Fiction Friday (120)

 

Last week was one of those where I found myself finishing a novel on a Friday, and not having a chance to pick up any of the long list of books that I want to read from the library. So I was resigned to pick up a book from my "to-be-read" pile, one that could be finished over the weekend. And that's when I found this one that I got last year and hadn't read yet. 

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

( Harper, 2011)

The start of a new year is a time for hope, a promise that things will change and the strong desire that they change for the better. For a child in Saigon in 1975, those were difficult wishes to have. Ten year old Há is aware of the war that has split her country and ravished her city, but she is hopeful. She has a papaya tree, she is smart, and though her father has been missing since before she can remember, she is confident that her family's luck will turn for the better. What she discovers is that sometimes luck is disguised as hardship...like the papaya, sometimes luck needs time to ripen.

This coming of age novel, told in verse, tells a different side of a period of American history that continues to haunt this nation. It is one of those timeless novels that will live on for generations, and it's no surprise that it won top awards. It has all the ingredients of a classic. It exposes an ugly side to America's racist culture, but also show the resilience of those who come here for a second chance, and how despite the hardships, it can still be a land of opportunity.

Fiction Friday (5)

It's the end of the week and time to think about recent reads of the past. This week I wanted to share two books that I absolutely loved. Sometimes it's good to simply gush about things. Though I firmly believe in the benefit of critical reviews, I've been feeling there is too much negative energy floating around these days and didn't want to contribute to it by pointing out flaws I've found in other books. Instead, I want to talk about two books that did everything right in my opinion. I read both of these in the last month or so and they truly impressed me for completely different reasons. Enjoy.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

(Yearling 2002)

Written in a direct, forceful style, Pictures of Hollis Woods is one of those books that seizes the reader from the opening page. Hollis, a twelve year old girl who has spent her life shuttling through foster homes, is portrayed with heartbreaking accuracy. In fact, she will most likely break your heart on the first page with the first of many pictures she draws. She is a girl anxious to be loved, but terrified of getting too close, because whenever she does...things tend to go wrong. The book does an amazing job of keeping the characters grounded in a story that could so easily have become over analytical. It never strays from the raw emotion of a character who doesn't know her own worth. For some the story might be wrapped in too neat a package by the end, but it didn't bother me. Sometimes it's nice to believe that good things can happen to deserving people.

The White Mountains by John Christopher

(MacMillan 1967)

The story of a future inhabited by a mind-controlled population is one I've encountered countless times in various forms with different culprits such as nefarious governments, mass hallucination, or as is the case in The White Mountains, invading aliens. The strength of this book is that it made me forget all those others as I was reading. For the most part this is due to the powerful, subtle voice of the main character, a boy named Will.

In this vision of the future, people have built a safe, seemingly normal life in the ashes of the world we know. The only difference is the roaming tripod machines that lord over them by placing a 'cap' on each person once they reach adolescence. Before meeting a strange wanderer, Will had never imagined a life where he wasn't capped. But after hearing tales of a resistance group living in the Alps, he sets off to find them, and hopefully a life of free will.

This first book in a series chronicles three boys as they venture across France on their way to the mountains. It reads less like science fiction or fantasy and more like any other adventure tale. The relationship between the three is extremely well written. The characters experience the same emotions as any young teens in contemporary fiction, which goes a long way to making the extraordinary elements of the plot feel more grounded. With so many dystopian novels out there these days, this is an old one worth revisiting. It reminded me of The People of Sparks in some ways. A wonderful book and I can't wait to read the others.

Reading an Author

I'm pretty loyal when comes music or books. When I hear or read something I like, I will usually try and discover the rest of the works by the artist. One of my favorite books of the last decade was Because of Winn-Dixie and over the past year or so, I've read most of the author's other books. Though none have grabbed me as much as that one, I've enjoyed visiting Kate DiCamillo's imagination and really like how she's branched out into more fantastical stories. Here's my reviews of three of her other books, in order of how much I liked them them. Enjoy.

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

(Candlewick, 2009)

I went into this book slightly tentative and with a reserved sense of anticipation. On one hand, I absolutely loved Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie, but on the other I found later novels The Tale of Despereaux andThe Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane to be rather stiff (see reviews below). To be completely honest, had there not been the promise of an elephant, I may have skipped this one. Thankfully, I did not.

