I'm enjoying the alternating chapters with different perspectives and voices. I was never interested in this one, but I have to admit I was wrong. This is very cute.
Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1909935/reading-progress-update-i-ve-listened-64-out-of-182-minutes
Review:
Audience: Adult
Format: Physical/Owned
I love Thursday nights.
- first sentence
Such an ordinary opening line for an extraordinary story. Jason (a college professor), his wife (Daniela), and their teenage son Charlie spend Thursday nights together, making dinner, eating, and talking. Until the Thursday when Jason goes to meet his friend at a bar and is abducted on the way home. He wakes up in a world he doesn't know. He is confused and wondering which world is real and which is the dream/crazy place he made up in his brain. The truth is even crazier and trying to wrap my mind about it almost broke my brain.
I was fascinated by the story and trying to figure out how Crouch was going to resolve the main problem of getting Jason back to his wife. Every time Jason stepped out of the box, I was thinking, "no - go back in, it isn't safe!" But he kept going out into worlds that obviously weren't his. I especially loved that Crouch didn't shy away from the last problem that kept Jason from being happy - I didn't even think about it until it happened, but then it made perfect sense.
Another highly recommended Crouch novel!
I read this for Booklikes-opoly Beach Week 10 (author's last name begins with one of the letters in BEACH). At 342 pages, it is worth $3.00.
Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1906886/dark-matter-by-blake-crouch
Review:
Audience: Middle Grade
Format: Audiobook/Library Copy
A gust of wind cut across Marcel's face as he cycled furiously down the street.
- first sentence
Marcel lives in German-occupied France in 1942. He is obsessed with cycling and with the Tour de France (which has been canceled for the past two years). But he soon discovers two secrets that make the race seem unimportant. First, his parents are part of the revolution and second, his friend Delphine is actually Jewish. Riding his bike, Marcel carries messages for the resistance hidden in the bread his parents bake. When he discovers Delphine and her family are in danger, he will risk his life to save them.
This is an imaginative historical adventure. Marcel uses his cycling to help him get through his fear and both Marcel and Delphine are authentic and likable characters. The story is enriched by the historical background and details of the story.
Overall, this is a well-written, sensitive read that children in grades 4-8 will enjoy. It encourages children to stand up for others and for what they believe in. It would make an excellent addition to a World War II curriculum.
Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1906615/the-bicycle-spy-audiobook
OMG! Every time I think I finally wrapped my mind around this story, Crouch adds something else to mess with my mind.
Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1901962/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-254-out-of-352-pages
Review:
Audience: Middle Grade
Format: Audiobook/Library
I'm working on making a world.
- first sentence
Nicki has been living in a foster center since her grandmother died. One day, the FBI suddenly shows up to ask for her help. They want her for a new program in witness protection called Project Family. The idea is to add a child to the family in WITSEC to make them harder to find. Nicki is to become Charlotte Trevor, part of a family that includes a father, mother, and younger brother. The mother testified against the members of her family who just so happen to be part of the Italian mob. Charlotte (Nicki) and the rest of the Trevor family need to play their roles perfectly so that the Cercatore family doesn't find them.
I listened to the audio version which I borrowed from my public library and the narrator did a fantastic job. She sounded exactly like a snarky teenage girl. Nicki (Charlotte) struggles with kleptomania and when she gets scared, she tends to steal things (her hands are very fast). Nicki is a clever, strong girl who knows how to take care of herself, but during the course of the book, she realizes how much she needs people to confide in. I knew the bad guys would eventually find them, and I had an idea of how Charlotte would stop them, but some of the details were a bit unexpected.
I think kids will enjoy this story and relate to the way the characters feel like they don't fit in. The Trevor family faces homework issues, bullying, sibling squabbles, and other typical situations that kids will understand. The story is engaging and Nicki (Charlotte) makes a great kid hero.
This book is nominated for a Sunshine State award for grades 6-8. I am trying to read as many as I can again this year.
Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1899533/greetings-from-witness-protection-audiobook
