High (16)

Time Travel for Love and Profit
by Sarah Lariviere
Pub Date: 13 Oct 2020  
Read courtesy of netgalley.com
I love Sarah Lariviere's writing style. So much so, that I'd label this novel "humor" before I'd call it "fantasy." It's definitely scifi, though, and I appreciate that the author didn't mess with my mind too much trying to keep the time shifts straight. That alone makes this an accessible, entertaining story. This story really has something for anyone: humor, science fiction, time travel, friendships, bildungsroman, parents, romance... 
The author's metaphors throughout the book are excellent; they beautifully enhance the story Lariviere's telling. The humor was subtle instead of guffaw-inducing, so I really enjoyed it. (Like Nephele in 2nd grade forgiving her college level math tutor for not always getting the math right.)  And sometimes it's irreverent "Toast is eternal."
What I don't know from the electronic preview reader's copy I received is if the book shows the 'Chicago, 1955' picture. As a school librarian, I, of course, had to look it up. http://sfmoma.org/artwork/2005.474/ Seeing the photograph adds so much to understanding and relating to the story and to Nephele.
I don't know if I'd do what Nephele did, but that's the beauty of the story: it lends itself to allowing the readers to discuss with themselves (or others) what they would do in Nephele's circumstance. This book would be appropriate for middle or high school readers. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Book Review: Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake

Pub Date: 26 May 2020 

Read courtesy of http://netgalley.com

One word: derivative.

First, though, this book didn't know what it wanted to be. It felt easy to read, but right off the bat (chapter 1, paragraph 1) the author threw in "big words," which could easily turn off the reluctant reader who might have otherwise found this a highly accessible book.

Second, I honestly do not know if my high schoolers like reading stories where the teenage protagonist  (Emily) is smarter than the adults, but I personally dislike that as a plot method. Yes, teenagers mostly do think they are smarter than their parents, but to make that the premise of a book, as if the teen is a superhero and the parents are clueless, gets old.

OK, back to "derivative." Quite early in the story I felt like I was reading E.T., the Extra-terrestrial. This feeling resurfaced often. Then the Men in Black reference was repeated (and repeated) throughout the book. Then the plane crash was like Hatchet. I even got a hint of Star Wars with a line that sounded like, "These are not the droids you are looking for." Then a little bit of Star Trek was thrown in with their "prime directive"; Aidan couldn't interfere with the Earth's history. I hit my limit when Aidan's departure mimicked E.T.'s "I'll be right here" and I pictured the author thinking, "Queue E.T.s glowing finger." That wasn't the last unoriginal reference, though; the goodbye scene with Emily and Aidan turned into the intro from The Big Bang Theory.

I found the author's descriptions of Emily's father to be inconsistent in that his personality didn't match his character in the end. Throughout she describe him as "all military precision and attention," "Emily's dad had many useful things in his backpack - that was his style...," "...her dad, sticking to the logic of the story," "She was still averting her eyes. Her dad would see her lies in an instant, if he looked into them," "...her dad said needlessly, and Emily realized something else: this was how he dealt with stress. By trying to understand, to analyze," and "That was Emily's dad: no need to discuss what kind of message, or how, or anything irrelevant like that. Pure focus on the plan." Then at the end,

There was an awkward silence, and then they laughed. They tried not to talk too much about the time after the plane crash - he parents told themselves a story abut it, that they'd been in a rush to get to civilization, but Emily could tell they only partially believed it, and that the best way for them to reconcile the events with the kind of people they understood themselves to be was to not think about it.

To be fair, there were some positives. The author obviously took a great deal of thought into making Aidan's character's abilities consistent and plausible. That's a real plus, since the story wouldn't have worked at all without this being tight and dependable. I was also pleasantly surprised at how clever the author had Emily be at the end with the man in the gray suit, playing like she knew as much as her parents did about the events that occurred.

However, I think the author did more thinking about how he could mix ET with Agent J or Spock than he did about making an original and absorbing story. <2 stars>

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Book Review: Crying Laughing

Book Review

Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin

Publishing date: November 19, 2019

Read courtesy of netgalley.com

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If we couldn't get more of Denton Little, at least we have Winnie Friedman. Cleverly written story about comedy without being forced and corny -- quite an achievement. Makes me want to start an improv club for my students!

