Book Review: "Why We Took the Car" by Wolfgang Herrndorf

One thing I remember vividly my high school years is being one of THOSE kids. The kid that, no matter how small my class size (one year there were only about 25 of us) I didn’t get invited to anything. I can remember thinking why, if there were only 25 kids in my grade, I didn’t get invited to things. Freshman Mike Klingenberg is also one of those kids, which is one reason I love him so much. The other reason is his family is twisted that at one point he ended up with the nickname Psycho. I originally checked out “Why We Took the Car” by Wolfgang Herrndorf because European authors tend to be a little odd and who doesn’t love a good car-stealing joy ride? It’s a lot cooler and more interesting than just that, though, and has managed to become one of my fave books of this year. 

Summer break is supposed to awesome, filled with all sorts of wild and fun things. Unfortunately, Mike’s mom just went back to her spa (a.k.a. rehab), his dad took off for two weeks with his hot assistant (a.k.a. mistress), and Tatiana (a.k.a. Mike’s massive crush) didn’t invite him to her birthday party. Out of nowhere the weird new Russian student, Tschick, decides he and Mike should be friends and this is where the car-stealing joy ride comes in. They have $200, a barely functioning Lada, and no idea where they’re going; all they know is that they need to do something amazing and interesting and now’s the time to do it. The rest of the book is filled with odd balls, a random romance, two car crashes, a crazy man with a shotgun, and several run-ins with the police.

Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

If you like dystopias, then the 5th Wave is for you.

The war was over before it even started.  Earth's human population was decimated in just a few short months by four strategic waves of alien attacks.  Cassie is only 16, but she plans to stay alive as long as she can, and go down fighting.  Rule number 1 is trust no one, no matter what they look like.  There's no way to tell who's really human, and who just looks like one.

And then there's Zombie.  Who he was before the First Wave is dead, and there is only Zombie now.  Saved from the brink of death by what remains of the U.S. military, Zombie begins his training to hunt down and kill the alien invaders.  Fueled by guilt and rage, he's ready to exact revenge at any cost.

Cassie and Zombie deal with the invasion in different ways, but they are both bound by a promise, and the desire to save what's left of the human race.  Action packed, full of guns, explosions, twists, and lies within lies, it's the story of saving more than just a group of people.  It's about saving the things that really matter.

~gothbrarian

Book Review: "Darius and Twig" by Walter Dean Myers

I'm always happy to read a new Walter Dean Myers book. The author has yet to disappoint me. His latest novel, "Darius and Twig" is stylistically familiar-- real, heartfelt and gritty, a bit less grit than usual. Also familiar is the thought I get when I read a Myers' story, the thought that reading this story could be so helpful and clarifying to some reader. I want to keep a spare copy in my purse or trunk so that I can whip it out when necessary and announce "Hello!! Please read this before you....

Book Review: The True Meaning of Smekday

Aliens have invaded Earth and renamed it Smekland.  Wait, no, let's start at the beginning.  Gratuity (Tip for short) Tucci is writing a report on the True Meaning of Smekday, which may or may not be included in a time capsule.  So this story starts with her and when her mother was abducted by aliens.  And then, later, the Boov invade Earth.  All the humans are supposed to be sent to Florida, but Tip decides to drive herself.  There are a variety of problems with this, the biggest two being that 1.) she's eleven years old and 2.) she's supposed to be on a Boov-approved rocketpod, not driving a car across busted highways.  Also, she has her cat (named Pig) and a runaway Boov named J.Lo in tow, which makes things complicated.  Then it turns out that another alien race is planning on invading Earth.  And then it gets weird(er). 

I love this book by Adam Rex.  It is hilarious, wonderful, quirky, and smart.  And it has great illustrations and some very funny cartoon strips drawn by J.Lo the Boov.  There are rumors of a movie in the works, so read this book now before the waiting list starts!

~ Book Ninja

P.S.  If you like Adam Rex, read some more of his stuff here!  It's all a bit different, but funny!

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Although technically this book is considered "Adult Fiction", as many of Neil Gaiman's books go, the reading audience is much wider than the over 18 crowd.  If you haven't read "Coraline" or even his picture book "Crazy Hair", run into the closest Children's section of a library as soon as you can!  What makes him so enviably gifted I think is that you always hear the authentic voice of NG in whatever he has written.  He doesn't change his language or alter his world view to accommodate young'uns, tweens, minors OR majors.  While he can be many things, he is always recognizably himself, a rare talent indeed.   In "The Ocean at the End of the Lane", Gaiman gives us a dark fantasy with all his usual elements--a bit of gore (there's this worm...),wry humor (the Hempstock women) , unexpected terror (near drowning by parents) and the built-in compulsion to read all night because you have no idea how it will end!

Book Review: Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Bill Konigsberg’s Openly Straight is a refreshingly honest and hilarious look into the life and mind of a highly realistic character, Rafe Goldberg. Rafe is an openly gay high school student from Boulder, Colorado. He has very supportive hippy parents and his best friend, Claire Olivia. His mother is the president of PFLAG and Rafe even goes to other schools to talk about tolerance and his experience. But Rafe starts to find his sexual orientation confining, and decides that he doesn’t want to be known as “that gay guy” anymore.

We pick up the story as Rafe transfers to an all-boys school in New England, where he decides that he will be “openly straight”. He doesn’t see it as going back in the closet, but rather an opportunity to just be Rafe. On his first day, he makes friends with the school jocks, something he had only be able to wonder about doing back in Boulder.  Rafe feels that he is finally being accepted for himself, not his sexual orientation. But being openly straight becomes more complicated as Rafe is forced to lie to his new friends and the person he cares about most, Ben. Openly Straight is thought-provoking, while maintaining a level of humor and cheekiness that kept me laughing and eagerly turning the next page.

Bill Konigsberg is the winner of the 2008 Lambda Literary Award in the LGBT Children’s/Young Adult category for Out of the Pocket, his debut novel, and is a fellow Arizonan, living in Chandler, AZ with his partner, Chuck and their Australian Labradoodle, Mabel.  

Book Review: Gravity by Melissa West

What I liked about this book is that the aliens are interesting and different.  Ok, of course, they are different but these have some unique features and characteristics plus they need humans to continue living.   Good descriptions make it even more interesting.  Gravity by Melissa West is a Taking Novel which refers to Ancients (aliens) taking from humans the substance they need to live.  Humans are required to wear a sleeping mask during this process and must not peek. 

Ari, the heroine is especially talented in warfare and trained in Special Ops by her father.  As an alien spy Jackson wants to learn all he can from her and other humans.  At the same time Ari and Jackson are trying to prevent a war between the Ancients and humans.  Ari will do what she can even if she must betray her father.  The planet Loge needs the  earth and its people. 

I am looking forward to the second book Hover and answers to many questions that came to mind.