Palace Beautiful

Okay so this book is pretty much based on a shared dream of every single 8-to-15-year-old girl. The premise is that three girls find a secret room in the attic of an old house with a diary in it left there by a girl their same age over sixty years ago.
The book takes place in the 1980's (which is why the cover looks like the books I, myself, read in the early 80's--an attribute I love for authenticity's sake and worry about for the sake of the book in that kids these days will not be attracted to the dated-looking cover...maybe their parents will?) in Utah and the diary they find is from 1918 during the flu epidemic.
The story is really well written for the age it's geared toward. Sadie is an artist and each chapter is given its name after one of the colors mentioned within it--all of which are rich in personality and description (ex. "used-to-be white", "nail-polish pink", "fuzzy monster green").
There are parts of it that are very depressing and verge on despairing at times, where I had to remind myself that, since it's a middle reader book, things would eventually turn around. Despite tragedy, the overall message of the book is one of hope and the importance of familial connection and friendship.
Reading it, kids will become fast friends with the characters and wish even harder to find that little alcove under the stairs or hidden door in the basement. The reading level is set for 10-year-olds. I'd say the content and writing would be good to hold the interest of some older but less confident readers as well especially since the main character's age is 13.

Brooklyn

In honor of this novel's coming out in paperback today, my first post is about Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. An Irish immigrant, Eilis is young, in her early twenties, when her sister finds a job for her overseas in America. Throughout the book, she struggles to decipher the meanings of, among other things, "home" and "womanhood" as she deals with homesickness and first love.
As odd is this is going to sound, it was refreshing to see the perspective of an immigrant from post WWII era. A bildungsroman that can be appreciated by the wisdom that comes with age (and hindsight) and the search for (and confusion about) the self that is so easy for youth to identify with, Eilis's story is one that resonates--especially in women--with a range of ages. The humanity in each of Toibin's characters is easily believable, lovable, and therefore forgivable all at once.
It did take me a little while to become emotionally invested. I think because while I was reading, Eilis and I were both trying to figure out where she was and what sort of character she was at the same time. Later on, this proves to be a strong bonding element in the reader-character relationship. A sweet girl, eager to please, she was almost too sweet for me (a little boring, perhaps?) in the beginning. When conflict was introduced, she began to show her emotions more, revealing someone much more complex with more than simply new surroundings to get used to. Once I became attached to Eilis and cared about her story, it held me.
The (arguably ambiguous?) ending possibly being my favorite part, may leave some readers feeling unsatisfied or even angry, but that's what I loved about it! It begs to be discussed over coffee.
Like Eilis herself, it was a quiet, yet moving novel. Those of you who are looking for something to give to your great aunt or grandmother, Brooklyn is a good choice.
This recommendation sounds like an advertisement. I'll find my critic's voice soon enough, I promise.

numero uno

okie dokie so i still think blogs are silly (and i really hate the word "blog", it's terrible) and i'm sure nobody really cares what i think about the books i read (especially since most of them are for kids...) but i like most of them and for some reason feel compelled to let the internet know that they exist and they're good (or crap). for those of you who don't know me*, i work at a local bookstore and feel like the little 3-sentence-long rec tags i write for the shelves, because of their size and my inability to be concise, do not provide an entirely accurate portrayal of my views of the book. not that lengthening the review will guarantee you'll know exactly what i thought when i read it, but, it'll help...maybe.
anywho, yeah. don't ever feel obligated to read this if you know me* because you know me, i won't bring it up in conversation or quiz you about the most recent posted book...i really don't care. i'm also not going to pretend i'll be even a little regular with these things. just, when i have free time, if there's anything i've read recently that's worth mentioning, it'll be up here. i'll also try to include an age guide to let y'all know whether the book is for adults or kids and maybe it'll help some of you find things to gift to young'uns, maybe?
i highly encourage dialogue from you guys, if you're interested--whether it's a question about what i've said or what i've neglected to mention, your own experience with the book, or a recommendation of another book.
anywho, that's it for my first post. happy reading!

*if you don't know me...who are you, how did you find this, and what possessed you to read it? don't get me wrong, you're as welcome as anyone...it's the internet and trying to claim that anything on the internet is exclusive would be really dumb and defeat the purpose of posting it there. i'm just curious about any readership i've acquired from people who aren't forced to socialize with me on a regular basis and feel, out of guilt, that they have to pay some attention to this despite that entire paragraph stating pretty much that they can completely ignore it. anyways, stranger, hello! and what's up?