Book Review: Savvy

Have you ever wished there was something special about you.  Something special that set you apart and made you different.  Have you wished for a gift or talent, perhaps, that no one else has?  That is what Mibs is looking forward to on her 13th birthday.  On that special day, Mibs knows she will find her Savvy and she can't wait.  But as best laid plans often go awry, her life takes an unexpected turn of events when her father is in a tragic car accident the day before her birthday.

"Savvy", a Newberry Honor book, written by Ingrid Law, is a delightful, young-adolescent novel.  Mibs (short for Mississippi) comes from a long line of ancestors who have a variety of "savvies."  While most grandmothers can peaches, Mibs' grandmother cans music.  One brother can influence water and wind so much as to make a storm appear out of nowhere.  Her oldest brother influences electricity, blowing out light-bulbs and TVs, and powers the family car.  Mibs is desperately hoping her Savvy allows her to wake people and things up because now her father in lying in a coma in the hospital.  When Mibs, and a few others, stow away on a pink, bible delivery bus, the adventure begins in earnest, as she discovers her savvy, friendship and how to be true to herself.  

Ingrid Law has a lot of fun with language and descriptive passages that are a delight to read.  The simple and free use of words kept a smile on my face throughout the story.  The eclectic group of characters are fun and down to earth.   Mibs is a character most young girls will relate to, in the middle of growing from a child to a teen-ager, dealing with the drama of girls in jr. high and discovering who she really is.  Mibs comes from a strong, supportive family, which is a relief, when so much that we see on TV or in movies depicts broken and/or disfunctional families.  There are also a couple of sweet, romantic relationships that develop which are completely appropriate for the age of the intended reader.  I can't wait for my 10 (almost 11)-year-old to read this book.

There were a few ideas that I have thought about long after I finished the book.  When that happens, I know I'm glad to own the book and have it on my shelf to lend to others.  

*  One of those ideas is basically the idea of what a savvy is.  Mibs' mother explains it by saying that "lots and lots of ordinary folk have a savvy, but most simply don't recognize it for what it is."  She continues with examples of different talents or strengths, such as making the best strawberry jam, getting called a whiz kid or being able to talk anyone into buying anything at all.  So I've been wondering lately, what is MY savvy?

*  Mibs' savvy (without giving too much away) is being able to hear what others are thinking or feeling.  As she learns more about her savvy, she also learns more about the impact of the thoughts we allow into our minds.  She says:

"Maybe we all have other people's voices running higgledy-piggledy through our heads all the time.  I thought how often my poppa and momma were there inside my head with me, telling me right from wrong.  Or how the voices of Ashley Bing and Emma Flint sometimes got stuck under my skin, taunting me and making me feel low, even when they weren't around.  I began to realize how hard it was to separate out all the voices to hear the single, strong one that came just from me."

The end is especially touching when Mibs wishes her savvy would work in reverse so everyone could know how she feels because she can't find the words for her emotions.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Although it is definitely written for a young group of readers, the little golden nuggets of self-awareness and growth were wonderful and kept me thinking long after I put the book down. 

Book Review: Blubber

I was perusing the books at Deseret Industries and came upon a book by an author I remember enjoying as a child. Judy Blume, ever heard of her? In particular, I remember reading “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and the “Fudge” books that followed. “Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great” and “Freckle Juice” were fun to read as well. 
 So when I saw “Blubber”, by Judy Blume, on the shelf for .50 I promptly put it in my cart thinking Sydney would like reading it. The setting is 5th grade, Syd’s grade next year, and judging from the back cover, the book is about a little bit of bullying. That’s a topic all children should know about and I thought this would be a good jumping-off point for some timely discussions.


Luckily, I read the book myself first. Call me naïve, and you’re welcome, but I was not prepared for the harshness of the text. The reviews on the back cover describe the story as “entertaining”, “An inside look at how obnoxious some well-to-do, suburban, fifth grade children can be”, and “a good family story as well as a school story”. The type of bullying I read in this book I would never describe as entertaining, obnoxious or a good family story.


