Who knew I would enjoy the story of a trouser girl, a sorcerer with no backbone, and an automaton?
Magic Under Glass combines a little Jane Eyre, in the form of a wife who is supposed to be crazy, with some magic realism. Nimira dances in a show that barely keeps her fed. Dolamore gives the impression that "trouser girls" are the lowest forms of dancers but somehow Hollin Parry is able to see something more in Nimira and offers her a job. She thinks about what her mom would think if she were still alive and decides she would be better off facing the unknown than staying with the troup.
Once Nimira gets to Parry's place and meets the automaton Erris, she realizes she's made the right choice. Parry is alone and has money. Maybe they can live happily ever after?
Then, Nim finds that Erris is more than he seems. He can "speak" to her by playing piano keys in a system she devised. Soon, it's all either of them want to do...But how can you love a machine?
Dolamore's writing is believable and pulls at your heartstrings. The short conversations between Nim and Erris were made all the more poignant due to their brevity and the chance they may be overheard. The plot moves quickly with a few spots of predictableness and some problems that were too easily solved. You found yourself rooting for Erris and wanting more than anything for them to discover a way to make him live.
I give this 3 copies. I think students will like it but the premise will make it a hard sell. Once I convince one student though, I can see them telling a friend.
ARC provided by Around The World Tours. This cover is NOT the one on the ARC but it's so much better, I had to include it.
My Summary Natalie has come a long way to get to senior year in Palmetto. She's changed her looks and taken on a new background. Now all she has to do is win Palmetto Princess and she'll finally feel accepted. She has the perfect boyfriend and the best connections. There's only one person who can mess things up for her and that's Natalie herself.
My Thoughts Betrayal starts out strong - I love Natalie's snarky voice. She's on the top and she knows it. She makes the rounds of the school, touching base with all the right groups ensuring that she and Mike will be Princess and Prince this year. We meet Justin (JB) while Natalie's on her rounds and we get the first hint that Natalie is not what we think.
As the story goes on though it morphs into more of the rich, high school soap antics type book we know so well. The way Natalie decides to callously cover up her mistake just bored me. The more I found out about her the less interested I was in her story.
I also felt there were too many pieces thrown in that weren't necessary to the story - Natalie's dad, Double D threatening Natalie, the whorish ways of the sophomore girls... I thought the ending was a copout also. What ever happened to Baxter and OP? Since a man can't change are we to assume Natalie couldn't change either?
For me, this book will only be purchased by request, so I give it 1 copy. I usually have a few students or teachers in mind when making a purchase and I couldn't think of any that might want to read this. But, I admit, these types of books are not my faves. I may have had a bias going in...so here are some other reviews.
I always try to join challenges in the hopes that it will give more purpose to my reading and help keep me on track.
Unfortunately, that's not what ends up happening. Sure, it's just for me and there's no requirement to finish but I feel like I'm breaking promises. Albeit to myself. So for 2010 I've decided to do things a little differently.
I'm not going to officially join any challenges but when I come across ones I think fit in with my reading - I'll pretend like I'm a part of it and tell you how I'm doing.
1. Are You My Newbery 2011 and Some Day My Printz 2011 The 2011 Newbery has to be published in the year 2010. Some of those books will qualify for The Story Siren's Debut Author challenge and The O.W.L. The Middle Reading challenge. The 2011 Printz Award also has to be published in 2010 and they have to be young adult books. These books will qualify for J. Kaye's Young Adult challenge and some will also qualify for the debut author challenge. I will post more info on these at a later date which will include my list location and my selection process.
2. $30 A Month challenge I'm going to severely cut back on buying books this year. My goal is to only spend $30 a month - about the cost of an adult hardcover. As a librarian, I should support libraries - both public and our school. This will help me qualify for J. Kaye's Support Your Local Library challenge and decrease some of the book clutter around here. Originally I was going to buy one book a month but I realized that sometimes I can get a few YA hardcovers for $30. Last year I spent over 3 times that much for books. I'm not going to even tell you how much over three times - I'm appalled and amazed at my foolishness...
3. Grown-up books That's what I call adult fiction but not the racy kind of books. I want to read at least one grown-up book a month. There are some books I've had my eye on and I'm going to make sure I read them this year. Some titles are: Olive Kitteridge, Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, The Believers, Little Bee, and Chronic City from 2009. The only 2010 book on my list so far is The Unnamed.
I would also like to tackle a couple of classics, read books teachers use in their classrooms, read more steampunk, and more nonfiction. I'll post links of my reading lists as I create them.
My Thoughts Grace Divine is in love with Daniel. Daniel, who disappeared after leaving her brother for dead. Daniel, who's name hasn't been mentioned by her family in three years. She knows he's dangerous and she shouldn't trust him. But she can't stop looking at him and thinking about him. She decides that, despite her brother Jude's warning, she should help him re-enroll in art class and she brings him food and clothes.
Soon, people turn up dead and Grace can't help but suspect Daniel. She tries to stay away from him. Then her dad gives her this book that changes everything she knew about Daniel and Jude. The more she learns, the more confused she becomes.
