Review: Lifeboat 12

Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I will hide much of this review, because I am thinking that everything I wrote might be a spoiler. The book is historical fiction, though, so most of the facts are known.
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This book is a nice complement to the musical I wrote, based on Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French. It tells of the true story of the sinking of one of the ships that was supposed to take children from England to safer countries during WWII - only this ship was torpedoed. Many of the children and adults on board died, but the protagonist in the story - a real person, interviewed by the author just before he died - was one of the ones who lived. For me, it makes the story in Pennies for Hitler even more real. I knew Jackie French did her research well, but this book brought that research to life. Much appreciated is a section at the back of the book with pictures and another section with references.
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I am not a huge fan of verse novels/books. I don't understand why they are written in verse. The verse format doesn't usually work for me, as it is often more of a distraction than anything else. But there were a couple of places where the verse format was interesting here: when the ship sinks and when the lifeboat is being tossed about in the waves. It does make for quick reading, though.

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Review: Hey, Kiddo

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I envy kids who knew what they wanted to do as an adult from a young age. I don't think I ever had this sense of identification with any future profession or job. It seems to have given Jarrett, the boy, a sense of coherence to an often jumbled and complicated series of relationships to the people in his life. I am not sure I would have been strong enough to come out of such a life as well as he did, dealing both with his mother's heroin addiction and his custodial grandmother's alcoholism.

Interesting, and another graphic novel that I actually enjoyed. This story is really made for a graphic novel format. The art work isn't necessarily a favorite for me, but it works and works well here. I REALLY appreciated the notes at the end of the book, too. They add a lot of depth to the story for me.

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Review: Where the Watermelons Grow

Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this story and I respect the voice - but I am not from this part of the country and it doesn't really "bring me home". The thoughts, however, were true and real: self-blame, misunderstandings, the burdens of responsibility. I have never had to deal with mental illness as directly as this, but I respect how the father treated the mother and how the young girl had to come to grips with it, too.

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