Master Index to all Customer Reviews
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2007 Reviews
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2005 Reviews
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Recent Reviews
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 The Death Instinct
by Jed Rubenfeld [Rubenfeld]
Did you know the first terrorist act on American soil was in 1920? It was then that a wagon filled with dynamite blew up on Wall Street injuring or killing close to 400 people. The perpetrators have never been named or punished, but Rubenfeld's novel, which involves psychoanalysis, Madame Curie and radiation, World War I and police work make an exciting what-if about the topic. Not a quick or easy read, but definitely enjoyable.
reviewed by Barbara R.
customer of the Gere Branch Library
February 7, 2012
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Falling In
by Frances O'Roark Dowell [j Dowell]
Falling In is a welcome change from the darkness and broodiness that one gets these days in fantasies written for older youth. Without the burden of emotional angst, juvenile fantasies are free to launch readers into imaginative worlds. Written by Frances O'Roark Dowell, Falling In is full of whimsy and diverse friendships! The summary alone intrigued me: "Isabelle Bean follows a mouse's squeak into a closet and falls into a parallel universe where the children believe she is the witch they have feared for years, finally come to devour them." Falling In is like nothing I had expected because of the peculiar main character Isabelle Bean and because of the twists in the plot. What about those diverse friendships? Well, there is Grete, a mysterious old woman the children meet in the woods who knows Isabel's mom. How is that possible, when the two live in parallel universes? Then there is Elizabeth, a girl from the camps who like Hen has a secret or two of her own. There's also eight-year-old Jacob who flubs some very important plans. And for the animal factor, there is a reclusive brown spider. To find out its purpose, you'll need to read Falling In for yourself. While imparting valuable lessons about friends and prejudice, it is also imaginative and playful. Dowell doesn't know if she'll write another fantasy; Falling In is not her typical fare. However, I really enjoyed it and so will be reading her realistic fiction. I'm also rooting for her to write more fantasies.
reviewed by Allison H.-F.
customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library
February 5, 2012
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Jim the Boy
by Tony Earley [Earley]
A simple tale about a simpler time. this details the life of farm boy Jim Glass, age 10. Glass is a pretty typical young boy, growing up in North Carolina in the Depression years. For readers who long for a book that explains the subleties of morals and ethics, and stays away from sex, violence and cursing, this is it. The Chicago Tribune says it's a novel "that perfectly captures the innocence and confusion and wonder of childhood." I agree.
reviewed by Barbara R.
customer of the Gere Branch Library
January 20, 2012
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The Truth-Teller's Lie
by Sophie Hannah
A dark and psychologically police procedural detailing the search for one or two serial rapists, based on the testimony of a young woman who may or may not be telling the truth. The violence is told in detail, which may make it too dark and twisted for squeamish readers. (I admit, I lightly passed over it.) The tension and suspense are there in spades, however, and Hannah tells a passionate tale of love and sex gone terribly wrong. The London Times called it "A superbly creepy, twisty thriller about obsessive love, psychological torture and the darkest chambers of the human heart."
reviewed by Barbara R.
customer of the Gere Branch Library
January 20, 2012
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Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe [Defoe, or j Defoe]
There is no doubt that Robinson Crusoe is important to literary history. First published in 1719, it is among one of the first novels ever written. It also marked the beginning of realistic fiction, with its success leading to the popularity of castaway novels. I doubt however that the style and content of the original version of Robinson Crusoe will appeal to today's young readers. First, let's consider the style. It is so rambling and repetitious that it made my head hurt to read it in large chunks. Besides writing novels, Daniel Defoe apparently also wrote manuals. I believe it! A second problem I have with Defoe's style is how analytical and impassive his descriptions are. I can't remember the last time I checked my email so often during one page. Next, let's consider the content. It irritated me on two levels. First, Defoe was badly in need of an editor. I'm all for skipping ahead to that fatal seafaring journey where he is marooned, because from that point until his rescue I somewhat enjoyed the story. Moreover, in my version (a slightly shortened form of part one), after Crusoe is rescued, Defoe tortured me for twenty-five additional pages with accounts of Crusoe's life back in England. The content also irritated me on a second level, in that there is material which begs for footnotes so that readers understand the context of the times wherein Defoe wrote. At this point, I would be amiss if I didn't point out what I did enjoy about Robinson Crusoe. Daniel Defoe created an extremely realistic character. I also enjoyed reading about all the tools that Crusoe created during his sojourn on the island, along with his ponderings on moral dilemmas such as when is it right to kill another man and what role God should have in his life. As you can see, there are gems in Robinson Crusoe. Unfortunately, they're so grimed in repetition and unnecessary content that they become drudgery to me. For that reason, I found myself wondering: Do some literary classics become dated? Should a book ever be rewritten in modern English? Should a book ever be abridged? What do you think?
reviewed by Allison H.-F.
customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library
January 20, 2012
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin [j Lin]
Lin's Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore. In the tradition of journey stories, this is about Minli, who goes on a trip to seek a solution to a problem. Minli seeks the Man of the Moon to ask how the family can change their fortune. As in The Wizard of Oz, Minli meets characters along the way who also need help from the Man of the Moon. Unlike in The Wizard of Oz, only one travels with her: a dragon who can't fly. In what seems almost too conveniently like The Wizard of Oz, these two comrades encounter evil monkeys when trying to cross the woods to their destination. Other dangers are more original to Lin such as a poisonous tiger. I recognized two motifs from folklore: the disguised king and sacrificed children. Others such as the guardians of the city, the borrowed line, and the fruitless mountain may or may not be derived from Chinese tales with which I am less familiar. In any event, Lin has seamlessly blended various aspects of folklore into one beautiful story. What makes Lin's books so special are their themes of family, friendship, love, and heritage. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon has another theme, which is found in the answer to Minli?s question about how her family can change their fortune. This is an absorbing fantasy, deserving of classic status.
reviewed by Allison H.-F.
customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library
January 20, 2012
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My Fair Godmother
by Janette Rallison [j Rallison]
My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison is a funny teen fantasy romance with morals to boot. Through the guise of the three wishes that Savannah is granted by her godmother, Rallison imparts blunt truths about love. Savannah's first thought is to ask for Hunter fall back in love with her, but she is smart enough to know that winning Hunter back only with magic won't make her truly happy. Rallison never holds back any punches with her morals, but she also wraps them up so creatively in the disastrous outcomes of Savannah's wishes that the lessons feel like logical outcomes in a riveting story. Of course, it also helps that Rallison laces her love story with humor and fantasy. Some of the humor lies in Savannah's attitude. Some of the humor lies in the scrapes that Savannah finds herself in. As for the fantasy, you already know there's a godmother. There's also a leprechaun, a wizard and an apprentice with potions and poisons to sell, a Cyclops that Tristan needs to fight, and a mysterious black knight. For the most part, Rallison stays faithful to the original fairy tales into which she dumps Savannah. Even when she departs from them for literary purposes, they never left me with the bad taste some other fractured tales have. I love fantasy, in big doses. Whether it comes in the form of humor, romance, or another genre, I'm going to try it. Yet while my love of fantasy might mean I'll pick it off the shelves more often, an author still needs to be smart for me to seek out more of their books. Janette Rallison is, in so many ways. She might even be my new author find.
reviewed by Allison H.-F.
customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library
January 20, 2012
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