Tag Archives: book review

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford (Goodreads Review)

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Salutations!

I recently read a fantastic historical fiction novel for grown-ups (hereafter called “adults” meaning merely age of intended audience, not solely content inappropriate for kiddos) that I reviewed over on Goodreads. Below are my thoughts that were originally posted there, with likely some slight variance.

Radio GirlsRadio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked this up browsing the library shelves after my shift one day since the title was intriguing. One look at the front cover, and I knew I had to try this story. Maisie Musgrave is one of my new favorite literary heroines, and I totally considered dressing as Maisie for “Staff Book Character Dress-up Day,” since it is almost Halloween (at the time of writing this review), but I figured nobody will know who I am; besides, I already dress personally as a combo of 1930s – 1940s – 1950s most days at work anyway, so 1920s would not be a drastic departure.

I digress… even without any blood family nearby, Maisie feels more at home in London than she ever has in her native Toronto or New York where she grew up with her flighty yet overbearing actress mother, so Maisie is quite excited to apply for an opening at the fledgling British Broadcasting Company in the mid-1920s. She begins as a secretary in two departments and becomes almost mesmerized by one of her supervisors – a take-charge, charismatic woman named Hilda Matheson, the director of the Talks department. Maisie ends up requesting to be in the Talks department full-time and slowly works her way up to being Hilda’s almost-assistant, bringing along with her a newfound friend from the typing pool of secretaries. A couple of men cross Maisie’s path, and she becomes rather deeply involved with one. Trouble brews when Maisie ventures into some detective work dealing with the heads of a couple major companies having high German sympathies that include taking over the free press, including radio, in England to help the empire return its former glories, notably aligned with Germany.

The book (at least in paperback) has a nice author’s note and quick biographical sketch of Hilda Matheson, as well as reading discussion questions, and I think it would make a great adult book club title. Is it ridiculous that I really want to go to England and pick up the paperback or hardback edition because the cover has a brunette, instead of the American cover art featuring a blonde? I always considered Maisie to look like me.

View all my reviews over on Goodreads!

RLGing,

Sarah Hope

Goodreads Review: One Crazy Summer

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One Crazy Summer (Gaither Sisters, #1)One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eleven-year-old protagonist/narrator Delphine travels with her two younger sisters from Brooklyn, NY to Oakland, CA to meet the mother who abandoned them and spend 28 days with her. Delphine has always been the one to take charge (e.g. getting Chinese take-out for her sisters until they can’t handle it anymore and starts getting groceries and cooking real dinners). She discovers her mother didn’t send for the girls and doesn’t want them in her house, especially her kitchen. She sends the girls to the Center down the street for breakfast daily, and they stay for the summer camp activities. As they spend more time with people like Crazy Kelvin and Sister Pat, they learn about the Black Panthers movement and become involved in a rally, even though they “didn’t come for a revolution but for breakfast.” Will the three girls ever bond with their poem-writing mother? Will they become junior Black Panthers?

“One Crazy Summer” has won the Coretta Scott King award and the Newbery Honor award, out of many awards and general praise in the #kidlit book world. I feel this book would be enjoyable for children wanting to know about the 1960s African American perspective and would be helpful for those dealing with parental abandonment.

View all my reviews on Goodreads!

Here’s a screenshot of my #BookSnaps from Instagram on this title; the author commented on it, since I tagged her in it!

Goodreads Review: The Butterfly Lion

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Hello Everyone,

I randomly picked up a copy of The Butterfly Lion, and reviewed the title on Goodreads. Below are my thoughts.

The Butterfly LionThe Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The back cover intrigued me to find out why a boy would promise to always remember a lion. There are actually two boys in the story. A nameless narrator runs away from his boarding school in England and seeks shelter from the rain in the home of an elderly lady. She fascinates him with the story of her childhood friend Bertie who was raised in Africa and adopted a white lion cub, only to have him sold to a circus before Bertie leaves for boarding school. The girl and Bertie exchange letters as they grow up and eventually marry after World War 1. Does Bertie ever find his white lion?

Note: it seems the author is the nameless narrator, since he is addressed at the end of the book by his last name. The explanation of what happened to the elderly lady was very strange for me, as it seemed like the boy was conversing with a ghost. The ending was also a little weird in that he was hearing their voices tell him to take care of the sculpture. Overall, a pretty good historical read, with some potential fantasy thrown it. Some mention of adults drinking, and slight graphic depictions of war. It would be a fine recommendation for upper elementary and middle school wanting a fast read. I think I’ll investigate more from this author.

Happy reading!

Ms. Tyler

Goodreads Review: The Distance Between Us

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Hello Everyone,

Somehow I ended up with a copy of a Kasie West young adult novel, and thought I’d give it a try. Someone once said she is a good author for clean romance books for middle grades and high school. So, my review is below, which I originally posted on Goodreads.

The Distance Between UsThe Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Caymen is seventeen with a dry sense of humor, helps her mom run a doll shop, and has the rich customers completely figured out. Until Xander walks in, beckoning her to help him pick out a doll for his cousin. They strike up a friendship on the basis of figuring out what the other is suited to do in life through “Career Days.” Caymen doesn’t tell her mom about Xander, since she was dumped by Caymen’s dad, a rich boy whose family paid for her to disappear with the baby. Some serious events reveal Caymen’s past and help decide her future.

Note: There’s a little language and kissing, nothing beyond the PG rating I’d think. Overall, an interesting read about finding oneself and the importance of family. It would most likely be fine for the majority of middle school students and up.

Happy Reading!

Ms. Tyler

Goodreads Review: The Hunger Games

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Hello Everyone,

Since this next year, I will be moving from a K-5 school library to a K-8 school library, I feel I need to increase my familiarity with Young Adult literature (or YA lit). So, I picked up a copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Below is my Goodreads review:

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow! I picked up the first installment of the Hunger Games trilogy from the “used books for sale” table of my local public library (since it was on the “children’s” table, it was only 50 cents!). I took it along on a week-long vacation, and sped through the entire book before the week was up. I skipped some of the more “gory” paragraphs of killing (not a whole lot, though, to bypass, as I had imagined) and kept reading until the end of Book 1. I admit I got totally wrapped up in Katniss’ world. This was the first dystopian novel I’ve read, and I will most likely be finishing the trilogy over the summer into the fall. I like that this book highlighted the resourcefulness of Katniss and other young people (Oh, Rue! If you haven’t read the novel, you’ll find out what I mean) to survive in a desolate environment, using the land and their wits. The Katniss/Peeta romantic angle was interesting and tastefully handled. Suzanne Collins could have had some things happen, trying to appeal to an older teen or even adult audience, but she didn’t. She kept it more “clean” than I imagined it would be. I wouldn’t hesitate to put this in the hands of a teen reader who likes unconventional, survival type stories.

Adiós,

Sra. Tyler

Mandy (Goodreads Book Review)

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Happy New Year Everyone!

Below is my Goodreads review of Julie Andrews’ children’s novel Mandy. I’ve been intrigued by the idea of Julie Andrews writing for children and have wanted to read this story forever. I found a nice paperback copy at a local Half Price Books.

MandyMandy by Julie Andrews Edwards
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took quite a while for me to finish this book. Other books in digital format were more accessible for lunchtime reading, so I finally finished Mandy’s story during Winter Break.

Orphan Mandy longs for a home and family of her own. When she finds an abandoned cottage, she decides to commandeer it and starts “borrowing” household and gardening supplies to clean and maintain the cottage and the grounds. She makes friends with a bird and a deer who visit the cottage, while keeping the cottage a secret from the matron of the orphanage and her roommate.

Will Mandy get to keep working on the cottage? Will she ever find a family and true home?

Adiós,

Ms. Tyler

PS. Since Mexico is coming up as the school-wide culture at my school for the month of May, I thought I’d start brushing up on my Spanish, so my blog post signature will be this new one: a Spanish farewell and my name, with one of the bold fonts of this blog’s theme.

Crenshaw (Goodreads Book Review)

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Hello Everyone,

I recently finished Katherine Applegate’s latest novel during lunch at school. Below is my review on Goodreads of Crenshaw.