Although the Dark Divine was a fast read, I didn't find it particularly memorable. The characters seemed flat and I didn't get to know them well enough to decide if their actions were realistic. I could see how Grace might be attracted to Daniel, given her name and his cruel childhood but I didn't get a sense of anything that would make her thwart her family for him. Jude was also a mystery. He was portrayed as a good kid, almost too good, throughout the book until the very end. I couldn't see how he could make those choices in the end. The plot was a good idea, I just think it needed to be fleshed out more.
I can see a few students who might be interested in this book though with the werewolf and cute, bad guy aspect. I would give it 2 copies.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Books for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jean Fischer has been writing for children for nearly three decades, and has served as an editor with Golden Books. She has written with Thomas Kinkade, John MacArthur, and “Adventures in Odyssey,” and is one of the authors for Barbour’s Camp Club Girls series. A nature lover, Jean lives in Racine, Wisconsin.
Visit the author's website. Visit the Camp Club Girl's website.
But it was too late. The pent up explosion of the water landed square against Sydney’s back, knocking her to the ground.
Dazed, she rolled onto her back and looked up into the hot summer sky. The water swirled around her whole body. From a distance she heard happy shouting and water gushing onto the street.
A fireman’s face appeared above her. “Are you okay, little girl?”
Little girl? Little girl! I’m twelve years old! I’m not a little girl, Mister.
The indignation snapped Sydney out of her dazed condition. She looked up and saw that two firemen were now looking at her anxiously. Carefully they helped her to her feet.
“Are you okay, little girl?” She looked in the fireman’s face. He seemed so worried that her irritation melted.
Sydney looked down at her soaking gray tank top and shorts. “Yes, sir, I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you,” she added, remembering her manners.
Sydney Lincoln had been talking to one of her neighborhood friends. She hadn’t even noticed the firemen at the fire hydrant behind her. And she sure hadn’t realized she was in the direct line of the nozzle the men were releasing.
Still out of breath from the shock of the water, Sydney dropped onto the curb in front of her house. She tore off her running shoes and socks, and stuck her bare feet into the gutter. She watched as the water from the hydrant down the street shot into the air and out the nozzle. The neighborhood kids laughed and splashed in its flow.
As Sydney’s clothes began to dry in the torrid sun, the water rushed along the curb like a river. It streamed between Sydney’s toes and sent goose bumps creeping up to her knees.
Sydney lived in the middle of a row of brick houses. The two-story tall houses were connected so they looked like one long building. The only windows were in the front and the back. The houses were close to the street, and each had a narrow front porch with three steps leading to a tiny front yard and the sidewalk.
The screen door on Sydney’s house swung open, and her mom stepped outside. “Sydney, have you seen your Aunt Dee yet?” Her curly, black hair was pulled back with a blue band to keep it off of her face.
“No, Mom,” Sydney answered. “I ran past the Metro station looking for her, but she wasn’t there.”
“Well, when she gets here, you two come inside. Dinner’s ready.”
Sydney dipped her fingers into the water and splashed some onto her long, thin arms.
“Don’t you want to come in by the air conditioning?” Her mother fanned herself with a magazine. “Aren’t you hot in the sunshine?”
“No, mom,” Sydney answered. She didn’t think it was necessary to tell her mom about her little brush with the explosion of water.
The cell phone in the pocket of her pink shorts buzzed. Sydney took it out and found a text message from one of her best friends, Elizabeth Anderson. It said: Almost packed.
Sydney tapped a reply on her keypad: Can’t w8 til u get here.
Sydney and Elizabeth had met at Discovery Lake Camp, and although Elizabeth lived in Texas, they talked every day. Four other girls had been with Sydney and Elizabeth in Cabin 12B. They were Bailey Chang, Alexis Howell, McKenzie Phillips, and Kate Oliver. When camp ended, Kate set up a web site so the girls could stay in touch. It was password protected, so it was like their own secret cabin in cyberspace. They’d all bought web cams with baby-sitting money, chore payments, and allowances so they could see each other and talk online. The Camp Club Girls—as they liked to be called—made web cam calls, sent IMs, and frequently met in their own private chat rooms.
Sydney continued typing her message: Will pic u up @ d aport @ 4 2MORO.
“Sydney, I really wish you’d come inside.” Sydney’s mother crossed her arms.
“Okay, in a few minutes, Mother!” Sydney said, without looking up.
The screen door slammed shut.
This was the worst heat wave Washington D.C. had seen in twenty-five years. Everyone had air conditioners blasting. The energy load was way too much, and the night before, the power had gone out. Sydney hated being in total darkness. She was relieved that today seemed normal.
Pack shorts, she typed. Really hot here!
While she sat texting, Sydney heard the thump thump thump of music getting closer and closer. A green jeep raced around the corner, and the booming bass from its stereo echoed inside Sydney’s chest. In the passenger seat, Aunt Dee held on to her tan park ranger hat to keep it from flying off of her head. The jeep screeched to a halt in front of Sydney’s house, and her aunt hopped out.
“Thanks for the ride, Ben,” she yelled over the music. “See you tomorrow.”
The young driver waved and drove off.
Gotta go, Liz, Sydney wrote. Ant D’s home.
Sydney stood and wiped her feet on the grass. “You’re late again,” she said. “Mom’s mad.”
