Yummy: the last days of a south side shorty

by Greg Neri
Hennepin County Lib paperback 94 pages
genre: YA graphic novel non-fic

Yummy was an eleven-year-old boy in Chicago in the 1990s. He murdered and was murdered. His life and death raised awareness and passion. Violence cannot be ignored when children are both the perpetrators and the victims. Done in black and white, this graphic novel could easily be a part of my collection with its realistic portrayal of Yummy's story, without being disturbingly graphic.

Cutting Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost One Byte at a Time

by Taylor LeBaron
and Jack & Mary Branson
Hennepin County Library paperback 188 pages

This caught my eye when I was getting books one day. This young man went from 297 pounds down to 145! His story is incredible and inspirational. His basic tenets are the ones I already know (exercise more, eat less, & eat good foods), but the way he shares his story amazes me.

I know myself pretty well and at age 45, I'm not interested in his Ultimate Fitness Game (treating weight loss like a video game with points). His points on goals and success are good, though. What an incredible kid. I'll buy this for my collection. I think there are some students for whom this would be very meaningful.

Dreamer

by Pam Munoz Ryan
illustrations by Peter Sis
Hennepin County Library hardcover 370 pages
genre: YA fictional biography

This book reminds me a lot of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, except that it seemed to drag on a bit. By the time I got to the end, I had a new interest in the real life of poet Pablo Neruda. The super-large print and interspersed drawings and snippets of poetry should have made the book go quicker, but it didn't. Something failed to grab me. Not sure yet if I'll buy it for PRMS.

I've been trying to crank through the books for Camp Read-a-Lot, but I think I'd better get onto the website and participate in the discussions instead of just doing my own thing.

Trash

by Andy Mulligan
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 5 hrs 20 min.
read by a cast
genre: YA realistic fiction, mystery

This was incredible. The story never actually says the location of "the city," but I imagined Mexico City. (In looking at reviews, it sounds as though Manilla in the Philippines is more likely). Raphael and his friend Gardo pick trash together in the city dump known as Behala. One day, Raphael finds a purse with a man's wallet, a key, a map, and lots of money. This discovery sends them, along with 10-year-old Rat, on an extremely dangerous path of mystery and corruption. Powerful story!

My only complaint - the audiobook's cast is fabulous *except* for the boy who read Rat's part. His accent was inconsistent (somewhere between French, Scandinavian, and I'm not sure what else). His articulation was almost non-existent, making it hard to hear what he was saying. The few times he slipped into just normal "kid talk" with his own voice, I wondered why the director / producer didn't encourage him to use his regular voice for the entire thing.

I look forward to re-reading a print copy of this book.

The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie

subtitled A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (unauthorized)
by Tanya Lee Stone
Hennepin County Library hardcover 110 pages
genre: Non-Fic, culture

Very, very interesting book with excellent photos. I wasn't a huge Barbie fan as a kid and I never hated her, but understand the author's perspective that people either love her or hate her. This creation definitely elicits a lot of passion from people. This was interesting to me, but especially in terms of Ruth Handler's story. I would enjoy reading more about this unusual woman. Fascinating. My favorite quote came at the end of the story.

"I have a pink Barbie T-shirt and I wore it to work the other day and got a look from a guy that was like, 'Oh, how sad, you aspire to be Barbie, can't you aim any higher?' And all I could think was, 'Hey loser, my Barbie had a three-story townhouse with an elevator, a pool she floated around in with her friends when she needed to relax, a plane she could pilot on her own, a camper she could rough it in when she felt like getting back to nature, and she was the sole proprietor of a hair salon with a working blow dryer! And all this without a man in her life or the need to ask anyone for a dime to support her lifestyle. Go Barbie.'" - Jennifer O'Connell

Fever Crumb

by Phillip Reeve
Hennepin County Library hardcover 325 pages
genre: YA Sci-Fi dystopia

This one definitely kept my attention. Set so far in the future that the world of technology is a mystery known to specialized engineers, London is a somewhat calm place as nomads move closer. To trade or to invade? Fever Crumb is the only female at the Order of Engineers and has been raised to be logical and unemotional. When archeologist Kit Solent sends for her, she starts to "remember" things that never happened to her. This exciting story is both beautiful and tragic. Fever is a memorable character and I hope there is a sequel in the works!

Countdown

by Deborah Wiles
Hennepin County audioCDs 7 hrs 20 min
read by Emma Galvin
genre: YA hist fic, relationships & coming-of-age

I loved this! I'm not sure if my modern middle-schoolers will, though. The historical details are rich indeed, with the early 1960s coming through loud & clear (though I wasn't even born until 1966!). Franny Chapman is starting her transition from childhood to teenager and it isn't going well for her. With strict parents, an older (college age) sister who is looking beyond home life, a "perfect" little brother, and a best friend who's not being so nice, she isn't sure what to do.

This rich story has layers upon layers of beauty, from Uncle Otts and his personal history to Franny's budding love interest Chris. I guess I should buy a copy for PRMS and figure out how to "sell" it in booktalks.

