Book review - Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal

 

Title: Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal

Author: Gretchen Schreiber

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

                      It's My Life by Stacie Ramey

Rating:

 

reasonable and realistic

Summary (provided by publisher): Ellie Haycock has always separated her life into sections: Ellie at home and Ellie at the hospital. At home, Ellie is a proud member of her high school’s speech and debate team alongside her best friend and her boyfriend. At the hospital, Ellie has a team of doctors and a mom who won’t stop posting about the details of her illness online. It’s not hard for Ellie to choose which of the two she prefers.
But this latest hospital stay is different. Ellie becomes close with a group of friends, including Ryan, a first-timer who’s still optimistic about the doctors that Ellie stopped trusting years ago. Despite their differences, she can’t seem to keep him out of her head. Ellie’s life has never been ordinary—but maybe this time it will be extraordinary.

My opinion: There's been an increase, recently, in books about characters with chronic illnesses. These books show us "sick" kids who are realistic and complex. They don't soldier bravely through and teach us a lesson about strength and dignity or whatever. They're kids. Ellie, in this book, is in many ways a normal teen. She cares about what her peers think. She wants to ignore distasteful things. She's self-centered and stubborn. She's also atypical. Her history informs her view of everything she encounters. Being chronically ill changes everything in her life. And that's the central struggle here, finding a balance between these two views. She isn't always a likable character but that's okay. It's very human. While the plot is predictable the characters and their interactions are dynamic enough to make for compelling reading.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

King of the skirts

I try to be thrifty, to avoid spending money unless necessary, and to reduce waste. This often means reusing things, including worn-out clothes. Take, for example, this shirt.
 

 

 

 While somewhat worn on the edges, there's still a lot of life left in this fabric. And since it was my dad's shirt and too big for me to wear as a top, I decided to turn it into a skirt. First step was to cut off the sleeves and collar.

Then I cut the top straight across to make the waistline. Since I believe all clothes should I have pockets, I wanted to add some here and the armholes are well situated for that. I used sleeves from an old t-shirt, the ends sewn shut, for pockets.

Once I had the pockets sewn in and the waistband hemmed it could have been finished but it was a little dull. So I decided to embroider a Godzilla type monster on it. Because why not.

 

The green tabs are belt loops to help with fit.

Book review - Finally Heard

 

Title: Finally Heard

Author: Kelly Yang

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: No Talking by Andrew Clements

                      Daisy Wormwood Changes the World by Melissa Hart

Rating:

 

a nice read

Summary (provided by publisher): When ten-year-old Lina Gao sees her mom’s video on social media take off, she’s captivated by the potential to be seen and heard! Maybe online she can finally find the confidence she craves. Whereas in real life she’s growing so fast, she feels like microwave popcorn, bursting out of her skin!
With the help of her two best friends, Carla and Finn, and her little sister, Millie, Lina sets off to go viral. Except there’s a lot more to social media than Lina ever imagined, like:
1. Seeing inside her classmates’ lives! Is she really the only person on the planet who doesn’t have a walk-in closet?
2. Group chats! Disappearing videos! What is everyone talking about in the secret chats? And how can she join?
3. A bazillion stories about what to eat, wear, and put on her face. Could they all be telling the truth? Everyone sounds so sure of what they’re saying!
As Lina descends deeper and deeper into social media, it will take all her strength to break free from the likes and find the courage to be her authentic self in this fast-paced world.

My opinion: Unsurprisingly, when a book addresses social media it's going to be a negative portrayal. Lina quickly descends into the dangers of living her life online. We aren't going to be especially surprised by the directions this book takes. But it certainly has some positives. For instance, there are several points in the book that discuss what is going on in our brains when we use social media and rely on our devices. Lina doesn't just fall victim to cyber-bullying - she sees how easy it is to engage in those behaviors from behind a screen. And it isn't just the kids. We see multiple adults engaging in unhealthy online behaviors as well as modeling better interactions both online and in person. While the ultimate conclusions are a bit idealized, overall this is a pleasant read that might encourage some deeper conversations with young readers.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Happy Pi day!

 For some reason, Pi day is one of those weird holidays that I find more amusing than annoying. And casting about this morning for something quick to work on, I decided to try a new design for catnip toys - a pie. This is the result.

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

The Underdogs of Upson Downs by Craig Silvey - the tale of a girl and a dog and their effort to save the family farm. I've just started this one and it holds a lot of promise.

What did you recently finish reading?

These Bodies Between Us by Sarah Van Name - a slightly odd magical realism book about girls who learn to make themselves invisible.

What do you think you'll read next?

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines by Mo Netz

Book review - The Curse of Eelgrass Bog

 

Title: The Curse of Eelgrass Bog

Author: Mary Averling

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: The Stars of Whistling Ridge by Cindy Baldwin

                     The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray by E. Latimer

Rating:

 

a fun magical plot

Summary (provided by publisher): Nothing about Kess Pedrock’s life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family’s Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon’s head in a jar named Shrunken Jim).
But things get even stranger than usual when Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help breaking a mysterious curse—and the only clue she has leads straight into the center of Eelgrass Bog.
Everyone knows the bog is full of witches, demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets, Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she’d ever expected, and she’ll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it before it’s too late. 

My opinion: The description of this book certainly sounds strange. And it is, if you only focus on the details. Somehow, though Averling manages to make shrunken heads and skeletons made of gold sound standard and common place. The descriptions of characters and settings are straightforward and have an air of normalcy. We get simple explanations for the existence of witches and curses and that simplicity makes them easy to accept. With a rapid pace and reveal of hidden plot elements, this is a quick and enjoyable read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Call Me Al

 

Title: Call Me Al

Author: Wali Shah and Eric Walters

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman

                      Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi

Rating:

 

a decent balance of elements

Summary (provided by publisher): Between the pressure from his immigrant parents to ace every class, his crush on Melissa, who lives in the rich area of town while he and his family live in a shabby apartment complex, and trying his best to fit in with his friends, he feels like he’s being pulled in too many different directions.
But harder still, Ali is becoming increasingly aware of the racism around him. Comments from his friends about Pakistani food or his skin color are passed off as jokes, but he doesn’t find them funny. And when Ramadan starts, Ali doesn’t tell anyone he’s fasting because it just seems easier. Luckily he finds solace in putting his feelings into words—and poems. But his father is dead set against him using art as a distraction when he’s got schoolwork and a future career as a doctor to focus on.
Ali’s world changes when he, his mom and his little brother are assaulted by some racist teens. Ali must come to terms with his roiling feelings about his place in the world, as a Pakistani immigrant, a Muslim and a teenager with his whole life ahead of him. With help from his grandfather, an inspiring teacher and his friend, Ali leans on his words for strength. And eventually he finds his true voice.

My opinion: The intent of this book is pretty straightforward, even from the beginning. It could easily become over-simplified and trite. But Shah and Walters do a solid job of blending in other elements to keep this from becoming just an exploration of casual racism. We look at both blatant racism and microaggressions, and all of the avenues they can come from. Blend in parental pressures and the impact of trauma and we have a more complex narrative at play. This is a quick and clear read that should facilitate some conversation with young readers.

More information: Call Me Al releases March 12

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley