Rafe, as always, a lovable troublemaker...

Review:

Five ROTTEN questions you'll find the answers to inside this book...
1. What's my super-secret mission that's sure to land me in hot water?
2. Is my sister, Georgia, as annoying as ever? (I'll answer this now: YES!)
3. What's Miller the Killer REALLY afraid of?
4. Who ends up being my first kiss? Is she temporarily insane?
And the most unanswerable question of all:
5. Why can't I ever stay out of trouble?

Rafe Khatchadorian is back in this 7th book in the Middle School series and he is up to his old tricks again - sort of. If you read any of the books in this series and liked it, you will like this one. This is a great series for reluctant readers (especially boys). There are cartoonish drawings throughout the books and they move at a fast pace.

The main character, Rafe, talks to the reader as if he is a friend. And Rafe is a good friend. He is still convinced he is a loser and is still terrified of Miller the Killer. But, can things actually go right for Rafe just this once? Well, you will have to read to find out.

My 11-year old son loves this series. He likes Rafe and the book made him laugh out loud several times. The story is highly relatable and the characters are fun. Watching Rafe deal with Middle School and all it's challenges is very entertaining (even for me).

I've read all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and while they are humorous, I don't like the main character, Greg Heffley. He is not a good friend and is very self-centered. I don't mind reading the books with my son, but I often point out the things Greg does that are not nice. Rafe, on the other hand, is a genuinely nice kid. He does have issues and doesn't always do the right thing (which is totally relatable for all of us), but his heart is in the right place. He knows when he has not made the best choice and he feels guilty for it and tries to atone.

Recommended to:
Highly recommended to boys in grades 4-8, especially reluctant readers and lovers of humorous realistic fiction (in this case, school stories).

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1278459/rafe-as-always-a-lovable-troublemaker

Sort of like X-Men, but not really...

Review:

Attacks are sweeping across America.

Alec and Laura are at the center of the violence, while in a small town out west, Jack and Aubrey feel sheltered from the turmoil.

But these four teens are about to find their lives intertwined in ways they never could have imagined -- and one wrong step could trigger an explosion that ends it all.

So, how to describe this book... hmmm.... I'm having trouble. I really enjoyed Variant, by Robison Wells, so I was excited to read this book. And I enjoyed it, but there are a lot of unanswered questions and unexplained motives. I'm assuming there will be at least one sequel and that may be why. In some ways, I don't think enough was explained to keep me interested in the next one. Then again, I really want to know what, "For your mother and mine." means. The phrase is spoken by the teenage terrorists with powers (in the first chapter, so no spoilers here).

Not a bad book, and teens who enjoy dystopian novels will most likely enjoy it.

Recommended to:
Grades 6-12, fans of YA dystopian novels, maybe fans of X-men as the teens have "mutant" powers which may or may not have been caused by a virus....

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1277902/sort-of-like-x-men-but-not-really

Growing up during the zombie apocalypse

Review:

I think God took all the good people away. If there is a God. I'm not so sure anymore. Wait, will I go to hell for thinking that way?
-- Decay of Innocence

When the Dead walk the Earth, the REAL demons emerge...
-- Death of Innocence

First, I need to point out that these books were originally published as 6 separate graphic novels, Kellie's Diary #1-6. Then they were published as two compilations. Kellie's Diary - Decay of Innocence (Kellie's Diary #1-3) and Kellie's Diary - Death of Innocence (Kellie's Diary #4-6). I was confused about this and ended up buying Kellie's Diary #2 after reading Decay of Innocence. When I started reading, I was like, wait I already read this.. I eventually figured it out. Looking back, I don't know what confused me so much.

Decay of Innocence starts off in January of 1993. At the start of the book, Kellie is 9-years old and she is living a fairly normal life. Gradually, we hear that more and more people are getting sick. By Chapter 5, we realize that something is terribly wrong. Kellie is stuck by herself at school and trying to escape the zombies.

Kellie is very smart and resourceful, even though she doesn't seem to know anything about zombies. Her first goal is to get to her house. Once there, when she doesn't find her family, her goal is to get to Oregon (to where her grandfather lives). She is hoping to find someone from her family alive.

Throughout the series, Kellie is very strong and does what she needs to in order to survive. She protects those she loves and tries to protect herself as well. She meets many people along the way, some good and some bad. And it seems like the zombies are not the worst thing left in this scary world.

I enjoyed this series very much. I started reading the Decay of Innocence during the Readathon last Saturday and when I finished, I immediately bought Death of Innocence and kept going. It was hard to read about the abuse Kellie suffered. No child should be forced to deal with such evil. It was interesting to read about the zombie apocalypse from a child's point of view (a child who manages to survive on her own for quite a while).

Recommended to:
Fans of graphic novels and apocalyptic stories. This is definitely an adult book. There is a lot of graphic violence including child abuse and sexual abuse.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1275137/growing-up-during-the-zombie-apocalypse

Wait... What???

