responsibilities which cause her to flunk English because she was just too tired to write the papers when she was done.

The Swanks are also a football family. DJ’s two oldest brothers have left Redbend on Football scholarships and family tension leads to their alienation from the family. When the opposing high school’s quarterback, Brian, comes to the Swank farm to learn about the farming business. DJ agrees to act as his trainer to get him ready for the upcoming season. Along with the responsibilities fo the farm, the duo lift weights and run together, forming a true friendship. As she trains with him she decides that she will try out for her own high school’s football team.

While DJ is allowed to play on the team, romantic feelings between her and Brian lead to additional tensions in DJ’s life. In addition, DJ must deal with her family’s issues and the fact that her best female friend has been in love with her for years. A coming out that DJ was not expecting.

Overall: A cute diary of a farmgirl who loves football, and a coming of age story of a girl who just wants to be accepted for who she is. While the story is predictable it is a pleasant read for it’s intended audience (middle school readers).

Location: Redbend, Wisconsin, USA
Awards:

School Library Journal Best Books List, 2006
VOYA Review Editor’s Choice, 2006
VOYA Top-Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers, 2006
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2007

A brief history of Montmaray

Miriam — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:21:00 +0000

Title: A Brief History of Montmaray
Series: The Montmaray Journals*

Author: Michelle Cooper

Genre: Young Adult, historical fiction

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, Publication Date: October 13, 2009

Hardcover: 304 pages
Original Language: English (Australian)

Audiobook or physical book: Overdrive Audiobook

*The next book of the Series is currently called The FitzOsbornes in Exile and will be published in Australia in August 2010.

Official Description:

Sophie FitzOsborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray, along with her tomboy younger sister Henry, her beautiful, intellectual cousin Veronica, and Veronica’s father, the completely mad King John.

When Sophie receives a leather-bound journal for her sixteenth birthday, she decides to write about her day-to-day life on the island. But it is 1936 and the world is in turmoil. Does the arrival of two strangers threaten everything that Sophie holds dear?

From Sophie’s charming and lively observations to a nailbiting, unputdownable ending, this is a book to be treasured.

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My review
This book as the greatly detailed diary of Royal Princess Sophie FitzOsborne (ever notice that the diaries of fictional characters are often so detailed that each entry would take a great deal of time to write). She is one of the princesses of the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray. The Kingdom is described as between Spain and England in the Bay of Biscay.

Montmaray was once a prosperous land, making profits from the trade between Spain and England. But a combination of the Great War (World War I where most of the young men of Montmaray were lost in a single day) and the stock market crash have left the royal family impoverished and the island depopulated.

The only inhabitants remaining on the island are Sophie, her tomboyish sister Henry, her cousin Victoria, her old and ill uncle John who is King of the kingdom, their housekeeper Rebecca and their Portuguese Water Dog Carlos. Sophie’s brother Toby, heir to the Throne, studies in England with his servant Simon at his side. The remaining villagers move to England during the novel.

The children spend most of their time on the island to their own devices until one day German SS soldiers show up looking for the Holy Grail. After an incident occurs that leaves the German officers promising revenge, the very existence of the Children on the island is threatened.

As we follow the journey of Sophie going from a Naive young girl with a crush on the housekeeper’s son to a young woman with responsibilities, the history of the island as well as the secrets of its inhabitants are shared.

While I found it to be an entertaining book with plenty of interesting snippets of history to place Montmaray into a plausible historical location. The characters were lively and well described. And you could really imagine their “castle” in such disrepair that it was crumbling around them.

However the start of the book was long and slow and the end seemed a little rushed.

I’ve read reviews that describe the book as similar to I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (author of 101 Dalmatians). Not having read that particular book, I can’t compare. Brief History is set in 1936-1937 so it must not be a more modern retelling of a similar story.

Overall opinion: I enjoyed the book but found it to be a little slow at times. A pleasant historical fiction for young adults.

Location: Fictional island of Montmaray
Dog Breed Mentioned: Portuguese Water Dog
Historical events mentioned: Russian Revolution, World War I, Spanish bombings