YA – Page 8 – One Chapter

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

Dang! I picked this book originally based on cover love and I’m so glad that it caught my eye. I absolutely loved it! I’m not normally a sci-fi reader and seeing the size of this book, I almost walked away but this book was amazing! This was one of those books that I couldn’t stop thinking about as I tried to close the book and walk away. I loved how the author weaved the story together and the second half of the book, was incredible,

I felt connected to Nico in this book and I enjoyed being a part of her journey. I can’t describe Nico and her father’s bond, as I feel that the word love doesn’t define it properly. It felt greater than love. As she sat with her father reminiscing and discussing their future, they didn’t have to see eye-to-eye but they did have to respect one another. You could tell that they appreciated each other and felt fortunate to have each other. From Nico watching The Deliverer, to walking with Harry, to her meeting the other survivors, and following the plan, I traveled with her as she made her way.

I did take a few side trips away from Nico where I met the other characters in the book on a more personal level. From when Nico first described him, I pictured The Deliverer as something from The Twilight Zone. This character was brilliant. Where do you come up with this stuff? This character was primo! I can’t go into too much detail The Deliverer but this character generated more, “What?!” “No way!” out of me then, anyone else.

Nico meets other survivors on her journey which amount to about a handful of individuals to remember. Remembering how Nico lived, I had to wonder what was going through her head when she first saw them. These individuals don’t realize how important they are to Nico and vice versa. Everyone knows what they need to do to keep the swarm away as they’re out in the open traveling. Letting their guard down, they would be able to hear the hum before they’re under attack, they just won’t have much time to do so. Each of them has seen what the swarm can do and they don’t want it to happen to them. There is a bit of romance in this book with the characters but nothing dramatic or heavy.

I was surprised how fast I read this book. There was this momentum throughout the book, yet as I got to the second half of this book, the momentum increased as little details began to appear and everything started to come together. It was entertaining as the author began slipping these subtle details into the story, it was like I had discovered a clue. I really hoped that I had caught all of these little details as I read the story. It would have been nice to reread the book now that I have the whole picture in front of me but I needed to return the book to the library as someone else had a hold on the book. I’m going to put this book on my birthday list and I hope to get my own copy because I definitely need to read this one again. I highly recommend it, even if you don’t read sci-fi, if you like apocalyptic, fantasy, or dystopia books, this is one you should read. 5 stars

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

The ending of this book was fantastic! That was one adrenaline rush! I seriously don’t think I took a breath as the minute-by-minute action played out. As I reflect back on this book, I realized just how much I enjoyed it. After I had been introduced to the characters, I didn’t want to put this book down.

Zoey didn’t want to be on the debate team, nor did she want to be a part of the debate club. It’s not like she didn’t have an opinion, its just that she doesn’t like to talk out loud in class and isn’t that important in debate? Zoey’s teacher sees something in her and she motivates her to join. As Zoey attends a few of the meetings, I had to laugh as she begins scribbling information down and it seems as if she’s just “existing” while she’s there. You can tell she’d rather be anywhere else then, sitting there in these meetings. Yet, she’s listening and she’s grasping what’s really transpiring all around her, is anyone else doing the same?

Zoey’s life at home is complicated. She has three younger siblings (Hector, Bryce, and Aurora) which she helps care for when her mother works at the Pizza Pit. Zoey doesn’t see her father and Bryce and Aurora don’t visit their father either. Her mother is trying, she really is. With a roof over their heads and a bed to sleep in, her mother is trying to make a better life for her children. They’re all currently living with Hector’s father, Lenny and his grandfather in a trailer. Sounds cozy, doesn’t it?

I could see myself in Zoey’s mom, so much that it hurt. Her mom saw a goal and she was trying to reach it. In-between her and that goal were her kids -that’s it……nothing else. She was trying to make a better life for them and that was her goal. Zoey: her view through the lens was different. With everything that Zoey is juggling, she wants to help her mom now.

This is an excellent story that addresses the issues of poverty and abuse through the eyes of a middle-schooler. I really enjoyed how Zoey’s knowledge of debate came into play and how Zoey’s character matured in this book. Zoey relationships with her peers and her family played a huge part in her life. The responsibility she shouldered and her attitude was remarkable. I loved how realistic this book felt and how smooth the writing was. It deserves more than 5 stars!

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain. This has been my precept lately and when I read about August’s language teacher giving his students precepts to reflect upon monthly, I was moved. In fact, there were many characters in this book reflecting back on their actions and/or their comments because sometimes, individuals act spontaneous. I enjoyed all the characters in this book, each one of them was important to this story. August may have been the common thread that linked them all together but they were all needed, to make August into the best person that he could be.

