Review - Out of the Dust

Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
Date: 1997
Publisher: Scholastic
Reading level: MG
Book type: verse novel
Pages: 240
Format: e-book
Source: library

When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring.

Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental--and emotional--turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is the book that made me think that I didn't like novels in verse.  I had it from the library years ago, read a few pages, and then gave up, utterly bored.  Now, years later, after reading a number of verse novels and having watched Ken Burns's The Dust Bowl, I can better see this book for what it is: a heart-wrenching story of loss and triumph set against a backdrop of one of the worst man-made disasters in recent history.

Its biggest weakness is probably that it's unlikely to appeal to the age group for which it was intended.  I can see this book as assigned reading for middle school, along with an accompanying unit teaching kids about the Depression and the Dust Bowl years.  But I have my doubts as to whether most middle-graders would read a book like this for enjoyment (unless they're really into history).  The story is also fairly dark and traumatic at times; it's pretty heavy stuff for a children's book.

Nevertheless, Out of the Dust is one of the stronger verse novels I've read.  I would definitely recommend it to fans of verse novels and historical fiction.

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Editing: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.43 out of 5

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Older Men Who Should Know Better

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is a freebie, which means that we get to pick whatever topic we like!  So I'm going to go with Top Ten Older Men Who Should Know Better:

Raffe from Angelfall by Susan Ee - This guy is probably the oldest of the bunch... by a few thousand years!  To be fair, he's not exactly throwing himself at the 17-year-old heroine... but it doesn't take a genius to figure out where this relationship is headed.

Stefan Salvatore from The Awakening by L. J. Smith - The 150-year-old Stefan from the TV series is bad enough.  But the original Stefan from the books hails from the Italian Renaissance... and he's into Elena because she looks like his old (dead) girlfriend.  Talk about a weird May-December romance!

Basajaun from Basajaun by Rosemary Van Deuren - I don't care if he's a cute little bunny.  He's still a pervert.  The human girl he ends up with?  She's twelve.

Jacob Black from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - Speaking of perverts, how about a grown man who's made a pair bonding with a toddler?  And who'll probably marry her when she's seven (because she'll look like a mature woman by then)?

Akiva from Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor - This is one of those awkward pairings that's sort of okay when you look at it in one way, and kind of not okay when you look at it in another.  It's a confusing situation, to be sure, so I'm going to cut him a bit of slack.

Ethan from Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble - Anne even mentions at one point that Ethan is old enough to be her great-grandfather... but it doesn't stop her from waxing poetic about his blue eyes and wanting to be his girlfriend.

Damen Auguste from Evermore by Alyson Noël - Damen is not just a stalker... he's an old stalker.  But he's gorgeous and rich... which I guess is what makes it okay to our tiresome 16-year-old heroine.

Bear from Ice by Sarah Beth Durst - Not only is this guy old enough to have had dealings with Cassie's mother when Cassie was just a baby, he's also a complete jerk.  You do not mess with a girl's birth control so she'll have your baby.  You just don't.

Ty from Stolen by Lucy Christopher - Ty is actually bordering on being an appropriate age for a teenage girl (well, compared to the rest of these ancient guys), but that doesn't make what he did any less awful.  Actually, in some ways, he's the opposite of many of the other guys on this list in that he's quite immature -- almost stunted -- on the inside.

Edward Cullen from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - This is probably the biggest dirty old man of them all.  He's a controlling stalker who's attractive, rich, educated, and talented... and yet he spends his time hanging out at high schools and falling for underage girls.  What a catch!

Tea Party Blog Tag

In celebration of their 3rd blogoversary, The Notebook Sisters are hosting a week-long Alice in Wonderland-themed blog party.  To begin the festivities, they've invited other bloggers to play Tea Party Blog Tag.  Check out their blog to learn how to play.


Let's have some tea!

1. Just Alice: What book cover(s) has made you super curious?

Dream Boy by Mary Crockett and Madelyn Rosenberg.  A YA paranormal romance without a girl in a pretty dress on the cover?  Colour me intrigued.

2. Mad Hatter: List the craziest character(s) you've ever read.

I would, but the telling you about the craziest character I've ever read will be a huge spoiler if you ever read the book.

3. Red Queen, Off With Your Head! What book have you felt like beheading?

Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle.  My review sums up why I hated this one so much.

4. White Rabbit: What books or series have been insanely popular but you've been "late" to pick them up?

I was late to the party for the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series by Laini Taylor.  I still haven't read the second book, even though I loved the first.

