Tween Tuesday (4) - Everything For A Dog by Ann M. Martin

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme created by GreenBeanTeenQueen, one of my favorite blogs. Surprise, surprise - it features books aimed at Tweens.


Everything For A Dog by Ann M. Martin

Summary


In this companion to her acclaimed 2005 novel, A Dog’s Life, Ann M. Martin tells the parallel stories of a stray dog (the brother of the dog featured in A Dog’s Life), a boy dealing with unspeakable loss, and a boy whose most ardent wish is to own a dog—and everything for a dog.

Bone and his sister, Squirrel, are stray dogs born in a shed. Left motherless as puppies, the two dogs survive together for a while, but are soon wrenched apart. Bone doesn’t know if his sister is still alive, and must now go on, alone.

Charlie is a boy who has suffered a terrible loss. And, as he’s healing with the help of his dog, another tragedy occurs.

Henry’s best friend has moved away. All Henry has wanted is a dog of his own. But his parents won’t let him.

Bone, Charlie, and Henry live very different lives, but they are fated to intersect in surprising ways. Award-winning author Ann M. Martin has written a powerful, heartfelt novel that’s perfect for anyone who has ever longed for a dog, or loved one. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Ann M. Martin branched out after finishing the Babysitter's Club. She's written free-standing novels (including a Newberry Honor Award winner) and a new series (Main Street). Several years ago she wrote two books featuring stray dogs as middle characters. This is the companion novel to A Dog's Life, but it's not necessary to read the first book. This is more of a children's read than a middle grade read, but because the some of the subject matter is disturbing, it may be best handled by kids approaching the tween years.

We met Bone, Squirrel's brother, briefly in A Dog's Life. He is the main dog of Everything for a Dog. Unlike A Dog's Life, this book is not told entirely from a dog's perspective. The book shifts between Bone and two boys, Charlie and Henry as narrators. Bone's life is difficult but not as miserable as most of Squirrel's life. We see him in homes and also as a stray. We also learn about Charlie and Henry, two lonely boys. Charlie is dealing with the death of his older brother and turns to his brother's dog for comfort. Henry's best friend just moved away and he focuses his energy on convincing his parents to allow him to get a dog. The three narrators came together in a way I didn't expect. I really enjoyed the ending.

The book is designed to be fairly timeless. From the descriptions of Henry's and Charlie's home lives, I thought they grew up in the 50s but then things like e-mail were randomly mentioned I loved Martin's descriptions of the boys' hobbies and games. Full of outside playtime and imagination that kids today should do more of. 

Some children may be disturbed by portions of this book. Possibly troublesome topics include a child's death (descriptively told), depression, and animal cruelty. Also much of the book is rather depressing - you have an unhappy dog and two unhappy boys. That doesn't mean it's a bad book - it was a great read - but some people might be turned off by the atmospherics.

Rating: 4 / 5

Manga Monday (5): Peach Girl vol. 1 by Miwa Ueda

Check out my Eclipse Movie Companion book giveaway!


Peach Girl vol. 1 by Miwa Ueda

Summary

It's not easy being beautiful. The envy, the jealousy, the vicious rumors spread by your best friend. That's life for young Momo. While everyone thinks that Momo is a wild party girl, the reality is that she is shy and honest. Can Momo confess her love to her classmate Toji, or will her best friend Sae steal him away. It's a bittersweet drama of growing up and fitting in that will charm girls everywhere. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Peach Girl was not my thing. Poor Momo tries to be a nice, normal girl. Just because she's really pretty, tans easily, and has naturally bleached hair, everyone thinks she's "easy." What's worse is that Momo's only friend is really her worst enemy. Sae spreads horrible rumors about Momo and constantly tries to snatch for herself anything that Momo wants, whether it's clothes or boys. What Momo really wants is a relationship with her longtime friend Toji. She's too shy to confess that she's in love with him and also too scared that Sae will steal him away. What can she do?

This book just seemed too superficial to me. Every page was the same. The boys think she'll have sex with them. Sae is mean to her. That's it. 

Momo has a tiny bit of growth during the book - she tries to stick up for herself but she just seems to get knocked down again. Perhaps future volumes have more substance to them, but this first volume doesn't tempt me to try future ones.

Has anyone read other volumes? Does the series get better?

Rating: 2 / 5

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Check out my Eclipse Giveaway!

Eclipse Movie: I saw the movie on Friday night. Really liked it. But I'm holding off on my review for a few more days. I had some issues with Twilight and New Moon the first time I saw the movies. I had to get beyond the movie that played in my head and accept the movie that was. I think the same thing is true of Eclipse. I need to see it again to fully form my opinion. I'm planning to go see it again tomorrow - at IMAX! I will post my review by Wednesday.

