Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

by Wendy Mass
Hennepin County Library audiobook 8 discs
read by Andy Paris
genre: YA realistic fiction

I enjoyed this story, and there's a lot to it (great discussion book!) but I kind of understand why it hasn't been a hit at my school. It's kind of an odd story. Jeremy and Lizzy are unusual kids, best friends but almost more like siblings. Jeremy's dad is dead and Lizzy's mom is gone.

"A mysterious box with the words "THE MEANING OF LIFE: For Jeremy Fink TO Open On His 13th Birthday" arrives in the mail from Jeremy's long-departed father. The four keys needed to open the box are lost, setting Jeremy and Lizzy off on a quest to find them somewhere in the vastness of New York City."

I liked a lot of the quirkiness (junk dealers, collections, unique people) but was confused by Jeremy's weird phobias and how they developed. Paris' vocal work was wonderful!

13 Gifts

by Wendy Mass
Hennepin County Library audiobook 9 discs
read by Kathleen McInerney
genre: YA realistic with some magic / fantasy elements

I am only on disc 3, but I have to blog some of my thoughts! I don't know if it's because I went from a kick-butt teen book (Dorothy Must Die) to a tween "oh no! What will I do?" angsty thing or if this book just really sucks . . .

Tara, the seventh grade protagonist, cannot speak up for herself. At all. Irritating! Her parents are overprotective, making her wear pads and a helmet just to ride her bicycle, but then on the spur of the moment, they send her alone on a train to spend months with relatives she barely knows?

She doesn't want to impose on her aunt and uncle by telling them that her cell phone, iPod, and $200 spending money were stolen from her on the train!!!!! But she does concoct a scheme to steal some of her uncle's "extra" collectible comics to sell to have spending money . . . how could she possibly be so deluded?

This book is bugging the heck out of me. It's almost painful to listen to, and it's not because of the reader who has a fine voice. The story does NOT resonate for me in any way. I'm sticking with it to see which readers it might appeal to and why. How do I booktalk something I think is stupid???


Okay, now I've finished the entire book. The middle section, where the kids were seeking the items on the list, was a truly enjoyable part of the book. And I *loved* Ray, the Aussie "house help" at her aunt and uncle's house.

However, I still ended the book jotting "Stupid!!" on my car notes pad of paper. Emily goes into Tara's suitcase and mails her letters without permission. "I hope you don't mind . . . " Arg! These people have no idea how to just communicate with one another! And her parents putting an offer in on a house after promising "no more moves." And adults (her mother specifically) making irrational decisions because of a love potion twenty-five years earlier???!?!? I am so glad I'm done with this book! Clearly, it is written for younger readers. I will booktalk this to my sixth grade girls, playing up the friendship piece, the odd things that happen, and young movie star Jake Harrison . . . .

Every Soul a Star

by Wendy Mass
PRMS paperback 322 pages
genre: realistic fiction, relationships, coming of age

Eighth grade book club will discuss this today; glad I finished it last night! I liked the three perspectives - Ally, Bree, and Jack - though I didn't find the girls' scenarios to be very realistic. The author did an amazing job of weaving the astronomy and wonder of science throughout the book. I think our earth science teachers might enjoy this book . . .

Ryan - has changed from Ally's reliable friend to a workout-focused guy looking for "hotties"
Melanie - Bree's positive, energetic little sister who's unconcerned with peer pressure, societal norms, etc.
Kenny - Ally's brainiac little brother who loves bugs
Stella - the little old lady who befriends Jack, then Bree; knits a red scarf

The Unusuals - interesting, yet also a little too New Age-y for me . . .