Happy Saturday everyone!

It’s time for me to announce two lucky winners each to receive a copy of Deborah Wiles Countdown.  In case you missed my review, I loved this book so two people are in for a real treat.

Jennifer Petro-Roy	Susan Heim

Both winners have 48 hours to contact me via email with their shipping information to claim their prize. Should I not hear from a winner in that time period I will select an alternate.

Congratulations to you all! You’re in for reading an excellent book!

Title: Sweethearts
Author: Sara Zarr [website] [twitter]
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased
Parental Warning: language, sexuality, physical and emotional abuse

“My brain doesn’t seem to work that way.  Most specific things about Cameron are fuzzy — the day we met, how we got so close, exact words we said to each other.  There are only moments, snapshots, pieces of the puzzle.  Once in a while I feel them right in my vapor.  I understand that you can never have the whole picture; inevitably, there’s stuff you don’t know, can’t know.  but when it comes to Cameron I always want more than I have, would like to be able to take hold of at least one or two more pieces, if only because I’m convinced there are parts of myself hidden inside them.”

Summary (from the publisher):
As children, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were both social outcasts.  They were also each other’s only friend. So when Cameron disappeared without warning, Jennifer thought she’d lost the one person who would ever understand her.  No in high school, Jennifer has been transformed.  Known as Jenna, she is popular, happy, and dating — everything “jennifer” couldn’t be.  But she still can’t shake the memory of her long-lost friend.

When Cameron suddenly reappears, they both are confronted with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken.

Opinion:
Zarr writes with such eloquence and emotion it would have been difficult for me not to feel a connection to her characters and the stories she builds around them.  A shorter book by the numbers, it carried with it as much bang for the buck as a story of much greater length.  What I appreciated about her writing is that it made me see and feel without being too flowery in it’s prose.  On top of that she’s created a great plot in which she’s infused the story of Jenna and Cameron’s relationship with a mystery from their past.   She kept me wondering and searching; giving us little bits and pieces here and there until the very bitter end where all was ultimately revealed.  Admittedly, I did have some idea of what certain circumstances related to the mystery might have been but there were an equally number of  surprises that when revealed I really enjoyed.  What this equaled to in the end was that I was able to take the journey with these characters as opposed to knowing it all before they did and that made for an excellent read.

Jenna and Cameron are two youngsters bound to each other by their outcast status.  Clinging to each other through life’s horrible circumstances (most specifically Cameron’s family issues) they are quickly and mysteriously separated when he vanishes. At this point Zarr delves into deeper exploration of each of the characters on an individual level as well as in the ways they eventually interact with each other.

Jenna’s mother soon remarries and the family is relocated where no one is familiar with her past thus she becomes a girl reborn.  No longer the social pariah she was in younger years her new found popularity provides her the much longed for, and missing, comforts of friendship and acceptance.  Despite having built new relationships, she still longs for the deeper connection she had with her best friend Cameron.

Cameron, on the other hand, is a child of bad parenting.  Having returned to where Jenna lives after having been missing for so long we learn of the many changes in his persona as well.  He’s distant and self-sufficient, secretive and hardworking.  He’s alone in the world, but for his rekindling friendship with the one person in his life he could ever trust.  Jenna.

A dynamic story of friendship, love and family Zarr paints a very strong picture of dysfunction on several different levels.  She digs deep into motivation and morality to create long lasting relationships.  I was rooting for Cameron and Jenna to come out the other end successful and together.  You’ll have to read it to find out if they did though!

Title: Picture the Dead
Author: Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown [Adele Griffin Website] [Adele Griffin Twitter] [Lisa Brown Twitter]
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Provided by Publisher
Parental Warning: war, criminal activity

“Soon the roads widen and the spaces between buildings open as I leave the city behind.  There are miles of darkness before me.  I want to rest, but I push on, hurrying and then slowing to catch my breath before picking up pace again.  After a while my legs ache with the desire to stop, and it is only my anxious energy that vaults me forward, onward, charged with no greater impulse than to run.”

Summary (from the publisher):
Jennie Lovell’s life is the very picture of love and loss.  First she is orphaned and forced to live at the mercy of her stingy, indifferent relatives.  Then her fiance falls on the battlefield, leaving her heartbroken and alone.  Jennie struggles to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, but is haunted by a mysterious figure that refuses to let her bury the past.

When Jennie forms an unlikely alliance with a spirit photographer, she begins to uncover secrets about the man she thought she loved.  With her sanity on edge and her life in the balance, can Jennie expose the chilling truth before someone — or something — stops her?