My Weekly Library Stash:

As usual, I went to the library to get one or two books and ended up with five. But I think I can finish them all.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (so excited about this one - I've wanted to read it for months; I'm already 100 pages in and it's a page-turner)

Reality Check by Jen Calonita (I'm a big Jen C fan, so can't wait for this)

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (heard lots of good things)

Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick (2nd in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series)

Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French (Steph Su Reads posted a great review for this)

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

Summary


In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion. 
Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood... life before she became a vampire. 
All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has few certainties and even fewer rules: watch your back, don't draw attention to yourself and, above all, make it home by sunrise or die. What she doesn't know: her time as an immortal is quickly running out. 
Then Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree about their mysterious creator, whom they know only as "her". As they come to realize that the newborns are pawns in a game larger than anything they could have imagined, Bree and Diego must choose sides and decide whom to trus. But when everything you know about vampires is based on a lie, how do you find the truth? (courtesy of Goodreads)


Review


The new Bree Tanner book is a great addition to Stephenie's vampire canon. If you're a fan of the Twilight books, you'll love Bree's novella. But I don't think this book will make Twi-haters fans of the series. And if you haven't read the books yet, you'll just be confused. 

The book starts out about a week before the big fight with the Cullens and wolves. Bree is 3 months old. She's living in an old house with 20 young vampires who generally would rather fight and hunt than think. Bree is both different and the same. She has constant thirst and feels no compassion for the stupid, ignorant humans she kills. She is a very typical newborn vampire. But she's not a fighter. Bree spent her human life hiding from her abusive father; as a vampire, she also learns useful ways to stay low. Unlike most of her "colleagues," she thinks and questions - Why are we here? Is Riley telling us the truth about anything? As she and her newfound friend/soulmate Diego question more about their lives, things start to happen very quickly and with great consequences. 

The cast of characters in the novella are great. Diego, Bree's soul-mate, is also quiet and thoughtful; he's older than the others, more independent, and trusted by Riley. I liked him as a character and thought he was wonderful with Bree, but he wasn't around long enough for me to develop any personal feelings toward him. Most of the other vampires - Raoul, Kristen, Kevin, and the blonde guy were just mindless idiots. Freaky Fred was fascinating. He has a unique vampire talent. I'd love to know more about him. We learn more about Riley in Eclipse. In the novella, I pity him a very tiny bit but hate him a lot more. He's cruel and arrogant toward the newborns, treating them more like animals than former humans. But he's also misled, used, and betrayed by Victoria. Victoria is another character explored in more depth.  She is much more evil than I ever thought. Even the Volturi make an interesting appearance. At least now I understand why the movie trailers feature them prominently. 

I particularly loved Bree's interaction with the Cullens, particularly Jasper and Carlisle. We get to see all the Cullens in their true vampire forms. But I learned more about Jasper and Carlisle's characters. There wasn't anything that changed my impression of them, but it's just helpful to see them from a different viewpoint. 

The Bree Tanner novella is a fascinating portrayal of "normal" vampires. It was easier to relate the way Stephenie's vampires see the world. Stephenie did say that Bella would have been much like Bree if she didn't go into being a vampire with as much knowledge. It gives me even greater admiration for the Cullens' lifestyle choice, since I understand more how difficult it is. 

Bree's second life was short and painful, but in an odd way more fulfilling and happy than her entire first life.


Rating: 5 / 5 (probably deserves a 5, but regardless, all Twilight books get a 5 from me)

Eclipse Movie Companion Giveaway!

It's time for my first giveaway!

In honor of Week o' Twilight, I'm giving away the Twilight Saga Eclipse: Official Illustrated Movie Companion. Plus a Twilight Collector's beaded bookmark!

Summary


Explore the making of the film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse in this ultimate visual companion, lavishly illustrated with full-color photos of the cast, locations, and sets. This beautiful paperback edition celebrates the onscreen creation of Stephenie Meyer's fascinating world, brought to life by critically acclaimed director David Slade.

With never-before-seen images, exclusive interviews and personal stories, renowned author Mark Cotta Vaz takes you behind the scenes with cast and crew, uncovering intimate details of the filmmaking process. (courtesy of Amazon)

Blog Hop Time

It's time for the weekly book blogger hops again! A great opportunity to meet new bloggers and say hi to old favorites.

Check out the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Crazy For Books. 

Here's the question of the week: What's your name and why did you start blogging?