Review:

Wow. This book. It is scary, creepy and gross all at the same time. Dane is a terrifying character and what he does to people... let me just say ewww. His nickname is the Rest Stop Dentist because he takes his victim's teeth and leaves them in a trail leading to the body. Dane has been executed by the state of Arkansas, but that doesn't stop him from taking his revenge.

The book is told alternately through Dane's mother Ella's eyes in the present day and in flashbacks to when Ella & Dane's father met and Dane's childhood. By doing this, Lorn allows us to see the sweet, innocent boy that Dane was.

I felt sorry for Dane and was scared of him at the same time. He wasn't born a serial killer. He suffered horrific abuse from his father growing up. It was quite difficult to read about at times (children are a soft spot for me, along with dogs). His mother (Ella) stood by and let it happen. I can't even imagine how she could allow Dane to suffer such abuse. I would never let anyone touch my children if I was around to stop them. Yet somehow Lorn made me feel sorry for Ella even as I wanted to smack her and make her realize what she was doing to her son.

This is a dark book, with graphic descriptions of violence committed by Dane, alive & dead. It is very intense and hard to put down. I loved every minute of it and I couldn't have predicted the end in a million years. After I read the end, I had to go back and read it again. I just couldn't believe what happened.

Recommended to :
Fans of horror and serial killer stories. The surprise ending with leave you with your mouth hanging open....

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1274640/wait-what

Gross, but accurate....

In fact, the air was uncomfortably warm, like sitting down on a public toilet and finding the previous user's body heat radiating up into my own butt.

-page 3

Maybe this is crazy, but I love this description. I knew exactly what the author meant and this made me laugh. That is an awful feeling and I'm sure anyone who has experienced it will agree. But I have never seen it in writing before.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1270002/gross-but-accurate

It's a matter of trust...

Review:

Last month, Gordon Korman came to visit our school. He spoke to the students in grades 3 through 8. It was a great experience. He even had writing sessions, where he taught the kids how to come up with their own stories. I only read one of his books, so I decided to read a few more.

As usual, I didn't read the synopsis of this book before I started. I like going into books without knowing what direction they will take. So, I was surprised when the accident happened and by the direction the book took afterwards.

This is one of those books where, everything that can go wrong does. The three boys face quite a few obstacles during their journey. I enjoyed following their journey and rooting for them to succeed. The boys each have their own unique personality and together they make quite a team.

This is a satisfying book about the opportunity for redemption and how important it is not to give up.

Recommended to:
Readers who enjoy realistic stories about second chances. Good for grades 4-8.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1267922/it-s-a-matter-of-trust

Read the book or Watch the movie??

Review:

They say no plan survives first contact with implementation. I'd have to agree.
-- Mark Watney, Chapter 5

I'm such a dumb-ass for not thinking of it! And my dumb-assery almost got me killed.
-- Mark Watney, Chapter 5

Ok, so I've had this book on my Kindle for months and months. I've seen several reviews and I was looking forward to reading it, but I kept getting caught up in book club reading or series finishing... Anyway, when I saw that the movie was coming out this month, I knew I needed to read the book now. The movie previews looked great and I didn't want to hear too much about the book, or miss seeing the movie. So, I read the book quick and then saw the movie.

The book is amazing. Mark Watney is a such a likable character. He never gives up, no matter what Mars throws at him. He uses bravery, humor and ingenuity to attempt to survive in a nearly impossible situation. At times, the book gets too much into the science of things and I had to zone out a bit. But, it never kept me from reading because I really wanted to see what Mark would do next. And by the way, kudos to Andy Weir for putting so much effort into making this book so realistic and finding out the science and figuring out possible solutions to all Mark's problems.

The movie is intense. Matt Damon did a fabulous job. We laughed when he laughed and cried when he did. He played the character so well, I can't imagine anyone else as Mark. Rooting for him on Mars was the most fun I had at a movie in quite a while. As always in movies, many details from the book were left out. Some of the scenes they left out were very important to me in the book and I did miss them. But, I did not miss the overwhelming amount of scientific information. In this case (and I haven't said this more than once or twice in my life), the movie may be a bit better than the book for some people. It moves faster and you still get the feel of the overall adventure. If someone other than Matt Damon was playing Mark Watney, maybe the effect wouldn't have been the same. I felt like Mark was talking to me when he was recording his journals and between that and the scenes with NASA, I didn't feel like the movie was about one man alone (like Castaway).

So, if you don't mind an abundance of scientific jargon, then read the book first. But still see the movie. And, if it sounds to you like the excess science would make the book drag too much, then just see the movie. You will not regret it.

Recommended to:
Adults who enjoy intense survival stories with realistic science behind them.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1266925/read-the-book-or-watch-the-movie

Wow....

Ok, according to our book club schedule, I am a little ahead. But I couldn't fall asleep last night until almost 3 am and I needed to do something. I am not going to post my review yet though and will avoid spoilers.

