Wonder by R.J. Palacio (audio)

Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Brilliance Audio)
Audience: Grades 4-6

My Rating: 3.5* of 5

Summary: Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.
Comments: Given the buzz surrounding this title, my expectations were high. They were met, though just barely. Palacio smartly varies narrators throughout the book, ensuring that the reader does not tire of Auggie's inevitable self-centeredness. I could have done without the dog plot line, which these days seems an out-dated literary crutch. All told it was an empathetic slice of a different sort of life.
Read-alikes: Out of My Mind by Draper.
Awards: Texas Lone Star list 2013, Texas Bluebonnet list 2013.

Bluebonnet List quick post

I've been reading a bunch of the 2012-2013 Bluebonnet list nominee novels and thought I'd put a bunch in one post.

Benjamin Franklinstein Lives: Fun, intelligent sci-fi read for 4th graders into science. 3*s

Wild Times at the Bed and Biscuit (actually from 2011-2012 list): Cute, funny "talking animal" books for 3rd graders, younger as a read-aloud. On par with Babe stories and characters. 4*s

Misty Gordon and the Ghost Pirates: A plodding mystical "adventure" in which the titular pirates don't arrive until the final chapters. Give to readers who liked The Books of Elsewhere from last year's list. 2*s

Wonderstruck: Another solid illustrated novel from Selznick, though without some of the Hugo charm and novelty. Quite a moving ending that I wonder how young readers can relate to. 3*s

Play, Louis, Play: Delightfully written, snappy read. A slightly weak ending, though, that does not do the rest of the book justice. 4*s

Aliens on Vacation (listened): An entertaining alien summer adventure. More young romance than I've read on the BBonnet list before! 3*s

Turtle in Paradise (audio)

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm. Narrated by Becca Battoe.

Audience: 3rd-5th grade

My Rating: 2.5* of 5

Summary: Life isn't like the movies, and eleven-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935, and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to stay with relatives she's never met.

Comments: Whether it was Battoe's reading, Holm's writing, or both this story never grabbed my attention nor held it captive. While I appreciate the slice of Key West life, it did not feel like a well crafted story to me, making the final plot twists seem out of place. The "Diaper Gang," who only watch "bad babies cuz there ain't no such thing as good babies" was the highlight throughout.
Awards: Bluebonnet list 2011-2012

The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows (audio)

The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows (book 1) by Jacqueline West. Penguin Audio, 2010. Read by Lexie Friedel.
Audience: 3rd-5th grade

My Rating: 2.5* of 5
Summary: When eleven-year-old Olive moves into the crumbling old mansion on Linden Street, she's right to think there's something weird about the place, especially the walls covered in creepy antique paintings. But when she finds a pair of old-fashioned glasses in a dusty drawer, she discovers she can travel inside these paintings to Elsewhere, a world that's eerily sinister.
Comments: Well voiced by pip-squeakish Friedel. Sluggish and uneven for me, but with some original fantasy concepts that worked well. The painting element allows for wonderful imagery that is easily visualized by the listener. I didn't connect with the protagonist, Olive, nor her relationship with Morton, the foil character. However, the guardians of the house--three outlandish cats--provided much needed levity. The ending is handled in exciting fashion, though we were not left on much of a cliff to propel listeners into a second book.

Read-Alikes: Blubonnet list, 2011-2012
Read-Alikes: Coraline by Gaiman

Year of the Dog by Grace Lin (audio)

Year of the Dog by Grace Lin. 2007.

Audience: Grades 3-5; 9-12

My Rating: 3*s of 5

Summary: It's the Chinese Year of the Dog, and as Pacy celebrates with her family, she finds out that this is the year she is supposed to "find herself." Universal themes of friendship, family, and finding one's life passions make this novel appealing to readers of all backgrounds.

Comments: Fantastic narrator! I enjoyed the character of Pacy/Grace as well as her friend Melody. While the mother's "did I ever tell you?" stories were interesting, I occasionally found myself groaning at the arrival of another one. Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but this book made it seem to me that money is one of the most important things in Taiwanese culture. It seems that Chinese-American young readers may especially enjoy seeing their culture and identity in this story.

Awards: Bluebonnet list, 2008

Read-alikes: The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin