Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
I read this book a few weeks ago, but am just getting around to writing about it (or maybe just putting forth the energy to write about it). Like I've said before, I'm a big Picoult fan. However...this one wasn't anything like her adult books, and I daresay YA isn't her forte. It'd be unfair of me to say it was a read that tweens and teens wouldn't enjoy, but as an adult, I thought it kind of dragged in some areas, and I wasn't really grabbed by the action in the plot.
Delilah is a teen girl who doesn't particularly care for school, even though she loves to read. The book she's currently infatuated with, Between the Lines, is a fairy tale about a prince on a quest to rescue a princess. It's when the prince begins speaking to Delilah that the story introduces its conflict--how can Delilah rescue a prince from living a repetitive life within the pages of a book?
The number of times Delilah unsuccessfully tries to help the prince escape is what makes this book seem to drag. I thought she could have left out a time or two for the story's sake. It was becoming blatantly obvious that the task was hard. As in most modern fairy tales, there's a happy ending, and readers pretty much know what that ending will be.
Okay, so even though I didn't thoroughly enjoy this book, I can give kudos to the authors for writing a YA novel that is clean. There's no sex, no vulgar language, no inappropriate themes. Despite lacking the topics and language that run amok in today's YA lit, I can say that young girls will enjoy reading this book. It has a happy ending. It has the girl-meets-boy story that infatuates them. It even has color illustrations, which don't come around often in a novel of its length.
So even though I wouldn't recommend it for older readers, if you have a classroom, a library, or a teenage daughter of your own, I'd say it'd be worth it for them to read.
Target age range: 11-15 years
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Monday, July 30, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Edgar Sawtelle
This is a must read for dog lovers. Before you fret and think this is reminiscent of Old Yeller and will make you cry, the animals are okay!
The Sawtelles raise their own breed of dogs on their farm in Wisconsin. Gar and Trudy love the dogs, but eventually want to have children of their own. After struggling with pregnancies, little Edgar Sawtelle is born mute. [Let me stop here a minute. Because up until now I was kind of floating along in the book trying to decide if it was going to be worth 560 pages of my time. I've got a stack of books waiting for me, I need to use my time wisely here. Thank goodness little Almondine takes the lead at this point.] Almondine is one of Trudy and Gar's dogs who actually lives in the house instead of the barn. She has been trying to find her place in the world, and when she notices baby Edgar vying for his parents' attention, she knows exactly what she must do. She becomes his voice. Almondine is as much a part of Edgar as she is herself.
Skip a few years to an adolescent Edgar. He has learned to sign; his signs are part ASL, part Edgar's version. Not only does he sign with his parents, he communicates with the dogs in this manner. Edgar is excited to learn that he is going to raise his own litter of pups. While training one day, his father suffers an attack, and a voiceless Edgar is unable to help him.
Edgar and Trudy wallow through their days, and Uncle Claude comes back into the picture (much to Edgar's dismay). After an unthinkable turn of events, Edgar flees into the woods with three of his young dogs. They must survive in the wilderness while trying to make their way to Canada. Edgar eventually needs to decide if he will return to Almondine, his mother, and unknown truths at home, or if he will stay away for good.
I do wish, however, that I could see a picture of the fictional Sawtelle dog. At first, I imagined Almondine to be something along the lines of a greyhound. But then as the book went on, I thought the Sawtelle dogs were supposed to be similar to German Shepherds. Does anyone have an opinion on this?
Overall, a good story. If I could go back and do it over again, I would focus my attention on this one, and not be reading three others at the same time. So take that into consideration before you pick it up.
Target Age Range: Older Teens - Adults
50 Shades of --- Does your mother know you're reading this?
It's summer, so I'm back in my usual routine of reading three or four books at a time. You know--one for the gym, one for the pool, one for Battle of the Books, one for bed... I suppose it might actually be easier to just read one at a time, but where's the fun in that? Anyway, it takes longer to finish a book when you do this, so I've been ignoring my posts. Additionally, I've been learning how to cook. Really cook. As in, no microwaves or frozen packaging involved. Now I'm stuck having to write a bunch of reviews at once, which means I'm picking and choosing what titles to discuss.