“I know,” Aunt Dee apologized. “There was trouble at the Wall.” She took off her ranger hat and perched it on Sydney’s head. Aunt Dee always blamed her lateness on her job at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. Sydney didn’t understand how she could be so enthusiastic about a long, black wall with a bunch of names carved onto it.
“So what was the trouble?” Sydney wondered.
“I’ll tell you at dinner,” said Aunt Dee. She linked her arm through Sydney’s. “It’s hot out here, girlfriend. Let’s go inside.”
By the time Sydney washed and sat at her place at the table, Mom and Aunt Dee were already eating. Sydney had learned at camp to pray before every meal. So, she bowed her head and said out loud, “Dear Lord, Make us truly grateful for this meal and for all the blessings of this day.” She noticed that her mom and Aunt Dee stopped eating and bowed their heads, too. “And please keep Dad safe,” she said. Sydney always added a blessing for her dad who was serving in the military overseas.
“Amen!” Mom and Aunt Dee chimed.
Sydney poured iced tea into her tall glass and scooped pasta salad onto her plate. “So, what happened at the Wall?” she asked, reaching for a piece of French bread.
“Someone spray painted the sidewalk last night,” Aunt Dee replied. “Graffiti.”
Sydney’s mom got that look on her face—the one where her forehead turned into wrinkled plastic wrap. “You mean vandalism,” she said. “I think it’s just terrible what kids do these days—”
“How do you know it was kids?” Sydney interrupted. Her mouth was full of creamy macaroni. “Kids aren’t the only ones who do bad stuff.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” said Aunt Dee.
“Most times it is,” her mom argued. “Just look around our neighborhood,” She waved her hand toward the kitchen window. “Vandalism everywhere! Who do you think did all that? Not the adults. The kids don’t care about our community. Do they care that this neighborhood used to be a military camp to help slaves that escaped from the South? No! They just want to mess up the nice things that good folks worked so hard to build.” Sydney’s mother sighed and took a long drink of her iced tea.
Mrs. Lincoln worked at the local historical society, and she was very protective of the neighborhood and its landmarks. She liked to talk about how, in the old days, kids had manners and didn’t do anything wrong. Sydney hated it that her mom blamed everything on the kids in the neighborhood.
“There are good kids, too,” Sydney argued. “You don’t see my friends and me running around spray painting everything. Give us some credit!” She looked at her plate and pushed the rest of her pasta salad into a neat little pile. “We care what happens.”
“We don’t know who did it,” said Aunt Dee, trying to stop the argument. “Someone painted GO 64 in front of panel 30W—in orange paint. Ben and some other volunteers scrubbed it this morning. They’ll work on it again tonight when the air cools off some. They’re having a hard time cleaning it. Pass the bread, please.”
“What does GO 64 mean?” Sydney asked, handing her the basket of bread.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Aunt Dee answered. “We’re wondering if the number 64 is a clue to who did it. Ben said that in some rap music, 64 means a 1964 Chevrolet Impala. Another volunteer plays chess and said 64 is the number of squares on a chessboard. We don’t know what it means.”
“Maybe it’s Interstate 64,” Sydney’s mom suggested. “There’s construction on that freeway and plenty of orange construction cones. Maybe the orange paint is to protest all that.”
“But if it’s about the freeway, or a car, or a chessboard, why would they complain by painting graffiti at the Vietnam Wall? Besides, Interstate 64 is in Virginia,” Aunt Dee said.
“Yes, but there’s some military bases out that way,” Mother said. Then she added, “It’s probably just kids.”
The air conditioning kicked in again, and a cool draft shot from the air vent making the kitchen curtains flutter.
“The Wall’s lighted at night,” Sydney said. “And the Park Police keep an eye on all the monuments. So, why didn’t anyone see who did it?”
“The lights were out,” Aunt Dee reminded her. “The whole city went dark for a while, and the Park Police were busy with that. That’s when it happened, I’m sure. Anyway, it’s a mess, and we have to clean it up fast. The TV stations are already making a big deal out of it.” She dipped her knife into the butter container and slathered butter onto her French bread. “I had such an awful day at work. Everybody blamed everyone else for letting it happen. Like we would let it happen! People don’t know how hard the Park Service works—“
“May I be excused,” Sydney asked, swallowing her last bite of pasta.
“You may,” her mother answered.
Sydney put her dishes into the dishwasher. Then she went upstairs to her room.
The computer on Sydney’s desk was on, and her screensaver cast an eerie blue glow on her yellow bedroom walls. Syd’s bedroom had no windows, so it was always dark. That was the trouble with living in a row house. If your room was in the middle of the house, you had no windows. She flipped the switch on her desk light and tapped the spacebar on the computer. The monitor lit up, and Sydney noticed that McKenzie Phillips was online. She sent her an IM: Talk to me?
The phone icon on the computer screen jiggled back and forth. Sydney clicked on it, and McKenzie’s freckled face appeared. She was sitting at the work island in her family’s kitchen. “What’s up?” she asked.
Sydney turned on her web cam. “Not much,” she said. “I just finished dinner.”
“Me, too,” McKenzie replied. “Well, almost.” She held a slice of cheese pizza in front of her face so Sydney could see it. “We ate early because Dad and Evan have to drive some cattle to pasture. Then they want to practice for the rodeo this weekend.” She pointed to the blue baseball cap on her head. Its yellow letters said: Sulfur Springs Rodeo.
