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jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)
I happened upon this one while looking up another book (a "you might also like ...) and figured it would be good to add a non-fiction to my "MiddleGradeMay" reads (and that inspired me to purposely look up more non-fiction ...)
I'm NOT a runner, although I was on the track team when I was in 9th grade (I don't know that I'd say I was there willingly) ... and I was a sprinter, with the 400 my longest. Hubs has run a marathon. 5k is my longest race post-track team.
Still, this was an interesting story. I went with the audiobook, narrated by the author (she sounds very young). I was sad I wasn't able to get the Kindle copy (not at the library, too $$ to buy ...) It was on Hoopla, it's just not the same as Kindle for me (and my highlights/notes don't get saved). I liked the "fire" metaphor in Ch14, but am too lazy to retype it all and enter it into the QUOTES section here myself. There were more too ...
Split into three parts ... The Ribbon, The Race, The Record, with 27 chapters running through. For fun, the last chapter is actually numbered 26.2. Clever. I don't think I caught that in audio (which is why I like to have the text to look at after listening). Also an intro, prologue and afterward. Notes and sources too.
While this was about Moe ... it was also about the history of women running (and running itself) and at times really seemed to stray from Moe's story, although I found it all interesting. As with many non-fiction books ... I feel a little like I should remember all the facts, and I just don't know that I'll remember much beyond the basics. Not dates/names, I was even losing track of names during the initial read/listen.
While I adore audiobooks, I feel a little bereft without a Kindle copy for reference. Here, the Hoopla ebook at least gave me access to the text, if inconvenient (yes, I'm a Kindle snob). I liked the pictures included at the end. It's fun to browse through and connect them to the same moments in the book, bringing back the associated memory. As someone who went with the audio, I appreciated that the pictures were compiled together at the end, whereas if I had been reading on my own, I might have preferred them positioned in the book at the corresponding dates.
I'm NOT a runner, although I was on the track team when I was in 9th grade (I don't know that I'd say I was there willingly) ... and I was a sprinter, with the 400 my longest. Hubs has run a marathon. 5k is my longest race post-track team.
Still, this was an interesting story. I went with the audiobook, narrated by the author (she sounds very young). I was sad I wasn't able to get the Kindle copy (not at the library, too $$ to buy ...) It was on Hoopla, it's just not the same as Kindle for me (and my highlights/notes don't get saved). I liked the "fire" metaphor in Ch14, but am too lazy to retype it all and enter it into the QUOTES section here myself. There were more too ...
Split into three parts ... The Ribbon, The Race, The Record, with 27 chapters running through. For fun, the last chapter is actually numbered 26.2. Clever. I don't think I caught that in audio (which is why I like to have the text to look at after listening). Also an intro, prologue and afterward. Notes and sources too.
While this was about Moe ... it was also about the history of women running (and running itself) and at times really seemed to stray from Moe's story, although I found it all interesting. As with many non-fiction books ... I feel a little like I should remember all the facts, and I just don't know that I'll remember much beyond the basics. Not dates/names, I was even losing track of names during the initial read/listen.
While I adore audiobooks, I feel a little bereft without a Kindle copy for reference. Here, the Hoopla ebook at least gave me access to the text, if inconvenient (yes, I'm a Kindle snob). I liked the pictures included at the end. It's fun to browse through and connect them to the same moments in the book, bringing back the associated memory. As someone who went with the audio, I appreciated that the pictures were compiled together at the end, whereas if I had been reading on my own, I might have preferred them positioned in the book at the corresponding dates.
slow-paced
I hadn't heard of this series before stumbling upon some paperbacks at a library sale, which I snagged for my LittleFreeLibrary. I figured I'd read one or two first, and I did (#5 and #7). Checking out the series. I saw that audio was available for the first few books. I borrowed this (Hoopla) and experienced it in audio (although I also grabbed the Kindle copy, I didn't have this one in physical format).
While these don't need to be read in any order, they feature all different breeds of horses, set in several locations and time periods ... I was glad to read the "first" book in the series (even if I didn't read it first).
