Sharon Reads: The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson

January 12, 2014July 2, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson is a children’s chapter book. This is a previously unpublished work from a well known author, following a family of yetis who are forced to leave their home in the Himalayas and make their way across Europe to a possible new home. Siblings Con and Ellen shepherd the yetis along their eventful journey, with the help of Perry, a good-natured truck driver. Through a mountain rescue in the Alps and a bullfight in Spain, the yetis at last find their way to an ancestral estate in England—only to come upon a club of voracious hunters who have set their sights on the most exotic prey of all: the Abominable Snowmen.

The Abominables is a fun story full of crazy incidents that keep the reader turning pages. As a child, Abigail is stolen from her father’s tent while on an expedition. Her kidnapper means no harm, only needs some help raising his young adominables. This introduction to the world of the adominables brings readers to a place where what most consider imaginary monsters, to be very much like man. Abigail teaches the adominables that she lives with to read, speak, and have good manners. When tourism threatens their home, Abigail sends her ‘family’ to her original home in search of safety. The journey is much more exciting than the travelers were prepared for. Just think about a long trip in the back of a truck with four adominables and a very confused yak. The illustrations scattered throughout the book from Fiona Robinson add a level of humor and aid the imagination perfectly, without overwhelming the reader.

I would highly recommend The Abominables to readers that are fans of the late, great Eva Ibbotson. Readers that enjoy animal stories, humor, and adventure will greatly enjoy the story. I am a little unsure on my age recommendations as I think readers around 8 and older would be my best guess. However, there is quite a bit about animal rights and cruelty so some of the youngest set might be upset by. However, (spoiler) every character gets their happy ending so that might be enough to make the mild upset worth the big happy that is sure to follow. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

Jenn Reads: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

January 11, 2014January 11, 2014 / Jenn / Leave a comment

Hey there old friends. Been a while.

Sorry for leaving you for so long, but I’ve been caught up in DVD land for quite some time now, with little time to write a proper post. And I really haven’t read anything worth writing a review for, until the past week, when I’ve finished two books in a row. Yay me!

I must be one of the ten people in the reading world who has not yet read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I like to keep those super popular, everyone-and-their-grandmother-has-read-it-right-now books until the popularity has worn off. Since Gone Girl is still going strong, I’ll hold off.

However, Dark Places fell into my lap due to the mystery book club I belong to. Our youngest member selected it as her choice for January, and I was finally introduced into the twisted and weird world of Gillian Flynn.

I’ll start off right away by saying that I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. It had the potential for 4 stars, but there were several serious flaws. I listened to DP,

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn

which was masterfully read by a full cast, with voices for Libby Day, Patty Day, and Ben Day, it was easy to breeze through this book.

A brief premise: Libby Day is now in her early 30’s, but as a seven year old, her mother and two older sisters, Michelle and Debbie, were allegedly murdered by her 15 year old brother, Ben. Libby’s life is a mess- she’s never worked a day in her life and has no money left. Libby herself is a mess- she’s rude, snapping, surly, angry, and just nasty. She would never be your best friend, or a bridesmaid at your wedding.

Libby receives a letter from a college-aged guy named Lyle, requesting her to appear at a group he belongs to. The group is called The Kill Club, and they are intent on proving that Ben did not kill Patty and her two daughters. If that isn’t weird enough, they agree to pay Libby to talk with people from her past who may know more about the story and who was the actual murderer.

The story flashes between present day (2009) Libby and 1985 Patty and Ben, and the events that occurred that fateful January day. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Ben is not the killer- but who is?

That to me, was the biggest flaw of the book. I’m not one of those mystery readers who sets out from the very beginning to figure out whodunnit. I’d rather take the journey along with the main character and discover with them who the culprit is. Unfortunately, from almost the very beginning, I had figured out who the killer was.

And that was a big bummer.

This is not a book for those who do not like reading books with violence against children, violence, unpleasant circumstances, or those who are easily scared. DP is a dirty, filthy, foul book, with a scenario that could happen in real life. I wasn’t bothered by the violence or foulness of this book, but rather by the lack of depth in the main character, Libby. Only after her life is threatened again (spoiler!) does she finally start to grow as an adult, and the potential to move out of the dark places is opened.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

See you in the stacks,

Jenn

PS- DP is being made into a film, starring Charlize Theron as Libby Day.

