Book review - Zac and Mia

Title: Zac and Mia
Author: A.J. Betts
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
                     Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Rating: 

Unput-down-able

Summary: Zac has been in isolation after a bone marrow transplant for a month. With only his mother for company he's going a little stir crazy. Then he gets a new neighbor on the oncology ward. Mia is newly diagnosed and angry. After only a handful of Facebook conversations (which never seem to end well) Zac is sent home to continue his recovery. He expects to move on with his life and never see Mia again, though he can't help but wonder how she is doing. Then one day, her life going wrong, Mia tracks Zac down.
My Opinion: Firstly, this book is bound to be compared to The Fault in Our Stars. It's inevitable. Both books are about kids with cancer and their romantic connections. My recommendation is, put that out of your mind. Forget John Green while you are reading this and appreciate it on it's own merit. You have these two fantastic characters. Zac is very rational. He believes in statistics and hard science. Mia is emotional. Every response she gives is guttural and instinctual. Their approaches to their illnesses are different. Zac sees it as a trial to get through, Mia as something to fight in every moment. It is more than these things too. It's a story about choosing hope, choosing to fight for every moment. Already an award winner in it's native Australia, I imagine it won't be long before Zac and Mia gets a lot of attention here in the States as well.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Tomboy

Tomboy: a graphic memoir by Liz Prince

This is, to my mind, the graphic novel for teens who feel marginalized or out of place. Liz is a self-described tomboy. From an early age she refuses to wear dresses, skirts, or anything "girly". She prefers toys that are favored by boys. Her role models are all male. She is quickly ostracized in elementary school and finds herself questioning her own identity. 
This is the story of a girl who doesn't fit into a traditional societal definition. She defies gender norms but still defines herself as female. She simply wants to define womanhood for herself. And that ultimate realization, that you can still be a woman even if you don't act in a socially traditional manner, is what makes this graphic novel stand out to me. Liz Prince has this way of explaining her ideas without becoming preachy, leading us to her realizations, that felt like a conversation with a friend instead of a lecture. Plus, this memoir is equal parts funny and meaningful. You will laugh and you might just cry a little.

Personally, I went through phases like this myself. My favorite outfit in the second grade was my Peter Pan costume.

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
Words and Their Meanings by Kate Bassett
Anna's beloved uncle died a year ago. In that year she has given up writing, her onetime passion, and begun to emulate Patti Smith. Now at the one year mark, her parents and her therapist think it's time to move on. As she attempts to live by their new rules, Anna begins to discover secrets about Uncle Joe.
From the beginning, this book has great atmosphere. Anna may not be the world's most likeable character but she feels genuine. I look forward to discovering more of this story, all those secrets about Joe and why Anna feels responsible for his death.

What did you recently finish reading?
Starry Night by Isabel Gillies
On the night that she goes to her first formal party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wren meets Nolan and everything changes. She feels different when she is near him. Even her dreams change. As her family pushes her to hang on to herself, Wren just wants to let go and live in the moment with Nolan.
This is definitely one of the more thoughtful teen romances I've read. It explores art, music, talent, and love in their different forms. Romance isn't one of my favored genres so I had a somewhat difficult time getting into this one, but I enjoyed the way it made me reconsider some preconceived notions.
 
What do you think you will read next?
Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday
A retelling mixed with mystery, murder, and insanity? This book could be amazing. I'm very much looking forward to it.

Book review - Rory's Promise

Title: Rory's Promise
Author: Michaela MacColl and Rosemary Nichols
Genre: Historical fiction
Similar books: Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
                     Behind the Masks by Susan Patron (or really, any of the books in the Dear America series to which this book belongs)
Rating:

Excellent historical fiction

Summary: 12 year old Rory and her 5 year old sister Violet have been living for the past 3 years at the Foundling Hospital in New York. Now the nuns want to send Violet to the Arizona territory to be adopted. Rory is determined to stay with her sister no matter what, even if it means sneaking aboard the train west. And when she gets to Arizona things get progressively worse.
My opinion: This is the exact kind of series I adore. Take a little known bit of history and spin it into a story. In this book we see the comparison between the Foundling adoptions and the more well-known Orphan Train. It's a story of intrigue, humor, and rather strong lessons. Rory learns about family, the fallibility of her authority figures, and that there is not always a perfect solution to a problem. Plus, the sense of atmosphere is strong. While secondary characters are somewhat weak, the excellent setting makes up for it.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Despicable Me Jenga

With Christmas closer than I'd like to think about, I realized the other day that it was time to get started making some gifts if I wanted to finish things before December. Several months ago I picked up this game at the dollar store with plans to customize it for my brother.

Each piece is about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide

After some careful consideration of the various fandoms he enjoys, I settled on Despicable Me. The pieces are the perfect shape for minions. After that it was a simple matter of painting them.

The first step, completed. After that I forgot to document steps.

Here's how the finished pieces look.
 

I did just 6 of them as the purple minions from Despicable Me 2.

A crew of happy minions

I think they look pretty cool stacked up.

Book review - The Ghost and Max Monroe

Title: The Ghost and Max Monroe: Case #1 The Magic Box
Author: L.M. Falcone
Genre: Mystery
Similar books: Cam Jansen series by David Adler
                     A to Z Mysteries series by Ron Roy
Rating:

Super sleuthy

Summary: Max is looking forward to spending the summer with his Grandpa. He expects to spend a great deal of time lying around reading mystery stories. He is startled to discover a run-down detective agency in Grandpa Harry's back yard - a detective agency still inhabited by the ghost of Great Uncle Larry. When Larry gets a case, it is up to to Max to solve it.
My opinion: This looks like it is going to be a really nice beginning detective series. It has simple, easy to understand text supported by a handful of drawings. As a mystery, it follows basic logic and simple deductive reasoning. Max identifies who might have had motive, what clues are relevant, etc. Plus there is the addition of a ghost who is perhaps overly emotional and not a very good detective. Larry is certainly entertaining. Falcone even provides a logical explanation for why only certain people can see Larry. This will be a good series for most kids just starting to read chapter books independently, not to mention budding detectives.
More information: The Magic Box releases September 1st.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6: Historical fiction

I'm a fan of historical fiction for all ages, but especially for middle grade readers. I've always found historical fiction to be a good way to make a personal connection with a history lesson. It personalizes dry facts. Here are six historical fiction books, mostly for middle grade readers, published in the last six months.

6 New Historical novels
1. Fleabrain Loves Franny by Joanne Rocklin (the polio epidemic)

2. Revolution by Deborah Wiles (1960's)

3. Stay Where You are and Then Leave by John Boyne (World War One)

4. The Children of the King by Sonja Harnett (World War Two)

5. Faces of the Dead by Suzanne Weyn (the French Revolution)

6. A Death Struck Year by Makiia Lucier (the Spanish flu epidemic)