Review: May B.

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was good, but the blank verse didn't work as well for me. It made the story a bit too sparse for me - and too short. I am not a big fan of short stories and this read, to some extent, like a short story.

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Review: Nerd Camp

Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I would actually give this 3 1/2 stars, if that were allowed, but I am rounding up, due to this being about nerds. The book is a fairly standard tween type book, with one kid wondering if his nerdiness will keep his new stepbrother from liking him, but at the same time really enjoying his nerdy summer camp. The nerdiness questions get a little old after a while, but I think they have to be there.

As an interesting aside: this is one of the few American books I have read, where relationships to family and other adults are portrayed really positively. I give it a plus for that, even though, at times, the positive feelings border on sugary. In fact, there is a bit of the too-positive throughout the whole book - another reason for the 3 1/2 stars.
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Review: Flying Solo

Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book worked better than I thought it would, just from reading the blurbs. There is a lot of thinking crammed into a short-ish novel. In fact, it reads a little bit like a series of short stories - short vignettes tied together by some common threads. But it comes together surprisingly well.

I wasn't completely satisfied with the ethics of the resolution, but then I am a substitute teacher and I am perhaps biased by my experiences with 6th grade classes.



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Review: The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I like the illustrations for this, but I didn't love the story as much as I had hoped.



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Review: Geek Abroad

Geek Abroad by Piper Banks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Enjoyable and good. I like these books well enough to keep reading them, but for some reason, they aren't quite as profound as I had hoped. I am not sure what it is, but they are more of a summer vacation read than a serious, devote all of your attention to read. That isn't bad, BTW; sometimes, it is exactly what I want.



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Review: Summer of the Geek

Summer of the Geek by Piper Banks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



There are some things I like about these books: realistically dealing with people's differences, family relationships, problem solving, and this book was a good choice for a plane trip. There isn't tremendous depth here, but it is enjoyable.



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Review: Geek High

Geek High by Piper Banks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I am a sucker for books about smart kids and I enjoyed this. It is no classic, but it was enjoyable.



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