Tag Archives: 2012 Reads

I dreaded reading this companion book (92) for a while since I had quite a bit of trouble appreciating that other volume while the whole WORLD seemed to have fallen in love with it and gave it awards and accolades. But, to my delight, I enjoyed this story quite a lot more — even though I still feel that the prose itself can be too plain at times and the uses of metaphorical phrases contrived. The frame story has a strong and authentic heart and the small tales sprinkled throughout are all quite appealing and they coherently contribute to the larger tale. This time, I agree with the author’s note and what the author tries to achieve, quite successfully so. And, the artwork and the book design is impecable and gorgeous. This is definitely one of those books that should NOT be read as an eBook – so’s not to lose the weight, the trim size, the special page layout, etc. (And if it’s read on a black-and-white device, it definitely won’t transfer well!)

I cannot really discuss my very very complex thoughts and reactions to book 91 which received starred reviews and lots of praises and which is an “important” book with very difficult topics. I agree, though, with the one somewhat negative review in Kirkus and will have to write about my objections fully and will have to attach the title of the book eventually… perhaps after January.

I sort of dreaded to read book 90 — loved the first in the series and didn’t think it needed a sequel. But, it was fine. The first parts of the book felt a bit stilted and slow and I couldn’t quite figure out where the story was heading — but then the pacing picked up and the central conflict became quite affecting. My jaded mind was not quite convinced that the small actions and words of one person would have been so effective in changing the course of major events, but at the same time, I do appreciate greatly the encouragement of having any young reader feel that their personal actions and choices could alter the turn of events and make positive impact on the world around them. It turned out that I still deeply care for the main characters in the story and now I see that there is definitely more story to be told in a third installment and am happily waiting for it!

It didn’t feel like I was reading a children’s book (88) — it’s so informative, so somber, so full of great and exciting tidbits for any reader, and so apparently that the author/historian/researcher was not necessarily concerned with presenting the book for a young audience (not that it won’t be highly readable and of interest to those fascinated by the topic or that it won’t be totally appropriate for 13 and 14 year old readers to enjoy).  I was quite taken by the true stories behind one of the most significant modern historical event that truly altered the courses of human race and also really appreciate the even tone by an obvious conscientious “reporter.”  There were times, though, I thought: a few scattered historical photos or images of primary source documents would have enhanced the “reality” of the story.  (Not that the narrative itself isn’t already vivid.)  And there were times, I thought, “Hmm… this is quite a lull in the narrative… I miss the end of the last chapter when some of the daring ‘characters’ performed audacious deeds.”  Of course, this is not the fault of the author historian: we couldn’t expect things being made up just to heighten the narrative tension.  I also wished that so many passages/chapters do not always start with the exact same pattern: the description of weather or setting of a day and a place + one or two ‘characters’ and what they were doing at the time.”  But all these are nitpicking — I truly thought this was a feat of a book and an impressive addition to a full shelf of books dealing with this topic, offering an interesting angle.

I am fascinated by the topic of this science nonfiction and I am delighted that book 87 is a strong title for my library collection, especially the reading level matches with the age that the students are studying this particular topic. However, it does not strike me as strong in creativity or tone: it’s clear and matter of fact, and it definitely is rich in facts and explanations.

I wonder how many of this similar theme I’ve read already and will encounter this year alone… I can’t hide it any more — the “incapable, unreliable parents” with a strong, resilient youngster as the hero of the tale, helped by some other extremely loving (and often completely not related) adults. Book 86 is another one — solid and quite good, but perhaps because I’ve already read so many and there’s one that I think much stronger, I can only give this minimum support.

A third book in a very popular series with the middle graders, this one still delivers! I’m pleased to see the kids returning to school so enthusiastic in finding this title on the shelf. Right away all the copies are checked out. I’m also happy that the author maintains the zany tone, the outrageous but somehow highly credible events, and the heart-felt but never cloying messages for growing minds that struggle daily with decision making and peer influences. Bravo, book 85!

