Book Review: The Detention Club

The Detention Club by David Yoo

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publish Date: June 21, 2011

Hardcover, 464 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grades, Ages 9-12
 ISBN: 978-0061783784

My Review:
A great book for boys, I think it would be a great prep for middle school which is always an eye opener for kids.  I know it was for me.  I was running with a group of kids and suddenly when we started middle school we weren't friends any more, no rhyme or reason to it, just like Peter Lee and his best friend Drew face.  So I think this is a great coming of age tale for boys facing this and maybe a book prepping them for this.

I found it to be a very entertaining book.  I loved Peter and Drew's schemes and especially the one to get into detention and to become friends with the guys in detention to become popular.  I love this book, it's cute, it's funny and it's entertaining.  I like Peter, I like Drew.  I enjoy the characters, and I like the storyline.  I enjoy the suspense of who is stealing things at the school (even though I figured it out pretty easy).  The book is well thought out and well executed and I will be sharing it with my son Logan very soon as kind of a prep for middle school as he enters his last ear of elementary school this coming year.  Thank you David Yoo for a great story for boys and girls, but especially for boys!


My Rating: 4.0/5.0


About the Book:
Detention

The best worst thing to happen to Peter Lee?

Peter and his best friend, Drew, used to be so cool (or, at least, not total outcasts) in elementary school. But now they're in middle school, where their extensive mica collection and prowess at kickball have earned them a new label: losers. Then Peter attracts the unwanted attention of the school bullies, and his plan to become popular through his older sister, the practically perfect Sunny, backfires.

Things go from bad to worse when Peter gets detention. But what at first seems to spell his utter doom turns into an unlikely opportunity for making friends and influencing people. . . .

About the Author (from his website): 

David Yoo is a graduate from Skidmore College with an MA from the University of Colorado-Boulder. His first novel, Girls For Breakfast (Delacorte) was a Booksense Pick, an NYPL Books For the Teen Age selection, and a Reading Rants Top Ten Books for Teens choice.

His first middle grade novel, The Detention Club (Balzer + Bray) comes out June 21, 2011. His first collection of essays, Honorable Mention (Grand Central) is forthcoming spring 2012. He lives in Massachusetts, where he regularly plays adult soccer and old school video games. He teaches in the MFA program at Pine Manor College and at the Gotham Writers’ Workshop. 
 
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FTC Information: I received this book from teen book scene for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

This or That with Alex Epstein

Today I have Alex Epstein, author of Circle Cast with me to answer This or That.  Also be sure and leave a comment on this post to be entered into a giveaway to win an ebook copy of Circle Cast.  He will be giving away 1 copy each week during the tour so make sure you enter during this week at each blog during the tour for more chances to win.  More tour dates can be found at The Teen Book Scene.

Doritos or Cheetos?

Doritos. You can put salsa on them. Or guac. Or make nachos. Or chilaquiles. Cheetos are just sort of a thing by themselves. They don't play well with others. Thank God I answered this after lunch.

Sweet or Salty?

Umami.

King Arthur or Lancelot?

Oh, I've never liked Lancelot. He's sort of a not-very-bright a jock who can't keep it in his pants. Arthur's a messed up dude, but at least he's trying. Lancelot's a traitor. He destroys Camelot.

Sports car or Sedan?

I had a fire-engine red 1965 Mustang convertible when I lived in LA. The Bouzou Dog loved riding with the top down. Then I got a family. Two kids, dog, wife: no room. Now I have a Prius. I miss the wind in my hair, but I do like filling up like once a year.

Soccer or Baseball?

Soccer. Baseball is classic random reinforcement. It's really boring, but you can't stop watching because something might happen. Soccer is nonstop. And I like a sport where short wiry guys can win. And: goaaaaaaaaallllll!!!

Dogs or Cats?

Dogs. Cats don't really even like you. They're staring at you in case you suddenly shrink down to mouse size so they can play with you before killing you. Okay, I've lived with three cats at once. But dogs are loyal.

Crystal Ball or Magic Wand?

Athame. To really focus magic you want a pointy, double-bladed knife. I've got a nice one with a bone handle.


Suspense or Horror?

Horror. I like a movie where the laws of God and Man have been violated.  Where you're not worried about dying, in fact, you should be so lucky. But there has to be a metaphysical issue. It can't just be random badness. There has to be something human that grounds the story.

Spring or Fall?

Mmmm, Fall. Smell of fireplaces. Crispness in the air. Leaves on fire with color. Getting to wear clothes again.

Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate?

Dark chocolate. I'm never satisfied with milk chocolate. I always feel like it could have been just a little more chocolatey. But not too dark. It can get crazy with the bitterness.

Twitter or Facebook?

Facebook. All my friends are on Facebook. It feels way better organized to me. Twitter seems to give equal weight to a RT as an original thought.  Facebook brings up the posts that my friends are responding to. And I like that you can post a longer thought if you want to.

Fairies or Witches?

Witches.

Real fairies come in two flavors. There are the capricious, amoral, dangerous, kind of psychotic ones who will do bad things to you just for fun. And then there are the really bad ones. A lot of people think fairies are all about flowers and butterflies, but the reason the Irish never call them by their real names is they're afraid they'll show up.

When I first started writing The Circle Cast, I was on a spiritual quest, and Iwound up being initiated into a coven. The "drawing down the Moon" from the raven ceremony comes right out of a drawing down of the moon I saw.  That's one of the closest I've ever been to real magic.

