Children’s Literature

Two more YA and a Printz update

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Young Adult /

I accidentally finished two more YA books last night which means two more books from my Printz Award Challenge are complete. Cool. I’m betting 2001 was a tough year to pick the winner. These books were good.

We started listening to The Body of Christopher Creed on audio and got about halfway through it and cassette number four wouldn’t play properly. That was frustrating. The story was really getting going. I kept forgetting to reserve the print version and was pleasantly surprised when I found it on the shelf during our Wednesday trip to the library.

So I picked it up and started in on Chapter 13 and before I knew it, it was 11pm and I’d finished it. It was good. Very good. Loved the characters. Loved the setting. Loved the storyline. Is he dead or is he hiding – building a new life somewhere?

Before that, I read Many Stones which was also good but incredibly depressing. Super short book, very quick read and very depressing. But I said that, right? I guess the murder of your sister when you’re a 16 year old and then facing apartheid can’t really be anything BUT depressing, right?

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Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Young Adult /

I didn’t expect to enjoy Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging but I did. I enjoyed it very much and I laughed out loud a lot. Now that I’m finished, I’m also anxious to know what happened with the Sex God.

I’m so glad that the books on my Printz challenge have been really good, not like a lot of books that make the adult awards short lists (or long lists, for that matter.)

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Kit’s Wilderness

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Kit’s Wilderness written by David Almond (author of the fantastic YA book Skellig) wrote this one and it was good but not quite as good as Skellig.

Creepy but maybe a little too creepy? Or maybe a little too “much”? I’m not sure what it was about Kit’s Wilderness that made it not quite as good as Skellig – but it was something.

I did love Grandpa and Allie and Kit and even John. It wasn’t the characters – it might have been the dream woman and the baby.

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May Bird: Among the Stars

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

For some reason I think Karen’s friend Kit Cat did not like the other books in the May Bird series and I’m wondering why. But I don’t have time to surf her blog to find out if I’m imagining that or why she didn’t like them. Maybe I’ll get caught up enough at work later today and figure it out. Or maybe not. Whatever.

I liked Among the Stars (book two) a lot. I’m so glad her mom ummm would that ruin the story if I said what I’m glad her mom did or did not do? Probably, so I won’t say anything. Very glad mom did what she did. Also glad about Beatrice’s mom. I’m just glad about the moms in the story, in general. Also glad about the good characters who aren’t all good and the bad characters who aren’t all bad.

I just like these books. Enough to stay up far too late in order to finish book 2 just a few hours after I started it. heh.

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Young Adult /

Could the title have been any longer for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian? I think it’s a little much. I also think the hype for this book is a little much.

It’s a good book. I enjoyed it. But it has gotten a lot of press and a lot of really great reviews from YA critics. I’m very glad the Cybil judges didn’t make it the YA winner, Wednesday Wars was better (though Off Season was not.)

Anyway – it’s about a kid on an Indian reservation who is smart, really smart. A teacher advises him to get off the Rez – now. So he does – by going to the white school in town. This leads to any number of problems, but also a lot of good things. Maybe it gets so many rave reviews because we don’t see a lot of books about teen Indians on reservations? Whatever. It was good but not great. Read it but don’t buy it. And if your kids are assigned the book and don’t fall in love with it, don’t be surprised by that.

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Wednesday Wars

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Reading Lists, Young Adult /

I have been in bed almost all day. Sort of an accidental participation on Bring a Book to Bed Day due to some combination of exhaustion and a cold or something. I slept a good bit but I also read quite a lot.

I finished Wednesday Wars, which I discovered when I was looking at the list of YA finalists for Cybil Awards.

I laughed my way through it. I laughed a lot more than TW did when she read it. Possibly because of the “rats” or possibly because of the Shakespeare. Or maybe it was all of the death threats a 7th grader can get.

Great book.

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Robot Dreams

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels /

I picked up Robot Dreams from the library because I saw it was a finalist for a Cybil in the graphic novel category – and Liz likes graphic novels.

I read it this morning and it’s cute but also sad! It’s like the young adult “problem” novel but graphic and for little kids. Sniff, sniff. Lost friends. Sniff, sniff.

Liz just read it and she kept saying “awe” and “awe” and “aweeeee”. She thought the art was good and it was a little sad but it had a happy ending. She liked the robot getting a new home and turning into a radio.

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Fan Boy and Goth Girl

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

I ran upstairs and stole the audio version of The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl from Prince J’s room since he wasn’t here to listen to it (though his cd player was coming on every afternoon and playing disc 2 over and over and over again.)

I’m so glad I trudged the stairs and braved the messy room to get it. Fantastic YA. Really great story. Great characters. About 10xs better than King Dork, (and there are an awful lot of similarities between the two stories.)

Please tell me there will be a sequel.

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