Ella Enchanted
By Gail Carson Levine
I liked this twist on a classic Cinderella story! A spunky, strong main character, Ella, finds herself trying to undo the curse of obedience placed on her when she was born...in the process, she meets Prince Charmont, who luckily appreciates her for her independent, smart nature. A refreshing version of a princess/prince romance.
Welcome to this collection of thoughts and opinions about books and other reading material for tweens and teens.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Ella Enchanted
Labels:
Adventure,
Fairy tale,
Fantasy,
Romance,
Strong Girls
Edward Tulane
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
By Kate DiCamillo
Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Oh, oh! This sweet/sad fairy tale of sorts really just pretty much broke my heart. Edward Tulane, a china rabbit, begins life in a fancy house, with expensive silk clothes, and a little girl who loves him more than anything. But he doesn't realize how lucky he is, or what it means to love someone back.
Edward ends up, by chance, going through a series of wild adventures with various characters--some kinder than others--and he discovers what it is like to feel the beauty and pain of love.
And such gorgeous pictures in this book! Enjoy!
By Kate DiCamillo
Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Oh, oh! This sweet/sad fairy tale of sorts really just pretty much broke my heart. Edward Tulane, a china rabbit, begins life in a fancy house, with expensive silk clothes, and a little girl who loves him more than anything. But he doesn't realize how lucky he is, or what it means to love someone back.
Edward ends up, by chance, going through a series of wild adventures with various characters--some kinder than others--and he discovers what it is like to feel the beauty and pain of love.
And such gorgeous pictures in this book! Enjoy!
Labels:
Adventure,
Animals,
Fairy tale,
Fantasy,
May Need Kleenex,
Picture books
Zebrafish
Zebrafish
By Sharon Emerson
Illustrated by Renee Kurilla
LOVE this graphic novel! Excellent characters!
Summary by Book Aunt:
Now, just because a book supports a good cause doesn't mean it's a good book, but this one has definite appeal. The premise is a kick, for example—Vita Escolar tries to start a rock band, but she keeps getting volunteer bandmates who don't actually play instruments. She tries another round of sign-ups, but the same people show up. That's when Vita starts to go with the flow, coming to appreciate her odd little team of air guitarist Plinko, cool techie Jay, quiet artist Walt, and Walt's environmental activist sister Tanya. Rounding out the cast is Vita's older brother, Pablo, who appears to be raising her for some reason.
We gradually learn that Tanya is in treatment for leukemia, a fact that she hides from the kids at school. But Vita is over at the hospital a lot because recent college grad Pablo works in a lab there, and she runs into Tanya and finds out the truth. It turns out that Vita's mother died of cancer. And Pablo's research department needs money to help them with their cancer experiments on zebrafish, the fish which inspires the name of Vita's sort-of band...
More at: http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-of-zebrafish-by-peter-h-reynolds.html
By Sharon Emerson
Illustrated by Renee Kurilla
LOVE this graphic novel! Excellent characters!
Summary by Book Aunt:
Now, just because a book supports a good cause doesn't mean it's a good book, but this one has definite appeal. The premise is a kick, for example—Vita Escolar tries to start a rock band, but she keeps getting volunteer bandmates who don't actually play instruments. She tries another round of sign-ups, but the same people show up. That's when Vita starts to go with the flow, coming to appreciate her odd little team of air guitarist Plinko, cool techie Jay, quiet artist Walt, and Walt's environmental activist sister Tanya. Rounding out the cast is Vita's older brother, Pablo, who appears to be raising her for some reason.
We gradually learn that Tanya is in treatment for leukemia, a fact that she hides from the kids at school. But Vita is over at the hospital a lot because recent college grad Pablo works in a lab there, and she runs into Tanya and finds out the truth. It turns out that Vita's mother died of cancer. And Pablo's research department needs money to help them with their cancer experiments on zebrafish, the fish which inspires the name of Vita's sort-of band...
More at: http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-of-zebrafish-by-peter-h-reynolds.html
The Wednesday Wars
The Wednesday Wars
By Gary D. Schmidt
This book is really hilarious--even the main character's name made me laugh on the first page: Holling Hoodhood. His year in 7th grade in 1967 is filled with a combination of funny and serious incidents, like having to stay in with his teacher and read Shakespeare, find enough money to buy cream puffs for the class bully, wear embarassing yellow tights in a community play, and chase down escaped rats in his school.
There are also more serious parts of the story, like how Holling's father is only concerned with making money, his teacher's husband has been shot down in a helicopter in Vietnam during the war, and one of his classmates experiences racism by a teacher at school.
Holling manages to survive it all, and come out a wiser, stronger person.
