7.31.2009

Catching Fire: Review Haiku


Oh, come on - you don't
think I'm going to reveal
spoilers here, do you?


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Scholastic, 2009, 400 pages.

7.29.2009

A Little Bit Wicked: Review Haiku


You'd think a Tony
would buy a better proof-
reader. (It's WILLson, folks.*)


A Little Bit Wicked: Live, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth with Jodi Rodgers. Touchstone, 2009, 232 pages.


* And this is only one example. In the same section, "My White Knight" becomes "My White Night" not two paragraphs later. [bangs head against wall]

7.27.2009

Finger Lickin' Fifteen: Review Haiku


Slap-happy Plum blows
up more cars, gets laughs. But is
she phoning it in?


Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. St. Martin's, 2009,

308 pages.

7.24.2009

Vacation: Prediction Haiku

emilyreads will
finish the goddamn LIST on
vacation this year.

Roundup to come in early August.

7.23.2009

Paul Has a Summer Job: Review Haiku


Quebecois campers
teach feckless teen life lessons,
outdoor skills, curse words.


Paul Has a Summer Job by Michel Rabagliati. Drawn & Quarterly, 2003, 160 pages.


It's Graphic Novel Week at emilyreads!

7.22.2009

Missouri Boy: Review Haiku


Moments of joy, pain,
humiliation, peeing
in one boy's childhood.


Missouri Boy by Leland Myrick. First Second, 2006, 112 pages.
It's Graphic Novel Week at emilyreads!

7.21.2009

Mom's Cancer: Review Haiku


Denial first, then
pain, then catharsis --
captured in black and white.


Mom's Cancer by Brian Fies. Abrams, 2006, 128 pages.


It's Graphic Novel Week at emilyreads!

7.20.2009

Chiggers: Review Haiku


Indistinguishable
campers navigate
often-chartered waters.


Chiggers by Hope Larson. Ginee Seo/S&S, 2008, 170 pages.
It's Graphic Novel Week at emilyreads!

7.17.2009

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate: Review Haiku


Sparkly character
and writing with verve make up
for been-done story.


The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. Holt, 2009, 340 pages.

7.15.2009

The Last Olympian: Review Haiku


BANG CRASH MONSTERS ZING
BATTLE BATTLE BATTLE CRASH
PROPHECY KISS HER.


The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson series) by Rick Riordan. Hyperion, 2009, 400 pages.

7.13.2009

Along for the Ride: Review Haiku


Smart girl learns to get
back on the bike. Queen of Teen
pens another gem.


Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. Viking, 2009, 383 pages.

7.10.2009

Also Known as Harper: Review Haiku


Hard-luck kids with hearts
of gold, saved by harder-luck
grownups. Affecting.


Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal. Holt, 2009, 246 pages.

7.09.2009

Sweet Home Chicago: ALA Bound

I'm off this morning avec bebes to Chicago, for the 2009 ALA Annual Convention. If you're at McCormick, too, I'll be in Booth #1627.* Please stop by and say hello!

*Assuming, of course, that I have not murdered the children and/or spontaneously combusted after flying with them, alone, again.

7.08.2009

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love: Review Haiku


Stellar example
of message without message-
heavy. Loved, loved, loved.


Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love by Lauren Tarshis. Dial, 2009, 169 pages.

7.06.2009

The Red Blazer Girls: Review Haiku


Dizzy, breezy, easy
mystery: a good beach
read for preteen girls.


The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil. Knopf, 2009, 300 pages.

7.03.2009

7.01.2009

The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet: Review Haiku


Truly original,
truly bizarre -- and wormholes
in my hometown!


The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larson. Penguin, 2009, 375 pages.