The Miting by Dee Yoder

Genre:  Young Adult, Adult Amish Fiction

Source:  I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I am familiar with a lot of Amish fiction.  You know the kind, all romance and sometimes mystery. There is almost always a happy ending.  I am also familiar with books that talk about people leaving the Amish lifestyle for various reasons.  My former daughter-in-laws grandmother was Amish until she was shunned.  Living in Sarasota, Florida I see everything from Mennonite to all levels of Amish.  Knowing all of this made this novel seem so dark.  Unfortunately from people I know, I understand that there are Old Order Amish that go through situations like this all the time.

A lot of young Amish kids go through a Rumspringa, where they try out the Englisher world. This is done before they decide whether they want to join the church or not.  Leah wasn’t that type of kid.  At age 17 she loved God so much she wanted to know more about him.  In her order she was only allowed to read the German Bible, which she had difficulty understanding.  She also didn’t understand why her order had certain rules that were extremely strict compared to other orders.  She learned very quickly that you didn’t voice those questions aloud.  She also learned that you didn’t read an English Bible and you didn’t question what more God had for you.  To do so in her order was considered being disobedient to her family and her bishop.  The consequence of this was to be counseled. Unfortunately this wasn’t the type of counseling we might go through. The counselor could put her in a hospital and treat her with drugs and other things against her wishes.  It didn’t matter if she was 18 or older.  They would take it so far as to keep her prisoner until the counselor would arrive.  Anyone trying to rescue her would be kept away.  In Leah’s case her boyfriend Jacob stood by her side.  Other members of the order stood guard in the barn and around the property to make sure there was no rescue attempt.

I could identify with Leah.  Their belief system reminded me of a time in Catholic history when Bibles were chained to the pulpit and people were kept illiterate so they couldn’t read the Bible for themselves. They could only believe what they were told.  When my mom became a Christian I was five years old.  She had no one to guide her in her walk so she decided to err on the side of right.  She got rid of all board games because they contained dice and since people used to shoot craps with dice then games with dice might be a sin.  Dancing became a sin.  The worst spanking I ever received was because my cousin and I were pretending to be ballerinas. Most TV shows were a sin.  I had to wear dresses most of the time because to wear pants to church was a sin.  You see where I am going with this.  Sometimes rules and regulations can become more important than God’s word. I applauded Leah for wanting to have a personal relationship with God.  This is a book I would recommend to everyone whether they like Amish fiction or not.

Happy New Year and First Review of the New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Iggy Loomis: A Hagfish Called Shirley by Jennifer Allison
Genre: Elementary, Science Fiction
Source: I received a copy  to facilitate my review. The opinons expressed here are my own.

This is the second book in the new Iggy Loomis series by Jennifer Allison.  Iggy and his brother Daniel live next door to a family of aliens.  Allistair is Daniel's new best friend.  Unfortunately something happened while Daniel and his brother were visiting Allistair and now when Iggy gets upset or super excited, he turns into a bug or his buggy parts start to appear.  They have been able to control it most of the time.  Iggy is super excited because Allistair has a cool pet.  They go to see it and find out it is a hagfish.  This is not what most humans would have as a pet.  Unfortunately things in their life start to go really bad when Iggy drops Shirley the hagfish into the toilet and flushes it.  This is a fun book to read.  You keep wondering how they are going to get out of each situation without getting caught.  You keep wondering what Iggy is going to turn into next.  I would strongly suggest that you take this fun ride with Iggy and the gang and read this series now.  Start you new year off right with a great book.

The Locket by Suzanne Lieurance

Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Source: Purchased

If you are looking for a historical fiction that will knock your socks off then this is the book.  This story is a familiar one to many of us. It is the story of lives lost in one of the worst fires in New York City.  Galena and Anya are two Jewish sisters who have immigrated from Russia with their parents.  Anya works on the 10th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Galena is only 14 and works on the eighth floor. Her job is to snip loose threads from the garments. She works six days a week.  Her sister's boyfriend Dimitri is trying to get Anya to join the union.  Their mother is against it. Dimitri wants them to be safe and he knows that working for the union is the only way that can be guaranteed. In March of 1911 a fire broke out in the factory.  Anya runs upstairs to find her sister.  What she witnesses that day is such a horror.  When talking to my students about it they will be able to make connections between this book and the Towers that were hit on 9/11.  It is a book that is hard to put down.  It is a story that must be heard again and again.  It is one I will definitely read to my students.

