Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

I've been meaning to review this for a while now, and then I realized the movie has been out for like a month - so, a little overdue.

I haven't seen the movie, so I couldn't say how true to the book it is. The first time I watched the trailer though I thought that 1) I had no idea it took place in the 50s/60s, so either that's a new addition or I'm a bit thick, and 2) I really like how they capture the glow of the book. Because it's one of those reads that's just sweet and warm and chocolate chip cookies with cold milk. Take a gander:



In essence, Flipped is the story of two kids, Julie & Bryce, who live across the street from each other. They recount flashbacks and their current 8th grade year from their alternating perspectives.

I like this book because it slowly changes how you view the characters. At first, Julie is a somewhat obnoxious girl who has no concept of boundaries, and Bryce is understandably afraid of her and her propensity to chase him around the playground. As they get older Julie really comes into her own, and both Julie and Bryce's family is given more color and presence. Both learn valuable lessons about family and loyalty and understanding.

The problem for me were some of the memories that Bryce and Julie both shared views on. It just dragged it out too much and sometimes bogged down the story. I know it was important to see each side of the story, and thus understand the characters more, but sometimes it was just too much of the same event over and over.

Flipped is one of those books that all ages seem to really enjoy. Short and sweet, much like this post.
4 puffy little baby chicks for this one.

Book source: Local library.

The Lamplighter (The Foundling #2) by D.M. Cornish

Rossamund has begun training as a lamplighter, which he quickly realizes he doesn't have much talent for. Just as he begins to settle into his routine, the barricaded city of Westermill is beset by monster attacks, a girl joins the ranks of the lamplighters (which is unheard of), and old friends and acquaintances make sudden reappearances in Rossamund's life. Mysterious dark deeds, political hoodwinking and strong-willed females have Rossamund caught in one undesirable net of confusion.

You know, after mentally trudging through 600 pages (not including the index) I'm a bit worn out. Not that it was painful per se, but recounting it all certainly would be. As you probably noticed with my incredibly detailed and verbose story summarization. How about I do us all favor and itemize this one? Okay then.

- What I said originally about the world Cornish has created still holds true in The Lamplighter. I enjoy his world, and his pictures!, of strange lightening-wielding humans and good-or-evil monsters, etc. All very creative.

- It's SO long. And wordy. I like certain kinds of Wordy, but this story just gets so bogged down in the details. The immense descriptions and overuse of invented terms seem wrong for the genre (adventure-fantasy for kids). Perhaps I've become rushed, impatient and slightly ADD in my old age, but I feel confident in asserting that I would've never gotten through the second chapter a child or teen.

- Not enough action. For the plot and length of the book there should be plenty of action/adventure/intrigue scenes, but they're few and far between and often seem flat. The intrigue that was there was . . . well, unintriguing. The Mystery was fairly obvious a few hundred pages before Rossamund ever put it together and I found myself doing lots of eye-rolling and audible sighing whilst thinking that Rossamund really is just as daft and oblivious and he often seems.

- I about threw the book across the room when I got to the end because - low and behold - it's NOT THE END. And because I hate not having resolution I know I'll end up reading the next one, whenever that comes out.

This sounds all very bitter doesn't it? The thing is, I did like it. But I wanted to LOVE it, so there's something of a let-down.

3 out of 5 turkeys. Recommended if you have an upcoming family reunion you're dreading and need an excuse something along the lines of "I made a commitment to read ALL of this before I return home and I keep my promises!"

Book source: Local library.

Monster Blood Tattoo (The Foundling #1) by D.M. Cornish

Rossamund is an orphan, or foundling, and was found with a girls name pinned to his basket. He dreams of adventures and conquests on the high seas but is never chosen to join the navy like so many other foundlings were. When the time comes for him to leave the orphanage, he sets out to begin his new employment as Lamplighter under the Emperor of the Half-Continent. From the onset his journey does not go according to plan; he is beset by the dreaded monsters of the land, he somehow ends up on a ship with smugglers, and unexpectedly resumes his journey with Europe - the most feared monster slayer in the land.

Monster Blood Tattoo is . . . well it's just so many things. I had heard that this was one of those Really Popular Everywhere But The U.S. kinds of books, which I guess is true. I have multiple conflicting thoughts about this book though. I even have mixed feelings ABOUT my conflicting thoughts, so you can imagine how confused I am right now.

First, the title. It's a mouth full. And it sounds kind of stupid; like a compilation of a few words that sound exciting and dangerous and manly to appeal to youth who want a great rush of a read. Then I discovered that monster slayers get tattoos made from the blood of monsters they kill, so now the title makes a bit more sense. Though the concept is pretty foul.

Moving on to the story. At first I was like, Oh great - another book about an orphan kid who will be shoved into some magical realm and have Coming Of Age Adventures and discover that he really is Special yada yada yada. Which is partially true, actually. My problem is that the story never really picked up, nor was I ever totally sucked in. The pace seems to trudge along until it just ENDS. And it ends right where I initially thought his adventure was supposed to begin. And THEN the last third of the book, no joke, is glossary. Definitions of terms and explanations of creatures/places/events barely mentioned in the book. Incidentally, I love appendices and things so this turned out to be a nice surprise after my WTH? moment with the end.

