9.28.2012

The One and Only Ivan: Review Haiku

A third Newbery
contender throws his simian
hat in the ring.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Harper, 2012, 320 pages.

9.26.2012

Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny: Review Haiku

You're even reading
this review in Garrison
Keillor's voice, aren't you.

Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny by Garrison Keillor. Penguin, 2012, 224 pages.

9.24.2012

Friends with Boys: Review Haiku

Fine line between
reality and fantasy --
just like age fourteen.

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks. First Second, 2012, 224 pages.

9.21.2012

Gone Girl: Review Haiku

HOLY HELL THESE PEOPLE
ARE INSANE. Edge-of-your-seat
summer reading.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Crown, 2012, 432 pages.

9.19.2012

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: Review Haiku

I wish I had her
sanguine attitude on life,
but I'm not there yet.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir by Anna Quindlen. Random, 2012, 208 pages.

9.17.2012

Tessa Masterson WILL Go to Prom: Review Haiku

Well-drawn characters
make topical drama resonate
more strongly.

Tessa Masterson WILL Go to Prom by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin. Walker, 2012, 272 pages.

9.14.2012

The Difference Between You and Me: Review Haiku

I would've cared more
if either of the girls were
at all likable. 

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George. Viking, 2012,

9.12.2012

Reunited: Review Haiku

Three girls, one van, a
million tiny slights make for
one awkward road trip.

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham. S&S, 2012, 336 pages.

9.10.2012

Keeping the Castle: Review Haiku

Pride and Prejudice
for middle graders (YAs
just read the real one).

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl. Viking, 2012, 272 pages.

9.07.2012

The Storytelling Animal: Review Haiku

Pop social science
asserts we're all raconteurs
at heart. Good quick read.

The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall. HMH, 2012, 272 pages.

9.05.2012

The Red House: Review Haiku

Stream-of-consciousness
look at family dysfunction
on vacation.

The Red House by Mark Haddon. Doubleday, 2012, 272 pages.

9.03.2012

The Bad Apple: Review Haiku

Just in time for back-to-school:
mayhem with a killer
twist at the end.

The Bad Apple (Merits of Mischief #1) by T. R. Burns. S&S, 2012, 352 pages.