I had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving break. During it I spent a lot of time at home and we had one day on the road. With my relatively low-key schedule, I was able to get some reading done. Here are some of the books I read over break:
In Darkling Wood by Emma Carroll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars Actual rating: 3.5 To be fair, reading this right after I finished A Million Junes wasn't entirely fair and probably influenced my rating. While this could EASILY be read as a companion to that or offered as a MG alternative to it, it just did not resonate with me nearly as much. The characters weren't as deep, the storyline wasn't as enticing, and the magic wasn't as real. To be 100% honest though, I don't think it's meant to be. This is clearly a MG book, and the other is magical realism for a much older crowd. That being said, this was a good read. Alice's brother is rushed to the hospital for a heart transplant and she is shipped off to live with a grandmother she knows nothing about. There, her grandmother is determined to tear down the woods surrounding her house; everyone in town is against this, but she doesn't care. And at first, Alice thinks that it's her grandmother's right to do what she wants with the woods on her land. But then she meets Flo, and starts to uncover the mysteries of her family, and begins to realize that there is magic in the woods. And fairies. And they need someone to believe in them to have a strong enough magic to keep the woods alive. Recommend for students who are interested in magical realism or "light fantasy." View all my reviews
All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I enjoyed this next book in The Naturals series immensely. On a car ride to the in-laws I finished book 2, and immediately sought out wi-fi to download and binge book 3 on the ride home. This one wasn't as easy for me to get into and completely immerse myself in because I don't think I always fully understood the numbers-both because that's not my forte and also because I was inhaling this and not always reading every word-I had to find out what was going to happen next. I am so glad I picked up this series and am now waiting for the 4th installment (I had to go on a waitlist for it at the public library-I'm hoping that is a shorter wait time than I would have for the copies we have in our school library). Notes: the violence does get a bit more intense in this book. There still isn't much in the way of language or sexuality-everything with Cassie and Dean is really only hinted at. Highly recommend. View all my reviews
Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars It did remind me at times of Night since it was hard to get through-the lack of character development combined with the horrors they were constantly enduring made it hard to read. It did not have the style or draw of Salt to the Sea, which was unfortunate since this was an interesting side to the history that students might not know about. Lida has been separated from her sister and is now working as a prisoner of the Nazis. She takes the advice of other prisoners and says she is older than she really is because if she can't prove herself to be useful, she is afraid she will end up dead. Working first as a seamstress, then as an assembly worker in a bomb factory, Lida moves from camp to camp, prison to prison, losing people along the way. She never gives up hope that she will be able to find her sister, but the odds are slim. Finally she ends up as slave labor in an ammunitions barracks. Will the Allies be able to free them in time or will death come for her first? View all my reviews
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