The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
published January 2012 by Random House Children's
320 pages (hardcover), Middle Grade

In 1930s Gary, Indiana is where you'll find Deza Malone, a smart and sassy young gal. Nicknamed the Mighty Miss Malone by her alliteration-obsessed father, Deza (pronounced like the beginning of "desert") is just named the top student in her class at the end of the year and is propositioned by her retiring teacher to stay on as a tutee in the upcoming school year. Deza is thrilled at the prospect (as long as her best friend can come too) since she absolutely adores her teacher and also aspires to become a teacher when she grows up. Unfortunately, this doesn't come to pass as Deza's father has been out of work for some time, was in a boating accident, and has now left the family to find work in Flint, Michigan. It's the Great Depression, for sure, and Deza's family is struggling to stay together. After her mother receives notice that she will no longer be needed as a housekeeper for a well-off white family (they're going to travel abroad to escape the Depression, hah!), she decides to take Deza and her older brother Jimmie to Flint too. But they haven't heard from their father lately, and they don't have a reliable way to get there or people to stay with when they do. So, they take it one day at a time and hope for the best.

I don't read a whole lot of historical fiction, but besides the boxing match between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, this could have been contemporary realistic fiction. We are in our own Depression, and I know students who could certainly relate to the events in this book - their dads living in other cities looking for a steady paycheck, families being torn apart just to make ends meet. But what I love about this book and what makes me want to hand it to each and every one of those kids is the cohesive, tightly-wound family unit. The Malones have a motto - "We are a family on a journey to a place called Wonderful." The parents are kind, encouraging, and wise in the lessons they teach their children. When Deza comes back from the library one day, she asks her parents what it means to be "a credit to your race," as the librarian called her (yes, it hurts me so), and her father so eloquently describes it as a warning growl, letting you know exactly who that person is (and that they are most certainly not on your side). Life lessons are expertly handled with care in this story.

I should also mention that this is no surprise coming from Christopher Paul Curtis. I like to stagger my reading of his books because I just don't think it's fair to all the other books out there (like Phoebe and her oatmeal raisin cookies - Friends reference). His writing is so skillful - how else do I describe it? Luscious? Thoughtful? Masterful? Ooh, some touchy-feely words, I know. But it's just such a pleasure to read. When I hand this book to students, I will cross my fingers that they'll like it, and if they don't, I'll just chalk it up to inexperience. They will someday.

As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

February Reading Recap

I traveled a ton in February, so most of my reading was done in airports and cars. More travels to come in March, so I hope to get tons knocked off my ever-growing to-read list...

Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich, read by Lorelei King (2004) --- I love the Stephanie Plum audiobooks. I started reading this series in grad school for an Adult Pop Lit class, and I got hooked. It's my guilty pleasure, and I usually read 1-2 a year (otherwise they get too repetitive). This one was the most dangerous yet, I think. Stephanie manages to tick off a high-profile gang member and now there is a hit on her. Of course she survives, but it gets pretty intense! As always, Lula and Grandma Mazur (and Stephanie's lack of common sense) provide for some comic relief. And Stephanie's love life is a mess - this one's for Ranger fans.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (2012 debut) --- A science fiction Cinderella story?! Oh, how I love thee! Cinder is a delightful little cyborg living in New Beijing with her stepmother and stepsisters. She's a talented mechanic who's hired by Prince Kai himself to fix his personal android. All the while, a plague is spreading through the city, and medical testing for a cure now includes willing cyborgs - since they're not considered fully human. There's a lot going on in this story, but it's so NEW and FRESH and just lovely. Even if you're not a fan of science fiction, if you like a good fairy tale retelling, check this one out. But I suspect many of you already have. Although I think this could have been a standalone novel, I can't wait to read more in the series!

Yummy: The Last Days of Southside Shorty by G. Neri (2010) --- From Goodreads:

In August of 1994, 11-year-old Robert “Yummy” Sandifer [...] fired a gun at a group of rival gangmembers, accidentally killing a neighborhood girl, Shavon Dean. [...] The story made such an impact that Yummy appeared on the cover of TIME magazine, drawing national attention to the problems of inner city youth in America. 