This one starts right at birth. Female horse (the other two I read featured boy horses). Each story I've read (so far) has human interaction, and a connection with a special human.
From an adult perspective, I think I like the appendix at the end the most. After we/the reader gets the fictional story/setting, the appendix outlines facts and additional information. This one especially, I learned some new things ... the tölt gait and that Iceland doesn't allow ANY horses coming in (keeping the breed pure).
Hard to rate, as an adult reading a book for older elementary - good, interesting, easy/conversational, just enough action. 3.5 for me, maybe my 10 year old self would have rated it higher?
While these don't need to be read in any order, they feature all different breeds of horses, set in several locations and time periods ... I was glad to read the "first" book in the series (even if I didn't read it first).
This one starts right at birth. Female horse (the other two I read featured boy horses). Each story I've read (so far) has human interaction, and a connection with a special human.
From an adult perspective, I think I like the appendix at the end the most. After we/the reader gets the fictional story/setting, the appendix outlines facts and additional information. This one especially, I learned some new things ... the tölt gait and that Iceland doesn't allow ANY horses coming in (keeping the breed pure).
Hard to rate, as an adult reading a book for older elementary - good, interesting, easy/conversational, just enough action. 3.5 for me, maybe my 10 year old self would have rated it higher?
This was the first in the series that I read (out of order) ... I've read Seabiscuit, and seen that movie and many other horse racing movies, have read lots of books set in the depression era. It all felt familiar. Nice to have this information set in a story for a younger audience. Gelding is mentioned but not explained (Mommy, what does it mean to "geld" a horse?) There is some animal endangerment (not quite abuse, although overuse could be argued as that). I wasn't actually sure where this story was going to go, it kept me guessing.
I was shopping a library sale and picked up several of these HorseDiaries books (for my Little Free Library). During my "MiddleGrade May" I figured I'd give a couple a read myself. I think I would have liked these a lot in my younger years, and I would give them a thumbs up to any young reader. My 4* rating is more a "for kids" rating rather than my own adult enjoyment (more of a 3* in that regard).
Very easy, anthropomorphized ... as the series title suggests, these are basically the horses thoughts, although not written in diary format (just a telling of their life). There are 16+ books in the series, all stand-alones, set in various times/places. So readers are learning about history, as well as horses. They don't need to be read in order. Several authors/illustrators.
I really hope children(and any adults reading) would continue to read the appendix after the story ends. Here, there are the author's notes, more about the history, and horse breed, given factually, giving the background on the fictional story. Good info!
No audio, but I was able to find a Kindle copy at my library in addition to the physical books I picked up.
I was shopping a library sale and picked up several of these HorseDiaries books (for my Little Free Library). During my "MiddleGrade May" I figured I'd give a couple a read myself. I think I would have liked these a lot in my younger years, and I would give them a thumbs up to any young reader. My 4* rating is more a "for kids" rating rather than my own adult enjoyment (more of a 3* in that regard).
Very easy, anthropomorphized ... as the series title suggests, these are basically the horses thoughts, although not written in diary format (just a telling of their life). There are 16+ books in the series, all stand-alones, set in various times/places. So readers are learning about history, as well as horses. They don't need to be read in order. Several authors/illustrators.
I really hope children(and any adults reading) would continue to read the appendix after the story ends. Here, there are the author's notes, more about the history, and horse breed, given factually, giving the background on the fictional story. Good info!
No audio, but I was able to find a Kindle copy at my library in addition to the physical books I picked up.
I was shopping a library sale and picked up several of these HorseDiaries books (for my Little Free Library). During my "MiddleGrade May" I figured I'd give a couple a read myself. They all seem to have high ratings ... and my 3* is perhaps a little more of an adult reflection. I think I would have liked these a lot in my younger years, and I would give them a thumbs up to any young reader. Very easy, anthropomorphized ... as the series title suggests, these are basically the horses thoughts, although not written in diary format (just a telling of their life). There are 16+ books in the series, all stand-alones, set in various times/places. So readers are learning about history, as well as horses. They don't need to be read in order. Several authors/illustrators.
