Rory the Dinosaur: Me and My Dad: A Picture Book Review

Posted on by missprint

Rory the Dinosaur: Me and My Dad by Liz ClimoRory is an energetic dinosaur who lives on an island with his father in Rory the Dinosaur: Me and My Dad (2015) by Liz Climo.

When Rory’s dad needs quiet time, Rory sets out to find some adventures all by himself. Little does he know, Dad is there every step of the way to make sure that nothing goes wrong.

Bright, bold colors and clean lines help bring these whimsical characters (previously seen in Climo’s comic Tumblr and her book The Little World of Liz Climo) to life.

Climo’s hand lettering lends a folksy quality to the otherwise sleek style of her digital artwork. Ample white space on each page and small pieces of text make this a read-aloud option with broad appeal. An excellent addition for most collections.

*A more condensed version of this review appeared in an issue of School Library Journal from which it can be seen on various sites online*

Week in Review: June 28

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missprintweekreviewThis week on the blog you can check out:

This week was pretty quiet blog-wise which sometimes happen when I pre-schedule because I forget to lay in other content. Oops!

After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo I started putting what I read in to practice. Last Sunday I did my tops and got rid of about half of them. I might still get rid of more. I’m trying to decide if a shirt can “spark joy” while still being kind of uncomfortable to wear. (I think I know the answer but I also feel like I need to own as many black shirts as humanly possible, you know?) Other interesting discoveries: I hoard hangers when I am anxious and overbuy them for fear of running out. (I do the same thing with sticks of butter. I don’t know why.)

Next up will be pants/skirts but not sure when yet. Ideally I want to tackle one category (or most of one category) every weekend until I’m done but working weekends sometimes get in the way.

Anyway.

This was a really fun mail week. (Like, I love getting mail to the point that I watch other people at work open their packages and volunteered to open unclaimed boxes. AND I NEVER GET THIS MUCH MAIL! OMG!)

I also took this amazing (if I do say so myself) picture of the Empire State Building this week:

https://instagram.com/p/4SO1d5QDgg/

I wrote a short story that I thought would be about a dreamy boy but it totally isn’t.

This week I read The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope a classic which embarrassingly slipped my notice as a kid/teen and started Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman (yay Western! but I’m not sure about the portrayal of Native people in it–maybe in that respect Westerns just shouldn’t happen anymore, I don’t know) and Consent by Nancy Ohlin (I already have pages of questions/notes so I’m not sure how I feel yet).

I’ve been feeling really, really stressed by all of the reading challenges I signed up for on top of my Goodreads one. After much deliberation, I decided the stress isn’t worth it so I’m withdrawing from everything but my Goodreads challenge which I will meet regardless. I know I will read fantasy books anyway, I know I will read more the 365 days of YA anyway, and I hope I might finish some series but the actual tracking is just overwhelming right now.

If you want to see how my month in reading is shaking out be sure to check out my June Reading Tracker.

How was your week?

Dove Arising: A Review

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Dove Arising by Karen BaoPhaet Theta has lived in Base IV of a colony on the moon for all of her fifteen years. Despite her name sounding like “fate,” she doesn’t put much stock in destiny. Phaet knows there is no room for a larger, grander life within the oppressive rules and regulations issued by the Standing Council keep residents safe.

There is no room for defiance or even annoyance when the colony’s militia could be listening anywhere.

That also means Phaet’s mother can be detained at a moment’s notice leaving Phaet in charge of her two younger siblings and unsure how she can keep any of them out of the colony’s horrifying Shelter division.

With no other options, Phaet quickly abandons her dreams of scientific study to join the militia in hopes of earning enough money to cover her mother’s medical bills and her family’s expenses. All Phaet needs to do is survive training and earn enough money for her family. Simple. At least until everything Phaet thought she knew turns out to be very wrong in Dove Arising (2015) by Karen Bao.

Dove Arising is Bao’s first novel and the start of a projected trilogy.

Dove Arising starts with a fascinating setting. The moon colony is filled with new technology as well as a detailed history, details of which come in the form of exposition delivered as clunky asides throughout the narrative. While the information is often crucial to the story it is also often a distraction from the plot.

While not truly derivative, it’s impossible to read Dove Arising without drawing parallels to other big name dystopian novels. Readers who are fond of plots involving training and initiation, conspiracies and possibly corrupt regimes, will definitely want to pick up Dove Arising. Readers looking for a purely sci-fi novel might be better served elsewhere.

Phaet is withdrawn and quiet. Introspective and rational to a fault, she is an interesting narrator in that she is often a bystander in her own life. Bao expertly demonstrates Phaet’s growth as she learns to fight her own battles during training–her first time without best friend Umbriel to do the talking for her.

Dove Arising is an interesting sci-fi novel with a diverse and varied cast of characters. Although they never quite come together in Dove Arising, all of the pieces are here for a strong and wildly popular series. These strengths combined with a game-changing ending that will leave readers eager for the next installment make Dove Arising a promising start to a new series.

Possible Pairings: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, Legend by Marie Lu, Breaking Sky by Cori McCarthy, Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer and Douglas Holgate, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Divergent by Veronica Roth

Split Second: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review

Posted on by missprint

*Split Second is the second book in West’s Pivot Point duology which begins with Pivot Point. As such this review contains major spoilers for book one!*

Split Second by Kasie WestEverything changes the moment Addie chose to stay with her mother after her parents’ divorce. Staying on the Compound is familiar. The Compound gives her the support she needs to advance and train her psychic ability to Search different outcomes for every decision she makes. Not to mention it has advanced technology the likes of which the Norm world can’t imagine.

Addie knows she stayed for a reason. Why else would a path where her boyfriend manipulated both Addie and her best friend Laila be the best option? The problem is she still isn’t sure why because she also asked Laila to erase Addie’s memories of the Search.

Laila, meanwhile, knows she can restore Addie’s memories. She just needs to learn how first. She knows Connor–a boy at school known for selling contraband tech–will be able to help. Unfortunately, Laila did not realize that he might be the only guy on the Compound immune to her charms and manipulation tactics.

When Addie goes to Texas to visit her Dad, she expects to have a quiet six weeks of relaxing and solitude. That changes when she meets Trevor who seems achingly familiar even though Addie barely knows him.

Together Addie and Laila have all of the pieces to restore Addie’s memories and unearth a much bigger secret. But only if they figure out how to put all of the information together before it’s too late in Split Second (2014) by Kasie West.

Split Second is the sequel/companion novel to West’s debut novel Pivot Point.

Split Second picks up one week after the events from Pivot Point play out. Given the nature of the stories, Split Second does function in many ways as a standalone however a lot of the emotional resonance will be lost without reading Pivot Point.

While Addie is dealing with the fallout from Duke’s lies and tricks, Laila is grappling with guilt over her (unintentional) role. Laila also has a letter Addie wrote asking her to restore Addie’s lost memories and no idea where to start.

The story unfolds in chapters alternating between Addie and Laila’s first person narration (each labeled with texts written to each other). West handles the overlap and convergence of the two plots expertly to make for one cohesive novel.

After meeting Laila in Pivot Point, it is great to see more of her story in Split Second. Laila is often calculating and even ruthless when it comes to protecting people she cares about. But she is also loyal to a fault with hidden depths. Laila always projects an effortless confidence that is delightful to behold.

While Addie rediscovers Trevor in Texas, Laila is left on the Compound where she finds Connor. Connor’s introspection and calm is a perfect counterpoint to Laila’s bravado and extrovert personality. Both characters have a lot of secrets and make conscious choices in what they present to the world and what they choose to protect. Their changing dynamic adds a great element of both humor and sweetness to Split Second.

Split Second is another fantastic sci-fi adventure complete with not one but two romances. West does a great job bring readers back to Addie and Trevor’s story while also introducing Laila and Connor. Although there are still a lot of questions (and many readers who would love to see more about these characters), Split Second is the perfect conclusion to a delightfully fun series.

Possible Pairings: Loop by Karen Akins, Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody, The Infinity of You & Me by J. Q. Coyle, Two Summers by Aimee Friedman, In Some Other World, Maybe by Shari Goldhagen, The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Hourglass by Myra McEntire, Parallel by Lauren Miller, Soulprint by Megan Miranda, Fair Coin by E. C. Myers, The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone, All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Charlie, Presumed Dead: A Review

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charliepresumedeadEveryone is going to miss Charlie. He’s young, handsome, rich and charming. A world-traveler who always knows the right thing to say and all the right people. It’s a tragedy when Charlie is presumed dead when his bloody jacket is found at the site of a shocking accident with no trace of a body left behind.

