Alive and Well in Prague, New York

by Daphne Grab

Summary:

SMALL TOWN life tends to drag on in Prague, New York, especially for Matisse Osgood who recently moved there from the hustle and bustle of New York City. Annoyed at having to move, she’s even more wary of keeping her dad’s condition a secret- he has Parkinsons’, and she’s not eager to spread that fact around. As she soon finds out, in a small town the rumor mill is always churning out new stories, and each is circulated and given false truth, even if they’re the farthest thing from it.

A tale of learning and growth, Matisse’s journey teaches her to cope with the difficulties of her life. As her mother tries to ignore her father’s disease, her father has become a recluse, she’s left to flounder in a sea of confusion and despair by herself. Help comes from an unlikely source, and through meditation and self-discovery Matisse begins to accept her situation and work with them instead of against them, and sees her efforts pay off.

Review:

Alive and Well mentions some things that you might not normally find in a book- references to private [Quaker] schools, being chased by fowl, zen meditation, all of which I’ve been to/done/attempted, so I felt that Matisse was more of a real character than a stereotypical ”average” teenager, and those real-life details were refreshing. That said, her frustration with small-town Prague seems only too familiar to those who’ve lived in a small town, and the emotion was captured well by the author. Her father’s Parkinson’s brings light to a topic that affects so many thousands and millions of people per day, teaching the reader about the struggle that the patient and their family must go through. Daphne’s style make it believable that a sophomore in high school is telling her story, being thoughtfully written without the air of something too sophisticated for her teenage audience. Alive and Well in Prague, New York earns a 8/10 for character development, relatability, and writing style.

Specials

by Scott Westerfeld

Summary:

TALLY YOUNGBLOOD had always been a rebel- not a very successful rebel, but a rebel. Transformed from a governmentally dumbed-down Pretty into a hyperaware superhuman Special, Tally’s brain still seems to reject any type of tampering that the government throws at her, an extraordinary skill that got her recruited. Now a Special, she works with Special Circumstances instead of against them to solve the problem that the New Smoke is causing. When she’s forced to follow a group of  Pretties to the New Smoke, she learns that they have friends- lots and lots of friends, a city full, in fact. And their friends are ready to take the lesions out of Bubbleheaded Pretties at any time. This causes major problems for her town, who think that they were attacked by this radical Smoke-friendly city and are eager to settle their differences with force if necessary [and they believe it's necessary].

Review:

An interesting read, but I’d recommend reading Uglies and Pretties, the first two books in the series, first. Having only this one on my bookshelf, I apologize for not giving you a full-series review. Anyway, this is an unusual book, especially the circumstances Tally is being thrown into. A likable character, Westerfeld did well in capturing her emotions, as well as describing her futuristic surroundings. Specials earns an 8/10 for character, plot and setting.

Déjà Dead

by Kathy Reichs

Summary:

TEMPERANCE [Tempe] BRENNAN  is a forensic anthropologist employed by UNC Charlotte. When she’s not teaching or grading papers, she’s in Canada [Montreal, Quebec, to be precise] working with the LSJML [Laboratorie de Sciences Judiciares et de Médecine Légale, or in English: the Laboratory of Judicial Sciences and Legal Medicine] to identify bodies that are too decomposed to be ID’d through the normal channels. When a body comes into the lab, Tempe identifies the victim, and recalls past cases that had similar details- dismemberment of the victim and the way of disposing the body. Realizing that she has a serial killer on her hands and no support from CUM [the Police de la Communauté Urbaine de Montréal] inspector Luc Claudel the homicide detective, she doesn’t know how to get her point across. Meanwhile, her friend Gabby is researching the prostitute subculture in Montreal, meeting some [or more specifically, one] sketchy character that has her fearing the worst. After a midnight stroll looking for evidence, Tempe ends up discovering another dead body, disposed of in the same way as the others she’s found. When it turns out she’s right, and there is a serial killer on the loose, she realize that the death of her friend might be involved in the case, and that she may be his next victim.

