Tag Archive | determination

5 to 1, by Holly Bodger (book review) – girls valued, men as chattel

Jun16

book cover of 5 To 1 by Holly Bodger published by Knopf Books for Young ReadersEach girl-child is cherished,
every boy-baby expendable,
the old land’s prejudices reversed –
yet is this more fair?

“The girl problem” – created by cultures valuing male heirs so much that girl babies are discarded, leaving a vast imbalance of men to women when that generation wants to marry – is turned on its head in the fictive land of Koyanagar which walled itself off from (probably) India in 2042 to protect its females.

Yet not every girl in this women-dominated society believes that boys should fight on stage to be lifelong husbands, tasked with fathering girls. And not every impoverished boy believes that becoming a housebound husband with extra food is worth the price that their society demands.

Have you experienced “the girl problem” personally?
**kmm

Book info: 5 to 1 / Holly Bodger. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Three days to decide their fates – a privileged young woman and the 5 boys competing to become her husband and provide daughters – in a series of unfair Tests that two of these 17 year olds are determined not to win!

In this walled country of Koyanagar, women are valued, unlike the land which they separated from in 2042, where so many girl babies were discarded that only 1 in 5 boys could find a wife.

Sudasa is 17 now and must choose a husband at her Test, where she finds that her powerful grandmother has ensured that the teen’s only male cousin is competing against 4 uneducated boys for her hand!

Boy number Five doesn’t think the contests are fair either – because he doesn’t want a life of tame luxuries as a house-husband. He’d rather stay with Abba in their poor coastal village and find a way over the deadly Wall to search for his mother who couldn’t get back inside when its gates closed forever a decade ago.

In Sudasa’s poetic voice and Five’s carefully reasoned tones, the three days of Tests in intelligence, skill, and sport grind on.

Can he find a way to escape both marriage and certain death as a wall-guard?
Can she escape her grandmother’s plotting and choose her own future?
Do any of Koyanagar’s other 200 girls turning 17 this year feel trapped too?

Like a funhouse mirror, the 5 to 1  ratio of girls to boys in this fictional future country points out the disappearing girls in cultures today which value male heirs over all else.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

In a World Just Right, by Jen Brooks (book review) – real world, dream world, merging?

Jun13

book cover of In a World Just Right by Jen Brooks published by Simon Schuster Books for Young ReadersLone survivor,
out of a coma and so alone,
inventing worlds that become reality.

Imagine losing your whole family in a disaster, growing up with scars inside and out, desperately imagining worlds where things turned out better – and being able to step into those worlds completely!

Jonathan has so much to overcome that he invents a world where his most beautiful real-world classmate loves him unconditionally, then loses track of which world he’s in, setting both worlds on a collision course.

Where’s the line between escaping into fantasy and escaping from reality?
**kmm

Book info: In a World Just Right / Jen Brooks. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2015. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Surviving a plane crash that claimed his family, scarred loner Jonathan has created another world where he’s popular and beautiful Kylie is his girlfriend – so why does real-Kylie suddenly know things about his other life?

After his coma, Jonathan came to live with his uncle whose wife and unborn child also died in the crash. As a teen, he discovers that he can create worlds and escape into them, truly walk in and live there! So naturally, he makes Kylie-is-my-girlfriend world and spends so much time there as a track star and fun boyfriend that his absences from real school hours may keep him from graduating.

But when he mistakes real-Kylie for girlfriend-Kylie and approaches her in their real high school, things start to get blurry. The real girl actually talks to him in creative writing class, then shares ‘memories’ that only exist for girlfriend-Kylie! Confessing that she feels drawn to him like a magnet, real-Kylie starts spending time with Jonathan – bliss!

An intruder in his uncle’s house looks like his deceased little sister, if Tess had gotten to grow up. She claims to be a ‘world-maker’ too and says that Jonathan must take drastic measures to keep real-Kylie from suffering because he’s mixed up his worlds!

Stay with the Kylie he created along with the world where he’s a star?
Muddle through in the real world with summer school as Kylie leaves for college?
Find a way to do both without losing everything?

Life, death, love, imagination, poetry, and consequences – if Jonathan could only discover how to be with real Kylie In a World Just Right. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, by Isabel Quintero (book review) – senior year, too many surprises

Jun12

book cover of Gabi a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero published by Cinco Puntos PressBe a “good girl” until married? (unlike her own mom)
Go to college? (unlike her immigrant parents)
Do anything to be popular? (unlike…hmmm)

Gabi feels pulled apart by all the different demands of her mom, her teachers, her very-Mexican friends, her be-more-white schoolmates, society’s get-skinny-now-fat-girl messages – what’s going to come out on top during her senior year?