Charlie’s memorial service is filled with mourners despite the short notice–including Lena and Aubrey. Although the two girls have never met, they have one important thing in common: both of them are dating Charlie.

While Aubrey came to the memorial seeking closure and hoping to move on from her tumultuous year as Charlie’s girlfriend, Lena is certain that there is more to Charlie’s disappearance including clues that will lead them both on an international hunt for the truth.

Traveling from Paris to London, Mumbai, Kerala and Bangkok will teach Aubrey and Lena some hard truths about themselves and whether they can trust each other. Their trip will also reveal shocking truths about Charlie that are beyond anything they could have imagined in Charlie, Presumed Dead (2015) by Anne Heltzel.

Charlie, Presumed Dead is Heltzel’s first novel.

Lena and Aubrey are complete opposites with few reasons to trust each other and fewer reasons to like each other. Heltzel’s dual narration allows readers to understand more of each girl’s motivations as well as their secrets. Charlie, Presumed Dead is a tense thriller that will have readers questioning everything.

Charlie, Presumed Dead has a narrow focus on Lena and Aubrey as they unravel Charlie’s lies. What begins as a simple plot expands into a simultaneously creepy and surreal journey as their search is contrasted against vivid international locations inspired by the author’s own travels.

Filled with twists, jaw-dropping shocks and several genuinely scary moments, Charlie, Presumed Dead is a page-turning mystery guaranteed to keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Possible Pairings: Dial M for Murder by Marni Bates, Shift by Jennifer Bradbury, The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti, The Devil You Know by Trish Doller, Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu, Don’t You Trust Me? by Patrice Kindl, Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart, One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, After the Kiss by Terra McVoy, Pretending to Be Erica by Michelle Painchaud, Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty, I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield, Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan, Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes, Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma, Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

Week in Review: June 21

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missprintweekreviewThis week on the blog you can check out:

Lots of blog posts this week! I am probably most proud (by which I mean too proud) of my Jenny Han digital buttons. I don’t even know when I’ll have my review of P. S. I Still Love You written because I have so many feelings about that book.

This week was pretty quiet. I continued to play around with Instagram and also got some lovely pictures of flowers in my back area as they began to bloom.

https://instagram.com/p/4DJuJfwDuF/

I started this week thinking I was falling behind with books but at the end of the week I am feeling more on track with where I need to be for various obligations. This week I read P. S. I Still Love You, which, as my post this week suggests, was amazing and inspired an outpouring of love on my part. I tried to read The Heir but then I decided in my heart of hearts that I really didn’t need a continuation of the series. Currently I’m reading this beauty as per Nicole’s selection of my next book:

https://instagram.com/p/4FfqeCQDiU/

I am enjoying it a lot. I am a huge sucker for Sherlock reboots or remixes and this one does not disappoint.

Last week I also read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing which I picked up from my library. It was a super fast read and I am feeling really good about the prospect of it helping me get things under control. Hopefully I will be able to tackle one category every weekend until everything is under control! I doubt I’ll be talking to my belongings but I do like the idea of items having a purpose that doesn’t always involve being kept. I also am hoping I’ll be able to master her (not-entirely-well-described) folding technique to organize my drawers a bit more. I don’t have enough storage space to fold everything but if vertical storage really works I think it will help me make better sense of the spaces I do have.

I also decided to delete my Facebook profile (again) and just be done with it. I hate Facebook. I never end up actually reconnecting with anyone on Facebook in any meaningful way and it just makes me sad whenever I realize that. Also I only made this account to do things for the job I haven’t had for a whole, entire year so there’s just no reason to keep it.

Oh! And in case you missed it from my photo inserts, I’m on Instagram now as missprint_ let’s be friends!

If you want to see how my month in reading is shaking out be sure to check out my June Reading Tracker.

How was your week?

Vengeance Road Character Intros Roundup (and Book Trailer)!

