Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  I am actually posting a review!  I'm almost at the deadline for having this book finished, but I finally got to just read for 2 days and I've finished it!  My grad school classes have been tons of work this semester, leaving me little time to read.  But now, I just have one paper left to write and I'm finished for the semester!  ::does a happy dance::

I have to say that I wish I had just sat down with this book earlier.  At first, I found this book hard to get into.  Or at least harder to get into than the first book.  However, I think that is probably because I was distracted by the classes I teach, the classes I take and running the 12 year old to cheer practice.  This forced me to read in short little spurts instead of being able to just sit down and focus on the read.

I really, really liked this book.  I think I still liked the first one better, but perhaps that is only because the ending of "Always a Witch" is so bittersweet.  Once I was able to sit down and focus on the story, it pulled me in and I found it was hard to put down.  Just like in the first book, you get engrossed in the action and mystery of the story, hoping Tamsin will defeat the "bad guys" and save the day.  I know that sounds corny, but it's really not!

I love the character of Tamsin.  She's smart and courageous and you find yourself always rooting for her.  I love Gabriel also.  In this book, Liam is one of the more interesting characters, but I don't want to divulge any spoilers, so I won't say more than that.

At first, I thought this book was going to be a disappointment, but when I sat down and had time to focus on really reading it, I found that it really lived up to my expectations.  I still think I liked the first book better, but this one was definitely great!  Ms. MacCullough wrapped things up pretty well at the end.  I will admit that I was sort of disappointed that there will probably not be a sequel.  Of course, she didn't close that off entirely, I suppose, but then again, she really did.  I guess I can just keep my fingers crossed.

I have found that I have grown attached to Tamsin and Gabriel as characters and I really would love to know what happens to them next.  Even though the story of the Greene family is fascinating, Tamsin and Gabriel are the ones that readers will want to know more about.  I don't really think that will happen though, since she really has completed the story in quite a satisfactory way.

Just as an aside-- I know that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I just have to say that this cover is gorgeous!  It's much better than the cover on the first book.  It would definitely make me want to pick up the book.

I originally checked out the first book at the library where I teach as part of the stacks that I take home over the summer.  I am so glad that I did and I will definitely tell the librarian that we need to order "Always a Wtich" to go with it.  Unless I am the librarian next year--then I'll order it myself! : )

So, the grading period has ended and it's time to see how this book scored.  It's definitely above others, but it fell just a little short of the first book. However, since it is still an EXCELLENT read,  I would give this book an A-.

39 Clues Book One: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

39 Clues Book One:  The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

I enjoyed this book.  I didn't love it the way I loved Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, but it was a good read.  I can really see the appeal for 10-11 year old boys!  My literature circle for evaluation of children's literature chose this book for the whole group to read.  I was a little skeptical at first.  However, it does have some pretty novel concepts for a book series.

Here's the setup:  There are 10 books.  Each book comes with trading cards.  There is also a website for the series.  You have to use the trading cards, the website and the books in order to find all of the clues.  See the 5th grade boy appeal?  I have to admit that I did NOT go to the website......yet.  I want to go there now because I'm intrigued by the ending of the book.  Like any good mystery, it ends with a doozy of a cliffhanger, so I may be forced to read the next book.

The story is good.  It is told at a rapid pace and the clues are fun to try to figure out.  I really felt for the characters right from the beginning.  You can easily sympathize with both Amy and Dan and it's also fun trying to figure out if anyone else can be trusted.  Also, I ended up really liking the babysitter, Nellie.  I didn't think that I would, be she really started to grow on me and I found that I had warmed up to her by the end of the book. 

Rick Riordan is, of course, a wonderful writer and he knows how to write for kids without writing down to them.  The pacing is perfect.  The kids find the clues and follow them without getting the reader lost or bored.  I also loved the concept that all of the world's most influential people come from the same family! : )

I would definitely recommend this book to the 9-12 age group.  It has received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and School Library Journal and I'm putting my stars right there with it.

My grade?  A solid A!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney


I am taking critical evaluation of children's literature this semester and this is one of the books that I had to read.  My daughter read this book when it first came out and just loved it.  I glanced at it when she read it and noticed all the pictures and was just glad that she had finally found something that she liked.  It's very, very popular, so I figured there must be something good about it.

