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July 03
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kaysootee
gave  to:
The Hunger Games (Hardcover)
by
Suzanne Collins
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my rating:
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kaysootee
gave  to:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Hardcover)
by
E. Lockhart
bookshelves:
audio-edition,
boarding-school,
coming-of-age,
friendship,
gutsy-girls,
high-school,
lying-deception,
power,
realistic,
relationships,
rivalry,
secret-societies,
young-adult-fiction
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
kaysootee said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
There were times when I both loved and hated this book. I didn’t like how Frankie got overshadowed by Matthew all the time – but she hated that, too. And I loved it when she took up the reins of the Bassets and had them jumping to do her bidding (she had good ideas, and she used the society to enact change!). But she’s at war within herself – she wants to be her own person, she wants to be seen a certain way, and she also wants acceptance, love. And maybe these things aren’t always compatible. I know and feel her frustration and I’m completely sympathetic to it. Teens will be, too. We’re all (but teens especially!) in the process of growing and finding out who we are – and we want to be seen and accepted and loved for being whoever that is.(less)
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kaysootee
gave to:
Story of a Girl (Hardcover)
by
Sara Zarr (Goodreads author)
bookshelves:
2010-abe-lincoln-nominee,
depressing,
families,
friendship,
gutsy-girls,
heartbreaking,
high-school,
realistic,
relationship-problems,
relationships,
survival,
teenagers,
underage-sex,
young-adult-fiction
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
kaysootee said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Deanna gets a job at a pizza parlor – discovering at the last minute that Tommy works there, too. Although she thinks she can deal with this, the tension between them slowly mounts (compounded by Deanna’s situation at home and a fight she has with her best girlfriend Leigh, and a clandestine kiss she shares with Leigh’s boyfriend and her best guyfriend Jason), and Deanna ends up exploding. She goes out with Tommy one last time, and confronts him – asking him why he said what he said about her, why he did what he did, how he could make her feel special and then take it all away. Amazingly, he apologizes. This leads to further outbursts, where Deanna is finally free to express how she feels – to her family, to her friends, to everyone. And slowly, things start to improve. She can finally breathe in her own skin, and she doesn’t hate her life (or even Tommy) anymore.
This was incredibly sad, but eventually empowering and hopeful. Deanna Lambert had me convinced that she was doomed to keep on repeating her mistakes and that she’d be stuck forever in Pacifica feeling sorry for herself and becoming one of those hard, emotionless, dead people that life is wasted on. It was such a relief when she finally opened her mouth and got all of the anger and sadness out of her. By the end, I was pretty sure she’d be ok. I wondered a bit at Deanna’s reasons for hooking up with Tommy in the first place – mostly because it was something I’d never have done at her age. But he made her feel special at a time when she didn’t have friends and her family was falling apart (her father lost his job). I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. I can’t say that I understand (or that Deanna understood) the choices she made when she was thirteen, but I think she definitely paid for them many times over. I’m not sure how she survived the caustic atmosphere around her for the three years that her father shut her down and shut her out, and where everyone knew everything they thought they needed to about Deanna Lambert. (less)
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kaysootee
gave  to:
Someone Named Eva (Hardcover)
by
Joan M. Wolf
bookshelves:
1940s,
2010-caudill-nominees,
historical-fiction,
juvenile-fiction,
world-war-2
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
kaysootee said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
The reality of what WWII and being taken from one’s family and repatriated to be one of the enemy is like is something that would truly horrify children (and adults). Since Joan Wolf has written a book for children (grades 4 – 7), she tells Eva/Milada’s story with enough details to pique readers’ curiosity without scaring (or scarring) them for life. By being taken to the Lebensborn, Milada was spared many of the privations and horrors of the work and/or concentration camps – compared to some people (like many Jews) she had it easy. She did, however, lose most of her family and her best friend to the war. As an adult reading this, I wanted to know more about the Lebensborn and what they were really like (and how they tied into Hitler’s grand plans for Germany), and I wanted Eva’s story to be more heart-breaking, grittier. It ends on a positive note, with Milada and her mother beginning to heal, beginning to know one another again and hoping – together – that they’ll one day be reunited with another family member (Anechka). The story loses some of its power to impress and affect readers by leaving out the Bad Stuff, glossing over details, and fast-forwarding to a time when everything is ok. Realistically, things were not really ok for most people immediately after the war. Although Milada survives the war, she’s not really memorable enough to stick around long in readers’ heads.