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Vengeance Road Posse ButtonAs part of my official posse duties this week, I got to share a variety of character intros from Erin Bowman’s forthcoming Vengeance Road.

If you missed the intros earlier this week on Twitter, no worries, I’ve got you covered with links here!

Before you meet the characters, you can also check out the book trailer!

https://erinbowman.tumblr.com/post/121841958788/the-vengeance-road-book-trailer-was-revealed-on

Onward to character intros!

Kate Thompson: Disguised as a boy, Kate takes to the plains looking to avenge her father’s murder.

https://erinbowman.tumblr.com/post/121595880379/meet-the-cast-of-vengeance-road-1-of-5

Jesse and Will Colton: Always looking to earn an extra dollar, these cowboys work odd jobs across the territory.

https://erinbowman.tumblr.com/post/121679276801/meet-the-cast-of-vengeance-road-2-of-5

The Rose Riders: Led by the ruthless Waylan Rose, this infamous gang preys on Arizona’s stagecoach lines.

https://erinbowman.tumblr.com/post/121761797006/meet-the-cast-of-vengeance-road-3-of-5

Liluye: Separated from her tribe, this young Apache girl is anxious to reunite with her family.

https://erinbowman.tumblr.com/post/121843854778/meet-the-cast-of-vengeance-road-4-of-5

Jacob Waltz: A German immigrant and seasoned prospector, Waltz is trying his luck in the mountains east of Phoenix.

https://erinbowman.tumblr.com/post/121926654853/meet-the-cast-of-vengeance-road-5-of-5

So those are all of the characters we’ve met from Vengeance Road. Be sure to click around Erin’s links to find even more fun tidbits about the characters. I’m going to go listen to the sweet music from the book trailer again now!

#booksfortrade June 20 Edition

Posted on by missprint

Books are for trade or sale. (Sale is actually prefered as priority is getting books out of my hair rather than getting more books.)

You can see my wishlist here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/75857?shelf=wishlist or just feel free to tell me what you have.

If interested please email me at miss_print AT yahoo DOT com or hit me up on Twitter @miss_print

Unless otherwise stated all books are in new condition and unsigned.

I can only ship within the US.

Hardcovers are $6.00 each plus shipping ($4 media mail).

Paperbacks are $3.00 each plus shipping ($3 media mail).

If interested please email me at miss_print AT yahoo DOT com. First come, first served.

Hardcovers ($6.00 each):

Paperbacks ($3.00 each):

ARCS (for trade or free if you can cover shipping)

If interested please email me at miss_print AT yahoo DOT com.

High School Booktalks (Open Road Summer, The Screaming Staircase, All Our Yesterdays)

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Now that Summer Reading is approaching it’s time to start thinking about booktalks for outreach and class visits. I’m on the YA Steering Committee at my place of employ which means that I present booktalks at every Fall and Spring new books presentation.

This spring we highlighted books from the summer reading list for our library system (which I helped pick and am in love with. You can find the full list online. I helped pick the middle school and high school titles.) and went with a shorter format to talk about more books.

As always I pulled my booktalks from my reviews but this time I shortened them. It was an interesting exercise in seeing how much you can distill a plot summary (the answer is a lot!).

Feel free to use these to present to readers but PLEASE if you are posting them anywhere be sure to credit me and link back to this blog.

So here are the three books I presented:

Open Road Summer by Emery LordOpen Road Summer by Emery Lord: Reagan wants to leave her bad-news ex and her bad girl reputation behind. She just isn’t sure how to do that. Country music star Lilah Montgomery is embarking on her first major solo your–with best friend Reagan in tow. Their plans for a girls’ only summer are quickly derailed when Matt Finch joins the tour as Lilah’s opener. Between his clean-cut good lucks and enough snark to match Reagan barb for barb, Reagan knows her plans for a drama free (and boy free) summer are in big trouble. Over the course of one unforgettable summer Reagan will learn that best friends are forever, mistakes can be left behind, and sometimes love is worth the risk.