I don't get it.  Why is this book popular?  I think that kids must like the novelty of the pictures in the book.  The story holds a lot of promise.  The main character is an average kid in middle school. Not the geekiest, but he is certainly not a popular jock.  The book tells about his typical life and how  he tries to get noticed by girls and become more popular at school.

This is a familiar story to everyone, right?  The problem is that I didn't really like the main character at all.  He's not a nice guy.  He makes fun of his best friend, let's him become the fall guy every time they get in trouble and is, for all practical purposes, a big jerk.  It's no wonder that no one likes him.

The voice of the book is good.  The author has a sort of tongue-in-cheek voice that works well for upper elementary school kids.  I just wish that the main character was a better person.  I don't like thinking that my daughter was enthralled with a book where the main character gets in trouble, discovers that he's been mistaken for his best friend, let's the best friend get in trouble for what happened and then tells his mom that he did the right thing and gets taken out for ice cream.  Really?  Is that the best you can do, Jeff Kinney?


My grade?  C at best, and that's being generous.

**EDIT**  I've changed my mind.  This book is most defintely a D-!!  After reading 2 other children's novels and started a 3rd, this novel is trash by comparison.  There are so many other good books out there for children to read, there's no point in wasting time on this garbage.

Giveaway at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf

Lauren is a giveaway angel!  She's got 3 books up for grabs this !time!  Check out her blog here for a chance to win one of these great books!

Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry

Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman










Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

MORE GIVEAWAYS!!

I love giveaways!  Isn't it great when you actually win one and get something cool in the mail??  Anyway, over at Pure Imagination, they are having several giveaways!

1.  She's giving away a copy of "Crescendo" by Becca Fitzpatrick!!

2.  She's also doing a pre-holiday pre-order giveaway for "Anna and the French Kiss" by Stephanie Perkins and "The Lost Saint" by Bree Despain!  Check out the link here.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.

As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all. (taken from www.goodreads.com)

I don't even know where to begin my review of this book.  I would have to say that this book ranks right up there with "Mockingjay" as far as books that I've loved this year.

 

Now, you have to understand that I loved Cassie's Mortal Instrument series.  Really loved it.  I think I almost fell in love with Jace myself.  I love the non-stop action and the world of the Shadowhunters and the way she could make all of it happen plausibly in modern New York City.  I didn't think she could top it.  Honestly, I was a little worried when I picked this book up.

I should not have been!  This book was also non-stop action.  Even though it was set in Victorian England, nothing seemed out of place.  The characters were believable for the time and everything seemed to blend together magnificently.  Once again, she has created larger than life characters, both hero and villain.  The nice thing is that her books are never predictable!  There was a huge twist near the end that I never saw coming, yet, when it happened, I saw how it had all been there right under my nose the whole time!

 

It was nice to see names that I recognized from the Mortal Instruments series.  It helped to create a real sense of history for the Shadowhunters and made them seem that much more real.  Also, I enjoyed being able to see a Victorian Magnus Bane.  And without glitter!

Tessa is a beautiful character.  I adored her.  She is strong, but not so strong that she is unbelievable for the time period.  Of course, Will and Jem were both wonderful and I found myself in much of a conundrum about who I liked best.  These two are more evenly matched than Simon and Jace, in my opinion.  Of course, I think I ended up being just a little more Team Will! (Who am I kidding?  I went and downloaded Will wallpaper for my laptop!)

Of course, she then did what Cassie does best.  She left the book with a whopper of a cliff hanger!  I am chomping at the bit to get the next one!

This is a book that I only put down because I absolutely had to.  If it had been summer, I really would have plopped my kids on the sofa to watch too many hours of TV so that I could read it.  Go get this book today if you don't already have it.

Grade:  A+  summa cum laude

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters ...more

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

The new cover for the final book in the Linger trilogy was revealed today!  Hooray!!!!!  It is a beautiful cover too.....just check it out!

 

But WAIT!!!!  That's not the best news!  You can actually pre-order an autographed copy of the book from Fountain Bookstore in Richmond VA!  They also have autographed copies of Shiver and Linger available.  So what are you waiting for?