Review: Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



From the literary merit of this book alone, I probably would have given this 4 stars, but there is some undefined aspect of quality that this book has that many do not for me: I WANTED to read it. The writing, the characters, the several interrelated themes all worked for me.

Normally, I don't read other reviews before I write my own, but this time, I read a few. I must say, I didn't find Angelika unbelievable - it seems to me the high school kids I see make snap judgements like that all of the time. [I am a substitute teacher, so I see a lot of kids making snap judgements and witty remarks.] And the sarcastic wit is one of the hallmarks of today's teens. In fact, sometimes I wish it weren't so. But not this time. The wit in this book didn't seem mean-spirited, just keenly observant.

There were also some things that this book didn't have that impressed me: there was no unnecessary sex scene. There wasn't a big nasty confrontation to resolve the character's dilemma. There wasn't an unrealistically positive ending (see Okay for Now).

But, most of all, I just enjoyed it.



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Review: Fallen Grace

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I got this book from the children's section of the library and I am somewhat surprised that it was there, rather than the young adult section. The central event of the book is the rape of the two sisters, and their resulting fall into desperate poverty. Be that as it may, the book is rather cleverly plotted and the characterization is good. It is even rather suspenseful. But it is a book I read quickly, rather than savored. Good, but not a classic for me.



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Review: Regeneration

Regeneration by Linda J. Singleton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This feels like just part of a story - and I think it is part of a series, so that may actually be the case. It is interesting, but the characters didn't quite grab me as much as I would hope. It was bit more melodramatic than I like, but I think kids would enjoy that more than I do. They would also like the action more.



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Review: Mastiff

Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Ok, I admit, I am going to be a bit too hard on this book. The problem is, I have read a lot of Tamora Pierce's books and I keep coming back for more. The books hook me in. I am interested in the characters and their interactions. It is an absorbing universe.

So, I enjoyed this book tremendously - until the end. Suffice it to say that the twist in the ending just didn't ring true to me. This is the third book about these characters and the case for the twist didn't seem strong enough to justify the action. It isn't that this book was bad - it was still absorbing enough that I even read it while waiting in the doctor's office - but the ending just didn't convince me.

My recommendation: don't let this be the first Tamora Pierce book that you read - for a lot of reasons. This is the third book in this particular series, but it is not the third book in the whole saga. Some of the other series are stronger and have more satisfyingly strong endings.



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Review: Winter of Fire

Winter of Fire by Sherryl Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I was actually slightly disappointed in this book. I liked the spunk of the main character, Elsha, but all of the other females in the book seemed to be just tacked on so that the male to female character ratio wouldn't be so overwhelmingly male. None of the other female characters had anywhere near the level of interest that the surrounding male characters did.

And, the ending seemed almost like a Deus ex machine - where everything was wrapped up almost too neatly by the people learning how to "think warm". Yes, I know that there were all of these other powers exhibited during the course of the story, and Elsha gradually learned that she was powerful in ways she hadn't known before, but that particular power seemed to just be summoned up so that the story could end with a satisfactory conclusion.

On the other hand, the book WAS good enough that I read the whole thing. I can't always say that lately.



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Review: That Scatterbrain Booky

That Scatterbrain Booky by Bernice Thurman Hunter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I enjoyed this book for its honest depiction of the trials of family life during the depression. In its depiction of everyday life during historical times, it reminds me of Anne of Green Gables. The book is similarly episodic and filled with little vignettes of experiences.

And I enjoyed the main character, Beatrice. One minor gripe, though, is that I don't quite understand how she got the appellation "Scatterbrain". She seems to have had dyscalculia long before that was even beginning to have a ready name for the condition, but I didn't see her as especially scatterbrained.



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Review: Birthmarked

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I enjoyed this book and read the whole thing in only a couple of days. The biggest strength, for me, is the cast of characters - I like the complexity of many of them. The biggest negative, again for me, is that sometimes the descriptive passages got to be too long. I know some of that needs to be there to build up the suspense, but when the suspense is already built and strong, the descriptive passages actually get in the way.

Nevertheless, I have already ordered the second book from the library and I am looking forward to reading it.



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