Book review - Jasmine Green Rescues a Piglet Called Truffle

Title: Jasmine Green Rescues a Piglet Called Truffle
Author: Helen Peters
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes
                      Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet by Jaqueline Kelly
Rating:

hmmmm

Summary (provided by publisher): Meet Jasmine Green — an aspiring veterinarian who adores animals! Can her kindness and know-how save a piglet in trouble in this delightful series debut?
Jasmine Green loves animals. Her mother is a veterinarian. Her father is a farmer. And her brother and sister are . . . well, they’re mostly annoying. But being in the Green family means seeing and taking care of animals all the time. While helping her mom on a house call, Jasmine visits a new litter of piglets and discovers a forgotten runt hidden underneath its brothers and sisters. Poor little piglet. It is so tiny that it can’t even drink! Its owner refuses to rescue it. So it is up to Jasmine to save the pig . . . secretly. What will happen if anyone finds out? Author Helen Peters and illustrator Ellie Snowdon introduce the irresistible pair of clever, caring Jasmine and lovable Truffle, while capturing the beauty and bustle of a family farm. A kind of James Herriot for a new generation, this first book in the Jasmine Green series is for anyone who loves helping animals.

My opinion: There's a fair amount of factual information in this book. The reader learns about pigs, animal husbandry, the realities of farm living, and sanitation. A wealth of information relayed in a manner fairly natural to the plot. Jasmine's actions give me pause, though. She lies, steals, and manipulates and ends up with exactly what she wanted. Even after being told repeatedly that she could not have a pig. She is essentially  rewarded for this behavior. THe writing itself is a bit sterile, utterly lacking in flourishes or artistry.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

What am I reading today?

Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington

Total read in March thus far: 67

Radish man

Occasionally I'm struck by a random craft idea that won't leave me alone until I see it out. Sometimes that works out well, like when I made my K-9 shelf. Other times, it leads me to make a radish man out of the end of an old sock.

Not sure what else to say about that.
 

What am I reading today?

Crossing the Farak River by Michelle Aung Thin

Total read in March thus far: 65

What am I reading today?

Saltwater Secrets by Cindy Callaghan

Total read in March thus far: 60

What am I reading today?

Survival Tips by Clive Johnson

Total read in March thus far: 57

Book review - The Vinyl Underground

Title: The Vinyl Underground
Author: Rob Rufus
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: Revolution by Deborah Wiles
                      Freedom's Just Another Word by Caroline Stellings
Rating:

more complex than it initially appears

Summary (provided by publisher): Dig it.
During the tumultuous year of 1968, four teens are drawn together: Ronnie Bingham, who is grieving his brother’s death in Vietnam; Milo, Ronnie’s bookish best friend; “Ramrod,” a star athlete who is secretly avoiding the draft; and Hana, the new girl, a half-Japanese badass rock-n-roller whose presence doesn’t sit well with their segregated high school.
The four outcasts find sanctuary in “The Vinyl Underground,” a record club where they spin music, joke, debate, and escape the stifling norms of their small southern town. But Ronnie’s eighteenth birthday is looming. Together, they hatch a plan to keep Ronnie from being drafted. But when a horrific act of racial-charged violence rocks the gang to their core, they decide it’s time for an epic act of rebellion.

My opinion: I'm definitely a fan of music as a metaphor for dealing with social change. It's use in a book set during the Vietnam War era is an obvious choice, with so much music of the time being protest music. The plot doesn't take big risks thematically. It talks about racism, anti-draft sentiments, and gender roles. It lays out a pretty simple good and bad dichotomy. If it stopped there it would be pretty forgettable. But Rufus allows for some gray area, points out the fallacy of most absolutes. There's this idea that no one has the right to make decisions on everyone's behalf. Ronnie engages in this big protest and then realizes that's he's hurt people. That while he was morally right he can't claim absolute right. While the general plot treads very familiar ground it takes some unique views. Most of the explorations are fairly simple and conflicts are perhaps too easily resolved, but I'm a fan of anything that opens up a discussion, that asks us to explore our opinions more deeply and this book certainly does that.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley