VVMBookBlog

David is nine and a year ago his mother was killed in an accident at work back when they were living in Minnesota. Now he lives with his grandmother and his dad (when he’s home on weekends) in Pennsylvania. Nothing his grandmother or anyone can do or say help him to heal the hole left by his mother’s death.

Primrose is thirteen and lives with her mom, who is a psychic and calls herself Madame Dufee, in a tiny little house with no room for Primrose. It’s so small, in fact, that she makes a room for herself our in her yard in an old junker van that local bad kids attack with eggs. She only wishes that she could have had a normal mother who would do what normal mothers do, including read to her at bedtime.

Then David and Primrose find each other, in a strange way at an Easter egg hunt, and begin to help each other heal the holes in their hearts.

I especially liked the section on collecting nightcrawlers. It reminded me of going out for a walk in the evening after a heavy rainstorm last spring. I kept seeing movement in the grass and finally realized there were nightcrawlers EVERYWHERE! I stuck my toe near them and they all whooshed back into their holes. Not sure if I would want to collect them like Primrose and David did, even for 25 cents apiece!

This was my first Sammy Keyes book in a long time, so I was again surprised by how much fun she is as a character and the major-league mysteries she becomes involved in.

Remember, Sammy, now almost done with 7th grade, is secretly living with her Grams in Grams’ senior citizen apartment while her mom is off in Hollywood trying to be an actress.  She is fearless, outspoken, and always ready to investigate something that doesn’t seem right.

This time she has a few things to deal with: 1) her teacher’s lovebird, Tango, that she kills accidentally, 2) knowledge of something her arch-enemy, Heather Acosta, has done and what to do about it, 3) the possibility of corrupt local politics involved in a move to acquire the home through eminent domain of an older lady whose dog Sammy walks, and 4) the end-of-the-year dance that’s coming up!! (Why CAN’T she just wear her hightops??)

Fun to read.  Makes you want to ready more Sammy Keyes!

Getting Air by Dan Gutman

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Once again this statement played through my head as I read this book. Although it looks like a book about skateboarding, it’s more of a survival or adventure story. Skateboarders will be a bit disappointed, but most adolescents will not be disappointed. Three skaters are on their way to the XGames with a plane full of “blue hairs” when terrorists take over the plane. The sister of one of these skaters, the flight attendant, and the skaters must find a way to stop the terrorists from crashing the plane and killing everyone on board.

Getting Air is an easier read (age 8-12), but is full of humor and adventure. When I realized it was more about a plane take over and survival, I was less than excited. As I continued to read, I did enjoy the book. Even skaters will find humor, adventure, and a little skating in this book. Give it a try.

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

I think books of short stories are wondeful for reluctant readers because if they don’t like a story, they can skip and go onto the next story. This is a book of short stories by Neil Gaiman the author of Coraline. Gaimon is known for his eerie story telling, and this book is no different. The first story, with favorites from fairy tales as the characters, is a bit of a mystery. Stories range from stories about a jack-in-a-box to stories from the grave yard. Readers will learn how to sell a bridge and how to talk to girls although neither story will leave the reader with good or usable advice. Each story is unique with a sense of strangeness. Many readers will find these stories weird and want to read more which may take them to Gaiman’s other books.

Hitler’s Canary by Sandi Toksvis

This is another book on WWII. The narrator, Bamse, of this story is a young man who wants to help with the war efforts as his country, Denmark, is being invaded by the Germans. His older brother has already taken part of the Danish Resistance. Many people living in Denmark are confused at what actions to take. Some ignore the Germans. Some try to fight against the Germans. Some protect their Jewish neighbors. Some readily give up their Jewish neighbors. Bamse and his family make difficult decisions that change their lives. Before the war his family was involved in the theater and everything seemed to be a play (unrealistic). As the war continues the family must face the reality brought with the German invaders and their dislike of the Jewish people. To make matters more complicated, Bamse’s best friend is a Jew.

The title of this book is important because Denmark is called Hitler’s Canary by the British because the Danish people are in a cage and sing anything Hitler wants. The Danes were a peaceful people before the war and tried to remain peaceful during the war. As with many books about WWII, Hitler’s Canary shows how war affects families. This is the first book WWII book I’ve read with the setting of Denmark. I liked this book because it showed how important youth were to the war efforts.