“I didn’t want to hang out downstairs,” Sydney told her. “Someone spray painted graffiti by the Vietnam Wall last night, and Mom blamed it on kids again.”
McKenzie took a bite out of her pizza. “I saw it on the news. Why did she blame it on kids? I mean, anyone could have done it.”
“She blames everything on kids,” Sydney answered. “I think it’s because a lot of the kids around here get into trouble. I try to tell her that we’re not all like that, but she doesn’t listen. Lately she doesn’t listen to anything I say.”
“My mom’s like that, too,” McKenzie said. “Nothing I do is ever right.” Her face lit up. “Hey, the news said it was orange paint, right?”
“Yeah,” Sydney said, fidgeting with her cornrows. “Orange graffiti that said GO 64. So what?”
“So, maybe it’s some crazy nutcase with Agent Orange.”
“Agent who?” Sydney asked.
“Agent Orange!” said McKenzie. “Agent Orange was a chemical they used in Vietnam. I read about it in school. It made some Vietnam soldiers really sick and some even died. So maybe it wasn’t a kid who wrote it. Maybe it’s a guy who got Agent Orange, who’s mad at the government, and wants to get even. By the way, I can’t see you well.”
“You think too much,” Sydney answered. She pulled her desk light closer to her computer and bent it toward her face. “They’re trying to figure out what GO 64 means. My aunt and mom think it could be about some sort of car, or highway, or maybe even a chessboard—“
“A chessboard!” McKenzie screeched. “A person who plays chess won’t spray paint a national monument.”
“I know,” Sydney said. “Some gang member probably wrote it. Anyhow, I don’t care. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“I can see you fine now,” McKenzie said, changing the subject. “So, when is Elizabeth coming?”
“She and her Uncle Dan are flying in from Texas tomorrow,” Sydney answered. “Aunt Dee and I are going pick them up at the airport at four. We’ll take her uncle to his hotel, and then Elizabeth will come here to stay with us.”
“Can Elizabeth’s Uncle Dan get around all by himself?” McKenzie asked. She twisted a strand of her shoulder-length hair around her fingers. “I mean, he’s in a wheelchair and everything.”
“As far as I know, he can,” Sydney answered. “Elizabeth said he plays wheelchair basketball and competes in wheelchair races, so I suppose he gets around just fine by himself. I’m sure once he gets to the hotel, his Vietnam buddies will help him out if he needs help.”
McKenzie reached for a gallon milk container on the kitchen counter. She poured herself a glass. “Well, at least you and Elizabeth don’t have to hang around with him the whole time. He’ll be busy with his reunion stuff, right?”
“Right,” Sydney agreed. “We’ll see him Monday at the Vietnam Wall. Aunt Dee wants to give him the tour, and she thinks that Elizabeth and I should be there. Otherwise, we’re on our own.” Sydney heard strange sounds coming from her computer speakers. “Is that mooing?” she asked.
“Can you hear it?” said McKenzie. “That’s Olivia, our old milk cow. About this time every day, she wanders up to the kitchen window and talks to us. I’ll move the camera, and you can see her.”
McKenzie’s face disappeared from the screen. Sydney watched her friend’s bare feet move across the kitchen floor as she carried the web cam to the window. Then a big, black-and-white cow head appeared. Olivia stood chewing her cud and looking at Sydney with huge, brown eyes.
“Earth to Mac! Earth to Mac!” Sydney called into her computer’s microphone. “Come back Mac!”
Sydney watched McKenzie’s bare feet walk back to the computer. Then her face showed up on the screen.
“Isn’t Olivia awesome?” she said. “You really should come to Montana, Syd. We have tons of animals. I know you’d love it, and we could ride horses and hike, just like we did at camp.”
“Maybe I will some day,” Sydney replied. “But, right now, I’m signing off. I want to clean up my room before Elizabeth gets here from Texas. All of my junk is piled on the other bed. If I don’t move it she won’t have a place to sleep.”
“Okay then,” McKenzie said. “I’ll sign off, too—and eat more pizza.” She picked up the gooey slice from her plate and took another bite. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“See ya,” Sydney answered, switching off her web cam.
Everything in her room looked neat except for the other twin bed. It was hardly ever used, so that was where Sydney stored most of her stuff. It held boxes filled with colorful papers and art materials, magazines, piles of clothes, posters she planned to put up in her room. Sydney had so much stuff stored there that she didn’t know what to do with it all. Under my bed, I guess, she thought.
Before long, the bed was cleaned. Sydney changed the sheets. Then she went to her closet and pulled out a new black and tan bedspread that matched her own. She threw it on top of the bed and tucked it neatly around the pillow.
“Sydney?” Aunt Dee stood in the doorway. She held a long, white envelope. “This came for you.”
The letter was from Elizabeth. Sydney tore open the flap and found a note taped to an information sheet.
Uncle Dan wanted me to send you this so your mom can keep track of him. Just in case of an emergency. It’s his reunion schedule.
Sydney Lincoln read the heading on the sheet of paper. It said, “Annual Reunion—64th Transportation Company, Vietnam.”
