Fourth grader Ida B. Applewood, heroine of Katherine Hannigan's first novel Ida B, lives an almost perfect life. She spends her days roaming her family's farm with her trusty dog, stargazing with her father, or cuddled up with a good book. No playmates live nearby, so Ida B. shares all her amazing ideas with her family's apple trees and the brook that trickles through the farm. According to her:

Some people might stop me right there and say, "Ida B, you could wait for eternity and a day and you're not going to hear one of those trees talking to you, let alone a brook. Trees don't have mouths and they don't speak, and you might want to take yourself to the doctor's and get a very thorough check-up real soon."

And after I took a minute to give my patience and forbearance a chance to recover my mouth from the rudeness that was itching to jump out of it, I would just say this: "There's more than one way to tell each other things, and there's more than one way to listen, too. And if you've never heard a tree telling you something, then I'd say you don't really know how to listen just yet. But I'd be happy to give you a few pointers sometime" (8-9).

The contented Ida B cannot imagine anything marring her happiness, so she's shocked when the trees whisper about trouble on the horizon. It comes in the form of a diagnosis: her mother has cancer. Before Ida B knows it, her world has transformed from "just about righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong" (143). Her mother, who once sparkled with life, spends all her time sleeping. Her father, once patient and indulgent, snaps at Ida B for anything and everything, it seems. It's bad enough that her parents have become strangers, but when they inform her they will be selling off part of the farm to cover hospital bills, she's stunned. Apparently, it's not quite enough to give away Ida B's beloved trees, because her parents have another bomb to drop: She will have to attend public school. As Ida B accepts her sentence to take the "Yellow Prison of Propulsion," to the "Sacrificial Pit of Never-Ending Agony," she feels her heart twist into a "sharp, black stone that was small enough to fit into the palm of my hand. It was so hard nobody could break it and so sharp it would hurt anybody who touched it" (87). She vows to let no one - not teachers, classmates, or parents - inside.

When the new owners of the Applewoods' property starts ripping down trees to make way for a house, Ida B sees it as the ultimate betrayal. Her black heart blames the strangers who have stolen her parents' bodies. Bitter and friendless, Ida B must face the sorrows of her new life. With the help of a kind teacher and a kid who stinks at math, she might just be able to climb out of the pit of her despair. And maybe, just maybe, the trees will start talking to her again.

I'm not sure it's possible to describe the loveliness of this novel. It's a simple story told in the pitch-perfect voice of a brave young narrator. It's also a rich, moving tale that will speak to readers' hearts, however black they may be. The writing sparkles with whimsy and subtlety, making it a funny, heartwarming story you simply won't want to miss.

Grade: A

If you read this blog with any regularity, you know I avoid romance novels. I guess I'm a bit of a prude, but this genre just does not usually appeal to me. I mean, a love story is great, but I like some mystery or suspense mixed in. You probably also know that I don't like reading books in a series out of order. I prefer to start at the beginning and get to know the characters a little bit at a time. Considering those two pet peeves, I really should not have liked When A Man Loves A Woman by La Connie Taylor-Jones at all. Not only is the book a romance, but it's also the second novel in a series (although the first book focuses on different characters). The weird thing is, I actually liked it. I didn't love it, I didn't even really, really like it, but I didn't hate it either.

The story stars Victoria "Vic" Bennett, a nursing administrator living in Oakland, California. After the devastating end of her first marriage, she swears off men. Even after eight years, she simply will not open her heart to another man. Pediatrician A.J. Baptiste has other ideas, however, and he's not shy about letting his desires be known. His life plan involves making Vic his wife. Sure, Vic's attracted to him (after all, he's gorgeous, wealthy and loves children), but no one is going to boss her around. Besides, falling for him means exposing her very vulnerable heart, and that's something she's just not willing to do. She's so fed up with A.J. and his pursuit that she's leaving the Golden State for good.

When an emotional Vic hits A.J. with her car, everything changes. Although she was rearended, and not technically at fault, she feels responsible. While her brother, a police officer, works to track down the hit-and-run driver, Vic puts all her energy into helping AJ. recuperate. The more time she spends with him, the less control she has. Suddenly, she finds herself spilling all her secrets (and losing all her defenses). Her vulnerability scares her to death, and she can't decide whether to stay or run.

The appearance of a drug-addicted mother in A.J.'s clinic changes things once again. Both Vic and A.J. go out of their way to help her. Working together only strengthens their connection. What they don't know is that the young woman holds the key to finding out what really happened on the day of A.J.'s accident. For that and two other important reasons, she will become a vital part of Vic and A.J.'s lives.

With all this happening, it's no wonder Vic is losing control. Can she keep resisting A.J.'s advances? Does she even want to? Will she finally be able to put the past behind her and open her heart to the man who can't live without her? Or will she run away again?

It's a pretty simple, predictable plot, but there's enough action to keep things moving along. The fiery relationship between Vic and A.J. provides much of the entertainment (and some steamy sex scenes, which I skipped over like a good Mormon girl), although the mystery of the accident also makes up a lot of the novel. It's a quick read - not too complicated, and kind of sweet. I have my issues with When A Man Loves A Woman (huge, confusing cast; flat characters; graphic sex, etc.), but overall, it's not too bad. Still, my opinion can be summed up in the immortal words of Randy Jackson: "I don't know. I don't know, dawg. This one was just okay for me."

