Review-The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

THE HUNGER GAMES
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Press
978-0-439-02348-1
384 Pages, $19.99US/$19.99CAN

Review by Wisteria Leigh

 

I must be the last person to have read THE HUNGER GAMES, and so I will be brief with the summary. 

In future North America in a nation called Panem. It consists of twelve districts that surround the Capitol. After an attempted coup came the Dark Days. Originally there were thirteen districts. After the uprising one was decimated and the other twelve were held accountable by the Capitol city. In order to maintain order and firm control over the people they devised an annual competion called The Hunger Games. Once a year at the Reaping, a lottery was held in each district where one girl and one boy between the ages of twelve and eighteen were chosen to compete at the games. It was not a time to celebrate as these games were deadly. The youths were made to fight to the death in an arena televised to the entire country of Panem. It was for the entertainment of the leaders of the Capitol. There could only be one winner. 

You may think as I did that this book is gruesome and of no interest to me. Surprisingly, this is not true at all.  This book is wonderful. The characters are so well defined that despite the premise of the games, you will be a nail-biting spectator. You can't help but empathize with the sacrifice that a sister makes for her sibling. Disgust and loathing for the game organizers is natural and makes you shutter with disbelief.  The plot is highly engaging and will satisfy the most reluctant young reader. Adults and teachers will find lessons abound in this thriller.

It is forecast of the future, a dystopian society that offers a window through media entertainment with a first hand look at human nature, the good and bad. This book rivets you in place as you speed through the thrilling action provided by Suzanne Collins' remarkably original story. Fortunately, I have both CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY on my bookshelf. Don't miss your opportunity to read this one. You will love it!

 

Disclosure: The copy of this book was provided by Scholastic Press

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].

Review-Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

REVOLUTION
Written by Jennifer Donnelly
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780385737630
Our Price: $18.99
978-0-385-73763-0

Synopsis from Book Cover and Random House

"BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Parisfor winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart."

My Review

All Andi Alpers wants to do is forget. Forget that the tragic death of her brother ever happened. She believes it is her fault, that her parents blame her and that the reality is her brother is dead. She will never see him again, and the events leading up to his death haunt her each day. To cope with her loss, she functions, just barely at times due to her heavy reliance on anti-depressants.The depression zaps her energy, her drive, her will to live. Her father travels much of the time and her mother, an artist, fills her days painting, lost in her own world of pain. When her father shows up, he believes his solutions are the best for both Andi and her mother.

Andi, stuck in Paris with her non-communicative father is faced with an ultimatum. He agrees to her proposition to produce an outline for her final thesis, work she has so far neglected. If he accepts the project, he will agree to allow her to fly back to Brooklyn. She stumbles upon the diary of Alexandrine, a young girl who lived during the French Revolution. The events and lives of those in the ill-fated journal present a compelling mystery. Andi’s compulsion to finish her project is desperate and frenetic. Eventually, with a crash of kismet, her life collides with the past.

The beginning of the story was slow, rather banal and my interaction was passive. However, as soon as you emerge in Paris, the mysterious plight of Alexandrine, uncovered in the pages of her diary makes this book suddenly glow with a brilliant radiance. Andi begins to see life through death and a harmonious blend of the two characters creates a duet of tympanic rhythm that reveals a powerful message.

Donnelly presents an imaginative novel with a deeply penetrating view of the historical events that took place during the French Revolution. It’s important to note that the inconsolable numbness to life and the feeling of self-loathing and deep depression portrayed in the character of Andi Alpers is sadly heartbreaking. The timeless message of self-love and forgiveness makes this a highly recommended novel.


Disclosure: This was an ARC sent to me by Random House.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2010].

Review-The Indifferent Stars Above, The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride

The Indifferent Stars Above
The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
by Daniel James Brown
William Morrow
June 2009
$24.99, HC, 320pp,
320pp, 978-0-06-13410-5








You think you have heard it all before, until you read the account of Sarah Graves and her bold decision to face the uncertain future with her new husband, Jay Fosdick. Imagine yourself at twenty one ready with hope and promise for a better life. In 1846, to pack up and prepare to travel overland, mostly walking takes tremendous stamina and backbone.

Sarah’s voice narrates this historically rich account as she begins with naive eyes. She and her husband have loaded a covered wagon filled with everything they believe they will need. It’s not as easy as you think as she conveys preparations required for the trip. Housewares, furniture, clothes and all the food necessary, force an incredible burden of weight for the ox to pull. They will have to walk most of the way to conserve the strength of the beast.

