Title: The Thing About Jellyfish
Author: Ali Benjamin
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner
The Question of Miracles by Elana Arnold
Rating:
 |
| very nice |
Summary: After her best friend drowns, Suzy finds herself alone at school and trying to understand things. Her friend was a very good swimmer. Drowning just doesn't make sense to her. A trip to the aquarium introduces Suzy to a deadly species of jellyfish. Now she's on a mission: to learn all she can about jellyfish and prove that her friend's death wasn't a simple drowning.
My opinion: This book has all kinds of great science facts that might just inspire kids to do some research of their own. And apart from science, it's addressing a number of important topics. Yes, it's a story about grief but it's also about friendships changing in the middle school years as kids develop at different rates. Plus, there's this exploration of different forms of communication and how when we stop filling silence with chatter, we truly notice what is going on around us. It's not a fun read but thoughtful and well-researched.
More information: The Thing About Jellyfish releases September 22.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Title: Pieces of Why
Author: K.L. Going
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Zebra Forest by Adina Gewirtz
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen
Rating:
 |
| Rather excellent |
Summary: Tia has always taken joy in singing with her New Orleans youth choir. It is the bright spot of living with her overworked and emotionally distant mother in a bad neighborhood. Singing has always been her answer to the bad stuff. When a shooting happens outside the church where her choir practices, though, she feels as if she's lost her music. For the first time, she questions the realities of her life and learns the truth about the crime that sent her father to prison.
My opinion: We don't often think about the family members of the perpetrators of a crime. They, too, are victimized by their loved one's actions. That is part of the focus of this novel: the guilt and pain of a violent criminal's family. The other, almost larger, part is the idea that trauma can steal our passions from us. While this book isn't action heavy, it has plenty of exploration of our emotional worlds which become particularly complicated at puberty (as the main characters in this novel find themselves). While the situation in this novel is not one that most middle schoolers will find themselves in, the emotional situation is more universal.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Because of Winn-Dixie
There are a lot of minor differences between the book and the movie (most notably, AnnaSophia Robb is in no way the red-head that the book describes and Dave Matthews doesn't really pull off the slow, socially awkward Otis). For the most part the differences, while annoying, don't really damage the integrity of the story. It is, in fact, far more dramatic for Winn-Dixie to show up at the very end of the party rather than waiting at the house when Opal and the Preacher return. Most notably, and most confusing for me, was the addition of two new characters: the sheriff and the head of the trailer park. While these characters added humor and drama as well as introducing small amounts of exposition that had previously been expressed through narration, I'm not sure those elements were necessary, nor did they feel as fully fleshed as the other characters. And given that a major focus of the book was the sorrows that we all experience, I didn't feel like those sorrows really came through in the movie. In this case, you're far better off reading the book than bothering with the movie.
Title: For the Right to Learn
Author: Rebecca Langston-George
I'd been thinking recently that our library needs a kid's biography of Malala and then I came across this book. I've read Malala's story before, of course, but it's never been so clear to me as in this book. The simple prose is easy to understand. The illustrations are very appealing - clear and not overly graphic making them suitable for young readers. This is an excellent addition to any library collection.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Title: The Seventh Most Important Thing
Author: Shelley Pearsall
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce
What I Came to Tell You by Tommy Hays
Rating:
 |
| nice, but a little odd |
Summary: In a moment of frustration, Arthur threw a brick at the Junk Man, hitting him in the arm. Arthur expects to be sent to juvie. Luckily, the Junk Man speaks to the judge on his behalf and Arthur is sentenced to probation instead: 120 hours helping the Junk Man with his mysterious project. Arthur will be spending his weekend hunting for light bulbs, foil, mirrors, cardboard, coffee cans, glass bottles, and wood. He thinks the Junk Man is crazy. He's about to discover a much more amazing secret.
My Opinion: Initially, this is a rather odd, if charming, book. That oddness is softened when you learn that the Throne is a real piece of art. So, this seemingly bizarre concept has a root in reality. Is James and odd, perhaps mentally ill, character? Certainly, but that may well have been reality as well. I liked how working on the piece, and even more so finding the materials, was symbolic of Arthur's brokenness and search for meaning. Not the best book I've ever read and perhaps a hard sell to young readers but a nice story if you're willing to stick it out.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
This craft comes from a variety of coincidences. Some time ago I got a bag of coffee. This particular coffee happened to come in a shiny blue bag with an applied label. It begged to be used in a craft, so when the coffee was gone I cleaned out the bag and tucked it away to use eventually. After several months I finally decided that I wanted to make it into a pouch (probably for pencils since I never carry a clutch purse). I envisioned making the sides out of duct tape. I just didn't have any tape with the right color combination. Then just last week I was given the perfect colored tape. It took a little fiddling but here's the completed pouch.
Warning: This review contains mild spoilers!
Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
Hold Me like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt
Rating:
 |
| a charming page-turner |
Summary: Maddy never leaves the house and she's okay with that. Suffering from SCID, she's essentially allergic to the entire world. She's accepted her life as it stands until a new family moves in next door and she sees Olly for the first time. Olly is an enigma and Maddy is fascinated. For the first time, she finds herself thinking of leaving, accepting almost certain death for a day or two of life in the larger world.
Mild spoilers ahead.
My opinion: This book starts out as a fairly standard doomed love story. In some ways, you can't help but wonder of his inaccessibility is part of what attracts Maddy to Olly. So long as they are separated by her illness, he remains perfect and can't let her down. He can be her ideal. Personally, I found Maddy's actions mystifying. She doesn't seem to take the threats to her life very seriously. It was one thing to ask for Olly to be able to visit as her tutor does. Even their brief touches seemed like a halfway reasonable risk. It was her sudden decision to go outside and then to fly to Hawaii, a near certain death sentence, that bothered me. And then, when nothing seemed to hurt her, even the recycled air and close quarters on the plane, my suspension of disbelief began to fail me. Of course, the twist ending resolves many of those concerns with halfway logical explanations. The characters are mostly likeable and believable (though somewhat idealized at times). What really sells this book for me is the format. While the bulk of the book is standard 3rd person omniscient, there are instant message logs, book spoilers, images, and more that really take us into Maddy's world and make this a memorable read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