I'm Alison. My blog is quite new. I hit the 1 month mark on July 4. I am a huge fan of blogs. Until recently, most of the blogs I read were focused on cooking and fitness (I'm a real health nut). I discovered the YA book blogging community around the beginning of this year and started following several blogs. I really enjoyed the community and the idea of writing detailed book reviews. I started posting reviews on Amazon but wanted something more. This blog is a chance to share my love of books and make new friends with similar interests.

I'm also a huge Twilight fan. This is such an exciting week. I'm going to see Eclipse tomorrow! I can hardly wait!

On my blog, I've been doing a whole week of Twilight related posts. Check them out!

And also check out Parajunkee's Follow My Book Blog Friday

Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Re-Read Review



Summary

Bella must choose between her friendship with Jacob, a werewolf, and her relationship with Edward, a vampire, but when Seattle is ravaged by a mysterious string of killings, the three of them need to decide whether their personal lives are more important than the well-being of an entire city (courtesy of Goodreads).

(Spoilers: I'm assuming you've already read the book)


Review

The first (and second) time I read through the Twilight Saga, Eclipse was my favorite book. So I've been extra excited for this re-read and to see the movie. As the book began this time, though, I was doubting its first place status. Edward is displaying the worst side of himself - the reason so many people justify hating Twilight. He's possessive, over-protective, and patronizing. Bella is forbidden to see Jacob because he's a werewolf or do anything Edward deems dangerous. Granted, Edward understands werewolf nature much better than Bella, but a boyfriend should never forbid a girl to see someone. That's behavior I can't condone. He also treats Bella like a little kid - filling out college applications, not telling her about Victoria's visit to Forks. He certainly has his reasons: he has a lot more life experience, he is thinking about Bella's future, and he is trying to protect Bella from getting hurt. But a girl dates her friend, not her father; patronizing behavior does not help a relationship.

I was pleased to see Bella fight back more than I recalled. She still forgave Edward and Jacob too often for fairly unforgivable things (such as Jacob forcing himself on her). But Bella recognized that she should decide who she spends time with. So when Edward kept her from seeing Jacob, she snuck out to meet him. When Jacob tried to push their relationship too far, she made her intentions and feelings clear (well...until she didn't). In between the selfless focus on other's happiness, Bella portrays more spunk and personality in Eclipse than in other books.

But enough of Bella's good side...at a lot of points, especially toward the end, I wanted to slap her. I hated that she made Edward stay behind. So selfish - although she at least had the insight to recognize her own selfishness. Even though Edward's presence ended up being necessary to protect Bella from Victoria and Riley, it was horrible to force him to abandon his family.

Thankfully, after 150 painful pages or so, I remembered why this is my favorite book. The Cullens. I loved reading Rosalie's story. In other books we just see Rosalie as vain and mean. Now we understand her antagonism toward Bella. She's mature and reflective of her own faults when telling Bella about why she became a vampire (except for giggling over seven cold-blooded murders). She's a much more three-dimensional person in Eclipse. Jasper's back-story was even more fascinating. Stephenie's creation of the Mexican vampire wars adds to the already rich vampire mythology she creates. We understand better just how dangerous vampires can be. And we also understand that Jasper is more than just following Alice; he has his own reasons for embracing the Cullen lifestyle.

The fight training and fight scenes are fabulous. Those are the parts that I randomly read. I love seeing the Cullens actually be vampires. I cannot wait to see this portrayed on screen. As descriptively as Stephenie writes these scenes, it's still hard to visualize. And the tent scene! We really see a contrast between Edward's calm, mature personality and Jacob's more volatile, young personality. I felt like I got to know Edward better through this scene; it was like having a mini Midnight Sun. The scenes with the wolfpack were also interesting. Not as interesting to me, since I'm extremely biased toward the Cullens, but it adds another layer to the story. The Quileute legends help explain the werewolves' creation and with the Third Wife story and gives Bella her own misguided idea of how she can help fight. I also understood the love triangle better than in previous reads. I don't think I ever really realized that Bella was actually in love with both Jacob and Edward. It's pretty hard to miss, but somehow I did. By the end of the book, I could clearly see how Bella loved Jacob and how hard but necessary it was to break his heart. I like that Bella got a glimpse of what her life could have been like with Jacob - children running around, parents present, not quite as many burdens and secrets. Luckily it all works out for the best, but at the time, those were things Bella really needed to understand she was giving up.

Eclipse remains my favorite book of the series. It has the most content, the most action, the most page time with the Cullen family. It clearly lays out each characters' flaws, creating three-dimensional people. But most importantly, when I read Eclipse, the world disappears around me. My entire world becomes defined by the vampires, werewolves, and humans in Forks, Washington. And that, to me, is the measure of a great book.

Rating: 5 / 5