The Maze

by Will Hobbs
Dakota County Library audiobook, 5.5 hours
read by Ed Sala
genre: YA coming-of-age, adventure

Quick recap: orphan Rick Walker has escaped from a juvenile detention facility and finds himself in the wilderness with Lon Peregrino, a Condor Project employee.

Liked: reader's voice, the hang gliding, Lon befriending Rick
Disliked: simplicity of plot, meanness of villains, contrast between Rick's actions & consequences.

Mine Is the Night

by Liz Curtis Higgs
Dakota County Library, paperback, 447 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction

I was surprised by how much I liked this book (especially compared to book one). Elizabeth and her mother-in-law Marjory show up in 1746 Selkirk almost completely destitute. Cousin Anne allows them to stay in her tiny home and life moves on. This story parallels the book of Ruth very closely and has a satisfying romance in Elizabeth and Jack (as well as Marjory and Gibson and Anne and Michael). I think that the cat and the little boy were my favorites, though. We had a very nice book club discussion on Monday. I also got to see the Trewarthas and Keith Johnson's family!

When Dad Killed Mom

by Julius Lester
PRMS hardcover 179 pages
genre: YA grief, domestic violence

Told in alternate chapters from twelve-year-old Jeremy and fourteen-year-old Jenna, this book caught our dean's attention because of the title. I wasn't sure (not my purchase), so I took it home and read it. It's definitely for our more mature readers, but it has a unique perspective on how kids handle tragedy. The story is well-paced, honest, and powerfully written. It all comes together at the end as Jeremy and Jenna start their new lives without their parents (mom dead, dad in prison). I think it captures well the incredible power that adults have over children's lives.

The Name of This Book Is Secret

by Pseudonymous Bosch
read by David Pittu
PRMS Playaway 5 hours
genre: YA mystery

This book intrigued me because of what I had heard about it. It was bugging me as I listened to it, but I plowed through the whole thing . . . The reader's voice was fine. What is it about these clever writers (think Lemony Snicket & the Unfortunate Events) that get so many readers excited but just bug me?

Cass & Max-Ernest collaborate to solve the mystery of the Symphony of Smells, the missing magician, and the Midnight Sun. The dog was my favorite character. Miss Mauvais was creepy. I'm glad I'm done with this.

This was also the first time I listened to an entire audiobook on a Playaway. Not my favorite way of enjoying a story, but helps the time pass more quickly on the elliptical.

The Sign of the Four

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle GoogleBooks, 283 pages genre: mystery, detective Okay, not my favorite Sherlock Holmes story . . . but it's good to try new stories. Holmes is an arrogant drug user. Watson is his typical self-effacing, bumbling sidekick. The mystery is odd and the solution is disappointing. The eighth grade book club discussion should be interesting, if any of the kids read it. I had to translate three phrases (one French and two German) and look up a bunch of words I didn't know!

 

(Above posted 4/4/11. Below added 2022.04.23)

 

Libby audiobook  5 hours

read by David Timson

Published: 1888 (this version in 2005)

Interesting that I can find the title as both "The Sign of Four" and "The Sign of the Four." Little details like that extra "the" stick in my brain . . . but I don't care so deeply that I'm going to spend time and energy figuring it out!

One thing that I like about this story is Watson meeting and falling in love with Mary. (Happened fast!) I also wonder about the jewels . . . I had planned on skipping the Hound of the Baskervilles since I've read the print version, seen the movie, etc., but I think I'll just keep on with my Holmes roll.

Hard Love

by Ellen Wittlinger
PRMS hardcover 224 pages
genre: YA coming-of-age

Lots of kids have checked this book out (provocative title), but I never heard much back from them. Out of curiosity, I had to see what it was about. John is an angry teenage boy with fairly absent parents (emotionally, at least!). As he is getting into the world of writing zines & reading others' work, he is drawn to Marisol, a self-labelled "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian." The "hard love" of the title refers primarily to his growing affection for Marisol, despite her continual reminders that she is not available. The strongest story line, though, comes through in his relationship with his mother, who has not touched him since her divorce from his egotistical father.

Promises to Keep

by Ann Tatlock
Carver County Library, paperback, 343 pages
genre: Christian fiction, historical (1960s)

Roz (short for Rosalind) is at the center of this story about a woman and her three children who flee Minnesota and an abusive husband. Their lives are changed forever when Tillie comes to "her" house and inserts herself into their home. I liked the friendship between Roz and Mara a lot. I went from being irritated by Tillie to loving her. The dad creeped me out! And anyone who tries to manipulate a child by preying on her / his faithfulness as a child is just horribly wrong. Mara's maturity and character were amazing, especially as she struggled to understand her family. The end was much, much, much too quick, compressing decades into a few pages. Anti-climatic.