Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ever have one of those mornings where nothing goes right? Well, Anya’s day starts that way. Her mother serves her something greasy and fatting for breakfast, she gets embarrassed in front of the best looking guy at school and her only friend gets mad at her and stomps off before she even gets on the bus for school. To top it off, she falls down an old abandoned well. To make matters worse, Anya is not alone in this well. She soon learns the well is haunted by the ghost of a young girl. Now Anya has a new friend, but is the ghost a friend “for life” or does she have something else in mind?

I enjoyed this graphic novel. It carries a very good lesson of (forgive the pun) "don't judge a book by its cover." To Anya everything is black and white. Sean is gorgeous therefore he is good. Because Emily is helping her, Emily is good. Dima is an over-achieving, fresh off the boat Russian nerd, therefore he is bad. I think the black, gray and white illustrations lend themselves to the theme of not everyone is what you might think they are. It isn't until later in the novel that Anya begins to question about the gray areas in her life. Sean is not the guy he seems to be; Dima is not the "fobby" creep he seems to be; and Emily is just plain scary.
I would recommend this book for ages 14 and up.

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Book Review - The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ivan is a gorilla. The One and Only Ivan. The Mighty Silverback. The Ape at Exit 8. The Freeway Gorilla. These are his many names but Ivan is so much more than his names. Ivan is an artist. As a baby, Ivan would dip his hand in the mud and draw pictures on his mother’s back - pictures of the shapes of the clouds and the colors of the flowers he saw. Now he draws pictures with crayons - pictures of banana peels, candy wrappers and apple cores, and the new baby elephant that has moved into the domain next to him. Sometimes Ivan wonders, is he a gorilla or is he a human? Humans don’t have a name for what he is.
I am just going to say I believe everyone can benefit from reading this book. The younger crowd will hear a great story about friendship and promises made and kept. The older ones of us will also be blessed with a story of which will remind us there is good out there and it can be found in many shapes and sizes if we just look. But all will be given a new found appreciation for the things in the world around us and how we (humans) truly affect them.
RECOMMENDED FOR ALL!

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Book Review - A Leaf Can Be ... by Laurie Purdie Salas

A Leaf Can Be... by Laura Purdie Salas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A leaf can be many things. It can be a "shade spiller" or a "mouth filler." This book explores the many aspects of a leaf and all it can be in an enjoyable poetic tour of all things leafy. Accompanied by soft illustrations of cool blues and greens or warm yellows and golds, we glide through the rhythm of the words as if we too are leaves moving on the wind. Reading this book aloud as a bedtime book or to a group will only add to its ability to evoke all those wonderful things a leaf can be.

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Book Review - Skyfall by Michael Dahl

Skyfall by Michael Dahl
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In Zion Falls it is the night of the biggest meteor shower of the century, the Draconids. For fourteen year-old Pablo and his friends, Thora and Zak, it is also the night that is going to change their lives forever. Pablo, Thora and Zak are pulled into a real-life fairy tale of the Grimm variety. They find themselves battling trolls, or "gathool", for their lives. And this is only the beginning.
The premise for this books is very interesting. Giant trolls known as gathools are emerging to wreck havoc on the town of Zion Falls. The name "gathool" is reminiscent of Lovecraft's greatest short story, The Call of Cthulhu, about a giant kraken like creature. The illustrations in the book also run along these lines, with the multi-armed trolls appearing to have heads that resemble octupi. While this story is much, much milder than Lovecraft's, I would not recommend it to be read as a bedtime story. The information about the trolls and the characters is somewhat sketchy. The trolls are coming but it is not really said where they are coming from. There is something special about Pablo, Thora and Zak but you are not really sure what. However, as this is the first book in a series, I would assume the information will be coming in the next installments of the series.
I would recommend this book for children ages 10+, especially those readers who want an alternative to Goosebumps or Beast Quest.

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Book Review - It's a Big World Little Pig by Kristi Yamaguchi

It's a Big World, Little Pig! by Kristi Yamaguchi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Poppy the litte pig who dreams big is finally an ice skating star. Now she follows her dream to Paris, France to compete in the World Games. While in Paris, Poppy must overcome her fears of being so far from home in a new place. But she soon learns that although we may not speak the same, we all smile in the same language.
This is a sequel to the book "Dream Big Little Pig by Kristi Yamaguchi. It is very nice with cute illustrations. Who doesn't love a pig in a bow? It was a little light and fluffy for my personal taste, but the message of being accepting of new people and places is a good one.

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Happy New Year Ramblings

I am hoping to have a great year in 2012. I have set myself up with some reading challenges which will take me out of my comfort zone. I have decided on a goal of 250 books in the year 2012. Yes Melissa - that is 250!!!! I am also going to be participating in the Why Buy the Cow and several other blogging/reading challenges. So my reviews will change somewhat. I am going to be adding adult fiction to my blog so it will not just be children's/young adult books, although these will still be the mainstay of my blog. Just look at it as I am adding a little more variety. Hope everyone has a great year ahead of them!

Book Review - The Chronicles of Harris Burdick

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales by Chris Van Allsburg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Thirty years ago a man called at Peter Wender's office, introducing himself as Harris Burdick. Mr. Burdick explained that he had written fourteen stories and had drawn many pictures for each one. He'd brought with him just one drawing from each story, to see if Wenders liked his work." Thus begins The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. The introduction goes on to tell us that Harris Burdick was never heard from again. But what he left were 14 amazing drawings (eerily similar to Van Allsburg's own) to muse and ponder over for the next 25+ years. Now, an amazing group of fantasy writers have come together to give us the stories they feel go with these illustrations. From a house that blasts off into the unknown one day - to a dust bunny run amuck, we are treated to an astounding collection of imaginings worth of the mystery of Harris Burdick.

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