I really hope children(and any adults reading) would continue to read the appendix after the story ends. Here, there are the author's notes, more about the history, and horse breed, given factually, giving the background on the fictional story. Good info!
No audio, but I was able to find a Kindle copy at my library in addition to the physical books I picked up.
This book was my second read (even though it was earlier chronologically, I read #7 first). Oregon 1790. Appaloosa horse breed (Golden Sun is a boy, there is a girl horse that also gets quite a bit of story time). Native American Nez Perce (not sure I'd heard of these people before?) for the human interaction with the horses.
These do feel "young" (as an adult reading) ... the human MC is 10/11 (I tend to view that as the aimed for audience).
I really hope children(and any adults reading) would continue to read the appendix after the story ends. Here, there are the author's notes, more about the history, and horse breed, given factually, giving the background on the fictional story. Good info!
No audio, but I was able to find a Kindle copy at my library in addition to the physical books I picked up.
This book was my second read (even though it was earlier chronologically, I read #7 first). Oregon 1790. Appaloosa horse breed (Golden Sun is a boy, there is a girl horse that also gets quite a bit of story time). Native American Nez Perce (not sure I'd heard of these people before?) for the human interaction with the horses.
These do feel "young" (as an adult reading) ... the human MC is 10/11 (I tend to view that as the aimed for audience).
This is one of those "written in verse" ... but it's not really. On the printed page it looks more like poetry. Lots of white space. No rhymes. Honestly, in audio? You don't really realize the formatting. It just seems like super short chapters with headers (which was the case for The One and Only Ivan and its sequels). If the thought of "poetry???" dissuades you ... don't let it. I think my first experience with this "story poetry" was Jason Reynold's Long Way Down (which is one that has stuck with me).
This too ... impactful, even to an adult. I actually wonder about a younger reader's absorption of it, it would be interesting to get feedback from the intended age audience. The audiobook went very quickly. These "in verse" books may have what looks like a decent number of pages, but there is so much white space, that it's really not very long. After listening, I flipped through the pages. Seeing the words in print, the format ... it made a difference. Especially the chapter titled "What I Know About My Dad" and ... there's nothing on those pages. I'm not sure I really caught that in audio. There were other formatting that impacted the meaning that didn't quite come over in audio. The audio was really good ... I almost think this is a book you need to read twice, start in audio, then re-read the text. Get the full feeling. Going over it, I found myself highlighting little statements ... and upping my original 4* rating to 5*...
I remember when I read [book:Finding Me|58687126] ... and learning about Viola Davis's childhood. Not having enough to eat, or soap to wash. And it connected more, because we are the same age, and it was real. To think that she was having that experience, here in the US, at the exact same time I was growing up in comfort. Were there kids in my elementary school/middle and high school who were struggling? I don't remember it ... were there and I just didn't recognize it? Were there children in my kid's classrooms who didn't have enough to eat? I always would hear "the school breakfast/lunch programs are essential, it's the only food some kids get" and that's so far from my/my children's existence, it's a little hard to imagine. This did make it more real, in the form of fiction.
This was a random "you might also like" on either Amazon or Goodreads as I was looking up something else. It had high ratings, and was available from the library (I borrowed the Kindle and audio) so I moved it into my "Middle Grade May"'...
** I'm marking this as "read" in ebook, although I did also experience it in audio (first). Not recording it as two reads as they were back to back, almost immersive/together.
This too ... impactful, even to an adult. I actually wonder about a younger reader's absorption of it, it would be interesting to get feedback from the intended age audience. The audiobook went very quickly. These "in verse" books may have what looks like a decent number of pages, but there is so much white space, that it's really not very long. After listening, I flipped through the pages. Seeing the words in print, the format ... it made a difference. Especially the chapter titled "What I Know About My Dad" and ... there's nothing on those pages. I'm not sure I really caught that in audio. There were other formatting that impacted the meaning that didn't quite come over in audio. The audio was really good ... I almost think this is a book you need to read twice, start in audio, then re-read the text. Get the full feeling. Going over it, I found myself highlighting little statements ... and upping my original 4* rating to 5*...
