The Wonderful World of Books: June 2021

Monday, June 21, 2021

The Strangers

I read Greystone Secrets: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix for my Girls' Book Club. In this book, Chess, Emma, and Finn Greystone live a happy, uneventful life with their mom until one day there's something strange in the news: Three children in a different state have been kidnapped, and the children have the exact same first and middle names and birthdates as the Greystone kids. This seems extremely strange, and the next day, the kids' mom leaves on an unexpected business trip. Things get stranger when the kids find their mom's phone left behind, a hidden room in the basement, and a coded message from their mom.

This was SUCH a good book! I started reading it in the evening one day and finished it by the next afternoon because it was so addicting. (Even stranger, I read the whole thing on my phone, which I've never done before. I got it on my phone as an ebook to just start looking at while I waited for the hard copy on hold. I just had no idea I'd be that into it and finish it so quickly.) The story was fast-paced, exciting, scary, and interesting, and the characters were fun and distinct. I really enjoyed the book and will definitely plan to read the sequels. I created a virtual escape room for this book for the book club, so I'll add a link to that here once it's finalized. Or if you're reading this and you've read the book already, comment here so I can have you try out the escape room for me as a test. :)

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

11 Birthdays

I read 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass for my Girls' Book Club. Here's the description from Amazon: "It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited---after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating iself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell..."

This was a fun read. It was quick and engaging, and I enjoyed reading it, trying to see how things would turn out for Amanda. There were some fun twists throughout, and I thought it was a creative, fun story.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

They Called Us Enemy

I read They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker for my graphic novel class. It tells the true story of actor and activist George Takei's childhood in the 1940s when he and his family were put in internment camps for being Japanese Americans. The book follows the difficult choices his parents had to make, his father's leadership and compassion during trying times, and the family's strength in enduring injustice.

I loved this book so much! Telling this story in a graphic novel format made the book so much more powerful than it would have been if written any other way. The story was powerful and engaging and helps readers better understand this period of US history. The illustrations depicted the emotions of the characters very well, and I so admired the strength of this family.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Maus I

I read Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman for my graphic novel class. It shares the experiences of the author's father, Vladek, a Jew who endured hiding and concentration camps during the Holocaust. The book begins with Vladek’s experiences before the war, including how he met his wife, and then follows his experiences as his life became in danger.

This was a great read and powerful story. This book was written in 1986--I didn't even know graphic novels were a thing back then. (I had a misconception that graphic novels were new but learned differently during my class this semester.) The illustrations are black and white but symbolic in that the Jews are portrayed as mice and Nazis as cats. This book had me engaged, though I struggled with telling characters apart at times since I'm realizing that I'm not super observant with illustrations. This book did have some bad language, so take note that it's an adult book. As a side note, this book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, which is pretty amazing. (It's the first and only graphic novel to win that award.)

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

March: Book One

I read March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell for my graphic novel class. It tells of Congressman John Lewis and the true story of his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The story begins in the modern day, with Congressman Lewis speaking to two young boys who come visit his office. The stories of his past are introduced as stories he tells the boys.

This was a pretty amazing book! I loved the way the book was written and reading the stories and experiences shared. It really made the Civil Rights Movement seem more real to see someone living in our day and age who had such a central role in the events in the 60s. I think this makes it a powerful book for children and young adults who are learning about this time of history. This will be a good one for my daughter Emmeline in a couple years.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

The Arrival

I read The Arrival by Shaun Tan for my graphic novel class. Written entirely in pictures (no words), this book shows a man leaving his wife and daughter to immigrate to a new country. As he repeatedly faces the unfamiliar, he meets helpful people along the way who each faced difficult times in their pasts as well and share their experiences. With the use of an invented alphabet and unfamiliar locations and animals, the author/illustrator portrays settings that could represent any location.

This was such a great book! At the beginning, I was kind of confused and worried I was missing something because I kept seeing fantastical creatures and settings and didn't really understand. But as I kept reading, I understood what the author was trying to portray. The illustrations really articulated the feelings of immigrants and showed the goodness of people in taking care of each other. I really related to this book because it brought out the feelings I felt when we lived in Japan--just the feeling of being in a new, unfamiliar place where everything is different and confusing. Even though this is listed as a young adult book, I think it's one my 10-year-old daughter could read and understand.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Green River Killer

I read Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case for the graphic novel course I'm taking this semester (for my MLIS). This book follows Tom Jensen (the father of the author), the lead detective on the case of the Green River Killer, a serial killer in Seattle in the 1980s. When the killer, Gary Leon Ridgway, was eventually caught, Detective Jensen spent time with him doing interviews before Ridgway was convicted of killing 48 women and girls.

I picked this book from the list provided by the professor because I have always been interested in true crime and thought I'd enjoy the story. It did end up being very fascinating, and it made me interested in learning more about the case afterward. The book is definitely adult content because this guy was a creepy murderer and rapist, and there are lots of pictures of dead bodies and gruesome things. There were two things I didn't love about the book--1) It jumped back and forth in time (originally when killings happening and then once they caught the killer), and I sometimes got confused. 2) I sometimes had trouble telling certain characters apart because their appearances were similar, which led to me having to do lots of double takes. But overall I enjoyed the read.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)