Review Wonder

DON’T JUDGE A BOY BY HIS FACE.

“Kuharap, setiap hari adalah Halloween. Kita semua bisa memakai topeng setiap saat. Lalu kita bisa berjalan-jalan dan saling mengenal sebelum melihat penampilan kita di balik topeng.”

August (Auggie) Pullman lahir dengan kelainan Mandibulofacial Dysostosis, sebuah kondisi rumityang membuat wajahnya tampak tidak biasa. Meskipun dia sudah menjalani serangkaian operasi, penampilan luarnya tetap saja terlihat berbeda. Namun, bagi segelintir orang yang mengenalnya,
dia adalah anak yang lucu, cerdas, dan pemberani.

Auggie mengalami petualangan yang lebih menakutkan daripada operasi-operasi yang dijalaninya ketika dia menjadi murid kelas lima di Beecher Prep. Kalian pasti tahu menjadi murid baru itu bukanlah hal yang mudah. Ditambah lagi Auggie adalah anak biasa dengan wajah yang sangat tidak biasa. (Goodreads)

~~~

Tidak banyak buku terjemahan yang bisa buat aku pengen baca ulang buku aslinya bahkan ketika belum sampai di halaman terakhir. Ini bukan berarti terjemahannya parah. Malah sebaliknya, buku terbitan Atria ini bagus banget malah.  Ceritanya mengalir.  Pilihan katanya juga ngga rumit. Rasanya aku juga nggak menemukan typo dan yang paling penting, emosi setiap karakter yang disisipkan R.J. Palacio,sang penulis, nggak hilang hanya karena bahasanya beda. Bahkan ketika alurnya sedikit lambat pun tidak menjadi masalah. Runut ceritanya tetap menarik.. Jadi keinginan untuk baca ulang Wonder bahasa Inggris hanya karena pengen ngulang petualangan bersama Auggie, Via, bahkan Justin dan tentu saja ngga pengen buru-buru naruh bukunya di rak. 

Wonder bercerita tentang August (Auggie) Pullman. Kelainan Mandibulofacial Dysostosis yang dialaminya sejak lahir membuat Auggie harus menjalani serangkaian operasi dan membuat wajahnya menjadi sangat berbeda. Di buku ngga dijelaskan dengan rinci bagaimana wajah Auggie, karena dia sendiri menolak untuk menggambarkannya seperti apa. Bahkan sampai di halaman akhir buku pun, aku ngga punya bayangan seperti apa lekuk wajahnya. Semuanya hanya potongan-potongan kalimat ataupun percakapan para tokoh di beberapa bab. Saat itu tidak ada keinginan untuk mencoba mencari tahu. Karena membaca permohonan Auggie kalau saja menemukan lampu ajaib ataupun mengapa ia berkeras untuk tetap menggunakan helm astronot selama dua tahun, lebih dari cukup. Baru ketika hendak menuliskan review inilah aku tahu bagaimana dampak dari Mandibulofacial Dysostosis pada wajah seseorang. Akhirnya paham dengan kalimat Auggie di halaman awal.

“Apapun yang kau bayangkan, mungkin keadannya lebih buruk”

Awalnya kupikir buku yang tebalnya 430 halaman ini sepenuhnya dari sudut pandang Auggie. Ternyata ada lima orang lainnya yang juga turut bercerita dan menjadikan buku ini keren banget. Bagian yang paling aku suka tuh semua bab yang diceritakan oleh Via, Justin dan Miranda. Emosi awalnya bermunculan di bagian awal menjadi semakin mengikat dengan adanya cerita dari mereka. Pemikiran dan perasaan setiap karakter menjadi semakin terasa mudah untuk dipahami. Tidak hanya anggota keluarga Pullman, aku bahkan bisa mengerti mengapa Miranda memilih untuk berbohong ataupun pendapat Julian mengenai alam semesta. Nggak sekali dua kali, mataku berkaca-kaca dibuatnya.

Walaupun buku ini sepenuhnya tentang Auggie, tapi karakter favorit aku jatuhkan ke Via. Aku suka bagaimana Auggie bercerita yang terkadang lucu ataupun cara berpikirnya. Simpati sepenuhnya untuk anak laki-laki penggemar berat Star Wars. Mr dan Mrs. Pullman juga keren. Hubungan keluarga yang terlihat sangat sempurna namun penuturan Via membuat semua cerita ini menjadi lebih nyata. Terutama ketika Via menumpahkan semua rahasia yang selama ini disimpannya sendiri. 

Wonder kurekomendasikan untuk semua orang. Menurutku buku ini setidaknya harus dibaca sekali seumur hidup. Jadi kalau hari ini terbersit niat untuk beli buku baru, pastikan ada Wonder di antaranya. *kedip*

Wonder adalah buku pertama R.J. Palacio. Kalau nantinya ada buku baru yang ditulis R.J. Palacio, aku nggak ragu untuk beli. 

ps: Ketemu banyak spoiler tentang Star Wars di buku ini. Auggie kerap bercerita tentang bagian penting dari enam episode film yang bergenre Sci-fi ini.  Awalnya aku ngeluh karena baru nonton episode II. Tapi toh akhirnya nggak ngaruh sama sekali, karena tokoh-tokoh yang disebut Auggie baru semua, dan aku pun lupa begitu pindah ke bab berikutnya. 

Karena Via, jadi pengen nyoba baca War and Peace. *big green*

Banyak kutipan keren.

“lucu juga mengingat ada sebuah kata seperti overprotektif yang bisa menggambarkan sebagian orangtua, tapi tidak ada kata yang memiliki arti sebaliknya. kata apa yang kau gunakan untuk menggambarkan orangtua yang kurang melindungi? Kurang protektif? lalai? sibuk sendiri? payah? semua yang barusan kusebutkan?”

“alam semesta menjaga mahkluk ciptaan paling rapuh dengan berbagai cara yang tidak bisa kita lihat. contohnya dengan orangtua yang memujamu secara membabi buta. dan seorang kakak perempuan yang merasa bersalah karena bersikap manusiawi terhadapmu. dan seorang anak bersuara berat yang ditinggalkan teman-temannya karenamu. dan bahkan seorang cewek berambut pink yang membawa fotomu di dalam dompetnya. mungkin memang sebuah lotere, tapi pada akhirnya alam semesta membuat semuanya impas. alam semesta menjaga semua burungnya”

5/5

Wonder

Penulis: R.J. Palacio

Penerjemah: Harisa Permatasari

Penerbit: Atria

Cetakan: I, September 2012

Tebal: 430 halaman

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Selain untuk posting bareng BBI, buku ini juga aku baca untuk 2013 New Author Reading Challenge

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Untuk kesekian kalinya aku  pengen ngucapin terima kasih untuk SS yang udah milih Wonder. Buku pilihannya keren banget. Awalnya pas naruh buku ini di rak SS, aku sama sekali nggak banyak berharap. Apalagi Wonder jadi salah satu buku yang letaknya di halaman akhir. Yang jelas senang banget pas ngebuka paketnya. 

So who is she?

Seperti yang udah kuceritakan di postingan tentang SS dan buku pilihannyanya , awalnya nyaris putus asa mikirin identitas SS dengan tiga kata yang jadi clue. Tapi setelah baca lagi dan lagi, ternyata tiga kata, BARAT, BURUNG, dan HANTU hanya petunjuk tambahan. Karena yang jadi kata kunci utama adalah The Glass with Glass Feet. Semakin yakin begitu ngubek-ngubek blog bukunya dan kesimpulan akhir, aku dengan yakin bahwa SS yang ngasih Wonder yang keren itu adalah :  

Nur Aulia Afina

Thank you so much. Wonder is a really great book. It’s amazing. I love it

*heart*

Book Review: Alice-Miranda At School - Jacqueline Harvey

“Dadah, Mama. Tolong kuatkan hati Mama.” Ibunya menanggapi dengan isak tangis keras. “Selamat bermain golf, Papa. Kita bertemu di liburan akhir semester.” Ayahnya membuang ingus ke saputangannya.

Sebelum kedua orangtuanya sempat mengucapkan selamat tinggal, Alice-Miranda sudah berjingkrak-jingkrak menyusuri jalan setapak yang diapit pagar tanaman, menuju rumah barunya.

Akademi Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale, itulah rumah baru Alice-Miranda. Dan sejak kedatangan Alice-Miranda, tempat itu berubah drastis. Semua terasa lebih hidup dan menyenangkan. Namun, tidak semua orang senang dengan perubahan itu. Termasuk kepala sekolah, Miss Grim, dan kepala prefeknya, Alethea.

Gadis 7 tahun itu diberi berbagai tantangan seperti tes tulis semua pelajaran, lomba berlayar melawan Alethea dan kawan-kawannya, sampai harus berkemah di hutan sendirian selama beberapa hari. Akankah Alice-Miranda mampu melewati semua tantangan itu? Juga, bisakah dia membuat Miss Grim keluar menemui para muridnya setelah 10 tahun mengurung diri dalam kantor? (Goodreads)

~~~


Karakter yang diciptakan dengan banyak kelebihan hingga nyaris sempurna sering kali membuat dahi berkerut. Gambaran betapa istimewa dan beruntungnya mereka kerap kali membuat saya tidak dapat menikmati kisah yang tertuang dalam buku tersebut. Bukannya iri tapi lebih karena keberadaan mereka terlalu indah untuk menjadi kenyaatan. Bahkan di buku sekalipun. Namun pengecualian untuk Alice-Miranda At School. Buku yang bercerita tentang anak perempuan yang berusia tujuh tahun di Sekolah Akademi Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Untuk Perempuan Muda Baik-Baik bisa saya lahap dengan mudah, tanpa sekali pun memutar mata karena kesempurnaan yang dimilikinya.

Namun kalau dipikir-pikir lagi, sempurna bukan kata yang tepat.Semua sikap dan kebiasaan Alice- Miranda cenderung masuk kekategori janggal untuk anak sesuainya. Lihat saja bagaimana keputusan Alice-Miranda untuk memulai kehidupannya di sekolah berasrama di usianya yang belum genap delapan tahun. Belum lagi sikap mandiri dan rasa optimis yang dimilikinya. Anak perempuan yang menghabiskan liburan bersama orang tuanya di banyak tempat terkenal ini tidak mengenal kata egois. Ia tak sekalipun merasa terganggu ketika mendapat reaksi yang tidak menyenangkan dari orang-orang yang baru dikenalnya ketika ia mencoba bersikap ramah. Alice-Miranda juga tidak sekalipun menyimpan dendam untuk semua perlakuan yang tidak pantas.

Berbicara masalah kecerdasan, jangan menganggapnya sepele. Di usinya yang baru tujuh seperempat tahun ,ia dengan mudah menglafalkan keenak nama istri Raja Henry VIII dan mengerjakan pembagian yang panjang dan rumit. Bahkan diceritakan ia paham Sejarah Romawi dan Mesir Kuno bahkan Perang Dunia Kedua sekalipun. Mengertikan mengapa saya menyebutnya sempurna? Namun seperti yang saya sebut sebelumnya, kesempurnaan anak perempuan yang tidak mengenal kata menyerah, tidak menjadi penghalang untuk menikmati kisah yang ditulis sangat ringan. Setidaknya konflik di buku ini masih membuat saya penasaran. Alice-Miranda sepertinya memang punya magnet, sehingga semua hal itu tidak menjadi masalah besar. Magnet itu juga yang mungkin menjadikan tokoh-tokoh lain menyukainya. Kecuali Miss Grimm dan Alethea tentunya.

Masih seputar karakter di buku ini,terkecuali Alice-Miranda, Jacqueline Harvey menciptakan katakter-karakter lain dengan sangat baik. Semua karakter punya ciri khas tersendiri yang membedakannya dengan yang lain. Sebut saja Miss Higgins sang Sekretaris sekolah, Jacinta-tukang ngamuk terhebat nomor dua sesekolah, Millie-teman sekamarnya Alice-Miranda, Mr Charles si tukang kebun, Mrs Oliver ataupun Mrs Smith yang menjadi juru masak. Alethea dan Miss Grimm yang menjadi tokoh antagonis pun masuk hitungan. Mereka berdua memainkan peran dengan sangat baik.

Beralih ke hal-hal yang sedikit menganggu sehingga buku ini hanya saya beri empat bintang. Pertama, pemilihan nama untuk Alice-Miranda. Mengapa harus menyandingkan dua nama dan menjadikannya panggilan untuk sang karakter utama? Mengapa tidak memilih satu nama saja? Memanggilnya dengan Alice menurut saya cukup. Kedua, mengenai tes menjelajahi alam bebas, yang selanjutnya disebut hutan, selama lima hari lamanya. Semua juga tahu hutan bukan tempat yang aman untuk anak-anak. Terlebih lagi tanpa pengawasan orang dewasa. Bahkan ketika kawasan hutan itu terletak disekitar asrama. Anehnya tidak ada protes dari ayah dan ibu Alice-Miranda yang dari awal terlihat sangat memanjakan anaknya.

Namun terlepas dari semua keanehan itu, saya memutuskan untuk tetap membaca kelanjutan seri Alice-Miranda. Saya juga merekomendasikan buku ini sebagai bacaan untuk anak-anak usia sekolah dasar ataupun pendidikan menengah. Alice-Miranda dicetak dengan font yang cukup besar rasanya cocok untuk pembaca pemula.

Cover dan Ilustrasi
Tidak ada perbedaan besar antara cover asli dan cover terbitan Little K. Alice-Miranda terlihat lucu di sampul depan. Untuk ilistrasi yang ada di dalam buku, menurut saya kurang banyak. Apalagi jika buku ini ditujukan sebagai bacaan Middle-Grade.


4/5

Alice-Miranda At School
Penulis: Jacqueline Harvey
Penerjemah: Reni Indardini
Editor: Herlina Sitorus
Penerbit: Little K
Cetakan: I, Juni 2011
Reading Challenge: Name in a Book Challenge

ang

Book Review: Knock Three Times - Marion ST. John Webb

Molly benar-benar kecewa ketika Bibi Phoebe mengirimkan sebuah bantalan jarum kecil berbentuk labu berwarna abu-abu untuk hadiah ulang tahunnya, dan bukannya gelang perak yang telah lama diidam-idamkannya.

Tetapi di malam hari, saat bulan purnama bersinar, bantalan jarum berbentuk labu itu berubah menjadi labu ajaib. Ia membawa Molly dan saudara kembarnya, Jack, ke sebuah dunia aneh tempat si Labu ternyata amat ditakuti.

Molly dan Jack mengalami petualangan yang amat menegangkan dalam usaha mereka menemukan si Labu. Mereka dijebak, beberapa kali masuk perangkap, sekaligus mendapat banyak teman di dunia itu. Siapakah sebenarnya si Labu Kelabu? (Goodreads)

~~~

Dulu, ketika mengucapkan buku klasik, saya pasti langsung mengindentikannya dengan cerita kehidupan penuh drama. Sekarang, saya berusaha untuk menghapus generalisasi semacam itu. Terima kasih untuk Knock Three Times yang mengingatkan saya akan banyaknya buku klasik di luar sana, yang menawarkan cerita petualangan. Mungkin lebih tepatnya disebut sebagai buku bergenre klasik fantasi. Sebut saja The Chronicles of Narnia dan Peter Pan. Cerita yang mereka usung tidak kalah seru dengan buku-buku fantasi yang terbit beberapa tahun belakangan.

Bercerita tentang Knock Three Time, secara garis besar, petualangan Molly dan saudara kembarnya, Jack, terhitung seru. Saya suka ide tentang bantalan jarum yang berubah jadi Labu Kelabu dengan cerita masa lalu yang mengerikan. Konsep Dunia Mustahil dan Dunia Mungkin pun menarik, walau tidak ada penjelasan detail tentang penamaan keduanya. Sangat disayangkan buku yang juga bercerita tentang sihir putih dan hitam ini nyaris tanpa emosi. Perjalanan Molly dan Jack jadi terasa sangat melelahkan. Kerap kali saya ingin secepat sampai ke halaman terakhir. Saya tidak menikmatinya satu bab pun. Bagian yang menceritakan bagaimana pertemuan mereka dengan kaki tangan sang Labu Kelabu, Tuan Papingay dengan gambar kertasnya,ataupun tokoh-tokoh lainnya lewat begitu saja. Bahkan di saat-saat genting sekalipun. Padahal awalnya senang banget menemukan buku dengan genre klasik fantasi.

Berbicara tentang para tokoh, saya merasa ada yang aneh dari Molly dan Jack yang dinyatakan sebagai anak kembar sang penulis ataupun penerjemah. Semua tingkah dan kebiasaan mereka, tidak satupun yang mengindikasikan mereka sebagai dua saudara yang lahir pada waktu yang sama. Bahkan sulit rasanya untuk mengakui mereka sebagai saudara kandung. Dari awal ikatan batin antara keduanya tidak terasa. Mereka tidak lebih sebagai teman seperjalanan. Lebih tidak.

Dibanding Molly dan Jack, Tuang Papingay dengan tingkah dan isi rumah yang aneh jadi tokoh favorit saya. Dari web yang memuat tentang sedikit cerita tentang sang penulis, ternyata tokoh eksentrik ini punya kisah sendiri dan diterbitkan dalam banyak seri. Dari banyak judul buku yang ditulis Marion,saya mendapati The Little Round House, Mr. Papingay's ship, Mr Papingay's caravan dan Mr Papingay's flying shop. Jadi ingin tahu bagaimana kisah Pria aneh ini.

Walau tidak begitu menikmati Knock Three Times, setidaknya referensi tentang buku yang bercerita tentang dunia yang dipenuhi dengan hal-hal aneh bin ajaib ditambah sedikit unsur sihir bertambah. Buku ini juga membuat saya ingin baca lebih banyak buku klasik yang memuat kisah serupa. Sebut saja Wizard of Oz, A Wrinkle in Time ataupun Alice in Wonderland.

Cover dan Ilustrasi
Penampakan Labu Kelabu nyaris tak nampak. Kalau dari penjelasan di buku, ilustrasi labunya masih kurang besar. Warna background dan ilustrasi Molly dan Jack tuh jadi ingat ma cover buku-buku klasik penerbit sebelah. Cek per cek, ternyata desain sampulnya dikerjakan oleh orang yang sama. Dari hasil googling, ternyata buku yang terbit tahun 1917 ini dilengkapi dengan ilustrasi. Sayangnya oleh pihak Atria, ilustrasinya tidak diikutsertakan. Melihat cover di bawah sedikit mengingatkan pada ilustrasi di buku Astrid Lindgren. Terutama ilustrasi anak-anak Bullerbyn.

Knock Three Times

Penulis: Marion ST. John Webb
Penerjemah: Mutia Dharma
Editor: Jia Effendie
Penerbit: Atria
Cetakan: Mei, 2010
Tebal: 258 hlm
Sumber: Koleksi Pribadi

Review: Turkey Monster Thanksgiving by Anne Warren Smith

This year, instead of celebrating Thanksgiving in the family's traditional way by eating pizza in their pajamas, nine-year-old Katie wants to create the perfect holiday and be just like a "real" family. But by Thanksgiving Day, Katie has invited guests Dad didn't expect, festooned the house with what may be poison oak, and set the sweet potatoes on fire. Ultimately everyone sits down to a most unusual dinner—one that succeeds because it comes from the heart. (Goodreads)

My Thought 
At first Katie was fine with his father's plan for this year Thanksgiving. Instead of turkey for dinner, they were about to choose pizza. In that day, they would wear pajamas till noon, eat popcorn and watch football. She did not mind at all. She believed what her father said. Everything would be fine even if they did not celebrate that national holiday like another family. Since her mother left home, Katie could fully understand this year they were going to have a different year.


It was two weeks before Thanksgiving when her best friend, Claire Plummer, told her her family's thanksgiving plan. At first Katie did not care at all. She still stuck to the first plan. But Claire just could not stop talking about the party day after day. The more Katie heard about it, the more she thought that they also have to celebrate Thanksgiving like another normal family. Suddenly all things that she thought was fine seems horrible. 


Turkey Monster Thanksgiving is another book for children that I put in my favorite list. Most of characters are like-able. Katie and her father were my favorite. Claire was little bit annoying. But if she was not there, this book would be really plain. She is also counted as important character. One character that I think was failed with his role was Tyler. He did not act as his age. Whereas I expected he would be an adorable little brother. 


Everything about Thanksgiving was another thing that I liked from this book. Even though I do not celebrate Thanksgiving and read many thing related to it, I am still curious. 

Cover
Turkey Monster Thanksgiving was first published on September 28, 2003. Its format was Library Binding. They used this cover.What you saw above are the cover for paperback. It will be released on August 11, 2011. I wonder why it takes so long to publish the paperback. 


I like both of the cover. The first edition reminds me of old books when I was in elementary school. Most of the cover are printed this way.  It is so classic. It was nice to see little Tyler. But it looks like a mystery book. The paperback itself was designed very well. I can see Katie's worried face.  I like the color.


4/5


Author: Anne Warren Smith | Website
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (August 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0807581267
ISBN-13: 978-0807581261

Preorder Turkey Monster Thanksgiving at Amazon

Review: The Secret Ingredient by Laura Schaefer

It’s nearing the end of summer before ninth grade and Annie has been busy working as a barista at her grandmother's teashop, Th Steeping Leaf. In between serving up chai lattes and matcha frappes, Annie has gotten involved in a scone bakeoff with one of Louisa's tea suppliers. The winner gets an all-expenses paid trip to London for a tea vacation! Annie The competition is tough and sabatoge is in the air when suddenly Annie's food blog begins attracting mean comments. Then there's the whole matter of a stolen kiss with Zach Anderson in the Steeping Leaf stockroom. Could Annie's former sworn enemy become her current love interest? With the help of her two best friends, Genna and Zoe, can Annie come up with an awesome contest entry and sort out her love life before the end of the summer? (Goodreads)

My Thought

When I was child, I loved recipe books which had lots of picture in it. Not because I like cooking. There were not any ingredients that I read. I just stared at the pictures and pretended that I was munching them all. It was such a ritual before I took a nap. I do not do that silly thing anymore. I rarely open any recipe book. But I still love book that talk about food and The Secret Ingredient is one of my favorite.

This book introduced me to Annie, her grandmother, one tea shop, Genna and Zoe, the contest and many kinds of scones. I liked reading them all especially when Annie told me about the contest updates and all scone recipes posts. Something that make this special, there were tea quotations, illustration and some pictures of scones. Unfortunately, some of them were not available. I read the e-ARC, so some Annie's blog post designs have not finished yet. It must be great to read the finished copy. I really want to see those scones and another food that were mentioned. Laura, the illustrator and the one who took the photos of scone have made me curious. I am looking forward to see the final design.

I have never tasted that British snack but this book made me believe that it’s delicious. Not enough with that Scottish original bread, this book also shared some tea. Just like the scone, I have not sipped some of them. For sure, every chapter of this book made me want to grab snacks.

The Secret Ingredient is the second book of Teashop Girls series. I have not read the first one. Fortunately, nothing confused me. It lets me flow with its plot. By only reading the first chapter, I have already got the idea. This installment can be a standalone book.

To all middle grades who love book about food, you should buy and read The Secret Ingredient. Make sure that you have something to eat or drink when this book is in your hand. Because it has its power to make you feel hungry to the max. Do not say I have not warned you.

From the book, it is so obvious that Laura Schaefer is fond of tea and cooking. Her blog is the mute witness. I have seen some of them. No wonder why she can write such book. In Goodreads, besides of The Teashop Girls series, I also saw some books of hers. I wonder if yummy food were also there. I will check them out soon.

Cover
I love it. The colors that they chose are nice. The Scones are tempting. I wonder what kind of tea that they put in the cover. It must be great if the pictures on Annie's blog post are also colorful.

4/5

Author: Laura Schaefer | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (June 28, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442419598
ISBN-13: 978-1442419599
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
Buy The Secret Ingredient at Amazon

Review: Truth or Dare... by P.J. Night

During a round of Truth or Dare, Abby Miller confesses her crush on Jake Chilson. The only people who know her secret are her friends at the sleepover—and whoever sent her a text message in the middle of the night warning her to stay away from Jake…or else!

But Abby isn’t going to stay away from Jake, especially not after he asks her to the school dance.

As the night of the dance comes closer, some very creepy things start happening to Abby. Someone definitely wants to keep her away from Jake. Is it a jealous classmate or, as Abby begins to suspect, could it be a ghost?

My Thought

When I saw the cover, I suddenly remembered all books that were written by R.L. Stine. That’s one of the reasons why I directly grabbed it from the galley. I was wondering If I was going to feel a little goosebumps or any kind of feeling that I used to have when I read such stories.

Truth and Dare brought me to Abby Miller. She was hosted a sleepover party with three of her friends from school. Since the beginning, she has felt little bit awkward. But she ignored it. She did not want to ruin the great time with something unreasonable. But then next morning, she got a mysterious text message. None of the recognized the number. It was a warning. Whoever sent it told her to stay from Jake, a boy that Abby liked. She just confessed it last night, when they had Truth and Dare.

All of her friends suggested her to ignore it and not to take that scary message seriously. Because they thought it might be a prank. But all those three girls were totally wrong. She kept receiving the warning messages. The awful and spooky things even started coming into her life when she decided to not to leave Jake behind. Abby was confused it was really a ghost from the past or just another girl at school who disliked her.

Curiosity was the reason why I kept reading this book. I wonder who did the nasty things to Abby that was almost scared her to death. I have made many speculations about the actor behind all mysterious things. I drew an envious girl till the dead creature. Although there was no more horripilation, I still enjoyed the story. I liked all those scary messages even the horrible thing that was set up for Abby. It brought back the memories about Goosebumps and Fear Street.

This book was written in 160 pages. So It brought me faster to the ending. When I almost decide that I did not like the way he ended Abby's story, surprisingly P.J. Night, the author, has prepared something that made my eyes widened and left my mouth opened for a second. Brilliant!.

For Middle Grade age, Truth or Dare is a great book. I'd love to read the next series. In the end of the book, they gave me the teaser. It was more spooky than this one. I hope I can find in the next Galley Grab.

The Cover

I like it. It brought me back to the past where I was I thought I would find the scene that was drawn on the cover. Unfortunately, there was not such scene. The girls did not share any scary stories but they watched horror movie. Can you see the girl in the window? They drew her perfectly.

4/5

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab
Author: P.J. Night

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Paperback: 160 pages

Publisher: Simon Spotlight; Original edition (June 7, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1442420960

ISBN-13: 978-1442420960

Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches

Buy Truth or Dare . . . (You're Invited to a Creepover (Quality)) at Amazon

~~~

I read this book as a part of 30books30days reading challenge

Review: The Misadventures of Phillip Isaac Penn by Donna L. Peterson

Pip, whose real name is Phillip Isaac Penn, feels that the world is against him as he struggles to deal with angry parents, a bossy older sister, a frazzled teacher, and memorable characters such as Bully Bart, Cheater Chaz, Know-It-All Nell, Liar Lizzy, Stealer Steffan, Conman Cody, and Tattle-Tale Tess. Every day of the week brings another challenge that Pip handles in his own endearing way. Yet, no matter how hard he tries, he realizes that it’s just not easy being a kid.

My Thought
This book told about a boy named Phillip Isaac Pen. Everybody called him Pip. Those three letters was a stand for his full name. He disliked it but has no way to change it. The setting took place in his house and school. It was told from his point of view, started from Monday to Sunday. Seven days that was not easy for him. He has tried his best to avoid something that people called as trouble. But everything turned into something different. All things he did was end up badly. His family and teacher were really pissed off with it.

Misadventure of Phillip Isaac Penn was a light reading. I finished it less than a hour. Pip was a funny character. I felt bad for his carelessness but in a same time I also felt pity for every bad thing happened. Especially when he was blamed for something that he did not do. After reading what his the first and second day, I wished the fortunate goddess would protect him for the following days. Unfortunately, no days without trouble has been a tagline for him. I could not stand for one thing. Although in the end of the day he highlighted one lesson, the next day, he had already forgot it. No wonder he was always in trouble.

It was easy to blend with Pip and feel his emotions. That was one thing that I liked from this book. I also awed with Pip’s reaction in the end of each chapter. No matter what had roled in one day, in the end, he looked cool. I also liked all the terms that he used for his friends.

I recommend this book to all middle graders.

Cover and Illustration

I like the color of the cover. Pip’s guilty face is drawn well there. But I was little bit disappointed with all the illustration inside. It is still draft for me. I am pretty sure they can make it better.

4/5

About The Author

Donna Peterson has enjoyed writing stories and poetry since the second grade. She has been published four times in the Idaho Magazine; wrote a weekly humor column, "Kaleidoscope," for the Three Rivers Chronicle; and she continues to write short stories for the children at Park Intermediate School, where she has been employed for the past twelve years. Two years ago, Donna took a children's literature class, which inspired her to finally publish her own stories.

Donna lives in Weiser, Idaho, with her husband, Brad, and her three-legged cat, Sam. Her son, Erik and his lovely wife, Shawna, live in Murray, Utah. Her other son, David, will be attending college in Japan next fall.

Writing has always been Donna's favorite pastime, so having her first children's book published is a dream come true.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Source: NetGalley for review
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc. (June 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599558939
ISBN-13: 978-1599558936
Pre-order The Mis-Adventures of Phillip Isaac Penn

Check another blogs who are also taking a part in this book tour here. There are some blogs who are hosting giveaway.

Review: Scenarios 4 : Making Waves by Nicole O'Dell

Kate Walker joins the swim team and becomes obsessed with practice and making it through the championships with flying colors. What will Kate do when she s faced with pressure from her teammates to take an illegal substance that will help her swim multiple events in their championship meet? Girls ages 10 to 15 make the choice in this interactive story and see how the consequences change Kate s life. Includes a contract and prayer to remind the reader of the importance of making godly decisions.

My Thought

This is one of the first books that I received through Net Galley. The other book is Magna. You can find my review about Magna here. The publisher combined these two books and put Risky Business as the title. I think I prefer to review it one by one.

In Making Waves, I met Kate Walker. She was left by many people she loved. One of them is Julia, her best friend, who moved to another town. So she has no friend to talk to and shared everything. She still has a great and lovely mother. But it would be different. And that explained why she felt so lonely.

Then one day, Kate decided to join the swim team to ease the pain. Just in one training season, she directly become the stars. In few day, she was already become a part of the team. Her couch prepared her to participate in State competition. No need to wonder why. Kate was a great and avid swimmer. Since then, her schedule become so tight. It made her really exhausted. Then, one offer that sound promising was approached. It made her become so confused. In one side, it could help her get more energy. In other side, she knew it so well, it was illegal. What a dilemma!

I liked many things from this book. It has simple word choice, nice plot and also sweet ending for everyone. There was one scene that touched my heart. My eyes were teary because of it. From all the characters. Kate's mother was my favorite.


Just like in Magna, you can get two different endings in one book. They let you choose. But I did not do it. Because I was just too curious. So I read both of them. I wanted to know how the plot ran for each options.

Cover

The setting is drawn well in the cover. The color combination is also nice. I liked it. But in my imagination, Kate is more beautiful than the model above. However it's not stated in the book.

3/5

Author: Nicole O'dell | Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.; Original edition (April 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781602608450
ISBN-13: 978-1602608450
ASIN: 1602608458
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches

Buy Scenarios 4: Making Waves (Scenarios for Girls) at Amazon

Review : Blueberry Queen by M. Peschke, Tuesday Mourning

From blueberries to beauty pageants, third grader Kylie Jean wants to be the queen of everything! But in her quest to be the best, this young southern belle learns a few lessons of her own. Mischievious, delightful and fun, this series will be at the top of every young girl's list

It's time for the annual Blueberry Festival, and Kylie Jean just knows she'd be the perfect Blueberry Queen.

My Thought
Blueberry Queen is one light reading for middle grade. It did not take an hour to finish its 114 pages. There are also illustrations inside the book. It makes the readers easier to get the pictures for everything that happen in every chapter.

In the beginning, we are introduced to Kyle Jean who lives in Texas with her big family. Kyle is a little girl who wants to be a beauty queen. She has knitted that dream since she can remember or in her words, since she was a bitty baby. She practices all the time to be the one.Then, the Annual Blueberry Festival is coming. Kyle Jean thinks this is a big chance for her to make her dream come true.

For me, Kyle was a cute little girl. She was self-motivated girl. I liked to see her enthusiasm. She knew that all the steps to be the beauty queen were not easy. But she never gave up.

The reactions from all family and people around her were remarkable . They were amazing. Just like me they thought it was funny but they still encourage Kyle to fulfill her dream. Her mother become the most adorable character. I loved when she kept remind her with her Pretty is as pretty does sentences.

However there is not any conflict that troubled her, this book is still an enjoyable reading. The message inside is wonderful. I would recommend this book to all young readers.

Cover and Illustration
I like all the illustrations that were drawn by Tuesday Morning. Kyle was so cute.

4/5

Source: eBooks from Net Galley
Author: M. Peschke | Website | Facebook
Illustrator: Tuesday Morning
Reading level: Ages 4-8
eGalley: 144 Pages | Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Picture Window Books (January 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1404866159
ISBN-13: 978-1404866157
Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
Buy Blueberry Queen (Kylie Jean)