WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein
Rhoda, Emilia, and Teo moved to Ethiopia from the United States in the 1930s. They wanted to escape the racial tensions and judgement that came along with a white woman raising a black child. They fell in love with their new country. When war with Italy threatens, they find themselves caught up in a new conflict. Will their new country save them or tear them apart?

This is the first of Wein's books that I've read and only a few chapters in I'm already very much invested in the story. She has remarkable way of writing characters we want to care about. I love what I've read already and don't expect that opinion to change.
 
What did you recently finish reading?
The Tightrope Walkers by David Almond
Dominic Hall feels like life is pulling him in many different directions. He wants to spend time with both Holly Stroud, his gentle and artistic neighbor, and Vincent McAlinden, a local thug with a reputation for being dangerously unpredictable. His mother encourages him to focus on his education and reach for higher things while his ship-builder father wants him to stay grounded in his current reality. Dominic can't even make heads or tails of his own nature. What sort of person is he really?

This book lacks the magical elements common in Almond's books. It's a fascinating exploration of growing up and discovering yourself. Dominic makes good and bad choices, heads in directions we wonder if he can come back from, faces nearly overwhelming odds. Mostly, this is a story of the constant state of becoming we find ourselves in as people.
 
What do you think you will read next?
Between Now and Never by Laura Johnston
This is part of my continuing effort to read stuff I wouldn't normally pick. A teen romance, this one promises a car accident, amnesia, and FBI involvement.

Book review - Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions

Title: Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions
Author: Sheila Grau
Genre: humor
Similar books: Goblins by Philip Reeve
                     Little Miss Evil by Bryce Leung and Kristy Shen
Rating:

What's not to like?

Summary: This should be Runt Higgins's year. He may be the smallest werewolf at Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions (he hasn't even transformed for several years) but now that he's in the Junior Henchman program he has a chance to prove himself. Unfortunately, things start going wrong the first day with a series of attacks against the school. It's up to Runt to save the school from destruction.

My Opinion: This book is really fun. Runt is an incredibly likeable character who gets into entertaining scrapes. This is a great start to a series and has lots of room for growth as the series progresses. It's funny and relatively gripping just in the writing. The illustrations just add to the charm. I really enjoyed it and I'm sure kids will too. I look forward to recommending this to kids at my library.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

My new messenger bag

This craft is one I've been working on for a while. I found some bright green canvas pretty reasonably priced at a local store. The lining fabric I had picked up previously to make a shirt. It's large enough to hold several books. I think I'd like to add pockets at some point.

Book review - Little Miss Evil

Title: Little Miss Evil
Author: Bryce Leung and Kristy Shen
Genre: humor/superheroes
Similar books: How to Grow Up and Rule the World by Scott Seegert
                     V is for Villain by Peter Moore
Rating:

deliciously evil

Summary: Fiona's dad is a villain. They live in a volcano. She flies to school in a helicopter. And every year on her birthday, her father gives her some kind of weapon to prepare her for a future as a villain. The problem is, Fiona doesn't want to be evil. She wants to be seen as a regular kid. Then, the volcano base is attacked and her father is kidnapped. The only way to get him back is to hand over a nuclear bomb. It will take all of her skills for Fiona to get him back. And she just might have to get a little bit evil.

My Opinion: Could this book be any more fun? You've got all the classic super-villain types here: the greedy for gold, the power-mad, and the over the top evil-for-the-sake-of-evil screwball. It might not be great literature, but there are a lot of good things happening here. Characters all have at least a little depth. Life is portrayed as complex, a series of tough choices. Mostly, though, it is incredibly entertaining.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Pick 6: love stories

Romance is definitely not my favorite genre. I try to read them occasionally just be aware of what's out there.  Here are 6 love stories published in the last 6 months.

6 new love stories

1. Love and other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

2. How (Not) to Fall in Love by Lisa Brown Roberts

3. I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

4. Paper or Plastic by Vivi Barnes

5. The Secrets Between You and Me by Shanna Norris

6. My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions by Sheila Grau
This should be Runt Higgins's year. He may be the smallest werewolf at Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions (he hasn't even transformed for several years) but now that he's in the Junior Henchman program he has a chance to prove himself. Unfortunately, things start going wrong the first day with a series of attacks against the school. It's up to Runt to save the school from destruction.

I love the concept behind this book. What I've read so far is quite entertaining.

What did you recently finish reading?
Enchantment Lake by Margie Preus
When she takes a mysterious phone call from her great aunts, Francie rushes off from her audition in New York back to Minnesota where strange things are happening. Residents of Enchantment Lake are dying in mysterious accidents. Local law enforcement thinks nothing is wrong. Francie isn't so sure and her investigations might just get her in over her head.

This is a fairly standard young teen mystery. The clues can be a little hard to follow and the writing style is a bit odd but it's not a difficult read.

What do you think you will read next?
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
A story about two non-white girls, disguised as boys, headed west on their own? This could be absolutely amazing.

Book review - Catch You Later, Traitor

Title: Catch You Later, Traitor
Author: Avi
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
                     Rex Zero and the End of the World by Tim Wynne-Jones
Rating:

I highly recommend

Summary: It's 1951 and Pete likes nothing more than reading and listening to detective stories. He soon finds himself mixed up in a very different sort of mystery when a rumor goes around that a member of his family is a Communist and his teacher and classmates, even his best friend Kat, turn against him. Pete searches for the truth, but he begins to wonder if finding it will fix his problems or make things even worse.

My opinion: Avi is pretty much a consistent source of good kid's fiction, especially historical fiction. I find that novels are a great way to learn about history and this novel is certainly no exception, taking a close look at life during the cold war and the affect being an accused communist had on whole families. Add in universally applicable lessons about loyalty, honesty, and growing up and and this becomes just an all around great novel.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.