Sweet Life

Earlier this summer I was able to read an excerpt of Sweet Life by Mia King as part of a swag bag promotion for Fifteen Minutes of Shame. I absolutely loved this book. I really enjoyed the format of having the book start with a prologue letting readers know that Marissa had a disasterous Valentine's Day and that her marriage is falling apart. The first chapter takes us back in time to see how her life ended up the way it is. After her husband received an offer to immediately transfer to Hawaii Marissa struggled with being ready to leave behind her career. As a reader I knew that they obviously ended up going and that it was a disaster. My stomach clenched as I was wishing they would just stay in New York and avoid her prologue heartbreak. However, as I got further into the book I realized that Hawaii was only a catalyst to the unevitable. I was constantly trying to put the puzzle pieces together to undestand how everything fit together.

When I finally got to the part of the book where the prologue scene played out I realized that it was not as it seemed. The book had plenty of twists and turns to keep me on my toes as a reader and had a happy ending, which I really appreciated after being dissatisfied with Bel Canto's ending. The theme of reflecting on marriage and struggles in married life reminded me of Love the One You're With.

Aside from the plot the layout of the book was still as appealing to me as it was when I first saw the book. The Hawaiian phrases added a lot of depth to the book. The cover alone makes me feel like I could never get rid of the book. Ironically, unless I missed something the cover actually depicts a more symbolic rather than literal depiction of the book. Marissa does not really spend time lounging on the beach with Pansy, but she does re-center her life and Pansy welcomes the extra attention with open arms.

In the back of the book there are also recipes that complement different scenes from the book. I love to skim material at the back of books, but I realized that it was not such a good idea in this case because the titles of the recipes give away a bit of information, so I tore myself away from them before seeing any more details too soon. After finishing the book it was fun to read through the titles and descriptions again. It was perfect because it was like looking through a photo album from a memorable experience, prompting on reflections of the ups and downs.

Bel Canto

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett takes place in a South American country with the scenario that a party at the vice-president's house ends with a group of terrorists taking everyone in the house hostage. The concept of having it as a "South American" country without ever saying which one reminded me of Julia Alvarez's book En busca de milagros.

The back cover explains, "But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers." The concept intrigued me as I enjoyed taking history of Spanish-speaking countries, which involves different groups such as the Zapatistas (Mexico), ETA (Spain), and FARC (Colombia). I could relate to the concept in the book.

One side of me loved the book, while it was a little bit slow to get into at first. Another side of me could not get past how unrealistic the scenario probably was. Just this year a group was finally freed in Colombia after many years and I am sure that they did not form bonds as in the book. Yes, I know that is what makes the whole premise of the book interesting, the unlikelihood of it all. At times I pushed those thoughts away and got swept up with the picture Patchett painted about the power of music.

Because of the back cover information I knew that relationships would form; however, I didn't know if they meant "lovers" meaning one couple or if it was for multiple people. I was constantly trying to guess exactly who would be the "unexpected" pairs. Everyone entered my mind from the powerful Japanese businessman Mr. Hosokawa, the generals holding them hostage, the priest, Roxanne Cox, the translator, the surprise female soldiers, the vice president... It kept my mind busy the whole time. Some of my predictions never came to pass, but others did.

I was shocked with the end of the book. Without giving the ending away (but it may be a good idea to stop here if you are going to read the book), I knew that one aspect of the ending scenario was very probable, but it was heart-wrenching nonetheless to read. The epilogue caught me off guard, and it was pretty unsatisfying for me. The relationship was one that I had expected early on but too much had happened during the rest of the book that it no longer seemed appropriate. I know the two ending pair shared a common experience that bonded them together, but it was just too weird for them to end up together.

Bel Canto was definitely a page-turner once I got into it, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book; however, I wouldn't say it was the best book I have read this year.

With this book I am officially at the half-way point for my New Classics Challenge.

Congratulations Amanda Sue

...you won the signed copy of Undone! Enjoy. I would love to hear what you think of the book once you get a chance to read it.

Twilight's biggest fan

I am convinced I have Twilight's biggest fan in my class. I have mentioned her before and the unbelievable amount of times she has read the book. I just could not resist sharing this comment I heard her tell a classmate this week, "The first time I read it I was numb like Bella. The second time I cried the whole time." I still haven't read the book yet; it's in the to-read stack. I know for sure that thanks to my student I will have constant reminders that I need to read it!

Hate That Cat

I just finished Creech's Hate That Cat--absolutely loved it! Here's more of my thoughts on it on my other blog.

Brooke Taylor interview and giveaway

I recently raved about Undone, and I am very excited to announce that Brooke Taylor agreed to answer some interview questions. I was ecstatic to receive her response saying she would not only participate in an interview but that she would also donate a signed copy of Undone to one lucky reader. To enter, just leave a comment on this thread. Let me know if you talk about this giveaway on your own blog (you can paste the link on your comment), and you will have an extra chance to win the book. I will be drawing a random winner on Monday, November 17th. Now on with the interview:

Q: I would love to write a YA book someday. How long did it take you from the time you had the inspiration to write Undone until the time it was complete?

A: It took about a year from inspiration to something close to what was sold. Another 6 months or so of revisions and edits and getting it published.

Q: In your acknowledgments you said, "my teachers; for all those wonderful writing assignments." What was one of your favorite writing assignments or component of your class?

A: I don’t know that I had one favorite—but I go back and re-read some of them and just laugh. I had a short story called Shopping Mall Bathrooms and Other Disasters that was very humorous. My teacher’s comments are probably the most entertaining, though. I think it takes a very special individual to read a teenagers poems and short stories.

Q: Are you in the process of or have you competed any more books since Undone? If so, is it for the same intended audience as Undone?

