Lover of Ebooks

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins. R.A. Spratt. Illustrated by Dan Santat. Little Brown. 239 pages.

Mr. Green desperately needed to find a new nanny for his children. In the four weeks since their last nanny left, he found himself actually having to talk to them, provide them with meals, and pay attention to them himself. And all this just had to stop. He had a job at a law firm helping rich people avoid paying their taxes. He could not be expected to look after his children as well.

Nanny Piggins wasn’t always a nanny. She’s formerly of the circus. She was the flying pig act. She’s used to being shot out of a cannon. So even though she doesn’t have any training in looking after children, she figures she can handle these three kids without much trouble. Derrick. Samantha. Michael.

Can a pig make for a good nanny? You be the judge. This children’s fantasy is very silly, very over-the-top. I found it an enjoyable read. Believable? Not for a second. The character development just isn’t there. But is it good for a few laughs? Yes! Nanny is a fun-loving, chocolate-loving, pie-baking wonder. Each chapter leads to a new adventure. And the adventures seem to get more extreme as the novel progresses!

If you enjoyed Lois Lowry’s The Willoughbys, then you’ll probably enjoy this one.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Read more from the original source:
The Adventures of Nanny Piggins (MG)

Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde. 2010. October 2010. Marshall Cavendish. 128 pages.

From the author’s note: Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the girl with the unfortunate name and the inability to tell the difference between her grandmother and a member of a different species.
The question is: Why do we all know it?
If you look at “Little Red Riding Hood,” it’s a perfect example of the exact opposite of a good story.

I loved this one. I did. I just LOVED it. Vivian Vande Velde gives readers EIGHT different “Little Red Riding Hood” stories. Each supposed to be ‘better’ than the original. With more heart and substance. And she definitely succeeded in my opinion. I enjoyed reading these stories. One area in which Vivian Vande Velde excels is in creating great first lines.

The Red Cloak: Once upon a time, after fashion was discovered but before people had makeovers on TV, there was a young girl named Meg.

The Red Riding Hood Doll: Once upon a time, before department stores and designer labels, there was a young seamstress named Georgette.

Little Red Riding Hood’s Family: Once upon a time, long after people had found out that their families could sometimes be an embarrassment, but before there were advice columnists you could complain to, there was a girl named Roselle.

Granny and the Wolf: Once upon a time, before online dating services, there was a granny who had an unwelcome suitor.

Deems the Wood Gatherer: Once upon a time, before eyeglasses were invented, there was a nearsighted but good-hearted man named Deems.

Why Willy and His Brothers Won’t Ever Amount to Anything: Once upon a time, after books were invented but before TV and movies, there was a girl named Isolda Adeline Genevieve Trenthausen.

The Little Red Headache: Once upon a time, before superhighways and hotel chains, a wolf was journeying through the woods.

Little Red Riding Hood’s Little Red Riding Hood: Once upon a time, before malls, boutiques, or online clothing catalogs, there was a fairy godmother who was having trouble finding something to wear to the naming-day ceremony for her goddaughter.

The focus shifts in each story. Sometimes focusing on the human characters: the young girl, the grandmother, the woodcutter; other times focusing on the red riding hood (cloak) or the wolf. Many stories do have a twist–as you’d expect in a collection of fairy tale retellings.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Read more:
Cloaked in Red (MG)

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science. Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. 2010. November 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 176 pages.

It was a typically hot, dry day in Jerusalem.

Before reading this book, I had not given much thought to the history of sugar. I had not made the connection between sugar and some of the cruel injustices of the world. I speak of the connection between sugar and slavery.

“Sugar created a hunger, a need, which swept from one corner of the world to another, bringing the most terrible misery and destruction, but then, too, the most inspiring ideas of liberty.
Sugar changed the world.” (8)

The book is divided into four sections: “From Magic to Spice,” “Hell,” “Freedom,” and “Back to Our Stories: New Workers, New Sugar.” The book spans the centuries and explores many different cultures and societies.

I found the book rich in detail. I would definitely recommend this one.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

See the article here:
Nonfiction Monday: Sugar Changed the World

Finding My Place. Traci L. Jones. 2010. May 2010. FSG. 192 pages.