Grade: C

Books like Chocolat, Five Quarters of the Orange, and Gentleman & Players keep me reading (and loving) English author Joanne Harris. Unfortunately, her newest book The Girl With No Shadow seems to be earning mountains of negative reviews. I hate to be disappointed by my favorite authors, so I decided to ignore Chocolat's sequel and check out Harris' first YA novel, Runemarks, instead. Here's the story ...

In the village of Malbry, where magic is feared and the goblins in the cellar are routinely ignored, 14-year-old
Maddy Smith stands out like a sore thumb. The "ruinmark" on her palm brands her an outsider, a witch, a Faerie - animals born with similar marks are regularly put down. Because her father is respected in town, Maddy's presence is tolerated ... but not entirely trusted. A one-eyed traveler is, in fact, her only friend.

One-Eye returns only once a year, but he uses his visits to teach Maddy about subjects no one else will broach. He fills her head with talk of runes, glamours, goblins, and dormant gods. He tells her of the epic wars between Order and Chaos, battles that continue to brew. Finally, he describes "the Whisperer," an ancient treasure hidden deep within a goblin-infested hill. As One-Eye warns, "This - treasure - may turn out to be as dangerous as it is valuable. Even speaking of it has its risks. And in many ways it might be safer for it to have stayed sleeping and forgotten" (48). Still, says the old Outlander, it's a key to maintaining Order in perilous times. Because of Maddy's special magic, he asks her to retrieve it.

Thus begins Maddy's journey into the turbulent Underworld, where goblins and other creatures scrabble about and nothing - nothing - is what it seems. Aided by an unlikely crew, Maddy makes her way through dangerous territory. She will face countless goblins, angry gods, an enormous snake, a dangerous enemy and Death herself on the journey. On her way, Maddy will also find the answers to questions that have plagued her all her life: Who is she, really? What does the runemark on her hand mean? What's her purpose? Is she brave enough to fulfill it?

While I enjoyed Runemarks - it had interesting characters, solid writing, and lots of action - it didn't enchant me the way other of Harris' books have. The story seemed overly long and a little generic. It was a fun, fast-moving story, but still a little disappointing for me. I don't know how to explain it - for me, Runemarks just didn't sparkle the way a Harris novel usually does. I could have used just a little more magic.

Grade: B-

This is an eventful month for my husband since both Father's Day and his birthday fall in June. Because of this, you'd think I'd be a little more on top of things. But, no. As of this morning, I hadn't done any birthday/Father's Day shopping. So, this morning, I gathered the kids, and off we went.

My 9-year-old son has been working hard to save enough money to buy something special for his dad. He finally managed to accumulate $8 - enough to get something for dad and something for himself. So, he packed his wallet, eager to find the perfect gift.

I know you're wondering what this has to do with books, but I'm getting there ...

Our first stop was Borders. As I mentioned, my son had carefully plotted out how to use his money most efficiently. What he didn't count on was finding the exact airplane book he had been wanting - on clearance, no less. The problem? The book cost $5.99, which would leave him with less than $2 to buy a gift for Dad. After seriously considering the problem (for at least 5 minutes), he decided to purchase the book "because Dad likes airplanes too, so we can share it." When we got up to the checkout, he got a very pleasant surprise - the cashier was holding up a gift card. She explained that the woman who had been in line before us hadn't used all of the money on her card, so she instructed the cashier to let us use it. I was astounded. I hadn't been paying attention, so I couldn't even tell you what this Good Samaritan looked like. My son's eyes lit up when the cashier told him the card had $5.60 on it - that meant he could buy the book and still have enough left over to buy something good for his dad. I wish I could have thanked the sweet lady, but she was long gone by this point. Needless to say, she really brightened our day.

Since a kind lady made my son's day, I thought I should pay it forward and make someone else's day. So, I'm giving away a brand-spankin'-new copy of Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. This YA novel features a young woman in the 1940s who moves from Iowa to Montana to prove up on her uncle's homestead. It's a fun, clean adventure story that I thoroughly enjoyed (you can read my review here). My 93-year-old grandma liked it as well, which proves it's a story that will appeal to readers of all ages.

To enter the giveaway, make a comment on this post. Just to cheer us all up (my husband swears the world's coming to an end what with all the wars, tornadoes, floods, sky-high gas prices, etc.), I'd like each of you to tell about a time when someone made your day or a way in which you/your family made someone else's day. That's it. I will choose a name at random on the evening of June 22nd (my half-birthday!). Good luck. Oh, I can ship overseas, if necessary.

Just for fun, I'll tell you about a RAOK my family used to perform:

I grew up in a tiny town on the Washington side of the Columbia River. Our town didn't have much in the way of shopping or entertainment, so we often drove over to Oregon to go to movies, eat out, buy groceries, etc. Crossing the river involved driving over a big, green toll bridge. At the time, it cost 50 cents each way. Most residents of our town - including us - made the trip daily, so we would often pass people we knew. If my parents recognized the driver behind us, they always paid the toll for them. It was fun to watch their surprised reactions in the rearview mirror. As my siblings and I started driving, we carried on the tradition. Paying for people we knew was fun, but it was an even bigger kick to pay for strangers (especially if they were goodlooking guys)! Hopefully, the recipients of our RAOKs passed on this simple, day-making tradition.