I went on a streak this fall where I read book after book that I just flat didn't like. Despite a fair amount of commercial success, I still didn't really like them. Although I read them anyway. Because I was really trying to like them and because it's part of my job! However, I am happy to tell you that I am on another kind of streak right now. I have just finished a wonderful book, and I am about finished another fantastic YA novel that I just have to share you.
The first one I read last week and LOVED is a YA novel and National Book Award winning WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED by Judy Blundell. This book tells the fascinating story of a teen-age girl, her mother and her stepfather who take a trip to Palm Beach. Her stepfather has just returned from the second World War, and they take a spontaneous sudden trip to Florida. (Later, of course, we find that it wasn't exactly spontaneous...) From the first page, I felt as if I had stepped into the 40s. The vernacular was amazing. You know how Mad Men is so good because it feels to authentic? Well, this is like that only better, if you can imagine. From the catch phrases to the clothing to the subtleties of travel, the hotel--really, everything they do feels like I've traveled back into post-war Florida. The story, a bit of a mystery, will have you turning pages into the dead of night. I highly recommend this book both as a great read and for my writer friends, as a study in vernacular. CHECK IT OUT!
The next book, REVOLUTION, will have you singing "Do you hear the people sing?" from LES MISERABLES to the top of your lungs. Take a troubled high school senior who is scarred by the recent loss of her brother, her absentee father, and a mother who has mental problems, pluck her out of her NYC apartment home and drop her in Paris for three weeks. THEN, let said girl find a diary and guitar from the 1700s. You will fall in love with the captivating stories of the French Revolution all over again. I am LOVING this book, and I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't. A great read for history buffs, but so engaging that it just might make a history buff out of the rest of you. CHECK IT OUT!
I had a long meeting with my agent this morning, and now I am off to awards day at my son's school. Have a great day, everyone!
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Isabel by Donna Jones Koppelman
Major Bear at the Grove Park Inn by Donna Jones Koppelman
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