Note
I'm currently in my last week of classes. Finals are coming. You know what that means ... *faints*

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Middle Grade Book Challenge - December Reviews

It's December! The holiday season is approaching and we're going into the fourth month of the Middle Grade Book Challenge.

If you don't know what's going on, I am hosting the Middle Grade Book Challenge where the goal for this challenge is to read 12 or 25 MG books between September 2009 and August 2010. Many readers are well on their way to completing the challenge! Click here for more information or if you would like to join.

To share your December reviews with others and to make the book review list available on your blog, just copy/paste one of the codes below to your book review. Don't forget to add the link to your review in the MckLinky!

Thanks to everyone for making this an enjoyable challenge. There's nothing like bedtime stories or storytelling near the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa nearby during the holiday season. May you have a wonderful December! =)

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Note: in some blogging environments like Blogger, the list will not show up in the "PREVIEW" mode. The list shows up only after you PUBLISH the post.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Throwback Thursday: The Magic School Bus in the Haunted Museum

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny at Take Me Away.

Who doesn't like The Magic School Bus? It was one of my favourite shows when I was younger, the kind where as soon as I came home from school, I'd flip the TV on to catch the show. Homework came second. I'd get scolded, but I'd still watch the show, telling my parents that I'm learning, among other excuses.
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I have other Magic School Bus books, but I remember having read this one more often than the others. I have a French copy of The Magic School Bus in the Haunted Museum: A Book About Sound (Originally written by Linda Beech and illustrated by Joel Schick, French text by Carmen Marois and Lucie Duchesne).
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About the Book:
The class is going to give a concert at the Sound Museum. On the way, the Magic School Bus breaks down - in front of a big, old haunted house. The class hears lots of weird sounds. Ms. Frizzle and the kids enter at their own risk! But, once inside, they learn all about sound. You will, too, when you read this book. (Scholastic)

Author: Linda Beech, Illustrator: Joel Schick, Title: The Magic School Bus in the Haunted Museum: A Book About Sound, Published: Scholastic (1995), Reading Level: ages 4 - 8, 32 pages.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

I heard about the Darkest Powers series by Canadian author Kelley Armstrong, but I did not think much of it at the time. Later on, I read a great review of The Summoning from NotNessie at Today's Adventure. I kept the title in mind. In September, I learned from Cindy at Cindy's Love of Books that Kelley Armstrong would be in town to sign books and talk about her new book called Frostbitten which is part of her Otherworld series.

That was it. I had to buy myself a copy of The Summoning and I just had to get it signed.

About the Book:
After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either… (amazon.com)

Review:
There is always something happening in this story. At first, I wasn't sure what pieces of information were significant and which ones were not, but it all fits quite well. I will have to admit that this book has one heck of a cliffhanger; I've never felt so helpless by the end of a read. There are just so many loose ends and because of this, I didn't feel any sense of closure. This book left me begging for the sequel.

Chloe seems to be a typical teen, albeit somewhat of a late boomer. Chloe can see ghosts and communicate with them. Specifically, she can raise the dead. If I were seeing ghosts right after having had my first period, I'd be freaking out too. I'd probably even try to postpone as much of the teenage growing phase if I knew what was coming. She's believable and I didn't mind following along on the journey. The characters are pretty well written and the dialogue is great, but I felt something was missing, and I'm not sure what that is. Perhaps it's because so much of the action happens in or around the Lyle house that the setting of the story is pretty much "contained" except for the beginning and the end. This is just what I think. I guess I'm just one of those people who don't like staying in the same place too long. Still, I wanted to read on to find out what happens next.

Chloe is not the only one considered as a supernatural; there are others in the Lyle house. I won't reveal what their powers are. There's Simon, Derek, Rae . . . I like Derek the most though. He doesn't come off as likeable at the beginning and he keeps much about himself hidden, but as the story progressed, I grew to like him. I like how Simon is Asian, or more like half Asian. When I got to the part where he's talking about stereotypes and such, he's absolutely right.