Even though I know a bat mitzvah is for girls and a bar mitzvah is for boys, and the reader is told about the character's bat mitzvah, I still found myself [pleasantly] surprised when I absorbed that the protagonist was a female and not a male. This is a good thing since I was able to break myself from stereotypical thinking early in the story. I think that the character is Jewish also makes for a subtle take on the humor that other ethnicities might not have inherent in their culture, the subtleties between puns and sarcasm, which are so integral to Jewish and Yiddish parlance. In other words, this mix of character development worked very well for this story. 

And speaking of inherent ... sporks are inherently funny. Just sayin'...

Teens will relate to the cute humor throughout the story, too. For example, categorizing potential relationships as "hope-will-flirts," "neutral-will-flirts," and "please-don't-flirts" is funny and quite teenager-ish.

While the humor carries the story afloat, the author does an a-ma-zing job of showing a teen's understanding of complicated adult conversations. Winnie's father has ALS, and the subject is handled honestly from the patient-, the parent, and the family-perspectives. All of the characters are treated with equal humanness and not made into oversimplified caricatures. 

The few criticisms I have do not deter from the 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ or the story. There are just a few times where the writing is too PC or 'too' inclusive just to fit in with the contemporary times....Jews, hijabs, and trigger warnings. There are also some contemporary references that might date the book before it's ready to be a thing of the past: Polly-O string cheese (specifically Polly-O), the TV show Parks and Rec, Totes McGotes, and FOMO.

Regardless, I loved this book and cannot wait to get it for my high school library!

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https://pollyannapollyanna.blogspot.com/2018/04/book-review-what-you-left-me.html

What You Left Me

by Bridget Morrissey

publication date June 5, 2018

courtesy of www.netgalley.com

Magical realism.  As a result of a drunk driving accident during their high school graduation, friends get connected through dreams to the friend who "is stuck" in limbo from his injuries. I might have liked this better if the characters beyond the three main characters were more developed. The other 'friends' are not stereotypical; it's just that they're not described enough for me to empathize or connect with any of them. They are more like plot devices than participants.

My suspension of disbelief isn't working when someone with a class rank of 11 gets over a year to make up one exam in order to keep her class rank. The real pressures of high school report cards, class rank, and accountability required magical realism to make this work.

I'd like to think teens are smarter than to ditch in the middle of their high school graduation ceremony in order to go on a drunk joy ride all while expecting to return to the ceremony and have no one notice they'd been gone. The ditch, the drinking... as well as magically connecting to one's alphabetical neighbor for the first time at graduation? 

I did appreciate the humorous lightness Morrissey offered throughout the story, but it wasn't enough to undo the falseness of the ending, "Do you really think you had control over what was going to happen to you?" Yes, don't get into a car with your impetuous, impulsive drunk friend.

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Winger by Andrew Smith

Winger (Winger, #1)Winger by Andrew Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of the Yalsa Hub 2014 Reading Challenge and I loved it. For most of this book, I laughed at Ryan Dean West's loser status and proclamations. Winger, as he is called by his Rubgy friends is smart, 14, and a junior at a Prep school. After getting in trouble, Ryan Dean is now exiled to the bad kids dorm, Opportunity Hall with a really scary roommate, Chas. He misses his old roommates in the normal dorm. He is also madly in love with Annie Altman, who has been his best friend for two years. He is so insecure about so many things, you laugh out loud with him about his loser status. But this book is about so much more than his fumbling, sports, and high school hijinks. On the back cover of the book, I didn't understand why AS King said the book was "heart-wrenching" and Matt de la Pena called the book "raw." You only have to read Part Four to become so totally sad, angry, and beyond hope about this book. That is all I will say, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!


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Leap of Faith by Anne Schraff

Leap of FaithLeap of Faith by Anne Schraff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I have read in the Urban Underground series. For reluctant readers, this book revolves around Ernesto who is a junior at Cesar Chavez High School and wants to run for Senior Class President. Ernesto is a good kid who goes out of his way to help others. He has been shown this example by his father who goes into the barrio and talks dropouts into returning to school. One day there is a robbery and Ernesto sees a hooded, tatooed guy he knows as Cruz Lopez who hangs around Paul Gonzales. He mentions to Paul his suspicions and Paul makes Ernesto promise to keep it to himself about what he saw because Paul is convinced Cruz would never do something like this. While Ernesto is trying to run his campaign, he still worries Cruz could have been involved in the robbery, as well as stopping rumors that Clay started to hurt his election. Ernesto has a great girlfriend in Naomi, and good friends and a supportive family. Students will enjoy the characters in this slim novel and Ernesto's quest to represent his class.

