A Snicker of Magic

Words and Libraries and Ice Cream and Magic!?!  This book SCREAMS Sarah!  I am absolutely head over heels for A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd.

Twelve-year old Felicity Pickle collects words.  She can see them, and each word has its own distinct look.  One word has eluded her, though: home.  When Felicity, her mother, and her sister, pull into Midnight Gulch she feels it may be a place for new beginnings, and maybe even a new friend.  That's because there's magic in the history of Midnight Gulch, and Felicity has the answer to bringing that magic back!

Oh goodness- I love words.  LOVE words.  And therefore, I LOVED this book.  Felicity Pickle is absolutely charming.  Any introverted lover of words will absolutely connect with her, especially those who have trouble expressing themselves aloud...in public.

The relationships between family, friends, and old/new romances serve as the backdrop of the magical town of Midnight Gulch. I was as anxious to get to the bottom of the missing magic as Felicity was, and fell in love with the townspeople along the way.

I would recommend this to everyone.  There are wholesome characters, it promotes kindness, builds vocabulary...and ICE CREAM!  This is something I would love to have my kids read (when I have them). 

Lloyd's faith is written into the book, but in a very refreshing way.  It isn't preachy-in-your-face Christian fiction.  In fact, it's so subtle one might miss it (except now I've pointed it out to you).  I am really impressed with her writing it in a way that wouldn't make a reader uncomfortable.

Definitely a spindiddly, heart-warming middle-grade read!  I can't wait to see what other books she has up her sleeve!

A Snicker of Magic is published by Scholastic.  Review copy graciously provided by the publisher.

Release Date: 02.25.2014

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood

Remember the movie What a Girl Wants- with pre-crazy Amanda Bynes? I love that movie, and have watched more than I should probably admit (but c'mon...Colin Firth, people!)

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood, by Varsha Vajaj, is a lot like that...only better (I think Mumbai is much more interesting than London...and more colorful...with better food).

Abby Spencer has always wanted to meet her father.  After thirteen years, she finds out he's actually a huge Bollywood actor!  Next thing she knows, she's on a plane to Mumbai and has to experience a whole new culture.  She experiences major culture clash: incredibly rich juxtaposed with extreme poverty, tandoori chicken pizza, and the whole Bollywood genre.  On top of all this, she's getting to know her father and has to keep it a secret.  Will Abby figure out where she belongs?

I'll be honest; I was a bit jealous of Abby and her adventures.  She was adorable, too!  She got me with her love of violin, and how she imagines a string quartet providing a soundtrack to her life.  Throughout the book, key scenes are accompanied by those violins, a viola, and a cello.  She is also sassy and funny.  From "accidentally" throwing the basketball at the mean girl's head instead of the hoop, to "Hicbucroak"ing on the plane, she's a girl teens will relate to.

It is interesting to see her journey, both cultural and familial.  It brings to light the poverty in the area, and it's a heartbreaking moment when she realizes that what she thought were sandbags are actually people.  The fact that she takes steps (baby steps, but steps nonetheless) toward helping some of the less fortunate is inspiring.  Maybe those who read the book will be prompted to help others in their areas. The meaningful relationships she develops convey to the reader the importance of family, and those who are like family.  Abby meets her father, but with him come his mother (Abby's Grandma Tara) and Shiva, his, like, right-hand man and Abby's confidante.  There's also some romance with a boy named Shaan.

This was an enjoyable read.  Like I said, Abby is funny and relatable- there's romance, adventure, drama (her Dad's a big Bollywood actor!)  There's also self-discovery, and realizing when to leave the past in the past and start fresh now, looking forward to the future.

Highly recommended for those Tween/Teen girls, those who like food (seriously!?! Chicken tikka pizza!?! Pooris, Tandoori Chicken...my stomach just growled again).  Also recommended for those who like travel, or may come from a family with separated parents.  Good for both YA and middle-grade.




Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood is published by Albert Whitman & Company.  Digital ARC provided by NetGalley.
Release Date: 03.01.2014

Living with Jackie Chan

"A true Karate Man is one with a god-like capacity to think and feel for others; irrespective of their rank or position. One who possesses ideals so lofty, a mind so delicate, as to lift him above all things base and ignoble, yet one who strengthens his hands to lift those who have fallen, no matter how low. The ultimate aim of Karate, therefore, lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants." 

-Master Gichin Funakoshi 1868-1957

Confession: I love Jackie Chan movies.  I blame my parents.  So, when I saw the book Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles, I had to see what it was about.

It's Josh's senior year.  After fathering a baby during a one-night stand, he moves four hours away. Staying with his eccentric, karate-loving Uncle Larry (who calls him Samurai Sam), Josh tries to deal with his guilt.  However, there's a baby in the upstairs apartment, always reminding him of his past.  He meets Stella, and the two begin taking karate lessons with Larry.  Through these lessons, and the katas, Josh finds a community.  He and Stella share a connection, but she also has an extremely jealous boyfriend.  Through this hilarious and heartbreaking story, we see Josh's journey to becoming a "True Karate Man." 

