Oh my gosh! I can't believe this blog has gotten over 1,000 views! Right now, the count is exactly 1,234, which is partly why I'm so excited. I know I've been neglecting you guys recently, and I'm very sorry about that. I promise that I'll try to post more often.

Bitopia

Bitopia, Ari Magnusson (Olivander Press, 2012)
Length: 240 pages (paperback)
Genre: Children's Books
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
{Image source: here}

Plot:

Stewart, a sixth-grade boy from Harrison City, hides from some eighth grade bullies in a pipe system underground and ends up in a mysterious world full of danger. Most alarmingly, there is no apparent way to get back to Earth from this place with no sun. The place is called Bitopia and Stewart has to find a way to help everyone escape.

Thoughts:

A lot of times bullying is a situation that happens to kids daily, but which their peers tend to overlook, either because they don’t think it is very hurtful behavior, or because it doesn’t apply to them so it “doesn’t really matter.”

In addition, sometimes Anti-Bullying training is rendered, a bit, useless, because kids don’t know boundaries. When does playful teasing become hurtful bullying? I know that children are shown extreme cases, like one child pushing another child multiple times, but sometimes they really need to “see” an example like this book provides, and really get into the victim’s mindset (Here, it’s the main character), so they are able to stand up for themselves readily.

I loved this book, in all honesty. I really like how Stewart is in denial at first about staying in Bitopia, as far as he knew, for forever, because that is a really realistic portrayal of emotions.

Sometimes, people don’t really want to face the truth, and, although I don’t know whether real people do this or whether it’s just an overused scene in books, many authors choose to have their characters, I don’t know, “self-harm”—not very seriously, stuff like banging their heads against a wall and the cliché of pinching oneself—to apparently see if they were dreaming while something life-changing—for good or for bad—happened.

But there were some odd parts, too, like in the beginning when Stewart was running from the bullies, and he passed a construction site. When he arrived there the construction workers were still there, and then, very quickly, Stewart apparently realized they were putting their big machines away, and then they all deserted the place. It’s funny, when you realize that the whole thing probably only took about thirty seconds to one minute, judging from Stewart’s anxiety about being caught as the bullies loomed closer.

One of my least favorite characters was Lester, the really arrogant Chief Defender (protector) of Bitopia. I suppose that is a favorable reaction, because the author made Lester really difficult to like. He was very conservative and believed everything The Comlat, a sort of prophecy book, said. What’s more, he and Stewart were basically enemies, and it’s really hard to like the main character’s enemy.

Have you read this book and would like to share your opinions? Give me a comment below!

Helpful Links: The author's website, which includes a free study guide!

Quickie Review: The One and Only Ivan * 2013 Newbery Award Winner!! *

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book as soon as it was announced that it was a Newbery winner. Actually, I remember going to the library, when the Newbery Awards were to be announced at around 11 a.m., and when it was one I had gone to the library and I remember saying, "Wow! They've already got the 'Newbery Award' sticker on it!" That seemed like a big deal to me, haha.

Anyways, I really liked this book. I don't remember much about this book, the main reason being that I read it almost a year ago or 5/6 of a year ago. However, I recall it being quite poignant and interesting and having many quotes worth dog-earing the pages among other things :)

Also, I really liked the ending. <3 It just brought so much closure to the book as a whole.

View all my reviews

Quickie Review of Princess Lessons

I am going to be introducing a new kind of review for this website, the "Quickie Review." Sometimes, I don't have a lot of time to write a review, so I'll write a quick one that usually isn't very long. Don't worry, it doesn't mean it's bad or anything, just shorter than the others and less detailed.

Princess Lessons by Meg Cabot

Synopsis: A self-help book directed at teenage girls teaching about all sorts of "princess" etiquette and fashion and makeup.

Thoughts: Very sensible advice, I presume, for a teen, and the illustrations just seal the deal for me. The pink theme goes well with the tone of the book and Princess Mia's comments underneath the "experts'" words are hilarious! In particular, I enjoyed the one about combat boots as Princess Mia explains how she loves to wear combat boots, and then right underneath that Grandmother Clarisse writes, "Combat boots are not suitable for a princess." Haha.

I would give this book 4/5 stars (In fact, I will be checking out the movies: "Bring it On" and "Save the Last Dance" which were mentioned in the book's "Movies in which Characters Reach Self-Actualization or otherwise Behave In a Very Princess-like Manner" list.)

And I must say, I was rolling on the floor laughing at Chesley McLaren's picture of a man bowing on pg. 78. And, this book is not 100% nonsense like those franchise continues, such as How to be a Vampire or whatnot. Instead, this book was a real, honest-to-goodness self-help book disguised as a princess lesson book! Ingenious.

Quickie Review: Jefferson's Sons

Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Wow. This book was an eye-opener, for sure.

I believe that it was my mother who first thrust this book at me. Or maybe I had just seen the pretty spine or the "Historical Fiction" sticker or something. Anyways, as soon as I started reading this book, I was intrigued. Not hooked, necessarily, but intrigued.

The story is well-written and the facts are well researched. However, it did not make much of an impression on me now, so that's -0.5 stars.

But this book let me rediscover historical fiction, and the subject is so well done. This book actually kind of reminds me of The Hope Chest for some reason, although the topics are similar yet different at the same time. :3 I'm bad at explaining things, but hopefully you'll understand...?



View all my reviews

Tiger Lily#1: A Heroine in the Making!

Synopsis and picture from Goodreads:

Tiger Lily is not just fond of reading, she's obsessed! Her head is full-to-bursting with stories of pirates, wonderlands, daring deeds and buried treasure. And now she's had one of her ingenious ideas – she’s going to be a heroine and roam the world in search of adventure!

There's just one problem. Tiger Lily lives in the Middle of Nowhere where NOTHING EVER HAPPENS! How will she ever escape…?

  

• It was utterly unconvincing when Tiger Lily’s mum said, “Reading is making you mad… do anything you like, but DO NOT READ!”

• A more convincing idea might be to use a device, such as saying, “Or else no pocket money for a week,” etc.
  
  
  • I had a problem with the town being named "the Middle of Nowhere." I mean, I know this must be the author's way of reaching out to get more giggles, but to me it just sounds fake and a bit desperate, too. I would certainly NOT have this issue had the town been named, for example, Peace Falls, and Tiger Lily CALLED it "The Middle of Nowhere."
  
  
  • I loved the mini book reviews scattered throughout the book, and they even introduced me to "The Story of Romulus and Remus"!
  
  
  • I was a bit unnerved by how Tiger Lily seems not to have been bothered by a guilty conscience, such as when she breaks into Sweetness and Light's shop. I really do wonder if she believes or half-believes the fantasies she invents about the people living in her village?

Recommend A... Author similar to an author you love

Okay, here's the deal:

I wanted to participate in today's Recommend A...., and so I am. Ta-da!




That being said, I also can't bear to choose only one author. So I am going to make a group of Readalike authors for the book 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass.

I would recommend:

• Sarah Mlynowski, author of the Whatever After series
• Jenny Lundquist, author of the book Seeing Cinderella
• Maya Gold, author of the Cinderella Cleaners series
• Marissa Moss, author of the book The Pharaoh's Secret
• Michael Biel, author of the Red Blazer Girls series

 So there you have it. Have a nice week!