The cover, incidentally, does nothing for this book. The girl on the front - Eva/Milada - looks possessed. It's not appealing, and I don't think anyone is going to look at the jacket and say, "Hey, that looks good!"(less)
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kaysootee
gave to:
Sleepaway Girls (Hardcover)
by
Jen Calonita
bookshelves:
chick-lit,
friendship,
realistic,
rivalry,
summer-camp,
young-adult-fiction
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
kaysootee said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Ah, the camp experience! I was looking forward to reliving my days as a camper with Sleepaway Girls, but this was a frustrating read for a number of reasons. 1.) Sam starts out being a mostly likeable character – until you find out that she’s kind of a doormat and does everything her friends tell her. 2.) Ashley is so mean, and she doesn’t ever really get her comeuppance. No authority figure ever hears Sam’s side of the story about all the horrible things that Ashley’s done to her. Everyone expresses how disappointed they are in Sam for allowing Ashley to goad her into responding – but really, it’s refreshing to see Sam actually stand up for herself. 3.) Some of the characterizations fall back on stereotypes – the boy-crazy girl, the sporty girl, the bookworm. 4.) Sam and Ashley’s punishment is right out of The Parent Trap, where the twins are forced to live and do everything together until they can learn to get along (no reference is made to The Parent Trap, either). I was really hoping to enjoy this light summer camp read a lot more than I did, but it was too fluffy, too superficial, and too predictable for me.(less)
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kaysootee
gave to:
Shark Girl (Hardcover)
by
Kelly Bingham
bookshelves:
2010-caudill-nominees,
families,
friendship,
gutsy-girls,
healing,
novel-in-verse,
realistic,
shark-attack,
stream-of-consciousness,
survivor,
teenagers,
young-adult-fiction
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
kaysootee said:
"Jane (15) is an artist, but she loses her arm when she is attacked by a shark while swimming. Her brother rescues her, and she falls into a coma. After she wakes up, she finds that her arm has been amputated above the elbow. It takes her weeks to ...more
Jane (15) is an artist, but she loses her arm when she is attacked by a shark while swimming. Her brother rescues her, and she falls into a coma. After she wakes up, she finds that her arm has been amputated above the elbow. It takes her weeks to heal after the operation, and the ordeal changes her forever. She can’t stop thinking about the man who stood on the beach recording the whole incident with his video camera as it happened – that he watched, that he did nothing to help her, that he later released the footage to the news and online. She can’t stop thinking about what a bad person she is – to be so angry, to not want to be the spokesperson for People Who Have Survived Terrible Things And Gone On To Inpsire Others. She can’t tell anyone that she’s practicing her art with her left hand – that it’s terrible, that she’s not sure if she’ll ever be able to do what she loves most again.
It took me awhile to really get into this novel, partly because of the format – it’s mostly in verse (with some additional content – letters, etc.). Novels written in verse strike me as somewhat pretentious and irritating and trendy – not everyone uses it well. Kelly Bingham, however, does a great job with Jane in Shark Girl. Jane deals with her experience and her feelings in a really honest way. The verse format works really well for expressing her thoughts, which are raw, immediate, short, to the point. She isn’t perfect, she isn’t intentionally inspiring. But she’s strong, tentatively hopeful, furious, determined, gentle, and so many other things. I really like Jane. She’s figuring out a new way to be herself after this life-threatening, life-changing experience.
(less)
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kaysootee
gave to:
Absolutely Maybe (Hardcover)
by
Lisa Yee
bookshelves:
families,
quirky,
realistic,
runaways,
teenagers,
young-adult-fiction
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
kaysootee said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Everything seems to happen all at once, then. Hollywood wins a film-making contest and Maybe’s father agrees to meet her at the screening. The film is a documentary about Maybe – Hollywood has been watching and filming her life all this time. Maybe can’t even watch the whole thing at first (it’s too painful), and she runs out of the theater. When she does meet her father (later on) he’s a jerk and offers her “hush money” to stay out of his life. Maybe uses it to fly her mother out to California for a detox package (to help with her drinking problem), and Chessy decides to stay on as Gloria de la Tour’s new personal assistant (Ted is going home to his family). So, at the end, even though things aren’t perfect, they’re on their way to being better for everyone.
