Sent begins when two boys - Chip and Alex - are shoved out of "real" time into the past. Terrified for their friends, 13-year-old Jonah and his sister Katherine grab on for the ride. The foursome find themselves plopped into 15th Century England. Chip and Alex find their new surroundings weirdly familiar. After all, Chip is really Edward V, England's boy king, and Alex is his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York. Jonah and Katherine, who never belonged in this time period, can't wait to leave the stinky, dirty time period. They can't get out without Chip and Alex, though, so they're stuck for the time being. In the meantime, the kids need to figure out how to save Edward V and Richard from being assasinated by their power-hungry uncle, Richard of Gloucester. They also need to navigate the complexities of the 15th Century to figure out how to eat, bathe, and survive in a world very much different from the one they've left behind.

Sent, which grew from such a clever premise, soon becomes a time travel tale like any other. Jonah and Katherine have to figure out how to save their friends from the dangers of court; Chip and Alex become more and more enmeshed in their own time period; all the while, the kids have to decide if it's really worth it to mess with history and how much they can change things without completely destroying the past. The story seems to exist only to teach kids about history. Action gets swallowed up in historical detail, the complexity of which slows the tale down to a yawn-worthy crawl. I did read part of this book while under the influence of Vicodin, but still - it got slow, dull and predictable awfully fast. After enjoying Found so immensely, I was really disappointed in its successor. My faith in Haddix, however, is strong. I know if she can breathe some life into the next installment, she can save this series. All the next books need is a little of the originality and adventure that drives the first book and voila! you've got another fun, interesting, exciting series of historical stories for kids. If anyone can do it, it's the indomitable Margaret Peterson Haddix.

(Readalikes: It really is like a middle grade version of The Magic Treehouse books)

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for mild violence

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

Sitting at the computer makes me dizzy, but I wanted to give you all a quick update on all the *fun* that's been going on around here:

I went in for surgery on Tuesday. My surgeon found cancer as expected - it was in both sides of my thyroid as well as in some of my lymph nodes. Apparently, the tumor was wrapped around my vocal chords (the biggest risk with this type of surgery), so everyone was relieved when I managed to croak out the word "sore" in response to a nurse asking me how I felt. I spent the night in the hospital reading, resting, gulping Vicodin and crunching Tums. By noon on Wednesday I was recuperating in my own bed. Since then, I've been resting, reading, getting waited on hand and foot, and feeling better each day. I'm still having trouble swallowing/eating - in fact, it feels as if someone's got their hands around my throat and refuses to let go; I still feel lightheaded; and I'm still fighting fatigue, but I feel so much better today than I have all week. I'm not sure when I'll be back-to-normal - for now, I'm just grateful to be alive, able to talk, and able to be up and around a little bit.

I've mentioned that thyroid cancer is slow-moving and rarely fatal. Thus, my prognosis is excellent. I have to undergo an iodine/radiation procedure in a few weeks that will determine if there is any cancer left in my body. After that, it should be a matter of balancing my meds so that I can feel well again.

Even though thyroid cancer is generally seen as "the best cancer to get," it's still been an emotional and traumatic experience for me and my family. I've been blessed beyond measure with a loving family, supportive friends and a ward (my church family) that's always willing to help. My "cyber friends" are also a great blessing to me - I appreciate all of the prayers you've sent up in my behalf. I've definitely felt them this week. Thanks for all your kind words, your support and your patience.

Now, on to the most important part of this post - I've read 3 1/2 books during my recovery. Whether I will review them all or not, I don't know. Vicodin has made my head really fuzzy, so I'm not sure I can recall the books let alone judge them fairly. We'll see how I feel. Anyway, I'll post again as soon as I feel up to it. I've missed hanging out with you all in the big, beautiful book blogosphere!

Wow, February's just about over. I can't believe it. So much has been going on that I've barely had time to breathe. I did somehow find time to read 7 books, so I guess I haven't been that busy. Since I may be MIA for the next week or so due to family stuff and my thyroidectomy, I thought I should catch up on a few (actually, a lot of things) here on BBB. Let the randomness begin ...

