TGIF & Gordon Korman

source

Have you heard of Gordon Korman?  He's an author.  He's a prolific author (as evidenced from the list above...which is incomplete!).

He started writing when he was a teenager and had 5 books published before he graduated from high school.  Crazy, huh?

I just finished reading one of his earlier works, I Want to Go Home!, which emphasizes his genius at creating quirky, fun characters (see Losing Joe's Place and A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag).  While I do think he's lost some of that originality recently (see Son of the Mob), I still think he's an amazing writer (see Schooled).

Have you read his books?  Which one is your favorite?

And if you haven't heard of him, he's awesome.  Read him!

The Help (book and movie)

source

Tonight, I'm going to see the movie The Help with a bunch of my best girl friends. Mom's Night Out (for all of us)! So excited! I've been anxiously waiting for this movie for months. I read the book a couple years ago on the recommendation of my pastor's wife and loved it; then read it again recently in anticipation of the movie and loved it even more.

The narration of the book is told from 3 perspectives: Aibileen (a house maid who only takes care of white children until they learn about segragation), Minnie (a house maid with a mouth and an arsenal of recipes), and Skeeter (a post-grad who wants to see change in Jackson, Mississippi). I loved the concept of switching perspectives and Kathryn Stockett did it well.

It's like the critics say, the book is like a To Kill a Mockingbird written in the 21st century.

Ms. Stockett is also kind of an inspiration because she never gave up selling this book! 60 rejections and 5 years before she found a publishing agent! Truly someone to emulate. :)

There has been some criticism of the fact that black women don't need a white woman's voice to make a point about equality. And to some extent, I agree with them. But at the same time, how can you not appreciate such literature? It's beautiful.

Anyway, here's the movie trailer...I can't wait!

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I first found out about The Hunger Games trilogy from Entertainment Weekly because they kept projecting possible actors for the main characters. And then, after three, yes, THREE (how lame is that? lol), different EWs talking about it, I finally decided to check it out. After all, they claimed it was the best YA trend-setting novel since Twilight. And since I'm not a big fan of vampires (and all of that teen angst), I immediately jumped on the bandwagon.

I was wowed! And amazingly so. The writing is very gripping and moves along quickly.

It follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world, and her journey to becoming a "tribute," which is another word for contestant in a Survivor-like battle-to-the-death Hunger Games that occurs every year. Since her District (of twelve total districts) has to submit a girl and a boy tribute, aged 12-17, for the Games, she finds out that the boy tribute is Peeta, who claims he's in love with her. But only one teenager can be victorious in the Hunger Games.

Though there is blood and gore and, basically, murder (which is criticized by some parents), I really think it brings up a lot of modern-day issues about war, government oppression, mind games, survival, and the value of life. While the whole premise of a fight to the death isn't new, I think Suzanne Collins has done a really good job of giving it new spin for teens.

I haven't read anything this page-turning since Harry Potter. So, if you haven't read it, definitely do! It's rated YA (not JV) because of the graphics of the killing...so, a caution if you're uncomfortable with that.

Book Review: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I admit, I didn't really generate interest in Percy Jackson until the movie came out. And you know, I like to read the book before I see a movie adaptation. So, I did.

It was a very entertaining and fast (it can be done in one sitting) read. I was impressed with how Rick Riordan weaved the Greek myths into real life. Many kudos for his creativity. For example, how Aunt Em's (Medusa's) garden was full of stone statues. Clever. And doubly fun to try to guess which god Percy encounters before Percy realizes who he/she is. The kids love it for good reason.

However, it doesn't have the depth/double meaning/symbolism of Harry Potter, but it is just as entertaining.

The movie was TERRIBLE. They added 5 years to Percy's age, so that he's a teenager and has hormones and can drive. They made Annabeth into this weird war-like goth girl, who Percy is now romantically interested in. They made Grover African-American (not that that was bad, it just didn't jive with his character in the book at all) and he was portrayed as comic relief only. UGH! So bad. For those of you who saw the movie first, read the book. It's ten times better.

Book Review: Emily Climbs (Emily series #2) by L.M. Montgomery

source

It is on my goal list of 101 in 1001 days project: to read the Emily trilogy by L.M. Montgomery. I absolutely *love* the Anne series and own all 8 books (Anne of the Island is my favorite).

Anyway, I've only progressed to the 2nd book in the Emily series, but I made myself devour it slowly and thoughtfully. It is so beautiful and yet the plot is very simple.