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan StroudThe Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co. Book 1): Unlike most psychic investigation agencies, Lockwood & Co. does not employ adult supervisors who can’t see ghosts anymore. Instead the agency is run jointly by its young operatives who can see ghosts: Anthony Lockwood, George Cubbins, and–often much to her own surprise–Lucy Carlyle. When their latest case ends with a burn down house and threats of legal action (despite the ghost being effectively removed), Lockwood & Co. is faced with the imminent failure of the agency. The trio has one option to keep the agency open: accept a case clearing the most haunted house in London of its malevolent spirits. Lockwood says the case should be easy, he says that a lot. But matters involving ghosts–and murder–are rarely simple matters as Lockwood & Co. is about to find out.

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin TerrillAll Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill: Em has tried everything she can thing of to prevent the completion of a time machine that will break the world. All of her attempts have failed, leaving Em with one last, terrible option: She has to kill the man who will build it. Marina has loved her science prodigy neighbor James since forever. More than she loves herself sometimes. After one disastrous night everything Marina thought she knew about James (and even herself) will be thrown into question as she scrambles to protect James at any cost. Em and Marina are on opposite sides in a race to protect time. Only one of them can come out alive.

 

 

High School Booktalks (The Brokenhearted, Proxy, The Scorpio Races, Unspoken)

Posted on by missprint

With Summer Reading, it is time for outreach and booktalks. Here’s another set of booktalks I gave in a high school outreach.

As always I pulled my booktalks from my reviews but I have also been trying to shorten them.

Feel free to use these to present to readers but PLEASE if you are posting them anywhere be sure to credit me and link back to this blog.

So here are the three books I presented:

The Brokenhearted by Amelia KahaneyThe Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney: Anthem Fleet lives in a city a lot like Batman’s Gotham. Everything thinks Anthem is lucky and has everything going for her. Everyone is wrong. When Anthem meets a boy from the bad part of town, it feels like her real life is finally starting. Then everything goes wrong. Then she dies. When Anthem wakes up she has a bionic heart that beats faster and makes her stronger and faster than should be humanly possible. Anthem’s old life is over. She is broken. But maybe her new heart will give Anthem what she needs to find a new life and help Bedlam the way no one else can.

Proxy by Alex LondonProxy by Alex London: The only thing that keeps Syd going is that his time as a proxy is almost over. No more punishments for crimes committed by his patron. No more being seen as less than everything by the system. Two more years and Syd will finally be free. Knox lives in the moment focusing on opportunities to create mayhem and catch a cheap thrill. Sometimes Knox gets caught. But then his proxy gets punished so really, who cares? Drawn together in the wake of a terrible wrong in a world where debts can be lethal, these unlikely allies will have to work together to try and tear down the system if they want to survive.

nthem Fleet lives in a city a lot like Batman’s Gotham. Everything thinks Anthem is lucky and has everything going for her. Everyone is wrong. When Anthem meets a boy from the bad part of town, it feels like her real life is finally starting. Then everything goes wrong. Then she dies. When Anthem wakes up she has a bionic heart that beats faster and makes her stronger and faster than should be humanly possible. Anthem’s old life is over. She is broken. But maybe her new heart will give Anthem what she needs to find a new life and help Bedlam the way no one else can.

Unspoken coverUnspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan: Kami Glass knows that every town has a story. Sorry-in-the-Vale is no exception. Kami knows that her town’s past is tied to the Lynburns, the town’s founders, even if their manor house has been empty for years. But no one in town seems willing to tell that story to an intrepid girl reporter. But a lot of people don’t like talking to Kami. That’s what happens when your best friend seems to be an imaginary boy you talk to in your head. When the Lynburns return to town they bring many questions in their wake as well as something more sinister that will force Kami to question everything she thought she knew about her town, her friends, and even herself.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie StiefvaterThe Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater: Thisby is never safe. Not when dangerous water horses are drawn to the island beaches. But it is never so dangers as on November first–race day. The racers keep their own counsel as to why they enter the race. All Sean Kendrick wants is Corr–the one water horse he can never have. Until this year–this race–at least. Puck Connolly has already lost much to the water horses of Thisby. But the race might be her only way to hold onto her brother before the mainland spirits him away forever, even if it means challenging Thisby’s most basic traditions as the first girl to ride on race day. Only one rider can win on race day–if they stay alive long enough to finish–and the stakes for Sean and Puck couldn’t be higher.