(Image from Walmart.com)

Minnie Bonner knows her father has a gambling problem.  This isn't the first time he's disappeared, chasing grander dreams than any of them can afford.  But, this time is different.  This time, he's not coming back.  This time, a stranger is taking the family tavern and home to pay off her dad's gambling debt.  Because of his carelessness, 14-year-old Minnie and her mother are not just penniless, but homeless, too.  How will they live now?

Mr. and Mrs. Sump, the pretentious new owners of everything the Bonners had in the world, offer the only viable solution:  they will hire Minnie to be a lady's maid for their 16-year-old daughter, Lily.  Minnie can't stand the thought of working for the snobby family, but she doesn't have much choice.  Even when the Sumps announce they'll be leaving Philadelphia to chase their own dreams in San Francisco—the greatest, most progressive city in the West.  Minnie's furious with her mother for "selling" her to heartless Mrs. Sump, but that doesn't mean she wants to leave her only family behind.  And yet, what choice does she have?

It's only when a massive earthquake rocks San Francisco, leveling the city, and setting it ablaze with raging, unquenchable fires, that Minnie's finally able to decide something for herself.  With the city in a chaotic mess, she has a golden opportunity to take on a new identity, one that could change her whole life, not to mention the fate of her fractured family.  But assuming a new life of luxury does not come without a price.  Can Minnie sacrifice her integrity in exchange for a brighter future?  Is the cost truly worth it?  Alone in a broken city, Minnie must make some tough choices.  And soon, before everything she's ever dreamed of is snatched right out of her hands.

I've enjoyed other entries in the Dear America series, but I was a touch leery when Scholastic sent me A City Tossed and Broken for review.  It wasn't because of the format—I usually enjoy epistolary storytelling, which allows for a more intimate reading experience.  It wasn't because of the subject matter either—I like historical fiction and haven't read many (if any) books about the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.  So, I was game for that.  My only hesitation on this one had to do with the author, Judy Blundell (who also writes as Jude Watson).  I've read several of her books, all of which left me feeling ... underwhelmed.  Imagine my surprise, then, when A City Tossed and Broken turned out to be a fast-paced, well-plotted historical novel featuring a vibrant, expertly-crafted heroine.  I know!  Took me by surprise.  I ended up really enjoying this one.  It's an excellent novel about a fearless young woman who must make some difficult decisions in the wake of a vicious disaster that rocked a city to its very core.  

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Dear America series; also, American Girl's historical novels)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for scary images

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of A City Tossed and Broken from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!

  

3.  Unwind by Neal Shusterman—I love Shusterman because he's such a master at examining tough issues in new and interesting ways.  Unwind is a discomfiting story about what would happen if parents could "unwind" (basically, retroactively abort) their teenage children.  Lots of people pooh-pooh this book because it's too far-fetched—the way I see it, it's not meant to be "realistic," but symbolic.  To me, it's a very illumination examination of the divisive issue of abortion.  Not to mention an original, fast-paced action/adventure story.

4.  Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler—I just finished this fantastic novel about a white woman who falls in love with a black man.  It's set in Kentucky in the late 1930s, a setting that's definitely not conducive to an interracial friendship, let alone a romance.  Calling Me Home is a heart-wrenching story about racism, motherhood, redemption, and loving someone against all possible odds.  Made me cry.  A lot.  

5.  Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand—War stories are always difficult to read.  Especially those that detail the abuses suffered by innocent people at the hands of the "enemy."  Unbroken is no different.  It's a difficult read, but an incredible true story of one American soldier's battle to survive.  

6.  Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum—Another WWII story.  This one's a little bit different, as it's the (fictional) story of a non-Jewish German civilian's experience during the war.  It's heart-wrenching, but totally absorbing.  

7.  After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick—Like The Fault in Our Stars, this is another novel about kids with cancer.  And yet, it's funny, real and unique.  I wasn't wild about the ending of After Ever After, but I did enjoy the rest of the book.  P.S.:  I found out after reading this one that it's actually a sequel to Drums, Girls &  Dangerous Pie, which I probably should have read first.  Oops.

8.  The Space Between Us by Jessica Martinez—Although the ending of this one didn't quite satisfy me, I enjoyed the novel quite a bit.  It's the story of a teenage preacher's daughter who's struggling to deal with the pregnancy of her needy younger sister.  Genuine and real, this one touched me for lots of reasons.

9.  How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr—Another teenage pregnancy book, this novel spoke straight to my (very) tender adoptive mother's heart.  It's a beautiful, authentic story about the true meaning of family.  

10.  Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick—What's a tougher issue than cancer?  How about zombies?  Or, heck, why not do both?  In Bick's apocalyptic zombie fest, the heroine is hiking out to her favorite spot in the mountains to end her own life before cancer does it for her.  Then, the world ends, giving her a startling epiphany: She doesn't want to die after all.  Ashes is an exciting zombie-licious page-turner that kept me reading fast and furious to see what would happen next.

