Firefly Lane

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

At the awkward age of 14, Tullulah Hart moves in across the street from Katie Mularkey. Tully is gorgeous and confident and is immediately popular. Katie watches in awe from afar, wishing she were cooler and yet not willing to engage in some of the behaviors common to the early 1970s in order to get friends. Tully's mom is a drug addict and this is one of the rare times that she is a part of Tully's life. Katie's parents are strict, but their love is real and unfailing. Despite their differences, Tully and Katie find each other and never let go.

As the decades pass, Tully and Katie's friendship has its ups and downs as they take very different paths in life. Katie dreams of being a wife and mother and Tully wants to be a television reporter. But through it all, their friendship is an essential part of who they are.

This is a sweet book that reminded me a lot of the movie Beaches. Despite its length, it was a fast-paced read with a quick-moving plot. I did, however, find that the characters were somewhat one-dimensional and underdeveloped, which made the plot a little choppy at times. Firefly Lane is an entertaining book that I liked, but didn't love. If you do decide to read it, make sure you have some Kleenex on hand for the ending.

Also reviewed by:

• She Reads Books  
• Book Addiction 
• One Person's Journey Through a World of Books
• Medieval Bookworm 
• A Book Blogger's Diary 
• Socrates' Book Reviews
• Charlotte's Web of Books
• Lesa's Book Critiques 
• Bookfan 
• Bold. Blue. Adventure.

Book 11 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 7 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 1 of 6 for the What's in a Name? Challenge (Place Name)

Source: Free copy provided by House Party

Secret Letters From 0 to 10

Secret Letters From 0 To 10 by Susie Morgenstern

Awards: ALA Notable/Best Books; Booklist Editors' Choice; State Award; Mildred Batchelder Award/Honor Book; American Bookseller Pick of the List; Le Prix Totem

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is the reason that GoodReads is so wonderful. I saw a children's and YA literature instructor from Rutgers and a classmate of mine from library school put up 5-star ratings for this book recently, and I had to know why. 

Poor 10-year old Ernest lives in France with his grandmother. Every day is exactly the same, boring and dull. But then spunky Victoria moves into his class at school and immediately proclaims that she and Ernest will get married in thirteen years, eight months, and three days. She bulldozes into Ernest's life, shaking up everyone and everything in her path.

Victoria's family is part of what makes this book so great. She has has 13 brothers named Dan, Reuben, Joseph, Naphtali, Simeon, (you get the drift), and Jeremy. Her family reminds me so much of the Cassons, but French. They are outrageous and flawed, but generous and kind.

I was enchanted from the first page. I think I read the entire book with a smile on my face. If there is anything I didn't like, it was how tidily the last couple of pages fixed everything up. Before you give it to your kid, you might want to know that there is one awkward scene where Ernest is given alcohol (but he doesn't swallow) and he blurts out that he and another classmate "made love." I think these bits are probably extra weird to American cultural sensibilities. But, this book won the French equivalent of the Newbery for good reason. Definitely recommended for age 10 and up.

 Also reviewed by:

•  Books 4 Your Kid

Book 10 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 6 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 13 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge
Book 4 of 10 for the Book Awards IV Reading Challenge
Book 2 of 25 for the Support Your Local Library Challenge 

Source: Library

Receive Me Falling

Receive Me Falling by Erika Robuck

Receive Me Falling is a self-published book by first-time author Erika Robuck. I rarely read books that are self-published, but the story sounded fascinating and it has gotten some good reviews from other bloggers. The book's chapters alternate between the modern-day and the voices from the past.

Meg is a smart, attractive woman who comes from a wealthy family in the D.C. area. On the night of her engagement party, her parents die in a car crash. She discovers that among her inheritance is a plantation house named Eden, located on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean. In desperate need of some alone time, Meg decides to go visit the island and learn what she can about the house, which is supposedly haunted.

Catherine is also a smart, attractive, wealthy young woman. She is the only child of a sugar plantation owner on the island of Nevis during the 19th century before slavery was abolished. She hates the way the slaves are treated and she does everything in her power to make their lives better. But she knows it isn't enough. When a young abolitionist comes to the island, she realizes that she must make some tough choices that will affect the future of Eden forever.

