Book Notes

It took me a little bit to really get into this book–science fiction is not my favorite–but once I did, it was hard to put down.

Tally Youngblood lives in one of the Ugly dorms. But not for long. Her 16th birthday is right around the corner, and on that day she will be changed into a Pretty. Plastic surgery will make her just as beautiful as everyone else in New Pretty Town. And then she can spend her evenings going to fabulous parties.

Before she is changed, she makes a new friend, Shay, who tells her about a secret place called The Smoke. Where you don’t have to change how you look. Shay runs away there, but not before leaving Tally instructions on how to find it. Instructions that only Tally could figure out. Special Circumstances knows that Tally can find her way to the Smoke, information that they desperately want to have. And they will find a way to make Tally go there as a spy regardless of the cost. But once there, Tally begins to doubt which side she is on. Does she betray her friend? Or does she forgo the life she’s always dreamed of, and remain Ugly?

An amazing read, that goes so quickly. Even at 400 and some pages. It’s frustrating that the non-stop action keeps going, even after this book is finished. Pretties is next. We’ll see what happens there.

Yup. Still going strong with the Meg Cabot. This title picks right up where the other left off. The next day, I think. And keeps going strong. The writing is fun and witty, but I’m getting frustrated with Mia. How dense can she be that she doesn’t see that Michael likes her? I’ll have to get the third one now and see where that takes me.

Despite the fact that I couldn’t care less about football, or any sport, I loved this book. DJ lives on her family’s farm in football-crazy Wisconsin. After her dad injures himself, it’s up to her to do the majority of the work on the farm. It’s a great workout, and she is in top shape. Because her family is so into football, she is asked to coach Brian, the QB (that’s Quarterback to the rest of us,) for her high school’s rival team. She takes on the challenge and discovers that they have a lot in common. She even begins to like him, and it seems that he likes her too.

After a really rough summer, DJ decides that she wants to do something that she really enjoys. Football. And not just coaching it either. She wants to play on her high school’s team. But if she does, she’ll be playing opposite cute Brian. There is a lot to this book. More than just football, and more than just a neat boy story. There is a lot about relationships and communicating with people. It was enticing, and sweet, but also provided a lot of substance to think about.

I am continuing on with my Meg Cabot streak. This was fun. She certainly has a thing for famous people! First a President’s son and now a princess.

Mia just found out that she is a princess and the sole heir to the throne of Genovia–a really really small country. At first she thinks she can fly under the radar and not let anyone know. But eventually the press is alerted and now everyone knows. Her best friend stops speaking to her, the cutest guy in the whole school suddenly takes an interest in her, she’s failing algebra, and she has to have princess lessons with her strict grandmother.

A great book for when you want a nice, fun read.

This was my first Meg Cabot. I know, I know I’m behind. But I actually really liked it. I didn’t think that I would.

Sam (Samantha) Madison is a high-schooler living in Washington D.C. She has her one best friend, and loves to draw. Life is pretty good.  She starts taking a new art class where a vaguely familiar guy sits next to her. He’s pretty cute and he likes her boots. Later, when she saves the President’s life (yup, that’s right) that she realizes why cute art class guy looks so familiar. It’s not because he’s from her school. He’s the President’s son. And he likes her. A lot.

 This was a fun, quick read. I enjoyed Meg Cabot’s characters, and their true-to-life interactions with each other.

This book was chosen as a Printz honor award winner just recently at the ALA midwinter conference. It’s also one I had sitting on my shelf for a couple of weeks. It’s a sweet story about an Australian family. Each chapter shifts your perspective to a different family member. There’s Lily who worries about how dysfunctional her family is, but who begins to realize that everyone’s family is dysfunctional. Her brother Lonnie, who can’t seem to figure out his place on this planet. All the characters are well formed, and you get to know them really well.

It was a bit hard sticking with a book that was so introspective for 250 pages. No real action or even a lot of dialogue to propel it along. Still, if you can get past that, it’s worth hanging in there for the ending.

This is a sweet and very quick read. It is a novel in poems about Josie, a girl with Celebral Palsey. It takes place during one summer in which Josie makes a friend, her grandmother has a stroke, and Josie’s relationship with her mother reaches a nice, new level.

Watch the bottom right hand corner of the  pages. What starts off as a little bud grows into a beautiful flower at the end. A nice read, especially if you enjoy poems.