They are emigrants filled with enthusiasm and a purpose to buy land, build a home and settle the west. They believe their destiny is hopeful, but destiny will fail them. Star-crossed from the beginning they set out and then join up with a group of travelers, known by the leader as the Donner Party. The famous story of the Donner Party is an event famous in American History.

Sarah’s story details the horrific and terrifying journey of physical survival with that ill fated group. The journey that pushed everyone to their limits of personal endurance. A journey that conjured up ethical actions too sinister to even comprehend.

Unfortunately, a guide by the name of Lansford Hastings posed a shortcut that proved to be anything but. It was virtually impassable and only benefited the greed and the potential profit for Hastings and a business associate. This decision ended up being only one of the many bad luck choices the Donner Party attempted.

The history of the Donner Party experiences in the vicious winter of 1846 that dumped record snowfalls in the Sierra Nevada mountains has been told in numerous historical accounts. The author has done extensive research evident from his prodigious rich bibliography. He credits the first serious account of the Donner Party was written by C. F. McGlashan in 1879 from first person correspondence, called The History of the Donner Party. The published work will include an eight page black and white insert.

Brown’s account of the event is not just a history of a timeline of events, but a compassionate oral history and deeply moving story of the human element. He explains and backs up medical conditions such as hypothermia and hyperthermia with scientific data and references. His analysis and explanations of why and how specific behavioral and physical changes occur adds keen insight.

In his epilogue he writes an account of his personal journey that he mapped and followed to get a feel from a first hand exploration of the difficulty they faced. He cautions his eyes are from the 21st century perspective with no comparison to the suffering of the Donner Party. Steep climbs and difficult terrain cause him to become breathless. He says, “My God, I thought, those people were tough.”

Another time he is mesmerized by the untouchable beauty of a breathtaking panoramic scene. It is a mirror of what caught Mary Ann Graves attention as she stopped to gaze on this same distant landscape, an etherial visual experience that surpassed any suffering for that moment. On some level the spiritual heals the physical, or perhaps suffering becomes a supplicant to the blinding beauty.

Daniel James Brown’s history The Indifferent Stars Above is a story of hope and faith. It is the story of chance and risk taking and submission to temptation. It is a story of perseverance and surrender. The Donner Party has come to be synonymous with a group of cannibal survivalists who resorted to despicable atrocities and murder. Details in this account prove otherwise. Brown has humanized a history of the Donner Party unseen before in the voice and compassionate retelling through one of its ordinary survivors who proved to be extraordinary. Brown’s writing is novelistic history, accurate historical non-fiction with readable storytelling.

Brown’s unique style has rich depth as he wraps the context in history like a cocoon of importance around the main event. His contrast between the advances in technology and society in the eastern United States versus the hardship, suffering and pain in the West is an ironic juxtaposition. Brown’s history is as gripping as a suspenseful thriller. A special star above the competition. Highly recommended.







For another perspective please see Hoyden's Look at Literature

Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill

A copy of this book came to me to read and I had to share my review with you.
The book is intended for young adults grade 9+, but don't let that prevent you from picking this book up to read. If you can stand the heat. I highly recommend this spiced up "can't touch this" surprise debut.

Soul Enchilada, by David Macinnis Gill,Greenwillow Books/Harper Collins.978-0-06-167301-6

Soul Enchilada: The Devil is in the Details is a riotous, rip roaring ride in a 1958 Cadillac Biarritz about to be repossessed by Mr. Beals, otherwise known as Beelzebub. The current owner is Bugs, a struggling young teen, who can barely make rent, and barely make it to work. She has title to the car, because she co:signed for her grandfather, who without her knowledge, had made a side deal with the devil before his demise that included giving him his soul if he could just have this beautiful Cadillac.

The problem now is that sitting on her passenger seat is Mr Beals, invisible to all but her, and he wants payment. Papa C, her grandfather, skipped out on his last payment, his soul of course. When Bugs finds out that when she co-signed the loan she was next in line to pay up, the joy ride begins.

The setting is El Paso, Texas and Eunice “Bug” Smoot is thirteen. She is the fastest pizza delivery person in El Paso, but not fast enough to keep her job and so this story will deliver a plethora of comedic scenes and dialog that will have you rolling along with Bugs. You just can’t imagine the trouble she encounters trying to run from the devil.

David Macinnis Gill is a brilliant conversationalist accurately synthesizing the natural flowing cultural dialect, speech patterns and slang of the streets. Believable, humorous and age appropriate make the dialogue just right.
Hilarious moments as the story unfolds will grab you with chuckles, belly laughing and outright hysteria from beginning to end.

I enjoyed this book so much, I can’t wait for another adventure by this debut author. This is a must have on library shelves and will be enjoyed by all readers in high school.


David Macinnis' Website