My Thoughts Sydney's DC Discovery by Jean Fischer, 2nd book in the Camp Club Girls series, is an improvement over book one. I thought the historical aspects were woven into the story well and I liked the way the author explained terms she thought might be unfamiliar to the reader. We learned a little more about the girls, also. I still think the series is using too many coincidences to drive the plot. The girls have little to no conflict that isn't easily overcome. And similar to book one, I feel the scriptures are just thrown in but at least this book had less of them.
One bothersome aspect comes once in a while as you are reading; you come across words that seem more adult-like, not what someone aged 11/12 would say -
"Girl, you don't see the forest for the trees," (p.69) "We're not talking about some common thugs here, Elizabeth." (p.73)
Plus there's a point where some FBI agents allow Sydney to take a risk that seems very unrealistic. Sydney's DC Discovery is entertaining though and such a light read that I would offer it here in the library. I give it 2 copies.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Books for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Renae Brumbaugh lives in Texas with her pastor husband, two noisy children, and two dogs. She's authored four books in Barbour’s Camp Club Girls’ series, and Morning Coffee with James (Chalice Press), and has contributed to several anthologies. Her humor column and articles have appeared in publications across the country.
Visit the Camp Club Girl's website. Visit the author's website.
“Shhhhhhh!” Sydney told Bailey. “What was that noise?”
“What noise?” asked Bailey.
“Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” commanded her new friend.
The two listened with all their focused energy. Then, there it was. Footsteps. Large, heavy footsteps.
The girls stood in terrified uncertainty.
Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrkkkkk!
Sydney gasped as the eerie shriek filled the air.
Yahahoho ho ho!
Bailey trembled uncontrollably as the crazy, unworldly laugh followed.
“Run!” Sydney screamed. The two dashed as fast as their legs could carry them, back toward the camp. Sydney stopped twice, waiting for Bailey’s shorter legs to catch up.
#
Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth sat in the middle of the dusty road, trying to cram her underwear back into her suitcase before anyone saw. I thought wheels were supposed to make a suitcase easier, she thought. Instead, the rolling blue luggage had tipped over three times before it finally popped open, leaving her belongings strewn in the street.
Suddenly, she was nearly barreled over by two girls running frantically. “Run for your life!” the smaller one cried. “It’s after us!”
“Whoa, calm down,” Elizabeth focused on the terrified girls.
The taller one panted. “Something’s back there!”
Elizabeth looked toward the golf course but saw nothing. She noticed that the smaller girl seemed to struggle for air, and her protective instincts took over. “Calm down. You’ll be okay.”
“Need. . .inhaler,” gasped the girl.
Elizabeth sprang into action, digging through the girl’s backpack until she found a small blue inhaler. Then she helped hold it steady while the slight girl gasped in the medication. The taller girl kept looking toward the miniature golf course they’d just left. “Sorry,” the small girl whispered. “I’m supposed to keep that in my pocket, but I got so excited I forgot.”
“I’m Elizabeth. Why don’t you tell me what happened.”
“I’m Bailey,” said the short, dark-haired girl. “Bailey Chang.”
“And I’m Sydney Lincoln,” said the tall, dark-skinned girl with beaded braids. “We were at the golf course, and. . .and. . .”
“And something came after us!” exclaimed Bailey.
Elizabeth looked skeptical as she tucked a strand of long blond hair into the clip at the base of her neck.
“Is this your first year here? This is my third year here, and the most dangerous thing I’ve seen is a skunk.”
The girls giggled but didn’t look convinced. “Come with us. We’ll show you.” Bailey pulled Elizabeth back toward the golf course.
“I thought you were afraid of whatever it was! Why do you want to go back there?” Elizabeth asked.
The young girl stood to her full height. “Because I am going to be a professional golfer. And I’m not going to let whatever that was bully me. I plan to practice my golf strokes while I’m here.”
“Will you tell me exactly what happened?” Elizabeth asked Sydney.
Sydney looked each girl in the eye and spoke slowly. “Something or someone is in the woods by the golf course. And it wasn’t a friendly.” She paused for dramatic effect. “And. . .it came after us.”
#
Kate Oliver leaned back on her bed and smiled. Yes! I got the bed by the window! she thought. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get good reception for my laptop and cell phone. She tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. It was too short to stay there, and just long enough to drive her crazy.
Bam! The cabin’s outer door slammed, and Kate heard voices. Pushing her black-framed glasses up on her nose, she sat up. Two girls entered the room, giggling and talking.
“I can’t believe I’m finally here! This is so cool. And look at this cute little dorm room! It’s just like the cabin in The Parent Trap! Oh, hello!” The fun-looking brunette with piercing blue eyes greeted Kate. “I’m Alex Howell. Alexis, really, but nobody calls me that except my mother. I am so excited! This will be the best two weeks ever!”
Kate smiled and reached to shake the girl’s hand. “Kate Oliver,” she said. “Welcome to cabin 12B.” She looked at the other girl.
The girl’s freckles matched her curly auburn hair, and she offered a friendly smile. “Hi there. I’m McKenzie Phillips.”
#
The two girls looked at Elizabeth stubbornly, as if needing to prove their story to her. Hearing another bus pull up, Elizabeth remembered her belongings, which were still lying in the middle of the road.
“I’ll tell you what. You help me get this awful suitcase to cabin 12B, and then I’ll walk to the golf course with you. Deal?”
