Book review - The Book of Ivy

Title: The Book of Ivy
Author: Amy Engel
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: Matched by Ally Condie
                     I am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff
Rating:

There's just something about this book that I love

Summary: Ivy Westfall has spent the past two years in training. Training for the day when she must marry Bishop Lattimer, son of the president, grandson of the man who overthrew her family (once leaders of their settlement) and made them second-class citizens. Training to return her family to power. Training to kill Bishop. It doesn't take long for Ivy to realize, though, that Bishop is not the cruel tyrant she's always been led to believe. Can she carry through with the plan?
My opinion: This book has all of the standard dystopian elements: girl from a repressed group, arranged marriage, cruel punishment, city walls that claim to be keeping danger out but may be keeping the population in, an assassination plot. And some parts of the plot are kind of idealized, particularly Ivy's interactions with Bishop. (I find Bishop just a little too good to believe). And there's this notion of the power of love to break down barriers, change minds, all that jazz. these are things that tend to make me roll my eyes when I read them. Something about the way Engel put it all together, though, was just shy of perfection. What really sold me on this book was the ending. [ATTENTION: Here there be mild spoilers] What a cruel, dark, awesome ending. Nothing works out for Ivy. She's in a terrible situation with no way out. Clearly this is the lead-in for book 2, but it is also what keeps it from becoming too cliche. If you like dystopias, give this book a try.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Picture books for everyone

Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco

There is plenty to love about this book. Firstly, the art is pencil drawings. Each object is carefully rendered, adding detail and contouring while maintaining the loose, sketchy style. Each page has a detail or two in color, adding nuance and an almost magical quality to the relationship between girl and elephant. Secondly, it's a book with a great twist at the end, one that never fails to delight both kids and adults when I read this at storytime. Smaller kids need a little bit of coaching to discover the surprise but this does not take away from their enjoyment of it.

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
When two kids discover that the milk is all gone, their father runs down the street to buy some. He returns several hours later with a wild story of why it took him so terribly long just to buy a little milk.
I've been wanting to read this new Neil Gaiman book for some time now. With time travel, dinosaurs, pirates, aliens, and more it reminds me of To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street crossed with Doctor Who. 

What did you recently finish reading?
Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (Dover Graphic Novel Classics) Adapted by John Green
Holmes and Watson investigate a family curse in this graphic novel adaptation.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is probably the most commonly retold Sherlock Holmes story. This version is fairly solid. The illustrations, while nothing spectacular, are solid and occasionally capture some excellent Holmes expressions. Not the best adaptation of Sherlock Holmes I've ever read but a good thrift edition of you're looking to save some money.

What do you think you will read next?
Niles Wormwart, Accidental Villain by D.M. Cunningham
Niles is determined to make waves at the science fair with his time travel wristwatch. No cliched experiments for this kid. Unfortunately, his experiment goes wrong and blows up the science wing of his school. In the wake of the destruction, Niles is sent of to Camp Mayhem. His father thinks it is a role-playing camp. In reality, it is a training camp for future villains.
This could be an interesting twist on the "kid finds out he is a superhero" plot. 

Peg dolls part 1

With not even a week until the craft fair, I'm frantically trying to finish up all of my projects. I've been painting a high quantity of peg dolls. Here are photos of a dozen of them. I'll share the rest with you next week. All the dolls were painted with acrylic paint and a clear coat of Mod-podge.

Book review - The Silence of Six

Title: The Silence of Six
Author: E.C. Myers
Genre: Thriller
Similar books: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
                     After by Francine Prose
Rating:

Very compelling

Summary: Max used to be best friends with Evan. Things changed after Evan was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Between the diagnosis and the effects of his new medications, Evan drew away from his friends. Max hadn't talked to him in quite some time when Evan hacked a live-streaming presidential debate, asking the very cryptic question "What is the silence of six and what are you going to do about it" before killing himself. Immediately after Evan's suicide, officials lock down all of the details of the debate and simply knowing Evan makes Max the target of a national investigation.
My Opinion: Internet safety/ privacy issues and hactivism make great plots for teen novels. This stuff is so important to think about as our lives become increasingly focused on the digital. While I got a little bogged down in tech speak a few times and occasionally flet like I was being scolded for my mild internet safety naivete, I was far more impressed by the issues of internet privacy, net neutrality, and ownership that came up than annoyed by those little reminders.
Apart from all of that, the writing is solid, the pacing excellent, the characterization believable. This is an action packed novel with an ending that is both satisfying and open for sequels. You won't look at your social media the same after you read The Silence of Six.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Books on screen

How to Train Your Dragon

This is one of those books where I actually saw the movie first. And I loved it. I love this movie. Recently I got my hands on a copy of the book. It was a lot of fun too. At first glance, though, they have nothing in common apart from a handful of names. The book is funny; the movie is far more serious. The dragons in the book talk; in the movie they don't. The vikings in the book must train a dragon when they are young; in the movie they kill them. Basically the entire plot is different. These differences can seem overwhelming but at heart the two stories actually achieve the same thing. We have this young hero who has a different way of seeing things, a different approach to life, that while challenged by hsi peers eventually proves useful. Both are excellent and well worth your time.

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
The Silence of Six by E.C. Myers
Max used to be best friends with Evan. Things changed after Evan was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Between the diagnosis and the effects of his new medications, Evan drew away from his friends. Max hadn't talked to him in quite some time when Evan hacked a live-streaming presidential debate, asking the very cryptic question "What is the silence of six and what are you going to do about it" before killing himself. Immediately after Evan's suicide, officials lock down all of the details of the debate and simply knowing Evan makes Max the target of a national investigation. 
I'm only a few chapters into this novel but it holds a lot of promise. I'm a fan of books that encourage the reader to consider political issues, the role of technology in our lives, and to question everything. 
 
What did you recently finish reading?
Creed by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie
On their way to a concert Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike run out of gas. With temperatures plummeting and emergency sirens sounding, they take refuge is a small, seemingly abandoned town. But nothing is as it seems in Purity Springs. When the inhabitants appear in the morning, Dee and her friends realize that the leader, Elijah, poses far more danger than the storm.
 
What do you think you will read next?
Stone Cove Island by  Suzanne Myers
This one promises a decades old murder mystery in the aftermath of a hurricane. Could be pretty awesome.