Review: The Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

The Lions of Little Rock tells the story of what happened the year after the events of the Little Rock 9, when 9 brave African American students broke down the barriers of segregation at a time when the races did not mix. In 1958, the governor of Arkansas ordered the schools closed to block the federal forced integration of the schools. Marley is a middle school student who finds it very difficult to speak. She meets a new girl in her school, and the two of them become friends. Marley discovers that her friend is actually black, passing as white. Marley strives to maintain her friendship and deal with the cultural problems that put pressures on her family. This is a wonderful story of friendship against all odds. At times, it can stretch your ability to believe it as Marley and Liz are able to maintain their friendship given the time and place they live in, but the friendship overshadows that one complaint.

An excellent read that I highly recommend.

This review is based on a library copy.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

Review: A Diamond in the Desert

A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

 During World War II, Japanese Americans were interned or kept in camps. Tetsu is interned with his sister and mother, but not his father, who was detained for interrogation.Tetsu must deal with being the head of the family while his father is away, even though he is a young. His love for baseball leads him to help build a baseball field near the camp.  I enjoyed this book because Tetsu is a great character who isn't perfect. Like any under dog, you can't help but root for him.  This book isn't as heavy as some of the other realistic fiction titles describing the internment, but doesn't water down what happened.  I recommend this book for baseball fans as well as history fans. It was quick to read and drew me right in.

This review is based on a library copy.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

Review: Nook HD

2 years ago for my birthday I received a Nook Color.  I used it for A LOT of reading, getting electronic galleys and ebooks from the library.  I loved that little device.  However, as time went on, I began to see it's limitations more and more.  I had hoped it would be a good ebook reader and a passable tablet.  Instead, it was a great ebook reader, and not much else.

As the owner of a Nook, I kept getting Barnes and Noble gift cards for various occasions.  I saved these, as most of my reading is galleys or library books, and just after my most recent birthday translated them into an upgrade: a Nook HD.

I have to say, it's been a great upgrade.  Where the Color failed as a tablet, the HD has succeeded.  Integration with Outlook was essential and, even though it's not perfect, this really adds a lot of functionality to the HD.

The screen is quite beautiful.  Bright, clear, and very sharp.  It's my favorite part of the HD.

I also purchased a JavoEdge case for my HD.  When I read the description of the case, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the HD has a smart cover feature that turns it off when the cover is closed and on when the cover is opened.

The Color was quite solid, but I noticed the HD had slight buckling of the edges when I held it there.

All in all, I'm extremely happy with the HD and glad I made the upgrade.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

Review: Hideout

Hideout by Gordon Korman

Griffin Bing, The Man with the Plan, is back for a 5th book, but this time he's up against his old nemesis, S. Wendell Palomino.  Yes, Swindle is back, looking to take Luthor the guard dog back to make money and crush the kids who ruined his life.

This novel brings back some of the fun in this series that has been missing. The gang is split among three different summer camps, and struggle to complete a plan with limited access to each other. Most of the characters grow and adapt as they deal with an impossible mission.

Fans of the series will love this title.  If you are new to this series, start with Swindle.  It's like Ocean's Eleven, only with 5th graders!

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading.

Missed Cybils

It was a very difficult job selecting the final list of Cybil nominees.  I must say, there were some very good books that were left off the list.  Here's a few that I really enjoyed, but might have been better suited to a Young Adult list.



Dear Blue Sky by Mary Sullivan is the story of Cassie, who's older brother Sef is off fighting in Iraq.  Since Sef was the glue that held her family together, Cassie watches as her family starts to come apart.  A class project leads her to an unusual source of comfort, a young Iraqi girl who blogs under the name Blue Sky.




Fire in the Streets by Kekla Magoon is about Maxie, who wants to help the Black Panthers even though she is young. She discovers there is a traitor in their midst and figures that, if she could discover who it was, it would be her ticket into the Panthers. As she discovers the truth, it's much more than she bargained for.

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher tells about ten year old Jamie who's family fell apart when they lost his sister Rose in a terrorist attack. When he moves to a new school, he forms a strained friendship with a classmate named Sunya, who is Muslim. Realistic and tragic, funny yet poignant. A great book to read.

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles is about twelve year old Fern who's strained family must deal with a horrific tragedy. I can't say too much without giving away major plot details, but this is a wonderfully captivating story of dealing with loss.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading! 

Cybils Awards Announced

Yes, the Cybils Awards are out.  I must say, I was not too surprised by the middle grade fiction selection.  It was a tough field of contenders, but I think the choice was pretty obvious. And if you've read this blog, you know how I feel about Wonder by RJ Palacio!

Be sure to check out the full list of winners here.

Where Have I Been?

Well, honestly, I've been reading like crazy!

The Cybils shortlist is very nearly due, and I've been doing my very best to read every single nominee.  I don't think I've ever read so many books in such a short amount of time in my entire life!

Right now, I'm kinda itching for a picture book (I have 2 author submissions that I have read, just need to write reviews) or graphic novel, just something different from the middle grade fiction I've been immersed in.