Bailey’s mouth dropped open, and Sydney’s eyes widened.
“You’re in cabin 12B?” asked Sydney.
“That’s our cabin!” exclaimed Bailey.
Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to be surprised. “You’re kidding! Wow. It is a small world. Okay, roomies, help me hide my underwear before the entire camp sees, and we’ll be on our way.”
The girls gathered the strewn articles of clothing. Bailey held up one particular article of clothing and giggled. “Tinkerbell? Seriously, you have Tinkerbell on your . . .”
Elizabeth snatched the unmentionables from Bailey, crammed them in her suitcase, and snapped it shut. “Not another word, shorty!” Elizabeth scolded, but with a twinkle in her eye. The three girls chattered all the way to cabin 12B. As they approached the cabin, the two younger girls pulled their luggage out from behind some bushes.
“We sat together on the bus from the airport, and we both wanted to see the golf course before we did anything else. So we stowed our suitcases here until we got back,” explained Sydney.
Elizabeth laughed. With these two as roommates, this year’s camp experience would be far from dull.
The girls entered the cabin and located room B to the right. Three girls were already there, smiling and laughing.
“Hello, I’m Elizabeth. I guess we’ll be roommates!” She tossed her things on the lower bunk closest to the door, and Sydney placed her things on the bunk above that. Bailey took the top bunk next to Sydney. After an awkward pause, McKenzie stepped forward.
“I’m McKenzie Phillips,” she said. “I’m thirteen, and I’m from White Sulphur Springs, Montana.”
Alex bounced forward. “I’m Alexis Howell, Alex for short. I’m twelve, and I’m from Sacramento.”
“Sydney. Twelve. Washington, D.C.”
“Oh, that is so cool. Do you know the president?” asked Bailey, and everyone laughed. “I’m Bailey Chang. I’m nine, and I’m from Peoria, Illinois. And just so you’ll all know, I plan to be the next Tiger Woods. I’ll be glad to sign autographs, if you want. They’ll be worth money some day.”
Elizabeth stepped forward. “I’ll take one, Bailey. I’ll sell it and use the money for college. I’m Elizabeth Anderson, fourteen, from Amarillo, Texas.”
“Well, I guess that leaves me,” said Kate. “Kate Oliver, eleven, Philadelphia.”
Alexis jumped up and down. “Oh, this will be so much fun! Kate brought her laptop with her. I have the coolest roommates ever!”
Everyone’s attention turned to Kate’s bed, which was covered with a laptop and several small gadgets. “What is all that stuff?” asked Sydney. The girls gathered around Kate’s bed and watched her pull items out of a black backpack.
“It’s like a magician’s bag. It has no bottom,” mused McKenzie.
Kate laughed. “My dad teaches robotics at Penn State, so he’s always bringing home little devices to test out. Some of them are really helpful. Some of them are just fun to play with.”
One by one, she pulled the oddly shaped gadgets out of her bag, describing the functions of each.
“This is my cell phone. It can take pictures and short video clips, has a GPS tracker, a satellite map, Internet access, a motion sensor, a voice recorder, and about a zillion other things!” Aiming it at the others, she said, “Say cheese!”
The other girls leaned together and smiled. “Cheeeeeeeeeeeeese!”
Kate saved the picture, then passed the phone to the others and dug through her backpack again. “This digital recorder can record conversations up to thirty feet away.”
Sydney squinted her eyes. “You’re kidding! That thing is the size of a contact lens! Let me see!” Kate handed her the recorder and kept digging.
“This is a reader,” she continued, holding up a small penlike device.
“A what?” asked McKenzie.
“A reader. You run it across words on a page, and it records them to memory. Like a small scanner.”
“That is so cool! I had no idea stuff like this existed!” McKenzie examined the reader.
“Here, I have my Bible. Will you show us how the reader works?” Elizabeth grabbed a worn Bible from her bag and handed it to Kate.
“Sure. You turn it on by pressing this button, and. . .” She ran the pen over a page in Psalms.
Elizabeth giggled. “I’ve heard of hiding God’s Word in your heart, but never in your pen!”
The gadget girl suddenly stopped her display to announce, “Hey, I’m starved. Is anybody else hungry?”
“It’s almost dinnertime,” announced Elizabeth. “But first, we have some business to take care of at the golf course.”
The girls listened as Sydney and Bailey described their experience.
“Whoa, cool!” exclaimed Alex. “We have a mystery on our hands! Why don’t we go right now and check it out?”
“Why don’t we eat first?” called out Kate. “Starving girl here, remember?” The others laughed at the petite girl whose stomach was growling loudly.
Since it was almost dinnertime, the group decided to head to the dining hall first. Bailey led the way, taking over as tour guide.
“Wait for me,” called Alex. “I need to grab my lip gloss!” She shoved strawberry Lip Smackers into her pocket.
The group wandered through the camp, with Bailey pointing out different sites. Suddenly, she stopped. “Well, guys, I hate to tell you this. . .but I have no idea how to get to the dining hall from here.”
“It’s this way,” stated Elizabeth. “You’ll get your bearings. My first year here, it took me the whole time before I could find my way around. But I get lost in a closet.”
McKenzie spoke up. “Come on, girls, let’s go. Remember, Kate’s about to starve. We wouldn’t want her to waste away to nothing.”
