http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/232263 en-US Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:19:01 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 26253689 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:19:01 -0700
author: Geraldine McCaughrean
name: Jean
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/21/08
shelves:
review:
McCaughren is an amazing writer. She sets up the characters, the scenes, the plot, everything, so that the reader buys into the improbable and believes the impossible. I found myself becoming more and more uneasy about Victor and other characters without any real basis other than the atmosphere that the author created. I could see Sym, with all of her insecurities and longings. She became very real to me and as she became stronger and more sure of herself, readers begin rooting for her. A great piece of YA fiction.
]]> 27753897 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:16:43 -0700
author: John Grisham
name: Jean
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 07/19/08
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review:

]]> 26328564 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:53:20 -0700
author: Sharon Creech
name: Jean
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/19/08
shelves:
review:
In my opinion it is very hard to top a book as good as "Love That Dog." This one tries, but I kept looking for the surprises and the emotional punches that the previous book had and I didn't feel them. A good sequel, but did we really need a sequel?
]]> 26253495 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:05:49 -0700
author: Barry Lyga
name: Jean
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/18/08
shelves:
review:
I made the mistake of reading this at the same time I was reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, so sometimes the two story lines get a little mixed up for me. Barry Lyga knows a lot about comic books. He must also know a lot about what it feels like to be on the outside in high school. When Fanboy and Goth Girl meet, we hope that they can help each other find happiness. But, just like in real life, things get complicated and happiness doesn't last very long. But there is a glimmer of hope at the end that maybe things will be a little better for both of them. At least for a while.
]]> 25032986 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:56:30 -0700
author: Elinor Lipman
name: Jean
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 07/18/08
shelves:
review:
I listened to the audio version of this book and found it to be funny and highly entertaining, even when I was irritated with the main character, Frederica, and her nosiness. This is the kind of cross-over book that you could give to teens and their mothers as well. The overly precocious main character is not really very believable, but as the plot thickens the reader is more than willing to go along with the craziness just to see what happens next. The audio version of it is right on with the narrator sounding just like a know-it-all teenager who is trying to figure out her life in the midst of chaos.
]]> 26328621 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:48:23 -0700
author: Angie Sage
name: Jean
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/18/08
shelves:
review:
Talk about sibling rivalry! Septimus Heap is now apprentice to the Extra-Ordinary Wizard and his older brother Simon is very, very angry about it. Simon has gone to the dark side and is doing his best to reinstate DomDaniel as the Extra-Ordinary and become his apprentice. This story has plenty of action and incredible magic. I love the dragon boat and the idea of Sleuth. An excellent follow-up to Magyk. Now I have to find time for book 3!
]]> 27588122 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:03:50 -0700
author: Lewis Trondheim
name: Jean
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/17/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 27485456 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:39:58 -0700
author: Francesca Lia Block
name: Jean
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/16/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 27484087 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:36:14 -0700
author: Julius Lester
name: Jean
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/16/08
shelves:
review:
From the very beginning, this atmospheric story of the effects of racism, hatred and cowardice pulls the reader towards the inevitable. Julius Lester is so masterful with his writing, his plotting and his ability to prick the conscience of the reader. We find ourselves asking "what would I do in this situation?" in many of his books and this one is no exception. Pretty riveting.
]]> 27483239 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:12:39 -0700
author: Julie Smith
name: Jean
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/16/08
shelves:
review:
Not great writing but good New Orleans escapist lit.
]]> 26478800 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:16:41 -0700
author: Robert Day
name: Jean
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 01/86
date added: 07/06/08
shelves:
review:
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I've read it about four times and laughed out loud each time. Being familiar with the landscape of the whole book, I can see the story unfold. I can't drive across Kansas without thinking of this book. The scene in the Brookville Hotel is still semi-possible - the restaurant has moved to Abilene and it hasn't been a hotel in years, but the owners kept the building looking much the same as it did in Brookville. And every once in a while I think about how patient Opal is, even though she's "a mercurial woman." Don't know if it would resonate with non-Kansans, but they should give it a try anyway.
]]> 26241899 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:21:56 -0700
author: Stephen Chbosky
name: Jean
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 07/04/08
shelves:
review:
This is a thoughtful, moving, coming-of-age novel that is frequently compared to Catcher in the Rye. While Charlie's story takes place over an entire school year and Holden's takes place over a few days, the feeling of both books is similar. Charlie is an observer and is highly intelligent, but he is not emotionally mature. The story charts his friendship with older teens and his experiences with learning what it means to be a friend. But it also allows us to witness his slow awakening to his past. I loved the writing style. It sounds like a smart, introspective teen and captures the voice just right.
]]> 26331528 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:02:02 -0700
author: Joan Bauer
name: Jean
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 01/05
date added: 07/04/08
shelves:
review:
I like to learn stuff from books. And what I learned from this book is to burn a candle near you when you chop onions. It really does work! I love Joan Bauer's strong female characters who are struggling to figure out where they fit in the grand scheme of things. And this one was no exception.
]]> 26331027 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:50:03 -0700
author: Jeanne Duprau
name: Jean
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 01/07
date added: 07/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 26330890 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:47:38 -0700
author: Mo Willems
name: Jean
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 01/07
date added: 07/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 26330848 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:46:50 -0700
author: Ellen Levine
name: Jean
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 10/07
date added: 07/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 25033031 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:46:59 -0700
author: Tracy Chevalier
name: Jean
average rating: 2.00
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/21/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 22660153 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:44:04 -0700
author: Tony Horwitz
name: Jean
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/21/08
shelves:
review:
Nope, the Pilgrims aren't the beginning of the history of the U.S. I knew that. I knew about the Spanish, the French and Jamestown. But I had never put it all together before until I read this book. Horwitz does a wonderful job of not only telling the history part, but he gives it all a human and modern face as well. I learned a lot and had fun doing it.
]]> 25091268 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:35:13 -0700
author: Shelley Pearsall
name: Jean
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 10/06
date added: 06/21/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23174777 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:04:11 -0700
Fans of re-told fairy tales and fans of light fantasy will enjoy this book. Give it to Gail Levine fans and watch them snap it up.]]>
author: Elizabeth C. Bunce
name: Jean
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/18/08
shelves:
review:
Charlotte Miller is left with a mill to run. Even though she is young, she and her sister, Rosie, have helped their parents since they were small and they both have a knack with the workings of a woolen mill. The business is struggling and is threatened by another mill in a bigger town whose owner wants to buy Stirwaters Mill. And the townspeople believe the mill to be cursed. To add to their worries, their uncle Wheeler arrives on their doorstep with promises to "help" but he only makes matters worse by insisting that the mill be sold.