This was mostly upbeat and funny – despite Maybe’s near-assault. I think things could have taken a much more serious turn from there, had Maybe been on her own. Because she had her friends helping her, and then Sammy (who still loves her and Chessy), Maybe was ok. I’m not sure I’d have been able to forgive Chessy for not believing me, had I been in Maybe’s shoes. But I think that her journey to find her father and living with Sammy – a father who really loved her – gave Maybe some insight into her mother’s problems and situation and helped her to understand what she went through. This was a bit of a rocky ride, but the characters were a lot of fun (Ted, in particular, was a complete hoot). (less)
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kaysootee
gave to:
Things You Either Hate or Love (Hardcover)
by
Brigid Lowry
bookshelves:
australia,
chick-lit,
coming-of-age,
families,
fat-girl-books,
friendship,
realistic,
relationships,
teenagers,
young-adult-fiction
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my rating:
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read in July, 2009
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kaysootee
gave to:
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite (Hardcover)
by
David Kessler
bookshelves:
diet-nutrition,
nonfiction,
obesity
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
kaysootee said:
"David Kessler examines the reasons (biological, psychological, emotional) why we overeat and offers strategies for coping with the foods that trigger us to do so. Those looking for an easy solution to curb their cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty ...more
David Kessler examines the reasons (biological, psychological, emotional) why we overeat and offers strategies for coping with the foods that trigger us to do so. Those looking for an easy solution to curb their cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods will not find it here. In order to manage overeating, one has to manage one’s diet – in many cases avoiding all together the foods that make one lose control. Perhaps reading about the science behind overeating (evolutionary basis, chemical triggers, and the way restaurants and other food creators/processors make their delectable creations) will help readers understand why they overeat and empower them to take charge of their eating.
The science behind overeating is really fascinating – evolution has crafted our bodies into efficient machines, and we naturally seek out and consume sugars and fats because our prehistoric ancestors didn’t have easy access to them (due to scarcity). Our body chemistry, which may once have served us well, now causes us to overeat foods rich in sugars and fats (and as these foods are now are widely available, this can lead to obesity). Also, there’s a whole culture built up around eating as an experience, and dining is seen as entertainment, food as a reward. Restaurants make their meals easily digestible, hard to resist; they serve enormous portions. People also eat to comfort themselves. These things singularly or in combination can pack on the pounds. Being aware of what’s going on in our brains, our bodies, our restaurants, and our grocery stores may help us to make healthier choices and avoid the pitfalls of overeating. It’s still difficult, however, because it’s an ongoing process requiring constant vigilance, and for a lot of people there are just so many temptations!(less)
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kaysootee
gave to:
The Curious Garden (Hardcover)
by
Pete Brown
bookshelves:
books-for-boys,
gardening,
green-eco-friendly,
picture-books,
stewardship
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my rating:
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read in July, 2009
kaysootee said:
"When Liam is out exploring (he seems to be the only one in his city that enjoys being outside) he discovers some plants struggling to grow between the rails of an abandoned elevated railway. He starts tending these plants, even though he doesn’t h...more
When Liam is out exploring (he seems to be the only one in his city that enjoys being outside) he discovers some plants struggling to grow between the rails of an abandoned elevated railway. He starts tending these plants, even though he doesn’t have much experience with gardening, and he gradually learns how to care for them. The plants flourish and the garden begins to expand and travel along the railway (both Liam and the garden are curious about new places). When winter comes, the garden is covered by snow, but Liam uses the time to prepare for the spring, and others join him in his gardening pursuits (he leaves growing surprises on people’s doorsteps). Years later, the garden and the city and its inhabitants are all flourishing and finding ways to live together. Beautiful, whimsical, bright illustrations of the curious garden’s explorations accompany the text. Some illustrations speak entirely for themselves, as the garden grows into new places and new people become involved with it. This is an excellent choice for talking to kids about green spaces, and to get them interested in gardening and the environment – it shows them that anyone can be involved, anyone can make a difference, and anyone can learn how to do something (like gardening) that they don’t know much about at first. It’s empowering and fun to read.
I was just reading about NYC’s Highline elevated railway being opened as a park – they’ve planted it and added paths, and people can now tread where the trains once ran. Peter Brown actually references the Highline in a note at the end of The Curious Garden (my mother would say this is another one of those glorious coincidences that she’s so fond of, whereas I maintain that it’s all about paying attention – once something catches your eye/brain, you’re more likely to notice other references to it). I love when urban spaces are reverted to nature – there are far too many strip malls and developers and city planners who think that every green spot either has to be filled with buildings or managed/landscaped to death. I think a little wildness, and a little green is good for us all.
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