Archive for July, 2008

In The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, a father who is a doctor struggles to find a way to move on from his painful past, and a mother who is a nurse struggles to make the best decisions for her uncertain future. Dr. David Henry had to deliver his own babies during a heavy blizzard and discovers that, while his son seems perfect in every way, his daughter has Down’s Syndrome. In an impulsive decision, he tells his nurse, Caroline Gill, not to tell his wife about his daughter and to take the baby away to an institution. Appalled and surprised by his decision, she decides to run away and raise the baby as her own, without Dr. Henry’s knowledge. Both struggle to find out if they made the right decisions on that stormy night.

Kim Edwards writes well in The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Getting rid of the awkward years, she included and concentrated on key points in the characters’ lives. She never forgets anyone and thoroughly acknowledges that each person is connected to the other and always makes an impact on the other characters. One moment she writes about Dr. David Henry’s thoughts and what is happening in his life, and the next she writes about his wife, Norah, or his son, Paul, and how each grapples in a family and in a world that struggles to give them the answers. The book and story never becomes dragging, and readers quickly turn the page, always anticipating what will happen next. In The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Edwards also was able to develop her characters naturally. It’s quite refreshing to see them be able to try and move on gradually from the pain in their lives.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards is a good read, recommended for everyone, and readers don’t have to worry about shedding a tear or two. There are sad moments, but it never becomes a sad story. It’s not a story full of happiness but a story full of reality. Read it when you’ve got the time.

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a children’s book series that includes thirteen novels. The first book in the series is called The Bad Beginning. You will be introduced quickly to the three Baudelaire children, who were left orphans after their parents died in a terrible fire. You also will become quickly familiar with the narrator’s style. The author, Daniel Handler, chose to write the series under a pseudonym Lemony Snicket. Lemony Snicket adds a lot of wit and dark humor into these novels. His cynical writing is intriguing.

The Baudelaire orphans are passed between relatives with each passing book. Of course, there always is a villain (or ten) they must outwit; it all seems to be a series of seriously unfortunate events. From The Bad Beginning to The End, the adventures continue to be thrilling and innovative, if not somewhat random.

The first three books, The Bag Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window, were adapted and combined to form a movie under the title Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Unfortunately, as a reader of the series, the movie proved to be very disappointing, as movie-adaptations tend to be. A few of my favorite parts of the storyline had been changed, important segments had been excluded, and the entire tone of the movie was different than the books I had enjoyed. If you did see the movie without reading the books, I don’t think that your opinion on the movie, whether good or bad, can help you determine whether the book series will be a literary fit for you or your child.

Throughout elementary and middle school, these books brought me much entertainment. I recommend the series to any parent with a child who might enjoy a dark, yet humorous, adventure series.

I’ve mentioned my love for the book Frindle before, in a post about Summer Reading. For this ‘Bout Books review I thought I would take the chance to profess my love for all things written by Andrew Clements.

Andrew Clements writes “independent reader” fiction—a label given to books typically enjoyed by readers aged 9-12…though I guess at 30, I’m a little bit older than his target audience. His books are quick reads, I can get through one of his books in an afternoon, and they never fail to entertain. This is a man who understands how kids’ brains work and creates characters that the kids will recognize as being “real kids” while the grown ups say, “I used to know someone like that.”

What makes Andrew Clements’ writing even more entertaining is that each book teaches kids a practical lesson, whether it is on leadership (The Holiday Concert), governmental topics (The Landry News), entrepreneurship (School Story) or something very specific like where words originated (Frindle). These lessons can be very subtle or they can be blatant, but they always are entertaining.

In The Landry News, Cara Landry gets fed up with her teacher for never really teaching. Instead of teaching lessons, he spends his time reading the newspaper behind his desk and ignoring his students. So, Cara decides to start her own newspaper and gets her entire class involved. Together the students learn about writing a newspaper, the first amendment and censorship and even manage to inspire their teacher to get more involved—all within 144 pages!

These books are perfect for kids who have become good readers but might not yet feel like they are ready to make the jump into “real chapter books” (for some kids reading chapter books is very scary). The type is large, there are pictures every few pages and the stories move quickly!

Jhumpa Lahiri first broke the literary scene with her Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Interpreter of Maladies, in 2000. Since then, she has come out every time with gripping tales on Bengali immigrants’ lives in America, hoping to try and make us understand what it is what like for them during these trying times.

In this collection, Lahiri writes short stories about the life of Bengalis who have immigrated from their native country of India and have settled in another country to form a new life. Some struggle to form their identities alongside people of other nationalities, while some have found no problems adjusting to a new life. It’s hard to write about the life of a particular nationality because sometimes words get lost in translation, and readers have a hard time picturing other people in their minds. But with Lahiri, she not only describes her people perfectly but she depicts them in a certain way that makes her readers be able to relate to her characters.

