Hippies of the world, rejoice! Judy Sierra (an Oregon native, of course) has written a book about getting rid of the lawn and putting in an urban farmHippies of the world, rejoice! Judy Sierra (an Oregon native, of course) has written a book about getting rid of the lawn and putting in an urban farm! And it's set to a familiar song! And it has a sense of humor!
Old MacDonald did not actually buy a farm, folks! He actually started out in the 'burbs.
Now, there's not any real explanation for why he got a chicken, other than "the plot began to thicken," but really, who doesn't want a chicken? Or three?
Also, most people start with chicks, but apparently, Old MacDonald didn't want to wait a couple of months for her to grow up. And I see this chicken, with her qualifications and resources, as a bit of a Mary Poppins figure.
Of course, haters gotta hate and all that, so the neighbors aren't exactly happy about these changes at Old MacDonald's (except that cute little girl in front, who's very progressive for this 'hood).
But if they thought MUD was bad, the compost and horse manure that Old MacDonald introduces next is really going to get their goat. I'll let you discover those wonderful illustrations for yourself.
Then, look, super-cute worms for the compost pile!
I'll also skip the bit where Old MacDonald and his growing band of supporters installs raised bed and plants a lovely variety of fruits, vegetables, etc. Let's go straight to the pay-off where all the neighbors are happy to buy organic produce from Old MacDonald's horse-drawn food cart.
A deliciously creepy Halloween story that often reads like poetry, captures the essence of boyhood, and explains some of the historical origins of theA deliciously creepy Halloween story that often reads like poetry, captures the essence of boyhood, and explains some of the historical origins of the holiday....more
Do you think you had a difficult childhood? Blame your parents for problems in your adult life? If so, you need to read this book and stop feeling sorDo you think you had a difficult childhood? Blame your parents for problems in your adult life? If so, you need to read this book and stop feeling sorry for yourself. Seriously.
Jeannette Walls and her three siblings had it much worse than 99% of the population and yet managed to find their own happiness and success without bitching and moaning.
Walls recounts her childhood filled with extreme poverty, outright neglect, an alcoholic father and quite probably bi-polar mother without a single ounce of self pity. ...more
Yes, there are a few weird continuity issues in this finale, but overall it lives up to the rest of the series.
A seriously unhinged super-villian hideYes, there are a few weird continuity issues in this finale, but overall it lives up to the rest of the series.
A seriously unhinged super-villian hides her physical attractiveness behind a skull mask, while toting around a scarecrow boyfriend.
A broken-hearted former secret agent nurses his broken heart by trying to play the oboe (you have to admit, it's just a ridiculous instrument) and writing bad country-western songs.
When the NERDS are forced to evacuate their secret laboratory under the middle school, their new headquarters is in "Marty Mozzarella's" -- not-so-loosely based on Chuck E. Cheese's.
Ruby Peet -- my least favorite NERD in previous books -- is the focus, with some hilarious conflict between her mom's Jewish Long Island family and her dad's Boston Irish clan.
The top-secret dossiers of former NERDS are also highly entertaining....more
The NERDS crew has moved on to middle school. As if that wasn't bad enough, their new principal reminds me more than a little of Dolores Umbridge. ThrThe NERDS crew has moved on to middle school. As if that wasn't bad enough, their new principal reminds me more than a little of Dolores Umbridge. Throw in a virus that turns the infected into supervillains and you have another action-packed, hilarious addition to the series....more
First of all, that book cover is terrible. It screams, "1993!" The novel itself holds up pretty well more than 20 years after publication. Although reFirst of all, that book cover is terrible. It screams, "1993!" The novel itself holds up pretty well more than 20 years after publication. Although references to saving everything on disks are dated, overall Roessner doesn't get into too much technology that dates her. (Although possibly if I was more tech-skilled, I would feel differently.)
The book opens 29 years after The Vanishing -- a morning when 10 percent of the global population woke up to find the other 90 percent had simply disappeared without a trace. In those nearly three decades, the survivors have mostly grouped up into communes, cults, and gangs, with a few older people still maintaining their homes and desperately waiting for their vanished loved ones to return.