There is nothing terribly wrong with book 84 — although I question the villain’s abilities both in the deeds performed and the ways others react to the evil plans since it seems that once the young heroes got on the case, all of those supports evaporated instantly… without really good reasons for those other powerful adults to change their minds so readily. I also question the total disregard of reality: although this is a fantasy story set in our current days, the “magic” does not seem to ground itself in any shape or form to the real science of the events. There must be ways to marry the two but the author either couldn’t do it, or didn’t bother to figure out clever ways to convince me.

However… my not so favorable reaction to the book really comes down to a stylistic one. The author has a liking of describing almost all details with more ways than one. I’m making up a description here:

The cat was licking herself calmly, as if the menacing dog was not staring at her, as if the dog’s eyes weren’t bulging, as if the dog’s mouth was not already started to slobber, and as if it was not making a low growling sound in its throat.

I get it — the dog is menacing the cat and the cat remains calm… I get it… the author NEEDS to describe each scene in painstaking details so the I the reader can “visualize” the whole scene. The thing is: actually, when I see certain words, such as menacing or bulging eyes, I am already filling in a lot of the rest of the scene in my mind and unless the rest of the scene contradicts what normally happens, what the author does here actually slows down the pacing and hinders the continuing “image playback” in the this reader’s mind. I got so annoyed by the redundant descriptions of all the small details that I finally had to scan about 1/3 of the book to get to the end. But perhaps some other people actually like these details and find them fun and satisfying.

I so admire authors who can create complex, unexpected, and yet totally convincing magical realms with layers of political intrigues and emotions. Book 80 that I felt was too “old” for Newbery and thus abandoned in mid-read kept calling me as I read other books — it DEMANDED me to get back to that world and to those characters: to find out what happens next, to revel in the beauty of the language, and to appreciate the rolling and tumbling of the heart as a vessel on a stormy emotional ocean. The book is so satisfying and complete… and I can’t wait ’til the next book in the series to come out! But, this Age appropriateness thing is going to keep rearing its annoying head… I’m writing an entry just on this issue. To be posted soon.

It was such a pleasure to read book 83, very quickly, because the prose flows like poetry. The author has a way with concise sentences that convey vivid imagery AND reveal authentic feelings from the characters. The subject matter is emotional and can be potentially very depressing — but it is handled with such gentle care that the readers are reminded that although there is the ugliness of humanity in this historical period, there is also a lot of resilience and dignity. After finishing the previous book on the same day as I started this one, I felt like my literary brain was cleansed: none of the messiness of botched metaphors, unbelievable character development, or sub-par prose. This is one of my top reads of the year.

This is another incident of my taking a quick peek at the Goodreads rating and got a huge surprise: the book received an average of above 4-star rating — but then, of course, there only have been a few dozens of “reviewers” and I suspect a lot of ARC hounds who’re close and friendly with the author. The book (82) is just a mess. The idea of the book is fine and intriguing, some elements might entertain young readers (spookiness, some implied gore, the weak overcoming the strong, etc.) but the writing is beyond pedestrian: cliches galore, an “unbelievable” young narrator and also a host of caricatures of side characters (while there is an attempt of inserting “real heart” into the story with the back story of the main character); the constantly flawed logic of the world created and weak “explanations” of why things happen in certain ways. It felt like reading a second draft of a 5th-grade student’s creative writing piece: after the teacher has put down all the “Why would so-and-so do this in the story?” or “Why can’t this happen again when it did before?” questions on the document and the students hastily added the “reasons” without reworking the whole piece, taking into account of the whole picture and full narrative arc.

What a moving, inspiring, informative, and child-friendly book 81 is! I have been waiting to receive it and now I have enjoyed it and will use it with my students and recommend it widely to teachers and parents. The author manages to distill essential pieces of information and weave a cohesive and very focused tale of a remarkable person and the multi-facets this person embodies. Bravo!

Half way through book 80 — what a beautifully written, witty, imaginative, original, fresh, intelligent tale of deliberate pacing and intrigue. It demands attention and commands appreciation. I feel as if I’m “cheating” because reading this does not feel like work — it feels like a totally guilty pleasure, because it does not quite seem to fit the Newbery’s appropriate “presentation for a child audience” bill. Not that it has offensive language or scenarios too explicitly sexual for younger readers, but the elements that make me appreciate the book most are sophisticated and worldly and I have a hard time imagining many 14-and-under readers can truly garner pleasure out of those passages. So… with a sad heart, I put it aside for later enjoyment and embarked on another journey — so far, book 81 is Fantastic! Yay.

