Oh, Kate DiCamillo, you have done it again! Flora is a little girl, a cynic in fact, but the day that her neighbor Tootie vacuums up a squirrel and he comes out with magical powers her cynicism is shaken to its core. Ulysses, as Flora names him, is a sensitive superhero of a squirrel who has a penchant for poetry and is always hungry. In fact, Ulysses is responsible for all kinds of wonderful things, including bringing Flora closer with her mother and father, and giving her a healthy dose of optimism.
Lovely, short comic strips flesh out the major action in the story. All in all, a heartwarming tale that will engage listeners and readers alike.
Younger children will enjoy listening to this story, say first to second grade. 4-6 graders will be able to read this on their own.
Scary and haunting. There were times when I actually had to put this book down because I was so terrified by what had just happened or what I thought was going to. Cormac McCarthy can take a sparse, post-apocalyptic nothingness and turn it into a setting rich with emotion and detail. I find myself still thinking about this story; wondering, hoping...unable to let go of the images it leaves behind.
Snow White Must Die is an excellent police procedural/mystery. It is by German author, Nele Neuhaus, but the translation is flawless. It doesn't read like a stiffly translated book. If this hadn't been the Manitou Library's book club selection, I probably wouldn't have read it since I don't care for translated books. Snow White Must Die is outstanding and I am looking forward to reading Neuhaus' other books. I don't want to give away the plot, so read it for yourself. It is in hardback and on Overdrive.
Beautiful little story, full of fantastic imagery and good feelings.
It revolves around the journey of a young man in search of a fallen star for his love. He travels through the magical land of Faerie and encounters many wonderful, strange and malicious beings. A great book with a happy ending.
This book is set up as a series of dictionary entries that portray one couple's roller coaster of a love story. As such it follows no specific timeline and lets the reader try to piece it together one entry at a time.
There is at least one word for each letter and the corresponding "definitions" range from a few words to multiple pages making this book a quick read at only a little over 200 pages.
It was o.k. I felt like there was just not much of a plot until the very end, and then it just... ended. If the end (those of you who have read it know the "end" I'm talking about) would have been more toward the middle of the story, I think the book would have been more interesting.
Otherwise, it was a book about a teenager who is overly cocky to hide his insecurity. Nothing really new. Funny in parts, and not unreadable, just o.k.
Wavering between three and four stars. While I appreciated the intricacy of Ursula's many lives (I kind of saw it as a Sliding Doors type of book), there were points when I was madly flipping back and forth trying to remember what happened the LAST time she died and who the myriad of characters were, which was frustrating and took me out of the story. I do think the writing was amazing, and read this much faster than I anticipated.
I agree with other reviews I have read in that I'm not sure how it should have ended, but the one it had was not as strong as the rest of the book. I may change the rating once I have the chance to digest this book a bit more!
This was a wonderful book written by the characters in the form of letters to each other. The story line was engaging. Historical fiction that takes place shortly after the Nazi occupation of an island between England and France. It felt as if you had spent time with new friends at the end of the book. Charming!
This book was too long and the author tried too hard to make it deep and poetic. But I read the whole thing, so it wasn't bad. I liked hearing about Hitler's reign from a German non-Jew perspective. Death as a narrator was okay, I guess. I don't know, it just didn't really work for me. Also, although it's technically a teen book, I think it's more suited for adults.
This was a really neat book. I really enjoyed the photos and the way they were woven together to make a fascinating story. I can imagine the author collecting odd photos and then constructing a story to link them all together. I wonder if there will be a sequel?
I finished 3 of the 5 books. Books 1 and 2 were AWESOME, 5 stars for sure, but Book 3 got a bit convoluted. But I love Hitchhikers, especially the bizarre jokes that manifest themselves throughout the book. Great bits include the bovine animal at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe that tries to tempt Dent and friends with various parts of its body for dinner; Slartibartfast and his award-winning fjords; The planet that tricked its mid-level personnel to leave it for Earth; The fact that Earth is actually a giant computer made by mice to determine the Question to the Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Good stuff. Very, very funny.