When an elephant falls from the sky, it sets off a chain reaction of events that eventually lead to a heartwarming reunion of characters and a compassionate awakening in a dreary winter town. The Magician's Elephant is a delightfully compact story with a perfect blend of heart and magic, working in correspondence to bring to life this very satisfying tale. In many ways, this book is the culmination of a writing style used in The Tale of Despereaux andThe Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. It's very direct and not at all sentimental, but has a way of suiting this fantastical story in a way that I felt didn't quite serve the other books. By the end of this novel, the emotion bursts through in a series of extraordinary events that reward the reader with a truly enjoyable story.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

(Candlewick, 2006)

On the surface, this should have been one of those books I loved, but for several reasons I just didn't connect with it. The 'tale' itself was entertaining and enjoyable, however I had a hard time finding any redeemable characters. They are all rather selfish or dim-witted or both. Even Despereaux as the hero wasn't all that lovable, mostly because he wasn't fully fleshed out. In my opinion, the entire book felt like pieces of underdeveloped tales that would have been more interesting separated.

The novel's habit of directly speaking to "the Reader" felt intrusive to me. This is a very tricky ploy and extremely hard to pull off. To work, I think the narrator has to be a voice that we know, almost as a character as in The Series of Unfortunate Events. Though most young readers may find it fascinating if they are encountering for the first time, and therefore it's effective for its target audience. In fact, the whole book is one that I think middle grade readers will love, which explains it's popularity. I am surprised however that it won the Newbery Medal. But, that award is often given on reputation.

In another note, I was surprised to see in the Acknowledgements that this book was written with the help of a grant. At the time of this book's publication, the author was already a two-time Newbery Honor winner and her first novel was being made into a film....surely there are writers in more financial need of a grant.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, 2009)

A well written story with a straight forward message. I admit to getting teary-eyed. It's definitely a book for a certain sensibility. It's only downfall is simply that the story isn't all that original. I've encountered this story before, but if you haven't read a ton of books about a doll's life as I have, and assuming it's of interest to you...then you would do well to read this one. Kate DiCamillo has wonderful direct style that always manages to be moving.

I Want to Go to There

On a cloudy Friday, there's really nothing anyone wants more than to curl up with a book and some coffee and visit another world for a few hours. Well, in my case, I suppose that feeling comes every day regardless of the weather. There's nothing quite like a well written book to transport your mind. Sometimes I prefer to visit places that I'm making up, but writing could never be a substitute for reading.

I wanted to share my thoughts on two of the best books I've read so far this year. I picked up both on whims at two different store closing "EVERYTHING MUST GO" sales. The first I took because I'm a big fan of the author's Spiderwick Chronicles and the tale seemed solidly in the genre I'm currently writing in. The other was more impulsive. It has a great cover, a decent opening page, and a Newbery Honor Medeal on the cover. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerilizzi

(Simon & Schuster, 2010)

I love the slow careful pace of this story that covers nearly every minute of Eva Nine's journey into a strange world as she searches for others like her.

Eva carries this story. She's the kind of stubborn, willful, yet caring child protagonist that shines in Middle Grade fiction. The immediate plot of the book isn't anything groundbreaking, but I love how there is a shadow of a bigger story that looms over everything.

I'm sure some readers will complain that much of this strange world remains less developed than it could be, but I think that's the point. The story is about a character finding her way in a confusing world, much like Dorothy or Alice. The landscape is defined just enough to present us with it's dangers and wonders.

I really had trouble putting this book down, but at the same time it was one of those books that I forced myself to read in smaller chunks as I neared the end simply to prolong the story that I didn't want to end. A terrific modern fantasy adventure and I can't wait for the second book.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

(Henry Holt, 2009)

As with most books I really enjoy, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a book that relies heavily on the strength of a main character with undeniable appeal. One of aspects that I loved about Callie is that she doesn't have any exaggerated traits. She's simply a realistic kid coming to terms with a world that isn't changing as fast as her growing perception of it. As a result, it is very easy to relate to her and her dreams.

The bigger story in this Newbery Honor Book however is the discussion on naturalist observation and impact of Darwin on rural Texas in 1899. At times I felt this theme inserted itself a little too forcefully into the story. Personally, I found the family relationships to be far more important and profound.

The relationship between Callie and her grandfather was brilliantly executed and very moving. She shined in her role as a sister to six brothers as well. I also enjoyed the understated strain in her relationship with her parents. However I didn't like that sometimes these scenes felt as though they were being used just to add to the natural observation element. Thankfully, a good part of the novel is the other way around. When the coming of age scenes are front and center, this novel is at its best.