Now out in paperback, find Gabi and her outspoken journal at your local library or independent bookstore.

How do you stay strong against societal pressure?
**kmm

Book info: Gabi, a Girl in Pieces / Isabel Quintero. Cinco Puntos Books, 2015. [author site]  [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Edelweiss.

My book talk: Conflicting messages from family, friends, and society leave Gabi wondering if she can truly achieve her dreams or if she must conform to the expectations of her Mexican heritage in Southern California.

As her senior year begins, Gabi still wants to lose weight, have a normal family, and have a boyfriend (and a first kiss!). Instead, she copes with her best friend’s unintended pregnancy, her meth-head father’s random appearances, and the fallout of her other best friend finally coming out to his very traditional Mexican family.

Creative writing class becomes an unexpected source of joy in her life, a distraction from the escapades of her younger brother (always overlooked by their mom, who is so critical of Gabi) and the overlong visit of her busybody aunt.

A first kiss – hooray! Macho heartbreaker – boo!
Supporting Cindy through morning sickness – not fun. Working with Martin on poetry – much better!
All the drama with mom and dad – so bad. A chance to attend prom with a real boyfriend – excellent!

Will Gabi be able to escape her mother’s unending lectures on staying ‘a good girl’ and go to college away from this stuffy town? Read her honest journal to find out. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Stories of seagoing survival to read with your ears!

Jun11

Time to download this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC so you can read with your ears!

Remember that although these complete audiobooks are only available from Thursday through Wednesday, you have free use of them as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device

Click on the title to download each audiobook by Wednesday – free and easy.

CD cover of The Living by Matt de la Pena | Read by Henry Leyva Published by Brilliance Audio The Living
by Matt de la Pena
Read by Henry Leyva
Published by Brilliance Audio

After an earthquake wrecks the cruise ship he’s working on, Shy must survive and keep a rich teen girl alive, too.

 

 
The Perfect Storm: CD cover of The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger | Read by Richard Davidson Published by Recorded Books, Inc.A True Story of Men Against the Sea
by Sebastian Junger
Read by Richard Davidson
Published by Recorded Books, Inc.

The crew of a small fishing boat battles against the storm of the century.

Two amazing survival stories – have you read either of these in print?
**kmm

Disappearance of Emily H., by Barrie Summy (book review) – secrets sparkle, uncovered threats?

Jun10

book cover of The Disppearance of Emily H. by Barrie Summy published by Delacorte PressSparkling puffs of others’ memories,
easy to find, irresistible to grab,
but what if the memory is filled with threats?

Raine has inherited the family ability to read and replay others’ memories from the “sparklies” that remain, especially after strong emotions. Grabbing a sparkly looks too much like trying to take something, so her grandmother warned her against it.

But Raine’s fingers are just itching to get more after she discovers that she’s now living in the house that Emily H. vanished from…

For a peek into the mystery facing Raine in her new town and middle school, enjoy this book trailer created by the Mooresville Public Library (Indiana):

If you could access memories just by touching them, would you?
**kmm

Book info: The Disappearance of Emily H. / Barrie Summy.  Delacorte Press, 2015.   [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: If eighth grader Raine had followed advice to not pick up ‘sparklies’ – shards of others’ memories that she can view and replay – then she’d never have discovered the mean girls’ conspiracy at her new school or looked into the fate of Emily who lived in this same house and disappeared…

After yet another move with her mom, Raine didn’t expect to make a new friend on the first day of school (homeschooled Shirlee has a hard time tuning out Jennifer and her mean girls, but Raine is a pro). Having to prove her cross-country running to Coach is a given, but snooty Jennifer’s behavior at practices is over the limit.

Everyone at school is still talking about the recent disappearance for Emily, who was frequently picked on by the mean girls, but the police have few leads. The few sparklies that Raine has quietly grabbed at school hint that the mean girls know more than they’re telling.

Unexplained fires keep flaring up – is there a firebug in the small New York town?
Raine’s nosy neighbor accuses her of sneaking back into the house nightly – but it isn’t her…
Does she dare search for more memories sparkling on Jennifer’s belongings to discover the truth?

