That Just Happened!

As part of the TwentyTen Challenge, I had to read two books that were recommended/reviewed by other bloggers.  I have already read Jenners of Find Your Next Book Here ‘s  recommendation of How I Became A Famous Novelist  by Steve Hely.  This time I chose something from Alyce’s At Home With Books. 

Stead, Rebecca.  When You Reach Me.  Wendy Lamb Books (2009).

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

From The Jacket

Alyce said “…Even though it is written for a young adult audience, the text is not dumbed-down, nor is the plot too predictable.  This story is absolutely stunning!  If you like books that deal with time travel in any way, shape or form you must read this book.” (For her full review go here).  I totally agree with her assessment of the book.  I didn’t really feel as though I was reading a YA novel.  Aside from the main characters being young teens, the author didn’t talk down to the Reader.  I mean, Stead even describes the theory of Time Travel as it relates to A Wrinkle in Time  and any novel that goes through the theory of Time Travel is obviously treating the Reader as an intellectual equal.

I also liked how the Reader finds out what is happening along with the main character.  It adds an element of suspense and I ended up reading this in one sitting.  I also wanted to know if Miranda’s mother wins the game show The $20,000 Pyramid.  Her mother received a letter telling her she had been picked and Miranda helps her study.  For those who do not know what the show was about you can go here.  I liked how each chapter corresponded with a Prize Winner’s circle clue.  For example, chapter 1 is titled “Things you Keep in a Box” and the next is “Things That Go Missing”.  Each chapter corresponds with what happens in Miranda’s life. 

This book is a winner of the 2010 John Newbery Medal and it is no suprise to myself, or Alyce why.  I would say this is a Must Read.

Buck, Pearl S.  The Good Earth.  Washington Square Press (2004).

Though more than sixty years have passed since this remarkable novel won the Pulitzer Prize, it has retained its popularity and become one of the great modern classics. “I can only write what I know, and I know nothing but China, having always lived there,” wrote Pearl Buck. In The Good Earthshe presents a graphic view of a China when the last emperor reigned and the vast political and social upheavals of the twentieth century were but distant rumblings for the ordinary people. This moving, classic story of the honest farmer Wang Lung and his selfless wife O-lan is must reading for those who would fully appreciate the sweeping changes that have occurred in the lives of the Chinese people during this century.

Nobel Prize winner Pearl S. Buck traces the whole cycle of life: its terrors, its passions, its ambitions and rewards. Her brilliant novel — beloved by millions of readers — is a universal tale of the destiny of man.

Reading Group Guides

Originally published in 1931, I read this for my TwentyTen Challenge  (and because my Mom said it was great). 

First, let me start by saying how difficult it was to find a short overview of the story.  It seems that no one can condense the plot into a paragraph because there is just so much to say.  The plot is layered and rich, and to leave out one part of it seems to do injustice to the rest.  I really enjoyed this book.  The storyline was compelling and I really wanted to know what was going to happen next.  Wang Lung’s ambition, at first, is endearing and it really made me want to see him succeed.  As the story goes on, the Reader can see this ambition turning him into a different person.  At first he envied the wealthiest family in the village, but as he works to become the wealthiest family, all of his goals seem to turn from humble to grandiose.  It’s difficult to read about these changes because at the beginning of the book, you want so much for him to succeed.

I thought that the setting of the novel was interesting.  It takes place in Pre-Revolutionary China.  Rural China is so different from the urban center Wang Lung and his family must travel to.  There is much unrest in the cities and as we read on, the unrest spreads to the village as Wang Lung prospers.  The difference between the rich and the poor is great and war breaks out as the poor try to take what they feel should be theirs.  It was interesting to see this unrest in relation to Wang Lung, an “everyday” person.  It does affect his life, but he tries to continue on and achieve his dreams despite this.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to read modern classics.  The Good Earth  is a Pulitzer Award Winning Novel and an Oprah’s Book Club Pick.  It is also the first book in a trilogy, so if you have already read and enjoyed this book, there is also Sons  and A House Divided.  It was also made into a movie entitled “The Good Earth” in 1937.

Collins, Suzanne.  Catching Fire.  Scholastic Press (2009).

I don’t want to provide a summary of this book because it does give away what is in book one and I hate spoilers, so below is the synposis of the first book The Hunger Games.

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Scholastic.com

MPW’s friend Heather was kind enough to send him the books (with nice note…I love personal touches)  so that I could read them.  After expressing my interest in the series, but on an un-ending wait with the library (due to them losing my place in line) I had yet to get my hands on a copy.  Thank you, Heather, for sending them over because… 

Oh. My. Goodness.  I was supposed to go out to a movie with MPW, but I could not  put this book down.  Gone are the days where teens could choose between Sweet Valley High and Babysitters Club  (although those are both great series).  Young Adult fiction is absolutely awesome.  The first book  The Hunger Games  was good, but Catching Fire  was friggin’ good.  I was literally on the edge of my seat as I read the second installment in the series.  Part of me was eager to see what was going to happen next and the other part of me was talking out loud to the character in the book as if she could hear me. 

This book is well-written and thought-provoking.  How much government interference in our lives is necessary?  How much do we need to sacrifice for the good of humanity and to achieve peace?  The Hunger Games  raises all these questions and it forces the Reader to think about what should be given up to ensure there is enough to go around.  The world exists in a state of haves of the Capital or the have-nots of the Districts, with heavy policing ensuring all the cogs run smoothly.  It is in the second installment we begin to see the consequences of the outcome of the Hunger Game of the first book.

I cannot wait for the third, and final, book Mockingjay to be released in August 2010.  Seriously.  Waiting is such torture. 

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes gripping books that are well-written and just plain awesome.

This is a MUST READ!