The Book Without Words

by Avi
PRMS hardcover 203 pages
genre: YA historical fiction, magic

Interesting. I thought of including this with our spring medieval hist fic unit, but the magical elements are pretty strong. The factual details jump out at me - lack of hygiene, poverty, illiteracy, etc. But I'm not sure if middle schoolers would clue into that as much as the book of spells that can only be read by a green-eyed person with great desire.

Sybil is a youngster who is happy to have a place to sleep and some food to eat, even though her new master, Thorston, is not kind. He also plans to steal her life force to make himself invincible, but she doesn't know that yet. Odo the talking crow (who's actually a changed goat), Brother Wilfrid the monk, Alfric the green-eyed street urchin, Master Bashcroft the reeve, and others make this tale intriguing if somewhat predictable. I most liked Alfric and Sybil's ability to make friends and care for others.

The Eyre Affair

by Jasper Fforde
lake book paperback . . .
genre: literary mystery

Re-read. Love this book. Clever and weird. Delightful.



12.18.15 Re-read again. Pure escapism.
I absolutely love this book! I love the cleverness, the adventure, the allusions, and of course, Thursday Next as the heroine who gets Rochester and Jane to a happier ending. 

The Clocks

by Agatha Christie
lake book paperback 246 pages
genre: Murder mystery

Barely a Hercules Poirot story at all. Told by Colin Lamb (code name for a secret agent), friend of HP and Inspector Hardcastle. Too many subplots and characters. Didn't see it coming together and yet wasn't surprised at all. Kind of bored, actually.

The ABC Murders

by Agatha Christie
lake book paperback 224 pages
genre: murder mystery

Hercules Poirot sees past the false clues to the truth. The ABC railway guides, the letters, the victims Ascher in Andover, Barnard in Bexhill, Clarke in C . . . Intriguing story. I did NOT guess the ending.

The Sweetest Thing

by Elizabeth Musser
Hennepin County Library paperback 394 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction, relationships, mystery

Loved it! Can hardly wait 'til book club!
"Perri" Anne Perrin and Mary "Dobbs" Dillard do NOT hit it off on their first meeting. Set during the Great Depression (1933-39), Perri is a wealthy Atlanta socialite and Dobbs is a poor preacher's daughter who has come to stay with her Aunt Josie to go to school. When Perri's dad commits suicide, though, her world is turned inside out and Dobbs truly befriends her.
Suicide, depression, finances, status.
Faith, loss of faith, evangelism.
Theft, honesty, evidence, safety.
Family, love, truth, past.
Jackie, Frances, Coobie.
Mrs. Singleton, Barbara, Irvin.
Hank, Spalding, Andrew, Philip, Luke.
Parthenia, Cornelius, Anna, & Hosea.
Dellareen, Jimmy, & 5 kids.
Mr. Bill Robinson.
LOTS of other characters! Parthenia my favorite.

pg. 266 Mrs. Dillard:
"When you love, it will hurt. You have to choose to forgive, again and again. But it's worth it. That's the crux of human relationships, Dobbs. The sweetest thing. Loving deeply. And forgiving. Your father loves you so much. Talk to him. Ask him your questions. Don't be afraid of your anger and your hurt."

pg. 381 Parthenia:
" . . . I said to myse'f that once there's a bad weed in ya - well, apart from the Good Lawd ripping it out - it's gonna stay." (referring to Mr. Robinson.

Mrs. Pollifax books - various

by Dorothy Gilman
lots of re-reading
genre: spy, mystery

Faves: Mrs. Pollifax's personality & the way people underestimate her
Disfaves: marriages in every book by people who met less than a week earlier. What?!

Starclimber

by Kenneth Oppel
PRMS hardcover 390 pages
genre: YA adventure, romance

In this story, Otto Lunardi offers Kate and Matt the chance to travel to outer space in a new ship he's had built. Although Matt is one of one hundred candidates going through intensely tough training to narrow the field to a few, it's never really a question of IF he'll be chosen, but how. In all three books of this series, I like Matt's underdog status, his creativity and problem-solving in the face of danger, and his general attitude. As usual, I can't *stand* Kate as a character. She is selfish, egocentric, and arrogant. Women's rights to vote, the reality of Heaven, and other themes are woven throughout.

Elijah of Buxton

by Christopher Paul Curtis
PRMS paperback 341 pages
genre: YA historical fiction

I started this as an audiobook while I used the elliptical at school. This is not one of my favorite CPC books, but it has a wealth of topics for discussion. My least favorite part of the story was the "preacher" and his selfish, immoral choices. My next least favorite part was Elijah's own gullibility. Grr! And I really, really disliked a dear character's death . . . however, there was so much here of beauty, truth, and pain. I know how carefully the author researches his topics and I found the story of Buxton to be encouraging and hopeful. Our sixth grade LAX classes read this book. It would be fun to get in on the discussions this coming school year.