A Very Personal Computer by Justine Rendal

A Very Personal Computer by Justine Rendal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I agree with another reviewer - this book turned out to be better than I expected. The silly looking cover and the breezy narration starts you off thinking that this will be another shallow klutzy-teen-learns-to-accept-himself book. And, in a way, it actually stays true to that stereotyped genre. But it is enough more that it changes what could have been a trivial book into something more to think about. I rarely give out 5 stars, so this is a good rating for me.
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The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie

The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute - true to life - fun. Not a whole lot of depth, but enjoyable enough.

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It's Like Like by Allison Barrows
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book captures the essence of tweens and younger YAs pretty well - the beginning interests in relationships, the awkwardness, the self-centeredness, the self-consciousness. And, the artwork is appealing. Enjoyable.


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The Save-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn

The Safe-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a goodhearted tale with a mixture of fantasy and intrigue. I enjoyed it and read the whole thing, which is something I can't always say about the books I read. The only criticism I have is that some of the characters were too similar to each other, both in name and in behavior and I sometimes wasn't sure which of the roles the characters were playing.

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Owly, Volume 1: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer by Andy Runton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very sweet book and will undoubtedly appeal to many middle grade kids. The illustrations are well done and much more expressive than many of the other graphic novels I have read. The story is a bit sweet for me, which perhaps says more about me than it says about the book.

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Elske by Cynthia Voigt

Elske by Cynthia Voigt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't realize this was the fourth book in a series, until I came to Goodreads to add it. So, I guess that means that, for the most part, the story stands by itself well enough. There were some references to Jackaroo at the end that rather puzzled me - and now that I know that the first book in the series was called Jackaroo, that makes a bit more sense.

The book drew me in with the character of Elske. Beriel, on the other hand, mostly annoyed me. In some ways, the story reminds me of the books by Tamora Pierce and other historical fantasy books. One of the things that especially intrigues me about books like this is that they are often accompanied by maps of the various lands. For some reason, I really enjoy this.

Maybe, if I ever try to write a story myself, I should start by drawing a map.

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E-mergency by Tom Lichtenheld

E-mergency! by Tom Lichtenheld

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is great fun. The premise is simple, but the execution is delightful. Visual puns abound; clever illustrations delight; laugh out loud word play elicits chuckles, even from the jaded. This is well worth a look.

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The Classroom at the End of the Hall by Douglas Evans

Classroom At The End Of The Hall by Douglas Evans

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a book of vignettes about kids in a 3rd grade classroom. The stories are clever and the book would make a decent read-aloud. The endings are a little too perfect, but kids like that.

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Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke

Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has adorable stories and is a great addition to cultural literature. Clearly, a lot of people love it. And I wish I had loved it a little more.

I was uncomfortable with the depiction of Anna's mother. I think the father respected the mother's desire for occasionally being alone, but I felt that the story line depicted that desire as wrong-headed, not as a cultural difference. As a person who needs to spend time by myself, this was enough to unsettle me about the book.

I was also puzzled by Anna's obsession with snow. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I wish it had been tied more to stories that her mother and her Canadian grandmother had told her. As it was presented, I couldn't quite get why she was even interested in it.

The most powerful story for me was the one about selling oranges. That was worth the time spent for the whole book.

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The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier

The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book has a good idea, but I found the writing plodding. In an attempt to heighten the surprise of the twins' difference in skin color, the writer strings out the details over way too many paragraphs, so that it becomes tedious, rather than surprising. I found much of the book like that. Good ideas; interesting plot; interesting tension in the situation. But the writing just wasn't exciting. Sorry.

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