Crenshaw

Goodreads Synopsis:    In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary.

My Thoughts:

-    This book covers a tough subject, and it is pretty impressive for a middle grade book.

-    The overall feel of the book is kinda sad. There is hope, but I really felt sad and horrible for Jackson and his family. 

-    I'm surprised that the authorities didn't step in to do something about Jackson and his sister. They could have been taken away from their parents.

-    I never had an imaginary friend as a kid, and now I wish I did. Crenshaw brought a little humor to the story, but he is mostly there for moral support. I love how Crenshaw brings comfort and advice to Jackson.

-    I loved the idea of a giant cat for an imaginary friend. Mine would be a giant hamster or a red panda.

-    This book made me want to hold my kids. I'm feel very grateful that my husband has a good job, and our family is provided with all the things we need. 

-    This book also made me want to help other families in need. Children should feel safe and happy in their home. They shouldn't have to worry about when they are going to eat next or where they are going to live. It just breaks my heart knowing there are families out there like this AND in worse situations. STUPID MONEY!!

-    This was a great book, the kind that stick with you for a while, but it was sad. 

The One and Only Ivan

From Goodreads:    Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

My Thoughts:

-    A very charming and bittersweet story. 

-    I loved the format of short thoughts from Ivan. It made the book so simple and poignant. 

-    I loved all the animals. They were so endearing, and I felt for all of them. Bob was really fun, and he kept the book lighter. Ruby was so cute, but I felt so sorry for her, poor thing. The real story of Ivan was far worse than the book portrays, so I'm happy fictional Ivan had friends.

-    I liked Julia a lot. I'm glad Ivan had her come visit her so often. I wish she and her dad could have done more for Ivan and the other animals. They were very kind though. 

-    The book had a very somber yet happy feel. I liked the ending a lot because it gave me a sense of peace for Ivan and the rest of the animals. 

-    I LOVED the illustrations. They were so beautiful! They really captured the animals and their emotions. 

-    Great middle grade story. I think anyone could read this and enjoy it. I am really glad I got to learn about Ivan. 

Bree and Katherine

I always forget to blog about going to author events! I need to be better about that.

On May 9th, I went to Bree Despain's launch party for The Eternity Key.

She calls this series The Little Series That Could because there has been so much opposition, but the series WILL be finished! It has been quite a journey for Bree, and I admire her for her diligence and determination to get this series published. I also admire her for loving her books so much that she would have rather seen the series die than put crap into her reader's hands.

Although she doesn't like to do it, Bree did a reading for us.

Jenni, Tori, and Suey were there too!

Bree signing the book!

She also had these cool Cupid's Arrow rings. Each color meant different things. I chose black which was anti-love.

A blurry picture of all of us 

On May 15, Jenni and I went to the Provo Library to see Katherine Applegate.

Here is Gene introducing the author:

Katherine had a great presentation. She told us the story of the real Ivan, and I was trying not to cry. She also told us about the book and the journey it took to being published.

I loved this picture! This is Katherine in her bed, in her pjs, with a notebook, and a TON of crumpled up pieces of paper. She said this is what an author looks like. Writing is process and it can be hard at times.

I bought the non-fiction picture book of the real story of Ivan for my daughter. Here is Katherine signing it.

This is the author signing The One and Only Ivan.

Another blurry picture with an author.

My new goal for the future is to bring a notebook and take notes and stuff during author events, and then I'll have info for blog posts!! I also try to put these up shortly after the event.

Eve and Adam

Goodreads Synopsis:    Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an affluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she’s never really questioned it. Much like how she’s never stopped to think how off it is that she’s never been sick. That is, until she’s struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible. 

While recuperating in Spiker Biotech’s lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he’s never questioned anything... until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn’t right, and Emma-Rose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.

My Thoughts:

-    Most of the book is pretty flat and a bit cliche.  I wasn't too impressed.

-    The whole Terra/Terror thing is SO true!!  My little sister had a friend named Tara, and I called her Terror all the time.  Because she was a complete Terror!

-    The viewpoint of the book changes between Evening, Solo, and Adam comes in later.  I really didn't think it needed to change point of views.  Some of the Solo stuff was important I suppose.

-    Solo's name might be awesome cause it reminds me of Han Solo, but he is kind of a loser.  He likes to get hit in the head, and he was vein enough to think that a girl was checking him out after she was in an accident and got her leg ripped off.  He is also a bit dirty in the head.

-    What may be a perfect man to Eve, is NOT going to be the perfect man to everyone and their dog! 

-    I really didn't like Aislin.  I don't think she was a very good friend, and she is WAY messed up.  Eve kept having to help Aislin with everything, and I didn't really see what Aislin brought to their friendship. 

-    A lot of the characters in this book didn't have a lot of dimensions to them.  They were pretty flat.

-    The plot was a bit predictable.  There wasn't a ton going on.  

-    I don't think I'll finish the series.  There wasn't really a cliffhanger, and I not intrigued enough to continue.