A Novel Reflection: Birthday

Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Birthday Part 3

Title: Willow Falls Series:

11 Birthdays

Finally

13 Gifts

The Last Present

Author: Wendy Mass
Previous Work:

Twice Upon a Time Series

A Mango Shaped Space

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Every Soul a Star

The Candymakers

And too many more books to list

Summary:

11 Birthdays- Amanda and Leo have been best friends
their entire life, but they have a horrible fight for a year
before their eleventh birthday. Amanda just wants to get
her first birthday without Leo done and over with. When
she wakes up the next day, it's her birthday again. What's
going on?

Finally- Rory has been waiting her whole life to turn twelve.
When she turns twelve she can do all the cool things she
wants to. Like sitting in the front seat, or getting her ears
pierced. But seemingly, everything on the list goes wrong
and Rory is beginning to think growing up isn't what she
thought it would be like.

13 Gifts- When Tara tries to steal her school's goat, she's sent
to Willow Falls to do her penance. She finds herself indebted
to Angelina D'Angelo, who gives her a list of wacky items to
gather. With the help of new friends David, Rory, Amanda,
and Leo, she might find the items she needed- and possibly
more.

The Last Present: Amanda and Leo need to travel to the past
to save Grace, who is in a coma. They must place a
benediction on her three times to save her- or so Angelina
D'Angelo says. All is not as it seems, and the two must
decide what is the right thing to do.
Rating: This series is (overall) a 4.
Awards:
(For 11 Birthdays- wins, not nominations)

2010 Northborough Southborough Children's Book Award

2011 Massachusetts Children's Book Award

2011 The Black Eyed Susan Award

2011 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award

2012 South Carolina Children's Book Award

2012 Oregon Readers’ Choice Award

2012 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award

2012 Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award

2012 Tennesee Volunteer State Book Award

2012 Young Hoosier Award

2012 William Allen White Children’s Book Award

2012 Alabama Camellia Children’s Choice Book Award

2013 Maud Hart Lovelace Award

(For 13 Gifts)

2014 Garden State Children’s Book Award

Opinion: These books were really popular when I was
younger, but I was never interested in reading them. Their
popularity dimmed and I stopped hearing about them.
One day I was in the library, and saw Finally. I thought,
"Why not?". I read it and never went back. Wendy Mass
has a way of weaving memorable stories and characters
that grab you and don't let go. I've now read seven of her
books total and can't recommend them more.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Pandora's Box

Title: Doomed
# of Pages: 472
Author: Tracy Deebs
Previous Work:

Tempest Series

The International Kissing Club
(As Ivy Adams with Shellee Roberts and Emily
McKay)

Summary: With a mom in Alaska and a dad who's been
absent most of her life, Pandora is craving birthday wishes.
So when she finds an attachment with pictures and birthday
wishes from her dad, of course she opens it. This unleashes
a computer virus on the world, which can only be solved by
playing a virtual reality game made by Pandora's dad. Is he
a genius or a maniac? Pandora needs to find out.

Rating: This is a 3.
Awards:
YALSA
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers Nominee, 2014

Opinion: This book was nerve-racking, romantic, and
really good. I didn't like that Pandora
didn't carry her own weight. She keeps telling Eli and Theo
that she can take care of herself, but she really can't. I also
disliked a heavy environmentalist message and way too
many characters from Greek Mythology. The author really
needs to get her own monsters. If it weren't for those facts,
this would be an exceptional book.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Leap Day

I know it isn't Leap Year this year, but I read an awesome book about a girl who was born on Leap Day. It has a very unique point of view as I will tell you.

Title: Leap Day
# of Pages: 212
Author: Wendy Mass
Previous Work:

A Mango Shaped Space

Every Soul a Star

Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

The Candymakers

Summary: Josie Taylor has lived sixteen years of life, and yet
when her birthday approaches, she's preparing to turn four.
That's right, she's a leaper! Getting her driver's license and
trying out for Romeo and Juliet won't be the only unusual parts
of her day... Because this day sets her apart from everyone else.

Rating: 3.5
Awards: None

Opinion: This book was told from the point of view of Josie
then everyone around her, chapter by chapter. However it
does have some heavy issues in it including germaphobia, teen
pregnancy and more. However the chance to read the other
characters' points of view and even seeing what will happen in
their future made this book a "must read".

Monday, September 17, 2012

Birthday Part 2

  Title: The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell
# of Pages: 438
Author: Chris Colfer
Previous Work: He hasn't written any other books
besides this one, but his bio says he was on Glee as
Kurt Hummel.

Summary:  Alex Bailey and her twin brother Connor
are still dealing with the aftermath of their father's death
when their twelfth birthday rolls around. They expect it
to pass without much celebration, and so are shocked
when their grandma shows up, presenting then with a
family heirloom- a book of fairy tales. Soon after they
receive the book they are sucked inside of it. Energetic
teacher's pet Alex is overjoyed to meet her favorite
characters. Jokester Connor, surprisingly, wants to get
home right away. But getting home isn't that easy and
their adventure changes them forever.
Rating:  I give this book a 4.
Awards:
#1 on the New York Times best seller list for children

#3 on the Indie best seller list for children

Opinion: This was a REALLY good book. The
characters were so interwoven that without one story
the others would fail. The villain wasn't really a villain,
you find out a shocking fact towards the end, plus other
bits and pieces make this book amazing. I recommend
this book to anyone who love fairy tales or complex
stories. I can't wait to see if it has a sequel!

Birthday Part 1

I had my birthday recently and decided to review two books with the theme of "birthdays" in them. Ironically they are both about twins. (I am not a twin, but find them interesting.) Now for the first book.

Title: Jake and Lily
                                     # of Pages: 352
Author: Jerry Spinelli
                                     Previous Work:

                                                      Crash

                                                      Maniac Magee

                                                      Milkweed

                                                       Stargirl

                                                       Wringer

                                                       And many other books

                                      Summary: Jake and Lily are unusually close for twins. They
                                      just don't know how close until their sixth birthday. They find
                                      themselves on the train platform, which the train they born on
                                      passed. And this continues for many years. That was only the
                                      first of many strange occurences that include moving bruises,
                                      being able to hear each other from miles away, and most
                                      uniquely being able to read each other's minds. Lily knows
                                      their power needs a name and calls it Goombla. But as the
                                      years go on they grow farther apart and their Goombla starts
                                      dissapearing. Lily is on a mission to get it back.
                                      Rating: I give this book a 1.
                                      Awards: This book has no awards.
Opinion: This book is really interesting. It is told from the
point of view of both twins which is nice. Another thing I
like is that the characters seem very real. But this book
isn't one of the best Jerry Spinelli books. It is amusing but
not a book you HAVE to read.