Category: Childrens Lit

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! It’s going to be a busy weekend for me, so let’s get things started with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

1. Where Fish Go In Winter by Amy Goldman Koss
Loved this intro science Q&A book as a kid. Spoiler alert: fish are under the ice.

2. Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
Not sure the Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders would have caved that quickly.

3. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
The series should have ended here; stakes felt highest. (Haha, stakes.)

4. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight trans. by Simon Armitage
Read this and kept thinking “‘It’s just a flesh wound!”

5. Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman
Mini-sequel to His Dark Materials doesn’t quite hold its own, but loved seeing Lyra again.

Friday Fifteen

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Guys, it’s Friday and I’m starting to breathe like a normal human being again. Take that, plague! Onto the fifteen-word (or fewer) book reviews:

1. The Voice on the Radio by Caroline B. Cooney
Don’t remember this nearly as well as its prequels. Reeve is no longer crush-worthy.

2. Questions about Angels by Billy Collins
Good balance of whimsy and thoughtful poetic turns. Maybe not groundbreaking, but they satisfy.

3. Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle
L’Engle tackles a weird part of the Bible and, of course, handles it deftly.

4. The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2 by Lee Gutkind
Not quite as memorable as Vol. 1, but still excellent collection of essays.

5. Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys by Francesca Lia Block
My least favorite of the Weetzie books. The band stuff is fun though.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everybody! Let’s dive into a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

1. Survey Of Historic Costume: A History Of Western Dress, Fourth Edition by K. Eubank and P. G. Tortora
Took a history of dress class; this was our text. Shockingly useful for a writer.

2. Under the Mummy’s Spell by Kate McMullan
Read this alongside an Egypt history unit in fifth grade. It was awesome.

3. Three’s a Crowd (Sweet Valley Twins #7) by Francine Pascal
OMIGOD, Mary, you can’t just be a Wakefield.

4. On Writing by Stephen King
Read this in high school, vehemently disagreed with King about adverbs.

5. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
This book gave me all the feels. Gorgeous writing, expertly crafted, characters I love.

Links Galore

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All the links I’ve been hoarding:

Friday Fifteen

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Happy November, everyone! What better way to start the month off than with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer?

1. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
A fun read in companion with Harry Potter 7. “The Tale of the Three Brothers” especially feels like a real folktale.

2. Both Sides Of Time by Caroline B. Cooney
Romance and time travel in Victorian New York. Reread this a lot as a kid.

3. The Sunnydale High Yearbook by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder
Season 3 was the best, and I was totally the target audience.

4. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
Can see why it was so influential, but never connected to Stephen Dedalus.

5. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Handford
In a world where red-striped shirts rule, one man stands alone…in a huge crowd.

“Heads Will Roll” on Halloween

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Happy Halloween, everybody! In case you couldn’t guess by my Twitter feed today (or really, this month), I’m a big fan of Halloween-ish music. Who needs Christmas carols when you have classics like “The Monster Mash” and the Ghostbusters theme song?

One of my current favorite creepy songs is “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The video is really fun, too:

Similarly, I like when Halloween pops up in books/movies otherwise not about Halloween. The Chance You Won’t Return has a Halloween scene, and has been there since the first draft. So much of the book is about who you present yourself as and who you really are, which meant that having a Halloween scene seemed necessary. Other favorite books with Halloween scenes include:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
    Class halloween parties are great until there’s a troll in the dungeon. Who doesn’t love the moment when Harry, Ron, and Hermione become friends?
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
    So much of the book feels like summer to me, but the last terrifying and beautiful scene is set on Halloween night.
  • The Egypt Game
    Halloween is when the group takes its full form, with Toby and Ken joining. This book feels like fall to me.

Hope you all have a fun and spoooooky night!

Friday Fifteen

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In case you haven’t noticed by the (relative) blog silence, it’s been a crazy week for me, so I am super psyched to see that it’s Friday. Let’s get this weekend started with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer!

1. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
The “must read” book in college. Curious if it stands up a decade later.

2. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
Another delightful fairy tale adaptation from Levine. Would have devoured it as a kid.

3. The Hatbox Baby by Carrie Brown Expected more baby-in-a-hatbox shenanigans, like The Importance of Being Earnest‘s perambulator.

4. The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L’Engle
Not the most memorable, but it’s a cool companion to A Ring of Endless Light.

5. Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Do you hear the typewriters’ click? Typing the words of angry cows.

Friday Fifteen

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I can hardly believe it’s Friday. Maybe a few book reviews in fifteen words (or fewer) will help me wrap my mind around it.

1. The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
A prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, not as memorable for me.

2. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Different from the movie in a good way. Must be that NY vibe.

3. Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume
Strong sequel; I loved seeing ‘perfect’ Rachel and her secret family drama.

4. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
A Victorian-era mystery starring a clever orphaned girl? Sign me up.

5. The Collected Poems, Vol. 1: 1909-1939 by William Carlos Williams
“This Is Just to Say” is literature’s best “sorry not sorry” poem.

Links Galore

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Some good links for the week:

Friday Fifteen

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This week, Friday could not have come at a better time. Here are this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

1. Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
A lot of depth and heart in this one. Gave me Friday Night Lights feelings.

2. The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2) by Lemony Snicket
One of the more formulaic, but the writing continues to be fun and propulsive. 

3. A History of the World in 10½ Chapters by Julian Barnes
Collection of loosely linked stories. Well crafted and stayed with me more than I expected.

4. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
I wish all mice cared about chivalry. Charming kind of Don Quixote for kids.

5. Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Frankly, I thought Frog could do a little better.