Monthly Archives: October 2017

Review: Jacky Ha-Ha

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Jacky Ha-Ha
by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein
4 stars

An actress mother on her way to the Oscars narrates the story of her life at 12 when she lived on the Jersey Shore in 1990. She is one of seven sisters who live with their life guard father while military Mom serves in Desert Storm. Jacky is the class clown (who also suffers with a stutter) and doesn’t have any idea of when to stop her wise cracking ways – especially toward her teachers. She starts the year with numerous detentions while trying to laugh her problems away. Her salvation is a new English teacher who involves her in a play and channels her need to perform in a positive way.

 

Read-alikes

The Marvels by Brian Selznick

Someone I Wanted to Be by Aurelia Wills

Here’s Hank: Bookmarks are People Too by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver

Review: Genuine Fraud

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Genuine Fraud
by E. Lockhart
4 stars

Teen author E. Lockhart is known for her suspenseful twists, thrilling plots, and often unreliable narrators.  I still get the feels when I think about her best-selling 2014 novel, We Were Liars. It was fast-paced, unpredictable, and heartbreaking.  Her newest teen novel, Genuine Fraud, is most of these things. The novel starts out with an obviously unreliable narrator, Jule, lounging in a Mexican resort. Unobservant readers might not realize that the story starts out with Chapter 18 as the plot moves backwards in time. Step by step you discover more about Jule, her seemingly glamorous life, her perfect best friend, and the boy she regrets leaving behind.

I had a little trouble connecting with Jule. Her character was a little lacking, and I’m still left wondering about her motivation and upbringing. Because of this I didn’t feel the heartbreak and grief I experienced when reading We Were Liars. However, I was still captivated by the story, pulled along by Lockhart’s twists and turns, and of course blown away by the mystery’s big reveal. I totally didn’t see that coming!

Read-alikes

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

This is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang

Scary, Creepy, and All-Around Spooky Books for Kids

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There’s something about October that makes me crave a good scary story. With Halloween just around the corner and the seasons slowly shifting, there’s nothing better than diving into a good ghost story. Whether you’re tickled by the terrifyingly true or a classic fictional tale, here’s a list to satisfy that craving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready for more? Check out the extensive list below, which includes recommended ages by interest level.

Nonfiction

  • Aliens are Coming! The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast by Meghan McCarthy, 8-11; J 791.4472 MCC
  • Giant Squid by Candace Fleming, 6-10; J 594.58 FLE
  • Haunted Histories: Creepy Castles, Dark Dungeons, and Powerful Palaces by J.H. Everett and Marilyn Scott-Waters, 9-12; J 133.122 EVE

Fiction

  • The Night Gardener: A Scary Story by Jonathan Auxier, 10+;  J AUX
  • The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste, 9-12; J BAP
  • Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty, 8+; J BEA
  • Doll Bones by Holly Black, 10+; J BLA
  • Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac, 9-12; J BRU
  • The Inn Between by Marina Cohen, 8-12; J COH
  • Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee, 9-11; J FOX
  • A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, 10+; J GID
  • All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn, 7-10; J HAH
  • Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, 9-10; J HAH
  • Wait till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn, 10-12; J HAH
  • The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret, 9-12; J KEH
  • The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire LeGrand, 10+; J LEG
  • The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Pat McKissack 8-12; J MCK
  • The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, 10-12; J OPP
  • Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, 8-13; J SCH
  • Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, 10-14; J SCH
  • Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith, 10+; J SMI
  • The Riverman by Aaron Starmer, 8-13; J STA
  • The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud, 11+; J STR
  • Thickety: A Path Begins by J.A. White, 10+; J WHI
  • Coraline by Neil Gaimain, 10+; TEEN GAI
  • The Graveyard Book, 9-12; TEEN GAI

Graphic Novel

  • Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez, 9-12; JGRAPHIC ALV
  • Coraline by Nail Gaiman, 9-12; JGRAPHIC GAI
  • The Graveyard Book V1, 10+; JGRAPHIC GAI
  • Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka, 7-10; JGRAPHIC KRO
  • Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCoola; 10+; JGRAHPIC  MCC
  • SnowWhite by Matt Phelan, 9-12; N JGRAPHIC PHE
  • Ghosts by Rain Telgemeier, 9+; N JGRAPHIC TEL
  • The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing, 8-11; JGRAPHIC WEI
  • Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol, 12+; GRAPHIC BRO

Early Chapter

  • Notebook of Doom (series) by Troy Cummings, 6-8; JEC CUM
  • Home Sweet Horror by James Preller, 7-10; JEC PRE
  • The Haunted Library (series) by Dori Hillestad Butler, 6-8; JEC BUT

Picture Book

  • What If…? By Anthony Browne, 4-7; JPIC BRO
  • It’s Raining Bats and Frogs by Rebecca Colby, 4-7; JPIC COL
  • Go Away, Big Green Monster! By Ed Emberley, 6-8; JPIC EMB
  • Some Things Are Scary by Florence Heide, 4-7; JPIC HEI
  • Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott, 6-8; JPIC MCE
  • The Too-Scary Story by Bethania Murguia
  • Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex, 4-8; JPIC REX
  • Creepy Carrots! By Aaron Reynolds, 4-7; JPIC REY
  • The Dark by Lemony Snicket, 4-8; JPIC SNI
  • Little Shop of Monsters by R.L. Stine, 4-7; JPIC STI
  • The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, 3-6; JPIC SWA
  • Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean, 4-8; H JPIC DEAN
  • Ethan Long Presents: Fright Club by Ethan Long, 4-7; H JPIC LON
  • The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, 4-6; H JPIC WIL

Review: Behind the Beautiful Forevers

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Behind the Beautiful Forevers
by Katherine Boo
4 stars

Katherine Boo is a very brave woman. Her passion for reporting on poverty led her to live in Annawadi, a slum in the shadow of the Mumbai airport in India. Over the course of nearly 2 ½ years, she followed the residents of Annawadi and recorded their amazing and terrifying lives. Behind the Beautiful Forevers is her narrative non-fiction account taken from hours of recorded interviews. I listened to this book as a downloadable audiobook. It is told from the perspective of several key residents of Annawadi, and the narrator does an excellent job differentiating each of their voices. I had to continually remind myself that the people in this book were real…that the terrifying situations and their struggles for success actually happened while I was living easy in the suburbs. The lives of the Annawadi residents are astonishing and heartbreaking with a dash of pluckiness thrown in. I wish Boo would do a follow-up so we can find out how Abdul, Asha, Manju, and the others are faring in 2017. A fabulous and eye opening read!

Read-alikes

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance

$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin & H. Luke Shaefer

Review: Sourdough

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Sourdough
by Robin Sloan
4 stars

I enjoyed Robin Sloan’s quirky book Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, so I was eager to read his latest novel.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the same wonderful quirkiness in Sourdough.

Lois Clary, a workaholic living in San Francisco, finds a menu on her doorstep one day offering spicy sandwich, spicy soup, or a combo of both.  Having survived primarily on a food substitute, Lois decides to give this new place a try.  She falls in love.  The food and the bread are healing to her, and the highlight of her day.  When the owners of the restaurant have to move away, they give her a gift – some of their sourdough starter.

Lois, who has never baked in her life, decides to learn and finds herself quickly pulled into a culinary world.  With her background in computer technology, Lois decides to try combining her knowledge of robotics with her new passion which leads to some interesting outcomes.  This is a fun, fast read that will have you craving sourdough.

Read-alikes

Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

The View from Penthouse B by Elinor Lipman