Don't get me wrong, I've read some wonderful books and have loved the experience.  As a matter of fact, I was just thinking on the many ways being a Cybils judge has given me insight into myself as a reader.

I found that I enjoy books with sports as a backdrop.  No surprise there, since I have season tickets to my alma matter's football games!

I found that I really love books that deal with heavy, meaningful subject matter and situations.

Finally, something I already knew and has been reaffirmed for me - I love to talk about books!  I've really enjoyed the give and take of talking with the other judges and seeing their perspectives on different books.  Even if we don't agree, I learn so much from their perspectives!

Anyway, I should be back to reviewing in a week or two.  Please forgive my absence.  I just couldn't read and review, so I focused on the reading so that I could give my very best input to the shortlist.

Hope you've all had a very happy holiday season!

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

Review: May B

May B by Caroline Starr Rose

This is the story of a girl with dyslexia on the prairie, but it's no little house! When May's father hires her out to help a neighboring homesteader and his young wife, she must deal with their strained relationship and the wife's poor treatment of her. When the wife decides to return home and the husband follows after her, May ends up being abandoned in their sod house during heavy winter weather and it becomes a story of survival.

Strengths: The story is told with very few words in the first person, like a journal, a little Hemingway-like.

Weaknesses: Reading about May's loneliness gets a little old after a while.

This review is based on a library copy.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

Review: Dork Diaries 4

Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess by Rachel Renee Russell

This is a Cybils review.

I confess that I have not read any of the Dork Diary books, even though they are extremely popular in my library. The fourth book has Nikki volunteering to raise money for an animal shelter by entering an ice skating competition.  The problem is, she doesn't know how to skate.  Making the whole thing even messier is the fact that the shelter is owned by the grandmother of her crush, Brandon, and her nemesis Mackenzie is a fantastic skater.

Strengths: Fun, entertaining, light with wonderful illustrations (though I have to wonder about the hands - they always look like mittens!).

Weaknesses: Although the series is very popular, don't expect anything really meaningful here.

This review is based on a library copy.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

CYBILS Nominations

Well, my reading dance card is pretty full right now!

Here is a link to the books that have been nominated for the Cybils this year:
http://www.cybils.com/2012-nominations-middle-grade-fiction.html

I'm working my way through them (it's easier to read than to write the reviews!). So far, I have one title I'm recommending move on.  Can you guess what it is?  You'll have to stay tuned to find out for sure.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

Review: Liar & Spy

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

This is a Cybils review.

I enjoyed reading Rebecca Stead's first novel, First Light, but thought the boy character in that story was not very well written. When I read the synopsis of this, which featured another boy main character, I was very worried it would be similar. However, the character in this book is very real and very believable. Liar & Spy is the story of Georges, whose parents named him after Georges Seurat. When his family moves into an apartment building in Brooklyn, New York, he finds a sign advertising a spy club and meets the aptly Safer. As the two boys track a mysterious neighbor, the boys learn a lot about each other, and themselves.

Pros: Realistic characters in very real situations dealing with family and friendship.

Cons: Much of this story happens in very subtle, subdued situations. As result, it's not the fasted paced read.

This review is based on a publisher supplied electronic copy.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

Review: Interrupting Chicken

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

As Papa Chicken reads his daughter bedtime stories, little red chicken just can't help but interrupt and tell what he thinks some classic fairy tale characters should do to get out of their problems. This is a funny story with wonderfully colorful pictures that reminds me of my own interrupting daughter! I highly recommend Interrupting Chicken as a fun picture book.

This review is based on a library copy.

Until next time, bon voyages and happy reading!

Review: My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

This is a Cyblis review.

This book tells the story of Jamie, a boy who's sister Rose died in a terrorist attack in England. As a result, his family is pretty messed up. He moves to a new school with his absent, alcoholic father and his older sister Jas (who was Rose's twin). He meets one friendly student, who is Muslim, but the rest of the students bully him and treat him like an outsider. The book was funny, touching, and very poignant at times. Jamie deals with a very wide range of emotions as he works to overcome the event that so shaped his life.

Pros: This book is very touching, sweet, and real. I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it late into the night. Also, Jamie's thought processes are perfect for a ten year old boy.

Cons: It's very real, and may be too real for some students as it deals frankly with some very sensitive subject matter (terrorism, race relations, alcoholism, loss, and others).

This review is based on a library copy.

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!

Cybils Nominations Now Open!

Yes, and you can nominate your favorite book published during the last year! Anyone can! Nominations are open between now and October 15th.

There are ten different genres, but each person can only nominate one book per genre. The genres are:

1. Book Apps
2. Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books
3. Fantasy & Science Fiction
4. Fiction Picture Books
5. Graphic Novels
6. Middle Grade Fiction
7. Non-Fiction Picture Books
8. Non-Fiction: Middle Grade & Young Adult
9. Poetry
10. Young Adult Fiction

If you have a title you'd like to nominate, head on over to http://www.cybils.com/2012/10/nominate-here-for-the-2012-cybils.html, sign up for a nominating account by clicking the nomination form link, and enjoy!

Until next time, bon voyage and happy reading!