Title: A Sky Painted Gold
Author: Laura Wood
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill
Snow White: a graphic novel by Matt Phelan
Rating:
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| an interesting approach |
Summary (provided by publisher): It is the summer of 1929. Lou Trevelyan is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a writer. Then she meets the Cardew siblings: the bubbly Caitlin and her handsome, enigmatic brother, Robert. Lou is swept into their glittering whirlwind of moonlit parties, unrivaled glamour, and whispered secrets. As she falls deeper into the world of high society, Lou must find a way to stay true to herself . . . and her heart.
My opinion: One need not be overly familiar with The Great Gatsby to recognize the parallels in this novel. We have a working class protagonist thrown into the complexities of privileged class neighbors, neighbors who seem to do nothing but have parties. This novel has less casual racism than Gatsby but takes a much harder look at classism. And the examples we see come both from the Cardews and their friends and from Lou's family. As Lou becomes more entrenched in life on the Cardew estate we see the emptiness and casual decadence of their lifestyle. And Lou's involvement creates distance with her own family. She also begins to see how the parties and fun are a cover for real pain and preventing them from going after things they actually want. One thing Gatsby has over this book is the ending. Fitzgerald's final chapters are fairly tragic, pointing out the futility of living for pleasure. This book instead suggests that a happy ending is possible for everyone involved. It might be interesting to read these two books side by side and compare ideas and images.
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I got a great deal on some slip on canvas shoes a while back. They're pretty comfortable but were a bit boring.
So, I gave them a quick face lift with some glow-in-the-dark fabric paint that I had lying around. Now they look as good as they feel.
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
The last couple of audio books I listened to were rather dense or serious, so I'm hopeful that this will be more of a lighthearted listen. I know it's fairly short, so expect to see the follow up post next week.
Inventors by Robert Winston
I've read a fair number of profile collections now and each one has it's own advantage. By focusing on a particular type of achievement, this book is able to feature a wide variety of people, from various places and time periods. They achieved a lot of different innovations, based on years of study or trial and error based on an immediate need. And because each profile is pretty short, focused entirely on the invention, it's a quick read, easily absorbed in a single sitting, even for young readers.
More information: Inventors releases July 7
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Title: Seven Clues to Home
Author: Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Shaughnessy
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
Rating:
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| contemplative |
Summary (provided by publisher): WHEN YOU'VE LOST WHAT MATTERS MOST,
HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR WAY BACK HOME?
Joy Fonseca is dreading her 13th birthday, dreading being reminded again about her best friend Lukas's senseless death on this day, one year ago -- and dreading the fact he may have heard what she accidentally blurted to him the night before. Or maybe she's more worried he didn't hear.
Either way, she's decided: she's going to finally open the first clue to their annual birthday scavenger hunt Lukas left for her the morning he died, hoping the rest of the clues are still out there. If they are, they might lead Joy to whatever last words Lukas wrote, and toward understanding how to grab onto the future that is meant to be hers.
My opinion: In many ways, this is a more polished descendant of those "too young to die" books for teens popular in the nineties. By presenting us with the fact of Lukas's death at the beginning, we know that any development of the relationship between them can't possibly end happily. The plot is fairly simple, focused only on Joy finding clues and Lukas hiding them. The true development in this book is emotional. We see how their relationship grew in complexity, the promise of what might have happened between them, and Joy coming to terms with the loss of her friend at a time when everything else was changing as well. This is a book for middle graders ready for more emotional complexity.
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Title: Again Again
Author: e. lockhart
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
You by Charles Benoit
Rating:
 |
| "best book ever" |
Summary (provided by publisher): If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?
After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times--while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.
A raw, funny story that will surprise you over and over, Again Again gives us an indelible heroine grappling with the terrible and wonderful problem of loving other people.
My opinion: When I finished reading this book, the very first thing I wanted was to make someone else read it so I would have someone to discuss it with. I genuinely believe this is Lockhart's best, most innovative book. I reached the end and realized I didn't know which version of events had actually happened. I was expecting something like Groundhog Day, repeating events until you get it "right". The kind of story we see often. This book, instead, gives us several versions of events, some subtly different, others vastly so. Each variation affects the rest of the narrative. And as we read the different versions we begin to see the difference between the happiest version and the one we most want, the one that feels most realistic. It's also noteworthy that most of the variations end less than perfectly There is no perfection, just experience that inform Adelaide's future choices, that open her up to other possibilities. As I finished the book I was asking which version of reality actually happened. And then I realized that it didn't matter. That the questions it prompted me to ask were the point. A must read and an excellent selection for book clubs.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Doodleville by Chad Sell
Doodleville is predicated on a truly clever idea. Drew loves to draw. She draws everything that inspires her without inhibition. And from the time that she is very young, her drawings travel off the page and into the real world. She doesn't see this as a problem though, as the plot progresses, she realizes that other people see her drawings differently. As she begins to experience doubt, to be influenced by other people's negativity, those emotions warp her drawing. While this general plot progression seems pretty straightforward, it's eventual resolution is far more subtle, relying not only on teamwork but the integration of free thinking and restraint. The result is a sweet and affirming story with plenty of potential to grow in future volumes.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
