Three Mini Reviews

If you've been keeping up, you may know that I've gone on a recent reading blitz to get to 100 books for the year. And it's actually been going quite well! It may actually happen... maybe.

Anyway, instead of doing real reviews on these recent books, I thought I'd do the mini version. Which is more than the extreme mini reviews, but less than the regular. Make sense?

Book: The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren by Wendy Toliver
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: B+
For: Fun, and to Support Local Authors
From: Bought it.

A very fluff sort of read about a girl who goes from plain Jane-ish to knock dead gorgeous when she turns 16. She also has powers, and can manipulate people into doing whatever she wants them to do. But she learns, of course, that this is not really very rewarding in the end, and that liked for herself is a much better thing.

Bottom line: I enjoyed it.

Book: The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
Genre: MG Historical Fiction
Rating: A
For: Fun
From: Bought it at the book fair.

This is the fabulous story of a boy who is forced to spend time with his teacher on Wednesday afternoons while the rest of his classmates go to their various religious activities. The projects she comes up with and the things he learns are priceless. Set to the backdrop of the Vietnam War and hippy movement, this is a wonderful look the influence of teachers. Also, the importance of parents in a kid's life. Sheesh, this kid has some crappy parents. That really hit a nerve for me.

Bottom line: I loved it!

Book: The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
Genre: YA
Rating: A
For: Fun and Support Local Authors
From: Bought it!

Yet another poignant, sad, frustrating, gut-wrenching, terrifying look at what life may/might/is like in a polygamous group. A young girl is chosen to be the seventh wife of one of the leaders. She refuses to go. She tries to run away. Her family is threatened. The boy she loves disappears. It's a sad sad story. It's very similar to Hidden Wives, which I read awhile back, but without the jabs at a certain religion!

Bottom line: I loved the writing. The story, it's too hard a subject to really "love" if you know what I mean.


More mini reviews to come! Stay tuned!