I wasn't going to write about the 50 Shades Trilogy because of its content, but after reading all three books, I figured I should at least mention it. As you've heard, it's basically erotica. Don't expect anything more in the first book. If you can get past the first one, the second and third have actual plots. They're predictable and definitely not the next great American novel, but "summer beach reads" that are entertaining. They've remained on the NYT Bestsellers list because they create a fantasy world where adults can lose themselves.
I thought they were okay. I'm not going to say they were great because I didn't think so. I don't care how much money EL James has made, there are thousands of books that are better. The characters were pretty flat (as in ALL of the characters, save Ana and Christian, the main characters. But to say they were round and went through leaps and bounds in character development is a leap in itself) and the dialogue was repetitive. How many times can you read the same jealous conversation, even if the words have changed slightly? I also have a hard time giving credit to the author when the books were originally written online as Twilight fanfiction. Ana and Christian are obviously replicas of Edward and Bella. As I told someone else when discussing the book, I kept waiting for Christian to look up from his somber midnight piano playing and provocatively reveal to Ana that he's a creature of the night.
However, I have never been one to completely neglect a book's entertainment value. Obviously, many people have been sucked into the story. In addition to the Christian/Ana escapades, there are car chases, tours of the world, parties, weddings, and attempted murders. If you're looking for a daring read, then this one might to pique your interest.
Haha, on a related note, I saw this picture on Pinterest the other day:
I agree 100% with the quote, but...you might want to read 50 Shades via Kindle. Save yourself from public scrutiny. I know I did.
Target Age Range: Adult
I wasn't going to write about the 50 Shades Trilogy because of its content, but after reading all three books, I figured I should at least mention it. As you've heard, it's basically erotica. Don't expect anything more in the first book. If you can get past the first one, the second and third have actual plots. They're predictable and definitely not the next great American novel, but "summer beach reads" that are entertaining. They've remained on the NYT Bestsellers list because they create a fantasy world where adults can lose themselves.
I thought they were okay. I'm not going to say they were great because I didn't think so. I don't care how much money EL James has made, there are thousands of books that are better. The characters were pretty flat (as in ALL of the characters, save Ana and Christian, the main characters. But to say they were round and went through leaps and bounds in character development is a leap in itself) and the dialogue was repetitive. How many times can you read the same jealous conversation, even if the words have changed slightly? I also have a hard time giving credit to the author when the books were originally written online as Twilight fanfiction. Ana and Christian are obviously replicas of Edward and Bella. As I told someone else when discussing the book, I kept waiting for Christian to look up from his somber midnight piano playing and provocatively reveal to Ana that he's a creature of the night.
However, I have never been one to completely neglect a book's entertainment value. Obviously, many people have been sucked into the story. In addition to the Christian/Ana escapades, there are car chases, tours of the world, parties, weddings, and attempted murders. If you're looking for a daring read, then this one might to pique your interest.
Haha, on a related note, I saw this picture on Pinterest the other day:
Target Age Range: Adult
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Deadline
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
I first read this book when I took a YA literature class when working on my MLS. I picked it up again on Sunday because the library was closed, and I needed a book to read out in the sun (as much I love my Kindle Fire, outdoor reading is not one of its selling points). Though it was a reread--and I knew what was going to happen--Deadline still proves to be one of my favorite YA novels.
The protagonist, Ben Wolf, is set to start his senior year of high school---at least he was set to start before he went to the doctor for his annual sports physical. Ben is diagnosed with a fatal blood disease. Since he's already 18, he decides to refuse treatment, opting for quality of life over quantity. He also decides to keep everyone in the dark in an attempt to live as normal of a life as possible.
"Live every day as if it's your last" becomes Ben's mantra for his senior year of high school. Despite high expectations of making it to the state championships in cross country, 120-something pound Ben tries out for the football team. He finally tells the object of his affection how he feels towards her. He challenges his stubborn, right-winged government teacher's teachings in an effort to get the most out of his remaining education.
However, Ben realizes that his secret isn't just affecting him. His brother, his girlfriend, his parents, his coach are all relying on him, so what's going to happen once he's not around? The internal conflict plays out when he's awake, but it's also shown through dialogue in his dreams between Ben and Hey-soos (whether or not this is Jesus is never actually stated, but it can be inferred).
There's a lot of language and some sex in this book, so it's not for younger teens. I'm also not sure if they're emotionally mature enough to understand some of the themes. It's a powerful novel, and I think the 13 awards it's won are a testament to that.