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Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

ExposedExposed by Kimberly Marcus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Liz is a great photographer, a senior with a loyal boyfriend, and best friend forever in Kate since they were six years old. But all of this changes when their once a month slumber party is marred with a fight. Liz accuses Kate of being too comfortable and never taking a chance, their argument ends in Liz angry and stomping up to her room, leaving Kate in the basement. What happens next is open to interpretation. This novel in verse reminded me of the Alex Flinn book, Fade to Black where the reader is not sure who is telling the truth...this is what happens in Exposed and Liz's lens of the world changes, and she begins to lose her moral compass. A great read for girls, reluctant readers, and anyone who likes novels in verse.

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If You Really Loved Me by Anne Schraff

If You Really Loved Me (Urban Underground #4)If You Really Loved Me by Anne Schraff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Part of the Urban Underground series, I liked Destini, who was really hard on herself as not being as pretty, smart and having nice clothes as her friends at Harriet Tubman High. She dislikes school, her teachers and her classes. Until she meets Tyron who is her first boyfriend and gives her such good feelings of love that she overlooks his faults of anger. It is after Tyron hurts her two times that Destini realizes she can't change Tyron and has supportive friends and and a mother that Destini breaks free. Recommended.

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Curveball: The Year I Lost My GripCurveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jordan Sonneblick has done it again combining humor and heart break as Peter has to say good-bye to his beloved baseball due to a major injury. What he gains freshman year is a cute girl partner who is an ace photographer, his grandfather’s photography equipment, and a prize spot as the yearbook sports photographer. A great read for guys, girls and reluctant readers.


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OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

FOyMGOyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! I keep thinking about Ellie, Zeydeh (her grandfather), Devon and Dynamite Doris. Eleanor Taylor is 14 years old, loves to argue, and is excited to be a part of a summer camp for debate and hopes to win a scholarship to the Benedicts School. Ellie has determination, quick wit, humor, and tenacity all going for her, but where she has a conflict is with her religion or should I say, she now has a conflict, but she was previously a very happy Jewish girl with an awesome grandfather who doesn't hesitate (like Ellie) to tell you what is on his mind and to be true to yourself. It is when Ellie receives the scholarship application and it asks about religion that a little nagging starts eating away at Ellie. Also, she wears her grandmother's Star of David for luck and when cute Devon tells her she might want to hide it when she is interviewed by his grandmother that Ellie gets the nagging feeling again. In order to win the scholarship Ellie decides to keep the truth from everyone; but her family finds out and they are very unhappy with her decision. Also things start "sizzling" with Devon and Ellie is all caught up with him, getting ready for her competition, and dealing with her stubborn grandfather. You will totally enjoy this book, these characters and the resolution, YOU HAVE TO GET THIS BOOK!

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AuRevoir Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick (Perry & Gobi, #1)Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perry Stormaire is a nice guy in his senior year who wants to go to Columbia University, works part time for his father's law firm, and is in a band. For the past nine months his family has hosted a Lithuanian foreign exchange student, named Gobi. Perry would have enjoyed a hot European chick, but Gobi was anything but with her greasy hair, baggy clothes and silence. Even though she was invisible in school, Perry was always nice to her, but imagine his chagrin when his parents make him go to the prom with Gobi; especially since that particular night they are playing a gig in NYC.
With his father's jag as a consolation prize, Perry in his tuxedo takes Gobi to the prom. When other senior's mock Perry and Gobi, they both decide to leave the prom and that is when the crazy night unfolds because Gobi begins to take Perry on a wild ride that consists of Gobi really looking hot in a short tight black dress, flowing hair and lipstick, oh and did I forget to mention guns and ammunition. Get ready for a wild ride as Perry is dragged along as Gobi seeks revenge.

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Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

Girl WonderGirl Wonder by Alexa Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was not a fan of the lead character, Charlotte Locke. It is tough to move your senior year, but Charlotte seems to run headlong into the wrong best friend, pink haired Amanda, and her ex-boyfriend, Neal. Charlotte is jealous, mean and petty to her brainiac brother, James Henry. She goes from being a daughter who confided in her mother, to one who hides what she is doing and where she is going from her mother. Charlotte tells us she is afraid, yet she smokes, joins the debate team, does acid and secretly sleeps with Neal (he wants to keep their relationship a secret)so what is she afraid of---oh yeah---she wants to be popular and that propels her to do all these things that were not her before. She also shows disdain for Milton, a neighbor who is mentoring James Henry. Milton is secure in who he started a mushrooms club (I even liked his descriptions of the good and bad mushrooms!!!), snowboards, skis and wants to befriend Charlotte. When Charlotte does acid at a party, she really makes some bad decisions and it is in this aftermath that she finds out what kind of "friends" Amanda and Neal are...It is interesting to see Charlotte start to realize what a gigantic mess she has made of her life and how all her decisions have been so bad---but can she right her wrongs?