Fans of re-told fairy tales and fans of light fantasy will enjoy this book. Give it to Gail Levine fans and watch them snap it up.
]]> 24841680 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:58:00 -0700
I may be a little prejudiced because I grew up in Kansas City, home of the Monarchs. Even though I never saw them play their influence was still palpable as their players aged. I remember when Satchel Paige died and recently mourned the passing of Buck O'Neill, a legend in Kansas City. But I learned a lot from this book that I never knew or thought much about. The chapter on playing baseball in Cuba and Mexico was an eye-opener.

The artwork in this books deserves a special mention. I could feel the heat of the ball parks while looking at these pictures. Nelson captures both the power and dignity of his subjects as well as their grace while they played. Both kids and adults will learn a lot from this book either through the storytelling or through the artwork. It is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.]]>
author: Kadir Nelson
name: Jean
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/18/08
shelves:
review:
If this doesn't win an award of some kind it will be a tragedy. The artwork alone is enough to make this book a hit. But Kadir Nelson's storytelling ability draws in the reader and keeps us wanting to know more. As I read, I felt like I was sitting and listening to someone like Buck O'Neill talking about the old days. He traces the history of the Negro Leagues from its inception through its heyday. We not only learn about the skills of some of the more famous players, but we also learn about what life was like on the road and in the ballparks.

I may be a little prejudiced because I grew up in Kansas City, home of the Monarchs. Even though I never saw them play their influence was still palpable as their players aged. I remember when Satchel Paige died and recently mourned the passing of Buck O'Neill, a legend in Kansas City. But I learned a lot from this book that I never knew or thought much about. The chapter on playing baseball in Cuba and Mexico was an eye-opener.