This is a tough book to rate. On the one hand, it has a great plot. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the lush descriptions of the island make me want to catch the next plane out of here. On the other hand, the book is in serious need of some editing. There were spelling errors, homonym issues, and missing punctuation. The writing was a little choppy in parts and sometimes the story dragged a little because Meg would discover the exact same things that had just happened to Catherine in the chapter before. That said, this book tackles a time and place in history that little is written about and I feel like I'm better educated for having read the book.

Also reviewed by:

• 2 Kids and Tired
• Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books
• Framed and Booked 
• Booking Mama 
• A Reader's Journal

Did I miss yours?

Book 9 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 5 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 3 of 12 for the Historical Fiction Challenge
Book 7 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge 

Source: Booklogged via BookMooch

That Summer

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

That Summer is Sarah Dessen's first novel, written in 1996. It is also part of the mash-up with Someone Like You that made up the movie How to Deal starring Mandy Moore. I didn't love Someone Like You, and I've tended to like Dessen's newer works better than her older novels. So the fact that I really enjoyed this one delighted me.

Haven is a 15-year old who is having the worst summer of her life. She's experiencing a growth spurt that puts her at nearly 6 feet tall, her sister is getting married, her dad is getting remarried, and her best friend has turned into a totally different person than she used to be all because of a guy she fell in love with at 4-H camp. Everything around her is changing and Haven doesn't feel like anyone understands how much it is affecting her. That is, until her sister's ex-boyfriend, Sumner Lee, shows back up in town.

This book is less of a typical Dessen love story, and more about sisterhood. You really sense how Haven is at such an awkward stage--torn between wanting to be independent, but realizing more than ever how much she needs the people around her. I thought this book was really sweet and I even shed a tear or two at the end.

Also reviewed by:

• Hope's Bookshelf
• Bookfoolery and Babble
• Book Addiction
• Book Nut

Book 8 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 6 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge
Book 6 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge 

Source: BookMooch

Calamity Jack

Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale (ill.)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've mentioned before that Coco loves graphic novels. She has been dying to buy Rapunzel's Revenge and this recently released sequel. So she knew exactly what she was going to do with a Christmas gift card she received to B&N from her Gramma.

I'll say straight up that Coco loved it. This book continues the adventures of western heroine Rapunzel, but we learn a lot more about her love interest. Jack is a city boy with a good heart, but he's also a criminal with bad luck. (He reminded me a lot of Aladdin!) After inadvertently growing a beanstalk, killing a giant, he escapes to the West.  Fortunately, for him he has the golden goose in tow. With Rapunzel he turns his life around and heads back to the city to find his mother and show her that she really did raise a good boy. Instead, he arrives to a city destroyed by giant ants and finds his mother is being held captive. Together, Jack and Rapunzel must save the day.

Graphic novels are not exactly my thing, but this was a fun way to spend an hour and bond with my daughter. The illustrations are fabulous but I didn't find the story quite as engaging as I did when I read Rapunzel's Revenge. Still, reading graphic novels are a nice change of pace every once in awhile. Appropriate for 4th grade and up.

Also reviewed by:

• Book Nut
• The Book Nest 
• Becky's Book Reviews
  
• Superfast Reader 
• Maw Books 
• My Own Little Corner of the World  

Book 7 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 12 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge
Book 5 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge 
Book 21 of 55 for the Countdown Challenge (2010)

Source: Borrowed from Coco. :)

The Boy Who Dared

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Awards: Booklist Editors' Choice; NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts; YALSA Best Books for YA

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Helmuth Hubener lives in Hamburg, Germany and observes the rise to power of the Nazi Party as a young boy. As he grows older, he is forced to join Hitler Youth. He has serious objections to Hitler and the political regime, and he struggles between supporting the cause of his country and standing up for what he feels to be true within himself. 

In 1942 Helmuth was sent to prison for the production and distribution of anti-Nazi literature. This book, based on a true story, is told in flashback form while Helmuth is waiting on Death Row. When I got this book I didn't realize the protagonist was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is clear that the author has done her homework regarding both Helmuth's story and the LDS church. I appreciated all the background information and details provided regarding Helmuth's real story at the end of the book.

I like that Bartoletti decided to tackle this subject in a way that is appropriate for children. It did mean that she had to gloss over certain things, but the book is appropriate starting at around 6th grade. It is a sobering story. But the legacy of Helmuth Hubener reminds us all that truth and courage transcend death.

Also reviewed by:

• The Book Nest
• Book Nut
• Maw Books
• Becky's Book Reviews

Have I missed yours?

