Enchantment

by Orson Scott Card, 419 pages

This retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty starts with a young boy whose parents are making arrangements to flee the communist Soviet Union.  Prior to their escape, they stay with a cousin in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, where ten-year-old Ivan stumbles across a hidden chasm in the forest.  It is here that he sees (or thinks he sees) the image of a woman lying on a pedestal covered by leaves and guarded by a monster.  This image haunts him throughout his life, and eventually as a grad student working on his dissertation, draws him back to the chasm in the woods.

This was a wonderfully imaginative retelling blending classic lore with historical details.  The characters are beautifully drawn and the plot is fresh and flows seamlessly between modern and medieval times.  This is a great pick for anyone who loves a good story with a little magic.

Smokin' Seventeen

by Janet Evanovich, 308 pages

Dead bodies start showing up in the burned out lot where the bail bonds office used to be.  Stephanie and crew are working out of Mooner's mobile home. Morelli's Grandma Bella has put the eye on Stephanie, and Stephanie's own mother, fed up with her lack of commitment to the men in her life, has decided to fix her up with an old high school classmate. Add to that an FTA who thinks he's a vampire and a dancing bear, and Stephanie's life is just a little too interesting for comfort.

Smokin' Seventeen was an entertaining read with a few funny moments, but not the best Stephanie Plum book I've read.  For one thing, it was pretty obvious from the start who the killer was- obvious to the point that it seemed odd that it took Stephanie so long to figure things out.  Also, her relationships with Ranger and Morelli just seemed a bit off in this one.  I don't want to say too much and spoil things, but I'm not quite sure where Evanovich is heading with this one.  Maybe the next book will clear things up.

Lost and Found

by Shaun Tan, 128p.

Three graphic stories by Shaun Tan.

While I wasn't as impressed by his writing, I really enjoyed the art.  Don't get me wrong - the stories were very inspirational, but not my cup of tea.  The visual stimulation, however, was superb. 

Astronaut Academy

by Dave Roman, 185 p.

I'll admit, I had a really hard time following this story.   I don't even want to grant this a whole blog posting...

It mainly consisted of short profiles about the main characters.

Meh.

Anna and the French Kiss

                                                 

 by Stephanie Perkins, 372 p.

When Anna's pretentious novelist father ships her off to high school in faraway Paris, she thinks her life is over.  She's leaving behind her best friend, baby brother, and the guy she has been dreaming about all summer.  Despite the fact that she doesn't want to be there, Paris holds some pretty amazing surprises for Anna - some that she will definitely never forget!

This book was amazing.  When it first came out, I really didn't think I wanted to read it (I mean, have you seen the cheeziness that is the cover?) but I was sorely mistaken.  This is one of the best teen novels I've read in a long time.  Kudos, Stephanie Perkins!  I can't wait for more!

July's challenge...what you need to know to win!

Jenny reads an average of 43.6 books in a month. This averages out to be 9307.2 pages. Let us pause for a moment of silent reflection and awe...

OK! Now that we've paid homage to the all mighty Jenny-let's crush her!!! Let the battle cries begin! Thump your chest and put on your war paint because we've got ourselves a competition.

This is Sparta!!!!! errr, not really, but you know.

Just incase you're feeling a little bad before battle, this is a Jenny approved challenge! :) 

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Ummm, I liked this book but I wonder how many children of Newbery reading age will think it's the "best book I've read in ages" as Patricia Reilly Giff apparently said.  (Her words are on the cover of my copy.)  It's good to see someone so geographically close to us win a Newbery award and it's cool that she mentions Joplin quite frequently and Springfield on occasion and maybe I read it too quickly.  I did like the story of a young girl who's wandering father sends her to Manifest, Kansas.  I liked her relationships with the town's various characters and I'm kind of a sucker for kids who've had it tough, but it felt a bit forced to me.  Still, I'm glad I read it and hope others will, too.  Don't kill me for not raving my love!
Kim F