The novel focuses on a commune of sorts living in the Wincester Mystery House, where they've continued to build in the same haphazard fashion. While they try to solve the mystery of how and why the Vanishing occured, the "Housers" also have to deal with a cult that believes those left behind lacked faith and if the non-faithful are eliminated, the newly faithful will join the vanished.
Sci-Fi isn't a genre that I read often, especially not written for an adult audience. Some of the sciency-stuff and battle-planning made my eyes blur a bit (which just reflects on me as a reader, not the book), but the prose and the characters, which it seems like often suffer in this genre, are excellent. While there's an understandably large cast, the main characters are all fleshed out and believable. The differences between those who survived the Vanishing, the first generation (now young adults), and the second generation (strikingly independent children), are fascinating. ...more
The 4-star rating is an average of my 3-star rating and my boys' 5-star rating.
One thing that I really like about Michael Buckley is that he writes fThe 4-star rating is an average of my 3-star rating and my boys' 5-star rating.
One thing that I really like about Michael Buckley is that he writes female characters that are smart and strong. Although the Sisters Grimm series features a female main character, this is the first book in the NERDS series to focus on a female secret agent, Matilda Choi. She's been my favorite team member and she lives up to my expectations in this volume.
Damn. Harriet Burden is angry. She's angry at her father who never showed any affection, her unfaithful art-dealer husband who refused to promote her Damn. Harriet Burden is angry. She's angry at her father who never showed any affection, her unfaithful art-dealer husband who refused to promote her work because he didn't want to be accused of nepotism. Since both of them are dead, she turns her anger on the art world as a whole for having undervalued her for being female, for being large and unfeminine, and now for being old. She hatches an elaborate plan to prove that she is a good artist and that she has been discriminated against for these reasons. She will exhibit her work under three young, male identities (using actual people) and then reveal the hoax, humiliating the art critics, agents, buyers, gallery owners, etc.
This novel is written under the premise that Harriet had died, having been unsuccessful in proving that the hoax really was a hoax in all but one of the cases. An editor has assembled excerpts of Harriet's prolific writing, as well as writing and interviews from her adult children, friends, critics, and various other players in the story. Of the three men who she says exhibited her work as their own, one has disappeared, one freely admits that it was Harriet's work, and the last has possibly commited suicide after publicly denying that his work was Harriet's. It's left to the reader to piece together who is telling the truth.
I don't usually read a lot of "angry woman lit," (Is that a genre? If so, does Where'd You Go, Bernadette also qualify?) but I also recently read The Woman Upstairs. There are certain parallels between the two novels, and while Harriet and Nora Eldridge are very different on the outside, I think these two work as interesting companion pieces. Both women have been unsuccessful in the art world and feel betrayed by people they've trusted. Both books deal with installation art with a lot of quirky little details.
The Blazing World has a much wider scope, with the many perspectives and a dazzling array of sources Harriet quotes from her extensive reading. Harriet is publicly angry, considered by more than a few to be mentally unstable. The Woman Upstairs is a quieter, more intimate novel, just as as Nora lives a life of quiet desperation. ...more
The 4-star rating is an average of my 3-star rating and my boys' 5-star rating.
Killer squirrels, a 30-something comic book-obsessed loser who lives iThe 4-star rating is an average of my 3-star rating and my boys' 5-star rating.
Killer squirrels, a 30-something comic book-obsessed loser who lives in his mother's basement, and, of course, another plan to take over the world. Buckley is definitely having fun with this series.
The 4-star rating is an average of my 3-star rating and my boys' 5-star "It was amazing!" rating.
I like that the NERDS agents are smart & nerdy as weThe 4-star rating is an average of my 3-star rating and my boys' 5-star "It was amazing!" rating.
I like that the NERDS agents are smart & nerdy as well as being able to kick butt & take names. I like that the former bully main character sees the error of his ways and reforms.