Book 6 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 5 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge
Book 4 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge
Book 4 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 3 of 10 for the Book Awards IV Reading Challenge
Book 11 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge
Book 2 of 12 for the Historical Fiction Challenge

Source: Purchased

Weekly Household Reads

The Husband finished his re-read of The Shadow Rising and is now re-reading The Fires of Heaven (WoT #5) by Robert Jordan. I'm not a big re-reader so this quest of his truly boggles my mind.





Coco (age 9) read Calamity Jack by the Hale trio this week. (Look for my review this coming week too!) She is in the middle of The Rising Storm (Warriors #4) by Erin Hunter. I learned this week that Erin Hunter is actually a pseudonym of a group of authors.  The Rising Storm is penned by Kate Cary. Coco also enjoyed the graphic novel Monkey Wrench Blues (Nancy Drew #11).

CJ (age 7) read Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg. He also read and Knights of the Lunch Table by Frank Cammuso and Bakugan's A Feud Between Friends.

JB (age 5) picked up Dragon Egg by Mallory Loehr at the library and read it to me. Together, we read Dinosaur Time by Peggy Parish. At the back of the book there is a page that explains the advances scientists have made in the study of dinosaurs since the book was first published in 1974. Very interesting!

Sassy (age 3) enjoyed Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems. This Elephant and Piggie book won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for 2009. We also read Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice by Steve Metzger.

Fire

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Book 5 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 4 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge
Book 3 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge
Book 2 of 10 for the Book Awards IV Reading Challenge

Award: Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2009

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Fire is Kristin Cashore's companion book to Graceling and takes place about 30 years prior. For me, there really was no need to make them companion books with one cross-over character. Instead, I really liked this book entirely for what it is by itself. In Fire, Cashore has created a tangibly exotic world with well-drawn characters and a suspenseful plot.

Fire is a seventeen year old woman who lives in the northern part of the kingdom. She is a fiddler, a horsewoman, and a pretty decent archer. She's also the last of the human monsters--half human, half monster--in a world where monsters have indescribable beauty and are both revered and hated. Fire has the ability to read minds and to alter the way people think and feel. But because of her past, she refuses to use her powers until the kingdom is threatened and those she loves are in the greatest danger.

I liked this book even better than Graceling.  I think Cashore does a fabulous job putting the reader right into the action and helping us understand the personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and emotions of the characters. I thought Fire was a great heroine but I also loved the different men in her life and the complex relationships she had with each of them. There was enough romance in this book to keep me turning pages far too late into the night. Because of sexual themes and violence, I would recommend this book for high school age and up.

Also reviewed by:

• Book Nut
• The Book Nest
• At Home With Books 
• TV and Book Addict
  
• Reading Keeps You Sane 
• One Librarian's Book Reviews 
• Presenting Lenore 
• SciFiGuy.ca 
• Melissa's Bookshelf 
• In Bed With Books 
• A Patchwork of Books 
• Alaine - Queen of Happy Endings
  

Can I add your link here?

Source: Purchased

A Curse Dark as Gold

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Book 4 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 3 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 3 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge
Book 2 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge
Book 10 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge
Book 1 of 10 for the Book Awards IV Challenge

Awards: William C. Morris YA Debut Award; Smithsonian's Notable Book; YALSA Best Books for YA

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've always found Rumpelstiltskin to be pretty creepy. But I was intrigued by this retelling after reading some reviews. When I saw it at the Scholastic Warehouse for $3 I went for it.

Debut author, Elizabeth Bunce decided to set her historical fantasy novel during the early Industrial Revolution. While she says the book is set in neither the US or Britain, my reading mind set the book in England based on the place names and some of the word choice. Bunce has a lovely writing style, and I felt like I was a part of the town of Shearing.  

Charlotte Miller's father passed away, leaving the woolen mill to his two young daughters. Shearing relies heavily on the business of the mill and Charlotte does her best to keep the mill running. But there is talk of a curse on the mill. Charlotte doesn't believe it, but she can't deny that they seem to have more than their fair share of bad luck. While she works hard to repay a mortgage on the mill, a man named Jack Spinner appears to help them, but at what cost?

I found this book to be enjoyable, but the story took too long to develop. The last 100 pages flew by though, and I liked how everything came together at the end. I really liked Randall, Charlotte's love interest, and her sister Rosie. But I wanted to throttle Charlotte for making mistake after mistake and never learning her lesson. Even at the end, I felt like she would put the mill before anything else and she was too proud to let those that love her help.