The (Almost) Perfect Guide to Imperfect Boys by Barbara Dee

Genre:  Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I really loved this book.  Finley and Maya are best friends and eighth graders. They have been studying boys all year.  They have even kept a notebook of their observations. They call it The Amphibian Life Cycle. They have basically divided boys into three categories. The first categories is called Tadpoles.  These are the immature boys who still do and say dumb things that seem so elementary.  The next category is called Croakers.  These are the boys whose voices are beginning to change as are they.  They are no longer tadpoles but aren't up to the final category yet. The third and final category is called Frogs. This is when boys begin to talk intelligently to girls and see like they are more mature and prepared for high school.  As in all schools you have the mean kids, in this case the "mean girls". What happens when the mean girls get hold of the notebook and share it with everyone?  Disaster.  

I've thought about this book a lot. When we return to school I want to introduce the book to my classes.  To be fair I want to read just a little bit of it.  Then I want to to have my students write a very short essay on how they see the opposite sex and if they believe the girls were justified.  I loved the way the last few chapters went. It proves that in middle school the boys and girls are both trying to figure each other out. They are both confused.  I believe this book will give my students and middle school age kids everywhere a look at how similar they all are and may make them think about ways to handle situations like this.

Want to learn more about the author then click here.

Sunday's Hodge Podge of Reading

When I Grow Up I Want To Be a Veterinarian by Wigu

Genre: Children, Nonfiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is the second book from this series I have read.  I have to say that I love the story and the way they mingle non-fiction information to support the story. In this story, Sofia wants a pet.  The answer is always the same NO. Her mom loves animals, but doesn’t believe that Sofia is ready for a pet. There is so much she needs to learn first.  Then one raining night Sofia thinks she sees a cat.  The next day she sets a bowl of leftover food outside and the cat comes back. Her mother isn’t pleased because she knows once you feed a cat it will return.  This cat doesn’t look very healthy.  The father convinces mom to take the cat to their friend the veterinarian.  While there, Sofia learns all about what a veterinarian does and the different types of animal doctors.  The question is, will mom let her keep the cat?  Like I said, there is a lot of great information in here, it is plugged in as part of the story line.  I love these books. 

The Lucky Seven Show by Mary Jo Wisneski Johnston

Genre: Children, Picture Book

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The 

opinions expressed here are my own.

This was a cute book that shows what can happen when chaos erupts and everyone wants their own way. It also shows what happens when there is collaboration,and the importance of compromise. I like the way the language was not dumbed down for kids. When I read a book to my grand kids I want them to ask me about unfamiliar words. That is how we increase their vocabulary.
I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Maus Series 1 & 2  by Art Spiegelman
Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Graphic Novel

Maus I - A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
I have had my eye on this book for quite some time.  I didn't want to purchase it for my shelves until I had read and reviewed it.  I teach sixth graders and this kind of material must be handled properly. I called our school librarian and asked if I could check out the book. She informed me they were used for our 8th grade curriculum and students couldn't check them out.  I informed her they were for me.  She checked both books out to me. My goal was to read something I'd wanted to read for a long time over winter break and to satisfy the graphic novel requirement for my classroom reading challenge.  I always participate in them.  I just usually double the number required for myself. I was intrigued as to why the author used mice and cats to represent the Jews and Nazi's. Then I learned he used dogs to represent the GIs and the Polish people were represented by pigs.  The mice, dogs and pigs where the way the Nazis referred to these people.  For a great video where the author speaks about his writing of this series I offer you the following web address:

http://www.pbs.org/pov/inheritance/photo_gallery_special_maus.php#.VKFg714AKA

The first book is the telling of Art's visits with his father trying to get his story about the Holocaust.  What is unique about this book is that we have two story lines going.  First you have the actual story told through memories of his father's life up until they were taken away.  The second story is the author's story as he interviews his father. He deals with awful events such as the suicide of his mother.  This is a brutally honest look at one of the most horrific events in history and how it affected so many.



Maus II - A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began


This second book is the story of his dad's survival as he is a prisoner of the Nazis.  It is also the story of survival for the author.  No one who has lived through a tragedy goes through it alone.  Think of 9/11. Those family members and especially the children of survivors of that day are forever affected by the way they lived life with those survivors after the event.  This is the case with Art Spiegelman.  We see how affected he was and how difficult life was for him. This is not an easy book to read. I know many of our students will pick it up and think only of it as a graphic novel.  However, I can guarantee you that as they read it, the last thing they will think about is the format.  I am glad our school is using this book for part of its Holocaust unit. I applaud them and recommend this series to Young adults and adult alike.

The Dharian Affairs by Susan Kaye Quinn

I don't normally review three books in a series all at once. That is because I usually take quite a bit of time to read and review them.  However, I am participating in a reading challenge I created for my students while they are out of school for winter break.  I let them set the minimum number of books I should read. They chose 20 based on my reading ability and the average number of books most of them chose. So with plenty of reading time due to the fact I told my family I was participating in a reading challenge so they would leave me alone, I've had plenty of time to read multiple books each day.   These were read Friday the 26th.