Bullying and belonging, friendship and family – middle school with a dangerous mystery! (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Extraordinary Means, by Robyn Schneider (book review) – a chance of love while dying

Jun9

book cover of Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider published by Katherine Tegen BooksHighly contagious and deadly,
old TB now resistant to all treatments –
live for now, because tomorrow may be too late!

Sadie cringes when Lane walks into the sanatorium cafeteria – at summer camp years ago, he invited her to the big dance, then dumped her flat.

Lane is sure he’ll be well and out of Latham before the semester is over – his memories of summer camp with Sadie don’t include any dance invitation…

Read the first few chapters here for free to meet Lane and Sadie and the other teens who are hoping for a miracle cure during their time at Latham.

The author of this just-published novel studied medical ethics, and her solid foundation of knowledge makes this fictitious strain of TB unnervingly realistic.

Would you submit to an experimental medical procedure to save your life?
**kmm

Book info: Extraordinary Means / Robyn Schneider.  Katherine Tegen Books, 2015.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:When a life-threatening illness pulls Lane out of his overachiever lifestyle, the high school senior can’t imagine that rule-breaking and a now-lovely acquaintance from summer camp could make what’s left of his life so much worth living.

Diagnosed with drug-resistant tuberculosis and sent away for a rest cure, Lane frets about AP classes left behind instead of relaxing to slow down his disease’s progress. Finding Sadie from junior high camp days helps him try for some memorable moments in his life instead of his planned rush to get ahead.

Sadie has been at Latham longer than anyone, has watched other teens with super-TB go out the gate either well or dead, and is sure that falling in love here is a terrible idea. She certainly didn’t count on Lane or his adorable eyes or his willingness to join her group of rule-breakers like wisecracking Nick and musical Charlie.

Planning for college or getting a driver’s license – how does it make sense when they may never leave Latham?

Rumors of a cure for their TB show up on the news regularly – what if the researchers really find one?

Told in alternating chapters by Lane and Sadie, this story of the Extraordinary Means  that folks will use to stay alive celebrates making the most of the time you’ve got, especially when your candle is burning down fast. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Centaur’s Daughter, by Ellen Jensen Abbott (book review) – fighting evil, one arrow at a time

Jun6

book cover of The Centaur's Daughter by Ellen Jensen Abbott published by SkyscapeUberwolf ambush,
humans good and bad,
can Watersmeet remain a safe haven?

Fairies are only interested in what benefits them, but if they ally with militant followers of the evil White Worm, what hope is there for those who wish to live in harmony?

The story begun in Watersmeet  (my no-spoiler recommendation here) rumbles across the plains and threatens the fragile peace forged by dwarves, fauns, centaurs, and humans.

Read the first chapter here courtesy of the author, then ask for The Centaur’s Daughter at your local library or independent bookstore (if it’s not in stock, they will order it! Support local businesses!)

**kmm

Book info: The Centaur’s Daughter (Watersmeet, book 2) / Ellen Jensen Abbott. Skyscape, 2011 (paperback, 2014). [author site]  [publisher site] Review copy from the author; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Chosen to follow her long-lost father as Keeper of peaceful Watersmeet settlement, Abisina may have to lead its creatures to save the humans who cast her out so that both groups may be free from ultimate evil.

Humans had despised Abisina in their village merely because of her hair color – will they accept her leadership to fight against the evil one when they discover she is a centaur-human shapeshifter?

Centaurs and humans have been enemies for generations, earth-deep dwarves have stayed clear of both groups forever, fauns and hamadryads need the forest’s protection – can they band together to cross plains and mountains to keep the White Worm’s unholy allies from destroying their lands?

As told in Abisina’s journey to Watersmeet in book one, the prophecy about The Centaur’s Daughter must be supported by creatures and humans alike, if there ever is to be a safe place for those who wish to live in peace with The Keeper (book 3).  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

When Books Went to War, by Molly Guptill Manning (book review) – readers in WWII trenches

Jun5

book cover of When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning published by Houghton Mifflin HarcourtIn transports, tanks, and trenches,
packed into troopships and training camps,
ready to read while waiting to fight!

During World War II, librarians were determined to get books into soldiers’ hands. When publishers agreed to help, millions of pocket-sized Armed Services Editions of classics, plays, memoirs, and novels were eagerly shared by service people, sparking a reading culture that led to large participation in GI Bill higher education opportunities after the war’s end.

The ASE program also spurred the paperback publishing that we know today, you’ll learn from this fascinating book. The author provides a free excerpt here so you get a taste of her engaging prose style.

