Bashara Likes Books

This was an okay read - nothing knock-your-socks-off outstanding which I guess I was kind of expecting based on all the acclaim this was getting.  I was expecting something super clever, but the mystery is pretty slight and the solution was rushed and a bit of a let down. I didn't particularly like the reliance on coincidence and the mystical. A far better art mystery for kids is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  And an even better puzzle type mystery is The Westing Game.  I won't read another in the series myself, but my daughter has already started the sequel, The Wright 3, so there is clearly kid-appeal here.  

Yikes, this has not aged well.  I *might* have liked this as a kid, but the adult me finds it pretty awful.  To preachy, too sappy, yuck.  A beautiful title, a promising premise - did not deliver.  Too many good books to continue wasting time with this one.

Not a bad book, but I guess I don't get the hype.  I can see the appeal for kid readers, but I was a little bored at times and I just don't feel like continuing with the series.

This is one of those books I never would have picked up on my own and I probably never would have chosen it as a read-aloud with my daughter.  I generally like to choose more 'elevated' books for our read alouds. But, somehow we ended up with a free copy, and the cover, the premise, etc. all immediately appealed to Izzy and she requested it as our next read-aloud.  It's short so I thought, 'What the heck? Why not?'  

The verdict?  I liked it a lot more than I thought I would and Izzy absolutely loved it.  Like a lot of books about kids, I didn't find every single plot point to be entirely believable, but that's really okay.  What's important is that the inner-world of kids is accurately and convincingly portrayed.  Kids aren't all sweetness and light. They feel pain and sadness, anxiety and fear, and even rage and jealousy just as fiercely as any adult.  I really like it when books don't shy away from that.  Also, kids aren't totally oblivious to adult worries.  So much of what happens in this book is a result of misunderstandings based on lack of communication which is directly related to the recent divorce of the kids' parents.  In short, the kids don't want to upset or worry mom so they keep their troubles to themselves.

On top of all that, it's also a rather clever little primer on business and economics. I gather the sequel takes on the legal system.  Good stuff here!

The catchy title and the setting (Alcatraz/1935) are really just a hook to tell the story of a boy coping with a big move, an autistic older sister and a slightly dysfunctional family.  It's a good story and one that will perhaps shed light on a topic that many kids haven't thought much about.  There are some fun period and location details, but overall I was disappointed that the story wasn't more transportive.  Still, I think it's a good book and I particularly like how the author created a male character who loves sports, but is also deeply sensitive and conscientious.  

The first half of this book is just plain sweet and cozy.  Yes, a little sappy, but I don't mind a little sap every now and then.  I think the book takes an unfortunate turn about half-way through - too jarring and melodramatic when paired with the idyllic first half. Still, overall it's a sweet story with memorable characters.  

I have had this on my to-read list for years.  The description was very enticing.  And then someone actually gifted me the book and I couldn't get over the god-awful, cheesy cover enough to give it a go.  But then I found myself in a desperate situation and decided to give it a try.  I was, at the start, pleasantly surprised.  The story starts out as a pleasant and good-enough Austen pastiche, then it abruptly shifts gears into Bronte territory with a dash of Dickens thrown in for good measure.  I enjoyed the characters and the mystery, but overall I wasn't wowed.  The pace of the first two sections is a bit leisurely, but not unenjoyable as it fit the style being mimicked.  The end, however, felt like it belonged to a different novel - a bit slap-dash and missing the 'style' of the first two parts.    I also felt the premise proposed in the description was never really delivered upon.  Perhaps it is in subsequent novels, but I just didn't love this enough to continue on with the series.

This was our last historical fiction read of the year.  We read a lot of really great books this year, but this was my personal favorite.  The writing is just gorgeous and the story is so beautiful and bittersweet.  This is a deeply intimate story of one family and how they cope with the repercussions of the Civil War.  It does a remarkable job of conveying the brutality and ugliness of the times without ever actually setting foot on a battlefield. 

