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About Me

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I quit my teaching job to stay home with my boys almost 6 years ago. It was the best decision my husband and I ever made for our family. It hasn't always been easy or perfect, but it has been wonderful! I have enjoyed the time I get to spend at home with our littles, but I also discovered that I needed an outlet. I workout at the gym for my body, but my brain also needs a workout. I decided to start a blog to exercise my brain a bit.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Summer Reading- Suggestion List

Okay All!!

I've been remiss in my posting. I've been wrapping up my year of teaching and haven't bee able to devote the time I want to to reading a whole slew of YA literature. But, I am now in the final count down of the school year. (7 days)

My plan for the summer...READ...READ... READ!!

I have started a list of books that I intend to read, but I am open to any suggestions you have for me, too. Please leave the title and author's name in your comments.

Thanks-
Jhildred

Everlost, Everwild, Everfound by Neal Shusterman
Linger by Maggie Steivfater
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, I'd Tell you I Love you, But then I'd Have to Kill You, and Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
The Demon King by Chima
Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez
The Compound and The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen
Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney
The Maze Runner by James Dasher
Just Listen, Lock and Key, Someone Like You, The Truth About Forever, and What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Battle Dress by Amy Efaw
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Scorpia Rising and Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

Monday, May 23, 2011

Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Title: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Author: John Boyne
Pages: 216
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Source: Barnes and Noble







Back of Book Summary:
If you start of read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy named Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.


Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter one.
    

 My Review:
Characters:
Bruno is an naive nine-year-old German boy. He is spoiled and sheltered. He has a sister Gretel who is almost 13 at the start of the book. She is also spoiled and sheltered. Their father is the appointed Commandant of Aushwitz during WWII. He keeps his children in the dark about his work and what is going on just past the front yard of their property line. Bruno's mother is also attempting to keep her children in the dark. Both parents are successful- to the detriment of the child.

    Plot/Conflict/Theme:
The story starts out by introducing Bruno. The reader gets to see things only through the eyes of Bruno. It is very frustrating as an adult to experience Bruno and Shmuel's naivete. Neither boy truly grasps the gravity of the situation they are in. It is painful to experience this as a reader, knowing what Bruno and Shumel don't. The gruesomeness of the situation isn't really apparent to either of them.  The plot develops rather slowly. I found it to be so slow that it was difficult for me to read at times and I struggled to finish.
     The conflict was, I believe, focused not on the terrible events of the Holocaust, but on the darkness that it was kept in. It was kept a secret from Bruno and this secret resulted in a terrible loss of innocence. The conflict was not thrilling and it didn't build to much tension for the reader. It did however make me terrible sad as I read the novel. It made me disappointed in humanity as I reflected on all the history I knew about and all that I don't know about. It was immense and overwhelming to me to realize that it isn't just children who are naive and innocent of the goings on in our country and around the world. It also inspired me to be more aware and involved in the world.
   
Quality of Writing:
     The writing is good. Mr. Boyne does a spelndid job capturing the innocence of the children trapped in this terrible time of war.

Rating:
Book: A for Average - I didn't enjoy this novel, though I don't think that was its purpose. It was a difficult read. I can't give the book a better rating because it was lacking in the elements that keep my attention. Though it was thought provoking I believe that it could have been better written.

Cover: A for Average

Friday, May 20, 2011

Shiver

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stievater
Pages: 400
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc
Source: Barnes and Noble







Back of Book Summary:
      -The Cold
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf, her wolf- watches back. He feels deeply familar to her, but she doesn't know why.

     -The Heat-
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

      -The Shiver-
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human. Grace must fight to keep him. Even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present , and the impossibility of the future.

 My Review:
Characters:
    Ms. Stiefvater crafts her characters in a delightful manner. Grace the main character is practical and self-reliant. She is an intelligent female role model who has been neglected by her mother and father. Graces' counter-part, Sam, is a mysterious young man with appealing yellow-eyes and a dedicated loyalty for Grace. These two characters, their flaws and strengths captured my heart. The supporting characters were less interesting and more difficult to identify with. For example- Olivia- while toward the end I gained some insight into her character, I never really understood the argument Olivia and Grace had. I got the desire to be a wolf- the pull for the solitary independent life, but not the disagreement between the two.

Plot/Conflict/Theme:
    There are several conflicts threaded through this novel- all of them enjoyable and creative in their own right. The tension that Maggie Stiefvater creates as Grace and Sam strive to stay together, and the ache the reader experiences when they are ripped apart is masterful. Ms. Stiefvater also is a craftsman when she provides subtle reassurance to the reader throughout the novel, piecing their (Sam and Grace as well as the reader's) shattered hearts back together.

Quality of Writing:
     This story was most appealingly written. Maggie Stievater does an amazing job incorporating the sublties that make the story shine. Letting the reader piece together the trail of clues the characters reveal as they too piece together the mystery behind the wolves and the development of the Were. 