Review:

Addicted to the show Bones which is based off of this series, I was expecting a socially-awkward yet brilliant thirty-something single forensic anthropologist [with a genius IQ, martial-arts skills and an unusual background] and hot FBI sidekick Special Agent Seeley Booth. Unfortunately there’s not FBI involvement, but this book was riveting all the same. Temperance Brennan is less like her television persona [played by actress Emily Dechanel, for those who were wondering] in the way that she is a normal woman in her mid-forties [she's also coming out of a bad marriage with a daughter in college] modeled after the author than the more-dramatic TV Tempe. Reichs knows how to spin a tale, and this forensic thriller had me eager to learn all about, you guessed it, dead bodies while also stating [almost] everything in a way a non-anthropologist can understand. Déjà Dead earns a 8/10 for plot, character and interesting choice of career.

by Daniel Sullivan

Summary:

The Soapbox Playhouse is in trouble. A small theatre company with zero talent, they’ve lost half their subscribers, leaving them with considerable money problems- or as director Zorah Bloch rephrases, “we’re broke.” She immediately thanks her lucky stars that the NEA [or National Endowment for the Arts] gives them their, albeit it pitifully small, $30,000 grant.

“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about,” says Kevin, her financial supervisor. Apparently, the NEA is withholding the grant for what they call “A significant artistic deficit. Word is we got a bad report last year.”

Their last hope to get the grant is an inspector coming that week to see their production of A Christmas Carol. At the same time they figure this out, Wayne Wellacre appears to audition for Zorah. Stage manager Mary Jane [M.J.] believes that he’s just another bad actor, but Kevin warns Zorah that “this could be the guy!” inspecting them incognito. At first skeptical, she realizes that he’s probably right, and invites Wayne to join the company. His terrible acting makes all the other actors [Phil, Sidney, Dorthy, Walter, Luther, Larry and Bart] look like Broadway stars-which is saying something, as Zorah caters to his every whim to get the grant and save the Soapbox. Eventually the real inspector shows up, ruining Wayne’s alibi, and the company is forced to perform their awful version of Carol. What happens next is an extraordinary mix of everything that could go wrong going wrong at the worst possible time- but with a surprise ending that no one sees coming.

Review:

I thought this play was absolutely hilarious! After being recruited to play Zorah, I read the script, and laughed until I cried. This is one of the funniest plays I’ve ever read, and working in a theater for the umpteenth time, I can relate to some of the things that can [and have!] gone wrong in my theatre. Brilliantly put together, the character’s dysfunctionality is shown through their actions, rather through words. The characters are well-rounded and wonderfully real- they’re far from perfect actors and workers with real personalities and you probably know people just like them; the workaholic stage manager pressed for time, terrible thinks-he’s-great actor, the man full of unrequited love, the comically stressed out, emotional woman trying to keep everything in control, the crazy couple, the half-horrified onlooker.Inspecting Carol earns a 9/10 for character development and excellent plotline.

Poetry in Motion 

by Molly Peacock,Elise Paschen, Neil Neches

Summary:

Poems on the Underground started in London subway cars in 1986, and following their lead, the NYC Transit decided to do the same in 1992. The poems displayed on the subway were [and continue to be] chosen by the MTA and Poetry Society of America. Poetry in Motion is one of the books produced by the MTA and features the first 100 poems used in the subways.

Review: 

I enjoyed reading the poems from the subways- they were short and didn’t drag on, but they also were full of meaning and gave me something to think about. There were some well known poets and poems, but also writers I’d never heard of, an altogether refreshing experience. Poetry in Motion earns a 5/10 for content and selection of poems.

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning 

by James Patterson

Summary:

Max and her Flock are feeling antsy- they haven’t seen an Eraser in what seems like forever. They decide to get on TV to attract an attack since knowing where the enemy is is a lot better than waiting around nervously. They’re offered a position on a research vessel dealing with the effects of global warming in hopes that the Amazing Flying Avians will bring their fame to the cause. And along the way they learn that every other experiment from the School’s been terminated, Erasers giving way to Über-Eraser-Bots [aka Flyboys], and they’re going to be auctioned off as wepons. Not a great way to start the morning.

Review:

I compare this book to watching House-the main character’s sarcasm just catches other characters off guard. No one expects House to be sarcastic because he’s a cripple, and no one sees Max’s sarcasm coming because she’s not all human…I digress. This was an interesting book, though it focused more on the problems presented by global warming than the characters or plot. This is more of a character-driven series rather than a plot-driven series, and sticking the issue of global warming into the mix threw me off a bit. Not that I’m against bringing up environmental issues [I'm big on the environment!], but the book was all about that and hardly anything was said about the characters. Still a good book, The Final Warning earns a 7/10.