I can’t tell you how many times I have read parts of this book over the years. As a substitute teacher, I would read this book in various classrooms when I would do a read-aloud with the students. I never heard a student tell me they didn’t enjoy the book, in fact, most kids got excited when I read it to them. They would try to tell me different parts of the story and I could definitely feel their enthusiasm. I had no desire to read this book after reading the disjointed version over and over throughout the years. Book Club came to my rescue and dang, what a book! I laughed, cried, and gave my copy of the book a good talking to, a few times as August ventures inside a school building. Don’t go to school, go to school, don’t go, go, heck…..I don’t know. I wobbled back and forth, as August tried to decide what he should do about attending school in a building vs. being home schooled again by his mother.

August knows the reaction that he’ll receive when he goes to school, he’s been getting it his entire life. He wants to think that he’s used to it but in reality, he knows he’s not. His mom feels that since it’s 5^th grade, all the students will be new to the building and it’s a perfect transition time but August knows that he still has the disadvantage. After the school tour, August feels that it’s not as bad as he thought yet, when he actually attends the school, it’s harder than he thought.

I wasn’t ready for parts of the story as I read them. In the back of my head, I’m thinking positive thoughts but I know that negative things can happen, when “it” happened. They made me feel as if I’ve been run over by a bus. I know kids can be cruel, I know they can be truthful and honest but wow, seriously? I loved August’s sister, Via. She’s the real deal. She tries to toughen him up as she throws punches at him and he has the choice to either fight back or walk away. I believe that Via hoped that he’d confront her, she wanted him to push back, as that made him stronger.

Being a kid is hard, you want to fit in, but where? There’re many examples of this in the book, and the reality of it hits home. Kids want to be accepted, they want to a part of something, I think everyone has this feeling sometime in their life as I read, I understood the position they took. Sometimes I didn’t like it but I understood it. I think both his peers and August matured in this book. I liked how the teacher was trying to get his students to think on their own when he assigned the precepts. He wanted them to apply the various concepts and form an opinion, then they were to express themselves on the various subjects. I think this is a great exercise will help the students grow internally.

I’m so glad that I was forced to read this book for book club as I don’t think I would have read this book otherwise. I now want to see the movie as I heard it was good and was close to the book.

There were many great quotes in this book but these stand out as my favorite:

“Now, unless you want to be treated like a baby the rest of your life, or like a kid with special needs, you just have to suck it up and go.” (guess who said that?)

““Do people go out of their way to avoid touching you, Vic?” he answered, which left me momentarily without an answer. “Yeah, right. That’s what I thought. So, don’t compare your bad days at school to mine, okay?””

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

Sky’s playing field is the basketball court but she can’t stay there forever. On the court, she’s confident and free yet off the court, Sky insecurities control her. When she talked about Lay Li, this story sounded all too familiar.

Lay Li and Sky were best friend, the emphasis is on the word, were. Sky discovers that Lay Li is not girlfriend material as she doesn’t have Sky’s best interest in mind afterall. Its hard to come to this realization and then, to have to walk away from this close relationship but she had to.

Written in verse, this was a great book about relationships and about taking care of yourself.

They Threw Us Away by Daniel Kraus

Why? Just why, would anyone throw a teddy bear away? The whole cover of this book grabbed my attention from the fun text fonts used, to the unique teddies on the front who seemed to be in a wasteland, to how the author made this topic into a series, I had to know more. Enter the world of Furringon Teddies. Where a group of five teddies finally make it free out into the world and realize, perhaps they being inside the store was better.

When Buddy wakes up, he finds that he’s no longer trapped. It hot, bright and he’s sitting. As he moves his paws to shield his eyes, he makes a huge discover, he can actually move his paws! He’s always been upright, bounded by white plastic cords but now, he could physically move every part of his body! He’s made it outside the store! The teddies in the store have always wondered about this place.

Hearing something, Buddy spies a box that looks familiar. Disappointed that it’s not his own box, Buddy realizes that it’s an identical box and there’s 3 more of them close by. Buddy has found 4 other Teddies like himself. They can’t stand around after Buddy releases them as there’s a group of gulls moving towards them. How did this group of five end up in the trashlands? They read their boxes later, hoping to find clues, and they realize a few things about themselves. They’re supposed to “snuggle, cuddle, nap, sleep” and not talk, walk, get in trouble, and be mean. The group decides that they need to get out of the trashlands but as teddies, is any place safe?

