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Archive for May, 2009

QuickReview: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

May-29-2009 By Keri
Book #43 of 2009
Title: Catching Fire
Author:Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub Date: September 1, 2009
Grade: A+
Comments: So the benefit of being several months behind on reviewing the books you’ve read is that I can actually write a review. The book has been out for a month now and if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for. That said, I will try to be as unspoilery as possible which basically means I still can’t write a real review. Here is my reaction while reading Catching Fire:

Beginning: OMG, I can’t wait to see what happens.
Middle: Seriously? That’s where they are going with this? I’m not so sure about this.
30 pages later: OMG this is so awesome.
End: OMGWTF *tiny squee* OMGWTF Scholastic better get the third one out next September and have copies at Book Expo in May because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

Reviewed from arc provided by Scholastic at BookExpo.
In Depth Reviews: Serendipity, Read Into This, Bibliophile Support Group

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QuickReview: Intensely Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

May-28-2009 By Keri
Book #42 of 2009
Title: Intensely Alice
Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Publisher: Atheneum
Pub Date: June 2, 2009
Grade: B+
Comments: So I’ve been reading the Alice books since I was 12, and I still wait desperately every May/June looking for the newest book, even though I’ve been disappointed in a lot of the latest ones. (Dear Ms. Naylor, While a lot of teen girls ask you embarrassing questions on your website and you are very patient in answering them, you don’t need to include every issue in every one of your books, just because there’s a teen out there that wondered about it. Love, Keri). This was was mostly a return to form, with the strongest sections being Alice’s trip to see Patrick at college and all the scenes surrounding the death. Keeno was a nice addition to the group and it was great to see everyone at the same place, even if a lot of the soup kitchen scenes seemed a bit hokey. (On a side note, and this might be spoilery, but if Alice doesn’t do it with Patrick by the end of this series, I am going to go crazy. I’ve been waiting 15 years! (okay, maybe not 15 years, but at least the last six)). Sorry to gush like a fangirl but I cannot review these books objectively.
In Depth Reviews: The Three ‘R’s of Summer, Katy Reads YA, Wicked Good Books
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QuickReview: King of the Screw Ups by K. L. Going

May-22-2009 By Keri
Book #41 of 2009
Title: King of the Screw Ups
Author: K. L. Going
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Pub Date: April 6, 2009
Grade: A
Comments: I loved Fat Kid Rules the World but for some reason, hadn’t picked up another book by K. L. Going until now. King of the Screw Ups was wonderful. I know a criticism has been levied that the uncle and his friends are fairly stereotypical, but they aren’t just playing to type. They are developed as real characters. Liam himself is an extraordinarily interesting character and I like how his relationship with the girl in the trailer next door played out. The characters and strong writing make this one a winner.
In Depth Reviews: Addicted to Books, Bib-Laura-Graphy, BCCLS Mock Printz
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QuickReview: Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah

May-20-2009 By Keri
Book #40 of 2009
Title: Ten Things I Hate About Me
Author: Randa Abdel-Fattah
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pub Date: January 1, 2009
Grade: B
Comments: Liked this once, but I think Does My Head Look Big in This? was much better. The stakes were just a little too low in this one. Jamie was a little too whiny about her situation and not as sympathetic as Amal. Some of the issues facing Jamie being honest about her heritage seems a bit too heavy handed. It definitely left me wondering where the contemporary books about Muslim-Americans are (particularly ones that revolve around families and schools and religion and not 9/11) – since these books are written by an Australian author (and while the experience translates well, there should just be a wider field).
In Depth Reviews: Muslimah Media Watch, The Electrical Book Cafe, Not Acting My Age
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QuickReview: The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti

May-18-2009 By Keri
Book #39 of 2009
Title: The Purity Myth
Author: Jessica Valenti
Publisher: Seal Press
Pub Date: April 4, 2009
Grade: B+
Comments: Overall, I liked this book, but thought that it might have been better as an article rather than a whole book. The sections that dealt directly with purity and how it is damaging for women (not damaging for them to be pure, but the contrary expectations of it) were very strong, but the later chapters seemed to deal with general feminist issues that, while important, had a much looser connection to the original premise.
In Depth Reviews: College Candy, Songs That Didn’t Used to Exist, Book Addiction
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QuickReview: My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald

May-12-2009 By Keri
Book #38 of 2009
Title: My Life in Pink and Green
Author: Lisa Greenwald
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
Grade: B+
Comments: I had heard good things about this book and bought it after I heard Lisa Greenwald read from it at the Youth Author day. I thought this good was really bright and positive and liked how it was about issues without being about the issues. I think 5th and 6th grade girls will really love this book. Even though I’m still a bit heartbroken that I could have been a Longstocking (I was planning on applying to the New School that year but after a terrible open house changed my mind), I’m happy I can recommend their books.
In Depth Reviews: Harmony Book Reviews, Kidliterate, Bookworm Readers
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QuickReview: Boy Minus Girl by Richard Uhlig

May-7-2009 By Keri
Book #37 of 2009
Title: Boy Minus Girl
Author: Richard Uhlig
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: December 9, 2008
Grade: C+
Comments: BookEval Review: Boy Minus girl is the story of Lester, a teenage boy who is focused on getting Charity, a girl in his class, to hook up with him. He befriends her, but she turns out to be a lesbian. His Uncle Ray comes to visit and causes chaos in their town by fooling around with a married woman. It turns out he’s visiting because he’s running away from a woman he’s knocked up and wants nothing to do with. Lester’s parents are doctors who treat him like a child and are afraid of the outside world.

The book is set in the early 80s but the only thing that shows you this are a few Reagan references and that Lester watches Johnny Carson with his mother. It is only in the end that the book’s time period makes sense, when the characters’ opinions of homosexuality, AIDS, and interracial relationships comes into play. The book has excerpts from a sex manual that Lester reads that made me raise an eyebrow and I thought Doing It by Melvin Burgess was a great book, so if content is an issue, steer clear although Booklist recommends for grades 7+. Swim the Fly by Don Calame is a much more successful book about adolescent boys obsessed with sex. This is an optional purchase at best.
In Depth Reviews: Katie’s Bookshelf, Not Acting My Age, Making Stuff Up for a Living
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QuickReview: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

May-1-2009 By Keri
Book #36 of 2009
Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pub Date: April 2, 2009
Grade: A
Comments: I know there were some realism issues with the premise of this book but I don’t care. I loved it. It made me cry like a crazy person in the end. I loved the flashbacks and the kids’ relationship with their parents and the realisticness of Mia and Adam’s relationship. Give this to the Lurleen McDaniel fans – this dying book is best of all.

Though I had already read this at that point, I was able to pick up a signed copy at Book Expo. Thanks Dutton!
In Depth Reviews: The Chick Manifesto, Vulpes Libris, Musings of the Book Goddess
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QuickReview: Swim the Fly by Don Calame

May-1-2009 By Keri
Book #35 of 2009
Title: Swim the Fly
Author: Don Calame
Publisher: Candlewick
Pub Date: April 14, 2009
Grade: B+
Comments:I love humorous books for boys, and I think this one does an excellent job of creating real teen boys. I loved the resolution of the quest to see a naked girl, and liked the hints of romance in this one (since boys do think about relationships and stuff…there should be more romance books for boys.)

Though I had already read this at that point, I was able to pick up a signed copy at Book Expo. Thanks Candlewick!
In Depth Reviews: Bib-Laura-graphy, Not So Closet Geeks, Ready Set Read Reviews
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