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports 

by James Patterson

Summary:

Saving the world, fighting Erasers, a talking dog, a Voice in her head…just some of the things Maximum Ride has to deal with every day, a package deal that comes with the wings. After learning about Itex’s by-half plan [aka the "re-evolution"] destined to kill half the world’s population to build a new super-race of humans, Max and her Flock, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel, decide it’s time to put an end to Itex’s plans. However, they’re split up because of Max’s decision to add an old enemy to their group. When Max and her half of the Flock are captured in Germany, will Fang and his group come and rescue them? Will they be able to save the world? And who’s really Max’s mother?

Review:

This echoed the plot of School’s Out- Forever, though with a few slight differences. Always trying to surprise the reader, Patterson plays with character relationships throughout the book. While a fresh idea, the novels are beginning to form a slight somewhat predictable pattern at points, though still exciting and suspenseful. The characters are continuing to be developed, and there are still more challenges for them to face. Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports earns an 8/10.

Maximum Ride: School’s Out-Forever

by James Patterson

Summary:

Max is back with her family, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Angel and the Gasman in Patterson’s sequel to The Angel Experiment. In this novel, the Flock’s journey to uncover more about their mysterious past and the evil corporation Itex who was responsible, a run-in with flying erasers leaves Fang in a state of major blood loss, and he is rushed to the hospital. When the doctors discover his wings, the children are interviewed by the FBI with mixed bad results for the agents. They then make a deal with the head agent, Anne, that allows them to live with her like normal children, and even go to school. But what happens when they find one of the Flock’s real family? Who is Anne really? And what happens when the Voice in Max’s head leads them from the sewers of NYC to The Institute for Higher Living? 

Review:

This book continued the Flock’s search for answers, turning up more questions than answers. There is definitely more action, though less plot, and even the characters in the book acknowledge their lack of direction. Still an interesting read, School’s Out-Forever earns an 8/10.

The Man of My Dreams

by Curtis Sittenfeld

Summary:

FOLLOW HANNAH as she goes through high school, college, and her first jobs. She examine:s her own apathy towards others and her own life, trying to avoid making mistakes by not taking action at all. Hannah experiences lust, love, heartbreak and even learns to live her life. Eventually, thorough the help of her therapist and enough experience, Hannah learns not to define the stages of her life by her relationships with men. This is a story exploring the reason for a young woman’s angst towards the world through her judgments of other people, her self-consciousness, and Hannah’s over-analysis of her life and others.

Review:

Having read Prep, Sittenfeld’s writing style forms more of a recognizable pattern. Though the girls are of two different ages, this book is a sequel in the way that it continues Lee’s life though another young woman, Hannah who is very similar to Lee, though slightly less over-analytical, and defines her life through more than one relationship. Hannah finally acquires closure in a way Lee couldn’t, and understands her mistakes. I enjoyed this book, though it could be a tad dry at times. The Man of My Dreams earns a 7/10.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

by James Patterson

Summary:

BIRD KIDS-yes, they have wings. Max and her family [Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel] live in Colorado, trying to live as much of a normal life as they can. They try to forget the nightmare which was their life at the School-an institute in California where they lived in cages and were experimented on; that’s how Iggy became blind, when they tried to improve his night vision. Jeb was like a father to them, helping the escape, feeding and clothing them, teaching them everything they knew, up until he disappeared two years ago. No one heard from him ever again, though they knew he was dead.

It starts just like any other day for the flock-waking up, trying to find something to eat. Then it takes a turn for the worst when the Erasers [men who can morph into wolves at will-the hunters, executioners and one of two successful recombinants that worked out at the school, the other being the flock] swoop in and nab six-year-old mind reading Angel, taking her back to the place where death comes as a blessing and nightmares come true-the School.

James Patterson’s first book in the Max Ride series follows the flock through their journey to get Angel back, and find more out about themselves. 

Review:

This was a super-short summary because I didn’t want to give away all the twists and turns The Angel Experiment takes. I really liked this book-told from a fourteen-year-old point of view [most of the time, though it switches over to other characters occasionally], it’s very believable, full of sarcasm and wit. This is Patterson’s first book for teens, and he’s done a marvelous job illustrating a unique bunch of characters with an outstanding plotline. The emotions in this book are very real and well described, the story never ceasing to surprise. The Angel Experiment earns a hearty 9/10 for character, plot and conviction.