Opinion:
Picture the Dead is an interesting story about the impact the loss of a young Civil War soldier has on his family.  Not the first to fall to the hands of the Confederacy Will leaves behind his fiance Jennie, a young girl with no family of her own.  Having already grown up at the unrelenting hands of Will’s condescending mother and indifferent father she is once again thrust into second class citizen status upon news of his demise.  Practically a servant Jennie endures the continually passive aggressive attitude of her aunt as each day more and more of her life — her engagement ring, her freedom from housework, etc — is taken away from her.

Enhanced beautifully by illustrations created by Lisa Brown, Picture the Dead not only tells a story but shows it.  Joining in on a trend I’ve seen more of recently, the addition of pages providing the reader with visual elements adding further depth and perspective to the written words, Picture the Dead embraces it well. Setting the tone for both characters and physical surroundings Brown provides the reader with excellent visuals.  Her imagery was lovely in the ARC I was reading but I imagine that the final version is even more pleasing to the eye.   The best part is that these additions don’t overwhelm the story nor are readers wading through useless information.  I have only one complaint about their inclusion and that is that the font selected for Will’s letters was difficult to read.  This was a minor issue, however, and one that should not keep anyone from reading the book.

Another aspect of the story that wasn’t overdone or out of place was the inclusion of small paranormal elements.  The infusion of ghosts made sense and was a believable addition to the story.  Not wanting to spoil any of the twists and turns as it relates to these aspects of the story I’ll simply say that the way this element of the story played out was an interesting addition and created a richer tone to the mystery.  While not a mystery story in the grandest sense, there were several twists and revalations throughout that were very well done.  I was so caught up in the history and Jennie’s characterization that some crept up on me.  I’m sure this was Griffin’s intent and she did not disappoint as I enjoyed being surprised by a few of the turns I encountered.

Certainly age appropriate for the young adult crowd and I would even go as far as saying that the  middle grade reader would enjoy this book as well.  I don’t know that the attention of the youngest middle graders would be grabbed by it, the story would need to be a bit more amped up for them, but certainly if a teacher were wanting a fun book that gave some small into families affected by the Civil War this might be a good quick read that would exemplify a few points here and there.

In the end, if you like historical perspective with some good imagery attached Picture the Dead is definitely worth a read.

The Sunday Salon

Hola my friends!  How is everyone this weekend?

I’m busy as ever still trying to catch up with bloggish things but I feel good about having made some awesome progress on many fronts this week.  I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say, I feel like I’m starting to get back to that place where I can concentrate solely on reading and writing reviews.  Woot!

This week I read Crossing by Andrew Xia Fukuda a interesting read that I’ll hopefully get a review up for in the coming week or so.  I also interviewed Lauren Baratz Logsted author of The Education of Bet which I also reviewed.  There’s still time to enter two awesome giveaways I’ve got going — win one of two copies of Countdown or one of two copies of Insatiable.

Rebecca and I had a great Social MediU workshop with a group of really enthusiastic authors, small business owners and even a budding composer yesterday at Fountain Bookstore in Richmond. Shouts out to all our participants and to Kelly (the fantabulous owner of Fountain) for being so kind to allow us to pretty much take over the whole store during business hours.  Oh and I got a really cool middle grade book on her recommendation that I can’t wait read — I have something fun planned to go along with the review!

I’m not just about the recap here on Galleysmith though so let me tell you about a few things on my plate for the foreseeable future:

Summer Reading Challenge
I was reading a great post by Abby the Librarian this weekend in which she spoke to the summer reading program she’s constructing for the kids who frequent her library.  Of course, as many blog posts I read do, it started to germinate an idea for something here on Galleysmith, specifically a summer challenge.  This will not be a challenge in the way that I’ll be soliciting participants (though you’re welcome to join on your own if you like).  It’s going to be a personal challenge in which I have set the goal of reading 20 books or 1000 pages between June 15th and September 15th.  I think it’s pretty manageable right?

Bark with Bite
The lovely Adele has started a fabulous new pop culture blog with a general focus on television.  I’m honored to have been asked to be a contributor so starting tomorrow you can see my weekly True Blood recap with the aforementioned and catchy title of “Bark with Bite”.  Adele has a great sense of humor and is recapping loads of awesome shows so you should definitely subscribe to Snark and Bark there is great content over there!

Well peeps, that’s almost all I’ve got!

Today will either be filled with couch sitting (while watching the 2nd season of Leverage I picked up on DVD this week) and review writing or I’ll be shopping for a dress with my niece for her 8th grade formal.  That should be interesting given her tomboyish ways!  We’ve also got the start of the third season of True Blood tonight that I’m totally jazzed about.

This week I’m reading Martin Chatterton’s The Brain Full of Holes and I’ll be dipping into my pile of review books to read The Truth About Delilah Blue by Tish Cohen both for blog tours (Peachtree Publishers and TLC Book Tours respectively).

What’s on tap for you blogging and reading wise this week?

Title: The Education of Bet
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted [website] [twitter]
Genre: Middle Grade, HIstorical Fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Provided by Publisher
Parental Warning: references to nudity, references to prostitution, drinking

“Back in our room, we passed the next few hours in companionable silence.  James removed his tailcoat and tie and loosened his collar, then lay on his stomach across one of the bees, reading a book.  I tried  to make out the title but couldn’t read it from my own position in one of the stiff chairs before one of the utilitarian desks.  If anyone had asked what I was reading that night, I could not have said.  My mind was too many things at once: exhausted by all that had happened since I’d left Grangefield Hall, just two days ago; nervous at the prospect of all the new things that were yet to come.  So rather than actually read what was in front of me, I simply stared at the words, my fingers turning pages for no reason as my mind raced and stalled, stalled and raced. “

Summary (from the publisher):
When Will and Bet were four, tragic circumstances brought them to the same house, to be raised as brother and sister.  Now sixteen, they enjoy the comforts that come from wealth.  But not all is well in their household.  Because she is a girl, Bet’s world is contained within the walls of their grand home and the constraints of her limited education.  Will’s world is much larger, as he is allowed — forced, in his case — to go to school.  Neither is happy.

So Bet comes up with a plan and persuades Will to give it a try:  They’ll switch places.  She’ll go to school as Will.  Will can live as he chooses.

But once Bet gets to school, she soon realizes living as a boy is going to be much more difficult than she imagined.  Boys act very differently when they think there are no girls in their midst.  In fact, they can be rather brutish.  But brutish Bet can deal with.  It’s more the attraction she feels for her roommate that gets Bet into real trouble.  This is not the education she expected.

Opinion:
Baratz-Logsted does a wonderful job painting a picture of the cloistered world in which Bet lives.  Typical of this time period, she is expected to be seen and not heard.  It is a crime (not literally) to be a woman who speaks openly, honestly, and with an air of education.  In fact, education is absolutely unheard of for a girl, which is the underlying reason that Bet convinces her friend Will to switch places with her.

Keeping an air of dignity and propriety Bet slips flawlessly into the life of her partner in crime.  Subtly devious Bet does her best to maintain her decorum and as much of a ladylike stance as possible given her new prep school surroundings. As one would expect, she did struggle a bit with the differences between being a girl and the presumptions of being a boy but I felt like she was a bit too quick to take to all of the mannerisms and traits her deception required.  I would have preferred to see her struggle a bit more with that adjustment.

Having said that, there was struggle galore in her assimilation into the boys will be boys culture of school.  Baratz-Logsted was pitch perfect in her portrayal of that aspect.  Being a girl posing as a boy certainly brought with it certain difficulties and she demonstrated that quite well using the relationships Bet was building (or not building) with her fellow classmates.

Despite the initial focus of the story being on Bet’s desire for an education it quickly took a back seat to other aspects of the plot (most notably romance) once she arrived at school.  There were still references to that underlying theme throughout but once in the school setting the story shifted its focus more into the interpersonal relationships she was building with the different boys on campus. I say this not because it was a detriment of the story but because it is from this element that Education of Bet showed it’s greatest strengths.

There were many twists and turns throughout the story that I saw coming but I feel confident that the intended target audience of readers much younger than I am will be surprised by the outcome of several key points in the story.  They are well devised and not at all overbearing as they unfold.  Baratz-Logsted has definitely mastered the art of finessing a story to keep it from being heavy handed in critical areas of suspence.

I must admit I much preferred Baratz-Logsted’s Crazy Beautiful, but even so The Education of Bet is a great book for girls who are interested in starting to dabble in romance and historical fiction.  The portrayal of the time period was deep enough to give good perspective but not so overwhelming that it took over the whole story with excessive descriptions and flowery prose.  Add to that a sweetly endearing love story and you have the perfect book for upper middle graders and beyond.