Antsy Does Time by Shusterman

Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman. 2008.

Audience: 6-10 Grade; Ages 11-13

My Rating: 4.5*s of 5

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Anthony "Antsy" Bonano learns about life, death, and a lot more when he tries to help a friend with a terminal illness feel hopeful about the future.

Comments: A laugh out loud funny story with very real characters. Shusterman reading with his Brooklyn accent is perfect. The turn for the poignant toward the end of the book adds just enough weight to balance the laughs and is dished out in just the right portion--the perfect dessert to the meal that is this story. I especially appreciate the portrayal of Kjersten. As the "pretty girl" love interest her character is rounded out with flaws, neurosis, and motivation.

Awards: Lone Star List 2009-2010

Read-alikes: The Schwa was Here by Shusterman

Two-Minute Drill by Mike Lupica

Two-Minute Drill by Mike Lupica. 2007. (Comeback Kids series, v.2) Audience: 4-6 Grade; Ages 8-10
My Rating: 3*s of 5
Summary: Brainy Scott, a great kicker who otherwise struggles with football, and star quarterback Chris, who has dyslexia, team up to help each other succeed in both football and school.
Comments: The writing is simple and straightforward as you would expect from a sportswriter. The plot and characters are engaging though predictable and somewhat caricatured. A good choice for boys reluctant to read.
Awards: Bluebonnet List 2009-2010
Read-alikes: Hot Hand, Comeback Kids series v.1

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. 2008.

Audience: 4-8 Grade; Ages 8-12 (seriously, SLJ and Booklist?! hard to believe.)

My Rating: 4*s of 5

Summary: An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.

Comments: Well, now that it got a Newbery Honor maybe kids will read this one, but otherwise I can't imagine many 4th-8th graders would have picked it up. Beautifully written in a mystical, folkloric tone, the story constantly doubles back on itself as if being told out loud over a period of time. This was hard for me to adjust to for the first 1/3 of the book. Once I caught the rhythm (and the rhythm itself picked up) I enjoyed the experience much more. Ranger, Puck, and Sabine are absolutely as lovable as Gar Face is deplorable. I skipped the main abuse passage which was thankfully quick and soon atoned for. I wish the big decision twist at the end had been more foreshadowed or written into the character because I felt it was a bit convenient as is (but hey, this is a "children's" book, right?). Overall, a wonderful reading experience that I will be curious to see how many kids choose to enjoy.

Awards: Newbery Honor Book 2009

Read-alikes:

Little Brother by Doctorow

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. 2008.
Audience: 8-12 Grade; Ages 13 and up
My Rating: 3.5*s of 5
Summary: Interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus is released into what is now a police state, and decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.
Comments: I don't know what was more terrifying--what "Homeland Security" was doing in this book or the tech stuff Marcus could do. I really enjoyed the ride of this book and all the techno-lessons along the way. Marcus is a heroic underdog character for frustrated techno-guys to imagine themselves as. Ange was also a capable and empowered character as the female love interest.
Awards: Booklist Editor's Choice: 2008, SLJ Best Books for Children: 2008
Read-alikes: 1984 by Orwell

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Savvy by Ingrid Law. 2008.

Audience: 10-13, Grades 4-7

My Rating: 4*s of 5

Summary: Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

Comments: I wish, wish, wish I had read this book instead of listening to it. The narrator was mediocre and her reading made the language quirks of the book (repeating words in threes, "sure as sure" formula, etc.) seem more annoying than charming. I wonder if, had I read the book, they would have blended into the overall recipe of the story and added to the delight rather than detract. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed the characters and plot (though it could have been taken out of the oven a bit sooner in my opinion). The "savvy" concept is excellent and I'm sure will excite young readers who wish to find their own special talent.

Awards: Newbery Honor Book 2009; Bluebonnet nominee 2009-2010; Boston Globe-Horn book honors 2008

Read-alikes:

Tangent: Twi-rant

Something has been bugging me for quite a while...WHY is Twilight so unbelievably popular despite the fact that it is, well, pretty much crap? I have a theory!

First theory link: I quickly associated Twilight with the SBTBE...what I call the Saved By the Bell Effect. We all watched that horrible, horrible show knowing full-well how horribly horrible it was yet we couldn't look away. Something made you watch.

Next theory link: What exactly is it about the writing that evokes the SBTBE? Could it be the constant use of trigger words...wistful...exquisite...that somehow reprogram the brain? Or the ultra-packaged teenagers (Rosalie=Kelly, Alice=Jessie, Edward=Zach, Jacob=...Screech?)? Which led to...

Final theory link: Aha! The simple-minded, obsessive, angsty, self-involved way Meyers writes (esp. Bella) makes an instant connection with the primal, teenage brain still lingering in even the oldest reader (mainly female, sorry to discriminate). This flips the teenage brain switch, flooding the mind with those hormonal, obsessive, angsty feelings/memories. The reader vulnerable to this literary drug becomes hooked, plowing through book after book only to crash when the supply is exhausted (no New Moon? boo-hoo).

So, whaddya think? Am I onto her or just totally out in left field (during a Cullen baseball game, of course)?

rant out. -B

Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. 2007.
Audience: 14+

Summary:
Aislinn sees faeries. She has always seen faeries. She knows not to trust them. She has spent a lifetime developing strategies to avoid them. So when a faerie starts stalking her, she knows this cannot be a good thing.

She slowly learns that the stalker is Keenan, the Summer King, who believes Aislinn to be the queen he has sought for nine centuries. She is destined (he believes) to help him finally bring an end to the constant winter imposed by the evil Beira. The problem is that Aislinn doesn’t want to become a faerie queen; she wants to have a normal life: finish high school and hang out with her almost-boyfriend, the wonderfully sweet Seth.

Oh, and the other thing. If she does accept him, but she turns out not to be The One, she will become the new Winter Girl, immortal, but with a literal icy touch, and bound to the Summer King until he can find someone else willing to join him. Not much of a choice, right? But have you ever tried to turn down a faerie?

Comments: I liked this one more than I thought I would – I nearly turned off the audiobook when I realized it was about faeries-with-an-e, but it’s a long drive to work with no audiobook, so I gave it the whole drive and by the time I there, I was interested enough in the story to keep going. It wasn’t perfect, some things happened a little too easily, the ending was a little weird, but mostly it was fun to listen to – and gave me something to recommend to Twilight fans.

Read-alikes: Twilight, Blue Bloods