So, what do you think of my choices?  Have you read any of them?  Which "tough issue" books do you recommend?  

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

On a dark November night in Long Island City, the buildings that house Connelly Fine Art Reproductions erupt into flames.  The blaze destroys everything—including a museum filled with priceless antiques—leaving a 75-year-old former employee dead and the owner's adult daughter in a coma.  Pointed questions are being asked:  Who caused the mysterious fire?  Why would someone want to burn the venerable family-owned furniture business to the ground?  And what were the elderly man and the young CPA doing in the building that late at night?  Both had been heard joking about setting a match to the entire place—did they carry out the dastardly deed together?  No one knows the answers.

While 30-year-old Kate Connelly lays comatose in a hospital, her sister starts digging into the cause of the fire.  Hannah knows her older sister cannot possibly be guilty of arson—the trick is proving it.  She's not exactly Nancy Drew, but she can't concentrate on her fashion design career with her family's reputation on the line.  Hannah has to do something.  The last thing she wants to do is confront her self-centered playboy of a father, but as the owner of Connelly Fine Art Reproductions, he's the logical place to start.  Even if his drinking and carousing around were the very things leading to the bankruptcy of the business his father built from scratch.  Her dad needs a steady source of cash to fund his excessive lifestyle—did he set the fire in the hopes of collecting a thick wad of insurance money?  Or was it Gus, a disgruntled employee?  And then there's the homeless man who was secretly living on the property and is now in the wind—what does he know about the crime?  Hannah's so confused she can hardly see straight.  She will put all the pieces together, but can she do it before the arsonist comes for her?  Or will she become his/her next victim?

Mary Higgins Clark's romantic suspense novels used to blow me away with their intensity.  I spent plenty of mornings dragging myself to my high school classes after staying up way too late trying to finish one of her books.  Maybe Clark's losing the touch in her twilight years (she's 83!) or maybe I've just matured as a reader, but I have a hard time reading her now.  While I appreciate that she writes fast-paced, mostly-clean mysteries that can be enjoyed by both teens and adults, I've realized she's not just the "Queen of Suspense," but also the queen of telling not showing; flat-as-a-piece-of-paper characters; and predictable outcomes.  Her newest, Daddy's Gone A Hunting, is an excellent example (although I was surprised to see that it broke with Clark's time-honored formula of alternating chapters narrated by a murderer and his next intended victim, aka The Heroine).  It's just not that great.  I mean, it's not the worst thing I've read lately, but it's far, far from the best.  And yet, it probably won't keep me from picking up the next Clark book.  Why?  Because I've loved this author for so long that I refuse to give up on her.  Even though I probably should have a long time ago.  Le sigh.   

(Readalikes:  Other novels by Mary Higgins Clark)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and very mild sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Dashel Pearl isn't the most conventional of fathers, but he loves his family and would never abandon them.  Would he?  The longer he's gone, the harder 11-year-old Early worries.  Where has her missing father gone?  Is he ever coming back?  

Wherever Dashel has disappeared to, he's left a huge mess behind him.  Not only has he broken his family's hearts, but he's crossed some very dangerous people.  The thugs claim Dashel stole something from them.  Early doesn't know what that may be, she only knows that they will stop at nothing to get it back.  The Pearls can't return to the apartment the thugs ripped apart, but where else can they live?  With barely a penny to their names, they have no choice but to hole up at a homeless shelter in a dingy, rundown section of Chicago. 

As everyone else's faith in Dashel fades, Early knows she has to hold fast to her hope.  It's all she's got left.  Besides, she's found some clues to her father's disappearance, hints that indicate he didn't flee by choice.  No one believes her, but Early knows her dad—he moved to his own, unique rhythm.  If she can just figure out the puzzle he's left behind, she can find Dashel.  

All Early wants is her family back together in a home where they can live in peace and safety.  But as things come to a boiling point, Early knows her wish may be nothing more than an impossible dream.  

Hold Fast, a new middle grade mystery by Blue Balliett, is my second venture with this author.  And I feel the same way about her latest as I did about The Danger Box—it's enjoyable, just not exceptional.  The Pearls are certainly sympathetic characters, and lovable ones.  They've got a different kind of rhythm to them, which makes them not just fun, but uniquely so.  I cared about what happened to them.  The plot of the book moves pretty swiftly as well.  It held my attention and kept me guessing.  Overall, though, the story didn't knock my socks off or anything.  It's a decent book, just not an oh-my-gosh-you-need-to-drop-everything-and-read-this-now one.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of The Danger Box by Blue Balliett)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for scary situations

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Hold Fast by Blue Balliett from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!