Book Review: Steering Toward Normal

Title: Steering Toward Normal
Author: Rebecca Petruck
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Similar books: Worth by A. LaFaye
                     Horse Camp by Nicole Helget and Nate Leboutillier
Rating:

Surprisingly pleased

Summary: Diggy Lawson's life follows a familiar routine: he goes to school, takes care of his 4H steer, and trades practical jokes with his Pop. Then his classmate, Wayne Graf, gets dropped off at their house and they discover that Wayne is also Pop's son. Diggy finds it impossible to adjust to having Wayne around, especially when Wayne also decides to raise a 4H steer. Suddenly they are competing for everything: the championship at the fair, Pop's attention, and the notice of July, an older girl on whom they both have a crush.
My Opinion: Reading this book reminded me somewhat of my childhood. While I never did 4H myself many of my friends did and my family raised some farm animals. The book explains a lot about show animal procedures for those unfamiliar. These descriptions can get a little dry at times, but only briefly. Those moments are definitely overshadowed by the brilliance of the rest of the book. I was especially fond of the moments where we see the steers echoing their owners' emotional states and the prank scenes (hilarious!). Anyone who's ever had a sibling will relate to the relationship between Diggy and Wayne. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to future books from Petruck.  


Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

John Green

I'm a great admirer of the works of John Green, both his books and his YouTube channel. The man is nothing short of a genius. With the general popularity of his books and the movie of The Fault in Our Stars nearly here we thought we'd do an evening program centered on John Green.

We planned a pretty low key program. The plan was to show some Vlogbrothers clips, do some fan art, and just generally discuss the books. 

We took a vote and by a narrow margin An Abundance of Katherines was the favorite title of attendees.

We had a lot of fun with Nerdfighter Mad Libs. (Find them here)

We drew our own versions of The Giant Squid of Anger.

And one brave teen was willing to have his photo taken with me doing the Nerdfighter sign. 

Thanks, Nick!

 

WWW Wednesdays

What are you currently reading?
I am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff.
Boy Nobody is, as the title implies, a weapon. A weapon that no one even notices. He infiltrates a community, gets close to some key kid, assassinates his target in a way that looks like natural causes, and disappears. This is his world and he doesn't question it. Until he meets Sam. Sam is the daughter of his current target, the mayor of New York City. For the first time, Boy Nobody finds himself questioning his role. I'm really enjoying this book so far and look forward to seeing how it resolves.
 
What did you recently finish reading?
Nantucket Red by Leila Howland
Cricket just got accepted at Brown University. She has just one summer to make $8000 to support herself during the school year. What better place to make this money than Nantucket? Of course, this means there's a chance she'll run into her former best friend and her ex-boyfriend who are vacationing there. With a hot new guy in her world and a mistake that may change the course of her life, summer won't be dull.
 
What do you think you will read next?
Dream Boy by Madelyn Rosenberg
This sound sounds equal parts magical and creepy. Could be awesome.
 

Pick 6

Hi there! I'm playing with some new features for the blog here. Today's attempt I'm calling Pick 6. The idea is that I'll pick a genre and list 6 books from that genre published withing the last 6 months. Ideally these will be books that I've read and think you all should read as well. Let me know what you think.

6 Teen Mysteries

1.  Don't look Back by Jennifer Armentrout
2.  Buzzkill by Beth Fantaskey
3.  Far From You by Tess Sharpe
4.  Below the Surface by Tim Shoemaker  (This might technically be a tween novel [and can I say I'm not a fan of the word tween] but I'm making an exception because it was pretty cool)
5.  High and Dry by Sarah Skilton
6.  Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell (Confession: I haven't read this one but it sounds cooler than some of the mysteries I did read so I'm including it)
 
So there's my list. If you've read any truly awesome teen mysteries in the past 6 months I'd love to hear about them. 

Charms

This past week I got a special request for some small polymer clay charms. While I was at it I figured I'd try making a few for myself for use in our upcoming Doctor Who program at work (details coming next month!).

The custom charms:

Happy Muffin!

 

Pacifier

Doctor Who charms:

Adipose

Cyberman

Weeping Angel

The charms are a little simplistic but I hope a second round of charm making later will result in a slightly better product. Also, I made a Dalek but it absolutely refused to photograph properly.

Bonus Book Review: Undone

That's right. A second book review this week. I couldn't decide between these two.

Title: Undone
Author: Cat Clarke
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Similar books: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
                     Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King
Rating: 

Thought provoking , concerning

Summary: Jem has always loved Kai the best of anyone. She can't imagine her life without her best friend. She is devastated, then, when Kai commits suicide after he is outed in a cruel video on the internet. When Kai's sister delivers a series of letters from Kai, where he tries to help Jem move on, Jem vows revenge on those she thinks posted the video.
My opinion: Jem's quest is somewhat reminiscent of The Count of Monte Cristo (good companion read!). She ignores what good sense tells her, that no good will come from her quest. And there are consequences, things she did not expect when she set out to ruin lives. So on the one hand, it has real, good lessons to teach us about bullying and the consequences to our actions. On the other hand, I found certain aspects of the story troubling. The end in particular was somewhat concerning.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book Review: A Bird on Water Street

Title: A Bird on Water Street
Author: Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Genre: Historical Fiction
Similar books: The Wednesday Wars by Gary D Schmidt
                     Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French
Rating:

Dreamy setting, satisfying story

Summary: All Jack has ever known is Coppertown, a town where nothing grows. No trees, no plants, no bugs, no birds. All the men in his family work in the mine. His grandfather, and now his uncle, both died in mine collapses. His father expects Jack to be a miner some day. But Jack can't help but dream of something more.
My Opinion: This book deftly blends ecological education with the weight of other people's expectations. I found Jack's perspective on life light and refreshing. He understands the way people are tied to a place as well as the desire for something more. It has more emotional complexity than you sometimes see in a middle grade novel. The setting is fantastically described. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley