Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney ★★★★☆

The sort of book that makes me giggle.

Fiction – Juvenile

Age Range: 7 and up

217 pages

Publication Date: January 1st 2001

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1

Literary awards:Borders Original Voices Award for YA or Independent Reader (2007), West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Younger Readers (2009), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2009), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2008)

The quest for easy popularity is never as simple as it should be just ask Greg Heffley.   Pouring out his hilarious troubles with words and drawings into a journal, Greg shares the ups and downs of middle school for the small and weak.  With his side kick, Rowley, Greg muddles through the perils of middle school, until Rowley manages to get the elusive notoriety Greg wants and leaves Greg behind.

When I first started looking into this book to read there were a range of opinions from people who loved it – usually kids- to people who hated and could barely tolerate it – mostly adults and parent.  Personally I found Greg likeable, in the sense I don’t have anything to do with him and thus can appreciate his antics without having to deal without the inevitable consequence.  Sure he is a bit snarky, self-centered and impulsive but he’s also fun; basically he’s a regular middle school boy.  Maybe it is my middle school sense of humor, but I tend to like smart asses and have a special place in my heart for the class clown and the pursuit of trying to fit in. 

I loved the journal format and stick drawings and the fact that it was a fun book about everyday life, which almost anyone can relate too.  I giggled my way through this book and thoroughly made a fool of myself in front of people at the doctor’s office, mechanics and basically anywhere I bothered to read it, and even my husband couldn’t help but ask every five minutes what was so funny.  Unfortunately, I could never quite relate the genius of this book to others; I guess it’s just something you have to read for yourself. 

Even if you can’t like it as an adult, it’s easy to understand why middle schoolers love it, do not deny them the pleasure of reading this book.

ISBN  0810993139 (ISBN13: 9780810993136)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith ★★★★☆

A Well Done Enthralling Story!

Fiction – Alternative History - Paranormal

433 pages

Publication Date:  March 2, 2010

Literary awards: Goodreads Choice Nominee for Paranormal Fantasy (2010)

This is the "true" story of Abraham Lincoln's life as gathered from his very secret journal.  Seth Grahame-Smith give the first look into the role vampires played in shaping Abraham Lincoln the man; from the death of his beloved mother caused by vampires to his fight against slavery - a vampire enterprise - and finally the confrontation with the whole of the United State's future hanging in the the balance during the Civil War.

While not an action packed adventure story Grahame-Smith does a superbly well done biography, completely comparable to other actually real biographies.  I originally expected something a bit more campy or even some tongue and cheek, but this book takes itself seriously without being pretentious.  The story was enthralling and carried me along with it at a very good pace.

The intro gives the book an air of authenticity and sets the believable tone.  I found the intro to be very comfortable and homie and the narrator someone I could actually know in real life.  While the exquisite detail in the story reinforces it’s validity.  The character Henry was incredibly fascinating and I liked the introduction of Edgar Allen Poe.  I didn’t find Abe very likeable at the beginning with his ridiculous pride and endless search for vengeance, but as the story progressed I became so engrossed in his life that I couldn’t help but understand him.

Okay now a couple of minor complaints.  I must confess on occasion the foray into someone’s thoughts during the writing was a bit jarring and the dream sequences did push me out of the storybook world and broke the reality at times.  Likewise, I was a little disappointed with the last couple of chapters; they didn’t seem to measure up to the quality of the rest of the book.  While I found the sequence of events plausible, the writing was harder to follow than it should have been.   I also really would have liked to see a scene between the author and Henry at the end when he turned over the manuscript.  I was invested in the author – it was his story that first made the Lincoln story feel real – and I just didn’t get the payout I felt would have been pretty easy to achieve.  My displeasure in the ending, however, could in no way overshadow the book as a whole.   It was pretty great and fairly comparable to a majority of the “factual” biographies I have read. 

Now I am on the hunt for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of the Jane Austen novels – talk about hilarious -, but I am really interested in seeing what Seth Grahame-Smith has to contribute to it.

ISBN  0446563080 (ISBN13: 9780446563086)

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket ★★★☆☆

Different than the everyday happily-ever-after story, but in a good way.

Fiction – Juvenile

Age Range: 8 and up

176 pages

Publication Date: 1999

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1

Literary awards: Nene Award (2003), Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book for Children's Literature (2001)

 

This is the unhappy story of the Baudelaire’s; Violet, the family inventor, Klaus, the family brain and Sunny, the family biter.  After a fire leaves them orphaned they were put into the care of the horrible Count Olaf, who only wants the fortune left to the Baudelaire orphans by their parents.  Violet, Klaus and Sunny must find a way to stop the Count’s dastardly or face the fatal consequences.   But be warned there is no happy ending.

I liked the voice of the narrator enormously and the difference from the everyday happily-ever-after type of story.  The story was very interesting and easy to get through.  The narrator’s direct interaction with me as the reader was a treat and though he used words rather sparingly he made the characters very vivid for me.  The simple, non-flowery style of writing fit the story incredibly well, in a way I would not have expected before reading this book, and I would think very appropriate for a Juvenile reader.  The writing style actually kind of reminded me of C.S. Lewis from the Chronicles of Narnia.  C.S. Lewis wove together magical epic tales in his books, but the details were very sparse and left up to the imagination of the reader to fill in.

ISBN  0439206472 (ISBN13: 9780439206471)