This book was different than how I thought it would be. I liked how detailed the author was with setting the book up and how he shares that information. There’s Reginald, he’s a gray teddy. He has a lot of knowledge, he’s been on the shelf the longest, and he’s also the cautious one. Then, there’s Sugar. Her box had a “sticker reading damaged merchandise” which had affected the box that she was found in and her face. Her actions and the way that others reacted to her were different than the other characters. Her actions at the end of this book surprised me. These are just some of the subtle ways that the author “tells” the reader about the world that they’re painting for them.

It’s quite a journey for the group as they make their way out, the store shelves are long gone. They’re no longer the Furrington Teddies they once were. I was surprised at how dark this book became as they were met with outside influences.

I liked how this story flowed and the variety of characters but I think my main issue was the use of the teddy bear characters. For it being a children’s book, I became concerned for those who would be upset when they were reading it and suddenly, they came upon a section that they weren’t prepared for. If I think along the lines of Toy Story, where dangerous situations happen to those characters, to me, those characters are toys. Toys fall apart, you put them back together. Toys get their voices and attitudes from the children who play with them, typically. These are teddy bears, most individuals think of teddy bears as sweet, loveable, huggable animals.

I did think the ending was sweet and I look forward to the next book. Make sure you know your reader before handing this book to them.

The Brave by James Bird

Thank you, James, for writing this beautiful book. Using a touch of magical realism, 13-year-old Collin tries to find himself and his place in the world all while navigating around his OCD, bullying, family, and the other relationships that he encounters.

Collin lives with his father but when he runs into trouble at school, his father informs Collin that he is going to move to Minnesota to live with his mother. A woman that he has never met. I was instantly shocked at this news. His father had already planned this move for Collin: he was just waiting for the opportunity to tell Collin. I know parenting is hard but you shouldn’t surprise your child like that and then, bail. I was also shocked at the principal’s comment when he suggested homeschooling for Collin. He thought that Collin’s condition (OCD) was too hard for the other students to “adapt to.” Seriously? I couldn’t believe this!

When Collin meets his mother for the first time, I was glad that he made the move. I knew it would be difficult for Collin but her attitude and the affection that she showed him from that first day, I knew she would be good for him. Collin learns that she’s a Native American and her mannerism was something to be desired. Collin also discovers that he has a brother and a grandmother, their stories really made this book special.

Schools in this area are no different than his previous school and after being teased for his OCD, he runs out of his new classroom. So, what is Collin’s OCD? Collin counts the letters in the words that are spoken to him and then, he says that number out loud. Some kids in the past, have taken to saying long passages to Collin, to see if he can keep count of all the letters while others like to talk fast to him, to see if he can keep up with them, it’s all mean no matter how you look at it.

Collin meets Orenda. She lives next door and she spends a lot time in her tree house. Orenda says that she’s changing just like her mother did but Collin doesn’t understand what she’s referring to.

As Collin continues to get bullied at school, Orenda and Collin meet and she helps him discover who he really is. Collin was finally enjoying parts of his life and I could see a smile on his face, it seemed that he had finally found joy. He needed somewhere to land and he had found it, he was accepted and he felt a connection. A truly beautiful book that I definitely will need to reread in the future.

She was “pretty” – pretty amazing, pretty smart, and pretty funny 😊

Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II by Alan Gratz

Every book I read from Alan, I think he can’t write any better and then, he does it again. In Project 1065, I time-traveled back to Berlin, where I met Michael and his parents who were spies. Michael’s father is an Irish Ambassador so there is plenty of opportunity for the family to interact with high-raking officials. Michael is 13, he attends an all-boy school and he does his part in the resistance. Michael is also part of Hitler’s Youth Army where he can obtain information for the Allies. One of the hardest parts of being a spy for Michael is, when he has to fake being a Nazi.

When a British spy plane is shot down, Hitler’s Youth Army is called in to help search for him. Michael wants to save the man yet his team is needed to turn him in. The original search comes up empty but he’s found later and they’re able to safety hide him for the time being. He’ll need to get out of the country soon and that’s when Michael’s family comes into play.

Michael meets a new boy at school, Fritz whose father is on the design team for a new aircraft w/o propellers. This aircraft will help win the war. At Fritz’s house, Michael steals the blueprint but later realizes, he only has a small section of the blueprints. He’ll need to find the rest of the pages and get the information to the proper authorities BUT Fritz is quickly moving up the ranks in Hitler’s Youth and he’s leaving Michael behind. This friendship is falling by the wayside yet Michael needs those blueprints soon but how can he get them?

I’m sitting on the edge on my chair, the stories are running simultaneously, each one just as important as the others. It’s war, there’s some violence but that’s expected, as that’s what these individuals experienced. I enjoyed how all these stories were all tied in to one another, they’re full of energy and how enticing they were. Alan’s book are phenomenal, I need to breathe now!

