Books4Hearts – Book Reviews: December 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009

Backwater by Joan Bauer

She peered at me some more. I wasn’t used to such scrutiny. “I suppose at this moment you think I’m the craziest woman you’ve ever met,” she said quietly. I looked at her standing there with birds on her arms and head. “Fiona’s crazier,’ I assured her.

The Breedloves have always been successfull lawyers, and everyone expects the same from Ivy. Ivy, however, has no interest whatsoever in a career in law. She wants to become a historian. When no one seems to understand her at home, except her aunt Tib, Ivy goes in search off her long lost aunt Josephine. However, when she does find her aunt (Did I mention her aunt is a hermit?), disaster strikes, and Ivy has to find a way to save the village of Backwater, and it’s most honorable mayor. On the way she gains a friend in the mountain guide- mountain mama, a boyfriend – Jack, and learns some lessons.

“Peace,” I said quietly, hoping the game would end. “A state of tranquility or quiet.” “Not in this house, Ivy!” boomed my father. “No kidding.” “We’ll make her a lawyer yet,” laughed Uncle Whit. Thirteen pairs of legal eyes stared at me. I looked away. If I’d had guts, I would of said it. Can’t you just let me be who I am?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, and easy read, but had depth. I would say that I’d give it… 4 4/5 stars.

you can’t pursue history without finding hope.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis

To show you how impossible it was for her to do the things everyone claimed that she did. For this is the true story of how my sister, Maude March, came to be known far and wide as a horse thief, a bank robber, and a cold-blooded killer.

With a single gunshot, Maude, and Sallie March, are orphaned for the second time when their aunt Ruthie dies. Moving into the family of the local preacher, they are worked to exhaustion, and until their tempers are short. When a man who Maude is not interested in proposes to her, and the preacher and his family put pressure on her to accept, it’s the last straw for Sallie and Maude. They steal two horses, and ride off.

However, it’s not as easy for them to survive as they thought it would be, and they face dangers such as rattlesnakes, Mountain Lions, and lawmen, as they make their way through their journey to find their Uncle.

“Are you going to be a boy or a girl?” Marion asked before I went inside. “I’m still a boy,” I said to Marion. “Johnnie is my name.” “I thought that was your sister’s name.” “If she waned it, she wouldn’t of left it laying around.”

I really enjoyed this book, from the very second I set eyes on the cover. (the copy I got, has this cover.) it was a very funny book, and very exciting. I’d give it about 3 3 /4 stars.

“I hope you don’t think that makes it all right,” Maude said. “Did I shoot that boy, Sallie, did I?” “No, I did.” I said, and seeing he look on her face, quickly added, “By accident, like. I mean to say, it was the gun I was holding that went off.” “Don’t ever tell anyone that,” she said. “Not even if they catch and hang me.”

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Squashed by Joan Bauer

“I’m hoping to enter,” I said, humbly. “Enter? What about winning?” Well, of course I wanted to win. You don’t go entering contests you don’t hope to win.

Ellie Morgan knows it was pumkin love at first sight. And so for years, she’s been growing and entering pumkins in contests. This year, she has entered the adult’s pumkin contest, and she hopes that Max, her pumpkin, will win. But her life is much more complicated than just pumkins. She wants to lose weight, her dad doesn’t understand how she loves Max, and there’s a new boy at school, Wes, who she is crushing on.

I sat on the McKennas’ soft pink toilet seat remembering the messages from Dad’s motivational tapes on success, inner strength, and self-esteem. He had drilled them into me two years ago hoping I would become a different person. It didn’t work.

I really liked this book. It made you want to keep reading, but it wasn’t scary, or suspensful. It was a book full of love, and I really liked that. There was romance, but not too much. there was a lot of character developing. I think I’d give it 4 3/4 stars. (out of five.) I highly reccomend this book.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

“The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis

Another tale, from the Land of Narnia, originally the first. This time: Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are living with an old Professor, in somewhere else due to the air raids in England due to WWII. They explore the large house, and during this time, Lucy enters a mysterious wardrobe, and finds another world. Narnia? Their adventures and Narnia, coincidentally involving the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe itself, are to follow… and you’ll find out when you read, the book. 😛

I really liked this one as well, as anyone could. It’s a very descriptive, but likeable series. I also give this one 4 stars, maybe 4 1/2. Yay for Narnia? I also really liked the movie- haha. All the Narnia books I have read so far (not completed it quite yet), are very descriptive and full of adventure and surprises. Although the depth of description is kind of annoying to some, that doesn’t matter to me, I like it. I also like the whimsicalness and the slight sarcasm and repition, always reappearing.

(Of course you know, as any sensible person does know, you do not not shut oneself’ in a wardrobe.)

hehe. Later bookworms! 🙂

“The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis

P.S. The reason I am doing both this and the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, while I normally don’t review sequels, is because, this is more of a prequel, practically a different story. Almost. No spoilers.
When a boy goes to live with his crazy Aunt&Uncle, and befriends a girl named Polly, and goes to explore, simply the houses they live in, a sort of secret attic part, what will happen when they accidentally end up somewhere, where they will get caught, just maybe. At which point, they could accidentally end up in a different world. This is a story, about how the land of Narnia, spoke of in this and the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia, came to be, and the story of the evil Queen’s presence in Narnia.

To find out more, read the book, and the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia. :):) I used to not be able to get into these books, but now, I can. I really liked it, and appreciated it more then when I first was read it when I was younger. I rate it 4 stars. This is especially good since I normally don’t appreciate prequels so much, not all though, I really like some. Read this famed, classic, awesome fantasy, that will be read and read for years to come!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Endymion Spring by Mathew Skelton

Endymion Spring is a book about the adventure that surrounds Blake and his sister, Duck, when he is in Oxford, from America, while she is working at the library. They explore the library, and Blake, finds an odd book. The book is not odd, because it is old, worn, or with an odd title, “Endymion Spring” because, there are plenty of those at the Oxford library. It is odd because as he flips through the pages, it seems to be the case that all the pages, made with beautiful paper, are completely blank. And not blank, like the type for a journal or something, but completely emptily blank. After that, all sorts of odd things happen, and he tries to solve the mystery of the blank book. It is also not catalogued at the library. The book is gone when he comes back, and all sorts of weird things follow.

There is also the side story, taking place in Mainz, explaining who Endymion Spring is and exposing how this book and its extraordinary abilities came to be… and you’ll have to read the book to learn more. 😛

Okay, Bookworms. READ THE BOOK! I was surprised to find that this is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. For me, it ranks right up there with Harry Potter and Maximum Ride. And most of my favorite books are series, and this isn’t. It’s a very intriguing, different, and well written story, and I love it. I rate it 4 1/2 or maybe even 5 stars. Wow, huh? I really only had one major quip with the book and that was the fact that it never stated how old Blake and Duck were, although the stories lead me to believe they were around 13 and 10 or 11. I also didn’t like that it never stated where they were from, I don’t believe, but it is hinted and all but said that they were from the United States. There are some other lacking details from the story as well, like their physical features. All of this left a lot up to the imagination though and your point of perspective, so it wasn’t that bad. Missing details like that though, are one of my pet peeves.

So, when you read this book, help yourself answer the question and imagine what it would be like, to find the first and/or the last book, and have them in your hands. Deep concept! 😛 😛

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