I do need to say that I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would at first. And last night, at 2 something in the a.m., I found myself crying quite unexpectedly. I knew there would be death and destruction (no spoiler here), I just didn't know there would be tears (mine I mean).

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1265519/wow

"Survival is Insufficient"

Review:

If hell is other people, what is a world with almost no people in it?
--Chapter 4

Kirsten found herself wondering, as she always did when she saw children, if it was better or worse to have never know any world except the one after the Georgia Flu.
--Chapter 4

What I mean to say is, the more you remember, the more you've lost.
--Chapter 37

How does the world as we know it end? Well, in Station Eleven, it ends, not with a bang or a bomb, not with zombies or aliens; it ends with the Georgia Flu. Those exposed to it die within days. Anyone lucky enough to avoid exposure, lives. And just like that, the Earth's population is decimated. The remaining people learn to live without electricity, running water, telephones, tv, not to mention social media.

The story is told through the eyes of several characters, and flashes between the time before the Flu struck, to days during the pandemic, to 5, 10 & 20 years after the collapse. It doesn't follow a direct narrative, rather it jumps back and forth between time periods. The story focuses on a few main characters, a famous actor, several of his wives, his best friend, a man who tried to save his life, and members of the Traveling Symphony. The Traveling Symphony is a group of performers who got together some time after the collapse. They travel around to different towns and perform Shakespeare plays and give orchestral performances. On the lead caravan is printed: Because survival is insufficient. That line was taken from Star Trek: Voyager, episode 122 (for all you Trekkies out there).

Despite the jumping around in time, I didn't find the book hard to follow. It does manage to connect together characters that you didn't think would cross each other's paths. And of course, things that happen in one time directly affect a character's actions in a later time or help explain a character's earlier actions. It's a whole six-degrees of separation thing and it is done quite well.

If you like the usual post-apocalyptic novel, then this might not be the right book for you. I liked it, but I knew going in that it wasn't going to be "action packed" per se. This novel is, in my opinion, a somewhat realistic look at what could happen if there was a worldwide pandemic that killed off over three quarters of the earth's population. I will say that I was disappointed by the ending, it was rather abrupt and kind of left us dangling. I was also disappointed by the character of the Prophet. I expected him to be more of a malicious force in the story than he ended up being. I figured out who would end up being the prophet ahead of time, but it wasn't completely obvious.

I gave this book three stars because I enjoyed reading it and it is well-written. I don't know if it quite lives up to hype surrounding it, but few things ever do. I usually prefer my post-apocalyptic stories with more action and perhaps, some zombies....

Recommended to:
Adult fans of realistic stories who would like to read about the end of the world in a more plausible way.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1262024/survival-is-insufficient

Reading progress update: I've read 200 out of 369 pages.

"Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped."

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1261001/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-200-out-of-369-pages

This made me so happy!

So, I've been reading the Secret of Rover to my 12-year old son every night before bed. It's an adventure story with quite a few edge of your seat, nail-biting moments. He is enjoying the book. But, that isn't news really.

What surprised me was the reaction of my oh-so-grown-up teenage daughter. She "hates reading" and hasn't let me read to her for several years. Well, she was in the bathroom and overheard me reading to her brother. And, she was hooked. She actually wanted to listen to the story; she wanted to see what would happen next. So much so that the three of us ended up sitting in my bed reading together. And, she begged me to continue reading even after her brother fell asleep.

I have often told her that she will enjoy reading if she just finds the right book. I am hoping that she will realize how much fun reading is and maybe at least, she will start enjoying audiobooks.

For someone who loves to read as much as I do, having a daughter who claims to hate reading borders on intolerable...

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1260244/this-made-me-so-happy

A child's perspective...

Review:

Like every grandmother, Dounia was once a little girl herself.

Tonight, she's finally ready to tell her granddaughter a secret about her childhood -- something she never even told her son.

Tonight, Dounia is ready to share her memories of Paris in 1942. Memories of wearing a Star of David, of living in fear, of the kindness of strangers.

Memories of being hidden.

-- from the book jacket

In this graphic novel, a grandmother tells her granddaughter about her experience during the holocaust. Dounia (the grandmother) was kept hidden from the Germans by various people who kept her safe. Dounia's parents were taken and she was alone, but the people who helped her did their best to make her feel secure. Dounia expresses her fear, sadness, anger and hope through the words and the images.

Because this is a graphic novel, the images are very important to the story. And the images are beautiful. The expressions on the characters faces convey strong feelings, even when there are no words. And in the end, when Dounia sees someone who survived one of the camps, the image captures what survivors looked like and we can completely understand when Dounia says she doesn't even recognize the person.

A great story with beautiful pictures that may make it easier to convey to kids what it felt like to be a jewish child during this time.

Recommended to:
Good for parents who want to help their kids understand this time in history. And for 4th through 8th graders to read on their own.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1257403/a-child-s-perspective