This book was very clean and I would recommend it for sixth grade and up. Even though I liked this book, I didn't love it. However, I think there is a lot of potential in Bunce's writing and I will look for her next book, Starcrossed, out in the fall.

Also reviewed by:

• The Book Nest
  
• Book Nut  
• Supernatural Fairy Tales 
• In Search of Giants 
• Gamila's Review 
• Today's Adventure
  

Source: Purchased

Weekly Household Reads

Coco (age 9) is our equestrian and enjoyed Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan this week. She also finished The Pirate and the Princess: Timelight Stone by Mio Chizuru, and The Lost Warriors and Into the Woods both from the Manga Warrior series created by Erin Hunter.

CJ (age 7) is almost finished with Clementine's Letter by Sara Pennypacker. He also read McBroom Tells a Lie by Sid Fleischman and Pokemon's Explore with Ash and Dawn.

JB (age 5) enjoyed Frog Knows Best (which he read entirely by himself) and Dino-Mite, a cute dinosaur pop-up book, both of which he got from the school library.






Sassy (age 3) eagerly chose a perennial favorite in our house, Pajama Time!, for bedtime. Sandra Boynton's books are my favorite for young kids. Not only do they have catchy rhythms, but the illustrations are adorable. We used this one to work on colors this week.

We all enjoyed reading Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett before watching the movie together for our family fun night.  JB and I liked the book better, but Coco and CJ preferred the movie.

Crossing to Safety

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

Book 3 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 2 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge
Book 1 of 12 for the Historical Fiction Challenge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had some preconceptions about what this book might like since I read The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Stegner last year. Don't get me wrong, I liked TBRCM a lot. But I wasn't sure if I was ready for another book of more of the same. Crossing to Safety is so completely different and yet has all the same beautiful prose and stunning observations about life that TBRCM has. It's not a quick read with a gripping plot. But, it is a beautiful book.

The book is about the lives of two married couples who became friends during the Depression. The husbands are both English professors at the University of Wisconsin. Sid Lang is wealthy and privileged, and Larry Morgan is poor but happy to be doing something he loves. Their wives, Charity and Sally, meet and instantly become best friends, despite their differences. Their friendship lasts for forty years until Charity contracts cancer. The book is told from Larry's perspective in a series of flashbacks detailing the joys and sorrows in their lives that ultimately dictate who they become. This is a book with reflections about real life that ring so true and contains passages that should be savored.

Some favorites:

Talent lies around in us like kindling waiting for a match, but some people, just as gifted as others, are less lucky. Fate never drops a match on them. The times are wrong, or their health is poor, or their energy low, or their obligations too many. Something.

 Nothing is so safe as habit, even when habit is faked.

You can plan all you want to. You can lie in your morning bed and fill whole notebooks with schemes and intentions. But within a single afternoon, within hours or minutes, everything you plan and everything you have fought to make yourself can be undone as a slug is undone when salt is poured on him. And right up to the moment when you find yourself dissolving into foam you can still believe you are doing fine.

There is nothing like a doorbell to precipitate the potential into the kinetic.

This book is my in-person book club's choice for this month. I think there will be a lot to talk about--the choices of the characters, their personalities, their strengths, their weaknesses. This is a book I'm glad I own and will look forward to reading again. Highly recommended.

Also reviewed by:

• Books on the Brain

Have you read this one?

Source: Gift

Once Was Lost

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Book 2 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 2 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 1 of 25 for the Support Your Local Library Challenge
Book 1 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge
Book 9 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sam Taylor is from a rural town in Northern California where her father is the pastor. She's always under the scrutiny of the town, and even more so now that her mother is in rehab. When a girl from her church suddenly disappears, Sam questions her faith and her relationships with others as never before.

This is my first Sara Zarr novel and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I read it in one evening and was thoroughly entertained.  I found Sam to be a sympathetic character. At age 15, she wants her freedom and independence, but at the same time she still clamors for attention and love from her parents. It's an awkward situation and one that I think Zarr writes with honesty.

This is a young adult novel that I have no hesitation recommending for grades 7 and up. While there are heavier themes addressed in the novel including alcoholism, kidnapping and possible marital infidelity, I appreciated that the novel was very clean. I did find the ending to be very predictable (Zarr's inspiration was Elizabeth Smart) but that didn't detract from the journey for me. I'll definitely be looking at other books by Sara Zarr in the future.