The story is told from Jill’s perspective. She seems to be your typical 10 or 11 year old. She joins Wendy, the ring-leader of several students, in bullying Linda. A slightly over-weight girl who doesn’t seem to have any friends. I just couldn’t believe the cruelty of the girls’ actions against Linda. It went way beyond name-calling and pushing. Most of the bullying was pre-conceived and well-thought out by Wendy and supported the rest of the class. It was almost too much for me, as an adult, to read. Maybe I’m a softee, but yuck. I kept thinking this has to get better. There has to be a refuge for her or a friend or sympathetic adult, at least. But the adults and teachers were all completely clueless and unsympathetic. When the tables turn and Jill is the target, the most sympathetic thing she hears is from her mother who says, “It’s rough to be on the other side, isn’t it?” There is also some language from Jill and quite a bit of cigarette smoking by her mother.


“Blubber” was published in 1974 and times have changed. I think we have more of a “no tolerance” philosophy after some of the school violence episodes we’ve seen unfold. I was just totally unprepared for what I read. There was no cushion. It was all raw realism. Perhaps that’s what Judy Blume is known for. I just didn’t remember any of that rawness in her other books. 


So I guess my final thoughts are, I’m not going to suggest that Sydney read this book. I think it would worry her. It would be a good jumping off point for a discussion on bullying, but I’m not sure now is the time. And one other thing is for sure, I think I’ll keep reading the books she is reading. I’ve always thought this was a good idea, but now I’m quite certain. Not that I’ll censor what she reads, but I would like to be able to discuss it with her. Especially important topics like bullying.

Book Review: The Hero and the Crown

I remember reading “The Hero and The Crown” by Robin McKinnley, as a young girl, pre-teen if I remember correctly. I loved it. I loved it because it could have been about me. . .if I lived in a place where magic was real and dragons harassed neighboring villages. Which I did not. These things I did not have in common with Aerin, the young misfit daughter of the King of Daria.

But I did live in a place where I sometimes felt out of place, where other girls my age were sometimes mean and I desperately wanted to know that I was something or someone of value. These things I did have in common with Aerin.

And so I guess such things may be common to all young girls, which makes Aerin a relatable and enjoyable character. She is self-conscious and insecure, yet inquisitive enough to be determined to find answers to her questions. This determination leads her on an adventure of self-discovery as we see her come to know herself better as she discovers her destiny and rises up to face what fate demands of her.

The relationships between characters throughout the book were heart felt. Aerin’s father was well-drawn by McKinnley, as was the young girl’s antagonist at home, Galanna, full of jealousy and petty pranks. Tor, as the love interest, was strong and full of heart and heroism. And Luthe, well, I’m still figuring him out but I must admit, I rather enjoyed his relationship with Aerin as well.

The action scenes were well-written but at the same time, they sort of came upon me unawares. I always felt like I was surprised we were already at the climax of a certain adventure. And at times, I was confused by some of the magic (time-travel, mages, etc.) But I was not disappointed in the end. It was a grand adventure.

I would have to say that the highlight of the book for me was the coming of age of Aerin. Her discovery of finding what she is good at and then embracing it, even though it is against the common opinion of the society she lives in. I loved seeing her grow and understand and mature into the role her destiny required of her. 

As a young girl, I loved the idea of doing something no one had done before. Nowadays, even as a grown woman, it seems like I’m always watching what other people are doing or what they expect of me. What kind of mother, wife, sister, friend, should I be? Well, if I follow Aerin’s lead, as I hoped to when I was young, I might turn out to be someone marvelous, that I never knew I was

Beastly

Its been a while since I've done a book review. But today I just feel like it, which is funny, considering I'm not in love with this book.

"Beastly" by Alex Flinn, is very much geared toward a specific audience. That would be passionate, socially current, fashion minded, emotionally charged, young people. All of which I am most definitely not. I take that back. I am most assuredly emotionally charged (post-partum anyone?) but not the teenage angst type of emotionally charged, which powers a lot of this book.

