Coming Soon to A Blog... yeah, nevermind

My next book is going to be either Island by Gary Paulson or another Kiddie Lit book, probably Iqbal. Keep sending your comments and let me know what you think of books or what books you might want me to look at if you don't have much time.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

   First of all, I think Reckless would be a cool last name. So would Funke, come to think of it. Hmmm.
   Second of all, Cornelia is one of the most successful authors I've found in the area of not romanticizing her characters; they actually have understandable faults. Yes, these faults are eventually overcome by the love they have for their family, friends, whatever, but they have faults and their faults don't magically disappear after a crisis.
   This was one of those books that I wanted to keep reading and ended up postponing homework to do so. The ending was reasonable even if I hate it when movies and authors set up for a sequel instead of just tieing things off. I'll be fine as soon as her sequel does come out. She wasn't as predictable as she could have been but I have a feeling what I thought would happen is going to happen in the next book.
   The main thing I like about Funke is... well, she has a cool last name... but the main thing about her writing is that she really paints a good picture of what's going on. She captures your imagination and she keeps you with her throughout the book. Yeah, this was a pretty good book.
   Criticisms: (Yes, I changed the title again. I really don't know what I want to call this section of trying to balance out my entry between good and bad.) Funke's imaginary worlds have a common theme; they are incredibly terrifying but still beautiful. As in, if you go there you will risk death with every step but you still won't want to go home. This keeps happening to her characters. Also, quick hint, this book is a tiny tiny bit more adult than her last couple but not so much that an unaware person would notice. Honestly, I put these hints and comments about swearing, etc. in because I feel guilty if I don't warn people... and my mom reads this blog. Oh, another things Funke keeps repeating; she is one of those authors who cannot let someone just stay dead. Seriously; it's ok to kill off a character, mourn them, and move on. Oh, well, she's not nearly as bad as R.A. Salvatore.
   Rating: Good to great. Wait, is there a very good on my scale? W/e, read it.
   Read again? Yes.
   You read? Yes.
   Age Level:  Young adult.
   New  Temporary Section!!! Where'd I get this book from? My mom gave it to me because I'm a fan of Funke.  :)
   Hey! I just remembered what I was going to do after I sent that email; I was gonna go to bed! I was gonna write a paragraph and finish this tomorrow! I wonder if there's a Bloggers Anonymous. Probably. Besides which, I'm much more likely to need Pretzel M&Ms anonymous. Those things are seriously addicting. I'm tired.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Honestly, I do not understand how this book did not make me cry. I guess I wasn't tired enough.
This book was... well, not indescribable. It was very good in my opinion but it's definitely not a book that everyone is going to like. I strangely appreciated the fact that the author did tell you that certain people were going to die because I do have a slight tendency to get frustrated and look at the ending of books this long.
I think this book did a good job explaining the horrors of WWII even though it didn't go too far into the concentration camps. I say think because I wasn't there and I can't know.The book also deals with other issues of growing up but I'm tired of talking about that and it's not important anyway.
I really don't know what else to say about this book; I like it, read it and decide for yourself.
Potential Bad Things: (I have been uneasy about the title 'Bad Things' because usually I just write what people might not like so from now on I'll have clarifying words that will take away any real meaning from what I am saying.) There is a lot of swearing. Most of it, however, is German and didn't really bother me. The book is narrated by Death which is why my mom didn't read it but I think the author did a good job of taking away any possible creepiness or controversial. Well, I suppose for someone else it might be... I don't know. Also, lots of characters die. It's a war. Also, the book is narrated by Death and he only sees what happens when people die so... Yeah, people die.
Rating: For me, Holy Cow. For others, maybe, Burn It which is ironic (or something people think is ironic) because one of the books she steals she snatches from a bonfire.
Read again: some day.
You read: if swearing, Death, and lots of death don't bother you, then yes.

Yet Another Quick Note

In reference to what I said or didn't say about 'The Earth, My Butt...' and adults writing about growing up I have soemthing to add. If you want to read a good book about growing up read 'Up a Road Slowly' by Irene Hunt. This book is about a girl who is raised by her Aunt after her mother dies. Yes, it is from a while ago and isn't exactly the same as today but her emotions and whatnot are realistic. The main character has to deal with adn talks about the cruelty of children to one another, the difference between making sacrifices for someone you love adn being a doormat, alcholism, having a stepmother, her older sister having a baby and feeling replaced, I am going to ruin the story if I go on. But you should read this book. Have a nice day. :)