Target age range: 16 years - adult
I first read this book when I took a YA literature class when working on my MLS. I picked it up again on Sunday because the library was closed, and I needed a book to read out in the sun (as much I love my Kindle Fire, outdoor reading is not one of its selling points). Though it was a reread--and I knew what was going to happen--Deadline still proves to be one of my favorite YA novels.
The protagonist, Ben Wolf, is set to start his senior year of high school---at least he was set to start before he went to the doctor for his annual sports physical. Ben is diagnosed with a fatal blood disease. Since he's already 18, he decides to refuse treatment, opting for quality of life over quantity. He also decides to keep everyone in the dark in an attempt to live as normal of a life as possible.
"Live every day as if it's your last" becomes Ben's mantra for his senior year of high school. Despite high expectations of making it to the state championships in cross country, 120-something pound Ben tries out for the football team. He finally tells the object of his affection how he feels towards her. He challenges his stubborn, right-winged government teacher's teachings in an effort to get the most out of his remaining education.
However, Ben realizes that his secret isn't just affecting him. His brother, his girlfriend, his parents, his coach are all relying on him, so what's going to happen once he's not around? The internal conflict plays out when he's awake, but it's also shown through dialogue in his dreams between Ben and Hey-soos (whether or not this is Jesus is never actually stated, but it can be inferred).
There's a lot of language and some sex in this book, so it's not for younger teens. I'm also not sure if they're emotionally mature enough to understand some of the themes. It's a powerful novel, and I think the 13 awards it's won are a testament to that.
Target age range: 16 years - adult
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The Marriage Plot
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
I know, I know. It's been weeks since I've updated. Where I can usually fly through a book in no time, this one was a deeper (hence longer) read than many of the books I've read lately. Therefore, I'll make up for quantity of February blog posts with quality.
I typically don't like the idea of using an author's own words against him. But there's a section on pages 345 and 346 of this very novel that addresses my sentiments of The Marriage Plot.
.
You probably think that was a nice way of saying I hated the book. I didn't! I just want to make readers aware that it isn't a "beach read," if you know what I mean.
I hate Dickens for the way he describes characters. He is far too descriptive for my tastes. However, I adore descriptions of times and places, and Marriage Plot did not disappoint in this aspect. Readers find themselves in a number of places: Rhode Island, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Paris, Monaco, Athens, Calcutta. Eugenides describes each location adequately, depending on its relationship to the story.
It's a fictitious novel based in the 1980s that did not discuss AIDS or snorting coke, but instead touched on literary and social styles of the decade. The protagonist, Madeleine, is a recent graduate of Brown university with a degree in English lit. Though she's a self-proclaimed "Victorianist," specializing in Austen, she finds her final semester attending postmodern theory classes. Here, Madeleine meets a variety of characters enchanted by the social, music, and literary reforms of the early 80s. The time also plays an important part in her own literary studies, as she claims the Victorian theme of a marriage plot no longer exists in contemporary literature.
The plot contains a love triangle; Mitchell is in love with Madeleine, although that love in unrequited, as she loves Leonard. A religious studies major, Mitchell is on an intercontinental spiritual journey after graduating from Brown. The point of view shifts throughout the book from Madeleine's to Leonard's to Mitchell's, wherever one may be at any particular point during the year-long time span. Although Mitchell was not my favorite character, his periods abroad were typically my favorite setting descriptions, particularly while he was volunteering for Mother Teresa and the Kalighat in India.
If you have never read Eugenides's 2002 Pulitzer winner, Middlesex, I highly recommend it (more so than this one, to be honest). One of the most intriguing parts of the book was the author's ability to develop a character from childhood to adulthood while allowing the reader to always know what she (later he) was thinking. Cal was born a hermaphrodite, an internal struggle that most of the human population will never understand. However, Eugenides's writing enabled readers to feel empathy towards the character.
I'm not digressing, I'm alluding to another story to show a similarity.
In Middlesex, readers followed the internal struggle of someone born with a different physical trait; in The Marriage Plot, the trait is mental. Leonard, Madeleine's boyfriend, has manic-depressive disorder. The author vividly describes Leonard's ups and downs during the year he is with Madeleine, including time he is hospitalized. It shows the trouble he has with everyday tasks, like going to work, versus the highs he has, including wearing a cape and gambling at the Monte Carlo casino. Madeleine's conflicting emotions and feelings towards Leonard are also depicted; she loves him, but does she want to deal with the stress of his disease?
