Montmorency, Eleanor Updale

Title: Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?
Author: Eleanor Updale
Publisher: Schoolastic
Publishing Date: 2004
Length: 232 Pages
Summary: (From book) When a petty thief falls through a glass roof in his attempt to escape from the police, what should have been the death of him marks the beginning of a whole new life. After his broken body is reconstructed by an ambitious young doctor, he is released from prison, and -with the help of Victorian London's extensive sewer system-he becomes the most elusive burglar in the city. He adopts a dual existence as a respectable, wealthy gentleman named Montmorency, and his degenerate servant Scarper. But Montmorency must always be on guard. The smallest mistake could reveal his secret and ruin both his lives.


My Thoughts:  Yay! Another book series about Victorian London! I've never read a book that has so little dialogue in it. You get the whole story from the point of Montomrency. It was really neat. Montmorency is a character that isn't a hero, but isn't a villain either. As this book is the first in a series, you can see that there will be lots of development for him along the way. (And maybe more of that young Doctor Farcett? *hopeful*)
The POV looked at London in a kind of grimy, crude sort of way; different than the usual fluff, skimming, over romanticized versions of Victorian London that I've read prior to this book, and I found I kind of liked the change. The idea of him leading double lives is pure genius and I fell in love with it instantly.
I'm hoping the series holds up to expectations.

Things To Be Cautious Of:  Rather a darker look at the crime and happenings of London. The word 'dang' used like twice. Montmorency's habit for stealing.

What I Learned:  Everyone can change.

The Time Travelers, Linda Buckley-Archer

Title: The Time Travelers, (Book one in the Gideon Trilogy)
Author: Linda Buckley-Archer
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publishing Date: 2006
Length: 400 pages
Summary: (From Book)  1763, Gideon Seymour, thief and gentleman, hides from the villainous Tar Man. Suddenly the sky peels away like fabric and from the gaping hole fall two curious looking children.
Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to an experiment with an antigravity machine.
Before Gideon and the children have a chance to gather their wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine-and Peter and Kate's only chance of getting home.
Soon Gideon, Peter and Kate are swept up into a journey through eighteenth-century London and form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery.

My Thoughts: What a cute book! I've already picked up the sequel to read as well. I thought the ending was creative and I can't wait to see how it plays out.
I am very much in love with Gideon, but I do feel a lot of sympathy towards Tom and Sidney as well. I'm hoping Tom gets a bigger part in the series. And the Tar Man! Talk about tragic back stories. I thought I was harsh in my writing, but his story is positively heart wrenching. I'm very curious to see how his character develops.
Book challenge almost completed!

Things To Be Cautious Of: The word dang used infrequently, and I found, quite humorously ('Dang your eyes!') Throughout. The Lord's name taken in vain.

What I Learned: Friends are important. People can change.

Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Fever 1793
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publishing Date: 2000
Length: 243 Pages
Summary: (from book)  During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather. Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to turn the family business into the finest Philadelphia has ever seen. But then the fever breaks out. 
Disease sweeps the streets, destroying everything in its path and turning Mattie's world upside down. At her feverish mother's insistence, Mattie flees the city with her grandfather,. But she soon discovers that the sickness is everywhere, and Mattie must learn quickly how to survive in a city turned frantic with disease.


My Thoughts:  I feel dumb for not even knowing there was a huge outbreak of Yellow Fever in late Colonial America. This book was great for telling me otherwise. I've seen this book around for a few years, but never picked it up because the cover kind of freaks me out. But I was at the library and spotted it as a quick read to help me get to my book quota for the year. I'm glad I read it.
Mattie was a likable female protagonist and her story very believable. I admired her love for her grandfather and her persistence on survival and independence.

What I learned: It taught me a lot about the innate sense we all have for survival and made me wonder what I would do in a situation like hers.

Things To Be Cautious Of:  The Lord's name taken in vain I think...twice. And the nastiness of disease and how they treated it and the sick patients.

Reached, Ally Condie

Title:  Reached
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton
Publishing Date: 2012
Length: 512 pages
Summary: (from book) Cassia's journey began with an error, a momentary glitch in the otherwise perfect facade of the Society. After crossing canyons to break free, she waits, silk and paper smuggled against her skin, ready for the final chapter.
The wait is over.
One young woman has raged against those who threaten to keep away what matter s most-family, love, choice. Her quiet revolution is about to explode into full-scale rebellion.