5. Caterpillar: What's the most confusing book you've read?

More Than This by Patrick Ness.  It was confusing because I was never sure what was really going on and also because lots of people think it's amazing.  Did I miss something?

6. Dormouse: What was the last book that sent you to sleep?

If a book is that boring, I generally won't even finish it.  However, audiobooks sometimes put me to sleep.  The last one that did was Gossamer by Lois Lowry.

7. Cheshire Cat: Book that made you laugh and smile?

Forrest Gump by Winston Groom.  I read it many years ago, and I still remember laughing out loud.  The sequel is also pretty funny.

8. Knave of Hearts: Most recent character who stole your heart?

I had to go all the way back to last September for this one: Li from The Lake and the Library by S. M. Beiko.

9. Jabberwocky: Best villain you've read this year?

Ty from Stolen by Lucy Christopher.  He was more than just a one-dimensional bad guy, and I liked that.

10. Down the Rabbit Hole: What's the latest book/series/author that's completely swallowed your interest?

I haven't been really sucked in by anything since I read Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies last year.  I'd love to read the prequel and sequel one day.

In My Mailbox (68)

Bought from Amazon.ca:

Neverland
by Anna Katmore

Why is there a boy who doesn’t want to grow up? How can an apple start the sweetest romance in fairytale history? And what does a ruthless pirate have to do with it all?

Angelina McFarland loves reading fairytales. But she never dreamed of falling right into one herself. That’s exactly what happens when she slips on her balcony and a flying Peter Pan catches her mid-fall.

Ending up in Neverland where no one seems to age and laws of nature are out of control, Angel has no idea how to get home. Worse, the ruthless Captain Hook captures her and keeps her trapped on his ship, the Jolly Roger, where she gets caught between the lines of a timeless battle. But the more time Angel spends with the captain, the more she sees beneath his ruthless façade.

As Angel desperately tries to find a way to return to her real life, she discovers a train ticket to London in her pocket. It won’t be any help in getting off the island, but as her memory fades away the longer she stays, this is all she has left to remind her of her former life and why she can’t give up trying.

Or is staying in Neverland forever the better choice after all?

Grab a happy thought and follow Angel on an adventure that will keep you breathless and smiling long after you read the last page...

Borrowed from the library:

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare
by M. G. Buehrlen

For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.

The Dream Thieves
by Maggie Stiefvater

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse

When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring.

Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental--and emotional--turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength.

What was in your "mailbox" this week?  Let me know in the comments!


In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.

Weekly Recap - May 18-24, 2014

Here's what I blogged about over the last seven days:

Sunday - I posted the contents of my "mailbox".  I got two new books this week, including World After, which I've been wanting to read for a while.

Monday - I reviewed World After by Susan Ee and gave it three ladybugs.

Tuesday - I participated in the Top Ten Tuesday meme.  This week's topic was books about friendship.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books About Friendship

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Books About Friendship.  These books may not be all about friendship, but I tried to pick books that featured strong friendships:

Imogene and Maxine from The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint

Birdy and Aelis from Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Charlotte and Emily from Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Miller

Karou and Zuzana from Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Ella and Areida from Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Emily and Ilse from Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery

Ramona and Daisy from Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary

Jane and Clovis from The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee

Michael and Mina from Skellig by David Almond

Wren and Tess from Wren to the Rescue by Sherwood Smith

Review - World After

World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2)
by Susan Ee
Date: 2013
Publisher: Skyscape
Reading level: YA
Book type: prose novel
Pages: 438
Format: e-book
Source: Amazon.ca

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I read Angelfall last year and, while I didn't think it was the greatest book I'd ever read, I found it very entertaining.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I liked it as much as I did.  I've been putting off reading World After for a while.  It seems that I'm often disappointed with sequels, and I was afraid that would be the case here.  While I was somewhat disappointed, the disappointment wasn't as great as it could have been, and it wasn't enough to make me give up on this series altogether.