Black Arts is the 7th book in the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. Jane is a tall, native american skinwalker who began her career as a rogue vampire hunter, who got into the security business protecting high level vampire properties in Louisiana as a result of her expert skills. Those skills are greatly enhanced by her "Beast", the spirit of a puma she accidentally trapped when she was a child, turning into a symbiotic working relationship. Beast, by the way, provides excellent humor in her "voice", and terms for "stupid pack animals" and her direct impressions of how silly humans can be.
In this book, Jane is still trying to fit into working within a team, Yellowrock Securities, after working most of her life alone. In rapid succession Jane is asked to help her missing best friend, two "ladies of the night" from Katie's Ladies who have gone off and not returned, spearhead the security preparations for a high level vampire gathering while trying to keep herself together as her personal world crumbles around her.
Black Arts takes the reader on an edge-of-your-seat, roller coaster ride of tension and emotion so artfully done that at the end of the book the reader is literally stunned. I bought my copy, ask the library for one, you won't regret it.
Wow! This is one of my favorite books ever! It is engaging, interesting, and super WOW! I love that the dragons come to life off of the page, and they seam to make you feel like you could see one flying around if you looked closely! :) It also has values that promote good thoughts, and birth wonderful new ideas! This is one of my ultimate all time favorite book!
:)
This is one of the best books I've read recently! A ten-year old boy with facial abnormailities moves from being homeschooled to a private school starting 5th grade. The book is beautifully written, showing the growth in him, his family, his classmates, and the school staff, as they learn to appreciate the value of each person. The author has chosen to have different people narrate several chapters at a time, making the book a well-round, completely fascinating read!
Yay! I love Bridget. I can't help it. She has a special place in my heart. At times sad, at times frustrating, at times very funny, and completely full of heart, this book is the perfect homage to perhaps the most endearing heroine in chick lit.
Only one word could possibly describe this book....awesome. It was full of action and had a great balance of seriousness and humor. It had many twists and that were sometimes unexpected. I also thought it had a great, happy ending.
Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief is maybe the most strange novel I have ever read. I started reading by the recommendation of a friend. She told me it was about the Greek gods in the modern world, and I was skeptical, yet it turned out to be one of the best books I've read. This story is fascinating and strung with believable characters, voice, intriguing plot and even villains that you care for. This story is a must-read!
Do you like fantasy? If you like fantasy weaved into every day life, you will love Raising Dragons and the rest of the Dragons in our Midst series. The book starts out with Billy Bannister who figures out he is the son of a dragon. Now, if you think this sounds strange and unrealistic, you will be surprised. Bryan Davis writes in such a convincing way that makes you almost wonder if there might be dragons in our midst.
From the moment Wendy realizes she'll grow up, to the very end when Peter stole Mrs. Darlings thimbles, this book was brilliant, sad, and filled with adventure. I loved that Tinker Bell was a a 'common' fairy and that Hook was more three dimensional and not an all evil figure. The narrative was beautiful, clever, and even a bit melancholy. Peter is the tragic figure here. But of course, he's fine and happy. I loved how Wendy's daughter and granddaughter played into the mix. Perhaps you stay young forever through your offspring.
Michael Hague illustrates this volume brilliantly.
Doomed was the amazing sequel to Damned by Chuck Palahniuk. He, being one of my favorite authors, has yet to let me down, though I admittedly have always been skeptical of sequels. There was nothing disappointing about Doomed. It fulfilled all the same curiosities, gruesome details, excitement and dark humour that Damned had. The series is an account, written by a 13-year old girl as blog entries (Damned was written as letters to Satan).
Madison Spencer died and was sent to Hell to pay for her earthly crimes. It details her heroism and her mission to save the rest of the planet from going to Hell as she did. It's very imaginative, easy to read, and captivating.