I remember when I read [book:Finding Me|58687126] ... and learning about Viola Davis's childhood. Not having enough to eat, or soap to wash. And it connected more, because we are the same age, and it was real. To think that she was having that experience, here in the US, at the exact same time I was growing up in comfort. Were there kids in my elementary school/middle and high school who were struggling? I don't remember it ... were there and I just didn't recognize it? Were there children in my kid's classrooms who didn't have enough to eat? I always would hear "the school breakfast/lunch programs are essential, it's the only food some kids get" and that's so far from my/my children's existence, it's a little hard to imagine. This did make it more real, in the form of fiction.
This was a random "you might also like" on either Amazon or Goodreads as I was looking up something else. It had high ratings, and was available from the library (I borrowed the Kindle and audio) so I moved it into my "Middle Grade May"'...
** I'm marking this as "read" in ebook, although I did also experience it in audio (first). Not recording it as two reads as they were back to back, almost immersive/together.
I believe I picked this up in a Little Free Library. I don't think it would have popped up on my radar otherwise. A Scholastic book, this is about 5th grade level (that's the age of the MC). My "Middle Grade May" is giving me "permission" to read some of these books for younger readers. While this did feel elementary/easy and was quick/short, there was enough there that I enjoyed this as an adult.
I think I've always enjoyed the "time travel" aspect of books ... when someone from today gets transported back into the past. I think it's sometimes easier to connect with that character, seeing the "olden" days through present-day eyes/perceptions. Notice the differences, etc. This was pre-WW1.
As mentioned, I had the physical copy, and was able to borrow audio from the library. There doesn't even seem to be a Kindle copy. There was an author's note in the physical book (not included in audio) that I appreciated. Also included was a glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide.
I think I've always enjoyed the "time travel" aspect of books ... when someone from today gets transported back into the past. I think it's sometimes easier to connect with that character, seeing the "olden" days through present-day eyes/perceptions. Notice the differences, etc. This was pre-WW1.
As mentioned, I had the physical copy, and was able to borrow audio from the library. There doesn't even seem to be a Kindle copy. There was an author's note in the physical book (not included in audio) that I appreciated. Also included was a glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide.
Hmmm ... not sure how I felt about this one. I had it in all three formats (got on my radar as a random pickup at a thrift store, borrowed in audio/kindle from the x.library). One the one hand, the audio had SO many unique voices (the talented Bronson Pichot) but also some YELLING/CRASH which grated some ... yet the print copies had fun illustrations. I went primarily with the audio, but glanced through the Kindle/physical copy too.
This was divided into the 13 1/2 lives as the book chapters, although when you finish up chapter 7 (over halfway to 13 1/2) you're only 32% of the way through the book. The final "lives" get more time ...
Based on the cartoon cover, the big blue bear, the fantasy feel and comparison to Shel Silverstein, I was thinking that despite the heft (almost 700 pages) that this might be middle-grade. GR and SG do have it listed as YA, but, well as BlueBear himself says, he has quite the vocabulary! Lots of less common words, mixing in some that I notice here too ... nadir, arcane, deign, swathed, caromed, preternatural, ablutions, detritus, sibilance, vituperating, assignation, hirsute, apogee ... lots more too that I didn't mark as I was listening, not as easy to stop and highlight).
This really WAS completely divided into his lives/adventures - most completely unrelated.