In Emily Climbs, it picks up from where Emily of New Moon left off. Emily is now 14 and her guardians have to make the decision whether or not to let her go to the high school in the bigger town of Shrewsbury. It means that she will have to board with her stern Aunt Ruth, who thinks everything Emily does is "sly"--quite hilariously. Aunt Elizabeth and Aunt Laura decide that Emily should go to the more academic high school in Shrewsbury to get her education.

So, Emily goes to Shrewsbury for 3 years of high school. She continues to write poetry and short stories, citing many references to "climbing the Alpine path" up to the top of becoming an author/poetess. She submits her work endlessly to magazines and newspapers, even succeeding a few times. Meanwhile, she still grows up, her feelings growing stronger for her childhood friend Teddy Kent and her friendship with crazy Ilse suffering and enduring hardship.

She continues to cause scandals, which are always unintentional where Emily is concerned, and learns to hold her head up high. Of course, she has to learn to live up to her reputation as a descendant of the authoratative Murrays. She is still enamored with nature and her love of the Wind Woman and P.E.I. never fades.

The whole book was so bewitching that I loved every sentence...which says a lot because Montgomery does exposit in pages and pages about the description of trees and hills and wind and the moon. I think it's what makes Emily Climbs so good.

Book Review: 3 Willows

I have to be honest, but I couldn't completely embrace 3 Willows by Ann Brashares. I really wanted to love this book, since I love her other Sisterhood books.

Maybe it was because this new sisterhood was younger (13 years old). Maybe because their friendship was too realistic (they weren't best friends forever). Or maybe because I never really connected with the characters (Ama the studious one, Jo the popular one, Polly the overweight one).

Ultimately, I thought that she capitalized on her Sisterhood fame. (There was a cameo by Lena.) And I think this book will still appeal to the YA crowd. It just doesn't have that same magic that the Sisterhood series did.

Other than that, there wasn't anything bad in it. Not a lot of swearing. No sex. Some kissing, yes. Pretty clean for YA.

Book Review: Schooled

In honor of the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010, I decided to review an author who is Canadian: Gordon Korman. He’s one of my husband’s (and my sister-in-law’s) favorite YA authors. Mr. Korman started writing when he was a young teenager and became published soon after. Some of his older books are filled with snappy dialogue and hilarious situations. We like Losing Joe’s Place and A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (which is unfortunately out of print).

Since then, he moved to the U.S. and continues to write, though I think his more recent books are too stereotypical (like his Son of the Mob series). However, he moves back to his golden days with Schooled.

Schooled is about a 13-year-old boy named Capricorn “Cap” Anderson, who has only studied about normal life while tucked safely inside his hippie commune. He’s read about television but never watched it. He’s read about pizza but has never tasted one. He’s read about middle school but has never attended. Until now…

His caretaker (his grandmother) goes to the hospital for hip surgery, and Cap moves into a social worker’s home and goes to middle school. He’s immediately voted in as 8th grade president (which is a position reserved for the ultimate nerd in over his head) and is laughed at behind his back. But, Cap definitely rises to the challenge and turns things around in his own way.

It’s a great book for young adults and there’s a lot of truth to his community theories. Sometimes the world should be a place for nature and people to live in harmony.

Book Review: These is my Words

…and Papa says that there Phoenix was hotter than the devil’s frying pan. ~Sarah Prine

Since I’m always reading something, I thought I’d include a book review here and there in my blog.

Last month, my book club chose These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Nancy Turner.

It is set in the southwestern territories (a.k.a. Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) during a time when the land was constantly battled over by Indians and pioneers. The book is based on the author’s family background. It is written entirely in diary-entry format, with Sarah’s grammar growing more sophisticated as time passes.

This book has become my new favorite book club pick (before it was Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry).

The reality of the west during the late 1800s and early 1900s was really emphasized. Death and death of children was a common occurrence. Childbirth was difficult and natural. And being a woman required an inner strength.

Sarah is, in many ways, like Camilla (from my book). She’s strong, she’s independent, she’s capable. She can shoot a gun like no other man (and proves it time and time again). She takes care of her family when her mother is not in her right mind. But she’s naïve when it comes to affairs of the heart, which makes her story so hilarious and so tragic at the same time.

For those of you who love historical fiction like me, you’ll enjoy this book.

It made me laugh, it made me cry…it moved me, Bob. ~Larry the Cucumber