Almost Home

Almost Home 
by Joan Bauer

When twelve-year-old Sugar's grandfather dies and her gambling father takes off yet again, Sugar and her mother lose their home in Missouri. They head to Chicago for a fresh start, only to discover that fresh starts aren't so easy to come by for the homeless. Nevertheless, Sugar's mother has taught her to be grateful no matter what, so Sugar does her best. With the help of a rescue dog, Shush; a foster family; a supportive teacher; a love of poetry; and her own grace and good humor, Sugar comes to understand that while she can't control the hand life deals her, she can control how she responds. (Description from Amazon.com) 

This was a sweet, heart-string plucking book. It reminded me a lot of One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.  Sugar is a girl who strives to be sweet...to take on the world with a positive attitude. Even after she gets stuck in foster care and she doesn't quite trust her new situation, she vows to be kind.  What a fabulous and strong character!  A girl who is forced to take on a grown-up role too young, Sugar's street smarts, compassion, and independent character carry this story through to a satisfying conclusion. 

I very much enjoyed as well, how almost all of the adults in the book were portrayed as being fleshed out, multi-faceted characters. Yes, there were those that skewed towards being inherently good and those that were too flawed to be redeemable, but they each had their moments that made them feel like real people.  It was refreshing and made the book a much richer reading experience.    

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library 

Because It Is My Blood

Because It Is My Blood
by Gabrielle Zevin
Birthright series, book two

Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship.But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It’s a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before. (Description from Amazon.com) 

Another fabulously enjoyable vacation read.  I loved diving back into Anya's version of our future.  (I still can't quite wrap my head around chocolate and COFFEE being illegal, LOL!) 

Since this is the second book in the series, I don't want to give too much away... but I will say that what I really enjoyed the most about this book was seeing Anya really define herself and the place she wanted to be in her world.  She goes on a sort of emotional journey along with her physical one and I definitely found myself cheering her on as she made some BIG decisions about how she wanted to present herself and what role she wanted to play in chocolate's future.  

The book took some surprising turns, and I loved it.  I cannot wait to see how things go In the Age of Love and Chocolate, which comes out this October... 

Full disclosure: Book purchased on my Nook 

Drama

Drama

by Raina Telgemeier

 

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she's a terrible singer. Instead she's the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen, and when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier! (description from Amazon.com)

 

I have to admit, I'm not a huge graphic novel reader and that's partly because I have a little bit of trouble following the panels in the manga style ones.  I do, however, occasionally find some graphic novels that I truly adore and both of Raina Telgemeier's fall into this category.

 

I love the colors, the drawing styles and they are easy to follow!  While her first one, Smile, was somewhat autobiographical, Drama is just a cool middle school story.  Callie loves theater and wants to become a set designer someday for Broadway.  Seeing her passion made me think back about all the plays and musicals I've seen and how important the stage set can actually be...

 

I also loved seeing her embrace her passion and not be ashamed at all of being into a "dorky" club.  It was great to see all the drama "geeks." I was once a drama geek so I loved that connection! Callie's friends each had their own passion and none of them hesitated to do the very best they could in their own facet of the show. 

 

The friendships and crushes seemed very realistic and reminiscent of how I remember feeling about people and interacting with them in my own middle school years.  I also loved that Telgemeier addressed homosexuality in a very easy manner, making it not the focus of the story, but just a natural part of Callie's day to day experience. 

 

I really thought this was a great read that left me smiling. I would love to read more about Callie and her friends.  

 



Full disclosure: Borrowed from my library

Camo Girl

Camo Girl

by Kekla Magoon

 

Ella and Z have been friends forever, both of them middle-school outsiders in their Las Vegas suburb. Ella is the only black girl in her grade and gets teased for the mottled colors of her face. (Her deceased father was white.) Z is the classic “weird kid” who maintains an elaborate—and public—fantasy life, starring himself as a brave knight. Though Z is content with his imagined world, Ella wishes for a larger group of friends, so she’s thrilled when Bailey, another black kid, arrives at their school. He’s popular and wants to befriend Ella—but to join the cool crowd, Ella would have to ditch Z. Does she stay loyal to the boy who has been her best and only friend for years, or jump at the chance to realize her dream of popularity? (description from Amazon.com)

Though somewhat formulaic and with a few one-dimensional characters, this was a quick middle grade read that easily addresses a very important topic.  Ella has trouble accepting her racial identity because it literally is written all over her face and is commented on every day.  She is biracial and has mottled skin, allowing some bullies at school to tease her mercilessly.  It is not until another black student, one who becomes very, very popular, comes to her school and stands up for her, that her classmates see how hurtful they were being, thus allowing Ella to begin to find self-acceptance.

This book was easy to read and enjoyable.  It directly addresses a problem that many kids face today, self acceptance and discrimination.  There is definitely an audience out there for this book.

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my library

Hunger

Hunger
by Jackie Morse Kessler

Full disclosure: ARC received at BEA 2010 from Publisher
Publication date: October 18, 2010

"Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world."

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons? (description taken from Amazon.com)

Lisabeth, or Lisa, battles herself every day. She hears the Thin Voice that tells her she will never be thin enough, never pretty enough. Lisa is anorexic. She has become so sick that she might die...unless she becomes Famine instead.

When Lisa accepts she never imagines what she will be required to face as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. She never expected to meet Death (pretty cool), Pestilence (nicer than she would have thought, but icky) and War (a total B-word that wants to kill her). She never thought she would learn to master her own actions...

I don't want to spoil this for anyone so I won't give away any more of the plot. This was an excellent book. It does deal with an eating disorder, which always grosses me out and I generally avoid books like this, but it's only part of the focus of the book so the icky parts are fairly minimal. It's handled VERY well.

The idea of a teen girl becoming one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse...awesome!! The plot works out really well and Lisa is an emotionally complex character that I wanted to shake and hug at the same time.

Keep an eye out for this one!