Cybil Challenge

Reckless

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Reckless. Confusing. It reads like a sequel but it’s not a sequel. I didn’t like that. I didn’t like it that I felt like I’d missed out on a ton of stuff – when I hadn’t. I’m a stickler for reading books in a series in order. This one made me feel like I was reading out of order and that made the whole book less enjoyable.

It wasn’t just me, either. TW thought it was a sequel (though she doesn’t have a problem reading out of order), too.

Now there is a sequel coming to this book and while I’d like to read it, I’m afraid it will just make me feel even more like I’ve missed the first books in the series.

Gah. Jacob had been going to Mirrorworld for 12 years… why didn’t the story start there, with the first time he went in?  Grrrr.

(By the way, I really did like the book – I liked the fairy tale magic and how it was woven into the story. Nicely done.)

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The Wager

2011, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Young Adult /

I like fairy tales. This means that I was pretty sure I would enjoy The Wager. And I did – after I got about halfway through the book. Before that – not so much. I could not seem to get attached to Don Giovanni. I didn’t really care whether he won – or the devil won. (Though I was pretty sure the devil wasn’t going to win…)  If it hadn’t been a Cybils book, I’d have probably put it down before Don Giovanni met Cani.

Now that I’ve finished it, I can say that I’m glad I stuck with it. I do wish it hadn’t been quite so slow in the beginning, though.

(Two more cybils left! I’m going to do it!!!!)

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Ship Breaker

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

People who write in library books should be shot. DEAD. Seriously.

Some idiot wrote in the copy of Ship Breaker I picked up from the library. They didn’t just make a couple of notes or underline a few passages – they marked up the entire book. Going so far as to write down the name of the character speaking in the margins. Who does that? Who even NEEDS to do that? The writing made it incredibly difficult to focus on the story – my eye kept getting drawn to the recap written in the margin. Or the extra stupid rephrased question. Or the name of the character.

Anyway, enough of that.

Ship Breaker was… not bad, all things considered (see above).

I feel like I’ve read a similar story – or met similar characters but I can’t quite put my finger on the story or the characters I’m thinking of. It will come to me – probably in a dream (or the next time I come across a marked up library book.)  

I found myself more interested in the supporting characters than I was in Nailer. Or even Nita.  For instance, I’m fascinated by Tool and would love to see his story in another book.  I want to know more about Pima and her mother. Even Lucky Strike. And Robertson? Reynolds? (What is her name?) The woman on the Dauntless, the one who was the patron of Knot – what’s HER story?

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Three Cybils Non-Fiction

2011, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Young Adult /

Goodness these three non-fiction books were long! At one point I told TW I would come watch a movie once I finished this book. She said “that’s another baby book, why haven’t you already finished it?”  I showed her why… there were a ton of words in that thing and all three of them were like that. A little surprising since the non-fiction genre can sometimes be light on words – particularly when they’re heavy on photos, as these three books were.

First, my favorite of the three – and maybe my favorite from this year’s non-fiction lists, Kakapo Rescue. You’re shocked, aren’t you? I am not a bird person and spend a considerable portion of my life cursing RJ’s cockatiel and counting down the days until it moves out of my house. I hate that bird. Kakapo’s, however, COOL and totally should be rescued. How fascinating. I want to rescue Kakapos!

Next, Hive Detectives – this is the story about the honeybee problem. Unfortunately, no real solutions – just a solid reporting of what happened and what scientists (and bee keepers) are doing to figure out what happened (and prevent it from continuing). We need bees so I hope they figure it out soon.

Last but not least, Unspeakable Crime. This is the story of Leo Frank and Mary Phagan. What happened? What didn’t happen? Interesting read.  I’m glad I didn’t live in Atlanta in 1913. Or anywhere in 1913, really.

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Pod

2011, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Pod was… depressing.  Obviously. A story about aliens who take over the world has got to be depressing.

On the other hand, it was pretty fascinating. Not so much the would you eat your father part (or your dog) – that’s something that would obviously have to come up. More the what were those aliens doing? Seems to me they were cleaning the earth of contaminants.  Reducing the population without completely eradicating the population. Leaving the bikes but taking the pollution-creating vehicles.

Fascinating. Really.

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Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction /

Sad, sad, sad. Also, did I mention Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze is sad? I think it’s miss-titled, too. Otherwise – good book. I liked the drawings a lot.  I’m not sure whether middle graders will really love this book – sad, sad, sad – but I definitely did enjoy it. Except where it made me almost cry.

It was the blanket that did me in.

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Spilling Ink

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Non-Fiction, Young Adult /

When TW read Spilling Ink, it made her want to write so badly that we had to dig around in the car to find a piece of paper and a pen so that she could write RIGHT THAT MOMENT. When I read Spilling Ink, it didn’t really make me want to write. It did make me want to pull out my altered book, though. So it definitely does something to spark creative juices.

I was hoping it would be a good book for RJ but it’s a little young for her – or she’s a little too sophisticated for it. Or … she’s too “something” for it. That’s ok, it did cause me to think of another book about writing that I think she will appreciate…

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Under a Red Sky

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

I put off reading Under a Red Sky because I thought it was going to be boring. I thought it was going to be something other than what it was – which means I didn’t know it was going to be more of a memoir than a historical look at Romanian Jews after WW2.  (The darn sub-title that says it’s a memoir of a childhood in communist Romania is missing from the cover of the book.)

Because it was a memoir, it wasn’t boring at all. It was interesting and just a little sad and scary. The only thing I wish was that we had a few more chapters – what was it like to finally reach Israel? But then I’d probably want a few more chapters about heading to America.

I’m very glad I read this one and I’m sorry I waited so long.

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The Kneebone Boy

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Young Adult /

Maybe it was me but… The Kneebone Boy was slow. I had to fight to keep reading it. At the point in the book where the storyteller (Lucia, is my guess, lol) tells us that we would be stupid to put the book down now… I had a hard time agreeing with her.

I didn’t hate the book, not by any means. I even liked the ending. It was just too slow for me and I never quite managed to get attached to any of the characters – except maybe Haddie and the Sultan.

TW, on the other hand, read it straight through and really liked it.  Weird how that happens sometimes.

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Scrawl

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

The last of the YA Cybils. Hurrah! Even better – I really liked this one. After the first “chapter” aka journal entry of Scrawl, I didn’t think I would. It starts off with a boy writing about bullying another kid and leaves off in the middle of a sentence. The beginning of the next chapter aka journal entry does not pick up where the last chapter starts. I was confused. I thought maybe there was more than one kid writing. A couple more pages into it and I was hooked.

The first three pages though – rough, and if I was a woman who quit books early, I might have quit.

If you’re a woman (or a teen, since this IS YA fiction after all) and tend to give up early – don’t. Stick with it. The pay-off is worth it.

I don’t suppose this won the Cybil … nah, couldn’t have. Too bad. I’d have voted for it. 

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