By Gary D. Schmidt
This book is really hilarious--even the main character's name made me laugh on the first page: Holling Hoodhood. His year in 7th grade in 1967 is filled with a combination of funny and serious incidents, like having to stay in with his teacher and read Shakespeare, find enough money to buy cream puffs for the class bully, wear embarassing yellow tights in a community play, and chase down escaped rats in his school.
There are also more serious parts of the story, like how Holling's father is only concerned with making money, his teacher's husband has been shot down in a helicopter in Vietnam during the war, and one of his classmates experiences racism by a teacher at school.
Holling manages to survive it all, and come out a wiser, stronger person.
Labels:
Impressive Boys,
Laughable,
Realistic Fiction,
War
Criss Cross
Criss Cross
By Lynne Rae Perkins
A gentle, sweet story of a group of 14-year-old childhood friends, each trying to discover who they are and where they are going. Major crushes, identity issues, and realizations that they are leaving childhood behind consume Debbie and Hector, who narrate the book with humor and bitter-sweetness.
More than anything, Debbie wishes something good would happen to her...
And Hector just wants to learn to play the guitar.
By Lynne Rae Perkins
A gentle, sweet story of a group of 14-year-old childhood friends, each trying to discover who they are and where they are going. Major crushes, identity issues, and realizations that they are leaving childhood behind consume Debbie and Hector, who narrate the book with humor and bitter-sweetness.
More than anything, Debbie wishes something good would happen to her...
And Hector just wants to learn to play the guitar.
Ghostopolis
Ghostopolis
By Doug TenNapel
Ghostopolis is a spooky, wondrous adventure in the afterlife, where a boy named Garth Hale finds himself unintentionally zapped by a Supernatural Immigration Task Force agent. Grotesque and creepy creatures inhabit the pages of this very cool graphic novel, while Garth tries to find a way back home...
I heard this book will soon be a movie!
By Doug TenNapel
Ghostopolis is a spooky, wondrous adventure in the afterlife, where a boy named Garth Hale finds himself unintentionally zapped by a Supernatural Immigration Task Force agent. Grotesque and creepy creatures inhabit the pages of this very cool graphic novel, while Garth tries to find a way back home...
I heard this book will soon be a movie!
Labels:
Adventure,
Fantasy,
Graphic novel,
Impressive Boys,
Laughable,
Spooky
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Al Capone Does My Shirts
By Gennifer Choldenko
It's 1935 and Moose Flanagan (age 12) has just moved to...Alcatraz. His dad is the new electrician for the prison, and Moose and his family have to adjust to life on an island with folks like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Roy Gardner--all notorious criminals. Moose finds himself caught up in a money-making scheme with the warden's daughter (!), while he tries to care for his sister, who has severe autism.
Great story! Fun to read about Alcatraz, and what it would be like to live there...
There's a sequel, too, if you like this one: Al Capone Shines my Shoes.
By Gennifer Choldenko
It's 1935 and Moose Flanagan (age 12) has just moved to...Alcatraz. His dad is the new electrician for the prison, and Moose and his family have to adjust to life on an island with folks like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Roy Gardner--all notorious criminals. Moose finds himself caught up in a money-making scheme with the warden's daughter (!), while he tries to care for his sister, who has severe autism.
Great story! Fun to read about Alcatraz, and what it would be like to live there...
There's a sequel, too, if you like this one: Al Capone Shines my Shoes.
Labels:
Adventure,
Historical Fiction,
History,
Impressive Boys,
Laughable,
Realistic Fiction,
SF/California
Pirates!
Pitrates!
By Celia Rees
I loved this wild adventure story about two strong girls...
Summary from Read in a Single Sitting:
Nancy Kington, daughter of a rich merchant, suddenly orphaned when her father dies, is sent to live on her family’s plantation in Jamaica. Disgusted by the treatment of the slaves and her brother’s willingness to marry her off, she and one of the slaves, Minerva, run away and join a band of pirates. For both girls the pirate life is their only chance for freedom in a society where both are treated like property, rather than individuals. Together they go in search of adventure, love, and a new life that breaks all restrictions of gender, race, and position.
By Celia Rees
I loved this wild adventure story about two strong girls...
Summary from Read in a Single Sitting:
Nancy Kington, daughter of a rich merchant, suddenly orphaned when her father dies, is sent to live on her family’s plantation in Jamaica. Disgusted by the treatment of the slaves and her brother’s willingness to marry her off, she and one of the slaves, Minerva, run away and join a band of pirates. For both girls the pirate life is their only chance for freedom in a society where both are treated like property, rather than individuals. Together they go in search of adventure, love, and a new life that breaks all restrictions of gender, race, and position.
Labels:
Adventure,
African American,
Historical Fiction,
Pirates,
Realistic Fiction,
Romance,
Slavery,
Strong Girls
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