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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

The Red House: Review Haiku

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

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

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.

Pardon the Interruption

Those of you (those, er, seven of you) who check this blog regularly may have noticed that it was monkey broken all week. This was not a gremlin attack, but rather the consequences of my switching domain hosts (and, er, not actually knowing as much about switching domain hosts as I thought I did. Thanks, dreamhost.com, for fixing my stupid!).

So. All is well, I am back, and I promise I will never muck about with the back end again. (Heh heh. I am twelve.)

Bitterblue: Review Haiku

Brilliant world-building
from a master of the form.
(Plus, NBD gays!)

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. Dial, 2012, 576 pages.

Wild: Review Haiku

Just realistic
enough to keep from giving
me any ideas.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Knopf, 2012, 336 pages.

Bink and Gollie, Two for One: Review Haiku

Our fave hyperliterate
duo calls shenanigans
on carnies.

Bink and Gollie: Two for One by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile. Candlewick, 2012, 96 pages.

The Red Book: Review Haiku

Loved it, but wonder
if/how it resonates with
non-H-bomb-droppers.

The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan. Hyperion, 2012, 368 pages.

Popularity Papers 4: Review Haiku

Our heroes learn that
sometimes, families suck. But sometimes,
families rock, too.

The Popularity Papers 4: The Rocky Road Trip of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow. Amulet, 2012, 208 pages.

Man Made: Review Haiku

Self-professed wimp tries
fire fighting, cage matches
to impress infant son.

Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity by Joel Stein. Grand Central, 2012, 304 pages.

Three Times Lucky: Review Haiku

And now Wonder has
competition: pulls at the
hard-luck-South heartstrings.

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage. Dial, 2012, 256 pages.

An Accidental Athlete: Review Haiku

Yes! A kindred spirit
in Running Really Slowly
and Hating It!

An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age by John "The Penguin" Bingham. VeloPress, 2011, 216 pages.

Freshman: Review Haiku

Ah, freshman year -- when
everything is CRUCIAL but
nothing is at stake.

Freshman: Tales of 9th-Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other Nonsense by Corrine Mucha. Zest, 2011, 112 pages.

Still: Review Haiku

Compelling, frustrating,
joyful, sad, and hopeful --
kinda just like God.


Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren Winner. HarperOne, 2012, 272 pages.

Great by Choice: Review Haiku

Smart props to cautious
leaders, and then 200
pages of filler.

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck -- Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen. Harper, 2011, 320 pages.

Girl Walks Into a Bar: Review Haiku

I heart you, Rachel Dratch,
for being normal and awesome.
*sad trombone*


Girl Walks Into a Bar: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle by Rachel Dratch. Gotham, 2012, 272 pages.