The artwork in this books deserves a special mention. I could feel the heat of the ball parks while looking at these pictures. Nelson captures both the power and dignity of his subjects as well as their grace while they played. Both kids and adults will learn a lot from this book either through the storytelling or through the artwork. It is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.
]]> 24828434 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:35:24 -0700
author: Scott Reynolds Nelson
name: Jean
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/18/08
shelves:
review:
In the current climate of "we want it now" and students not learning how to do research, it is wonderful to have a book like this one for both students and teachers. Nelson not only talks about the research he did, but also those wonderful mental leaps that help tie things together. The story of John Henry is not as well known as the song. Was he a real man? Nelson believed he was and through his searching, we learn a lot about building railroads and about how African-Americans were treated after the Civil War. We also learn that even a song as familiar as "John Henry" can have many different versions. National Geographic is doing a great job of making scholarly research accessible to young people. This book is no exception.
]]> 24814051 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:59:01 -0700
]]>
author: Carole Boston Weatherford
name: Jean
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/18/08
shelves:
review:
This is a beautifully illustrated (by Eric Velasquez) overview of the life of Matthew Hensen. The illustrations are extraordinary in their use of pastels to create the feeling of cold and desolation in the polar regions. In a few short sentences Weatherford is able to tell the episodes of his life and why he remains a well-known figure in exploration. Weatherford uses the pattern of starting each episode with "I did not..." to set the tone for Hensen's determination to make something of his life. He "does not" do the ordinary or expected. He steps forward to stretch himself and to make himself be seen as more than a servant. He proves his value time and again. He also proves his courage and intelligence. The picture book feel of this biography is a good introduction to a man who did not live an ordinary life.


