The One and Only Ivan

     Ivan is a gorilla living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall with an elderly elephant and a stray dog.  He spends his days trying to paint what he sees in his cage so Mack, his owner, can frame the paintings and sell them in the gift shop.  When Ivan was small and cute, Mack made lots of money from visitors coming to the mall to see the animals.  Now that Ivan is a Silverback, hardly anyone comes to see him or the other animals.  Mack is stressed about the lost money, so he buys a baby elephant to bring more visitors.  Although Stella is an elderly, disabled elephant, she cares for Ruby, the baby elephant, as if she were her own.  Stella's dying wish is for Ivan to save Ruby from the mall.  His promise to Stella changes all of their lives.
     This book is based on a true story about a gorilla who lived alone in a mall cage for twenty-seven years before being rescued.  You can read about the true Ivan here.
     The chapters are only a page or two, which is good for reluctant or young readers.  The story is told from Ivan's perspective, which can be a bit confusing for an inexperienced reader.  
     I liked the book, but I thought it was a bit heavy-handed in parts.  It felt like Katherine Applegate was forcing me to care about the animals, rather than letting me develop that relationship with the animals as the story developed.  I recommend this book for animal lovers of all ages.

Frankenstein: Lost Souls

     Note to self - Look to see if the book you want to read is a sequel.  Not only is Frankenstein:  Lost Souls by Dean Koontz a sequel, it is Book 4 in the Frankenstein series.  For most of the book I had no idea what was happening, but didn't really care.  The writing is mediocre.  Most of the characters are superficially developed.  There are so many people in the book, they almost fight for attention.  It was impossible to keep track of any of them, so I didn't care which humans were killed by the replacements.  The book was very slow, even though there were brief scenes of intense action.  Dean Koontz knew he was going to make another book, so he doesn't even try to bring the book to any kind of conclusion.  The book just stops.  I hated the book and will not go back and read the earlier books or the next one in the series.  Unless you are a fan of the series already, I do not recommend this book.

Waiting for Normal

     Waiting for Normal is going on my list of favorite books. Addison "Addie" Schmeeter is only twelve, but she is wise beyond her years.  Addie's dad is dead, but Dwight is a wonderful stepfather.  The family is happy for awhile with Addie and the two new baby girls that join the family.  However, Addie's mom "Mommers" is bipolar and her chaotic mood swings and actions cause trouble for the family. Mommers kicks Dwight out of the house and asks for a divorce.  After Dwight leaves, Mommers takes off and leaves nine-year-old (at the time) Addie to take care of her baby sisters alone for three days.  Dwight gets custody of his daughters, but he has no legal rights to Addie.  Addie and Mommers move into a trailer on a busy street corner.  Addie continues to take care of her mom while she settles into her new life.  She finds friends in unexpected places and learns how to show and receive love.
     I LOVE, Love, love this book!  Addie deals with poverty, neglect, death, divorce, her mother's mental illness, and loneliness.  Through it all she never loses hope, faith, or her optimism that life will get better for her.  The characters are so well-developed, I fell in love with nearly all of them.  Addie's mother could have been portrayed as a horrible woman, but she was a sympathetic character that truly loved her children, but needed help dealing with her mental illness.  The dialogue and setting are realistic and poignant.  I couldn't put the book down once I started it.  I even read it in the car, and then had to go through the store with red-rimmed eyes from crying.  
     This book is too difficult for reluctant middle school readers, but is a wonderful book for older students or advanced readers.  It would also be great for any kids going through abuse, neglect, or living with someone with bipolar disorder.  This book has won several awards, including the ALA Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults.  This is a book that I wish I had written.  That is my highest praise.  
     

The Beginner's Goodbye

     I wish I could say The Beginner's Goodbye was another amazing book by Anne Tyler, but it was just mediocre.  When she writes well, this woman is untouchable.  Unfortunately, the last few books have lost their edge.
     In The Beginner's Goodbye, Aaron's wife Dorothy dies in a freak accident.  Aaron is devastated by her death.  He is still struggling to live again a year later, but Dorothy's spirit returns to help Aaron find a new beginning in life.
     The story was okay, but the characters were flat and stilted.  Without an attachment to the characters, it was difficult to care about what happened to them.  One of the things I love best about Anne Tyler is falling in love with her characters, but I didn't even get to know them in this book.
     If you love Anne Tyler, reread her other books instead.  If you haven't read any of her books, read her Pulitzer Prize winning book Breathing Lessons or my favorite, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.       

Unwind

 Wow!  Another incredible book by Neal Shusterman!  A chilling look at the pro-life/pro-choice argument.  After fighting The Heartland War, a truce is finally reached.  Life is mandatory from the moment of conception until thirteen.  Once you reach thirteen, your parents can have you "unwound" and donate every part of you to someone else.  That way, you never truly die; you just live on through the donors.
     Unwind is the story of several teens who are scheduled to be unwound for very different reasons.  Together, they may have a chance to survive.
     This book was chilling, intense, and made me think.  What would happen to all the unwanted babies who become unwanted teens?  When do you have a soul - conception, birth, the moment you are loved?    Do our cells have memory?  How does it feel to live a life no one else feels is worth living?  Can we redeeem ourselves and make up for our past mistakes, or are some mistakes too big to erase?
     An awesome science fiction book with a great story and a warning about where we may be headed.

Dad, Jackie, and Me

     Jackie Robinson is one of my heroes, so I was thrilled to discover someone had left me this book as a gift the last day of school.
     This picture book packs an emotional wallop.  The boy in the story loves baseball, especially The Brooklyn Dodgers.  His dad takes him to opening day, 1947, to see Jackie Robinson.  The dad shouts "Ah-ghee, Ah-ghee" every time Jackie is up to bat.  Being deaf, he isn't aware that he is mispronouncing Jackie's name, but his son is embarrassed when the other fans begin to stare.
     The boy teaches his dad how to play baseball.  He throws the ball to his dad every night, but his dad is never able to catch it.  He never learned to play sports at the deaf school he attended.
     They go to every home game that season together.  When Jackie catches the last ball of the season, he throws it to the boy's dad, who catches the first ball of his life.  When he hands it to his son, Jackie smiles.
     Myron Uhlberg based this book on his deaf father, and his author's note at the end is very emotional.
     I really liked this picture  book a lot.  The theme of overcoming adversity is woven through Jackie's story and the father's story without being heavy handed.
     This book is a wonderful addition for a classroom because of its length, the focus on diversity, adversity, and the love between a father and son.  It has won two awards - The Teachers' Choices from the International Reading Association Project and the Schneider Family Book Award.  I recommend it for upper elementary students.

The Van Gogh Cafe

    The Van Gogh Cafe is the story of a magical cafe.  It is not magical in the traditional sense, but the cafe's magic changes lives.
     The cafe was once a theater - which is where the magic begins.  "Some say magic comes from heaven, and others say it comes from hell, but anyone who has ever visited the Van Gogh Cafe knows that magic comes from a building that was once a theater..."
     Each chapter shares a new person or animal who experiences the magic of making a difference for the other people and animals in the book.  Once the magic has impacted others, the animal or person moves on to other places, while the ones impacted by the magic impact new characters.
     I loved the cause and effect idea and the connections between the various people and animals in the book.  Ten-year-old Clara and her father run the cafe and watch the magic unfold each day.  They tie the people and magic together.
     This is a very short book at 53 pages.  It is a great read aloud book.