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

This is another Kiddie Lit book and, while I'm getting tired of reading children's books, it was a pretty good read. The book doesn't talk about racism until almost the end and it seems like the second half of the book has a completely different setting, plot, and point from the first half. What I mean  is, everything gets a lot more serious and the main character has to deal with some things he is definitely not ready for. But everything turns out alright in the end. The back cover summed it up well, I think, when it said that the books starts out with the typical family in the Midwest and then turns serious as the parents' decision to take a vacation in the south "immerses" the family in the racial tension. The only problem I have with that is that there was only one event that showed the racial tension and the main character really did not understand that at all; it only really mentioned why the church bombing happened in passing, as far as I remember.
This was Curtis' first novel, according to the back cover, and I think it was pretty good. I haven't read 'Bud, Not Buddy' so I can't say if it was better or worse but if it's like this book it must be worth reading. It seemed like what a boy of the main character's age would think and write and react so I was happy with that.
Bad things: There was one part, about the Wool Pooh that I wasn't quite sure I understood. Kenny, the main character, says he sees something and it's not clear if his eyes are playing tricks on him, he's hallucinating out of terror, or there really is someone there. But that was probably just me trying to get a book done before I went to our concert.
Rating: Good.
Read again? Maybe.
You read? Sure.

Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voight

This is the sequel to Homecoming and a Newbery winner. I read it for my Children's Literature class and I actually liked this one. It's a story about Dicey, the eldest of four children who's mother has gone insane, and the changes in her life as they are raised by the grandmother they didn't know existed. As a future teacher I was interested by this book because it talked about learning to read and how different people need different approaches; this doesn't mean that they are stupid. It also spoke about making assumptions about your students and so forth from the student's point of view.
It was a coming of age story but a good one. The author wasn't just guessing and throwing around stereotypes but still dealt with bullying, fighting, being more or less intelligent then peers, and so on. It gave me a lot to think about. Also it made me laugh and want to cry so there's also that.
Possibly bad things: Dicey is very blunt. She mentions parts of growing up but that's not really that big a deal as long as the kids reading this book know about them already. Also, it drove me crazy when Maybeth did not understand fractions and no one used musical notes to explain it to her; this is a byproduct of spending a lot of time thinking about teaching.
Rating:Anywhere from ok to Great depending on why you're reading it.
Read again? Maybe. After a couple years if I do.
You read? Yes.
Others' Comments: This was another Kiddie Lit book and there was a group discussion between those of us who had read it. My teacher was in our group because of odd numbers and her opinion was that she liked this book the first time she read it but not the second. She thinks that it is outdated; for example, Dicey's situation would have been taken care of by Social Workers before she ever had to make the journey with her siblings. I agree adn disagree. Yes the exact situation is outdated, but there are probably still situations in which children are taking care of everything because from teh outside everything looks ok. Not to mention the whole idea of children dealing with mentally ill parents. Then there is the fact that I can apparently relate to anything I read no matter how random or unrealistic it is.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

   This is another book I read a while ago. I'd seen the movie years ago and I read the book about a year to two years ago. I don't remember much but I like the movie enough to write about it anyway.
   I have to be really careful about this one; it's basically a mystery so any hint will ruin it. Well, not ruin it but you won't have the fun of experiencing the apprehension and confusion and suspense yourself. This book is told in an unusual way; it is written as though the story happened in the past and those who were there wrote down their statements as to what took place. The first chapters are written by the head servant who loves Robinson Crusoe and makes you laugh. Then there is a cousin who annoys everybody but you get her point of view and she's funny too. Then there's the dying doctor who everybody hates for basically no reason at all and he makes you sad. And so on and so on. I'm slightly ashamed that I can't remember any one of the character's names right now but oh well.
   Bad stuff: Ah... I can't remember. It's not the easiest book to read, but I think I liked it better than The Woman in White.
   Rating: Good.
   Read again? Eventually yes.
   You read? Yes. And watch the movie. Maybe even watch the movie first; it's a bit easier to understand.

I, Keturah by Ruth Wolff

   I haven't had enough time to read another book what with school and work and my attempts to run cross country so I'm going to write about a book I read this summer. I did list it on my favorites but then I remembered some things and I decided I should write more comments.
   'I, Keturah' became one of my favorite books approximately a quarter through the book. It's about an orphan and her quest/desire to become a "lady". Keturah is about 15 at the beginning of the book and around 20, I think, at the end. As a teacher in training I enjoyed this book because of her attitude toward children; there are some real brats she has to deal with, there's an invalid three year old girl who is practically ignored by everyone, etc. As a reader I loved this book because it made me laugh and cry and, while it had romance, it did not make finding true love the whole point of the book. On the other hand, she didn't pull a Jane Austen and sum up the success of the romantic relationship in a neat little paragraph.
   I felt what the main character felt. I was enough engrossed in the story that I didn't start elaborating on my guesses. I need to get my own copy of this book. 
   Potential Bad Stuff: There are references to abortion and sex but it's not so much that a younger reader would even catch it. A friend of the main character was pregnant at about fourteen and talks about how she jumped off a step. Also, there is a crazy woman and a really depressing story tied in with the sick little girl. I don't know that this is the best book for anyone under high school, but parents this is a good enough book that you should read it yourself and decide. Wait, parents? Who am I talking to?
 Rating: Great to Holy Cow!!!
 Read Again? Yes; hence the fact that I said I want my own copy.
 You read? Let me think about it... Um, n--YES!!!