APRIL ANNOTATED BIBS...

For April we celebrated our book clubs 3rd birthday and the start of our 4th year together. In honor of the various people we are we decided to each present a book that we've read and enjoyed be it YA or not. The following is the annotated bibliography of what was presented. Members who weren't able to join us at the table, feel free to add your comments and book talks here on the blog. ENJOY!

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (Camille)

NOTE: this is not an adult literature piece, not YA
Excerpt:
"This is the story of how as a girl of sixteen I went in search of my father and his past, and of how he went in search of his beloved mentor and his mentor's own history, and of how we all found ourselves on one of the darkest pathways into history.  It is the story of who survived that search and who did not, and why.  As a historian, I have learned that, in fact, not everyone who reaches back into history can survive it.  And it is not only reaching back that endangers us; sometimes history itself reaches inexorably forward for us with its shadowy claw."
My Take:
For those of you interested, an adult vampire tale more in the tradition of Bram Stoker than Stephanie Meyer.  Don't attempt to speed read this one, you will find yourself lost.  Honestly, if you take your time you will find yourself lost as well, but lost IN the story.


The Hound of Rowan by Henry Neff (Kate)
The Hound of Rowan, first in the Tapestry series, borrows heavily on familiar themes that readers will recognize from Harry Potter.  However, it is a fun read in its own right.  Max McDaniel is the rightful heir of Cuchulainn, the fabled Irish hero, though he doesn't know it at first.  His mother disappeared years earlier and upon his arrival at Rowan, a school in New England for "potentials", he discovers a world he never knew existed, complete with mystical creatures, a training course that changes every day and danger.  Daring rescues, a quest and discoveries make this a fun adventure and in the sequel entitled "The Second Siege", author Henry Neff's writing comes into its own, departing from his dependence on Harry Potter and owning his own work.   

Burning Up by Carolyn Cooney (Leah)

Macey lives a nice life in a wealthy, white Connecticut town that looks perfect from the outside. Macey's eyes are opened when chooses to do her local history project on a neighbor's barn that burned down in 1969. She soon discovers that the apartment on top of the barn had been home to the town's first Black teacher. The more she looks into her discovery, the less her neghbors are willing to talk. Macey soon discovers that people she has known and trusted her whole life are trying to hide the truth about the fire from her -- neighbors, family friends, even her own grandparents... By the time Macey realized that the answers to some questions can make you wish you had never asked, it is too late to turn back on the true history of Macy's town.

Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Jennifer T)
When a young toddler crawls through the gates of the old graveyard up the hill, it is his saving grace - literally. The man Jack was to kill him along with the rest of his family, but instead the inhabitants of the graveyard take him in and protect him. Soon Bod Owens is one of the oddest residents in the graveyard - after all he is alive. Adopted by a long dead, childless couple and cared for by a mysterious guardian, Bod grows up learning the ways of the dead and somewhat of the living. Bod has many adventures in the graveyard. Learning about the oldest residents and their secrets he meets the Indigo man and a forever young witch. He even makes friends with a young girl his own age who happens to be alive. Soon, there are things that draw Bod out into the world beyond the graveyard. Has what he learned from those among the dead enough to keep him alive?

Don't Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer (Martha)
A book about bullying that has the perfect nerd. The book is funny, silly, and perfect middle-school fodder with a believable bully.
From Booklist 11-15-2007: Ishmael Leseur is convinced that his name (his first name was inspired by Melville's famous character and his last name is ripe for unsavory rhymes) is the source of all his woes. Then he meets James, confident new classmate who, despite a facial tick that marks him a juicy target for laughs, bests bully Barry Bagsley and succeeds at everything. Could this mean Ishmael can turn his own life around? He joins the debate club James is organizing, which brings together a bunch of other losers. Of course that seems to make matters worse. Ishmael faints at a tournament, and he still can't stand up to Barry. But when James disappears, Ishmael finds himself and his fellow debators pulling together in the way James always knew they could. Bauer invests Ishmael with a great sense of self-deprecating humor, and quirky chapter titles extend the laughs. Like the Primrose in Polly Horvath's Everything on a Waffle (2001), Ishmael can't catch a break, but he still holds out hope that geeks will eventually rule the world.

Elephant Run by Roland Smith (Martha)
A different perspective of World War II.
From Booklist: At the height of the London blitz, Nick’s mother sends him to join his father on the family’s remote, ancestral timber plantation in Burma. Her gambit turns out badly: The invading Japanese soon seize the plantation, imprisoning his father in a brutal POW camp, and leaving 13-year-old Nick to endure hardship under Japanese overseers (whose characterizations are less complex than those of the diverse Burmese). As readers will expect from suspense-specialist Smith, Nick faces exciting situations (including several weeks in the estate’s secret catacombs), and details of Burmese politics, spirituality, and daily life weave an alluring backdrop. Some readers, however, may feel disoriented by Smith’s fragmented storytelling style, in which momentum often seems to consolidate around one character or plot development only to move suddenly in an entirely new direction. Still, this offering’s unusual setting deserves attention from historical fiction fans, who will appreciate the window on a rarely discussed theater of World War II. Grades 5-8. - Jennifer Mattson

Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Kim)
A classic that still stands the test of time!
From Amazon Review: "It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time," Milo laments. "[T]here's nothing for me to do, nowhere I'd care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing." This bored, bored young protagonist who can't see the point to anything is knocked out of his glum humdrum by the sudden and curious appearance of a tollbooth in his bedroom. Since Milo has absolutely nothing better to do, he dusts off his toy car, pays the toll, and drives through. What ensues is a journey of mythic proportions, during which Milo encounters countless odd characters who are anything but dull.
Norton Juster received (and continues to receive) enormous praise for this original, witty, and oftentimes hilarious novel, first published in 1961.
As Milo heads toward Dictionopolis he meets with the Whether Man ("for after all it's more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be"), passes through The Doldrums (populated by Lethargarians), and picks up a watchdog named Tock (who has a giant alarm clock for a body). The brilliant satire and double entendre intensifies in the Word Market, where after a brief scuffle with Officer Short Shrift, Milo and Tock set off toward the Mountains of Ignorance to rescue the twin Princesses, Rhyme and Reason. Anyone with an appreciation for language, irony, or Alice in Wonderland-style adventure will adore this book for years on end. (Ages 8 and up)

OTHER BOOKS MENTIONED:
- Art of Racing in the Rain (adult fiction) by Garth Stein: Told completely from the dogs point of view about his life and his master's, an avid race car driver, and how their lives are deeply entwined.
- Ties that Bind, Ties that Break (young adult) by Lensey Namioka: Chinese foot binding
- Mistress of the Monarchy: The life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (adult biography) by Alison Weir: Life of Swynford who was mistress and later wife of John of Gaunt, the third son of King Edward III of England.
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (adult novel) by Mary Ann Shaffer: letters that share women's experiences during WWII including a secret book club in occupied Germany

MAY'S BOOK: Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (no worries, no spoilers in the above blurb)