Fourth Book In ‘Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ Series Planned

January 9, 2014September 16, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Fans of the series, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, may be in for a unexpected surprise as Swedish Publisher Norstedts announced plans for a fourth book in theseries. Author David Lagercrantz will take over from the late Stieg Larsson who died of a heart attack in 2004 before he finished the fourth installment.

The publisher announced the fourth title will be an original work – not using any of Larsson’s unfinished work. This fourth book is due out August 2015.

Larsson had originally planned 10 books in the series. The first three books were published posthumously after his untimely death at age 50. Book two is, The Girl Who Played With Fireand book three is, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest.

Larrson’s U.S. publisher has said that only his estate, which is controlled by Larsson’s family, can authorize the publication of any more books. So all you fans of this series, keep your fingers crossed that the fourth title will hit U.S. shores!

Picturebooks for Raising Independent Girls

January 7, 2014July 2, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

I was never the typically girl dressed in pink (willingly anyway) and pretending to be a princess. Instead, I was out climbing trees and playing astronaut with the boys and defending my right to do so even though I was ‘just a girl’. My daughter loves pink and purple, but is just as likely to jump in a mud puddle as she would be to convince her big brother and all the superheros or monsters of the day to have a tea party. I want her to stay open to all possibilities and be a strong individual. I do not want her waiting for a prince or knight to rescue her, so I am always on the lookout for books that reinforce that idea. Here are some of the best picturebooks that I have found that support growth of every girl into a strong, capable individual.

The Paper Bag Princess written by Robert N. Munsch; illustrated Michael Martchenko
After her castle and clothes are destroyed by the dragon, Princess Elizabeth, dressed only in a paper bag, sets out to rescue Prince Ronald, who was taken captive.

Me– Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Holding her stuffed toy chimpanzee, young Jane Goodall observes nature, reads Tarzan books, and dreams of living in Africa and helping animals. Includes biographical information on the prominent zoologist.

The Sandwich Swap by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah with Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by Tricia Tusa. Best friends Lily and Salma disagree over their preferred foods, but after trading sandwiches to see how they taste, the girls change their minds.

I Like Myself! written by Karen Beaumont; illustrated by David Catrow
In rhyming text, a child expresses her self-esteem and exults in her unique identity.

Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham; illustrated by Juan Wijngaard
When her mother becomes too ill to harvest tea on the nearby plantation, Shenaz is too small to fill in, but when she tells the monkeys she has befriended why she is sad, they bring her a basket filled with rare and valuable wild tea.

The Gardener written by Sarah Stewart; pictures by David Small
A series of letters relating what happens when, after her father loses his job, Lydia Grace goes to live with her Uncle Jim in the city but takes her love for gardening with her.

For even more books you can take a look at these options; Amazing Grace written by Mary Hoffman; pictures by Caroline Binch, The Three Ninja Pigs written by Corey Rosen Schwartz; illustrated by Dan Santat, Every Cowgirl Needs Dancing Boots by Rebecca Janni, Blueberry Girl written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Charles Vess, Not All Princesses Dress in Pink written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple; illustrated by Anne-Sophie Lanquetin, My Name is Not Isabella written by Jennifer Fosberry; pictures by Mike Litwin, Basketball Belles written by Sue Macy; illustrated by Matt Collins, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen written by Cari Best ; pictures by Christine Davenier, O’Sullivan Stew: a Tale Cooked Up in Ireland wirtten by Hudson Talbott, Unspoken: a Story From the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole, and The Princess Knight written by Cornelia Funke; illustrations by Kerstin Meyer; translated by Anthea Bell.

10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in January

January 5, 2014June 30, 2014 / Louise / Leave a comment

Every month, librarians from around the country pick the top ten new books they’d most like to share with readers. The results are published on LibraryReads.org. One of the goals of LibraryReads is to highlight the important role public libraries play in building buzz for new books and new authors. Click through to read more about what new and upcoming books librarians consider buzzworthy this month. The top ten titles are: