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shidoburrito's reviews
1535 reviews
Boxers by Gene Luen Yang
4.0
It took me until the very end of this comic to understand the title. It took my husband two seconds. World history was never my strong suit. In fact, I really dislike history and historical fiction. Congratulations Gene Yang!! You have educated me about the Boxer rebellion in a wonderfully told graphic novel!
The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini
1.0
I can't do it! I just can't. This book has no redeeming qualities at all. I picked it out because my husband brought me into the world of D&D 4 years ago, I thought this book seemed like a fun idea. I read the inside flap and I SWEAR the summary made it sound like this was a story of a teen boy who is forced to go to camp to get away from his anti-social behavior and obsession with C&C (the made-up RPG for this book). There at camp he meets others that play C&C and he learns how to make friends and stick up for himself. Cool! NO. Instead the main character, Perry, is written in such a way that I couldn't stand him. He's so cliche and awkward and terribly written I couldn't care an ounce for the kid. I can understand giving faults to a character and having them rise above it, or learn, but Perry with his bowl cut hairdo, not a friend in the world, unable to talk to girls, bullying brother, incredibly un-supportive parents, never got less annoying. Plus, what the hell is up with his obsession (and the author's obsession writing about) his single, newly-spouted pubic hair??? For the love of God, no one is so stupid as to expose themselves to a girl to show off a single pubic hair to prove he's a man. Not without mental issues, which Perry (among his thousands of pathetic traits) was not introduced to having.
Perry does make it to another world, The world of Other Normals, but it's shoddily described and put together. The characters are slightly nicer to him, but it's only because everyone on Earth seems to hate Perry's guts.
Speaking of terrible cliches, no one in this book acted like a human being. I mean, seriously, EVERYONE in Perry's life is cruel to him? EVERYONE? All the students and campers beat up on him and bully him? Both his parents are shallow and pick on their son for not being "manly" enough and also bring their lawyer significant others into ganging up on their child?
Did the author, Ned Vizzini ever even LOOK at a rule book for a tabletop RPG? It seems he mentions the only elements he thinks he knows about ("Oh, my speed must be about 7, and my HONOR is 50") and rapes the character building process as well as world building. Jesus, take about an hour of your life to learn about an RPG before making it a main plot in your book!
I'm sorry Ned, I know you're dead, and your death notice made me want to read one of your books, so I picked the one I felt I could relate to the most with RPGs. I'm sorry to say I chose poorly.
Perry does make it to another world, The world of Other Normals, but it's shoddily described and put together. The characters are slightly nicer to him, but it's only because everyone on Earth seems to hate Perry's guts.
Speaking of terrible cliches, no one in this book acted like a human being. I mean, seriously, EVERYONE in Perry's life is cruel to him? EVERYONE? All the students and campers beat up on him and bully him? Both his parents are shallow and pick on their son for not being "manly" enough and also bring their lawyer significant others into ganging up on their child?
Did the author, Ned Vizzini ever even LOOK at a rule book for a tabletop RPG? It seems he mentions the only elements he thinks he knows about ("Oh, my speed must be about 7, and my HONOR is 50") and rapes the character building process as well as world building. Jesus, take about an hour of your life to learn about an RPG before making it a main plot in your book!
I'm sorry Ned, I know you're dead, and your death notice made me want to read one of your books, so I picked the one I felt I could relate to the most with RPGs. I'm sorry to say I chose poorly.
Bad Houses by Sara Ryan
4.0
I find myself again wishing for half star ratings on Goodreads! This book would have been 3.5 but I gave it 4 because it was a good graphic novel, just not a great one for me, personally. The art in this graphic novel was great, I really love the way the artist drew her characters. But the cute, round, faces and, what looked to me to be manga-inspired (just slightly), did not prepare me for the depth of the characters or the darkness of some of their lives. It has a happy ending, but it's not a feel-good graphic novel. I really felt bad for the female protagonist, Anne, with her home life with a hoarding mother. For Anne, her room is the only place in the house she has control over and she can keep the hoarded mess out. I was deeply anguished, along with Anne, in one scene where her mother cleans up the living room for her new "boyfriend". Anne is amazed... until she steps into her room to find all of the junk from the living room was shoved into the only place left uncluttered: her bedroom. As someone who finds peace and safety in cleanliness, I felt so sad for Anne.
Anyway, this graphic novel is a slice of life comic, but of lives that are surrounded by things, objects, and knicnknacks. What makes a home, a home? Is it the people who live there, or the objects they choose to treasure that fill their house?
Anyway, this graphic novel is a slice of life comic, but of lives that are surrounded by things, objects, and knicnknacks. What makes a home, a home? Is it the people who live there, or the objects they choose to treasure that fill their house?
The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt
3.0
Another title read for the Mock Newbery election. This one definitely isn't the strongest candidate. It was cute! But that's all it had going for it. It did its best to bring all the characters and seemingly random events together in a big finale, but it felt a little forced to me and didn't build up but rather resolved itself neatly in a matter of pages. The narrator's dialogue was certainly different, and I could see this being a much more interesting audio book than a read-to-yourself book. Calling the readers "sports fans", silly exclamations of "But gosh by golly"! and a most silly way of talking, I don't know if kids would like it or be annoyed by it. I was on the edge of that predicament myself. Anyway, the writing style is great for grades 3-5, but the main character human is a ginormous, over 6 foot, strangely immature, 12 year old. It was an odd character. This whole book was odd. I dunno. *shrugs*
Zebra Forest by Adina Rishe Gewirtz
5.0
This book was so wonderful! I think anyone over the age of 10 will really enjoy it. I can't really describe what made me love it so much. The characters were all well written and each had their own quirks and fears that they worked through in this book. I loved the fact that reading and books played such a large part in all the of family, no matter what life had dealt them. I loved the imagery and the flow and the page-turning suspense. Most of all I really enjoyed the main character Annie. She responded to situations the way a normal human would. She used stories and books as entertainment for her and her brother. She was quiet when she needed to be. She loved her family and is extremely conflicted when family doesn't get along. Annie was realistic and down to earth.
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
2.0
I don't normally read around this age range, and this book was a very simple read so it is fine for grades 1+, but I thought it was kind of boring. The main character goes through his second year of school in this book, and the length of the book might be intimidating to readers under second grade, but the writing style is definitely simple enough for 1st graders. So it has that going against it. Also, as I mentioned, it was boring. This book looks pretty long and intimidating, but most of that could have been cut back and shortened. Here's what happens to Billy in a year: He knocks himself out and gets a bump, he's afraid he's not smart enough for second grade, his desk partner is a little prat, his teacher may hate him, his father needs inspiration for his art, Billy wants to stay up all night, he writes a poem about his mother. All these "plot points" are resolved within a couple pages and completely forgotten, but somehow takes up 240 pages. It's as if each chapter was meant to be a separate, beginning chapter book, but Henkes decided to throw them all together to make a whole book.
Anyway, I read this for our Mock Newbery, and it is certainly not getting a vote from me.
Anyway, I read this for our Mock Newbery, and it is certainly not getting a vote from me.
The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman
3.0
After hearing such good things about this book, and the likening of it to Stephen King, I must say I was a bit disappointed. Maybe it was because I read a couple graphic novels between this book, and also read a new, all-time favorite novel that made me read ravenously. This book I picked up, put down, read bits during lunch breaks, and didn't get truly involved until the last 70 pages. It certainly is a dark, violent book. Definitely for older teens. It is a bit slow, but it's taking its time building its creepy-factor and making sure you're entirely seeped in the darkness of the book before it delivers its climactic blow.