It's been almost a month since I finished this and I'm still processing how I feel about it.  The big problem is that I don't entirely buy the set-up.  I'm a parent and, like most parents I know, I would lay down my life for her.  Having her 'unwound' is simply unthinkable.  I discussed this with a friend and she (nicely) said I was a bit naive and that a) not all parents feel this way towards their children, particularly during the teen years and b) larger cultural approval goes a long way in making unsavory practices acceptable to the individual.  Put this way, I have to agree a bit.  Take female genital mutilation.  The parents who condone this activity don't believe they are harming their children, and in fact they are convinced by their culture that it is the right thing to do - that they are actually protecting their child.  There are a lot of other examples even within our own culture if you give it enough thought.

All that said, I still don't buy it 100%, but ultimately that's okay because Shusterman builds his world well and I was happy to go along for the ride.  The plot is fast paced, the characters are interesting and I was always a little surprised at where the story took me.  I didn't love Shusterman's overall writing style, but there is one scene near the end that is one of the most chilling and memorable pieces of writing I've read in a long while.  All in all, I can see how this would be an incredibly powerful book for a teen reader - so much here to ponder and discuss.  I don't feel particularly inspired to continue with the series myself, but I'm glad series like this exist for teen readers.

I expected this to be the biggest hit of our historical fiction reading this year, but it wan't quite that.  I enjoyed the story overall and there were times when I was definitely surprised by the twists and turns, but I just didn't fully buy into it or connect with it.  Charlotte's transformation just wasn't totally believable.  I always enjoy reading about sea voyages and adventures, however, and this was no exception. 

I was skeptical.  How could this book be accurate, but also engaging and appropriate for kids?  Well, she totally pulls it off 100% with the clever storytelling device of having everything told from the point of view of a doll which belonged to a real-life survivor of the ill-fated expedition.  Being a doll and constant companion to a child, she experiences and relays the journey as a child would - knowing when things are going badly (even catastrophically), but not of the truly grim and desperate moments that take place out of her view.  Of course, being a book about a treacherous journey, it isn't without death and sadness, but it's handled in an age appropriate manner.  Definitely recommended to anyone wanting to explore this episode in history with a child.

A very fun historical fiction read -perhaps the most fun one that we've read all year.  This tells the story of young Jack and his faithful and unflappable butler, Praiseworthy, as they set off in hopes of striking it rich in the 1849 California gold rush.  A large portion of the story is taken up with the sea voyage from Boston to San Francisco and rightly so as they have to travel all the way around the tip of South America.  Once in California, the duo has no shortage of scrapes and adventures.  All in all, a great blend of fun and history!

Modern sequels to beloved classics are a tricky thing.  Sometimes they're really well done (Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess) and sometimes they make me want to hurl the book across the room (The Beekeeper's Apprentice). 

Thankfully, this one was really quite well done which didn't surprise me all that much as this same author wrote the remarkable debut novel The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate.  We know the lady can write, but could she capture the essence of one of of the most beloved of all children's novels? 

Yes, mostly.  I think she gets the characters just about right.  Toad's sojourn to Cambridge and the resulting disaster was absolutely hysterical.  The overall tone is a bit lighter and sillier feeling than the first, but that's not entirely a bad thing.  I thought the story was very fun and I'm firmly in the camp of loving the footnotes, but I could see how they could be annoying.  I didn't love the addition of Matilda Rat.  It feels a bit out of character for Ratty to have a love interest and, what's more, she really seems more like a plot device than a fully fleshed out character. 

Overall, a very fun read for anyone who don't feel they can ever get quite enough of 'messing about in boats'.

I wasn't nearly as enchanted by this as I was hoping.  It wasn't bad, just a bit forgettable in the end.  It was enjoyable enough in he moment and there were some really high points - mostly Caddie's adventures with her two favorite brothers.  Those episodes rang the most true and, therefore, were the most satisfying.  I found the ending both disappointing and not very believable.  The very best thing about the book for me were the accompanying line drawings by Trina Schart Hyman - fantastic!