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty relives the confusion of these traumatic days from the point of view of Roger, a neighborhood boy who struggles to understand the senseless violence swirling through the streets around him. Awakened by the tragedy, Roger seeks out answers to difficult questions — was Yummy a killer or a victim? Was he responsible for his actions or are others to blame?

The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker (2012 debut) --- I don't read a whole lot of contemporary realistic fiction, but the cover and title of this one reeled me in. Though I've never lived in Kentucky, my best friend is from there, so I felt like Whitaker's description of this small, southern town was just right. I suppose it helps that she's from there too. The story is about a girl who is just starting public high school after going to a private school for her elementary days. She doesn't want to be seen as a country bumpkin, so she changes her style and joins the cheerleading squad - she just wants to fit in, and most of all, be popular. Yes, it's one of those stories. And I enjoyed it just fine. It's nice to see a change of scenery in this book - I've certainly grown tired of the Upper East Side trend. And the main character has spunk and a real personality that I grew to like, even if I didn't appreciate her decision-making skills.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler (2011) --- Gosh, I wanted to like this book so much. It had such a great premise! Imagine the year is 1996, you've just logged onto AOL for the first time, and a window pops up that says it's Facebook. It has your name, your birthday, a picture of someone who could be you in 15 years, and a bunch of personal postings about what you're having for dinner or how your marriage is failing. Fantastic idea, right? Except that the main characters, Josh and Emma, are absolutely annoying - Emma, especially. All she cares about is who she's going to marry in 15 years. Really... really?! If you found a portal to the future, is that honestly the only thing you want to know? I like that all of their decisions affected their Facebook status and altered the future - I just wish it didn't all revolve around the husband issue. Teens think about WAY more than that, my goodness.

The Limit by Kristen Landon (2010) --- Hmm, quite a lot of science fiction this month. I was excited about this book because it's a dystopia that my 5th graders would enjoy, and I haven't seen too many of these for younger MG readers. In this book, families are not allowed to accrue any debt, and if they do, their teenagers may be whisked away to work off the debt. Matt's mother accidentally goes slightly over their limit one day while grocery shopping with the kids, and as soon as they get home, there are people ready to take Matt away to the government facility where he will work. Matt's a smart kid, so he gets a high-paying job on the top floor of this building, but he starts to notice that something is not quite right about this place...

January Reading Recap

I read a boatload of books in January, mostly because I was on the Monarch Award committee for next year, and we had our meeting this month. Last month, I mean. Anyhow, I read 50 books for K-3 students - a nice mix of early readers/chapter books, nonfiction, picture books, and even a couple graphic novels. I won't list them all because that would be tiresome and possibly against the rules. I will, however, share some of my favorites and direct you to the 2013 Monarch Award List for the final 20 books we selected for next year.

K-3 January Favorites

Blackout by John Rocco (2011) --- It's the shape and size of a picture book, but I'd call it a beginning graphic novel because of the use of large panels. This book absolutely deserves the Caldecott Honor it was awarded this year. It's stunningly illustrated, with colors that pop right off the page, and the story is wonderful. A little boy just wants to spend some time with his family, but they're all too busy - until the power goes out on their block, and then everyone gathers together and actually socializes in person rather than through their techno gizmos. This blackout takes place in summer, but we've had our fair share of blackouts in the winter too. It's a gorgeous book with a great story, and I can't wait to share it with students.

Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed... and Revealed by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy, photographs by Dwight Kuhn (2007) --- Yep, a nonfiction book ended up in my favorites pile. But this one has some tricks up its sleeves. Because it's about camouflaged creatures, each page has a photograph and an accompanying poem/riddle that gives you a clue as to what's hiding in the photograph. Then! You fold open the photograph page, so you're looking at a trifold now - with the center page exposing the hidden animal in full color and the rest of the photograph dulled. And then we get to the nonfiction part of the book, where the animal and its camouflage technique are explained. So much fun! And there are two more books in this series! 

Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith (2010) --- I LOVE THIS BOOK. Lulu is a spoiled brat, but you can't help but love her... eventually. Her birthday is coming up, and she wants a brontosaurus, end of story. No other pet will do. When her parents kindly tell her that she won't be getting a brontosaurus for her birthday, she takes off into the forest to catch one on her own. She encounters some ferocious critters that she is not so nice to and finally comes across a solo brontosaurus that thinks a pet is a very good thing. There are surprise twists and laugh out loud moments along with a wonderfully sassy song that Lulu sings on her way to and from the forest. Kids will love to sing along - I can't wait to read it to second grade students!



MG/YA Read in January

A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing by Avi (2008) --- You'll either be pleasantly amused or endlessly irritated by this book. Avon the snail wants to write, but he doesn't know how or where to start. His friend, Edward the ant, gives him some sometimes helpful advice, while the two have delightful exchanges filled with all kinds of fun wordplay. I don't know what child would choose to read this and enjoy it as much as my adult self did. A budding writer, perhaps. Nonetheless, I appreciated it immensely and would often go to sleep giggling over their antics.

Exile by Anne Osterlund (2011) --- I read Aurelia in 2010 (published 2008) and waited two years for the sequel. Only to find out it's a trilogy. This would normally frustrate me, but Osterlund's writing is so lovely, I don't mind the wait. I could have easily read this book in one sitting, but I stretched it out over four days just so I could savor it. Aurelia has just survived an attempt on her life, and she's promptly set off to tour her future kingdom, to get to know the people and the land. The politics are crazy, and her life is still in peril, but she has Robert at her side to keep her safe and calm. This book is all about her journey across the land, so it's not exactly action-packed, which is fine, so long as the third book wraps this story up nicely. 

Have a Hot Time, Hades! by Kate McMullan (2011) --- The Myth-O-Mania series was originally published in 2002, but they got cover re-designs last summer and are now much more attractive, which is, of course, why I bought them for my school library. That and the fact that my students are into Greek mythology. They are eating this series up - there's never a copy on the shelf. So, I thought I should read one to see what it is that the kids are reading. It took me two months to finish this book, when I know students are reading them in less than a week, but I just couldn't get into it. The language is very contemporary even though this is somewhat of a retelling. This is why the kids like it - they're easy to read, funny, and make Greek gods accessible to students who aren't strong enough readers forthe Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. 

Big City Otto by Bill Slavin (2011) --- I don't know how I feel about this graphic novel. Otto is such a sad, sad elephant. He misses his best friend Georgie, who's been chimp-napped. There is a little bit of humor sprinkled in throughout the book, most notably Otto using a port-o-potty and ending up being lifted on top of a building (which although it's funny is also scary!). Otto and his parrot friend Crackers (a truly unfortunate name) go on a quest to find Georgie and run into all sorts of trouble, even getting involved in a candy store robbery. Gosh, what is wrong with this book?! Personally, it was appalling to me, but I know students who will pick it up and love it because it doesn't simplify the world for them, and it tells it like it is. If it wasn't for the conversation Otto had with the gators who mistreated him and tricked him into doing illegal things, I may have sent this book back to Follett. In a way, it's like street lit for kids, and I think they'll appreciate it. I think.

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
published October 2011 by Random House
467 pages (hardcover), YA

I have to give you what's written on the inside flap because it's most of the reason why I read this book. I know it's long, but it's a whole lot more concise than any summary I'd write!

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune, and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal disease that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

C'mon, how do you not rush to the library to get your hands on this book after a description like that? Nora Dearly is my favorite kind of female character - stubborn, feisty, and smart. When she's kidnapped by undead soldiers, she assesses the situation and makes the best of it. Sure, it takes her a moment or two to come to grips with her strange new reality, but she's practical and chooses to ask questions instead of cower in fear. I wish more of the book were told in her perspective, but in fact, it alternates between quite a few characters.