Everyone laughed at Kate, who pretended to be nearly fainting. “I need sustenance, and I need it now!”
The group arrived at the dining hall with seven minutes to spare. They stood near the front of the line, and Elizabeth said, “Get ready for a long meal. The camp director will explain all the camp rules, introduce the counselors, and tell us more than we want to know about Camp Discovery Lake.”
“Terrific.” Bailey sighed. “I wanted to visit the golf course before dark.”
“Don’t worry,” said Alex. “After the story you and Sydney told, I think we all want to find out what’s down there.”
“Really?” Bailey said. “You’ll all come?”
“You bet!” said McKenzie. “The girls of cabin 12B stick together!”
#
The sun was dipping behind the horizon by the time the girls left the dining hall.
“Hooray! We can finally go to the golf course!” Bailey called.
“We’d better hurry. It’s getting dark,” said Elizabeth.
“Yeah, and after the story you and Sydney told, I certainly don’t want to be there after dark,” added Kate.
The girls scurried while chattering about the different camp activities they wanted to try. Before they knew it, the sun was gone and they could barely see the road. “Why is the golf course so far away from the main camp?” asked Alex nervously.
Sydney laughed. “So nobody will get hit on the head with a stray golf ball!”
Suddenly, a voice called out from the woods.
“Who? Who? Who?”
“What was that?” whispered Bailey.
“Who?” came the voice again.
McKenzie giggled. “You city girls don’t know much about the country, do you? That was an owl!”
The others burst into laughter as the voice called again, “Who?”
“I’m Sydney! Who are you?” Sydney shouted, and the laughter continued.
“It sure does get dark here, doesn’t it?” said Kate. “It never gets this dark in the city.”
“Are we close to the golf course?” asked Alex.
“It doesn’t seem nearly as far in the daytime,” Elizabeth told her.
They continued, each trying to seem brave. The trees that had seemed friendly and protecting in the daytime now loomed like angry giants. The girls’ steps became slower and slower as they struggled to see where they were stepping.
Finally, Kate stopped and looked at the sky through the trees. “Look, everybody! It’s the Big Dipper!” The other five girls looked to where she pointed.
“Wow, the sky is beautiful. It’s so dark, and the stars are so bright,” whispered Sydney.
“The stars are never this bright in Sacramento,” Alex commented. “The city lights are brighter. Hey, this reminds me of an episode of Charlie’s Angels, where the Angels’ car broke down in the middle of nowhere, and they had to use the stars to find their way home.”
The girls were so focused on the sky that they didn’t notice the image moving toward them. Kate was the first to lower her eyes, and she blinked in confusion. Adjusting her eyeglasses, she whispered, “Uh, guys?”
The girls continued pointing out the brightest stars.
Kate tried to make her voice louder, but terror kept it to a soft squeak. “G–g–guys?” The image moved closer, but still, no one heard her. Finally, Kate grabbed Sydney’s sleeve. “Wh–wh–what is that?” she squeaked.
Sydney looked. “Oh, my word! What in the world is that?”
The girls saw a white stripe in the road, moving slowly, steadily toward them. They were frozen, until Elizabeth yelled, “Skunk!”
Camp Discovery Lake resounded with shrieks and squeals as the girls ran back toward the cabins. McKenzie led the way with Alex close on her heels.
The girls didn’t slow down until they had burst through the door of cabin 12B. Falling onto the beds, they panted, then soon began giggling.
“Can you believe it? A skunk! We were scared of a little bitty skunk!” howled McKenzie.
“I don’t know about you, McKenzie, but I wasn’t about to smell like Pepe Le Pew out there!” retorted Alex, and the girls laughed even harder.
“Hey, Sydney, is that what scared you today? Some forest creature?”
Sydney and Bailey stopped giggling and looked at one another. “No,” they replied.
“Whatever we heard was not small,” said Bailey. “And it wasn’t friendly.”
“And it definitely came after us,” added Sydney.
My Thoughts Although I think the Camp Club Girls idea has potential there were too many coincidences used to move the plot ahead. The girls all immediately became friends and one of them had a backpack full of spy equipment. The dog they found was never discovered by anyone else even though he howled and messed up their room. The girls were even able to catch their arch-nemesis crying over people expecting her to be perfect because her father's a minister. ( As a preacher's kid myself, I don't feel that was the entirely realistic.) The girls were able to sneak around the camp without getting caught and found every piece of evidence they needed. I also felt the scriptures were inserted into the story instead of being a part of the story.
All said, I give it 0 copies. Now, I'm hoping it was just this particular book that has issues. This is a planned 24-book series with a variety of authors. I'll be reading Sydney's DC Discovery in the hopes that the series improves.
My Summary When police officers find a disabled veteran living in the woods with his 13 year old daughter, they decide the best course of action is to let Ray, the father, go free and send Lindy, the daughter, to foster care. Jess Villareal, one of the police officers, decides that is NOT the best course and she takes matters into her own hands.