1. My Life as a MiniPirate
2. My Life with the Hobgoblins
3. My Life on the Run
4. My Life on Gourmet Island
5. My Life as a Navigator
6. My Life in the Gloomberg Mountains
7. My Life in the Great Forest
8. My Life in the Dimensional Hiatus
9. My Life in the Demerana Desert
10. My Life in Tornado City
11. My Life in the Bollog's Head
12. My Life in Atlantis
13. My Life Aboard the SS Moloch
13 1/2 ... My Half-Life at Peace
Even though it isn't until Ch6 when Bear enrolls in Professor Nightingale’s Nocturnal Academy, from the first chapter, we get little 'inserts' of information on every topic imaginable From the ‘Encyclopedia of Marvels, Life Forms and Other Phenomena of Zamonia and its Environs’ by Professor Abdullah Nightingale ... with that full introduction every time. It gets a little repetitive, even though the narrator switches up inflections to try to keep it interesting/entertaining.
Honestly - I don't know if I felt the need to shift things up (taking a break from this and reading something else in-between) or if I just felt like I could, as the chapters seemed to be their own little story/world (I didn't lose continuity by stopping).
Hoopla had the audio, but I was unhappy with the presentation. NO table of contents. I was manually trying to bookmark the chapters, just in case I needed to attempt to find a certain spot again. I wonder if that's Hoopla, or the audiobook editing in general (I had noticed the lack of a TOC in Hoopla before, when it was there in Libby and Audible). Ironically as I came to write the review, my LibraryExtension is no longer showing the audio available (nor is it coming up in a Hoopla search). Weird!
Overall - I'm glad I stumbled upon this story, and the basics will stay in my memory. It's not really one I'd recommend. I might keep my physical copy though ...
This was divided into the 13 1/2 lives as the book chapters, although when you finish up chapter 7 (over halfway to 13 1/2) you're only 32% of the way through the book. The final "lives" get more time ...
Based on the cartoon cover, the big blue bear, the fantasy feel and comparison to Shel Silverstein, I was thinking that despite the heft (almost 700 pages) that this might be middle-grade. GR and SG do have it listed as YA, but, well as BlueBear himself says, he has quite the vocabulary! Lots of less common words, mixing in some that I notice here too ... nadir, arcane, deign, swathed, caromed, preternatural, ablutions, detritus, sibilance, vituperating, assignation, hirsute, apogee ... lots more too that I didn't mark as I was listening, not as easy to stop and highlight).
This really WAS completely divided into his lives/adventures - most completely unrelated.
1. My Life as a MiniPirate
2. My Life with the Hobgoblins
3. My Life on the Run
4. My Life on Gourmet Island
5. My Life as a Navigator
6. My Life in the Gloomberg Mountains
7. My Life in the Great Forest
8. My Life in the Dimensional Hiatus
9. My Life in the Demerana Desert
10. My Life in Tornado City
11. My Life in the Bollog's Head
12. My Life in Atlantis
13. My Life Aboard the SS Moloch
13 1/2 ... My Half-Life at Peace
Even though it isn't until Ch6 when Bear enrolls in Professor Nightingale’s Nocturnal Academy, from the first chapter, we get little 'inserts' of information on every topic imaginable From the ‘Encyclopedia of Marvels, Life Forms and Other Phenomena of Zamonia and its Environs’ by Professor Abdullah Nightingale ... with that full introduction every time. It gets a little repetitive, even though the narrator switches up inflections to try to keep it interesting/entertaining.
Honestly - I don't know if I felt the need to shift things up (taking a break from this and reading something else in-between) or if I just felt like I could, as the chapters seemed to be their own little story/world (I didn't lose continuity by stopping).
Hoopla had the audio, but I was unhappy with the presentation. NO table of contents. I was manually trying to bookmark the chapters, just in case I needed to attempt to find a certain spot again. I wonder if that's Hoopla, or the audiobook editing in general (I had noticed the lack of a TOC in Hoopla before, when it was there in Libby and Audible). Ironically as I came to write the review, my LibraryExtension is no longer showing the audio available (nor is it coming up in a Hoopla search). Weird!
Overall - I'm glad I stumbled upon this story, and the basics will stay in my memory. It's not really one I'd recommend. I might keep my physical copy though ...