I also loved the setting in this book and actually wanted more backstory and description. I kept checking the covers for a map or something, but no such luck. New Victoria in 2195 is an interesting concept, and I love the world Habel has created there. It's wonderful steampunk - a blend of the old and the new. The society has modeled itself after a more genteel time period, the Victorian Era, but one that they ultimately never could have known in great detail because of the many hundreds of years separating them. So, they try to behave in ways they imagine that the Victorians did, but who are they kidding? There are Punks and free-thinkers and people who do not appreciate the classist society they've created. Not to mention the walking dead.

Anyhow, I liked this book. I wanted to love it, but the alternating perspectives were irksome. The dialogue was also odd to me - sometimes it would be very contemporary and others very Victorian. I understand why, but it was still a little jarring to read. But because I like the story and the setting, I will definitely be reading more from the Gone With the Respiration series.

December Reading Recap + Challenges

I am constantly amazed by how quickly the time goes by. And I know I state that fact often. Somehow, I only managed to read two novels in December. Two, really? That's a sad, sad tale. Especially since I have plenty checked out of my various libraries. But you know, they were two truly fantastic books.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins --- I could not put this book down! I started it before bed and didn't stop until the wee hours of the morning. Ms. Perkins truly has a talent for nailing those teenage romances. Lola is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, but he's a few years older and not always pleased about having Sunday brunch with her dads (yes, I said dads). When Cricket, Lola's first love, moves back into the house next door, Lola is inexplicably drawn to the boy who broke her heart. Who's it going to be? The hot, older bad boy boyfriend or the always-on-her-mind former flame? Delicious, I say! A wonderfully sweet book read over Winter Break.

Divergent by Veronica Roth (review) --- Oh, what a pretty little dystopia. Why did I wait so long to read this book? Like Lola, I read this book in one sitting. That's become my preferred method of reading lately. I don't like to slug through books. I like to gobble them up. And this one, my friends, was rather tasty. I can't wait for the next book, Insurgent, to come out in May so that I can see if Amity really is my favorite faction. Dauntless is definitely not for me...





Looking back... 2011 Challenges
I may have started the year out strong, but as soon as summer ended and work began, I fell into a crazy hectic schedule with very little time for reading. So it's no surprise that I failed nearly all of my challenges. If you're curious, you can head on over to my 2011 Challenges page to check out my stats.


Looking forward... 2012 Challenges & Reading Goals
I'm not going to be overly ambitious in 2012. Because I know that this year will be filled with life changes (good ones, I hope!) that will take up a lot of my would-be reading time. But I have set a few more realistic challenges for myself...

Last year was my first year participating in the Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren, and I failed pretty miserably. The goal is to simply read 12 YA/MG books by debut authors. Me? I read 3. So, to redeem myself and to read more from new authors (because I tend to rely on old favorites), I'm joining the 2012 Debut Author Challenge with the goal that I'll read at least 6 books from debut authors. Twice as many as last year, but still half as many as everyone else.

2012 Reading Challenge

Natalie has read 0 books toward her goal of 150 books.

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Since I use Goodreads for my reading activities, I also joined their reading challenge and set a goal of 150 books to read in 2012. Goodreads tells me that I read 140 books in 2011 (though I know I read more than that, counting picture books), so 10 more should be no problem.

Finally, I hope to read a couple more books from my Lifelong Reading List, starting with Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, since the movie comes out this month. I also need to add quite a few books to that list...







So, those are my meager goals for this year, I think.

2012, I don't know you very well, but I hope I'll like you and all the new books you bring me!

Book Blogger Holiday Swap

Sarah from YA Librarian Tales was my Secret Santa for the Book Blogger Holiday Swap this year, and she was fabulous. I got the package in the mail yesterday while expecting guests and squealed in delight when I saw the box wedged in between my doors. Here's the before picture - isn't it nice that she wrapped each gift? I totally didn't think of that for mine...