Rating:
Book: B for Basically Brilliant 
Cover: B for Basically Brilliant

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Title: Jinx
Author: Meg Cabot
Pages: 288p

Publishers: Harper Collins

Source: Glenwood Springs Library








Back of Book Summary:
It's not easy being Jinx.
Jean Honeychurch hates her boring name (not Jean Marie, or Jeanette, just . . . Jean). What's worse? Her all-too-appropriate nickname, Jinx. Misfortune seems to follow her everywhere she goes even to New York City, where Jinx has moved to get away from the huge mess she caused in her small hometown. Her aunt and uncle welcome her to their Manhattan town house, but her beautiful cousin

Tory isn't so thrilled. . . .

In fact, Tory is hiding a dangerous secret one that could put them all in danger. Soon Jinx realizes it isn't just bad luck she's been running from . . . and that the curse she has lived under since the day she was born may be the only thing that can save her life.

My Review:
Characters:
Jinx (Jean) is a typical teenager- beautiful but full of low self-esteem and bad decisions. Tory is also a fairly typical teenager- beautiful but full of low self-esteem and bad decisions. Each of these girls- even though they are incredibly unique and stand out from the typical population, they each in their own way represent the majority of teenage girls. Something about girls doesn't allow us to be content with who we are. Meg Cabot captures the struggles and the angst that this self-inflicted pain causes through these two characters.

The only annoying aspect to these characters, was Jinx's total and complete dismissal of  her potential love interest. She was so overly unaware of the situation that it was annoying to the reader.


Plot/Conflict/Theme:
Bit by bit the plot develops. Cabot leaks the mystery behind Jinx's move from the countryside to the big city in acceptable, yet predictable amounts. I would have liked to have less predictable conflicts and twists that were presented. Though the novel lacked a standout plot, conflict, and theme, it was a fun, entertaining read.


Quality of Writing:
The writing produced was well written as far a the basic structure of the writing. There were places filled with good descriptions, but there were also parts that were left barren and uninteresting. The writing could have been better if it were more consistent. I believe that the writing was also greatly affected by the cliche plot line. There is only so much you can do with a story via writing if the plot is so so.


Rating:
Book: L for Lacking
Cover: L for Lacking

Monday, May 16, 2011

How to Ruin your Boyfriend's Reputation by Simone Elkeles

Title: How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Flux
Pages: 257
Source: Katie's Book Blog Presentation @ CO Teen Literature Conference






Back of Book Summary:
Guess who's jetting to the Holy Land this summer!

Yes, it's me- Amy Nelson-Barak. I've volunteered for ten days of military training in Israel with my friends. The Sababa brochure said it would be a "fun" summer experience. Okay, so I didn't sign up to prove I'm not a princess... I did it to surprise my hot Israeli boyfriend stationed at the same base.

Too bad nobody told me:
* It's hot in the Negev desert...like, so hot your makeup melts off and you get under-boob sweat spots.
* You can't sleep in until 11a.m.
* You shouldn't kill bees with your flatiron- don't ask
* Peeing in a hole isn't easy (when you're a girl)- double don't ask.

When I find out our team leader is my boyfriend Avi, I'm totally psyched... until I learn he has to treat me like all the other recruits. Can you say OY VEY!

My Review:
Characters:

The characters initially turned me away. I didn't unerstand, well, couldn't understand the draw between Avi and Amy. There differences- hard core soldier vs. spoiled American Teenage girl- couldn't be reconciled in my mind. I couldn't see what Avi saw in her. As I continued to read through the antics of Amy and her friends, the characters became real to me. Once they became real to me, I began to believe in their relationship... Well, in other words, when Amy and Avi's relationship became real to them, then I could fathom it and it in turn became real to me as a reader. Strange.

Plot/Conflict/Theme:
Hilariously fun chick novel! I very much enjoyed this light-hearted fun novel by Simone Elkeles. I found the conflict to be fun and wholesome. The characters, Avi and Amy, continue to battle eachother refusing to acknowledge that despite their surface differences they were made for one another. The struggle throught he hot Israeli summer fractures and forges their young loving relationship.

Theme- This novel's theme was rather unexpected. I was hit by the deep and powerful message thrumming throughout the novel. Don't let your differences hinder building a strong loving relationship. There is no reason to be anything but at peace with each other rejoicing in all that our differences bring to the collective table of good.

Quality of Writing:
This novel developed great voice. The characters were brought to life through this author's ability to create and imbue her voice through them.

Rating:

Book- A for Average

Cover- A for Average

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Title: Hearts at Stake
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Pages: 248
Publisher: Walker and Company
Source: Katie's Blog Session @ CO Teen Literature Conference





Back of Book Summary:
      Solange Drake always knew she was destined to become a vampire queen. And as the only female vampire ever born, not made, she is surrounded by danger on all sides- from vampire suitors who want to join with her lineage to bounty hunters who are set on destroying her and her family. When she is kidnapped, it's up to her older brother Nicholas and her human best friend, Lucy, to save her. But can Lucy save herself form Nicholas, who tempts her with every look? And what will be Solange's own fate if she surrenders her heart to the vampire hunter helping her survive the deadly intrigue a the royal court?
    Let the Drake family be your guide into a secret vampire society full of epic battles, Gothic seduction, undead drama, and wicked humor.