Genre:   Young Adult, New Adult, Adult, Science Fiction, Steampunk

Source: I received copies to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Third Daughter

From Goodreads:

The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she'll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince's proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince's proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.

My Thoughts:

The author has done an excellent job of fleshing out her characters and creating a world that is both detailed and intriguing.  I have to say that I’ve not been a big fan of steampunk in the past.  Why did I try this knowing it was a steampunk novel?  I have read and thoroughly enjoyed the other books by this author. This steampunk was different in that we have Indian characters. The third daughter is Aniri, who is unlike her other sisters. Nahali, the first sister, is expected to be queen one day. The second daughter Seledri married a Samirian to form an alliance. Aniri has few responsibilities or expectations as the third daughter.  She has plans to marry Devesh a fencing instructor, who is also of Samirian birth. Things don’t always go as planned.  Prince Malik, called “Ash” of Jungali has trouble in his country.  He needs to form an alliance with Dharia.  There is only one way to do that, marry Aniri.  Her mother approves of this with the understanding that it is a marriage for the sake of  alliance and she is to spy for their country.  No one planned on Aniri falling in love with Ash.

Second Daughter

From Goodreads:

With plans for a second skyship exposed, Third Daughter Aniri fears her sister, Seledri, will be caught in a war between the three Queendoms. Seledri is the Second Daughter of Dharia, which means she had no choice in her arranged marriage to the First Son of Samir—a country with whom they may soon be at war. As Aniri fights to free her sister from a husband and a country she does not love, she questions her own rushed betrothal to Prince Malik, the noble barbarian who controls the skyship—and whether a love pledged in the heat of adventure can survive the looming threat of war.

My Thoughts:

This book begins where the last one ended. In this second book, the eveing before Aniri’s wedding to Ash she learns her sister Seledri is in trouble.  Someone has made an assassination attempt.  Aniri leaves to “rescue” her sister because there are rumors that her sister’s new country is planning war against Dharia.

First Daughter

From Goodreads:

With the war begun, Aniri, Third Daughter of the Queen, has to battle not only a prince with a deadly skyship, but her own sister, the First Daughter, who finally sees her chance to become Queen. With their mother gravely ill and the Second Daughter kidnapped along with Aniri's husband-to-be, Aniri embarks on a desperate mission to save the people she loves from a war that will tear all three countries apart.

My Thoughts:

We have a great conclusion to this wonderful trilogy.  Aniri’s mother is injured so her sister Nahali must take the reigns of the  country until her mother has healed.  This is a complication.  She has always been jealouse of Aniri and therefore sees no reason to rush to rescue Aniri’s love. Ash, Selendri, and her husband Pavan have been kidnapped by none other than Pavan’s brother Nathesh.  Aniri’s sister Nahali readies her country for battle while Aniri takes a more direct approach.  First she must sneak into Samir and try to start a rebellion against Natesh. She gets help from her former lover Davesh who is a Samirian, as well as others we are introduced to.  The author has thrown some unexpected and unforeseen twists and turns into this third novel.  Throughout the entire novel a them of love of country and family was woven.  She has created strong women who do not fit the stereotypical  damsels  in distress.  This definitely has the ability to change my mind on steampunk.

My Life in a Nutshell by Tanya J. Peterson

Genre:  Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:

My Life in a Nutshell: A Novel is the story of one man's struggles with debilitating anxiety. Brian Cunningham has isolated himself to such a degree that his human contact is barely more than an hour a day. While lonely, he feels powerless to change his life. Unexpectedly, his safe little world is invaded by one Abigail Harris, a seven-year-old girl who, for the last five years, has bounced from foster home to foster home. She has come to live with an aunt and uncle she has never known. Unsure if she can trust her new environment, she turns to Brian. Neither one quite knows how to live in the world. Can they possibly help each other?

My Thoughts:

Love and kindness are two powerful tools when it comes to helping someone or overcoming issues of your own. The author has used those tools to show us two people struggling yet reaching out to each other. Brian has several issues that make it almost impossible for him to interact with people. Then he meets Abigail who has been in foster home after foster home.  Now she lives with an aunt and uncle and must learn to trust and accept their love for her. She and Brian meet and click and through their interactions they each begin to find peace and healing. This story is told from Brian’s perspective. We watch him as he seeks help through a therapist and takes each painful step.  There is so much here that I am sure every reader will find themselves relating to Brian.  For those of us who have had to seek help for issues similar to this it is both healing and painful to read. I will definitely read more books by this author.

