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Wednesday, November 27, 2013
If It Weren't For Those Weird, Awkward Scenes ...
9:59 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
With the threat of nuclear war hanging in the balmy air, the summer of 1962 feels unlike any other. Scott Porter spends the long, school-free days doing what he's always done—playing baseball with his friends, spying on girls, trying to stay out of trouble—but the 11-year-old goes home to alarming newspaper headlines and hissed, heated discussions between his parents. To the endless amusement of their less-paranoid neighbors, Scott's dad has built a bomb shelter for his family. If worse comes to worst, the Porters will have everything they need to survive underground for two weeks, the time it will take for the radiation-saturated air to clear. Scott hopes there will never be a need to use the shelter, but as global tension intensifies, he can't be quite sure there will be a tomorrow at all.
When the unthinkable happens, Scott finds himself crammed into the shelter, not just with his family but also with six of his disbelieving neighbors. The supplies Scott's father stocked can't last for long, not with ten people using them. And civility's running out even faster. As the days wear on, the shell-shocked refugees must learn to survive—not just whatever happened in the outside world, but everything that's taking place inside the crowded shelter. With tempers flaring, food being rationed, and cabin fever taking its toll, busting out of the shelter is looking better and better. No one knows what's happened to the New York they left above ground. Do the terrified shelter-dwellers dare to emerge? What will they find if they do? Which will kill them faster—radiation, starvation or each other? Scott's about to find out.
Everything about the premise of Fallout by Todd Strasser appeals to me. An imminent apocalypse? Check. Neighbors pitted against neighbors in a desperate bid for survival? Check. A tense, psychological examination of people's actions in a time of crisis, told from a child's point-of-view? Check, check. Because, apparently, I have a warped sense of what is entertaining, I really, really wanted to read this book. So, I did. Is the story as fascinating as it sounds? In a word: yes. Fallout tells a tense, compelling tale that kept me burning through the pages to find out the fate of the survivors. If it weren't for some weird, awkward discussions about naked women (including the boys' mothers), I would have really enjoyed this one. Given those odd scenes, plus the fact that Fallout is (naturally) quite depressing, this novel turned into just an okay read for me. Ah, well.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of other books about groups of people struggling to survive crises in enclosed spaces like Trapped by Michael Northrop; The Compound by S.A. Bodeen; and The Diary of Anne Frank; also of Countdown by Deborah Wiles, which is also about the Cuban Missile Crisis)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), violence, sexual innuendo and mature themes
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Fallout from the generous folks at Candlewick Press. Thank you!
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Top Ten Tuesday: A Bookish Gratitude List
1:00 AM
With Thanksgiving only a couple of days away, it's natural that this week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish) subject would be gratitude. It goes without saying that I'm thankful for the usual things—a happy marriage, healthy kids, goodly parents, food on the table, etc.—but since this is a book blog, I decided to stick with the subject and tell you about the Top Ten (Bookish) Things For Which I'm Thankful:
1. Books That Make Me Laugh:
3. Books That Make Me Swoon:
4. Books That Make Me Cry:
7. Books That Make Me More Empathetic:
9. Books That Fuel My Imagination:
How about you? What are you thankful for this year, bookish or otherwise?
As much as I adore books, I'm most thankful for you, my readers. You make this "job" so much fun! I love your comments, your support, your kind words, and your enthusiasm for reading. I'm also thankful for the authors who work so hard to write books for impatient, demanding readers like us to adore. I'm especially grateful for those writers who trust me to review their literary "babies"—and don't hate me when I point out a few flaws. Without all of you, this blog wouldn't exist, let alone thrive. Thank you so much for going along with me on this crazy, exciting adventure. I hope you'll stick around for a long, long while.
Happy Thanksgiving!
* All images from Barnes & Noble
Monday, November 25, 2013
Fortunately, It's Another Drop of Quirky Goodness from Gaiman
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
If his children ran out of milk for their cereal, most fathers would just tell them to eat toast. Or eggs. Or pancakes. Or fruit. Or just about anything that didn't require a trip to the store. Not the dad in Neil Gaiman's new children's book, Fortunately, the Milk. He heads right out to save the day. Well, breakfast, at least.
Of course, the story wouldn't be any fun if the dad simply drove to the store, picked up some milk and came home (even if he grabbed a dozen doughnuts to go with it). And, considering the author of this little tale, we know it's going to be—above all—fun. So, instead of encountering minor troubles like traffic jams or rude drivers or inflated prices at the supermarket, this heroic father faces off with ferocious aliens, a burbling volcano, and a bossy pirate queen. To name just a few of the hurdles in his quest to save his children's breakfast. After all, it is the most important meal of the day. The big question is: Can he do it? Or are his kids doomed to eating their cereal with, gulp, pickle juice? No child deserves that terrible fate ...
As you can probably tell, Fortunately, the Milk is everything we've come to expect from the always quirky Neil Gaiman. The tale's outrageous and silly and fun and just a delight all around. Most of all, it explains one of the great mysteries of the universe—why do parents take so long to complete a task as simple as bringing home a carton of milk? Kids will be mesmerized by this short, funny adventure (made even more amusing with illustrations by Skottie Young). It might just entertain their parents, too. Unless, of course, they're out fighting otherworldly creature in order to save their children's breakfasts. Then, it might hit a little too close to home :)
(Readalikes: Nothing I can think of ...)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Fortunately, the Milk from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!
Friday, November 22, 2013
What's the Most Difficult Kind of Review to Write? This Kind.
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
It's tough to diss a book when you request it from an author (who also happens to be related to a friend of yours), she gladly sends you one of her last copies, and is just super sweet about the whole thing. This is the hardest part of reviewing for me—wanting to be honest without offending kind, hardworking authors. It's most important, though, for my readers to trust me, so here we go with the honest-even-though-I-don't-want-to-be review:
I really, really, really wanted to love Dead Girls Don't Lie, Jennifer Shaw Wolf's second novel. But I just didn't. Since I grew up in a small town in rural Washington State, I did like the book's familiar setting as well as the conflict between Mexican migrant workers and small-minded local yokels (not that I like that kind of conflict, I just like that it's fresh, something I haven't encountered before in YA lit). It's a current kind of problem, one I observed firsthand while growing up; it's a hot topic even now, especially in states like Arizona (my current location), which border Mexico. The whole gang plot, though, seemed a little too melodramatic for rural Washington. It didn't ring very true to me. I also had a problem connecting to the characters in Dead Girls Don't Lie. None of them struck me as particularly likable. They didn't seem to like each other much either, as I felt little warmth between any of them. Add that to a far-fetched plotline with some big holes, and yeah, this one just didn't do a lot for me. Wolf's got lots of potential, though, so I'll keep an eye on her. Hopefully, her next venture will be a little more to my liking.
(Readalikes: I'm sure there are many, but nothing's coming to mind ...)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), violence and sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Dead Girls Don't Lie from the very generous Jennifer Shaw Wolf. Thank you!
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