 My Review:
Characters:
    There are way to many characters to keep straight in this novel. Solagne's own family is huge. There are 7 protective brothers- of which only one truly stands out among the others. The parents and aunts and uncles seem to blend together. In addition to the direct family there too many enemies to keep straight. The number of suitors, the different types rogue vampires, the vampire hunters, and the current ruling court are so numerous that it is hard to distinguish who the real enemy is. Even among this mass of characters there were four that stood out. I like Lucy (Lucky) a lot. She Solagne's human friend who is immune, for the most part, to the vampire powers. She is fun and humorous and she stands out among the mass of other characters. Nicholas, I also like. He is Solange's only brother who stands out amongst the other 6. He a gorgeous, annoying, protective vampire who can be two things at once- a ferocious warrior and a gentle boyfriend. Solange is okay- though not my favorite character. There is something about her, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't like the way Harvey developed her character. The last character worth mentioning is Kieran, the bounty hunter who decides that Solange is worth saving. He is one that you just find intriguing because of his dark conflicted nature due to his grief over the death of his father.
     Other than these four characters, there are some minor characters that you can manage to keep straight if you really concentrate.

Plot/Conflict/Theme:
     I enjoyed the premise of the the novel itself, however, there was too much going on too quickly to be able to enjoy the novel. The romantic development between Lucy and Nicholas occurred extremely fast with little romantic indications. The same type of quick and dirty development went into the rest of the story. There were attacks and battles left and right, with no clear understanding of who or what the Drake family was actually battling. In the final battle of the book, there were so many changes and attempted plot twists that it was next to impossible to follow. This book moved like the Vampires- so quickly that it was all a blur.
    I think that the intention for all of the battles was an attempt to create a action packed novel that never let the reader rest, but instead the author created a confusing jumble of quickly moving vicious vampires and a helpless human battling about their political standing.

Quality of Writing:
     The writing was average. I was neither impressed or disappointed in the quality of writing produced by Harvey. The descriptions of the brothers, and the Lucy's family were interesting and well developed, but other than those incidents, there was nothing that caught my attention.

Rating:
Book: L for Lacking 
Cover: A for Average

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Title:Along for the Ride
Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 383
Publisher: Speak
Source: Barnes and Noble Book Store, Denver


 




Back of Book Summary:
      Ever since her parents' divorce, Auden has been unable to sleep. She's built a routine that gets her through each night; but when the opportunity comes for her to spend her summer at the beach with her father and his new family, she jumps at the chance to brak out of her rut.
     Life at the beach proves more challenging that Auden expects. In addition to trying to figure out how she fits into her father's new life, she also has to navigate the girls at work with their gossip and friendship and crushes. And then there's Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her nocturnal tour guide. With an endless supply of long summer nights between then, almost anything can happen. 

 My Review:
Characters:
     Sarah Dessen does a nice job developing different characters in her novel. I enjoyed Auden and her complexities immensely. Auden's spunky, socially awkward way was endearing and had me rooting for her all the way.  I also enjoyed the other characters that Ms. Dessen painstakingly developed from Eli and his tortured brooding sexiness to Jake and his tough guy exterior. Heidi with her independent will to survive as a new mother alone to Robert, Auden's selfish author father. Each character fit into the plot flawlessly.
   The one thing that I did struggle with in this novel was the age of the characters. I couldn't quite figure out how old they were because of the reckless abandon with which they conquered their town. There was a lot of drinking and clubbing and late night adventures. I wasn't sure if they were mostly college aged or if they were high school. Either way- This minor flaw in the character development is my only complaint.

Plot/Conflict/Theme:
     While I like the character's extremely well, I was disappointed a little in the plot. I was expecting something more than the canned romance story. Girl leaves home. Girl meets boy. Boy and Girl bond. Girl messes up. Girl proves she is sorry. Boy and Girl get back together again. This type of plot is too cliche for me to rave about the novel and give it a solid I for Incredible rating. Though Sarah Dessen does provide the readers with a unique setting and some interesting elements. (Like the trouble that is brewing between Auden's stepmom and her dad, and the growing fondness Auden has for her grumpy new infant sister, affectionately nicknamed Isby) There was a potential to draw deeper into these elements to create a more unique plot. For instance, I think delving into the world of cycling or further developing Auden's Quest that Dessen loosely threads through the novel would have strengthened the novel more if it had become a more focal part of the novel.

Quality of Writing:
     I enjoyed the quality of writing that Sarah Dessen produced in her novel. There were some clever word plays and enjoyable descriptions that lead the reader to really picture this small beach town that had managed to completely upset Auden's traditional way of life.

Favorite Line: Auden and Eli are discussing her 'quest' to retrieve her lost childhood years.

"There were endless ways to spend your days, I know that , none of them right or wrong. But given the chance for a real do-over, another way around, who would say no? Not me. Not then. Call it crazy or just chicken salad. But within reason, or even without it, I was in too" (Dessen 178).

  Rating:
Book: B for Basically Brilliant
Cover: B for Basically Brilliant