Book Review: Effie at the Wedding by Tracy

Effie at the Wedding by Tracy Marchini

Publisher: Squirrel Books

Publish Date: March 30, 2011

Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult ISBN: 978-1402244186

My Review:
Effie at the Wedding is a cute, fun and enjoyable short story.  It just took me a little while to read, but after that little while I know I would love to read a full book about Effie and her hysterical family.  Just after getting this glimpse I am sure a book about life after the wedding would be a hit.  However this story does stand on it's own two feet as a story of a sister who feels she is getting left behind as her older sister gets married.  One thing I really loved was Effie's list-making.  The lists were hysterical.  Also Effie's ability to get herself into trouble in just a few pages.   That's how I know a whole book of Effie would be a scream.

Thank you Ms. Marchini for brightening my evening with this story.  I laughed and laughed and even cried a little.  If I wasn't an only child I probably would have cried a little more with understanding, but I did understand anyway.  I liked Effie, I liked the story and I hope to see more from Ms. Marchini in the future.

If you want a peek at the humor make sure you take a look at the character tweets, that will give you just a hint of what this short story/novella is like.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Short Story/Novella:

Effie has a million reasons why she's not thrilled to be at her sister's wedding -- and the monstrously pink bridesmaid's dress isn't even on the list. When Effie finds herself locked in the bathroom, she thinks she might just stay there. After all, it's better than hearing from her mom about how often she's been to the buffet or how beautiful Ophelia looks in her wedding dress.

In this hysterical young adult short story, Effie will have to find a reason to celebrate... or get used to her porcelain throne.




About the Author: 

Find out more about on her About Me page on her website.


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FTC Information: I received this book through Teen Book Scene for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Review: In Transit by Kathleen Gerard

In Transit by Kathleen Gerard

Publisher: Five Star

Publish Date: April 15, 2011

Hardcover, 284 pages 
Fiction, Suspense, Romance
 ISBN: 978-1594149665

Blog Tour Website:  http://in-transit-the-novel-blog-tour.blogspot.com/

My Review:
In Transit is a great book, I was really pleased with how engaging the book was.  The characters were interesting, sympathetic if they were supposed to be and sufficiently evil if they were supposed to be and all grades in between as well.  The plot moves at a great pace and the story was really intriguing.  Ms. Gerard has put together a cast that I liked as a reader and a cast of characters that also feels real.  Not all NYPD cops are good, but not all NYPD cops are bad either and I think she did a great job of showing this.

To me I could easily picture poor Rita being sucked into Billy's web so young.  I mean in every relationship there is so much you don't know about each other even after you have been together for some time and then add in the fact that Billy and Rita kind of rush into things thinking they really know each other.  Yes it feels like true love, but when that shine of true love disappears, sometimes, there is nothing left as Rita quickly finds out.  But what I like is Rita has a backbone.  It's hard for her and she has her pride, but she does have a backbone to eventually stand up to Billy and I also like that she has morals, she doesn't just go leap into a relationship while this is going on with him which would have been easy -  there were men lining up to comfort her.  But Rita isn't like that and I'm glad Ms. Gerard constructed her as a character that way.  I don't want to give anything further away.  Just let me say I like all the men (except a few) that pass in and out of Rita's life through the NYPD, most are wonderful upstanding guys who would bend over backwards for her and that really shows.  I really like Rita as well.

I think In Transit starts as a romance, turns into a coming of age and even has a little bit of suspense in there as well.  It has a little bit for everyone and is extremely well-written and plotted.  I enjoyed my afternoon spent reading this book and I'm glad my boys were invited to a birthday party up the street so I had some nice uninterrupted reading time to really get into this book.  I hated when it ended because I wanted more, but it  ends at a perfect time.  I would love more from Rita but have a feeling her story has been told and it has been told well, so I will just look forward to the next story that Ms. Gerard has to tell.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:
Can a rookie cop survive the men who cross her path in the NYPD?

When a psychic in a shopping mall tells Rita Del Vecchio that she is "destined for greatness," and she will "marry a man in uniform," the restless, wet-behind-the-ears, 22 year-old decides to finally take control of her life. Rita sets out on a quest to become a New York City Police Officer. But can a spry, feisty, single woman thrive in the gritty world of New York's Finest?

Leaving behind the suburbs of New Jersey and a job as an under-tipped waitress, Rita Del Vecchio hangs up her apron and ballet slippers for a bullet-proof vest. But will she wear it? And if she does, will it protect her on the mean streets of Manhattan? Can it also protect her from Cupid’s arrows if they should land amiss?

Rita is assigned to the New York City Transit Police Squad and gets more than she bargained for. Riding the Lexington Avenue Subway Line, Rita winds up meeting not one man in uniform, but many. Whom will she love?

In Transit is a woman-in-jeopardy story that delves into the ordinary lives of NYPD career cops and how their fates are often determined by people who hold secrets as dark and as labyrinth-like as the New York City Subway System.

Buy links:
IndieBound
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Amazon (US)
Amazon (Canada)
Amazon (UK)

About the Author: 

Kathleen Gerard writes across genres. Her fiction has been awarded The Perillo Prize, The Eric Hoffer Prose Award and was nominated for Best New American Voices, all national prizes in literature. Her prose and poetry have been widely published in magazines, literary journals, anthologies and broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR). Several of her plays have been staged and performed regionally and off-Broadway.

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FTC Information: I received this book through Tribute Books for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.