]]> 24723158 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:01:54 -0700
author: Scott Morse
name: Jean
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/17/08
shelves:
review:
Yay! A graphic novel I can sink my teeth into! Magic Pickle not only has action and a spunky girl hero, but has fun and a whole new way of looking at rotten vegetables.
]]> 24722797 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:59:07 -0700
author: Rick Geary
name: Jean
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/17/08
shelves:
review:
The stark black and white illustrations reinforce the grimness of this graphic novel. The Kansas legend of the Bender family has been researched and brought to life in this grim story. Geary does a good job of presenting all of the possible endings to the story, since no one really knows what happened to the Benders after they disappeared from their southeast Kansas town. But the results of their dastardly deeds are appropriately presented with all their gruesome detail.
]]> 24508788 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:14:06 -0700
author: Sara Pennypacker
name: Jean
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 06/06
date added: 06/14/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 24508781 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:13:55 -0700
author: Audrey Shafer
name: Jean
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 03/06
date added: 06/14/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 24488313 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:56:26 -0700
author: Tanya Lee Stone
name: Jean
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/14/08
shelves:
review:
The "Up Close" series is relatively new, but the books I've read in the series are all extremely well done. This one is no exception. Ella Fitzgerald is an icon, not only in the world of jazz, but also in the world of popular music. Her distinctive style and fluid range set her above the many fine jazz singers that were popular when she first started out. Through the years she continued to learn, grow and stretch herself so that her recordings crossed over into the "pop" classification. The "Up Close" books are done by excellent writers who have carefully researched their subject and then made the information accessible to kids in middle school and above. The life of the subject is told honestly, but the lurid details are left for adult biographies. The reader feels as if they really know the subject by the end of the book which is a mark of a well-written biography. I look forward to reading more in this series.
]]> 23615194 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:55:35 -0700
author: N.D. Wilson
name: Jean
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 06/03/08
shelves:
review:
“Henry, Kansas is a hot town. And a cold town. It is a town so still there are times when you can hear a fly trying to get through the window of the locked-up antique store on Main Street.” But even in quiet towns there can be excitement. Henry York comes to Henry, Kansas to stay with his aunt and uncle. He is timid and has led a sheltered life. But all that is about to change. It begins with a mysterious “thump” which leads Henry to begin chipping the plaster off of the wall of his attic room. And what he finds there is strange and startling. He finds doors. 99 doors to be exact. And some of them lead to places that aren’t very nice. This is the first of a series and if the rest are as exciting as this one is, it will surely be a hit. Great for grades 4 – 8.
]]> 23608963 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:34:26 -0700
author: Bob Shea
name: Jean
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/03/08
shelves:
review:
I love this, although I wonder if this book has some of the thoughts of megalomanics like well-known politicians and business tycoons. Is it a blue print for future big wigs? Or just a kid's way of saying "I'm going to be BIG someday and you all will regret treating me this way!" In any case, this book made me laugh out loud.
]]> 23605282 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:54:15 -0700
author: Shel Silverstein
name: Jean
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 05/08
date added: 06/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23603943 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:35:13 -0700
author: Marla Frazee
name: Jean
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23416675 Sat, 31 May 2008 20:47:45 -0700
author: Deborah Ellis
name: Jean
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 05/31/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23416314 Sat, 31 May 2008 20:47:30 -0700
author: Deborah Ellis
name: Jean
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/31/08
shelves:
review:
Diego lives with his mother and sister in prison. This is not an unusual thing in Bolivia when both parents are incarcerated. Diego is smart and hard working and he earns money to keep his mother and sister fed and clothed by running errands as a "taxi" for the women in the prison and by doing homework for the rich boys in his school. But when he becomes desperate for a larger sum of money he is lured into "easy money" by his friend Mando. Of course, the money isn't "easy" and he becomes trapped working for men who turn the coca leaves into paste that eventually becomes cocaine. Ellis does her usual remarkable job of introducing American readers to a place and a situation that is completely foreign to us and allowing us to see how it affects those who are bright and those who are gullible.
]]> 23413017 Sat, 31 May 2008 19:55:48 -0700
author: Louise Rennison
name: Jean
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 05/31/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23412982 Sat, 31 May 2008 19:55:18 -0700
author: Pam Munoz Ryan
name: Jean
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 08/02
date added: 05/31/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23412937 Sat, 31 May 2008 19:54:48 -0700
author: Paul Fleischman
name: Jean
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 05/31/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23412818 Sat, 31 May 2008 19:53:17 -0700
author: Janet Tashjian
name: Jean
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 01/05
date added: 05/31/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23412648 Sat, 31 May 2008 19:51:42 -0700
author: Janet Tashjian
name: Jean
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 05/31/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23347218 Fri, 30 May 2008 19:00:30 -0700
author: Jeanne Duprau
name: Jean
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 08/05
date added: 05/30/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23278174 Thu, 29 May 2008 21:05:17 -0700
author: John Kennedy Toole
name: Jean
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at: 09/01
date added: 05/29/08
shelves:
review:
This book is a classic for a very good reason. The characters, plot and setting all combine so perfectly that the reader is sucked totally into the story. I can't see a Lucky Dog cart without thinking of this book.
]]> 23277944 Thu, 29 May 2008 21:01:24 -0700
author: Ted Bell
name: Jean
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2008
rating: 1
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/29/08
shelves: books-i-gave-up-on
review:
I haven't seen this many mixed reviews of a book since Edward Tulane. I guess people either love it or hate. I couldn't finish it, so I guess that's a clue as to where I stand. The writing was stiff, the plot predictable and the characters boring. The author should stick to the adult stuff.
]]> 23276416 Thu, 29 May 2008 20:44:58 -0700
author: Adam Rex
name: Jean
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/29/08
shelves:
review:
Adam Rex is becoming one of my favorite authors. He is clever and inventive and original. And this book shows just how far he can take this originality. Gratuity "Tip" Tucci is one of those characters that you would love to meet in real life. She's smart and she doesn't let anything hold her back once she's made up her mind. With the invasion of the Boov from outer space, she finds that not only is her mother missing, but that the rest of the country has become more than a little strange. She takes off to find her mother and then things get really interesting. I love the idea of the whole US trying to resettle in one state and of people making their homes in a casino or wherever else they can find. Rex creates great characters and then gives them interesting problems to solve. This would be great for those 5th - 8th graders who are finished with Harry Potter and are looking for something new and different. Give them J.Lo and Tip and watch them become engrossed in an alien invasion.
]]> 23095201 Tue, 27 May 2008 20:36:19 -0700
author: Alan M. Gratz
name: Jean
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 05/27/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23095129 Tue, 27 May 2008 20:35:02 -0700
author: Alice Hoffman
name: Jean
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 05/27/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 22954862 Sun, 25 May 2008 21:03:12 -0700
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Jean
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/25/08
shelves:
review:
I'm probably the only person in the world who hadn't read this yet! But I thought it was great. Hosseni reads the audio version so the pronuciation of the Afghan names and places is seamlessly integrated into the narrative. A very compelling story of redemption.
]]> 22121698 Sun, 25 May 2008 21:00:06 -0700
author: Sebastian Brant
name: Jean
average rating: 3.14
book published: 1988
rating: 2
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/25/08
shelves: books-i-gave-up-on
review:

]]> 21648919 Mon, 12 May 2008 20:54:16 -0700
author: Martine Leavitt
name: Jean
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/12/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 21005991 Mon, 12 May 2008 20:54:01 -0700
author: Barack Obama
name: Jean
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/12/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 20468974 Mon, 12 May 2008 20:50:03 -0700
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Jean
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 05/12/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 22120442 Mon, 12 May 2008 20:42:11 -0700
author: Emily Jenkins
name: Jean
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 06/06
date added: 05/12/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 18444928 Mon, 05 May 2008 12:25:50 -0700