Original book 80 had to be abandoned when I found out that, even though the story was set in almost a thousand years ago, the narrative voice is, (you guessed it?) FIRST PERSON PRESENT TENSE. Oh, spare me! Anyway… I picked up a different book and am SO happy that it is NOT a realistic fiction and it is NOT in present tense — it IS first person — but the character is not very young and is unique and well educated — the simple fact that the book has a richness in language makes me happy! Will report later when I’m done with it!

I got mad in the middle of book 79! I never read book flap copies so often I go into reading without knowing what the story is really about and most of the time, I revel in the discovery process: “Ah, didn’t realize that this was going to be a story about a thief and her mentor!” OR “Totally cool that this book is actually a SciFi disguised as a vampire story!” (made-up scenarios here) BUT — I thought book 79 is about one thing, judged from the tone, the events, the “problems” presented in the first 1/3 or more of the book, when it suddenly shifted to about something completely different: darker and sadder (a LOT sadder) than I had anticipated. This displeasure followed me through the reading, although I think the author handles the emotions of all the characters very well and realistically, and I also appreciate that the “originally thought” big issue turned out to be a side-issue but still got dealt with fully. For a really sad book, I felt emotionally detached and never truly empathized with any of the characters. I tried to figure out why… and I think perhaps it is because I felt that the “story” is too much of a character study where the reader is “told” (too clearly and definitively) by a fairly young first person narrator why and how everyone feels and reacts to events so there’s little room for me to witness the characters’ actions and draw conclusions. This passivity makes me less involved with the book. (I am also just thirsty for better, tighter, more sparkling prose that often authors cannot use in first person young narrators.)

Book 78 has a wonderful first person narrator who is spunky and vulnerable and is convincing in both counts. The turns of events are tense with high drama (sometimes too high, perhaps?) and the resolution is a realistic and fair one: definitely not a “fairy tale happy ending.” I appreciate this very much — and yet, I also feel that the author’s setting up of this possible ending and the delay in reveal of a crucial piece of information is somewhat contrived and not as credible.

It’s probably not the most ideal situation to read two books similar in tone and presentation: 1st Person Present Tense, again… BOTH! back to back. I have to really pull back and think individually about the pluses and minuses of each book and try not to view the second one unfairly simply because it’s so similar to the previous one — although they don’t have the exact same themes or same characters. There are actually at least three books this year that I group in my mind as The Trio: all with realistic kids and situations; all of them feature the same gender kids; all are somewhat tear-jerkers; and all of them use first person, present tense; all are presented for the same age group readers. Each one is well told in its own way. Now, I have to decide which stands out more for me: and which speaks best to its intended audience, with the added value of tighter and better handled prose/dialog/arc.

The slim novel based on the author’s family history told in a special format came through as another solid, but not outstanding offer. I applaud the author’s dexterity in composition and can see some young readers interested in ethnic personal histories reflected in fiction find book 77 a satisfying read, but it definitely won’t have wide appeal. (Not that wide appeal matters when I evaluate this for Newbery.)

There are quite a bit of interesting pieces in book 76 that keep me engaged but also many not-so-great elements that make me think, “Is this one ‘distinguished’?” My answer would be: nope — it’s “nice” and I can see a younger reader who has not had a lot of experience with fantasy stories might find it quite intriguing. However, compared to complex and fully realized fantasy worlds found in some other books, this one is a bit light weight. My biggest issue with it is how conveniently the magical solutions are presented and reached at each turn. The author sets up an obstacle and offers a way for the protagonist to magically (and quite easily) jump over the hurdle without really laying the ground work for these solutions to work organically. And I even found myself missing rich language in the prose. (I’m usually not one to place significant weight on metaphorical or descriptive language in books but when you start comparing books for their literary values, every facet needs to be at least solid, if not outstanding. The prose is just too plain for me here.)