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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Across the Great Barrier by Patricia Wrede

Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a rather strange book in many ways. One of the heroine's main interests is animals and two of her jobs involved cataloging plants and animals and taking care of captured animals, both magical and non-magical. All of the action, as it were, takes place in a rather strange alternate reality version of the wild American west. These elements don't seem destined for an interesting book, and yet, I found myself reading the whole thing and eager to keep reading - a marked contrast to most of the other YA books I have been trying to read lately. Perhaps it is because I am interested in both science and science fiction.

Yes, there is a coming of age story, too. But it is much more subtly handled that many of its ilk.

I feel odd saying that I really enjoyed this book, because, to me, the plot is rather meandering and there are quite a few characters that just don't seem that compelling. But the ones that do interest me have a lot that really intrigues me.

Maybe in a few days, I will have a better idea why this book appealed to me so much.

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The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack by Nicholas Gurewitch

The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack by Nicholas Gurewitch

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this one, but the gruesomeness factor got a bit too much for me. I'm glad I didn't buy it - at least I can return it to the library.

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Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo WITH SPOILERS

Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't especially enjoy "whose side are you on" plots, with betrayals of betrayals. It isn't that they aren't realistic, they probably are, but they make me nervous and confused and make me want to distance myself from all of the characters. Why bother liking any of them, when, in a page or two, they turn into the enemy?

I am also not a big action person, so I skipped over a lot of the fighting and blowing up of things.

Those things said, I think teens who DO like action and intrigue will like this book. There is not great depth here, but it is a fun romp.

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Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


OK, I admit, I mostly just skimmed the end of the book. My excuse: it was due at the library and I have so many books waiting to be read that I really didn't feel like renewing it. I think it will have great appeal to high schoolers, especially guys, but there is enough there that it will appeal to girls, too.



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Bad Tickets by Kathleen O'Dell

Bad Tickets by Kathleen O'Dell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Good coming of age story, with 60s backdrop. I skimmed some, but read most of it.



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