While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell

Genre: Adult, New Adult, Young Adult, Traditional

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I love fairy tales. I love them eve more when someone has taken a fairy tale and put such a spin on it that it stays with you for days.  “While Beauty Slept” is one of those fairy tales.  This is the Sleeping Beauty story with major changes.  I have to say that out of all of the fairy tales I grew up with, Sleeping Beauty was one of my least favorites, until now.

The main character Elise has lived a hard life up to the age of 14.  It is after someone in the market calls her a name, that her mother tells her the truth about her father that helps her understand why her father treats her the way he does.  Her mother has always expected so much from her because she wants her to go far in life.  Her mother had worked as a seamstress in the castle until something happened.  Elise is determined to work at the castle.  After the death of her mother and several of her brothers from illness she leaves home and heads to her aunt’s house.  There she stays for a couple of weeks being groomed for work in the castle.  This is just the beginning of her new life.  She moves quickly up the ranks becoming the personal maid to the queen.  Don’t think this is one of those feel good Disney type books because it is not.  This one is full of love and love lost, betrayal in all forms. There are the friendships formed and lost, and so much grief.  The emotions throughout this book bring you right into the world.  I could visualize all of it.  It isn’t often that I am that involved in the story.  I was hooked from the moment Elise catches her granddaughter Raimy in her trunk.  With everyone else asleep she pulls her on her lap and says to her, “I will tell you a tale….”

If you are someone who loves fairy tales and fairy tale retellings then I would say this is a must read.  It would definitely be for the older Young Adult reader, New Adult Reader or Adult.  I look forward to reading much more by this author.

Student Saturday: Gone by Michael Grant

I try to change up my reviewers.  However, I have some very prolific readers this year. They are the ones reading so much and so fast, then turning in several reviews at one time.  So for the next several weeks you will be seeing reviews by this student.

Student Reviewer: Elizabeth B.

Genre:  Young Adult, Science Fiction 

I really enjoyed Gone by Michael Grant. There was a kid named Sam Temple. In the book he was the kind of person who would jump into a burning building to save a little kid or help drive the bus when the bus driver had a heart attack. At his high school, on a regular day, all of a sudden everybody over the age of 14 started disappearing. The kids, all ages, had to fend for themselves. There were eventually traitors and bad guys, and a war between kids was unfolding.  All the kids took matters into their own hands, with no adults. Some kids wanted to be in control, some did not. I really liked this book because even with a huge headache, I still had an urge to keep reading. I could relate to this book because at one point in my life, I was actually thinking the same thing. What if there were no parents, no adults? Oh yeah, and to make matters worse, some of the kids magically have powers. Would you love to live there?

King Burue Changes the Rules by Natalija Bajlo

Genre:  Children, Picture Book, Traditional

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

The author of the book is an eight year old who has written a wonderful fable.  Goose King Burue is a kind and fair king who always follows the rules.  One day while flying around he met a Japanese Parrot named Kimiko.  He fell in love and asked her to marry him.  Then he realized he had broken one of the rules. The rule stated that only a goose could marry a goose.  He didn’t know what to do. He tried to disguise her to look like a goose, but that did not work.  He flew off to think and find the answer.  He met and talked with many friends.  He met eagle and his companion pelican, then he met bunny and porcupine, finally he met frog and chameleon.  They had all broken the rule.  They understood how important all the rules were except the last one.  The King flew to his grandfather to ask him and met his companion a flamingo.  He learned he could change the rules and that, “kindness, honesty and happiness are not found in the color of someone’s fur or feathers.  I love the lessons taught in this story. This is a simple way of teaching children that you should like someone and treat them kindly based on what is in their heart.  I would gladly read more books by this author.

About the Author

Natalija Bajlo, eight-year-old author of King Burue Changes the Rules, is an extraordinary young lady who is very observant of the world around her. It is with an open heart that she adamantly delivers her message based on how she was taught to treat others. When Natalija is faced with issues at school where kids seem to act quickly to ridicule others, she does the opposite and speaks out on behalf of the one being challenged. The true beauty in her refusal to see the differences in people lends itself to seeing more of the uniqueness in them instead.

About the Illustrator

Illustrator Amene Beheshti, is quite a unique and talented young lady. Born in the Persian province of Qom in 1986, Amene was in love with colors and colorful pencils ever since she created her first drawing. She received her degree in painting from Iran’s Isfahan Art University in September, 2013. Now, Amene works as an illustrator and shows her feelings via her illustrations. When she had the opportunity to read Natalija’s book, Amene felt an instant connection to the meaning of the story that served as inspiration for her delightful drawings of the characters and the world in which they live. Children will be enthralled with the messages in her illustrations and how playful they are with such a creative twist. Amene has many great visual stories to tell through her art. We anticipate seeing much more of her in the near future and look forward to more collaborations.