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

“Snow, snow, snow!” If you’ve read this book, you’ll understand my statement but if you haven’t and you enjoy these types of novels, you’ll want to read this novel sooner than later.

Holy Moly! I’m trying to read slow but seriously I can’t! I’m too consumed in the lives of Suki and Della to even think I can go any slower. It’s as if I’ve been climbing a mountain and now, I’m falling, seriously tumbling down, like a rock out of control.

Della’s telling the story of her sucky life. She’s not depressed because she doesn’t have a normal family, she’s just curious about what it would be like to have one. Her 16-year -old sister is taking care of her, her mother is incarcerated with her parental rights terminated and now, they’re living with a foster mom. I had to wonder about Suki, what was her life like. She was older than Della so when did things start going downhill? The girls have mixed feeling about where they’re at. It’s a soft-landing spot but it’s also a place where they’re not sure they should be getting comfortable in.

When Suki gets a job, Della needs to go with her and she waits for her to finish her shift. I liked the closeness that these sisters had and I hoped that it would continue. Suki has this strong mature image but still I wondered about her. What was her life like as a small child? Della’s comments about swimming tore at my heart. I couldn’t believe that she’d never been in a pool before. Nor had she owned a swimming suit. As a 10- year-old, I had hoped she had played in water before.

I liked how Francine was trying to provide a normal life for them, she didn’t try to spoil them but she gave them structure and guidance. The girls are battling their previous lives with all the demons and ghosts that came with them. I enjoyed this book and I read it in one sitting, barely putting it down. Make sure that you read the author’s note in the book as they make this story personal and they provide websites, links, and they answer a few questions. 5 stars.

The Assignment by Lisa M. Wiemer

Really? Logan’s taken her seat in history class, as Mr. Bartley addresses the class to explain their next assignment. This graded project is top-secret so nothing is to be discussed outside of class. Top-secret? Why is that, I’m wondering. Each student will be assigned either a 1 or a 2 and that, will direct them on which position they will defend in their paper. So, the students aren’t defending their own position on this topic? No, it’s random. What’s the topic, you ask? The students will need to pretend it’s 1942, and that they’re part of Hitler’s Elite Nazi’s Leadership Group. The concern is over the growing Jewish community: what should they do with the over 11 million Jews that are in Europe? Are they on the pro (1) or con (2) side of this problem? Pro: they exterminate them or Con: they put them in work camps/ghettos and sterilize them. I think I understand why it is top-secret. Did their teacher really only give them these 2 options for this required assignment?

I couldn’t believe a teacher would actually give their students this assignment and feel good about it. When Logan and her best friend Cede, who is also in the class, question Mr. Bartley about it, he justifies the paper. While some students are taking this assignment seriously, there are those who are pushing the subject, by adding in physical displays of Nazism in the classroom. Frustrated, the two friends keep reaching out to people to stop the assignment while they also try to create an alternate assignment that they hope the teacher will approve. I liked their persistence in this matter and how the author showed this process. The friends kept looking for solutions even though things weren’t working out for them.

Romance does fly in the book, as Logan and Cede’s friendship changes. They were great friends but this turns into something serious as they try to get the assignment terminated. They each had felt attracted to each other but neither of them had acted on their feelings until this project gave them a deeper connection to one another. They were great friends who just took it to the next level.

I liked how the teens discovered more about themselves and their families during this process. I enjoyed how they tried to stop the assignment and what finally happened in the end. The book made me think about what I would have done if I was standing in their shoes.

The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn

She just wasn’t ready so, when the Land of Dreams appeared, Andrea was more than ready to pay the price of admission. Her price was: one of her dreams or a memory but what awaited her was, the opportunity to forget her troubles. This was definitely a good deal, Andrea thought. As the carnival specular surrounded her, Andrea tried to put the past 3 years behind her.

It had been 3 years since Andrea’s brother disappeared. Her parents have been moving forward and have decided to finally get rid of the rest of Francis’ possessions that have been boxed up and stacked in the garage. Andrea just couldn’t deal with moving on without Francis. When she came across Reverie, I think she was hoping that this might be the escape that she was looking for.

I was mesmerized by this novel. I loved how Andrea fell for Reverie and it’s magic. She befriended Penny, who shows Andrea how the Land of Dreams works. Penny has been at Reverie for a while so she knows everything about it. It’s a magical journey as Andrea travels to Reverie searching for answers. I enjoyed the little twists in the story and the adventure that it took me on. I enjoyed the character of Andrea as she had a huge heart and she was much stronger than she thought she was. I really loved the love and the bonds that I felt in this book. A fantastic book that I really enjoyed.

“I ask the Sandman”

“To a land of dreams, in which I can play”