Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the sequel to The Hunger Games, a book Connor and I read last year after hearing a lot about it. I don't want to summarize Catching Fire since that would completely give away the first book--so I'll summarize The Hunger Games so you can get the gist of it. The Hunger Games is about a society consisting of the Capitol and 12 districts where the Capitol is in complete control of all the people's lives. To show its great power and dominance, the Capitol hosts the "Hunger Games" every year where 2 children ("tributes") from each district are selected (in a lottery system) to participate in a fight to the death. This "game" is broadcast on television for all the districts to watch and to entertain the Capitol. The games end when one tribute has survived--and the other 23 have been killed. Hunger Games tells the story of Katniss, one of the tributes, and her fight to survive.

Catching Fire (like Hunger Games) was a book that I both hated and loved. (Meaning I loved it.) Such terrible things happen in the book that I have to cry or be completely angry. But the book is so engaging that from the time I started it yesterday to the time I finished it today, it was all I thought about. I dreamt about it last night; I woke up with the story consuming my mind. This book is a wonderful read because the situations are compelling and the characters are real. Unfortunately, both books in this series so far have ended less than ideally because they leave things wide open--forcing you to eagerly await the next book in the sequel. So...I will wait.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it in a hating way)

The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke was a book recommended (and given) to me by students. I was in between books so pulled it off the shelf and decided to read it. It is about two boys who are orphaned and expected to go into the custody of their unkind aunt and uncle. Instead, they run away to Venice and join a group of orphans who live in an abandoned movie theater, led by a boy who calls himself the Thief Lord. This books tells of how the orphans get involved in some deals and mysteries that could deeply change their lives.

I really liked this book. It had interesting, likable, believable characters and a unique story. I was kept guessing throughout the story and enjoyed reading it. Unfortunately, it took me for-ev-er to get through it. At first I thought it was just because I've been kind of busy lately, but now I'm thinking that it just wasn't quite top-notch in its engagement level. But, it was still an enjoyable book.

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

Charlotte's Rose

Charlotte's Rose by A.E. Cannon is a book I've owned for a few years but never gotten around to read until now. It's the story of a 12-year-old girl named Charlotte who leaves her home in Wales and travels with her dad and other Mormon converts to Utah. As the handcart company starts on the journey in America, one woman dies giving birth and her husband is in deep mourning, so Charlotte offers to take care of the baby for the rest of the trip. She volunteers to prove she is grown up, but once she starts caring for Rose, she finds that it is much harder than she anticipated. This book tells Charlotte's story of how she comes to love Rose--even though her dad and others remind her that this baby will have to be returned to Rose's father when he's ready.

This book was beautifully written and just touching to read. It was really neat to see what it could have been like for these pioneers in their journey and to get to know all the different characters in the handcart company. It was a wonderful story that had me both smiling and crying. (Also, FYI: This isn't a Mormon fiction book written specifically for a Mormon audience. It's a general historical fiction book that happens to be about the Mormon pioneers.)

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

A Christmas Carol

I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens for a book club, but it's also a book I knew I really needed to read. I'm sure everyone knows the story of A Christmas Carol because of all the movies based on it, but in case you forgot: Selfish Scrooge is visited by 3 Christmas spirits to help him understand the meaning of Christmas.

This was a fun, quick book to read. It's interesting to read a book after seeing tons of different movies based on it. I found myself picturing the muppets and other various characters as I read. I enjoyed reading a couple parts that I never remember seeing in a movie. It just added a little more to this great story.

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

Forest Born

Forest Born by Shannon Hale is the 4th book of the Books of Bayern. It is the story of Rin, Razo's younger sister, who feels unsure and unsettled about who she is. She decides to leave home for awhile in search of something new even though her family's home in the forest is all she's known. When Rin goes on an important mission with Isi, Enna, and Dasha (who she calls the "fire sisters"), she starts to realize that maybe she has some abilities that she never noticed in the past.

I absolutely loved this book. It was my favorite of the Books of Bayern since Goose Girl, probably since Rin is such a real, likable character. She was so sweet, and the gifts she has made me love reading about how she helped people and made a difference. The book was exciting to read, and as always with these books, it's fun to re-connect with the characters from the past books--but see characters in a new perspective. If you haven't read this series yet, please do. I loved this book! And the whole series! I hope Shannon Hale writes more.

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

Tiger Rising

I chose Tiger Rising because I have enjoyed Kate DiCamillo's books in the past (specifically Tale of Despereaux). This book is about a boy named Rob who recently lost his mother to cancer, lives at a motel with his dad, and gets made fun of at school. As he deals with the sadness and unhappiness in life, one day he sees a caged tiger in the woods behind his house. The story follows what happens with Rob, the new girl Sistine, and that out-of-place tiger.

I really liked this book. I feel like Kate DiCamillo as an author really has a way of bringing you into her stories--just in the words she uses. It was a calming book that really brought out human emotions.

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

Chains

I saw Chains at the library, and I recognized the author (Laura Halse Anderson) from a book I read to my 5th grade classes (Fever 1793). This book is about a girl named Isabel who is a slave during the late 1770s as the fight for independence is beginning between the Patriots and Loyalists. When Isabel is sold to a new owner in New York, she meets Curzon, a slave for a Patriot, who encourages Isabel to spy on her Loyalist owners. However, she also hears that the British offer freedom to slaves who will help their side. The story follows what happens to Isabel as she seeks her own freedom.

I really loved reading this book. It was a really powerful story that brought me into Isabel's mind and heart and gave me a small glimpse of what life was like for a slave during this revolutionary time period. I have to agree wholeheartedly with the quote on the back of the book, and since I can't say it any better, here it is (from Angela Johnson, a Coretta Scott King Award winner): "Laura Halse Anderson's Chains is searing and has so many brilliant sparks I became lost in it. Isabel's harrowing journey into a nightmare realm of slavery, betrayal, loss, and ultimately hope quite literally had me sobbing." Me too. Great book!

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