Rossamund is a nice little hero, which I mean quite literally, as he is both kind-hearted and young. He certainly is no warrior, and to his own amazement finds that instead of reveling over the death of monsters like he was taught, he feels compassion and sympathy for them. People also feel at ease around Rossamund and seem to open up to him. His blend of goodness, determination, kindness and curiosity make for a refreshing young male character that I definitely want to root for.

The secondary characters, while intriguing and curious, seem half-formed. I'm guessing that it's because there's supposed to be mystery looming around them and what they know of Rossamund's origins. Still, I felt I didn't know anyone but Rossamund by the end. Europe, who is cold, moody and totally disagreeable, seems like she has potential to be complex and rife with baggage from her mysterious past. Guess I'll have to read The Lamplighter to find out.

Lastly, the setting. Let it not be said that I didn't give Cornish his due praise for the world he created; Half-Continent is incredible. Imagine ancient Greece/Carthage/China marrying Industrial Age London and having a surprisingly attractive baby called Half-Continent. Sounds overwhelming but it's a mish-mash that totally works and works well. There are all sorts of strange creatures and monsters and humans that are unique to this world, but it never feels overtly fantasy. It's more strange and almost steam-punk than anything.

His ability to use language is also impressive. He has creative made-up words and names, but he also manipulates the English language with skill and precision - all the while making it look effortless. (It wasn't effortless apparently, since according to the back flap Cornish was working on this for thirteen years.)

Conclusion: Monster Blood Tattoo rivals Tolkien's Middle Earth world with its in-depth fictional history, languages and cultures. The pictures (also done by the author) give nice visual flavor to the setting and characters. The audience is Juvenile/YA, as Rossamund is around fourteen, though it could possibly strain the attention span of that age audience. I would recommend it to anyone who liked Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings and likes detailed imagined worlds. It's unlike anything I've ever read before.

Book source: Local library.

Pish Posh by Ellen Potter

Clara has a gift. In mere seconds she can spot a Nobody in her family restaurant, Pish Posh, which is always full of Somebodies. She prides herself on this, though it doesn't endear her to others, but she doesn't need friends because most kids her age are stupid and will grow up to be Nobodies. Besides, she has glamorous parents, her own penthouse flat and 157 of the same little black dresses.

Things start to change though when she dismisses one particular Nobody from the restaurant, and sets off a chain of mysterious events which Clara, despite her excellent breeding and Should Know Betterness, can't stay away from. Strange encounters, family secrets, budding friendship and handy spy gear abound in this charming story of a Girl Who Has It All . . . Or Does She?

Pish Posh is light; lightly sweet, lightly adventurous, lightly humorous and lightly mysterious. I'm definitely going to have my 11 year old sister read it. Quirky characters, unexpected twists, and Life Lessons Sans Extremely Traumatic Events add up to a great Juvenile read. The writing, as expected, was simple and excellent. Ellen Potter how can I be you? I've taken the first step by requesting Spilling Ink from the library, but Patron X just REFUSES to return it so I continue to wait and wait . . .

Anyway. A delightful quick read, and now I'm on the hunt for the Olivia Kidney books.

Book source: Local library.

Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen

Ambrose is a 12 year old scrabble playing misfit with a deathly peanut allergy. He gets harassed at school by bullies and babied at home by his slightly overprotective mother. When his neighbors upstairs allow their newly-released-from-jail son, Cosmo, to move back in, an unlikely friendship begins.

You can't help but feel bad for Ambrose. Like, really bad. He wears purple cords, and Nike knock-offs called "Ikes". He tells his mom he got invited to a friend's birthday party at Laser Star, even though he didn't, just to make her happy and then subsequently spends the next three hours in the bathroom reading the book he brought as a present for his "friend."

Thankfully, my heart didn't bleed for long. He is quite resilient to his situation as a self-proclaimed friendless nerd. Also, he is pretty annoying. It's impressive that I can feel sympathy, endearment and annoyance in equal measure towards this character, which says good things about the writing.

And the writing is good. It's simple and concise with lovely anagrams underneath the title of each chapter (pat, chat, patch, tape, harp, heart, cap, eat). The relationship between Cosmo and Ambrose, as mentor and mentee, is funny and heartwarming. Their interaction beginning and revolving around Scrabble - genius.

Here's the thing - I wouldn't recommend it to any child or any mother of pre-teen children because I am prude and like my kid stories to be Teen Lit Trashy-Bits free. My problem lies with some of his young boy fascinations with female anatomy, which I know is real, but a bit crass nonetheless.

Word Nerd is cute and predictable with a nice sparkly feel-goodness at the end. Which I almost always enjoy.

Book Source: Local Library.