CrenshawCrenshaw by Katherine Applegate
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s heartbreaking for me to divulge I did not enjoy Crenshaw nearly as much as The One and Only Ivan. It was just depressing for me to read the worries Jackson faces as his family may be homeless again and how he struggles with telling his friend and his family the truth about he fears. I hated the dismal feeling I got, because this story is so like some children’s realities, and I didn’t connect with Crenshaw as a character, although he was wonderfully described. I would hesitate recommending this to Ivan lovers, as it is not, in my humble opinion, as fantastic.

Update: I know in my review I said I would hesitate recommending Crenshaw. However, some children need to see the life Jackson and his family leads so they can have hope for their own or a friend or family member’s situation. Keeping that in mind, Crenshaw is now listed on my “Consideration” file.

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler

Ballet Shoes (Goodreads Book Review)

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Hello Everyone,

At a Half Price Books outlet, I picked up a fantastic copy of Ballet Shoes, something I’ve wanted to read for a long time. Below is my Goodreads review.

Ballet Shoes (Shoes, #1)Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pauline, Petrova, and Posy Fossil have all been brought home to London from various spots and with varying rescue stories to live with Sylvia and Nana by Sylvia’s Great-Uncle Matthew, known commonly by the acronym “Gum.” They vow on each other’s birthdays to try to get the name of Fossil into history books because it is their very own and not from their grandfathers. Each girl trains at an academy for ballet and theatre, because Sylvia is running out of the money left her by Gum for their upkeep, while four borders are taken in to help with expenses until the girls can work. At the age of twelve, both Pauline and Petrova start performing on the stage in different productions, one of which is Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Pauline adore the theatre, while Petrova does not; she’d rather help one of the borders in his garage or earn her pilot’s license. Posy, however, surpasses them all in dancing and longs to finally wear the pair of ballet shoes left her by her mother, when Gum loosely adopted her. Throughout the book, readers wonder if Gum will ever make another appearance with or without another “fossil.” I enjoyed following each girl through her training and seeing how each makes her way in the world of theatre. The short passage preceding my copy of the story gives what happened to the girls, yet it was still wonderful to journey with them through ballet classes, French lessons, applying for working licenses, and the jitters of auditions, as well as learn lessons in pride and humility. Overall, it was a charming read, similar to Anne of Green Gables and Ginger Pye.

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler

Yours Truly (Goodreads Book Review)

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Hello Everyone,

Happy New Year! I finally get to find out more about Truly Lovejoy and her family and friends in Yours Truly. Below is my Goodreads review of this Pumpkin Falls mystery.

Yours Truly (Pumpkin Falls Mystery, #2)Yours Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After completely falling in love with Truly and her family and friends in Pumpkin Falls, I eagerly awaiting getting the sequel from the library. I must say it did not equal Absolutely Truly in its charm. Truly is excited her cousin is coming for Spring Break, yet becomes jealous of her as she seems to outshine her with her friends and family. The mystery of the maple sap lines being sabotaged does not hold a candle to who are “B” and “B” and what do the cryptic notes mean in addition to who stole the signed copy of Charlotte’s Web from the first story. I did enjoy seeing the Lovejoy father be much more as Truly described he was before Black Monday, which shows people adapt and thrive over time having endured trauma. The Underground Railroad tie to Pumpkin Falls was pretty interesting, as well as the discovers in the house and graveyard. Overall, if a reader has gobbled up the first installment, I would recommend he or she keep the story going with this volume.

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler

Sink or Swim (Goodreads Book Review)

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Hello Everyone,

I am working my way through the “Whatever After” series and recently reviewed the third installment on Goodreads. Below are my thoughts.

Sink or Swim (Whatever After, #3)Sink or Swim by Sarah Mlynowski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The third installment in the Whatever After series did not disappoint this elementary library media specialist! I enjoyed seeing the slight transformation Abby undergoes and big transformation the Little Mermaid (named Lana in this version) undergoes, as both learn the importance of taking risks and not staying content with the expected, comfortable, or status quo. Reading and writing as vital skills are emphasized in an exciting way that helps change the ending of the original Hans Christian Andersen tale. I’m looking forward to learning more about Abby’s friends from school, Robin and Frankie, and find out where the mirror takes Abby and Jonah next.

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler