Sci-Fi Saturdays: The Last Book in the Universe

The Last Book in the Universe, by Rodman Philbrick

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc
Pages: 223
Reading Level: 12 and up
Enjoyment Level: High

This is one book I picked up for myself a couple years ago. Without any thought of reviewing it until recently! We’re doing Sci-Fi Saturdays now, and as I was perusing my bookshelf, I remembered this one, all ready to go.

No one reads anymore, not even Spaz, who can’t use mindprobes like other people can. The world is a dark place after the Big Shake. “Normals” exist outside of Eden, where the improved population has clean air, water, and growing things. Spaz rarely thinks of his troubles until he gets word that his foster sister is dying. Then he crosses dangerous territories, feral people, and a mindfield to help her live.

As “end-of-the-world” books go, this one’s good. Even though it’s an Armageddon sort, it feels much more like an adventure than a post-apocalyptic tale. The characters have run-ins with dangerous people often enough, and there’s a race against time.

The characters feel fleshed out and the author shows the good and bad of both "normal" and "improved" people. Fear is handled in a non-threatening way, though there are plenty of darker characters. They all work together to support the plot and the adventure.

I can’t even really think of any real criticisms, other than I wish there could be a sequel. There were elements left hanging. Those didn’t ruin the story at all, but I’m curious enough to want the tale to continue.

Teachers, this is a great one for class discussion and activities. The characters and plot are full of interesting details and the ending is left for children to imagine (or hope) what might happen to everyone. Of course, it gets high recommendations from me for anyone, whether they be teachers, students, or just interested readers.

So, until next time, go read something good!

~ Vilate

Teen Fiction Tuesday: Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 391
Reading Level: 14 and up


Anyone who has not taken a good look at the cover of this book should do so right now. I mean it. Did you do it? If so, you are probably pretty intrigued already. I know I was when I first saw the cover. As much as I know that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, this is definitely one of those situations where I bought the book because of the it. Lucky for me, it was a really good book.

For me, Hush, Hush started off on the wrong foot with a prologue. I have a personal bias against prologues. I hate them. I rarely ever read a prologue I like. I'm sad to say that this is true of Hush, Hush as well. However, as soon as I started reading the chapters, I completely forgot how much I disliked the prologue. The writing was smooth, the dialogue was real, and the characters were interesting.

The novel follows the story of Nora Grey, a smart, shy, distrustful high school student. The day she meets Patch, a transfer student in her biology class, strange things start to happen. Not only is Nora oddly attracted to Patch, but she also has the feeling that he may want to hurt her.

I was intrigued by the plot of this book. It was complex, involving romance, mystery, action, and fantasy. At times, there was so much going on, I wondered how the author would be able to wrap up all the pieces. Now having finished the story, I can see how many of the pieces were connected and how hints were sprinkled throughout the book. Even so, I don't think it's possible to guess the ending or to answer Nora's questions until they are revealed at the end. The story ended so completely, I felt entirely satisfied with this as a stand-alone novel. However, I was still happy to hear that there will be a sequel and now I've started to think about a few little mysteries that are still unsolved.

As much as I liked the book, there were a few occasions where I felt the situations were contrived. It was as if the author decided she really wanted to have certain scenes, then created a feeble reason for those scenes to take place. My biggest problem was Nora's “undercover” mission to get more information about Patch. It felt very unrealistic and unnecessary.

Despite those reservations, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. I know I'll be in line to buy the sequel when it comes out.

Happy reading!

Rose



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Stay tuned on the blog tomorrow for pictures from Becca's Houston visit as well as a chance to win a copy of Hush, Hush signed by Becca Fitzpatrick!

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Middle-Grade Mondays: Invisible Lines

Invisible Lines, by Mary Amato and illustrated by Antonio Caparo

Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 299
Reading Level: Ages 9 through 12
Enjoyment Level: Medium


Usually, I leave the mid-grade books to my wonderful compatriot, Aly, but I received a copy of Invisible Lines to review before she started helping me out. With all the other stuff going on right now, plus some other issues with the book, I'm just now getting the review done, so my apologies to the publisher who sent it to me!

Trevor Musgrove has just moved to a new school and new apartment as his family struggles to make it and stay together. He loves to draw, loves soccer, and loves his new class with a teacher that makes learning interesting and fun. Trevor has a difficult time with one of his classmates and learns that, while he doesn't always get what he wants, he can try to make the best of his situation.

The story is interesting, but the pace is pretty slow. I had a hard time getting into the plot enough to read this in a couple of days - which stretched into more than a month. It may be that I just couldn't empathize enough with the character, but it's also just that the action happens slowly. The emphasis of the story is more on the development of Trevor, and I felt like the plot ended up lacking something because of it. I also felt like there was a disconnect in the chemistry between Trevor and his mother. At the end where they resolve a few things between themselves, it still felt as though they weren't really on the same level.

At the same time, there are some bright spot in the form of interesting characters. Trevor is well-developed even though I feel like he's disconnected from the rest of the setting and plot. The teacher, Mr. Ferguson, is quite the character, with a wonderful array of knowledge about mushrooms. There is a good message in the story, with a thread of theme that tries its hardest to connect Trevor to his development and surroundings. And it's easy to see that the author did her homework in the area of fungi.

So, while this book wasn't for me, I would recommend for kids who might struggle with reading. The plot and theme are easy to follow, as is the development of Trevor as a character. Opportunities abound for kids to pick out various setting details and concepts that will help them with reading comprehension.

Thanks to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Until next time, go read something good!

~ Vilate

Pure, by Terra Elan McVoy

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Category: Teen

Pages: 336

You can find the author here: Terra Elan McVoy

This does contain some spoilers, but hopefully not too many.

This is one of those books that just begged me to read it. I picked it up whilst browsing in Borders. The cover is very pink and the title really grabbed my attention. Knowing how often Christian values are belittled in the media these days, I think I was drawn to this just to see how it would undermine the idea of being 'pure' by the end. I know that's pretty unfair, but religion seems to be more of an 'edgy' topic these days than sex. So I did have some trepidation and I pre-judged the book. I can't say I apologize for that, but at it turns out, I was wrong and I'm very glad about that.

The story is about a group of girls who have made purity vows. They all have rings to show that they are promised to their husbands, sometime in the future. But one of them breaks her vow and the plot flows around that as the main character, Tabitha, struggles with her own questions about what is right and what is wrong.

For me, the pacing of the book was a little slow. The conflict came later that I expected and it felt like it took too long to build it up. On reflection, the personalities of the narrator and her best friend probably needed the set-up in order for the results to make sense, but even after finishing, I feel like the pacing could've gone a little faster.

However, the story progresses and I found myself relating to Tabitha and her questions of right and wrong. She struggles to stand by her friend, Cara, in a time of confusion while trying to figure out why Morgan, her best friend, is suddenly a stranger. Tabitha affirms to herself what she knows is right, but she chooses not to just abandon her friend. She understands, more than most people, that to be Christian means to be loving, despite the "mistakes" that people make.

The author does a wonderful job of presenting this plot in a meaningful way. Teens and adults alike will be able to sympathize and struggle right along with Tabitha. As she comes to an understanding with herself and her beliefs, the plot wraps up with her making amends with Morgan. I was happy to read the ending and that the author didn't cop out and make the girls BFFs again. Tabitha and Morgan had both changed too much to go back to where they were and that, for me, was the real taste of reality for the story.

Tabitha is a wonderful character. She is developed well and her progression, if slow, is natural and honest. I was very happy that the story didn't end the way I thought it might. I'm glad to be wrong.

The author did a good job, also, of making most of the characters come alive. Even people we meet once or twice felt like they had a story and even though we didn't get to see those stories, it was nice to know they were there. I was slightly disappointed by Morgan's development. She ended up being incomplete for me, though it would've been difficult to show her struggles when Tabitha wasn't talking to her. Still, the Morgan mid-story and the ending Morgan didn't progress naturally for me. It certainly wasn't enough to ruin the book.

The threads of religion and God are strong. If you have issues reading about those things, this book isn't for you. However, I would encourage anyone, even if they don't believe the same as Tabith, to read the book. She makes some wonderful arguments and sets a great example for anyone who wants to be a better, more loving, individual - Christian or not.

Until next time - go read something good!

~Vilate

If you are interested in purchasing this book, please note that I have left a nice, convenient link at the side of the blog that will take you right to Amazon.com. ^_^