This was just okay for me ... I wonder if I would have liked it more if I was of an age of the target audience? Probably. This does introduce many aspects of WW2 to the younger audiences in an engaging and exciting way. For me though, it was a little too "I'm 13 years old, and it's up to ME to ..." quite a few things, and basically change the course of the world war. Our young MC just happens to have a photographic memory. His parents just happen to be spies, and pull him in to help. Mom happens to be there with chloroform at a critical moment. In the whole huge area, the MC is the one who happens upon the escaped airman. He's just always in the right place at the right time with the right information and abilities ....
There was one death that caught me off guard.
No numerical chapters, instead, descriptive headers. Personally, I love headers, but I still like to have numbers to keep things more organized, and easy to switch between formats (I had this in three formats, physical book, audiobook and Kindle copy, the latter two borrowed from the library). Per usual, the physical book doesn't even deign to provide a Table of Contents. Short chapters, which tended to end on mini-cliffhangers (I can see the appeal, creating the need to keep reading ... but it's also a little annoying!)
I appreciated the author's notes at the end, clarifying what parts were based on fact/real events. I've read about Kristallnacht many times before. Interesting to see a closer (if fictional) look inside the Hitler Youth. Not sure if I'd heard of the Edelweiss pirates or "German look" (glancing to see if someone might be around to overhear). Several other German words/phrases, but a couple were just ones the MC made up.
Words I note: snuck, rifled, roiled, whirling dervish, hedgerow
There was the infamously mocked phrase "let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding ..."
One chapter header was "In Which I am a Bleeding Genius" ... having just read Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost, in which all chapter headers started with "in which " :)
There was one death that caught me off guard.
No numerical chapters, instead, descriptive headers. Personally, I love headers, but I still like to have numbers to keep things more organized, and easy to switch between formats (I had this in three formats, physical book, audiobook and Kindle copy, the latter two borrowed from the library). Per usual, the physical book doesn't even deign to provide a Table of Contents. Short chapters, which tended to end on mini-cliffhangers (I can see the appeal, creating the need to keep reading ... but it's also a little annoying!)
I appreciated the author's notes at the end, clarifying what parts were based on fact/real events. I've read about Kristallnacht many times before. Interesting to see a closer (if fictional) look inside the Hitler Youth. Not sure if I'd heard of the Edelweiss pirates or "German look" (glancing to see if someone might be around to overhear). Several other German words/phrases, but a couple were just ones the MC made up.
Words I note: snuck, rifled, roiled, whirling dervish, hedgerow
There was the infamously mocked phrase "let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding ..."
One chapter header was "In Which I am a Bleeding Genius" ... having just read Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost, in which all chapter headers started with "in which " :)
I had really liked the first book in this series, which I read a few months ago. I remember having a couple emotional gut-punches. It is a story that has stuck with me. The sequel ... it was just okay. We really don't see Melody at home or at school, learning about how she's adapting to her life there, she's away at camp.
The camp setting was interesting - I can only imagine the cost, paperwork and liability to set up something like that. We do have an "all ability" playground in the area that has some more accessible set-ups. I recall in [book:Me Before You|17347634] they take the wheelchair bound MC sky diving (and I haven't read the book, but also in the movie The Upside) but still ... zip lining? And if the horse accident scene happened here, I feel like there would have been other incidents.
So - very similar in "voice" (narrator was the same in audio) to the first book. Very conversational. Easy 1st person/past tense. 48 numerical chapters, no headers.
The camp setting was interesting - I can only imagine the cost, paperwork and liability to set up something like that. We do have an "all ability" playground in the area that has some more accessible set-ups. I recall in [book:Me Before You|17347634] they take the wheelchair bound MC sky diving (and I haven't read the book, but also in the movie The Upside) but still ... zip lining? And if the horse accident scene happened here, I feel like there would have been other incidents.
So - very similar in "voice" (narrator was the same in audio) to the first book. Very conversational. Easy 1st person/past tense. 48 numerical chapters, no headers.
