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Crispin: The Cross of Lead (2003 John Newbery Medal Winner) Review

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(More customer reviews)CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD is a thrilling and endearing tale, unquestionably my favorite book of Avi's from the bunch I've read. (This is, in fact, his fiftieth book.) CRISPIN is set in 1300s England. Not only is the story steeped in the history of feudalistic medieval Britain, but Avi brings that history to life most vividly without ever once hitting you over the head with it.
"Time was the great millstone, which ground us to dust like kerneled wheat. The Holy Church told us where we were in the alterations of the day, the year, and in our daily toil. Birth and death alone gave distinction to our lives, as we made the journey between the darkness from whence we had come to the darkness where we were fated to await Judgment Day."
CRISPIN is the name of the 13-year-old peasant main character; although, the only name he's known for himself is "Asta's Son." That is until his mother dies, and in his blinding grief he stumbles upon a secret meeting in the woods between John Aycliffe--the steward of the manor--and a wealthy stranger. In a flash he finds himself the target of a plot in which he is falsely accused of a theft and declared a "wolf's head," allowing anyone to kill him on sight. On his way "out of town" the village priest tells the boy his real name, tells him to hide out for 24 hours until he can round up some provisions, and promises to reveal some more vital information the next day. Then the priest proceeds to get his throat slit and Crispin is on the run with the theft AND the priest's murder hanging over him. What happens to him is one of those stories that is so well crafted that you can taste and smell the settings, as well as hear the sinister growl in Aycliffe's throat, as you anxiously wait for something to go right for Crispin.
While trying not to reveal any more of the story, I'll also tell you that there is a character in here who I find darn near as lovable as Hagrid.
I hope that Avi is contemplating a sequel to this one--the end came way too soon for me.
Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com

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Trino's Choice Review

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Trino's Choice, by Diane Gonzales Bertrand, is a story about a young boy named Trino. Trino is in the 7th grade and lives in a trailer park and is struggling through his adolescent stages while facing many problems that will force him to choose between right and wrong.
The author catches the reader's attention is several different ways. Suspense, questioning, and love are just some of those ways. However the reader needs to relate to Trino's life and the poor, trailer park life. If the reader hasn't been able to relate, this book gives the reader a good idea of how many adolescent teens live, and the problems they face.
Overall, this book was at best mediocre. It lacked a major attention getter and was slow on getting a point across. However, Trino's Choice did show the reader how some teens really live and how life is not always as pleasant as it is portrayed.

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Breakout Review

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(More customer reviews)Del has decided that she can no longer live the life she?s known for so long. She has decided to change identities, sell what she can, put the rest in the truck of an old Datsun, and move out of town.
On the way out of LA, she encounters a four-hour traffic jam. At first she?s angry about her situation and scared that a cop will recognize that she?s a minor and send her back to foster care; as time goes on, however, the traffic jam becomes a message to her about people, and her view of the world is slightly softened. Del is able to imagine the lives of her fellow ?traffic-jammers,? and she can see what they need and who they really are. These insights help her reach an understanding of her own life.
Paul Fleischman is the master of taking seemingly insignificant characters and events and creating powerful relationships among them. Just as he did in Seedfolks, here he has written about common place people who come together unexpectedly and learn a little bit more about each other than they expected.
There is a protagonist here who is in need of hope and understanding, and she gets it surprisingly from strangers who don?t know that they?re offering her anything except a little conversation during a long wait.
The interviewer?a young man working on his thesis?shows Del how people grow and change even over short periods of time, and the man with the red beret gives her a glint of hope that she is clever and has talent.
The flashback between her present self and this traffic jam experience eight years prior offers the reader relief, knowing that she is, indeed, able to take this experience and her life and make something of it.

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Bitter Melon Review

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(More customer reviews)Bitter Melon is an incredible, touching, and inspirational story of one girl's fight to become the person she wants to be rather then the one who mother wants her to become.
Bitter Melon tells the story of Frances, a Chinese-American high school student. All of her life, it's only been Frances and her mother depending on each other, and her mother making the decisions with Frances trailing behind. So, when it comes to Frances' future, her mother has the whole thing planned out: Frances will got to med school and get a life much better than the one her mother received. Though, everything changes the day Frances accidentally walks into a speech class with a teacher who's like no teacher she's ever had before. With Speech class, Frances finds a new talent, a talent of public speaking, and soon enough, Frances builds up the courage to tell her mother who she wants to be, but will she be able to rise to the task in the end? Will she be able to tell the women who's done as much as she possibly could for her daughter that she doesn't want med school? Only time will tell in this tale of mother and daughters and the space and secrets that lies between them.
I'm sure everyone here who reads my reviews has had that one big fight or fights with their mother before, thought I doubt it's ever been as the one between Frances and her mother. Frances and her mother are both interesting characters. Both are headstrong and want what the other one doesn't want, but the major difference between them is the vindictiveness France's mother contains, vindictiveness that not only made her one of the most compelling and perfect villains in the story, but someone who I wanted to yell at several times, because Frances is a lovely girl, as you'll realize if you read the book, but her mother doesn't consider Frances wants at all, instead she takes Frances for granted, even though I'm sure deep down she only means well in a twisted way. This all made the tension between them frightening yet strangely compelling, one of my favorite parts of the book. No doubt about it.
Another one of my favorite part's of Bitter Melon was Frances' speech class and speeches, because through them you got to see a vivid, honest portrayal of Frances. I also liked the way that through her speeches she begin to see people, such as Theressa, Derek, and her teacher, in ways that not only shaped her as a person but her life as well.
Adding to this, I simply loved Cara Chow's writing. At times, I could barley even tell this was her debut novel, because her writing was just that great. It was honest, raw, and addicting, making this one book that calls to be read in one sitting. I also loved the way she not only brought the late 1980s setting to life in this, but thought of so many unique ways to use symbolism in the story.
In all, Bitter Melon is one of the best contemporary books I've read so far this year (2010). It's brutal, honest, and touching; something I'm sure Courtney Summer fans will gobble right up! Lastly, Cara Chow is an author to watch because I feel she has many amazing books in future if Bitter Melon is any indication.
Grade: A+

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The Fold Review

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(More customer reviews)This book's premise is amazing, and it is the reason I picked it up from the masses. I'm always up for a good YA cultural tale. I'd never even heard of the fold surgery. Part of me has always been curious as to what Asians thought of their different looks (their eyes, in particular) in contrast with Americans. I imagined it would be something that either didn't bother them too much, or if it did, it was only a small bother. I never thought this Asian eyes issue was of this magnitude, with ample surgeries going left and right trying to "correct it". For raising awareness to this topic, this book deserves an A+.
Now...
I didn't love this novel. Why? Joyce wasn't that compelling a character. I'll be the first to say this was an important story to be told (read my paragraph above), but the overall execution didn't do a lot for me. More often than not, I was bored with Joyce's voice. The central issue in her life is this prospective plastic surgery, and while she's off obsessing about it, we've got so many more interesting characters making appearances but never interesting Joyce enough to explore their stories more. Examples:
Joyce's older, more beautiful sister, Helen, is the "perfect daughter". She's got a lot built up inside of her, which is blatantly obvious, but almost none of it is ever explored. Helen, despite always being pressured to do better every time, has an amazing, complex, and mature outlook. I would've read an entire book about her if given the chance.
Gina, the best friend. Here's a girl so sure of what she wants, but who has to work extra hard for it because of her family's financial problems. She works and has to keep her grades in tip-top shape at all times in order to get into college. Aside from all this, she's no more than a secondary character in the entire novel whose only purpose is to aide Joyce in the life-or-death situation that the surgery seems to be.
Gomo, the aunt who offered to pay for the plastic surgery. Far from perfect, but she's always got the best intentions at heart. During the brief point in the book where we're allowed to look into her past, we can see she's got so much compelling history, it's a wonder it didn't pop up more.
And those are only off the top of my head. It would've been easy to implement those characters' stories in with this novel's third-person narrative, but for some reason, all we get is Joyce. I wish she'd realized some time or another that the reason she's so insecure is because she spends interminable amounts of time overanalyzing her every facet. No plastic surgery is going to fix that. What she really needs is a hobby.
The ending was a little forced, but I liked it. I think she chose what she did for the right reasons and maybe it's a step in the right direction for her.
I am giving this three stars because I judged it as an important book, and for that purpose, it fell short. It's a highly readable novel, but it didn't stir me nearly enough as it should've or make as big a point as I was expecting. Maybe it's good for entertainment. I'm afraid I'll never know, because I started it expecting something groundbreaking, and those are irreversible expectations. But maybe.

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The One, The Only Magnificent Me Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is truly wonderful. The text has a delightful poetic flow that is at times quite Seussical. The illustrations are gorgeously colorful, delightfully simple yet detailed, and a perfect complement for the story.
A young boy wishes he were an amazingly unique fantastical creature, one everyone would admire and stand in line to see. He sadly accepts that this cannot be. His mother appears, whispering some strengthening truth in his ear - he is already unique and magnificent, just the way he is.
I read and re-read books to a two-year-old every day, and most of them I can't stand. Some I have actually hidden from her to avoid reading. This outstanding book is one I look forward to reading to my own children some day. I just hope that this book gets the exposure needed to make it the true Children's Classic it has the potential to be.

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Join a disheartened, yet triumphant little boy as he journeys through the exploration of his own magnificence. He quickly discovers, after trying to keep up with his peers, that his own idea of average is more unique and outstanding than ever imagined.Â

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Dusssie Review

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(More customer reviews)Dusie Gorgan, the star of DUSSSIE, never expected puberty to be like this! Maturity brings about startling changes: snakes for hair, for one thing! Nancy Springer deftly weaves substantial mythology into this present day story of Medusa "Dusie" Gorgan, whose absent father is a mortal and whose mother is a goddess. This stand-alone book would be a great stepping stone into Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series or a companion volume for those who enjoyed THE LIGHTNING THIEF. A strong heroine, plenty of humor and a creative (and non-deadly) ending make this great for 'tweens.

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