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its prequel, The Kommandant's Girl. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)
Apparently, I read too many books.
The other day, I was complaining to my husband about my failing memory. My 11-year-old son and I had just come back from a date to the movies to see The Lightning Thief. Unlike my son, I haven't read the whole series yet. I have read the first book, however, so you'd think that when my son exclaimed, "Hey! That wasn't in the book," I would have been able to respond with something more intelligible than, "Really? I mean, I know, right? Where did that come from?" My husband responded to my rambles with a look that had incredulous written all over it. Then he said something along the lines of, "You read like a million books a year. How are you supposed to remember them all?" The man has a point.
Our little discussion made me feel a whole lot better when I opened Pam Jenoff's The Diplomat's Wife and became immediately confused: Who is the main character, Marta Nederman? If you've read Jenoff's first book, The Kommandant's Girl, you may recognize the name, as she was one of its supporting cast members. However, it's been a while since I read the book (um, yeah, like 3 years - you can read my review here), and I couldn't for the life of me remember Marta. Knowing The Diplomat's Wife was a sequel, I was expecting a continuation of Emma's story, which began in The Kommandant's Girl. Naturally, I had to figure out who Marta was before I turned any more pages, so I read back over my review of the first book, skimmed its last chapter and voila! I had my answer (Hint: She's Emma's friend from the Krakow ghetto. She also had a little something to do with the Kommandant's demise.) Having finally gotten my bearings in the story, I was able to relax and enjoy it. Immensely.
When The Diplomat's Wife opens, Marta lies crumpled on the floor of a Nazi prison. Whether her conditions are any better than those of her comrades in the death camps she knows not, but they're plenty bad enough - she's trapped in a cold, rat-infested cell where she's slowly starving to death. The gunshot wound in her side makes movement agonizing, pain that intensifies with regular beatings from the cruel guards. Do what they may, the Nazis will never beat information out of her. She'd rather die than rat out her friends in the Resistance.
Marta assumes she's delirious when a handsome American soldier rescues her from her filthy cell, but when she wakes up in a clean, quiet hospital she realizes that it's true - the camps have been liberated. She's free. Now what? Thanks to the Nazis, she has no friends, no family, no life left for her in Poland. A chance opportunity gets her to England, where she's soon living with a wealthy family and working for Simon Gold, an important diplomat with the British government. When Marta discovers she is pregnant, and that her fiancee has been killed, she marries the bland Simon. Although not passionate, their union is safe and comfortable enough.
Then, comes the assignment that changes everything. It's a dangerous mission, one for which Marta is uniquely qualified. It's supposed to be a simple get-in-get-out operation, but things get very complicated very fast. Suddenly, Marta's thrust back into a world she thought she'd left behind forever. Once again, she's running for her life through cities devastated by war, countries where peace is as tenuous as a cloud, areas where she's hunted by assasins and haunted by memories so heartbreaking they threaten to destroy any shred of sanity she has left. She's desperate to complete her mission, help her homeland and go home to her daughter, but Marta's past and present are on a dangerous collision course, one that will have her questioning everything she's ever known.
At its heart, The Diplomat's Wife is a love story. It's also a gripping tale about the cruelties of war, the audacity of hope, and the dangerous business of rebuilding nations toppled by violence. With romance, suspense, heart-pounding action and vivid historical detail, it's a book that offers something for every kind of reader. It starts slowly, but builds to the kind of nail-biting conclusion that will keep you turning pages well past bedtime. An intense, engrossing novel, it's even richer when coupled with Emma's experieces in The Kommandant's Girl. I highly recommend both books not only for their engrossing plotlines, but also for the honesty, tenderness and knowledge with which Pam Jenoff writes. This is the best kind of historical fiction - exciting, romantic, suspenseful and satisfying. You won't want to miss it.
(Readalikes: The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff; also reminds me of the movie Shining Through)
Grade: A-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for some language; sexual scenes (although brief and not graphic); and violence
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
(Book image is from Barnes & Noble)
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Check back on March 12 when I review Jenoff's new book, Almost Home, and interview the author.