Doll Bones

by Holly Black
published: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2013
pages: 247

Zach, Pippa and Alice love to play in their imaginary world with their action figures and dolls.  They've known each other forever and have been playing their game for as long as they can remember.  But when Zach's dad throws out all of his action figures and declares him too old to being playing with dolls, their game comes to a screeching halt.  Zach, being angry and confused, refuses to play or to explain why he stopped.  It isn't until the girls show up claiming they need to return a haunted doll to it's rightful place that Zach starts to look at his life and make his own decisions.

This book is really cool.  The imagination of these three kids are amazing.  I love the system they use to play.  All three create a story they play out with their characters, who almost seem real. They are allowed to ask each other questions about the characters outside of play time, which is really interesting because it allows them to further develop their own characters as well as give hints about themselves.  It is a really cool characterization device that's used throughout the story.

Zach was a great character.  He struggles to figure out where he belongs in school and with his friends.  He likes playing the game with Pippa and Alice, but feel like he should like hanging out with the basketball team more.  Part of this comes from his relationship with his father.  The dynamic between these characters created tension that was needed to move the story along.  Alice and Pippa also great contrasting characters that feed off of one another.

The road trip in this book is what really kept the book from being slow paced.  It takes us to different settings and gets the kids into all kinds of mischief and trouble.  I always love a well placed road trip and this one is no exception.

Holly Black does a great job at creating an eerie environment to tell this chilling but fun tale.  It was an enjoyable read.

Stars: 3/5

Praise:

"Every encounter redraws the blurry lines between childishness and maturity, truth and lies, secrecy and honesty, magic and madness.  Spooky, melancholy, elegiac, and ultimately hopeful; a small gem."
     --Kirkus Reviews

"Compelling, chill-at-the-nape tale with dynamics and emotional depth... The novel's eerie vibe and eek-worthy plot may keep readers turning pages into the wee hours, but it's the vivid characters and skillfully developed themes of identity, friendship and loss that linger long in the mind."
   --The Washington Post

"A darn good adventure."
     --Publishers Weekly

A 2015 Newbery Reading Challenge book.

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

by Kate DiCamillo
published: Candlewick Press, 2013
pages: 232

Flora is a self-proclaimed cynic living an unassuming cynical life with a mother who is more interested in her romance novels than her daughter.  Flora's life is dull, until she observe her neighbor accidentally vacuum up a squirrel.  From that moment on, Flora's life takes a turn for the unexpected.  She befriends a superhero squirrel and sniffs out the arch-nemesis in their story.  Together Flora and Ulysses will save the world.

I liked the comic book, superhero feel of the story which was helped by the periodic illustrated panels.  Flora, the cynical 10-year-old main character, lived her life in a comic book style.  She'd see words written above people she interacted with much like the words in the panels of the comics she read.  Incandesto is her superhero of choice and she compared everything in her life to that of Incandesto's life and modeled her actions off of his.

Ulysses is a very interesting character, especially since he is a squirrel.  He's a super hero squirrel with an origin story that's bizarre and unique.  He discovers his abilities right along with Flora.  What he decides he wants to do with them is vastly different than what everyone else wants him to do.  He's an adorable character.

Kate DiCamillo hits on hard topics in all of her novels and Flora and Ulysses is no exception.  The characters deal with love, grief, angry, loss, divorce, loneliness and so much more.  She does an excellent job of explaining these in a way that children will understand without oversimplifying them.

This book is not my favorite Kate DiCamillo book, that title is still held by Tale of Despereaux, but it was enjoyable and entertaining all the same.

Stars: 3/5 

Praise:

"Original, touching and 0h-so-funny tale starring an endearingly implausible superhero and a not-so-cynical girl."
     --Kirkus Review

"Despite supremely quirky characters and dialogue worthy of an SAT prep class, there's real emotion at the heart of this story involving two kids who have been failed by the most important people in their lives: their parents.
     --Publishers Weekly

"In "Flora and Ulysses," longtime fans will find a happy marriage of Mercy Watson's warmth and wackiness and Edward Tulane's gentle life lessons.  In Flora, they will find a girl worth knowing, and one they will remember.
     --The New York Time Book Review

A 2015 Newbery Reading Challenge Book.
A 2015 Full House Reading Challenge Book. 

Savvy

by Ingrid Law
published: Puffin, 2010 (first published 2008)
pages: 368

Mibs Beaumont is turning 13 and unlike most 13-year-olds she is expecting an extra-special gift, her savvy.  These magical powers come to her family during this time and Mibs is hoping it will be something amazing like her brothers' abilities to control weather and electricity.  But when her mom receives a call that their dad has been in a car accident, all attention shifts.  It becomes Mibs's mission to get to her father to prove that her new power can save him.  She'll do just about anything to accomplish it, even if it means getting other people into trouble as well.