Really the only thing that interfered with my enjoyment of the book was the excess bathroom humor, which was one of the selling points for my boys.
I'm also hoping the other books in the series will focus on the other agents, because I didn't feel like we got to know them very well. and I'm kind of sick of Jackson. ...more
Julian's voice was missing from Wonder, an absence that I felt. This additional short completes the story for me. I wanted to strangle Julian and his Julian's voice was missing from Wonder, an absence that I felt. This additional short completes the story for me. I wanted to strangle Julian and his parents at times, but I feel he explains and redeems himself in the end.
I'd love to see this included in future editions of the main book and hope that teachers who have their students read the novel will also have them read the bully's perspective. ...more
Max only likes meat purchased at the store, which he'll be able to do with the money he earns selling flowers. When his big, tough wolf father takes little Max hunting, Max jumps out of the bushes to warn their potential prey.
Will Max's father succeed in his plans? Or will he end up eating various inedibles (his hat, pillow, and grandmother's china) in his frustration? Will he eventually learn to accept cute little Max for who he is?
When the mysterious visitor disappears just as mysteriously as he appeared, the rooster rallies the rest of the chickens to build a wall to keep out all infidels.
...to the neglect of all other duties, including egg laying, with the tyrannical rooster urging them on. (Apparently, humans either don't exist in this world or are too intimidated to interfere.)
Will the chickens succeed in keeping out the hedgehog? Or will all their hard work be for naught?
Originally written in French, this is a humorous indictment of xenophobia. Children will most likely just see it as a silly story about barnyard animals, especially considering that everyone knows chickens are pretty stupid.
The ending is a bit abrupt, but it's a good story with that exception. The illustrations are, quite clearly, wonderful. ...more
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it right after Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore. I struggled to remember which characters also showI think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it right after Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore. I struggled to remember which characters also showed up in the full-length novel.
I wish this story was longer, but the tale of how Penumbra came to work at the bookstore held my attention. The section written in second person felt a little awkward, but I enjoyed the computer tie-in....more
Cormoran Strike and (yay!) his Girl Friday, Robin, are back with another high profile case to solve.
Cormoran has had a bit more success following hisCormoran Strike and (yay!) his Girl Friday, Robin, are back with another high profile case to solve.
Cormoran has had a bit more success following his solve of the Lulu Landry case. He's finally making some money following rich people's unfaithful spouses, at least enough to pay for an apartment above his office. When the wife of a mostly unsuccessful author asks Cormoran to find her missing husband, his interest is piqued. When the author is found gruesomely murdered, Cormoran finds himself trying to prove the wife's innocence.
Although less socially hard-hitting than The Cuckoo's Calling, Rowling pokes a bit of fun at the publishing world, including self-publishing authors. It might feel a little mean-spirited, if it wasn't so funny. She also delves further into Robin's personal life, as well as Cormoran's. Overall, it's a good continuation of the series. ...more
I'm overwhelmed with disappointment in this book. It's seriously terrible -- overwrought plot, stilted dialogue, banal narration -- despite a promisinI'm overwhelmed with disappointment in this book. It's seriously terrible -- overwrought plot, stilted dialogue, banal narration -- despite a promising plot description. And Margolin is billed as a "best selling author," which makes me wonder whether stepping out of his normal genre is the issue or if there's just no accounting for taste.
The plot line from the title is that a prominent Portland attorney brought two slaves with him from Georgia -- a man and his adolescent daughter. Slavery is illegal in the new state of Oregon, so the wily lawyer strikes a deal with his former slave, Worthy Brown, to let him work for his own freedom and that of his daughter. The lawyer reneges on setting the daughter free, however, keeping her as an indentured servant. Worthy approaches another Portland attorney, Matthew Penny, to help him free his daughter.
