Across the Universe, by Beth Revis (book review) – space travel, lies, love

May4

book cover of Across the Univers by Beth Revis published by RazorbillCan the folks in charge really control every bit of what people learn and know?
Can history be rewritten so completely that the truth will never be discovered?

Take a little trip with this book that moves our fear of the different to a whole ‘nother level.

And “May the Fourth be with you” – it’s Star Wars Day!
**kmm

Book info: Across the Universe /Beth Revis. Razorbill (Penguin), 2011.  [author’s website] [publisher website] [book website] [book trailer]

My Recommendation: Frozen for the 300-year space journey to a new Earth with her scientist parents – what will it really be like, Amy wonders. Centuries pass on the spaceship Godspeed for the placid farmers on the Feeder level and stolid techs on the Shipper level, all 20 or 40 or 60 years old, each “gen” all born the same year following the Season of mating, same color skin, same color hair, same color eyes.

Elder was born a dozen years earlier than his gen, so that his training as their leader will be complete when he becomes Eldest. Because the Elder before him died early, he is trained by crotchety Eldest who should have already retired and dislikes the teenager’s questions. Life aboard ship requires harmony and working together and strong leadership and no individuality, says Eldest.

Why didn’t he tell Elder about the lower level below the Feeder farm blocks, a level filled with frozen people waiting to be reanimated when they reach Centauri-Earth? That level’s alarms sound as a Frozen’s cryo is turned off, and a pale-skinned, red-haired teenage girl wakes up. Amy is stunned to find that her parents aren’t awake, that the ship is decades away from landing, that she’s trapped in this tiny world with people who know only a sanitized version of Earth’s history, one that reinforces uniformity and follows a strong leader without questions.

Suddenly other cryos are turned off with no alarms sounding, and experts from the past are dead, sent through the hatch into the vacuum of space by Eldest like any other dead bodies.

Who is killing the cryos?
Are the crazy people in the hospital the only sane ones on Godspeed? Will Amy ever talk to her parents again?
Will the ship ever reach its destination?

A great space thriller, with plenty of questions about ethics, leadership, and humanity. (one of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Warriors in the Crossfire, by Nancy Bo Flood (book review) – Pacific island incident World War II

May3
book cover of Warriors in the Crossfire by Nancy Bo Flood published by Front Street Books

So many small “incidents of war” go unchronicled, unrecognized.

But just imagine their effects on the families whose lands and lives the battles cross and re-cross.

Go to Saipan during WWII, during the Japanese Occupation, during the erasure of a traditional way of life in this gripping book.
**kmm

Book info: Warriors in the Crossfire / by Nancy Bo Flood. Front Street Books, 2010. [author’s website] [publisher website]

Recommendation: Eager to learn to steer ocean outrigger canoes, Joseph instead must watch as the invading Japanese army makes islander men clear the jungle for runways rather than fishing to feed their families. Instead of sitting in the men’s council of his clan on his 14th birthday, Joseph is searching for shore crabs and coconuts. Instead of school time with his half-Japanese cousin Kento, he has only worry for his family and a mental map of the hidden cave where his father stockpiled water and food as whispered words warned of the approaching American forces.

When the message to vanish comes, Joseph must lead his mother, sister, and toddler nephew silently through the jungle, armed only with his father’s ceremonial knife. As fighter planes scream overhead, the family huddles in the tiny cave and hopes the water jugs will last. Which soldiers will find them first – the Japanese, who will behead them for treachery to the Emperor, or the white-faced Americans, who might eat them?

Can honor and family both stay alive in such horror? Will the Japanese use all the Rafalawash people of Saipan as a human wall against the American invaders? Will Joseph see his father or cousin again in this lifetime?

The battles of World War II overran the native populations of many Pacific Islands, and their death tolls rarely count the thousands of islanders who also perished in the crossfire. (one of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Start It Up, by Kenrya Rankin (book review) – your small-business guide

May2

book cover of Start It Up by Kenrya Rankin published by Zest BooksIf you’re thinking about starting a business, I suggest you check out this book – Rankin has great checklists, quizzes, and advice, all in a well-crafted package.

New best friend for up-and-coming entrepreneurs, ask for it at your local library or independent bookstore.

**kmm

Book Info: Start It Up: The Complete Teen Business Guide to Turning Your Passions Into Pay / Kenrya Rankin. Zest Books, 2011. http://www.zestbooks.net/ Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My Book Talk: Your hobby or favorite activity could be a great way to make money, so use this business guide for teens to get started! Successful entrepreneurs (people who start their own business and work for themselves) work hard, communicate well, can multitask, are organized, and manage their time and money carefully – if you don’t have all these skills, you can learn them as you create your business.

Well-organized, with many checklists and questions to ask yourself, Start It Up helps you write a business plan, scope out your prospects, build a realistic budget, and keep track of all the paperwork entailed in owning your company. Quotes and notes from teen entrepreneurs who’ve succeeded in their chosen line of work are encouraging, yet realistic.

You’ll learn about hiring and managing employees, publicizing your business, providing great customer service, and using your business to make the world a better place. Lots of resources for each chapter point you to sources of further information.

Whether it’s gathering a board of advisors, raising start-up money, registering your business name, or filing your self-employment taxes (yes, you have to pay taxes even if you’re not an adult), you’ll find information and remember-this guides to help you avoid common new-business pitfalls as you follow your passions to a well-deserved payday.  (one of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Blogathon 2011

May1

badge for WordCount Blogathon 2011 Participant
Yes, I signed up for the Blogathon 2011 challenge as set forth by http://michellerafter.com/the-2011-wordcount-blogathon/ to blog every single day in May.

Why? So we bloggers can make our communication a habit, so we can be intentional about creating that good habit, maybe so we can make sure we really have something to say after all!

But the best thing for me is that nudging from comrades-in-arms who’ve also signed up for Blogathon – we’re all trying to keep each other on track and posting daily.

So, away we go, in the merrie, merrie month of May, with good books just ahead….

The right book for the right reader

May1

Did you ever get a recommendation for a book or movie that was just-right, that struck a chord in your heart, that you quoted from long afterward?

This blog will introduce you to young adult (YA) books of every genre, books that often take place far beyond our own neighborhood, yet show us ourselves in a new light. Many are from smaller publishers or first-time authors. All are worth your consideration.

If you’re in high school or older, every book on this blog is for you. I’ll note any significant situations of violence that may disturb sensitive readers, but will assume that you know yourself well enough to put aside any book that embarrasses or bores you. I agree with Daniel Pennac’s Rights of the Reader, seen with Quentin Blake’s illustrations at http://www.walker.co.uk/UserFiles/file/Rights%20of%20the%20reader/NYOR_ROTR.pdf

I blog about fascinating, underappreciated YA books because I’ve fallen in love with them or the characters won’t let me go or the situation portrayed is so startling that I have to make sure you have a chance to experience it, too. Many publishers send me books, and I am free to review or discard any title.

For starting me on the book recommendation path, I thank Barb Langridge with all my heart; every recommendation posted originally on her wonderful site www.abookandahug.com (where I continue to recommend great books for kids, tweens, and teens) will be tagged as such. All selectors’ notes are new to this blog, but no story spoilers are ever given!!

Please share what you think about the books – talking about what we’ve read just makes it better!