For most people, the big news during the fall of 1975 was the second assassination attempt on President Ford. Not for me. For me, that October was the month my father, Morris Ray Baker, and my mother, Annie Louise Baker, decided to completely ruin my life. Oh, they claimed it was not only a good move for our family, but a step forward for our race as a whole. My parents were big on doing their part to uplift the race, which meant I was expected to do my part as well.

Tiphanie, our narrator, is convinced that this move to a new neighborhood, a new school, is bad news. She’ll be starting a new school where she’ll be one of two black students–Bradley being the other. Tiphanie is unsure of it all. Are people staring at her because she’s new? Or are they staring because she’s black? Are people ignoring her because that’s just the way they are? Would any new student get the same treatment? Or are her classmates racist? She doesn’t want to overreact. But she can’t help wishing that they’d been a warmer welcome. More people smiling, more people talking to her, asking her to be a part of their group.

Not everyone is shy. Jackie Sue is anything but shy. Some might argue she’s a bit too blunt. (She tells Tiphanie her name is spelled wrong, and that none of the white guys at their school would be brave enough to date her. Even if they wanted to, they’d be too afraid of what others would think.) But Jackie Sue and Tiphanie are soon good friends. But not everyone is happy about this friendship. Clay, for example, is openly hostile. He doesn’t want Jackie Sue talking to Tiphanie. And he certainly doesn’t want Jackie inviting Tiphanie back to her trailer home. Tiphanie’s parents aren’t thrilled by the friendship either. They think their daughter could do better. Jackie Sue’s mom, well, she leaves much to be desired. So while they wouldn’t ever forbid Tiphanie from being friends with her, they take every opportunity to encourage Tiphanie to make other friends. Tiphanie’s parents have definite opinions–on who they want their daughter to be, what they expect from her, who she should be friends with, etc.

Tiphanie is trying to discover who she is exactly. Trying to balance what she wants with what her parents’ want. I liked this one. It’s a universal story in many ways.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Read the rest here:
Finding My Place (MG/YA)

The Gardener. S.A. Bodeen. 2010. May 2010. Feiwel & Friends. 240 pages.

The videotape of my father was never meant to be seen by me, and were it not for a chow mix ripping apart half my face, the man might have remained only a mysterious void. But it was that day when I was five, that day of growls and blood and pain and screams, when I first heard my father’s voice.

Mason is a sophomore who loves biology, loves science. And he’s hoping that he’ll be able to get a scholarship from TroDyn–when the time comes–so he can go to the college. True, he’d have to commit to working in TroDyn’s labs for five years. But what could be so awful about that? But his mom has other ideas for her son. And she believes strongly that TroDyn is no place for her son to be. Ever. Ever. Ever.

It is when he goes to confront his mom about something–he found an ID card when he was snooping through his mom’s filing cabinet–that the story really begins. He sneaks into her workplace. He confronts her. She stalls. Then he meets the girl. The girl that will bring so-many-complications to his life. But the girl he couldn’t forget in a hundred years.

All the things that I liked most about this one are things that I think you should discover on your own. The fewer spoilers you know, the more you’ll enjoy this one.

I liked this one. It’s dark. It’s creepy. It’s compelling.

The Compound is another novel by S.A. Bodeen.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Read the original:
The Gardener (YA)

Hunger. Jackie Morse Kessler. 2010. October 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 180 pages.

Lisabeth Lewis didn’t mean to become Famine. She had a love affair with food, and she’d never liked horses (never mind the time she asked for a pony when she was eight; that was just a girl thing). If she’d been asked which Horseman of the Apocalypse she would most likely be, she would have probably replied, “War.” And if you’d heard her and her boyfriend, James, fighting, you would have agreed. Lisa wasn’t a Famine person, despite the eating disorder.

Hunger has an interesting premise. Lisa, our heroine, has an eating disorder. One night her suicide attempt is interrupted by a strange delivery man knocking on the door. He has a gift and a message: “Thou art Famine.” The gift this pale man brings? Scales. Lisa thinks this is all one very strange dream. She even tries to laugh about it with her friends. But. It’s not a dream. And Lisa must face her new reality.