This novel is a new and current take on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. An arrogant young man is caught in his bad behavior and cursed by a witch. His curse is that his outward appearance match his inner self, which is beastly to behold. And thus starts the young man's journey to discover a truer and more pure heart. As is expected in a retelling, all the ingredients of the original story are there. The castle, the roses, the household help who stand by him and, of course, a young lady with a pure heart who sees through his exterior beastliness.

The fun of the book is in the current surroundings. High school, New York, subways, dances and modern dialogue. I appreciated how the author took the opportunity to show other ugly (or beastly) parts of society as well, beyond just the young man. It kind of made me realize how ugly begets ugly to some degree and perhaps he was somewhat a sum of his surroundings. I was somewhat put off by the amount of teen angst and that most of it was centered on physical desires. It was not horrible and pretty nit-picky of me to even mention it. In fact, I probably wouldn't mention it if the characters were older, but I guess I'm over sensitive to teens thinking that the crushes they have in high school are the ultimate, most passionate relationships they will have. (Don't get me started on Twilight.)

It was a quick book to read, but definitely geared toward a younger generation than me. Nevertheless, I was interested throughout and really cared about what happened to the young man. And the ending was satisfying. 3 STARS (out of 5)

5 Keys to do the unlocking....plus some.

I just finished reading "Keys to the Demon Prison" by Brandon Mull. It is the 5th and final book in the FableHaven series. And believe me, it did not disappoint. Kendra and her brother, Seth, are off on another exciting adventure trying to stop the plot of the Sphinx, who wants to open the demon prison. He claims he will be able to control the demons. But that seems pretty arrogant to me. Controlling demons? Yeah, right.

Anyway, we soon find out that there is a lot more at play here than just the Sphinx and Kendra and Seth. The scope of good vs. evil is much more broad than that. Soon enough, the 5 keys to the prison are changing hands all over the place and new pieces to the puzzle are found that make things interesting.

One thing I love, and have loved since the first book, about Brandon Mull's writing is that he doesn't just bring you to the edge of a cliff and then resolve the crises. He falls off the cliff and you wonder how could that have just happened and what in the world are they going to do now? He's not afraid to have his characters make major mistakes and then the fun is in resolving it.

This series was so much fun to read. As is his other book, "Candy Shop Wars." If you don't have time for a 5 book series, try "Candy Shop Wars."

Bubba, the Cowboy Prince

I thought I'd review a picture book today for Book Worm Wednesday!

Bubba the Cowboy Prince, a fractured Texas tale.

Written by Hene Ketteman.

I absolutely loooove this book. And so do my kids. I've always loved to read re-makes, re-writes, if you will, of fairy tales. And this is a great take on Cinderella. Only this time, the poor soul with wicked "steps" is Bubba, a ranch hand. This story comes complete is fun illustrations, wild west sayings and is particularly fun to read outloud with a western drawl. Its as fun to read as it is to listen to.

I completely agree with this excerpt from "Childrens Literature" taken from the Barnes and Noble website.

"The text is full of outrageous Texas-size sayings, such as "darker than a black bull at midnight" and "another ten dollar Stetson on a five cent head." The paintings are brightly colored and fanciful, with wonderful perplexed expressions on the rest of the cattle when the fairy godcow shows up. Great fun and a wonderful twist on the Cinderella story."

You really need to read this book!!!

 

Three Cups of Tea

I finished reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, about a week ago. I found this book to be so inspiring -- awe-inspiring as well as motivational. Greg Mortenson is motivated by the simple belief that all children, everywhere, should have the opportunity to gain an aducation. More specifically, that girls should have that opportunity - for it is through women that communities are educated and are able to make true social progress. But Greg Moretenson doesn't seem to do things the easy way.

His book relates the long and detoured path he takes in establishing schools in some of the most remote areas of Pakistan. Perhaps to the credit of his co-writer, David Relin, his experiences read like a novel and keep the reader interested in each new development or roadblock. The individuals Greg works with and the areas he visits are described in a way to bridge the distance from Pakistan to the U.S. so that we feel like we are sharing a cup or two of tea with them ourselves.