MSBA nominee 2009-2010

Eh....this was just okay. Sorta like The Face on the Milk Carton. Kids are requesting it like crazy at the library though, so it must have some appeal!

I picked up this book thinking that it would be like the Horrible Histories series, but for American history instead. It's not. It's worse. It's disjointed. I felt that the writing style was really choppy. There is a foreword where the author says that he was a former textbook author and there were all these stories that he had to leave out. Well, I felt like he took those stories, put them in chronological order, and BAM! We have this book. I stopped reading shortly after Sheinkin starts discussing the American Revolution, because there was a section where he said something along the lines of, "Our country's history isn't a fairy tale, every body makes mistakes, not every gets a happy ending, but hey, at least it's interesting, right?" This comes after he discusses Abigail Adams' attempt to get her husband to "remember the ladies" and the British commenting that "those who yelp loudest for liberty" and equality of man own slaves themselves. To me, he seemed to implying that, hey our country has this awful background, but at least it makes it interesting! Or is he implying that perhaps our country would have a boring history if we didn't have racist and sexist undertones? Maybe I am overreacting, but it definitely was the last straw for a book I was already frustrated with.

Another beautifully written book by Cashore. I don't really want to say anything about it, because I don't want to give anything away. After it's officially published, then I'll add to this.

I'll be honest. I have NO IDEA why I requested this book. I'm not very far in, but I was captured by the beginning. Will keep you posted.

I enjoyed it. I don't normally read "boy books". Each chapter is another year in Jimmy's life in West Virginia. It's a small railroad town. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books about small town life, railroads, the South or typical boy books.

It's not really chicklit, but I didn't really want to make another shelf for this book.

To be honest, I don't know how a non Smithie, or even someone who didn't go to a women's college would relate to this book. I know I definitely enjoyed it because I could relate to something from every character, because I knew the ins and outs of Smith. If I had lived in King, it might have been too much (lol).

There were definitely a couple of things slightly off: it's molasses, not soy sauce that they use to deice areas of Smith. Well, okay, that's really the only one I can think of, but there were some steretypes I did want to fight (I lived on Green Street for two years and I still shaved, and I think pretty much everybody in my particular dorm did!) These might be stereotypes that have changed over time though.

I'm not sure I particularly liked one twist at the end. I don't want to reveal it, but I didn't entirely see it coming and I'm not sure if I was more disappointed in myself for not seeing it, or if I was more disappointed in the actual twist.

Anyway, would love to hear what other Smithies and non-Smithies thought of this book.

This book is great! This is the story of a family that really enjoys each other's company. If you liked Anne of Green Gables or Little Women, I'm pretty sure you'll like this book. The Penderwicks has a bit of an old-fashioned feel to it.

MSBA nominee 2009-2010