Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably heard of "The Fault in our Stars" by John Green.
And the movie.
If you've been anywhere within my vicinity the past few years, I've probably thrown the book at you and said, "you cannot be my friend until you've read it." I even talked my book club into reading it this month.
Since the movie is (finally) coming out on June 6th, I thought today was a good day for TFIOS to be this week's "Trailer Tuesday."
Here you go...and you still have 30 days to read the book...GO!
Well, I figured it would happen at some point, but radiation treatments caught up with me these past couple of weeks. I have been getting radiation every day since the last part of July (and the treatments will continue until mid-September). Tiredness was definitely an expected side-effect (along with a few other "fun" ones), so it really wasn't a shock when I really started dragging this week. Napping has become the norm. To top it all off, I caught the plague...or at least something that feels like the plague. It's been almost two weeks now and I'm just starting to shake it off. Ugh! Needless to say, I just haven't been up to writing reviews. I've barely been reading. I'm hoping now that I've turned the corner on the plague, I will be able to get back to posting reviews here. Only a few more days until school starts...aaaah! How can that be possible?! I still won't be in the building until October because of my continued treatments and obviously compromised immune system, but I will keep you updated here with all things book and reading related! Stay tuned! And, as always, if you want to keep up-to-date on how I'm doing, check out My Angry Cancer blog here. Thanks for your continued support, prayers, and good wishes!
Title: The Yo-Yo Prophet Author: Krossing Genre: Fiction, Realistic, School, Illness, Family, Talent Pages: 248 Rating: 3 out of 5
Calvin lives with his grandma above their dry cleaning shop. It has just been him and “Gran” since his mom died and his dad left town. Now Gran is sick and she must sell the business, which means that they have to find a new place to live. Calvin is sure he can help with the finances and decides to put his yo-yoing skills to good work by performing on the street for money.
Rozelle, a girl from school, forces her way into being his manager and sets up gigs for Calvin and his yo-yo act, keeping half his earnings. Calvin is a likeable character who is struggling to keep it together under the stress of all that is going on. The relationship between Calvin and his grandma is realistically portrayed and the ending, including the resolution with his dad, feels authentic. Readers will root for Calvin to stand up to Rozelle and triumph in the end.
The yo-yoing scenes are well-written and keep the action moving. I read this book while watching America's Got Talent with the teenage yo-yo act, so I really felt like I could imagine just how good Calvin was. I think this book will have readers looking up "how to" videos on YouTube. This is a fun book and a quick read and I think a perfect fit for middle school.
Title: Sean Griswold's Head Author: Leavitt Genre: Fiction, High School, Friendship, Humor, Illness, Family Pages: 288 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
After discovering that her father has multiple sclerosis, and the entire family was keeping it a secret from her, Payton decides to stop speaking to all of them. This winds up leading to mandatory counseling sessions at school, where a well-meaning school counselor gives her a "focus journal" and wants her to write about a "focus object." Not taking the assignment seriously, Payton focuses on the closest thing she can think of, the back of Sean Griswold's head. But her new focus leads to real interest in Sean and soon Payton must really come to terms with everything that is going on in her life.
First of all, I must say that I initially picked this book up because I thought that it was going to be the perfect "boy" book for my summer reading list. The cover art led me astray! But once I got over my initial disappointment at not discovering the quintessential middle school boy read, I fell in love with this book.
Payton is a likeable narrator, a typical teen girl who is conflicted between her anger/grief and her usual common sense good nature. She alternates between sarcastic, witty comments, and reflective narration. There are parts where I can actually picture the huffy teen eyeroll that she must be giving the guidance counselor.
This book is a hidden gem, that might take word-of-mouth, or some good booktalking, to sell to the right audience. The writing is a smooth balance between comedy and serious dealings with family crisis. There are credible teen characters and an authentic teen voice. The romance between Payton and Sean works so well in this book.
This is the perfect book for middle or high school students looking for something refreshing and realistic without being "angsty." It is a fun read with humor and heart that is sure to be popular with many readers.
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