Inside Out & Back Again

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai was a Newbery honor book for 2012.  The book is about 10-year-old Ha who lives in Saigon and loves her home there.  However, when the Vietnam War reaches her home, she and her family board a ship and find refuge in America.  Ha, however, doesn't seem to find much refuge at all and feels that she'd prefer war-ridden Saigon more than her life in Alabama.  The book follows Ha's transition to a new life in America.

The author did a great job really bringing emotion to the story, which was written in free verse rather than traditional paragraphs.  The book was actually quite sad and was based on the author's experience of coming to America as a child from Vietnam.  It reminded me of how mean kids can be to those who are different but also helped me see the goodness of people who accept an opportunity to make a difference.  It was a well written book and a nice story.

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

Breaking Stalin's Nose

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Velchin is a Newbery honor book for 2012.  It is about 10-year-old Sasha living in the Soviet Union who cannot wait to become a Young Pioneer and who idolizes his father, who catches spies for Stalin.  But one night when Sasha's dad suddenly gets arrested, everything Sasha understood about his country becomes different.

This was a pretty short book and included some illustrations throughout.  It was an interesting read but covered such a short time period and such little material that it didn't seem too deep of a read.  (But that probably is what makes it a good book for younger children.)  I liked the perspective of the book and the opportunity to see what Stalin's Soviet Union was like.

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

Half Broke Horses

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls was a book my grandma mentioned awhile back in one of her family letters.  She said it was one of the best books she'd read in awhile, so I decided to read it.  It is the story of the author's grandmother, Lily, a "no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling" woman who grew up on farms and ranches and helped her father break horses starting when she was 6.  She taught school, raised two kids, learned to drive and fly airplanes, helped her husband run a ranch, and endured some tough personal tragedies.

This book was fascinating!  Even though the book is based on memories and accounts and is pretty much the true story of her grandmother, the book is considered fiction since 1) the author had to fill in gaps, and 2) she wrote it in first person to really capture her grandmother's personality.  I just loved reading the book all the way through and was captivated by this woman's life experiences.  It's just so cool to read a book like this where the stuff really happened!  It was one of those books that I kept thinking about even when I wasn't reading it.  Really, this book was such a fun, interesting, intriguing read.  Highly recommended.

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

The Silver Bowl

I saw The Silver Bowl recommended on the Provo City Library's children's book review blog I read.  It is about Molly, who as a young child is sent away by her father to work at the castle as a maid.  After some time, Molly is promoted to polish the castle's silver, but soon she finds that one silver bowl speaks to her--and she can see visions of terrible things happening to the royal family.  She enlists her friend Tobias to help her find a way to save the prince.

This was a fun read with an interesting and engaging plot and great characters.  There were lots of adventures and surprises, and it also had so many sweet parts that just endeared me to Molly and Tobias.  The only thing I didn't like was that the book didn't seem to address passing time very well.  For example, sometimes at the beginning, I got confused because several years would pass without the book making it very clear.

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

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!  Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schiltz was the Newbery medal winner a few years back.  It is a series of monologues, stories told by children characters within a manor in Medieval times--some are nobility, others are paupers.  The author wanted to create a play about Medieval times for children at her school, but no child wanted a small part--so she created a play where each character had a long monologue.  The book follows each character in a little snippet of his/her life, and some of the characters' lives overlap.

This was such a cool book!  I could totally see myself getting a class set of this book when I taught school; it would've been so cool to perform this with a group of 5th graders.  I think we would have had a lot of fun with it.  The book was interesting, and it was easy to learn a lot about Medieval times without even realizing it.  The characters were unique/entertaining/special/intriguing, and it was just a fun read.

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

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants

I found Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants by Lee Goldberg at the library after enjoying another Mr. Monk book.  This one is about Mr. Monk and his assistant Natalie who unexpectedly run into Mr. Monk's former assistant, Sharona.  Mr. Monk hasn't seen her since she left, and Natalie has never met her.  Even though there is some tension at first, soon, the three of them are working together on a case where Sharona's ex-husband is the prime suspect.

This was another fun book.  I love how well the author captures Mr. Monk, and that is what makes it an enjoyable read.  I did feel like this story was a little predictable, but it was still a good book.

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

Dead End in Norvelt

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos is the 2012 Newbery medal winner.  It's about Jack, who lives in the small, literally-dying-off town of Norvelt in Pennsylvania and has a constant bloody nose.  When he gets grounded for the summer and is stuck in his house all day long, Jack starts enjoying the one outing his mom allows--helping old Miss Volker.  Miss Volker, the town medical examiner, soon finds herself very busy as all the Norvelt originals start dying off, and Jack finds himself very involved as he works as Miss Volker's scribe as she prepares the obituaries.

This was an interesting book--lots of history tied in to it.  (Norvelt is an actual small town that was named for Eleanor Rooselvelt, who had great interest in the town when it was created as part of the New Deal during the Great Depression.)  The author put in lots of detail, so it was fun to follow Jack's adventures and to imagine what life was like for him in Norvelt.  I didn't feel like the plot was particularly strong or engaging, but the characters were definitely original and entertaining.

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

Mr. Monk on the Couch

When I saw this book--Mr. Monk on the Couch by Lee Goldberg--in the new book section at the library, I was thrilled!  It is an original mystery series based on the Monk TV show.  The books (there are already like 10ish) are written by a guy who was a screenwriter for the TV show.  This book takes place shortly after the final episode of Monk and follows Natalie and Monk as they help Captain Stottlemeyer with a series of murders that seem to be related to a secondhand couch.  Along the way, Natalie also becomes interested in a case regarding a man who died of natural causes with an unknown identity, and she decides to do some investigating herself.

This book was great!  I was especially happy to get into a good book since I had just started and then stopped two different John Grisham books.  (Both got a little too sketchy once I was partway in.)  I LOVED the Monk TV series and always think about how sad I am it had to end.  Now I can continue to enjoy Monk's awesomeness in these books!  The author did a fabulous job capturing the characters and putting in little details so I could picture just how they were acting.  The book got me to laugh out loud, and it was just a fun read.  It felt like watching the show again.  Yay.


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