Ghetto Cowboy

Ghetto Cowboy stars Cole, a seventh grader who has just been dropped off in Philadelphia by his mother after skipping four straight weeks of school. She leaves him with his father, who he hasn't seen since he was a baby. His dad is part of a stable co-op and he expects Cole to work with the horses.

The best part about this book is seeing the way Cole connects with the horses. Learning to be calm and care for one horse in particular helps him to better understand the people around him and changes the way he views the world. Black and white illustrations help set the tone in key scenes, lending playfulness, majesty, freedom, or even just a sense of scope.

The challenge begins

As I mentioned on Monday, this weekend I'm participating in the 48 Hour Book Challenge. It's 8 am and I am ready to go.

Book review - Paradigm

Title: Paradigm
Author: Ceri A. Lowe
Genre: Sci-fi/Dystopia
Similar books: The Giver by Lois Lowry
                     Life as We Know It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Rating:

Mostly enjoyable, but dragged after a while

Summary: When the storms came all of London, possibly the whole world, flooded. The population was decimated. A few hundred survivors were brought into a bunker owned by Paradigm Industries. Among them, 11 year old Alice Davenport. 87 years later, Carter Warren is a contender for Controller General of the Industry, the society that rose from the bunker. As he works toward that post, he begins to question their society.
My opinion: I loved the format of this book, with Alice's story telling the development of the Industry, Carter's telling it's possible decline. Alice's story was incredibly compelling, Carter's less so. I felt like we didn't get enough information about the world around him and the situations he found himself in. This meant that I felt less connected to his part of the story and those sections dragged considerably. So, definitely worth a read if you're willing to be patient. Also, I suspect as the series progresses the plot will strengthen.
More information: Paradigm releases June 13th

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesdays

What are you currently reading?
Tween Hobo: Off the Rails by Alena Smith
Disillusioned with modern life and fed up with her parents (especially their lack of answers regarding the location of her older brother), Tween Hobo tosses her cell phone in a sparkly bindle and hops a train out of town. Her adventures are a combination of humor and fabulousness.
     
What did you recently finish reading?
Paradigm by Ceri Lowe
The story of two teens. Alice is living in the direct aftermath of natural disasters that have decimated the world. She struggles with a small band of survivors to find a way to stay alive and make a life out of what remains. Carter is 87 years in the future. The society is established and on the verge of change. He is in the running to be the new Controller General. As he fights for the position, though, he learns that all may not be as it seems.
The back and forth between these two stories was kind of cool and it's hard to say who's story was more compelling. I liked that instead of being a straightforward dystopia, we see how the society ended up the way it is. 
 
What do you think you will read next?
Ideally, The Body in the Woods by April Henry
I'm going to try to sneak this mystery thriller in before the 48 Hour Book Challenge on Friday. If not, my next book will be either Aritstotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz   or   Prodigy by Marie Lu

My Hobbit face

As I mentioned last night, I'll be participating in the 48 Hour Book Challenge this weekend. So, you get the many faces post a little early this month.

This costume was from the Hobbit program we did for teen summer reading last year. Again, most of this was stuff I already had around the house. The Hobbit feet were really simple to make with craft foam, a little paint, and some brown yarn. You can't tell from this photo but the leaf on my cape has my name written in Elvish (one of the program activities).

Heads up

I wanted to let you know about some schedule changes here on The One and Only Marfalfa this week. I've signed up for the 48 Hour Book Challenge which begins this Friday at 7 am. So, my regular weekly book review will go up Thursday afternoon. All of Friday and Saturday you can expect to see mini book reviews, check-in, etc, here. Plus I'll be posting a recap of my weekend next Monday. 

Barbie's never looked better

In my continuing quest to prepare for my upcoming Doctor Who program, this weekend I decided to make a weeping angel using this awesome tutorial from Craftster.

Start with a Barbie.

The tutorial uses one of those Barbies with the jointed elbows but this is what I had on hand. So, I hacked at her arms with a razor knife for a good hour. And her elbows are pretty much just hot glue now but she seems to be holding together pretty well.

I followed the tutorial pretty much to the letter. I just used some scrap fabric I had around instead of gauze. Also, I found that coating the dress in white glue before I painted it added a nice level of stiffness.

So, here's my finished angel.