The People of Sparks

The People of Sparks
written by Jeanne DuPrau



I found this book to have many of the similar problems that other sequels encounter--there's not much interesting. The odd thing is, this is typically due to a sequel serving as a bridge between books, but honestly, I'm not seeing very much that'll come in use for future books. We'll see though. Although Lina and Doon are still characters, I felt like they didn't get nearly enough page-time. Too many new secondary characters were introduced, and while some of them had personalities that were interesting enough, others did not. We still don't have any new information about the mythology, which is disappointing. The book's boredom was aggravated by the fact that it moved slower than the first fast-paced book. A lot of time was dedicated to necessary but overly preachy social and political commentary. I don't know if a child would have the patience to sit through this, particularly when I can see many of the social/political references completely going over their heads. I would love to see a return to Ember, or something that somehow connects to the first book, other than the characters. It's easy to understand: this book was too simple and too predictable to truly have been enjoyable.

Rating: 1.5/5

I got this book from...:Waldenbooks

The City of Ember

The City of Ember
written by Jeanne DuPrau



The City of Ember was an easy but enthralling read, so ridiculously easy to love. The characters were so real in this unreal world, presented with plenty of exposition. Plotwise, the book excels, with plenty of fast-paced suspense carrying the reader steadily through the book. The characters act so realistically—like the children they are, but with unambiguous bravery. It’s full of the characterization symbolism, and other literary elements that teachers crave, but also filled with wonder, suspense, and just an amazing plot that kids of all ages will enjoy. It ends on a cliffhanger, so I strongly suggest having the second book on hand to immediately jump into—trust me, you’ll want to have it.
Rating: 5/5

I got this book from...:Waldenbooks

The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place

The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
written by E.L. Konigsburg



I'm not sure there was much to like about this book. The writing was dreadfully dull and overly descriptive, not at all realistic to what a 12-year-old narrator would sound like. There was nothing captivating about the plot, and most of the characters, with the possible exception of Jake, were horribly two dimensional. It's bad enough that the story was boring and unappealing, but the fact that it moved slowly with no subplots made it even worse. The characters seem cute and quirky, but turn out to be ridiculously simplistic, reminding me of Juno. It seems overall like the kind of book written to be read and analyzed endlessly and pointlessly in classrooms. I did enjoy the fact that there was a wrap-up at the end, allowing for some quick closure and letting the story come full circle, but it's a little disappointing when the only thing you like is the very end of a book.

Rating: 1.5/5

I got this book from...:Bookmooch.com

Artificial Snow

This reminds me so much of Kate Klise's Regarding the Sink.

Luv Ya Bunches

Luv Ya Bunches
written by Lauren Myracle



Luv Ya Bunches, although written for a younger (target age group: 9-13) audience, is a book that will easily be enjoyed by readers of a wider span of ages. Speaking as an 18 year old, I genuinely enjoyed this book for what it was, not in a "aw, look at the cute younger kids!" way. I think I was most excited about seeing a Muslim girl portrayed not as the "token Muslim girl" (even though in some ways, that was still her role), but as a genuine character in a group of 4 entering fifth graders. All of the characters are fantastically well-developed for a group of 11 year olds, which is a real testament to the amazingness of Lauren Myracle's writing. The social networking site, SomethingSomethingBlahBlah.com (it needs a better name!) brings the girls all together in a really cute way-something you do actually get to see in the day of Facebook, Myspace, Ning, and the like. I was very glad to see she did an IM-format book featuring a younger generation, though the nod back to the original Internet Girls was adorable! The fact that the book was written in present tense really helped provide a playful edge to the story. The girls are so realistic and, as a result of that, extremely likeable. They are given real-life struggles that are portrayed so elegantly by Myracle, in a way that is not overwhelming at all for 11 year olds to read, but also a way that adds a lot more dimension to both the books and the characters. The situations these girls go through are all things that real girls go through (I can tell you that the incident with the turtle? Yeah, I had that same thing happen to me in the third grade with a beanie baby, being framed to look like I had stolen it and put it in my backpack. SAME story.) and it is important that there are books like this out there to serve as reassurance that their situations are not at all unique, that others are dealing with the same thing, they are far from alone. I am so proud of Lauren Myracle for addressing real life issues, messed up parents, girl fighting, and more, things that we as a society oftentimes fail to prepare our daughters for. This was a story with real life girls dealing with real life struggles in a way that shows friendship as stronger than any difficulties they may be faced with.

Rating: 5/5

I got this book from...:Bookmooch.com