The abrupt ending did bother me somewhat. After text that strolled along for 400 pages, to say the final six were rushed would be an understatement. Maybe that was the point though---the traditional marriage plot doesn't exist in contemporary literature?
Despite taking a while to read, I enjoyed Eugenides's third novel, and would recommend it to other avid readers. However, if you have to choose one of his books, it's this reader/blogger/librarian's opinion that Middlesex is better worth your time.
Target age range: Adult
I know, I know. It's been weeks since I've updated. Where I can usually fly through a book in no time, this one was a deeper (hence longer) read than many of the books I've read lately. Therefore, I'll make up for quantity of February blog posts with quality.
I typically don't like the idea of using an author's own words against him. But there's a section on pages 345 and 346 of this very novel that addresses my sentiments of The Marriage Plot.
The experience...was like reading certain difficult books. It was like plowing through late James, or the pages about agrarian reform in Anna Karenina, until you suddenly got to a good part again, which kept on getting better and better until you were so enthralled that you were almost grateful for the previous dull stretch because it increased your eventual pleasure.I don't think Eugenides would really appreciate me saying that pieces of the book rivaled Tolstoy's discussion of land reform (at least I wouldn't). Parts of the book were slow, but then others were so engaging that, despite the heavy vocabulary, you kept going.
.
You probably think that was a nice way of saying I hated the book. I didn't! I just want to make readers aware that it isn't a "beach read," if you know what I mean.
I hate Dickens for the way he describes characters. He is far too descriptive for my tastes. However, I adore descriptions of times and places, and Marriage Plot did not disappoint in this aspect. Readers find themselves in a number of places: Rhode Island, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Paris, Monaco, Athens, Calcutta. Eugenides describes each location adequately, depending on its relationship to the story.
It's a fictitious novel based in the 1980s that did not discuss AIDS or snorting coke, but instead touched on literary and social styles of the decade. The protagonist, Madeleine, is a recent graduate of Brown university with a degree in English lit. Though she's a self-proclaimed "Victorianist," specializing in Austen, she finds her final semester attending postmodern theory classes. Here, Madeleine meets a variety of characters enchanted by the social, music, and literary reforms of the early 80s. The time also plays an important part in her own literary studies, as she claims the Victorian theme of a marriage plot no longer exists in contemporary literature.
The plot contains a love triangle; Mitchell is in love with Madeleine, although that love in unrequited, as she loves Leonard. A religious studies major, Mitchell is on an intercontinental spiritual journey after graduating from Brown. The point of view shifts throughout the book from Madeleine's to Leonard's to Mitchell's, wherever one may be at any particular point during the year-long time span. Although Mitchell was not my favorite character, his periods abroad were typically my favorite setting descriptions, particularly while he was volunteering for Mother Teresa and the Kalighat in India.
If you have never read Eugenides's 2002 Pulitzer winner, Middlesex, I highly recommend it (more so than this one, to be honest). One of the most intriguing parts of the book was the author's ability to develop a character from childhood to adulthood while allowing the reader to always know what she (later he) was thinking. Cal was born a hermaphrodite, an internal struggle that most of the human population will never understand. However, Eugenides's writing enabled readers to feel empathy towards the character.
I'm not digressing, I'm alluding to another story to show a similarity.
In Middlesex, readers followed the internal struggle of someone born with a different physical trait; in The Marriage Plot, the trait is mental. Leonard, Madeleine's boyfriend, has manic-depressive disorder. The author vividly describes Leonard's ups and downs during the year he is with Madeleine, including time he is hospitalized. It shows the trouble he has with everyday tasks, like going to work, versus the highs he has, including wearing a cape and gambling at the Monte Carlo casino. Madeleine's conflicting emotions and feelings towards Leonard are also depicted; she loves him, but does she want to deal with the stress of his disease?
The abrupt ending did bother me somewhat. After text that strolled along for 400 pages, to say the final six were rushed would be an understatement. Maybe that was the point though---the traditional marriage plot doesn't exist in contemporary literature?
Despite taking a while to read, I enjoyed Eugenides's third novel, and would recommend it to other avid readers. However, if you have to choose one of his books, it's this reader/blogger/librarian's opinion that Middlesex is better worth your time.
Target age range: Adult
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