What could have been an in-depth examination of racism and the law, instead becomes a ridiculous soap opera with all the elements Margolin adds. The aforementioned wily lawyer, Caleb Barbour, is a immoral, alcoholic, lecherous sleazeball, without a single redeeming quality. The protagonist, Matthew, is so stilted and self-righteous with all his internal conflicts, I wanted to hand him the world's smallest violin. A second major plotline, about a vindictive prostitute, steals the show most of the time, even though it's a stock, melodramatic storyline without any actual depth.
The only reason I even finished this book was my sense of responsibility for suggesting it to my book group. For that, I'm truly repentant.
Not a perfect book, but one that has great value for the intended audience (main characters are 5th graders) and adults alike.
August is a likable, buNot a perfect book, but one that has great value for the intended audience (main characters are 5th graders) and adults alike.
August is a likable, but imperfect character. This is basically true of all the characters, including the various narrators and August's parents. They're all extremely believable, with the one exception of the 15-year-old boy who writes in all lower case and has insight beyond his years. One of the things I like about the variety of voices is that we see how everyone struggles with something (divorce, death of a parent, having less money than peers, etc.). No one has an easy road. We see not only how August is affected by his disability/difference, but also how his family and friends are affected. And I love, love, love how non-one-dimensional his sister and parents are. They're all good people, desperately trying to do their best. Slight spoiler: (view spoiler)[(The one exception to these round characters is Julian, the bully, who obviously gets his cruelty from his mother, but I think his p.o.v. would have been interesting. Instead, he's just there as a randomly mean kid who seems to have most adults fooled, and who conveniently disappears at the end.) (hide spoiler)]
I also love, love, love the structure of this novel. Each narrator retells some of the previous events from his/her own perspective and then moves forward in the chain of events. I am a huge sucker for books with interesting structure.
As for the plot: Yes, things end a little too conveniently. It's all a little "After School Special." Yes, August's role as (view spoiler)[ a sort of mascot ("little dude") for his classmates feels condescending (hide spoiler)]. August is a character I'd like to see revisited as a high school student, to see how his life and role in his school have changed. But this is a book that I want my kids to read when they're in 5th grade. It has so much to say about being different, standing up for what you think is right, and, above all, kindness.
Update: My oldest is in 5th grade this year AND the movie adaptation just came out on video, so I read it aloud to my kiddos. They loved the book, but they think I'm mean for not liking Justin. (I'll admit, his chapter is less annoying read aloud, ignoring his lack of capital letters.)...more
I loved Karen's excellent review of this book, so when I saw this on the new lit shelf at the library, I had to check it out, plus y'know...sloths!
I I loved Karen's excellent review of this book, so when I saw this on the new lit shelf at the library, I had to check it out, plus y'know...sloths!
I read this with my 5-year-old and we agreed that sloths are ridiculously adorable. Neither of us could decide which species of sloth is actually cuter, the three-toed Bradypus (AKA "Muppet with the medieval haircut and Mona Lisa smile") or the two-toed Choloepus, described as "a cross between a Wookie and a pig." Incidentally, Snook, the stoner sloth from the PBS series It's a Big, Big World, is a three-toed Bradypus.
If you'd like some pictures and more quotes, you should peruse Karen's review in the link above, but mostly you should just read this book yourself. I would not change a single page.
For the first 350 pages, I was just over Dan Brown. I read The Da Vinci Code back when everyone read The Da Vinci Code and I loved it -- so fast pacedFor the first 350 pages, I was just over Dan Brown. I read The Da Vinci Code back when everyone read The Da Vinci Code and I loved it -- so fast paced, so unpredictable, so edgy. And then I read Angels & Demons and realized that Dan Brown is extremely formulaic -- less impressed. I didn't read The Lost Symbol, but then my book group picked Inferno for a summer read. So I struggled through the non-stop pages of ridiculous chase scenes and pretentious descriptions of art and architecture. And then...
The last 100 pages just pissed me off -- complete and utter bullshit. I went back and reread the purposely misleading passages and that just made me angrier. And in the end, none of it even matters. I very rarely give a book one star, because I either abandon it or because I can see some redeeming qualities, but this one I hated.
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