All in all, The Summoning is a good read. I like the premise of the book. I haven't read a book quite like this before. I probably would have enjoyed the book more had I read it in one sitting or over consecutive days, but those options weren't available to me. I bet this book is a great setup for the sequel. (Shhh! Don't tell me what happens next!) I'm just going to have to read The Awakening, and then The Reckoning which is coming out in April 2010. The author sure knows how to keep readers on the edge. Oh, and about that massive cliffhanger, I think it's cruel.


Cindy recommended in her review of The Summoning that if you're planning on reading this, you might as well get the second book too, entitled The Awakening. I kept her suggestion in mind, bought myself a copy, and I'm glad I listened to her. =)

To read Cindy's review of The Summoning, click here. To read NotNessie's, click here.

Title: The Summoning, Author: Kelley Armstrong, Published: DoubleDay Canada (July 1st, 2008), Genre: YA, Fantasy, 390 pages

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Throwback Thursday: The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny at Take Me Away.

Earlier on, I've agreed to take part in this meme, but I haven't gotten around to it. Over the weekend, I stumbled on a book I loved as a kid: The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday by Stan & Jan Berenstain. It's a picture book for reader's aged 4 to 8 and it's part of the Berenstain Bears series.
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My copy has rounded corners, a spine that doesn't look so good, there's a heart sticker on the inside cover, and my first name written at the top right corner (although it's mostly erased, and as a kid, my a's were as tall as my d's, and so were my i's and my n's).
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Yup. I loved this book. It was one of my favourites for some reason. I grew up with the cartoons too. Here's what Too Much Birthday is about: Is there such a thing as too much birthday? Poor Sister is overwhelmed by her big, noisy sixth-birthday party. Her sympathetic parents help her realize the true importance of having a birthday in this humorous exercise in moderation for cubs--and parents. (amazon.com)
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I only remember owning a copy of this book in the series, but I found out I have other Bereinstain Bears books too.
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Author: Stan and Jan Bereinstain, Title: The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday, Published by: Random House Books for Young Readers (March 12, 1986), 32 pages.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Books Bought - 11/14/09

I went to the new Indigo bookstore that recently opened up in Laval. My sister came along too. She was visiting the bookstore for the first time and her eyes lit up when she arrived to the kids' section. In my case, well, my eyes lit up too.

My sister's birthday is coming up, so I told her she can have any book she wanted. At first, she had trouble deciding which one to get (which I am but all too familiar with the situation). She finally decided to choose between The Rainbow Magic Collection - Volume 1, and The Rainbow Magic Collection - Volume 2, by Daisy Meadows (MG, early chapter books). Feeling a slight preference for order, I told her to get volume 1. She told me she'll want the whole collection. Yup, I know that feeling too.

As for myself, I bought Angel by Cliff McNish (YA). I'm strangely fascinated by angels for some reason. I didn't know it at the time until I came home to run a quick search that there are actually 3 covers for this book. Below are the 3 covers. My copy has the cover on the right. It's my favourite out of the three. Which cover do you prefer?



At Indigo, I also came across a French book entitled Sortilege by Alex Flinn (YA). The book has a white rose on the cover. I read the back cover, liked it, and started to read the first page, and aw man . . . My French isn't too good. I'd have to look up a number of words in the dictionary. In terms of reading speed, it would take me 1.5 or twice as long to finish the same book. The bookstore didn't have the English one; I'd have to order it in. I learned that the English title is Beastly, a modern take on Beauty and the Beast. A movie is also being produced, set for release in the summer of 2010, starring Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer, Mary-Kate Olsen, Neil Patrick Harris, etc.
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How could I have missed this? Well, I'm getting Beastly for sure, in English please. Besides, the listed price for the English one is $7.50, while the French one is $26.95. Ouch. I'd brush up on my French, but, um ... yeah.

Thanks to Cindy at Cindy's Love of Books for hosting the Books Bought meme. =)

Friday, November 13, 2009

Review: The Heart Specialist + An Evening Out

Last month, Cindy from Cindy’s Love of Books had told me that Claire Holden Rothman, the author of The Heart Specialist, would be visiting the Pointe-Claire Library. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to attend the Q&A being held at the library, but upon learning that the author is a Montrealer, I bought myself a copy of her book at Indigo downtown, just because.