This story may follow Mibs, but it's not just about her.  The cast of characters that willingly follow her on her adventure is enthusiastic and fun.  Traveling with Mibs are her older brother - Fish, her younger brother - Samson, the paster's kids - Bobbi and Will Jr, and Lester - an unfortunate man who got caught up in trying to do the right thing.  They all have secrets that they attempt to hide from one another but the truth comes spilling out along the journey.

I love how these characters interact with each other.  I enjoyed seeing Bobbi step into the protective older sibling role while trying to maintain her teenage apathy.  It was fun to see Fish trying to control his savvy while being in emotionally charged environments and situations. The kids collaboration of deceiving the adults in this book was so fun to read, I laughed quite a bit.  I know I would have never thought of anything like what they got away with, it's impressive.

The writing is as quirky and fun as the characters and because it's from the voice of Mibs herself, it just adds to each of the character's likable quality.  You can practically see her thinking up phrases to express herself.  It's amusing and imaginative; there are several phrases in the novel that I wish I would have thought up!

Magical element in this story is subtle and beautiful.  While the premise of the story is centered around Mibs getting her savvy and figuring out how to use and control it, the magic doesn't take over.  Their family lives a relatively normal life and they are surrounded by normal people.  Quite a few of the savvies are things that people would think a coincidence if they were used.  Mamma Beaumont likes to think of savvies as enhanced talents.  Everyone has talents, but savvies just happen to present themselves in extraordinary ways.  It's fun to think about what kind of savvy I would have, the possibilities are endless.

Ingrid Law has created an imaginative and interesting story for anyone who loves a good fantasy novel.  I look forward to reading more of her in the future.

Stars: 3/5

Praise:

"Law displays both a fertile imagination...and a dab hand for likable, colorful characters...[a] marvel-laden debut."
     --Kirkus, starred review

"...[Law'] a natural storytelling who's created a vibrant and cinematic novel that readers are going to love."
     --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Law's storytelling is rollicking, her language imaginative, and her entire cast of whacky, yet believable characters delight...wholly engaging and lots of fun."
     --Booklist, starred review

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler

by E.L. Konigsburg
published: Antheneum Books, 1967
pages: 162

Claudia Kincaid decides that she is not appreciated in her family so she plots to runaway.  However, she doesn't just want to runaway, she wants to go somewhere comfortable, somewhere where her fine tastes are appreciated.  That's why she chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  She convinces her younger brother, Jamie, to go along with her.  But when they get to their new safe haven, they discover a mystery that is too tempting to pass up.  Claudia is determined to discover whether or not the new sculpture is in fact a Michelangelo original, and she's willing to take whatever step necessary.

This book is most every kids dream!  I know I thought it would be amazing to spend the night in a museum, an amusement park, or even Disney World.  I love being able to experience that sensation and cleverness through Claudia and Jamie.  At the very least it's great fun!

I thought the parents were oddly missing from this book.  Granted, we see the story from Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler's point of view and she doesn't know how the parents were reacting other than what was in the papers.  (I mean the kids didn't know either.) I do think that there would have been more about the parents freaking out.  Two of their kids ran away for an entire week.  That's a long time everyone!  If I had kids I'd be riding the crazy train by then.  The fact that Mrs. Frankweiler was so calm when the kids visit her and didn't immediately take them back to their parents is mind-boggling.

This book had a very interesting narrator which we no relatively nothing about.  All we really know is that Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler gave the museum a sculpture that may or may not be a Michelangelo original and her home is big and beautiful.  She doesn't have any living family and her organization is specific to her incredible mind.  Yet, she is kind and sassy and firm with the kids without being oppressive or meddlesome.  Her voice is matter of fact, but there is a sense that she cares for the kids while recounting their adventure.  I love how understated Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is in this entire book.

This book won a Newbery Award for a reason and I'm glad I decided to pick it up!


Stars: 4/5 

2015 Book Challenges

The Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge 2015, hosted by The Geeky Zoo Girl.

RULES:
This challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st 2015.  Create a blog post committing to your participation. You will be reading books of this list which is a compilation of books suggested by book bloggers in the community. Choose one of the levels and start reading!

Level:
Bronze - 3 books
Silver - 5 books
Gold - 10 books
Platinum - 25 books
Diamond - 50 books +

My Level: Silver
1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
3. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
4. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
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The Eclectic Reader Challenge 2015 , hosted by Book'd Out.

RULES:
This challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st 2015.  Create a blog post committing to your participation.  You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advanced.  You have to read a book from each of the genres listed below.  You can read your chosen titles in any order, at any pace, just complete the challenge by December 31st 2015.  Each time you read and review a book as part of this challenge, make sure you identify it by adding either a direct statement or the challenge image badge to the post.