This was our 6th-8th grade book club pick for November. One of my perennial favorites, I enjoy ever opportunity to re-read this. It’s the story of 11 going on 12-year-old Hattie Owen who discovers one summer that she has an uncle she has never heard of. Adam has been in an institution for mentally disabled adults, and with the advent of that school’s closing, he is returning to live with his parents. The characters and the situation are so beautifully drawn. Adam’s parents have always prided themselves on living a perfect, socially approved existence. Hattie is often at odds with how to treat Adam, he is an adult, and her uncle, but he often seems and acts more like a child.

The book is so beautifully written, and the personalities of the characters are so perfectly drawn. I recommend this to anyone who wants a quiet, sweet, and thoughtful story. Have tissues near by at the end.

Attention fans of Bras and Broomsticks! This new book by Lily Archer is similar to Bras, and tons of fun.

Three girls from three separate backgrounds are all attending a boarding school in Massachusetts for the first time. And all because they have something new and unwanted at home: a new stepmother. After a few false starts, the girls discover their commonality and form a tight friendship, calling themselves “the Poison Apples”. A group dedicated to the eradication of their stepmothers. What better time to make that happen than Thanksgiving break. Think Penguin stealing, itching powder and sibling affection redistribution and you begin to get the idea.

It’s an easy read, each chapter being told from one girls viewpoint. And the ending left it open to a sequel….

Fabulous. Where do I even begin? It’s been awhile since I have read an adult book that I really loved. The writing is lovely and evenly paced. The story is just sweet and complex enough to give it substance, but not to

make it too saccharine.

The story is set in Boston and takes place over a 24 hour period. The lives of two mixed families are irrevocably changed during the course of events around a snowstorm. Ann Patchett doesn’t tell a story so much as she lets us briefly into the lives of these characters. Characters that she knows so well, and that we get to know a little too. A beautiful book, one of her best.

I really enjoyed this fantasy once I got past the initial eerie feelings. Corrina has disguised herself as a boy in order to hold the postion of Folk Keeper in large houses and estates. This job keeps the folk appeased so that they will not be tempted to turn the milk or spoil the hay.

Things change for Corrina when she goes to Cliffsend to be a folk keeper. Here she is near the sea and she begins to notice changes in herself. It turns out Corrina’s mother was a seal maiden, so Corrina is too. Now she has to decide whether she wants a life at sea, or one on land with her new love Finian.

This is a lovely, gentle read that requires some effort on the part of the reader. But I have read it twice now and have not been disappointed.

This young adult historical fiction is set during the Plague in London in 1665. Hannah has just arrived in London to help her sister in her sweets shop. Very soon after she arrives the gates are closed and no one is permitted to leave. Come what may, Hannah and Sarah are in it for the long haul.

The historical details are what make this book so rich. The plague was gruesome and London was no picnic either. The grime and swill that littered the streets and the rats that carried the disease make for an accurate depiction. A great read for true history lovers.

I should start off by saying that I listened to this on CD. I’m not a big audio books listener. My mind tends to wander, and I want to actually read the book and hold it in my hands. So this was an interesting experience.

Simone has a great family and some great friends. She is also adopted. When she is 16, her birth mother who has long been in contact with her parents, has asked to speak with Simone. At first she resists, but eventually curiosity overwhelms her and she makes the call.

At the same time she has started to notice Zach at school. But he has a “just friends” girlfriend. What follows is a great story about family and friendships, religious beliefs, and love’s first kiss.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and it was surprisingly fun to listen to. The narrator did a great job, making herself sound like the main character. It was fun to listen to. I wonder how it would be to read it instead?

This is probably the third time I’ve read this, and I still love it. The story takes place in 1906 in northern New York State around the real-life murder of Grace Brown.

Our narrator is Mattie Gokey, a lover of books and writing. She is also facing a difficult decision: attend Barnard college on a full scholarship, or fulfill a promise to her deceased mother and stay at home to care for her siblings.

She is a wonderful narrator and character. I’m always sad when the book ends. Highly recommended.

I kept on with the series and did little else for several days. These two were okay. Nowhere near as good as the first one. I was sadly disappointed by parts in both of them. Of course, Edward is still wonderful, Bella is still attracting trouble, and Alice is adorable. I’ll hang in there for the characters even if not for the plot.