Lisa’s life was complicated before she met Death, War, and Pestilence. For Lisa is haunted by a voice in her head telling her she’s fat. All day, every day, Lisa hears a negative message about herself, about her body. The people in her life are beginning to notice that Lisa is not well. Her boyfriend, James, and her former best friend, Suzanne, are terribly concerned. But Lisa just clings to her new best friend, Tammy. She thinks that Tammy understands everything, for Tammy has her own battles with food. And, of course, her relationship with her parents is a bit strained. So, yes, Lisa’s life was complicated enough for any teen BEFORE she became one of the four riders of the Apocalypse.

Can Lisa simplify her life?

I thought the premise was intriguing. I liked the idea of this one. It adds some supernatural/fantasy elements to a serious ‘problem’ novel about eating disorders. Our heroine is a troubled teen who doesn’t quite realize just how much trouble she is in. And Death is able to give her a unique wake-up call in a way.

*Reviewed from an ARC.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Read more:
Hunger (YA)

Jumpstart the World. Catherine Ryan Hyde. 2010. October 2010. Random House. 192 pages.

“This is a beautiful cat,” my mother said. She was staring into a cage at about eye level. I sidled over just enough to get a peek at the cat in question. A long-haired silvery Persian mix. He was beautiful all right, in an aloof sort of way. I’m not a big fan of aloof. Besides, I already had a cat in mind. I just hadn’t found the nerve to announce it yet.

Looking to read about another troubled teen? Meet Elle. She’s fifteen-almost-sixteen. And when the novel opens, she’s moving into her own apartment. Why? Well, her mother thought it would make her life easier, her relationship with her boyfriend easier, if her daughter left the house. What kind of mother would allow her daughter–at that age–to live on her own in New York City? Well, I’ll let you decide for yourself…

Elle is a bit angry, a bit defiant, especially when it comes to her tense relationship with her mom. But Elle needs someone in her life. She needs someone to love her, to look after her, to listen to her, to understand her. And Elle might just have found the perfect someone in her neighbor, Frank. (Yes, she has a bit of a crush.)

Frank and Molly see how much Elle needs a friend, and they welcome her into their lives. Elle enjoys playing Scrabble with Frank and learning about photography from Molly. But what Elle doesn’t know about Frank, well, it’s a little surprising, a little unexpected. He’s transgender.

Jumpstart the World is a story of a young woman learning what it means to be a friend, learning what it means to belong. It’s a complex novel starring broken people living life the best they can. I do like the fact that the characters are so human.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Read more from the original source:
Jumpstart the World (YA)

A Long Walk to Water. Linda Sue Park. 2010. November 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 128 pages.

Southern Sudan, 2008
Going was easy.
Going, the big plastic container held only air.

I loved this one. I did. It wowed me. A Long Walk To Water is the newest from award-winning author, Linda Sue Park. It is based on a true story which only makes it more compelling.

A Long Walk To Water alternates narrators. Nya, a young girl, living in modern-day Sudan, and Salva, a young boy, struggling to survive the war-torn Sudan of a few decades ago. Salva’s story, for the most part, is the heart and soul of this one. His story begins in 1985. It begins with war coming to his village, to his school. It begins with Salva, along with his classmates, fleeing for their lives. He doesn’t know it but it is a journey that will lead him through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and eventually to the United States, to New York.

Salva is one of the Sudan’s “Lost Boys.” And his is a story of amazing survival. There were many–men, women, children–who died. His story is compelling; it’s emotionally intense. It’s one I think should be a must-read. Though it is a children’s book, I’d definitely still recommend it to adults.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Follow this link:
A Long Walk to Water (MG/YA)

Real Live Boyfriends. E. Lockhart. 2010. December 2010. Random House. 240 pages.

A definition:
A real live boyfriend does not contribute to your angst.
You do not wonder if he will call.
You do not wonder whether he will kiss you.
And he does not look at his phone while you are talking, to see if anyone has texted him.
Of course he calls. He’s your boyfriend!
Of course there will be kissing. He’s your boyfriend!
And of course he listens. He’s your real live boyfriend!

Real Live Boyfriends is the fourth Ruby Oliver novel. The first three are The Boyfriend List, The Boy Book, and The Treasure Map of Boys. (I think Real Live Boyfriends is my favorite of the four.) Ruby is preparing for her Senior year at last. And for Ruby that means making a video–asking all her friends and family what love is, what it means to be popular, what it means to be a friend. Will this be the year where her life finally starts making sense? Will this be the year where she finds a real live boyfriend? Who is better boyfriend material? Noel or Gideon?

