Everwild by Neal Shusterman - Audiobook

Review:

If you haven't read Everlost, then you probably shouldn't read this review. But more importantly, don't read the synopsis of this book (Everwild) on Amazon as it gives away an important plot point that the book doesn't reveal until at least the 65% mark.

 

Everlost is populated by children who died and didn't find their way to the light. They are basically ghosts, who can't be seen or interact with the living world (with one interesting exception). Places (dead spots) and things also cross to Everlost, but only those that are truly loved by someone. The children in Everlost are called Afterlights, because they have a glow about them. Afterlights will sink to the center of the earth if they stand in one place for too long, unless they are on a dead spot. In the first book, we learn that large dead spots are rare, but can be found in places that were considered important to a lot of people, such as the Twin Towers in NYC. In Everwild, Allie, Nick, Mary, and Mikey continue their journeys, although their paths have changed. Some secrets have already been discovered about Everlost, but still more questions remain unanswered.

 

Shusterman is a magnificient writer and I love losing myself in his worlds. There is no black or white, no flat good and evil. The "good" characters make mistakes or wrong choices, and the "evil" characters have motives that might have started out as good. There is a constant struggle within each character to understand their own feelings and deal with all the crazinees Everlost throws at them. Over the course of this novel, all of the characters (even the secondary ones) develop, grow, and change. There is an overarching theme of "how do we stop the evil trying to destroy the world" and yet each character has their own feelings, hopes, and dreams to deal with.

 

The instant I finished listening to this book, I began the next (and final) book in the series. This shouldn't be a surprise considering my similar reaction to the first Shusterman series I read (Unwind).

 

I'm recommending this book to grades 7 and up. Some of the actions of the characters are a bit callous in their disregard for the living world, but there are also beautiful parts that stuck with me. Fans of the Delirium or Divergent series will enjoy this one.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1653644/everwild-by-neal-shusterman-audiobook

The Man in the Iron Mask

Review:

 

 

Wow. This book is nothing like the movie, at least the one I watched with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeremy Irons. The end was so tragic and the actual prisoner in the iron mask was such a small part of the story. Seems to me it was the complete opposite in the movie. Huh. Go figure.

 

I'm glad I finally read this.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1651122/the-man-in-the-iron-mask

Kill Your Darlings - Red Team Suspect

 

 

 

Playing this card for the known suspect Arthur Conan Doyle (author's first name begins with C).

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1651005/kill-your-darlings-red-team-suspect

Moving Target

Review:

There should have been some sort of warning.

- First Sentence

 

"Everything is part of the same painting," as my dad liked to say. "But we are each the artist of our own life. We choose what colors to use."

- Chapter 1

 

 

Cassie is an eighth grader living with her father in Rome, having an ordinary, boring life (except for the fact that she is an American girl living in Rome). One day, Cassie's father comes to school and yanks her into the car, speeding through the city, blabbering about how much he loves her, how he is going to fix things, and how he should have told her when she was younger. He finally tells Cassie that the Hastati are after her. Cassie has no idea what that means and she thinks he might be crazy, but then a motorcycle pulls up and the rider starts shooting at them. When her dad gets shot, Cassie takes him to the hospital, but he insists she must run to find Brother Gregorio for help. Cassie is terrified and runs to the only place she thinks might be safe, her friend Simone's house. But when the danger follows her even there, Cassie and Simone must find Brother Gregorio and find out what all of this means.

 

 In her dad's notebook, Cassie finds this message:

The Guardian will be bound for life once the spearhead is used.

It turns out the Hastati are a two thousand year old organization entrusted with one important duty - protect the spear (The Spear of Destiny). The spear can shape destiny, but only certain people can use the power - and Cassie is the last of that bloodline.

I was just an average girl. Things like this were not supposed to happen to people like me. The palette of my life's painting was gray or maybe a boring variety of beige, not psychedelic neon.

 

Well, this book starts off running and doesn't slow down. Cassie is constantly trying to figure out who to trust and how to keep Simone and herself safe. They are racing to find the spear, but they aren't the only ones. They must figure out baffling clues at every turn and stay ahead of the two factions fighting each other for control of the spear.

 

This is an edge of your seat adventure that will keep readers guessing until the end. I highly recommend it to kids in grades 4-8 who enjoy mysterious adventure stories with strong female heroines.

 

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1651003/moving-target

Quest to the Uncharted Lands

Review:

When the Iron Glory's engines rumbled to life for its journey to the uncharted lands, it marked a new future for the world of Solace.

- First Sentence

 

This book is a fantastic companion to The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson. It isn't a sequel, it takes place in the same world with different characters. 

 

Stella Glass is the daughter of two scientists who are traveling on the Iron Glory to explore the uncharted lands of Solace. No one has ever explored this far west beyond the mountains. The Dragonfly Territories and Merrow Kingdom have finally reached an uneasy peace. They worked together on this ship and representatives from both countries are onboard. 

 

Stella is not permitted to go, but she has planned for months to stow away because she is terrified her parents won't come back. On the first night, Stella finds out she isn't the only stowaway. No children are allowed on the ship, but she sees a boy outside the engine room with his hands on the wall. His hands begin to glow, and then his eyes. Stella isn't sure who he is or what he is up to, but when he passes out, she drags him to her hiding place in the cargo hold. Someone doesn't want this voyage to succeed, but who and how can they be stopped?

 

So, in The Mark of the Dragonfly, we met Piper (a girl who connects to machines in an almost magical way), and Gee (a boy who can transform into a dragon). This book continues in the same fantasy steampunk world and the story is in the same heroic adventure vein. Again, I highly recommend it to students in grades 4 -8. It is just as good as the first.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1650985/quest-to-the-uncharted-lands

The War that Saved my Life

Review:

 

In the end it was the combination of the two, the end of my little war against Jamie, and the start of the big war, Hitler's war, that set me free.