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book- it wasn't until I finished that I realized it's a companion to one of Knowles' other books: Jumping Off Swings (which I now have to read).  Knowing too many kids in this similar situation, I appreciated the perspective and way in which it was told.  Most books are from the girl's perspective, and the boy is  portrayed pretty negatively.  Granted, there are sometimes good reasons for that, but they seem to be very...one-dimensional.  Josh is a complex, sympathetic character; a real kid. He made a mistake, and has to find a way to deal with it, heal from it- but not be totally defined by it.

Knowles wrote the characters in such a great way- we all have that one friend who's a bit too inappropriate, the odd uncle, the parents who have their own issues, the opposing lives of in-school strangers vs after-school friends...

I also loved the importance placed on finding a healthy outlet- finding a community, a good community.  Not dealing with problems with unhealthy substances. With martial arts Josh finds he isn't alone.  He moves in sync with a group, and they are all trying to be better people (True Karate Men).  I have found this with things like dance classes, or kickboxing. Everyone finishes, exhausted, but with a "Look! We did this! We finished together!"  Haha, like the song from Lion King II: "We are more than we are, we are one." (Gosh, I'm such a dork...)

I would recommend Living with Jackie Chan to anyone who enjoys kung fu and karate films, martial arts, and wants a realistic teen male narrator/protagonist.



Living with Jackie Chan is published by Candlewick Press.  Digital ARC provided by NetGalley.
Release Date: 09.10.2013

After Iris

After Iris by Natasha Farrant is the bittersweet story of Blue and her family in London.  Told through Blue's diary entries and screenplay transcripts, this middle-grade novel follows the Gadsby family as they continue to deal with the death of Iris- Blue's twin sister.  As parents become busier with work to forget, a Mr. Tumnus-esque au pair enters to deal with Flora (16), Bluebell (13), Jasmine (8), and Twig (10).  Anyone with siblings will appreciate the relationship these four share.

Don't let the heavy subject matter deter you.  Farrant manages to deal with the death of a sibling (or child) while still catching hilarious family moments.  I mean...really?  Pet rats racing around a schoolroom in RC Aston Martins?  The story has some very heartbreaking moments, but they are balanced with very heartwarming moments.  

It did take me awhile to get used to the screenplay format, but once I did *shrug*.  It helped paint the scenes!  While there is an overarching storyline, the different "scenes" had their own mini stories.  If anyone read something like McCloskey's Homer Price, it reminded me a lot of that.

I enjoyed After Iris very much (and not just because Iris is my grandmother's name)- and would recommend it to Jr. Highers who want to read about families, death in a family or England. Or who enjoy filmography.


After Iris is published by Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin USA).  Digital ARC provided by NetGalley.
Release Date: 07.11.2013

45 Pounds (More or Less)

Oh my- this could have been written about me...

45 Pounds (More or Less) by K.A. Barson was a fun, relatable read.  

Ann Galardi is a 16-year old girl, who wears a size 17.  She has been in Weight Watchers four times since she was 10.  She's struggled through diet after diet, only to lose a little and gain the weight back (and then some).  Her mother is very thin, and her grandmother (jokingly) calls everyone "fat-ass."  When Ann is asked to be a bridesmaid at her favorite aunt's wedding, she decides something needs to change!  She ends up ordering a weight loss system off an infomercial, and gets a job at a mall pretzel shop to pay for it.  As she juggles diet, exercise, a summer job, friends (and ex-friends), and a very blended family, she learns to be comfortable in her own skin.

I devoured (pun?) this book!  From the infomercial product ordering (Nutrisystem didn't work for me...but Zumba and TurboFire did) to the embarrassing, dress debacle in the dressing room...I've been there.  I've struggled with my weight all my life, but hit my breaking point about 4 years ago and lost 50 lbs.  But I was that overweight 16-year old up through college and the first half of grad school- trying to shop in cute stores that didn't have anything in my size.  I was cheering for her, and empathizing with her, through the whole thing!  

K.A. Barson did a great job of portraying what a lot of girls go through in their journey to a healthier lifestyle.  From poring over product websites, looking at before & after pictures, to eating a bunch of crap in one-sitting, because "after tomorrow...".  She also did a good job portraying how relationships can change: mother-daughter, father-daughter, brother-sister, stepparent-stepchild, old friends, new friends.  

I appreciated, too, that it wasn't extremely focused on eating disorders.  While I also tend to be drawn toward those (Fat Chance, Wintergirls, The Best Little Girl in the World) it is nice to see a different perspective on weight loss.  Those books are very good, but can also be very...draining.  
  
I would recommend this to anyone who is struggling, or has struggled with weight.  I would also recommend it to those interested in mother-daughter relationships, and anyone who likes pretzels (cuz seriously, the whole time I was reading, I wanted a pretzel...with nacho cheese...and still do.)



45 Pounds (More or Less) is published by Viking/Penguin Group (USA).  ARC provided by NetGalley. 
Release date: 7.11.13