My Thoughts When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge is told through the alternating voices of Jess Villareal and Lindy Wiggs. Jess has always wanted to be a police officer like her hero, her dad. She feels as if she's doing what he would have wanted and she hopes she's making the world better. When Lindy's dad returned from Iraq he rescued her from a world filled with drugs and debauchery. Luckily, Lindy had never been involved in any of those things. She and her dad try to make a new life and settle in a wildlife refuge. They've been living there for years and somehow find time to visit the library so Lindy doesn't fall behind in her studies.
In the beginning of the book Lindy's voice has this formal way of talking that could be a by-product of not spending time with others. After the Wiggs are brought in, Lindy's voice changes. The more she interacts with the outside world her tone "loosens". Towards the end the formality returns but there's a hint of knowledge in the voice. Jessica's voice loosens up also. She is intent on her job in the beginning, very this is black and this is white, as the story progresses and she spends more time with Lindy and Chris, she starts to see the gray in some situations. In a sense, it seems the author is saying we need interactions with all types of people. Those forays into other people's lives enhance our own.
The story moved quickly and was intriguing enough to stay with you. I would have loved to know more about the Wiggs', does Ray get help? Also, there was a mystery about Lindy's mom that I want to know more about. All in all, I recommend this book for book clubs. There are author notes and discussion questions in the back that would be helpful.
About The Author Bestselling author Jennie Shortridge has four published novels: Riding with the Queen, (NAL 2003), Eating Heaven (2005), Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe (2008), and now When She Flew (2009). Prior to writing novels, her nonfiction work appeared regularly in magazines and newspapers, including Glamour, Mademoiselle, Natural Home, and others. The Seattle writer has been called “an accomplished and superior novelist” by the Statesmen Journal and “a writer to watch out for,” by the Rocky Mountain News.
When not writing, she spends time in the community helping kids and adults learn to write better, and has recently co-founded (with fellow Seattle author Garth Stein) a collective of Northwest authors (Seattle7Writers.org) who use their powers for good in the community as well.
Whew! I've been doing a lot of reading but not a lot of blogging, I know. We have a two week break coming up and I promise to blog more often then. I know many people are taking a break from blogging at this time so this is a good time for me to step up!!
Since my last Are You My Newbery post, I've read: Crossing Stones by Helen Frost Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud Forest Born by Shannon Hale Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech Extra Credit by Andrew Clements Wild Things by Clay Carmichael Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LeFleur Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal The Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O'Connor
Skype Interviews Fran Cannon Slayton of When The Whistle Blows - very informative. I have some audio that I'm trying to include but will just post the interview if people are interested. This was with the teachers in my Mock Newbery club at the middle school.
Jacqueline Kelly of Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - intriguing. This was with the St. Joseph Public Library Mock Newbery club which has about 30 students from a variety of schools.
My Mock Newbery 2010 guesses When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead When The Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon SLOB by Ellen Potter Neil Armstrong is My Uncle by Nan Marino Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo Crossing Stones by Helen Frost Wild Things by Clay Carmichael Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O'Connor
If you want to see reviews of any of these, please leave me a comment! I will get it up as soon as possible!
Summary Muriel, Ollie and Emma relay the events leading up to WWI when two of their number decide to join the army. We also get a glimpse into the women's civil rights movement as it relates to Muriel's family.
Format This verse novel alternates between the voices of Muriel, whose words are shaped like a river, and Emma/Ollie, whose words are shaped like crossing stones. The "stones" also have a special rhyme scheme that the author explains in her notes. Each chapter is made up of several poems and covers a month from April 1917 to January 1918.
My Thoughts My first thoughts on picking up this book were "not another war novel". This year's Newbery hopefuls are replete with them. Helen Frost writes about WWI but I've read about WWII, 9/11, and the War in Kosovo.
Crossing Stones alternates voices but in a way that's not disruptive to the book's overall tone. I found myself understanding both Muriel and Ollie's viewpoint because their characters are well drawn. You understand why they make the choices they do. Muriel is "plucky" but not overbearing and she's also thoughtful.
Mother: I have no intention of becoming the Mrs. Norman of your imaginary future. Who I am remains to be seen - and I alone intend to see it. (p. 15)
Ollie's young but tenderhearted.
To tell the truth, I don't care as much about their lofty goals as I do about seeing my family again- there's a man on a bike, pedaling into the morning, bringing bread home to his family, I bet. (p. 60)
Through their eyes we also get a sense of the other characters.
The plot had just enough history to make it interesting but not boring. Each poem was like it's own little story within a story. The writing was so vivid and the story moved quickly. Frost didn't just focus on the homefront, what happened to the people left behind, but also gave us a little taste of the warfront as well as the suffragist's movement.
I really enjoyed Crossing Stones and can't wait to find Diamond Willow. I give it 4 copies. Bonus: Helen Frost lives in Fort Wayne, IN! Maybe we can do an author visit - if only I could find a curriculum use for this one...
"Reading and literacy can not only make us better individuals but it can also motivate us to effect greater changes around us." The Social Justice Challenge leaders
Have you seen this? This is one challenge I think I can do. When I have more time, I can do more. Less time, do less. The challenge runs for a year and ties into so many things I want to do: Live Your Five, Diversity Challenge, Three Cups of Tea, etc. All the things I want to do but don't know where to start. They've taken that excuse away - just in time.
We've been looking for something to get our kids involved with at school too so I'm hoping this will prove to be the "thing" we are looking for. Again, not much trouble on our parts but the gain...