My Thoughts:  Aaaaauuuuugggh.  This is the last book the Matched Trilogy. I loved the first book, wasn't much of a fan for the sequel, and the third one....mmm....not so sure what I think. I've met the author, she's fantastic. It was a fun book signing event; we got buttons with the Society logo and book quotes printed on them, and even pill vials to mimic the ones in the book. One thing her reviews always rave about is her poetic, beautiful prose, which to be honest....I find a little irritating after awhile. Cassia always goes on and on about creating and art and stuff, and I was to the point where I wanted to skip her chapters and just read about Xander and Ky.

(I'm on Xander's side, just so ya'll know)

The plot for this book was interesting....I wish there had been more subplots, but I can understand not wanting to create more story lines while trying to wrap up a series. It was a nice conclusion, and I am quite happy that Xander got where he needed to be.

Cassia and Ky? Eh. :)

Things To Be Cautious Of:  The word 'dang' used like five times throughout the book.  Mild dystopian stuff, plague related death. Some patient sabotage.

What I Learned: The power to chose is always worth fighting for.

Icefall, Matthew J. Kirby

Title: Icefall
Author: Matthew J. Kirby
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publishing Date: 2011
Length: 321 pages
Summary: (From book)  Trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Solveig, along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors, anxiously awaits news of her father's victory at battle. But as winter stretches on, and the unending ice refuses to break, terrible acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in the midst. A malevolent air beings to seep through the fortress walls, and a smothering claustrophobia slowly turns these prisoners of winter against one another.
Those charged with protecting the king's children are all suspect, and the siblings bust choose their allies wisely. But who can be trusted so far from their father's watchful eye? Can Solveig and her siblings survived the long winter months and expose the traitor before he succeeds in destroying a kingdom?


My Thoughts:  Wow. I just finished this one. And cried through the ending as usual.....
Matthew J. Kirby is an up and coming author and I absolutely loved his debut novel, The Clockwork Three.  With his second novel, I am starting to have a great appreciation for his work and will now look forward eagerly to see what else he comes up with.
As with all children's literature, there is a deeper meaning than just a clever storyline and I felt this one go straight through me. The different mentalities of all the characters and what they represented was so poignant and tastefully done. This felt more like an insight into the psychology of human behavior than a piece of fiction.

Things To Be Cautious Of:  Violence. Nothing too graphic or intense.

What I learned:  I am not just me. I have power within me and don't need to hold myself back. It is important to stay true to who you are and pick a side.

The Help, By Kathryn Stockett

Title: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Publisher: Berkley
Publishing Date: 2009
Length:  522 pages
Summary: (From book)  Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, raising her seventeenth white child. She's always taken orders quietly, but lately it leaves her with a bitterness she can no longer bite back. Her friend Minny has certainly never held her tongue, or held onto a job for very long, but now she's working for a newcomer with secrets that leave her speechless. And white socialite Skeeter has just returned from college with ambition and a degree, but to her mother's lament, no husband.  Normally Skeeter would find solace in Constantine, the beloved maid who raised her, but Constantine has inexplicably disappeared.
 Together, these seemingly different women join to work on a project that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town-to write, in secret, a tell-all book about what it's really like to work as a black maid in the white homes of the South. Despite the terrible risks they will have to take, and the sometimes humorous boundaries they will have to cross, these three women unite with one intention: hope for a better day.
My Thoughts:    What a wonderful book. I loved it even more than the movie. I am so in awe of the writing style of this debut author. To be able to handle three very unique first person narrations and an entire cast of distinctive characters is quite an impressive feat.  I fell in love with all the personal stories and started crying at the end.  This book is unforgettable and tells an important story in a light that is both entertaining and humorous, but with just the right amount of gravity to realize the sadness of the widespread belief of segregation.

Things To Be Cautious Of:  Language. The Lord's name is taken in vain repeatedly throughout the length of the book.  There is a scene in the novel not found in the film about some insane, naked wild man running around Celia's house.  Mentioning of violence, domestic abuse, unfair treatment of African Americans.

What I Learned: We are all God's children and He loves us all equally. We need to remember that.