The Genres:

1. Retellings: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
2. A book set in a country starting with the letter S:
3. PI Crime:
4. A novel published before you were born: Matilda by Roald Dahl
5. Contemporary romance: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
6. Fiction for foodies: Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
7. Microhistory:
8. Science Fiction set in space: The 100 by Kass Morgan
9. Sports:
10. Featuring diversity: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
11. Epistolary Fiction: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
12. Middle Grade/YA Adventure: Savvy by Ingrid Law

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The Newbery Reading Challenge 2015; hosted by Smiling Shelves.

RULES: This challenge runs from January 1st - December 31st, 2015.  Make a post stating your intention to join the challenge.  Books begun before January 1st do not count.  Rereads, audiobooks and ebooks are acceptable.  Choose a point level.  Reviews are encouraged, but not necessary. There will be a page to link up any reviews.

Each book you read is worth points.  You get:

• 3 points for a Newbery Medal Winner
• 2 points for a Newbery Honor Book
• 1 point for a Caldecott Medal Winner

In addition to that, you pick a level to aim for:

• L'Engle: 15-29 points
• Spinelli: 30-44 points
• Avi: 45-59 points
• Lowry: 60-74 points
• Konigsburg: 75+ points

My level choice is: L'Engle - 15-29 points

1. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - 3 points
2. Savvy by Ingrid Law - 2 points
3. Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo - 3 points
4. Doll Bones by Holly Black - 2 points

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Full House Reading Challenge 2015; hosted by Book Date. 

RULES: This challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2015.  Create a post committing to your participation.  Read and review books based on topics on the card below.  There will be a link every quarter for you to add your reviews as you go along.  The goal is to complete the full house card, with one free exchange if there is something on a square that you really dislike.

Published in 2014: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins 

You heard about the book online: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Author new to you: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
Library Book: My Faire Lady by Laura Wettersten
Published pre 2000: Matilda by Roald Dahl
Published 2000-2013: How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer
Novella: Fairest by Marissa Meyer
Author outside you own country: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
You love the cover: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
First in a series: Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein
Published 2015: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Book by and author you really like: Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
Debut novel by author: The 100 by Kass Morgan
Outstanding hero or heroine: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
Set in the Southern Hemisphere: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
A Keeper: The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Won or Borrowed: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
A Top Book of 2015 for you: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Set in the Northern Hemisphere: Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly
Setting that I now want to visit: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Type of Book I Rarely Read: Room by Emma Donoghue
2nd book or more in a series: Winter by Marissa Meyer
Award Winning: The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo (National Book Finalist)
Free Choice: Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting
Been on You TBR Forever: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

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The 2015 TBR Pile Challenge; hosted by The Roof Beam Reader.

RULES: Read 12 books from your "to be read" pile.  Each of these books must have been on your bookshelf for at least a full year.  They must be published before 1/1/2014, anything before that is fair game. Create a list of book with two alternatives just in case one or two of your original picks end up in the "can't get through" pile.  Books must be read and reviewed to count as completed.  The 15th of every month there will be a post where you can post your reviews.

1. Matilda by Roald Dahl (1988)
2. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962; my edition 1995) NO LONGER OWN 
3. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (1999) NO LONGER OWN
4. Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte (1847; my edition 2001)
5. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (1898; my edition 2007)
6. Mr. Toppit by Charles Elton (2009)
7. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (2010)
8. Matched by Ally Condie (2010)
9. Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt (2011)
10. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)
11. Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans (2012)
12. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (2013)

Alternates:
1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (2005)
2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (2008)
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Alphabet Soup Challenge

There are some letters on my page of book reviews that don't have any books under them and I think it's high time for that to change.  I've decided that I will read a book for every letter of the alphabet this year because that would be fun. (excluding the "the"s in the book titles)   Here's where I will keep track of that adventure.  I'm not going to necessarily read the books in alphabetical order, but hopefully I will get to each book.

# - The 100 by Kass Morgan
A - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
B - Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein
C - Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
D - Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
E - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
F - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
G - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
H - How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer
I - Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
J - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
K -
L - Little Bee by Chris Cleave
M - Matilda by Roald Dahl
N - Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
O - Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
P - The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Q -
R - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
S - Savvy by Ingrid Law
T - Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly
U - Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
V -
W - War Horse by Michael Morpurgo 
X -
Y - The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Z - Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

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The Book List Challenge 

I've been reading off a book list since 2007 and last year I read quite a few from the list.  This year I would like to continue to read more books off of it. There are over 450 books, so it shouldn't be a problem. It's the Teenreads Ultimate Reading List if you'd like to take a look.

My goal is 15 books off the list this year.

1. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
3. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
4. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
5. Savvy by Ingrid Law
6. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
7. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
8. The Young Elites by Marie Lu
9. Room by Emma Donoghue