In her second book and first published novel, The Namesake, which was adapted into a movie released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in 2007, she carefully illustrates the lives of  Bengali immigrants, how they survived, how they were able to provide for their family (second-generation immigrants) and how their children have adjusted to their lives as not-quite Americans and not-quite Bengalis. With The Namesake, Lahiri leaves her readers a little confused. Should they relate to the characters, or are they allowed to judge the characters? As readers, we try to understand their lives but it’s hard when the characters don’t seem to know what they’re doing also. It all may be very subtle, and that’s what Lahiri showed in The Namesake. There always will be that inner struggle as immigrants.

In her latest book, Unaccustomed Earth, Lahiri goes back to what she does and releases another collection of short stories, this time dealing with second-generation Bengali immigrants and how to adjust to a new situation, losing someone in their lives. This book is definitely a page-turner with a constant struggle to try to relate and understand the characters. Sometimes, we forget that they’re a different nationality because she makes it seem as if it’s our own struggles.

If you haven’t read a Jhumpa Lahiri book, try grabbing a copy at the bookstore or library now because it comes highly recommended.

Chick Lit often gets a bad rap for being fluffy and romance-esque. While it is true that most Chick Lit does feature a woman entangled in a romantic problem, there is a lot more to the genre than simply Giggly Woman Getting Her Man. Take a look at the following Chick Lit authors (though they might not consider themselves such) for some “good” Chick Lit!

Melissa Banks. Melissa Banks wrote The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing, a collection of short stories that tell the stories of a handful of characters who all feel connected though you won’t find out how until the last story. These stories explore love and life from all points of view, not just that of a twenty-something girl trying to make her way in the big bad world.

Marian Keyes: Marian Keyes’ books do have some romantic fluff to them, but more often they deal with the larger issues we all face. She tackles subjects like the loss of a loved one, single parenthood, starting over, etc. with humor and grace. Yes, she will keep you turning the pages, and sure there are a few “descriptions” that might get you a little hot and bothered, but for the most part, Marian Keyes sheds humor on what otherwise could be tragic situations.

Lauren Weisberger: The author of The Devil Wears Prada just released her third book and while her characters usually have a love debacle, more often they deal with heinous work situations. Any woman who has ever truly hated her boss will love Weisberger’s books and might just get up the gumption to find a career she really loves!

These are just a few of the authors whose names have become staples of the Chick Lit genre. While other authors like Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot and Emily Griffin are certainly prolific, if you want something more from your chick lit, check out the three authors mentioned in this blog post!

Margaret Peterson Haddix is one of my favorite authors. Sometimes if I’m at a book store and can’t decide what I want, I’ll search her name and buy a book she wrote. For me, she’s one of the authors that always keeps me intrigued, entertained, and hungry for more. Here are a few descriptions of books she’s written that I’ve read:

Running Out of Time - Jessie Keyser thinks she’s growing up in the 1840s but the real year is 1996. She and most of her fellow villagers are part of a huge experiment/tourist attraction. Trouble arises when diphtheria spreads through the village. They can be given no cure because there technically shouldn’t be one in 1840s. Will everyone die?

The Shadow Children Series - In the first book of seven, Among the Hidden, you are introduced to a society where families are only permitted to have two children. The book follows the story of Luke Garner, an illegal third child. If he is discovered, he will be killed. In this book, he meets Jen, another illegal third child. Her father has connections with the government and might know a way out for Luke. Luke can’t help but accept the risks. The books that follow are Among the Imposters, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free.

Turnabout - Amelia Hazelwood was at the ripe old age of 101 in the year 2000. This book follows Amelia’s life between then and 2085, when Amelia’s 16. Yes, those are the correct numbers. In this fictional novel, Amelia is part of an experiment that reverses the effects of aging. Others involved in the experiment begin to realize that the drug not only takes away age, but also memory. The supposed Cure that was to stop the aging process ends up being lethal. What will happen to Amelia?

Everywhere you turn you see signs for “Great Summer Reading!” Your local bookstore has tables devoted to summer reading, the book buying websites all have summer reading recommendations—you can’t get away from it! So, this summer I have decided to stop trying and, instead, I’m going to re-explore the summer reading I both loved and avoided as a kid.

Here is the summer reading challenge that I am issuing to you. Instead of heading for the “Great Books for the Beach” table or the “Reading I Never Did in College” table, head toward the children’s section and explore their offerings. It is highly likely that you will rediscover some of the books you remembered loving as a kid, as well as be introduced to some great new authors. Even better, you’ll have something to talk about with your kids over the summer (and your kids will love that you are reading the same books)!

Here are some old standards and new favorites that you might enjoy this summer:

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. This book has been around for almost fifty years, but it never gets old. If you like the conversational style of the Harry Potter books, you truly will enjoy reading The Phantom Tollbooth.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards. Julie Edwards is the married name of Julie Andrews (yes, that Julie Andrews). The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles is sort of a fantasy book, but it is more about learning how to really see the world that surrounds you. I read this book in college, and it has become one of my favorites.

Frindle by Andrew Clements. This quick read is about word origins, but in a fun way. In fact, you won’t realize that you actually have learned something until you put the book down!