A: I’m working on two more novels, and both are for older teen audiences. I wish I could share more details, but nothing is finalized.

Q: Some aspects of Undone reminded me of Speak and The Lovely Bones. Were there any books that inspired you as far as the theme and/or format
for Undone?

A: There wasn’t any one book that inspired me, I just wrote the kind of book I knew I would’ve enjoyed reading when I was in high school. I wanted it to be real and honest, and not preachy, but I also didn’t want to exploit the teenage experience.

Q: What is one of the best books you have read lately?

A: I read a lot of books, and like different things about them—so it is hard to compare. I haven’t read it lately, but White Oleander by Janet Fitch is one that has always stuck with me.

Q: Your bio at the back of the book says you enjoy traveling. Where is the most interesting place that you have been able to visit?

A: Africa—I went there on Semester at Sea and got to go into Kenya and to the Mara. I love seeing animals in their natural habitats, so that was really a once in a lifetime experience. Although, I do hope to see it again in my lifetime!


I will definitely be eager for the announcement of the release of Brooke Taylor's novels that she is currently working on!

Running Horse Ridge

I was excited that Harper Collins selected me to read the first book in the Running Horse Ridge series, Sapphire: New Horizons by Heather Brooks, which will be available in January of 2009. Previously I have had students who enjoyed horse stories, and I couldn't wait to view this and see if it would be a good match for horse-lovers.

I found myself caught up in the building plot. The book starts with Emily Summers traveling with her dad across the United States back to the family's horse ranch after her grandfather's death. She feels like she is in heaven around so many horses and is shocked to learn that her dad knows so much about horses, a secret he had always kept from her. Emily has a lot to learn as she gets to know her family and the life her dad left behind ten years ago in order to move to New Jersey and start his own business. Throughout the book Emily is torn between the horse she left behind and loved that she leased back home and Sapphire, a sassy horse that her aunt is trying to tame and train. There is more conflict when the possibility arises that her dad just may be considering staying at Running Horse Ridge for longer than expected.

I am sure many students who enjoy books about animals, horses, action, competition, and drama will love this. At the start of the book it reminded me a bit of Paint the Wind because of the themes of wild horses, loss within families, reconnecting with family members who seem like strangers, and relocation. They would be a fun set to pair together or to have book clubs going simultaneously reading the two books and then having cross-group discussions periodically.

My only hesitation with the book is that it seemed like it was still in rough draft format. There were fairly frequent occurrences of typos and/or references that did not match up with what was previously said. The front cover picture of Sapphire also did not match to the in-book description as he was missing his white sock on one of his front legs. As this is an advanced reading copy, maybe some of these have already been fixed in order to get ready for the release case, in which case I would no longer have those reservations. However, if it remains the same it was frequent enough that it could be distracting to the readers.

*When I checked Amazon to see if the cover image was available, I noticed that books #1-#4 in the series will all be available on the same day in January. That will be great for kids who love book one. Then they won't have to wait for the next installments to come out.

La linea

I was excited to see La linea by Ann Jaramillo on Amazon and ordered it for my classroom library when I did a book order at the beginning of the year. I wanted to preview it before adding it to my classroom library and just finished this week.

In some ways I really enjoyed this book and think it is a valuable contribution for middle schoolers, especially those who are well aware of undocumented immigration. It tells the story of Miguel, whose dad makes arrangements for him to cross over into the United States without inspection shortly after his 15th birthday. He never tells his little sister of the arrangements, knowing that she would be very upset that their dad did not send for them together. Little does he know that Elena has secrets of her own. She sneaks onto the bus that he takes out of town and plans on going to el norte too. Their plans go awry when the bus is inspected and the siblings are suspected to be Central Americans undocumented in Mexico. They end up all the way at the Mexican/Guatemala border. They encounter many set-backs and dangerous situations to get back to Mexico's border with the United States. They have help from a man they met on the older bus a lot of the way.

I did enjoy the book, but I also felt like it over-embelished in some ways. Yes, I am sure that many people have met Miguel's fate and ended up being mistaken for Central Americans rather than Mexican citizens in their own country, but it seems like crossing the US/Mexican border without inspection in and of itself has enough danger and suspense that it was not really necessary to have them sent all the way to the south border (other than to make it novel length without stretching out their US/Mexican border experience). I know that Jaramillo, who is a teacher, wrote this book so that her students could have a novel that they could relate to, so maybe this specific scenario was inspired by one of her students. I just don't think that most people who have lived this experience would relate to this specific set-back. Other options would have been more universal enabling students to more-readily relate.

(Spoiler ahead in this paragraph.) The only other hesitation that I had with the format of the book was the ending. It leaves off when the two kids are in the US desert struggling to survive. Then all of a sudden it switched to the only chapter with a title called "The Phone Call". It is a epilogue that flashes forward about ten-years. While I really enjoyed some of the lines, I was left with unanswered questions about the end of their journey.

Although Amazon lists it as recommended for grades 5-8, I am considering setting it aside until at least next year when my students are 7th graders or even for when they are 8th graders. For the most part the content is appropriate, and they are familiar with undocumented immigration status and some of the circumstances because of it. Some of them know about it first hand from their families, and others know about it because they did a big immigration theme unit last year as fifth graders. One section of the book that makes me hesitate is that the little sister ends up cutting her hair and writes "tengo SIDA" (I have AIDS) on her shirt to deter men who may want to rape her on her journey. It was a short scene, but I was left wondering whether or not it was enough to hold it back a bit longer. It's a case where I wonder if I am being too cautious or if parents would appreciate that I don't include it at this point. This review on Amazon is a good match to my hesitations about the ending and the suggested age level, yet I also agreed with many of the comments from the current three that gave it five stars.