And after! She got me two of my favorite books that I did not own:

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

And some cute tech speak magnets and a Mockingjay bookmark. Woo! :) 

THANK YOU, SARAH! 

November Reading Recap

Oh, November, I'm so happy to see you go! But now December is here, and I get to wondering where in the world my year went. Is this really the last of 2011? How is that possible? I see all of those 2011 Challenges on my sidebar that I haven't updated in months, and I'm feeling like a bad blogger. Yes, my reading has suffered this year, but the rest of my life has been great, so I'll take that trade. Here's what I read in November:

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke --- A science fiction graphic novel with a girl protagonist? Woohoo! Zita and her best friend are outside one day when they discover this giant crater. Inside it is what looks like a remote control with just one big red button. Well, what are big red buttons for if not pushing, so Zita does just that and her friend, poof!, disappears. Zita goes after him and finds herself on another planet, galaxy even with all sorts of aliens and creatures. She slowly befriends a couple and begins her quest to find her friend. An absorbing read with illustrations that remind me a lot of Amulet - will definitely appeal to that crowd.

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones --- I've read a Sones book every month for the past three months, and that makes me happy. That also means that she's going to have to start pumping out books a whole lot more frequently if this trend is to continue. Just saying. Ah, I don't think I've read this particular one before, and I, of course, enjoyed it almost as much as my favorite, What My Mother Doesn't Know. It picks up where Mother leaves off but is written mostly in Robin's voice (Sophie's new boyfriend) instead. I just love Sones' poetic prose!

Lost & Found by Shaun Tan --- This is a collection of Shaun Tan's early works; you know, before he became famous for the inventive and gorgeous sepia-toned wordless graphic novel The Arrival. The three stories in this book are admittedly odd and rather dark (I wouldn't buy it for my elementary school, that's for sure), but have a bit of hope and charm reflective of Tan's style. A quick read with few words and lots of quirkiness.

Mudkin by Stephen Gammell --- My review from Goodreads: The negative reviews of this book make me laugh - a book with few words? How dare he! (Pardon the sarcasm.) I generously appreciated this whimsical story of a girl playing outside after the rain on a muddy day. Her conversations with Mudkin were inspired - do we really need to know what he says? No; we can INFER! Inference is such a tricky skill to teach, but this book practically does it itself without needing much teacher direction. Love it. Will recommend to teachers, for sure.

Cloaked by Alex Flinn (review) --- I liked Beastly best (and I haven't even seen the movie yet), then Cloaked, and finally A Kiss in Time, when comparing the fractured fairy tales I've read by Flinn. Cloaked had a lot of unexpected twists and turns that I sometimes appreciated (other times I was just like, huh?), and I did enjoy the little love story too. As long as Flinn keeps writing these retold fairy tales, I'll keep reading them!

Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers by Steven Layne --- A must-read for anyone who works with children and young adults. Steven Layne is an educator and public speaker, so I was wary that he wouldn't address the librarian side of things, but I was pleasantly surprised to find how warmly and intelligently he speaks of librarians and what we do. He starts the book with a rationale for reading aloud (at all grade levels) and focuses each chapter on different ways to get students excited about reading. I found that I was already doing quite a few things right (I'd hope so!), but I also learned new strategies and tricks that I immediately implemented in my own practice. Simple things like a special bookshelf or display area of my favorite books, a sign or bookstand with what I'm currently reading, book talks, book passes, and much more. I'd be happy to lend it to anyone if you can't get ahold of a copy!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
published May 2011 by HarperCollins
496 pages (hardcover), YA

Dystopian Chicago. Need I say more?

That's all I needed. Perhaps you require a little extra.