Also reviewed by:

• Maw Books Blog 
• The Well-Read Child
• My Friend Amy 
• Superfast Reader 
• Sarah's random musings  
• Reading to Myself
  

Have I missed yours?  

Source: Library

Scroogenomics

Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays by Joel Waldfogel

Book 1 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 1 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 1 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge
Book 20 of 55 for the Countdown Challenge (2009)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My husband picked this one up for me. He knows that I enjoy books in the "popular economics" genre. But, I couldn't bring myself to read it until after Christmas in case I might feel guilty. Surprisingly, it didn't make me feel guilty at all. Most of the book was common sense to me and can be condensed into a few main points.

This book includes data about the huge amount of wasteful spending that happens during Christmastime.  It is staggering (think billions and billions) and it could be avoided. How? Well, try and get gifts for people that they would get for themselves. If they place the same value on the gift that you spent on it, then that means that you did a good job and there is no waste. You probably wouldn't buy a golf ball tie for yourself, so don't buy one for your Uncle Fred.

Waldfogel also argues that cash is the best gift of all. Unfortunately, it is socially unacceptable to give it in a lot of circumstances. He also likes gift cards, but even they contribute to the waste. People lose gift cards or forget they have money on them. The author also likes it when people give money to charities in someone's name. I don't necessarily love all these ideas, but I understand the point he's trying to make.

The better you know someone, the less likely that a gift you give them will be wasteful. So I'm probably going to do a pretty good job when it comes to my sisters, parents, husband, and kids. Beyond that, I will definitely keep this book in mind to try and minimize the waste with thoughtful giving.

Source: Gift

2010 Challenges

Alrighty. Time to post about the challenges I'm going to join this year. My book blogging resolution this year is to not end up a slave to my challenges. I am telling you, I get so obsessed about them that it's like I start to believe the Challenge Police are going to come and arrest me if I don't complete them. So, hopefully I won't put myself under too much stress this year.

2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge hosted by J. Kaye.
I'm going for the Stepping It Up level which is 50 YA novels.
1. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
2. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
3. Fire by Kristin Cashore
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2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge hosted by J. Kaye.

I'm going for the Mini level of 25 books since I'm going to try to read more books already on my shelves this year.
1. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
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2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted by J. Kaye.

1. Scroogenomics by Joel Waldfogel
2. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
3. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
4. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
5. Fire by Kristin Cashore
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Book Awards IV hosted by 3M.

1. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
2. Fire by Kristin Cashore
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Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Royal Reviews

I'm going for the Addicted level which is 12 books.
1. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
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I'm also joining the RYOB Challenge to read 50 of my own books, the New Author Challenge to read 50 new authors, and the What's in a Name? Challenge. I am currently a part of the Georgette Heyer Challenge, the MG Fiction Challenge and the Countdown Challenge.

I'm sure I'll probably join a few more during the year, but I think for right now my plate is full!

Weekly Household Reads

For the new year, I thought I would bring a new feature to my blog. Every so often (maybe every week - we'll see how it goes!) I'm going to make an update with what everyone else in my house has been reading.

So here goes!

The Husband is reading The Shadow Rising (WoT #4) by Robert Jordan in his quest to re-read the entire Wheel of Time series so he can read the latest installment, The Gathering Storm. I also picked up Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin and Queste (Septimus Heap #4) by Angie Sage at the library for him.


Coco (age 9) read Sam Samurai and Oh Say, I Can't See from the Time Warp Trio series by Jon Scieszka. She also finished The Forest of Secrets (Warriors #3) by Erin Hunter and she is on to the fourth book. Coco loves graphic novels and she picked up The StoneKeeper's Curse this week at the library and enjoyed this second book in the Amulet series.

CJ (age 7) read Bakugan's A Brand-New Brawl, The Chariot of Queen Zara (Secrets of Droon #27) and Pokemon's Save the Shieldon.





JB (age 5) and I read The Heart of a Snowman by Eugene Yelchin together. I think CJ enjoyed it a little more than JB did. I actually found it a little creepy, but the overall message is that snowmen melt because they get hearts that warm them when they are built with love by little boys.

Sassy (age 3) and I read The Real Mother Goose Classic Sing-Along Rhymes which has cute lift-the-flaps. She also got Dora the Explorer's Puppy Takes a Bath in her stocking.