It's January 4, 1935, and 12-year-old Moose Flanagan's the newest inmate at Alcatraz Island. At least that's how it feels. Leaving friends and baseball behind in Santa Monica to come to a "twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water" (3) isn't exactly his idea of a life. But, Moose is one of those kids who follows the rules, dutifully doing whatever he's told. He's also a boy who loves his sister, however odd she may be. He knows the move to Alcatraz will allow Natalie a chance to attend a special school for kids like her, while giving his father a steady job to help pay the pricey tuition. So, here he is. Okay, he's grumbling a little bit - after all, his dad's working all the time, his mother's stressed out caring for Natalie, and there's no one on the island with whom to play ball.

It's not as if there's no one else on the island. After all, the prison's home to a mess of the worst criminals alive, including the infamous Al Capone. Even the worst of the worst need cooks, doctors, guards and so on and those workers have families - all of whom live on Alcatraz. There are plenty of kids, too - 25 counting Moose and Natalie - so it's not like there's nothing to do. Still, hanging out with a pesky 7-year-old and her sports-challenged brother hardly counts as great times. And then there's the warden's daughter. Snooty Piper's as conniving as the criminals her father oversees. When she gets an idea, Moose soon learns, it's best to just watch out. Of course, when she taunts him for being a chicken, he has to prove that he's not, which is how he winds up searching for convict baseballs, spying on the inmates, and running a laundering scam. All with his weird sister trailing after him. Not that she notices anything amiss - Natalie's too busy counting her buttons, obsessively arranging and re-arranging them, solving complex math problems in her head, and sometimes, zoning out completely.

When Moose accidentally puts his sister in harm's way, he realizes just how dangerous Alcatraz is for someone like Natalie. She needs help, the kind of help only professionals can give her. But she's a teenager (despite his mother's insistence that she's ten) with a severe disability - most would dismiss her as a lost cause. Moose knows he has to help her, even if it means enlisting Piper's help, even if it means angering the warden, even if it means breaking the rules. Moose doesn't want trouble, but c'mon, he lives on Alcatraz - it's not as if trouble's hard to come by.

Although Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko brings Alcatraz to vibrant life, the book's not really about the island. It's mostly a story of a boy and his sister. It's the story of a brother forced to deal with conflicting feelings of shame, resentment, guilt, but also love and devotion. It's also a funny, very readable tale of adventure. Lots of historical detail makes it crackle with authenticity and life. It's unique, engaging, heartbreaking, brilliant. I loved it. The sequel will be out in September - guess who'll be first in line to buy it?

Grade: A

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for mild language and one disturbing situation

Boy howdy, does Robyn Carr's newest novel ever start with a bang. It's a literal bang - a bomb explodes in far-off Iraq, the effects of which reverberate all the way to little Virgin River, California. When hometown hero Rick Sudder returns from war with a prosthetic leg and a barely-concealed rage, his friends and family hardly no how to handle him. The carefree boy they once knew is long gone. In his place stands a man haunted by war, destroyed by grief, and boiling with anger. A man who pushes away anyone who tries to get close to him. Neither Jack, who loves Rick like a son, nor Liz, who's stood by him through thick and thin, can get through to him. Will the Rick they know and love ever re-surface? Or has he left his true self in Iraq along with his leg?

Paradise Valley, the seventh novel in Carr's Virgin River series, focuses mostly on Rick. But, he's not the only resident carrying a load of trouble. There's Cameron Michaels, the local pediatrician, who's desperate to be a part of Abby's life. After all, she is carrying his children. If only she weren't still reeling from her ex-husband's betrayal. With no reason to trust, can Abby ever let the gentle Cam into her life? Walt Booth isn't faring so well in the romance department either. Muriel's jetsetting off to Montana to film a new movie. Is Walt an idiot for thinking a Hollywood starlet (even an aging one) would ever trade the glitz of Hollywood for the country? Is he fooling himself that she could love a dusty old general when she's hobnobbing with the likes of Jack Nicholson? Most intringuing is the appearance of one of Carr's most mysterious characters - old Shady Brady. Just what in the world is he doing in town? And why is he so interested in the likes of one Rick Sudder? The good folk of Virgin River have dealt with their share of drama - How will things play out this time?

Rick's struggle adds new intensity to the V.R. story, threatening the HEA (Happily Ever After) that has become Carr's trademark. One thing, however, remains the same: her setting and characters exude such charm that it's impossible not to care about them. Okay, okay, the women not so much (with the exception of Mel and Muriel, the V.R. girls are all kind of interchangeable), but the men ... boy howdy! Mel describes them best:

Where do you find men like these? Men who will do absolutely whatever it takes to help people, no matter what? She'd chosen this profession; she'd chosen to be up to her shoulders in whatever medical problem or mess came her way. She'd been bled on, crapped on, peed on, puked on and it never discouraged her from providing whatever was needed medically. But Jack was just Jack. Preacher, a cook! They weren't nurses, doctors or medics, and yet she couldn't count the times they jumped in and helped, even if it left them covered with blood or amniotic fluid or -- this time -- the wet accident of a woman he barely knew who was in a traumatic, life-threatening situation.

They were made of gold. (140)

As much as I adore the steady, predictable men of V.R., I have to say that I'm delighted by Shady Brady's appearance in Paradise Valley. He adds an element of mystery, shaking up a storyline that could have otherwise fizzled with predictability. Instead, he stars in one of the funniest, most surprising scenes I've ever encountered in a Carr book. He may have a dangerous edge, but ole Shady Brady might just be one of my favorite characters yet.

The amputee angle, coupled with Shady Brady's surprise appearance, makes Paradise Valley an intense, exciting new chapter in the V.R. story. It's charming, it's engrossing, it's everything I love about this series - and more. Keep 'em coming, Robyn, 'cause this series just keeps getting better and better.

Grade: A

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language and sexual content

So, I had a great plan for today. I was going to get up early, spend some time cleaning up the sidebars here on BBB, then take care of all life's minor details - ya know, like housekeeping and child care. Thanks to staying up too late, a horrifying nightmare, and just plain ole exhaustion, I got a bit of a late start. Then, just as I was working on my list of "Book Bloggin' Buddies," I heard a zap and my computer died. I've been having some trouble with its power supply. Today, I guess it just gave up the ghost. Irritating. Because the hubs is a wee bit tech-obsessed, I'm not without a computer. I'm just without MY computer, which means I can't access my feeds, which means I'm not going to be able to finish my list today. I'm not even close, so don't panic if your blog isn't on there yet. If I know about it, I'll stick it on my sidebar. Since I check blogs through my feedreader, I don't know most of your URLs off the top of my head. Hopefully, I can take care of my technical difficulties and get back to sprucing up the blog. If you really want to help me out, you can leave a link to your blog in the comments. Thanks!

My computer problems are probably fortuituous, because those "minor details" definitely need some attention. Unplugging for awhile (hopefully just for the rest of the day) should greatly increase my productivity. Anyway, this is a random post, but I just wanted to make sure you all know how much I love your blogs. Eventually, you will see a nice, long list of updated links on my sidebar, as well as some other additions. Just try to contain your enthusiasm, now.