What we have here is a good example of Second Book Syndrome.  While the first book had less-than-horrible writing, a decent plot, and some intriguing characters to help drive that plot along, this second installment in Penryn's story is lacking in a few ways.  First, the writing isn't quite on the level of the first book.  There are numerous typos and punctuation errors that I would have liked to see caught before this went to print.  Second, the plot itself is a bit weak.  It seems like there is a lot of aimless wandering about.  I finally realized that Penryn's goal is to find her sister... but it's almost disguised behind a lot of day-to-day survival struggles with the Resistance, seemingly gratuitous horror scenes, and Penryn's wistful memories of Raffe.  Which brings me to what I think is the biggest weakness of World After: Penryn and Raffe don't even interact with each other until almost three-quarters of the way through the book.  If, like me, you enjoyed their banter in Angelfall, you might be in for a bit of a disappointment here.  I can think of a number of series or trilogies that have a forced separation between the characters in the second book (Twilight, Wondrous Strange, Evermore).  I've yet to read one where I thought it worked well.  When Penryn and Raffe do finally get back together, it's nice to see them interact... but it's also so close to the end of the book that much of the remaining action feels rushed.  There are also a few plot points that are tied up a little too neatly and conveniently for my taste.

The pace seems a bit off.  Much of the story moves along fairly well, but then -- rather inexplicably -- it'll come to a snail's pace.  The scene with Penryn and Raffe eating cereal and peanut butter -- where every mouthful and finger lick is noted and described -- could've been shortened considerably without losing anything (other than perhaps a few eye-rolls from frustrated readers).  The fight scenes (and there are lots) move more quickly, but they have problems of their own.  Surprisingly, Penryn's memories of Raffe (which stand in for actual interaction between the two for most of the book) aren't as slowing to the flow of the story as I might have thought.  Though, overall, I did tire of Penryn's continual waxing poetic about Raffe's hotness:

He looks at me with those killer eyes in that perfect face over his Adonis body.

Seriously.  That's an actual quote from the book.  I guess I can cut Penryn a bit of slack, since she is only seventeen and I probably would have had similar thoughts at that age about a gorgeous supernatural being, but her metaphorical drooling is almost to the point of being unintentionally amusing.

For all its problems, though, I found World After as weirdly addictive as I did Angelfall.  I will most likely pick up the third book in this series, whenever it happens to be released.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Editing: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.29 out of 5

In My Mailbox (67)

Bought from Amazon.ca:

The Sweetest Spell
by Suzanne Selfors

Emmeline Thistle, a dirt-scratcher's daughter, has escaped death twice-first, on the night she was born, and second, on the day her entire village was swept away by flood. Left with nothing and no one, Emmeline discovers her rare and mysterious ability-she can churn milk into chocolate, a delicacy more precious than gold.

Suddenly, the most unwanted girl in Anglund finds herself desired by all. But Emmeline only wants one-Owen Oak, a dairyman's son, whose slow smiles and lingering glances once tempted her to believe she might someday be loved for herself. But others will stop at nothing to use her gift for their own gains-no matter what the cost to Emmeline.

Magic and romance entwine in this fantastical world where true love and chocolate conquer all.

World After
by Susan Ee

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

What was in your "mailbox" this week?  Let me know in the comments!


In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.

Weekly Recap - May 11-17, 2014

Here's what I blogged about over the last seven days:

Sunday - I posted the contents of my "mailbox".  I got one new book this week.

Tuesday - I participated in the Top Ten Tuesday meme.  This week we listed the books we almost put down... but didn't.

Saturday - I reviewed The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist by Margarita Engle and gave it 4 ladybugs.  I really like verse novels!

Review - The Lightning Dreamer

The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist
by Margarita Engle
Date: 2013
Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company
Reading level: YA
Book type: verse novel
Pages: 192
Format: e-book
Source: Kobo

"I find it so easy to forget / that I'm just a girl who is expected / to live / without thoughts." Opposing slavery in Cuba in the nineteenth century was dangerous. The most daring abolitionists were poets who veiled their work in metaphor. Of these, the boldest was Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, nicknamed Tula. In passionate, accessible verses of her own, Engle evokes the voice of this book-loving feminist and abolitionist who bravely resisted an arranged marriage at the age of fourteen, and was ultimately courageous enough to fight against injustice. Historical notes, excerpts, and source notes round out this exceptional tribute.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Verse novels are one of my favourite discoveries of the past few years.  Historical fiction seems to lend itself well to this style of writing, which is probably why so many of the verse novels I've read have been set in the past.  This book is no exception.  It's about a real girl, an early feminist and abolitionist, who lived in Cuba and helped change attitudes about slavery and marriage.