I love Ruby Oliver. I do. Her life may be far from perfect, but Ruby makes crazy look fun. No matter how much drama is going on in her life–be it at home, work, or school–you can always count on Ruby to see the funny side of any situation. (Even at her grandmother’s funeral.) Ruby is one of the best narrators.

I loved everything about Real Life Boyfriends. Especially the writing and the characterization. If you love YA Romance, you should give Ruby Oliver a try!

From Noel’s interview with Ruby (for the documentary):

Noel: A lot of people see friends as something you have on Twitter or Facebook or wherever. If someone wants to read your updates and you want to read their updates, then you’re friends. You don’t ever have to see each other. But that seems like a stupid definition to me.
Roo: Yeah.
Noel: Although on the other hand, rethink. Maybe a friend is someone who wants your updates. Even if they’re boring. Or sad. Or annoyingly cutesy. A friend says “Sign me up for your boring crap, yes indeed”–because he likes you anyway. He’ll tolerate your junk. (46)

He then promises Ruby that he wants all her updates.

A scene highlighting Gideon:

“So you have a boyfriend?” Gideon asked. He leaned forward and touched the hem of my sundress with the tip of his fingers.
“I-I think I do,” I answered.
I have a boyfriend who doesn’t call me back, I thought.
I have a boyfriend who doesn’t answer my emails.
“You think, or you know?” asked Gideon, looking up at me.
“I don’t exactly know right now, I said. “The thing–it’s hard to explain. The thing we have is somehow not the thing it was before.”
At that juncture, a shout of “Gas!” could be heard from the deck. The guys had come back and were going to refill the boat.
“You should call me,” Gideon said, standing up to leave. “When you know for sure.”
“For sure, what?”
“For sure you don’t have a boyfriend.”
“What if I do?” I asked. “I mean, I am pretty sure I do.”
“Then don’t call me.” He was standing in our doorway, silhouetted in the light. “But call me.” (63-64)

Another favorite quote, this time from Meghan:

If you have friends who actually like you, you’re popular enough. (104)

*Reviewed from an ARC.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Visit link:
Real Live Boyfriends (YA)

Moon Over Manifest. Clare Vanderpool. 2010. October 2010. Random House. 368 pages.

The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby. I closed my eyes to the dusty countryside and imagined the sign I knew only from stories. The one just outside of town with big blue letters: MANIFEST: A TOWN WITH A RICH PAST AND A BRIGHT FUTURE. I thought about my daddy, Gideon Tucker. He does his best talking in stories, but in recent weeks, those had become few and far between. So on the occasion when he’d say to me, “Abilene, did I ever tell you ’bout the time…?” I’d get all quiet and listen real hard. Mostly he’d tell stories about Manifest, the town where he’d lived once upon a time.
His words drew pictures of brightly painted storefronts and bustling townsfolk. Hearing Gideon tell about it was like sucking on butterscotch. Smooth and sweet. And when he’d go back to not saying much, I’d try recalling what it tasted like. Maybe that was how I found comfort just then, even with him being so far away. By remembering the flavor of his words.

I loved this one. I did. It’s historical fiction set in Manifest, Kansas in 1918 and 1936. It stars Abilene Tucker, a girl who has lived without her mother since she was about two, a girl who is now living without her father. It is her father who has sent her to Manifest. He’s placed her in the care of Pastor ‘Shady’ Howard.

What Abilene discovers is that Manifest is nothing like the Manifest from her father’s stories. That doesn’t exactly mean it’s completely void of interesting characters. (Some are quite mysterious!) But it’s not quite what she was expecting either. And Abilene has to decide for herself that it’s worth the effort of making friends. You see, Abilene is used to living life on the go. And making friends is risky. Because the more friends you have, the more you come to love a place, the harder it is to say goodbye, to move on to the next place, and the next.

Moon Over Manifest is a great coming-of-age story. It’s beautifully written. I loved the richness of it–the descriptions, the details, the characters, the unfolding story. I loved just about everything!

*Reviewed from an Advanced Reading Copy

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Read the original:
Moon Over Manifest (MG)