I went to the library to listen to the Q&A and boy am I glad I went. To my surprise, it was a wine and cheese event, and I suddenly felt like I didn’t quite fit in for some reason, but that didn’t matter.

Claire Holden Rothman is an engaging speaker with a sense of humour. Even though I was sitting in the back row next to Cindy and Donna (from BooksBound), I did not feel an ounce of drowsiness that evening. I hadn’t finished reading The Heart Specialist at that point, but I learned more about the author’s research and other interesting tidbits about the story, but in no way did it spoil the story for me. If anything, I became more interested in finishing my read.
To read a synopsis of The Heart Specialist, click here.

Review
The Heart Specialist is the story of Agnes White, based on a real historical figure by the name of Dr. Maude Abbot, one of the first women to graduate from Montreal’s McGill University with a degree, and one of the first women to become a medical doctor. Based on facts, the story gives readers more than just a glimpse of what the main character had to overcome in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Women didn’t have the right to vote yet. At the university, only the arts department had their doors opened to women. Abbot/White had to go elsewhere to earn a doctoral degree in medicine. She became an expert in congenital heart disease.

Agnes White’s father is largely absent in her life and she strives to find him. He was/is also a doctor. She finds solace in her work, labelling and categorizing her father’s work, or more like her father’s legacy. Agnes earns a place among men and she finds love in an unexpected place despite losing many of the people she holds dearest in one way or another. It makes you wonder if the title of this novel may be referring to something else as well.

Rothman conveys in a superb manner Agnes’ feelings of being in no man’s land. I like Agnes and I felt like cheering her on. I also like Jakob Hertzlich, her assistant, especially later on in the story; at first, he appeared snobbish (but only slightly, and with good reason). This book is well written and it is true to the times and settings of the story. Personally, I usually shy away from historicals, but I’m very glad I’ve picked this one up. I’m also happy I was able to get my copy signed by Claire Holden Rothman. (I like her name. It has a very nice ring to it, don’t you think? Maybe it’s just me.)

I may be biased in saying this because I am very much a Montrealer who also happens to be attending McGill, but The Heart Specialist is the best literary novel I’ve read thus far. Even after I was done reading it, I was left to ponder about it. It’s an enjoyable read with believable characters (although a particular part at the beginning might not be suitable for the faint of heart). It’s a book with a grand message about humanity.


Note
Claire Holden Rothman answered many questions at the Q&A. Unfortunately, the author has said that there won’t be a sequel. I have also learnt why Rothman wanted to incorporate an element of love in her story as there is seemingly no record of Maude Abbot having love in her life. At the Q&A evening, the author also explained why she wrote a rather graphic beginning to illustrate how misunderstood Agnes was. Rothman also talked about what’s fact and what’s fiction and how she wanted to weave the two together to create a wonderful story.

The Heart Specialist was long-listed for the Giller Prize (2009).
Cormorant Books printed The Heart Specialist on recycled paper.


Claire Holden Rothman and I

To read Cindy's account of the event, click here. To read Donna's account, click here.
Author: Claire Holden Rothman, Title: The Heart Specialist, Published: Cormorant Books (March 1st, 2009), 325 pages

Monday, November 2, 2009

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My review article for Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick is up on the McGill Tribune: the online edition. Hurray!

It took awhile and there were a few setbacks, but it's finally up. You can read the article HERE. Enjoy! =)

Many thanks to B&N First Look and to Simon&Schuster for sending me an arc and a complementary finished copy.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Middle Grade Book Challenge - November Reviews

It's November 1st! Halloween just passed and now we're going into the third month of the Middle Grade Book Challenge.

For those who are a little lost concerning what's going on, I am hosting the Middle Grade Book Challenge where the goal for this challenge is to read 12 or 25 MG books between September 2009 and August 2010. Click here for more information or if you would like to join.

To share your November reviews with others and to make the book review list available on your blog, just copy/paste one of the codes below to your book review. Don't forget to add the link to your review in the MckLinky!

For Blogger users (and for those using blogs that accepts Javascript):


For Wordpress users:


Note: in some blogging environments like Blogger, the list will not show up in the "PREVIEW" mode. The list shows up only after you PUBLISH the post.