This book was beautifully written.  I kept highlighting passages as I read, ones that struck me as particularly beautiful or meaningful.  Tula's voice really comes across on the page, illuminating a life in 1820s Cuba that may be unfamiliar to most readers of YA fiction.  I bristled against the 19th-century attitudes that drove her mother and grandfather to want to sell her off like a piece of property, rather than letting her choose her own husband.  Her mother, in particular, was infuriating.  She'd married for love, and then seemed to think that it was up to her daughter to bring wealth back into the family with an arranged marriage!

My only real complaint with this book was the changing points of view.  While most of the "chapters" are told from Tula's point of view, there are a few throughout the book from various other characters.  While I don't have a problem with that in theory, in practice it seemed a little bit odd because there was no difference between the characters' voices.  For example, Caridad (the family's housekeeper) spoke just as eloquently in flowery language as Tula did... and Caridad was supposed to be an illiterate former slave.  But this is a minor quibble and doesn't detract that much from the story.

The historical notes at the end of the book are just as fascinating as the main story itself.  Tula had a very interesting life, one that was probably quite different from many women's lives at that time.  All in all, this is a beautifully written verse novel that should appeal to fans of historical fiction.

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Pace: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Editing: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.14 out of 5

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't.  There's a mix here; some books I liked, some I didn't:

Basajaun by Rosemary Van Deuren - Oh, how I wish I had put this one down!  I knew it was going to be bad almost from the first page when I saw that the author didn't know how to write grammatically correct dialogue.  But then the plot ended up being so weird (and not in a good way) that I just couldn't find anything to like about this one -- aside from the cover.  I think it was one of the first self-published books I'd ever read... and it made me extremely wary of all others.

Every Day by David Levithan - When the teenagers had an outburst of yelling in a public place, I was immediately reminded of why I hated Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (which I never finished).  I was worried that Every Day's characters were going to turn into shrill, annoying brats... but (luckily) that one incident wasn't representative of the whole book.  I did end up finishing this one, and while I'm not sorry I did, I wasn't that impressed.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling - I'm not the biggest Harry Potter fan.  I really enjoyed the first three books, but after that I didn't enjoy them quite as much.  They got long and bloated, and I felt like there was a distinct lack of editing.  By the time I got to the final book in the series, my rating for each subsequent book had dropped.  It actually took me quite a while to get through HP7... but after reading all the other books in the series, it seemed a shame to leave it unfinished, so I pushed through.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - This book almost got put down at the very beginning.  I'd been wanting to read it for so long, since the story sounded amazing.  But the incredibly disturbing and gory accident scene almost made me stop.  If I hadn't bought the hardcover, I might've just let this one go.  But I felt like I had to keep reading.  In the end, I was pretty disappointed.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai - I didn't realize this was a novel written in verse until after I'd downloaded it from the library.  I vaguely remember trying (and failing) to get through a verse novel years earlier.  But, to my surprise, I really enjoyed this one.  Verse novels are now a new favourite of mine.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë - In my first year of university, I was assigned this book in English class.  We'd just been forced to read Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews, quite possibly the most boring book of all time.  I didn't actually read it; I wrote the required essays using Coles Notes.  When we were next assigned Jane Eyre, I'd lost all confidence in the teacher and her book recommendations.  I wasn't sure I even wanted to read this one.  But I picked it up and gave it a try, and was sucked in immediately.  It's now one of my favourite classics.

More Than This by Patrick Ness - The main reason I kept going with this book was because I kept hearing about how great the author was.  I assumed there would be some sort of twist or awesome payoff, and the author would be redeemed.  Unfortunately, that's not the way it turned out.  I very nearly gave up on this one when it took the main character a couple of pages (on my e-book app, anyway) to decide whether or not to go through a doorway.  Sometimes books are just too slow for my taste; this was one of them.  But since I'd gotten a good way into the book before I started having my misgivings, I figured I might as well finish.

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder - I actually quite enjoyed this book when all was said and done.  However, I did get bogged down at one point in the story and lost interest for a while.  I eventually picked it back up again and made it through the ending... and I'm glad I did!

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine - Usually, I can depend on Gail Carson Levine for a good fairytale-esque story.  However, I think this book is one of her weaker ones.  While the beginning was good, there was a point in the story where everything really lagged and I almost gave up.  I'm glad I didn't, because the story got going again at a good pace and had a decent ending.  While it's not my favourite book by this author, it was still quite enjoyable and I'm glad I finished it.

The Unwritten Girl by James Bow - I read almost the whole book and then took a break of over a month before finishing the last chapter.  I ended up really disliking this one; I'm kind of sorry I spent as much time on it as I did.