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Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Some Girls AreSome Girls Are by Courtney Summers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Talk about mean girls!!! Regina is 2nd in command of the Fearsome Five (Anna is her best friend, Kara is a hanger-on, Kyrstle and Jeannette) but make no mistake--Regina, Anna and Kara are evil, evil, evil. They make life hell for whoever they want- they tell lies--but then the lies become the truth to everyone in the school. At a party, where Regina is the designated driver and everyone else is drunk, Anna's boyfriend tries to rape Regina. When she runs crying to Kara, Kara hates Regina and decides to sever the Regina/Anna friendship, so she lies to Anna. Regina becomes pond scum, relegated to sitting with an outcast, Michael, (who Regina and Anna made an outcast)in the cafeteria. The bullying gets really bad, but Regina keeps fighting back and when she realizes she needs to apologize to many, many people, they hate her so much, they won't accept her apologies.
High school, the freidnships and relationships are really scary in this book. Girls will love the drama, I hope they learn how to care about others, and how to be friends and not enemies.

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Muchacho by Louanne Johnson

MuchachoMuchacho by LouAnne Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The voice of main character, Eddie Corazon was strong, confused, and angry but once he met Lupe, Eddie begins to awaken to what life can hold for him. Eddie still makes some bad mistakes and his humor is often biting but so is his life. He doesn't get along with his dad, has a major attitude, lives in a rundown area of New Mexico, and uses humor and sarcasm to describe his friends, teachers, school and just life in general. There are gangs, drug dealers, criminals that populate Eddie's world. But we find out pretty quick Eddie is a secret reader, he listens in class, and wants to be more than a "poor Mexican kid from a bad neighborhood" and with the help of Miss Beecher, a short-lived teacher in his school; Lupe a girl Eddie meets at dance class; Sgt Cabrera who sees something in Eddie and gives him a book to read after escorting her through his school, and finally getting arrested and sent to live with a trusted family friend, Eddie starts to get it....A book for reluctant readers, teens who enjoy urban fiction, and those who like romances, multicultural literature, this book will appeal to everyone---JUST read it!


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Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

Almost PerfectAlmost Perfect by Brian Katcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a good book, you will love Logan Witherspoon. He is such a great teen, angry, sensitive, and totally ambushed by his long time girlfriend; he is having a very difficult time getting over her cheating on him. Katcher does a great job of showing how very, very small Logan's hometown is, how his single mother's job is taking its toll on her and the stifling smallness of his trailer park home and high school where everyone knows everyone's business. And into this small town community, comes Sage Hendricks, tall and pretty with braces who seems to like Logan immediately (much to his surprise).As Logan and Sage learn more about each other, Logan finds Sage has almost no freedom to date, she was home schooled for much of her high school years. Logan finds himself becoming more and more attracted to Sage despite her limitations, until one kiss changes life for Logan as he knows it. It is then that Sage reveals why it is so important that she have a friend, one who will stand by her and understand her. Sage reveals her big secret--she is a boy. Now Logan has his own reasons for keeping this hideous secret; he doesn't want anyone to know he kissed a boy, he over-reacts and forbids Sage to tell anyone and that he can't be her friend anymore. There is so much about this book that you will love; Logan and Sage are characters you will relate to; they laugh, they cry, they endure. But I even liked Logan's friends, his mom, and his sister, Laura. Katcher definitely deserved to win the Stonewall Award for this book (he definitely gets the transgender issue, but he understands teens, high school and friendship and how important identity is in defining who we are; I highly recommend this for high school teens.


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One Night by Margaret Wild

bookshelves: read, novels-in-verse, realistic-fiction, ya (edit) status: Read in December, 2008 review: Wow, what a great novel in verse!!!I loved Wild's other book, Jinx----but this one is even better about four teens with their own kind of baggage and the mistakes they make and the changes they make to correct. A compelling read with a very sweet satisfying conclusion.
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