- Chapter 1

 

She was not a nice person, but she cleaned up the floor. She was not a nice person, but she bandaged my foot in a white piece of cloth, and gave us two of her own shirts to wear. Miss Smith was not a nice person, but the bed she put us in was soft and clean, with smooth thin blankets and warm thicker ones.

- Chapter 7

 

Huh, I thought. Imagine dressing up tables. Imagine wasting cloth to dress up tables.

- Chapeter 18

 

I wanted Mam to be like Susan. I didn't really trust Susan not to be like Mam.

- Chapter 26

 

Ada was born with a club foot, and because of this, her mom doesn't let her leave the house. But that isn't the worst of it. Ada's mom (Mam) punishes her by putting her in a kitchen cabinet -- sometimes overnight. Mam calls Ada rubbish and tells her no one wants her with her ugly foot. Ada "escapes" this abuse by going somewhere else in her head. 

 

When Ada finds out her younger brother Jamie is to be evacuated with the other kids from his school, she is determined to go with them. The journey takes them to a small village where families have agreed to take in the evacuated children. Ada and Jamie end up living with Susan Smith, an old, grumpy spinster who doesn't really want them.

 

Ada is a heart-wrenching character. She has been taking care of her brother all his life, but no one takes care of her. She has suffered unimaginable abuse from the woman who should love her the most. She doesn't know how to accept love and kindness, and she doesn't even think she deserves it. Her mother has told her that her foot is messed up because Ada did something wrong.

 

Susan has her own issues. She recently lost her best friend and suffers from severe depression. Having Ada and Jamie around gives her something else to think about and an important responsibility - a reason to get up every day and engage with others.

 

Wow. This book is powerful. It is set in England during World War II. I loved watching Ada's development and bonding with Susan and others in the village. Despite everything Ada has been through (or maybe because of it), she is stubborn and courageous. She is also slow to trust and filled with self-doubt. The last chapter had me in tears.

 

I recommend this book to kids in grades 4-8 and their adults. I think it will touch their hearts in a major way.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1650559/the-war-that-saved-my-life

Kill Your Darlings - Red Team Round 6 guess

 

 

 

 

 

Using this book because it is historical fiction. (review to follow)

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1650549/kill-your-darlings-red-team-round-6-guess

Everlost by Neal Shusterman - review

Review:

 

Nick & Allie were in a fatal car accident and ended up caught in Everlost, a sort of limbo for kids who don't make it where they are going when they die. Everlost is a magical place for things and places that no longer survive in the living world (ex. the Twin Towers). But Everlost is also full of dangers (if the kids stay in one place for too long, they sink to the center of the earth), and monsters (the Magill, the Haunter). When Nick and Allie make it to the Twin Towers, they find Mary, who calls herself the queen of lost children. But while Nick feels at home with Mary, Allie suspects Mary is hiding something.

 

This is a fun young adult story with plenty of excitement and danger. The narrator did an excellent job and didn't distract from the story at all. This is an interesting look at what could happen to souls whose journey is interrupted. Many of the kids have been around for hundreds of years, including Mary, who has written books on how to survive in Everlost. The kids all cross over in whatever they were wearing, which makes for some interesting wardrobes and nicknames for those who may have died on Halloween or during a day at the beach (think Speedo). Nick even dies with chocolate on his face. However, if the kids don't think about things, they tend to forget them, such as their name and their physical appearance.

 

Bottom line: This is an engrossing start to the trilogy, that I will be happily continuing. The world building is remarkable and the ending suggests more peril and exploits for the characters that survive. Recommended to grades 6 & up. No serious violence and no sex, only cute crushes. Most of the kids we meet are under 16.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1649499/everlost-by-neal-shusterman-review

Kill Your Darlings - Red Team Round 4 guess

 

 

 

I'm guessing Meg Murry for round 4, review to follow.  

Genre: young adult

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1649486/kill-your-darlings-red-team-round-4-guess

Kill Your Darlings - Red Team

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1648610/kill-your-darlings-red-team

Omega City

Review:

 

Some secrets are small -- the size of a battery, or a button, or a scrap of paper. Other secrets are so big they can bury a man alive, or tear apart a family ... or even destroy the world. Omega City was both.

 

Gillian's dad is a historian who specializes in Cold War conspiracies and wrote a book about Aloysius Underberg, a brilliant Cold War engineer. But Dr. Underberg is missing and Gillian's dad has been discredited. When Gillian is faced with an opportunity to solve Underberg's greatest mystery and prove her dad right, she can't resist. She enlists the help of her brother Eric, best friend Savannah, a NASA obsessed boy from school (Howard), and Howard's brother Nate. Others are searching for Underberg's secrets too, and they will stop at nothing to get them first.

 

This is an adventurous mystery with a strong female protagonist. Gillian's team faces life-threatening situations, including nerve gas in an elevator, goons with guns, and scuba diving in unknown waters. I think middle-grade readers will enjoy this thrilling adventure. (for fans of Luck Uglies or City of Ember). Grades 5-8

 

I am using this book to play a guess for Red Game victim: Lydia Bennet

 

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1648603/omega-city

Kill Your Darling: Clue or Red Herring?

Reblogged from: Moonlight Reader

RED GAME ONLY

 

The image of the front and back of a business card found tucked into the door frame of Mrs. Oliver's flat by Hercule Poirot's very efficient secretary, Miss Lemon, when she arrived there for a prearranged tea party on Monday afternoon.

 

 

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1648569/kill-your-darling-clue-or-red-herring