If you could only have a handful books with you during stressful times, as these fighters did, which titles would you choose?
**kmm

Book info: When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II / Molly Guptill Manning. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author video interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Fighting World War II with more than bullets and bombs, an armada of pocket-sized free books created a positive “war of ideas” and values as they were eagerly read and shared by American soldiers and sailors around the globe.

Librarians began collecting books for American troops in the war’s early days, but couldn’t gather and ship enough suitable volumes for the demand. Working with publishers and authors, a compact format reprinting of classics, popular novels, memoirs, plays and other reading material was developed, using very small print and less paper.

The program put Armed Services Editions of over 1300 separate titles into the hands of countless soldiers, sailors, and airmen during its 3-year existence, with these pocket-books being shared and shared again all over the world.

This fascinating book recounting the history of these little books of big ideas also highlights the Council on Books in Wartime’s efforts to prevent censorship of ASE titles and the impact that this program had in preparing America’s fighters to become higher education students when the war ended.

 

Who’s missing? Mysteries & frights to read with your ears!

Jun4

Time to download this week’s eerie pair of free audiobooks from SYNC so you can read with your ears!

Yes, these are complete audiobooks available from Thursday through Wednesday, and they’re yours until you delete them from your computer or electronic device.

If you miss the free download time for any works mentioned, you can find buying info at http://www.audiobooksync.com/  Check your local library, too!

CD cover of A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty | Read by Fiona Hardingham, Andrew Eiden, Kate Reinders, Peter McGowan Published by Scholastic AudioA Corner of White
by Jaclyn Moriarty
Read by Fiona Hardingham, Andrew Eiden, Kate Reinders, Peter McGowan
Published by Scholastic Audio

Missing persons, interconnected worlds with uncrossable barriers that Madeleine and Elliott somehow get past! I recommended this first book in trilogy on BooksYALove here in 2013.

DraculaCD cover of Dracula by Bram Stoker | Read by David Horovitch, Jamie Parker, Joseph Kloska, Alison Pettitt, Clare Corbett, John Foley, David Thorpe Published by Naxos AudioBooks
by Bram Stoker
Read by David Horovitch, Jamie Parker, Joseph Kloska, Alison Pettitt, Clare Corbett, John Foley, David Thorpe
Published by Naxos AudioBooks

The vampire tale that started it all, read by an outstanding actor cast, complete and unabridged!

Have you read either of these changed-world titles before?
**kmm

League of Regrettable Superheroes, by Jon Morris (book review) – 100 also-rans from real comics!

Jun3

book cover of The League of Regrettable Superheroes by Jon Morris published by Quirk BooksKid Eternity for justice!
Moon Girl fighting crime!
3-D Man against bad guys!
Who???

Jon Morris has spent years locating and verifying these not-very-super characters on his Gone and Forgotten blog – now, he’s collected them into a book filled with pages of rare comics, from the Golden Age to now.

Just published yesterday, this encyclopedic array of one hundred has-beens is a must-have for comic fans. Ask for it at your local library or independent bookstore.

If you were inventing a new not-so-superhero, what powers would s/he have?
**kmm

Book info: The League of Regrettable Superheroes / Jon Morris. Quirk Books, 2015.  [author blog]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: For every blockbuster action superhero, there are scores of not-so-super characters who tried and failed to make an impact in comics – a veritable League of Regrettable Superheroes, in fact.

This colorful compendium of so-so superheroes is divided into chronological sections: the Golden Age of Comics (1938-1949) with a propensity for Nazi-hunting during World War II, the Silver Age (1950-1969) with gimmicks galore, and the Modern Age (1970-present) with grim and gritty storylines.

The 100 regrettable superheroes are arranged alphabetically in each age, with full-color comic pages, date of first appearance, and more.

Meet Captain Tootsie, Kangaroo Man, Speed Centaur, and early female superbeing Fantomah of the Golden Age. Puzzle over the mindset of the creators of Congorilla and Pow-Girl of the Silver Age, as well as Brother Voodoo, Squirrel Girl, and Thunderbunny in the Modern Age.

There were also groundbreaking superheroes who never got the recognition they deserved, like Nelvana of the Northern Lights (a Canadian pre-Wonder Woman superhero). Many of the early characters in this book are now in the public domain, so revivals of Nelvana, DollMan, and others may appear in new incarnations.

A must for any comic fan and an interesting look at the concerns of mainstream society during each age, The League of Regrettable Superheroes captures fleeting pages from America’s collective youth.