The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart is a kind of prequel to the Mysterious Benedict Society books.  It follows 9-year-old Nicholas, a genius child who also happens to have narcolepsy, which causes him to fall asleep at quite inconvenient moments.  Nicholas is sent to a new orphanage where he is able to endure the harrassment of the Spiders (bullies) only because of a rumor that there is a hidden treasure at the orphanage.  With two friends by his side, Nicholas works to solve the mystery.

This was a really fun book.  Nicholas is an old man in the Mysterious Benedict Society books, so it was neat to read a book about his background.  The characters were really interesting and likable, and the plot was engaging.  The only downsides were (1) that the story sometimes seemed a little lengthy (maybe could've been more concise) and (2) that, for me, it was kind of predictable at times.  But, I really liked the book, and the book kept me interested throughout.

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

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone

I've been waiting anxiously for Palace of Stone (the sequel to Princess Academy) by Shannon Hale.  It comes out on the 21st, but I somehow got amazingly lucky and won an advance copy a few days ago after answering a Princess Academy trivia question on Shannon Hale's facebook page.  Yay!  I don't want to elaborate on the plot since that would give away what happened in the first book, but read here for a summary of Princess Academy.

This was a fabulous book--one of those sequels that is just as good (or better) than the first book.  The book was true to all the original characters' personalities, just putting them in a new setting.  I loved the developments that took place and also thoroughly enjoyed the chick flick nature of the story.  If you're looking for a good book to read next, this book and its predecessor are awesome picks.  Engaging and exciting plots as well as deep and lovable characters--plus they are just generally well-written books.  Highly recommended!

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

Enna Burning (re-read)

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale is the next book after Goose Girl in the Books of Bayern series.

[I'll add to this post another time.  Since it's a re-read, it's not a priority for me to write about it right now.]

Goose Girl (re-read)

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is a favorite book of mine that I decided to re-read.

[I'll add to this post another time.  Since it's a re-read, it's not a priority for me to write about it right now.]

May B.

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose was another book that looked good at Barnes and Noble, so I found it at the library.  It's about young May, whose parents send her to help at a neighbor's homestead for a few months.  And, as the book's inside cover says, "But when a terrible turn of events leaves her all alone, she must try to find food and fuel--and courage--to make it through the approaching winter."

This was a really sweet book.  It was written in verse (similar to a favorite book of mine, Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse), which made it a quick but nice read.  There was fabulous character development--I just felt like I really understood May and loved seeing how she grew throughout the story.  It was such a quick read that I wasn't involved enough to love the book, but I really liked it.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

Glory Be

I saw Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood recently at Barnes and Noble and thought it looked good, so I checked it out at the library.  It's about 11-year-old Glory who lives in Hanging Moss, Mississippi in 1964.  As summer hits, things start to change in their town as visitors from the North come to try to give more rights to blacks in their town.  The town council closes the pool for "repairs" rather than allow blacks to swim, and Glory realizes her yearly 4th of July birthday party at the pool will be ruined.  The book follows Glory as she comes to understand the changes taking place in her town.

This was a quick read and a nice story.  It wasn't anything super unique or special; it seemed to be a lot like other books written about the time period.  I did like the characters and following how the various people in the town felt about civil rights and what was taking place.  Sometimes I got distracted in my reading because I felt like Glory didn't act the way I would really expect a girl in her situation to act.  But, it was a thought-provoking book and showed the strength it took for both blacks and whites to stand up for civil rights during this time period.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

Criss Cross

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins is a Newbery medal winner I've owned for years.  I thought I'd read it but recently realized that I never actually did.  The book follows Debbie (and numerous other characters) during a summer in Seldem.

I don't really have much more to add to the summary of the book because it was one of those books without a real set plot or conflict to follow.  Instead, it just followed a bunch of different characters in their everyday lives throughout the summer in this small town.  The book regularly changes points of view as it shows paths crossing among all the different people--mainly preteens and teenagers.  It was not a super engaging book because of the lack of structure, but the book had some cute scenes and catchy or thought-provoking lines that made it a nice read.  I saw there is a companion book, and I'll probably read it sometime.

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