Synopsis: A retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. Review: I suppose it’s because of all the babysitting I’ve done, but I just couldn’t shake the image of Belle in her big yellow dress as I read Robin McKinley’s Beauty. But setting that aside, I would have loved this when I was 12. It’s swoony and romantic, featuring a narrator who’s my kind of girl. It hews very closely to the classic tale, while adding some imaginative elements such as the whispering…
Synopsis: A small boy deals with the death of his mother by setting his imagination free. Review: Up High in the Trees is a beautifully written book about a most engaging child, but it failed to move me. I’m not really sure why. Sebby, his brother Leo, his sister Cass, and his father are all dealing with a grievous loss, each choosing to isolate themselves in a different way. The overall story shows a family splitting apart then coming back together because of the choices…
Synopsis: A long ago summer idyll at a manor-turned-commune ended in tragedy, and the recent discovery of the bones of a woman and a baby threaten the secrets carefully guarded by the young man who inherited the home. Review: It may be a lesser Barbara Vine, but A Fatal Inversion is still an above average read.
Synopsis: When Frances’s birth mother contacts her asking to “finish it,” Frances must come to terms with the terrible crime that caused their separation, and learn how to forge her own path in life. Review: I devoured Breathe My Name, which will be published in early November 2007 by Razorbill. Not only is it an outstanding coming-of-age tale, Breathe My Name has a gorgeous, poignant love story that really drew me in. This is one I’m happy to give some advance praise to!
Synopsis: Young Leilani has a deformed hand and a brace on her leg–and she’s just told her alcoholic ex-con neighbor that her differences are why her deranged doctor stepfather and whacked-out druggie mother are going to kill her unless she’s abducted by aliens when she turns 10. Review: I read this book because it was recommended by Wesley Smith, a leading voice against utilitarianism bioethics, which is the concept that death is the optimal choice for anyone living a less-than-perfect existence, physically speaking. Rather than…
Synopsis: A writer suffers a car wreck and finds himself in the tender loving care of his number one fan.