Beatrice is at that delicate, life-changing age, 16, when she needs to decide what to make of herself. Which of the five factions of the city (Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, Erudite) will she choose to dedicate her life to? She was brought up in Abnegation, with her selfless parents and brother, but she's never quite fit in. She's curious, asks too many questions, and doesn't always think of others before herself. So, at her choosing ceremony, Beatrice gives up her family ties and joins the daredevil Dauntless. But to prove herself to this new faction, Beatrice, now Tris, has to go through a series of trials that will truly test her strength, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Plus she has a BIG secret to hide. And a budding love interest with one of her trainers. And the possibility that she will die before she proves herself as a member of Dauntless. Woo!

I can't hide how much I loved this book. Picture this - a Thursday after school. No errands to run. No lesson plans to write. No new shows on the television. Time! Time to read! Curled up on the couch with my very own copy of Divergent (which I've had since the summer; yes, shame on me). I start reading and can't stop. A tweet, quick dinner, and six hours later, the book is finished, and I'm thoroughly sated. Time for bed! That, my friends, is what I call a luxurious evening at home. I haven't had one in a long while and was so happy to share it with this wonderful book.

Lots of people have compared Divergent to The Hunger Games, and okay, I guess I see that. They're both dystopias. They're both rather violent. But the world in Divergent appeals to me much more. Maybe because it's set in Chicago. Maybe more because although it's a dystopia, there's SO MUCH HOPE. I don't know how Veronica Roth made me feel so hopeful, especially in the depths of Dauntless (which is definitely not the faction I would choose :shudder:), but she did. Tris is one strong female, and I believe she can change the whole system. The factions were originally created to play on the good, to have people specialize in these ideal character traits so that they could rid society of all the bad. But over the years it has turned into a competition instead of collaboration, and what used to be good about each faction is now lost in the struggle to remain relevant and most of all, powerful. It's all so complex and political, and I love it.

I'm really late to the conversation about this book (hey, I was in Italy! and then work took over my life...), but if you honestly haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? Easily one of the best books of the year. School Library Journal says so too.

Four purple crayons for a new dystopian trilogy that I can't wait to keep reading! Insurgent comes out in May 2012!

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Cloaked by Alex Flinn
published 2011 by HarperCollins
341 pages (hardcover), MG/YA

Okay, the front flap is too good not to share:

I'm not your average hero. I actually wasn't your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all.

It all started with a curse. And a frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

There wasn't a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I've ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Everglades.

Don't believe me? I didn't believe it either. But you'll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got cloaked.

Oh, Johnny. You poor boy. Literally. Johnny's a cobbler (not the yummy kind, though I imagine he might be ruggedly handsome) and a hard, hard-worker. He repairs shoes day and night so that he and his mom can afford to live. One day, Princess Victoriana shows up at Johnny's hotel and his ogling turned accidental meeting changes his life. Victoriana is gorgeous, obviously, and flashy in the spotlight, giving the paparazzi exactly what they want, but she is devastated on the inside. Her brother has been kidnapped and she needs a trustworthy someone to find him. Someone like Johnny. Did I mention that her brother's been turned into a frog? Right. But if Johnny finds him, this frog prince, Victoriana will marry Johnny - not a bad proposition for a boy who has no wealth or any chance at finding love with someone so beautiful. Yes! Of course he'll help! With a magic cloak that can transport him anywhere, Johnny begins his quest to find Victoriana's brother.

This is a fairy tale retelling of sorts, though it doesn't follow one story but rather seven different ones, which are briefly summarized at the end of the book. This is something I wanted to know beforehand, and I should have checked the back to find it. So, I thought I'd list them for you, just so you know:

• The Elves and the Shoemaker
• The Frog Prince
• The Six Swans
• The Golden Bird
• The Valiant Tailor
• The Salad
• The Fisherman and His Wife

That's quite a collection of tales! But Flinn weaves them all together so wonderfully. It's an insane adventure that Johnny has, but it works. I liked the story, and I alternated between reading the book and the e-book (which I've never done before!) so that I could finish it. I was a little disappointed in some parts of the writing - the love story was a little too predictable and could have been left a little more elusive. But overall, I enjoyed the story and look forward to more fairy tale retellings from Alex Flinn. A solid three purple crayons.