Rutabaga's Reads 2013: Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of Rutabaga’s Reads 2013 and the first Past Reads edition. This compilation features books that I have read in the recent past -- between two and four years ago.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Books 1-4 (2007-2009) by Jeff Kinney.

This series follows Greg Heffley, a “wimpy kid” who is just starting his tumultuous years in the danger zone known as middle school. At least there is someone there to suffer through it with him: his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. There’s also Greg’s older brother, Rodrick, and he’s the type of big brother who wants to tout his elder sibling status and make Greg’s life difficult and miserly. These middle-grade, reality fiction books are written in cartoons with the typeset appearing as printed handwriting on lined paper, as you might see in a notebook.

            As I stated in my Intro, I promised to be honest about the books I read. Promise kept, I did not like these books. Why did I read four of them, then? Because I bought the set, so I read them all (and donated them long ago). I don’t think they’re bad books; they simply didn’t hold my interest. Maybe I would enjoy the series if I was a nine-year-old boy. But I’m not, and I found Greg to be annoying, manipulative and disrespectful. All kids have their moments, but Greg has entire books full of them. I can see why they are popular, but this Diary doesn’t hold my interest.

The Easter Egg (Feb. 9, 2010) by Jan Brett.

A rabbit called Hoppi is the star of this Brett children’s book. He is excited to create his first-ever Easter egg, and he is hoping his egg will be chosen by the Easter Rabbit as the winner. However, his egg concerns are set aside when he hears Mother Robin calling out in alarm. One of her eggs has fallen out of the nest and is unprotected. Hoppi guards the egg on the ground day and night while Mother Robin returns to her other two eggs. What is the outcome of his unofficial guard duty?

            Brett has created another adorable tale that children will enjoy, as well as the adults reading it to them. Brett is also the illustrator for her stories, and she has a marvelous way of showing pieces of the story in the margins of her pages. Keep an eye on the top margin to see how Mother Robin is doing. “The Easter Egg” is a delightful read and is sure to be a favorite!

The Lost Hero (Oct. 12, 2010) by Rick Riordan.

Does this story involve teenagers on a mission to prevent death and destruction? Yes. Greek gods and goddesses? Confirmed. Monsters that make your childhood monsters-under-the-bed look like kittens? You bet.

            In “The Lost Hero,” there is a brief return to Camp Half-Blood with new friends and old. It is the first in his The Heroes of Olympus series, which follows soon after the events of the final Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. We meet Jason, who awakes on a bus with amnesia. A guy named Leo claims to be his best friend, and a gal, Piper, is supposedly his girlfriend. Soon they’re swept up by Annabeth Chase, whose boyfriend, Percy Jackson, is missing. Jason, Leo and Piper learn they are demigods. But something doesn’t fit right with Jason. He reflexively refers to the Greek gods and goddesses in their Roman forms. He speaks Latin as opposed to Ancient Greek. And he gets strange feelings, like the memories are right there, but he can’t access them. This adventure sends these three new faces on a quest to rescue a goddess, Piper’s movie star dad and also prevent the re-birth of a hideous menace that could destroy the Earth and mankind as they know it. Expect aloof gods/goddesses, a wind god meteorologist, a 106-year-old satyr (that’s 53 in human years) prone to aggressive behavior, and plenty of monsters.

            “The Lost Hero” is an entertaining read for all ages, though I missed his clever chapter titles (from Percy Jackson), which can also be entertaining. From the confused moments to the witty and the serious, I was engrossed with the book from beginning to end. Although I highly recommend this novel, I highly suggest reading Percy Jackson first. You’ll be less … lost when it comes to many names and some reference points.

Matched (Nov. 30, 2010) by Ally Condie.

Readers are introduced to Cassia Reyes in a futuristic, dystopian world in “Matched.” [The successive novels, “Crossed” and “Reached,” can be found here and here.] Cassia’s world is run by Officials of the Society. They decide everything: what jobs citizens will have, who they will be genetically matched to (thus eradicating disease and physical and emotional issues) and when they will die. They even ration everyone’s food, which is delivered to them, thus eliminating the art of learning to cook unless, of course, the Society assigns you that career. Cassia, a 17-year-old, is “matched” with her best friend, Xander Carrow. Somehow there is a glitch in what she thought was a flawless system, and she’s also matched with an orphan, Ky Markham. She knows both boys. Along the way, she figures out and learns things the Society would rather she didn’t. By the time she discovers why everyone carries a blue, green and red tablet, she has lost someone loved. Things aren’t looking good.

            Condie’s book raises discussion-worthy questions about how much Society (government) control is too much and how it interferes with free will. Expect the angst you’d see in other YA novels, but do not expect a love scene out of Twilight or the violence of The Hunger Games. Like those two series; however, do expect a love triangle. I was hooked on this book before it even came out. For me, it lived up to the hype.

The Replacement (Sept. 21, 2010) by Brenna Yovanoff.

You probably know at least one person who’s allergic to something. Or perhaps you yourself have an allergy. It might be ragweed or pollen, dust or pet dander. Maybe it’s latex or lactose or tree nuts. How about iron, blood and consecrated ground?

            Allow me to introduce you to Mackie Doyle. Mackie is not your typical teenage boy, though he looks mostly like one. And his allergies to iron, blood and consecrated ground? Could totally be fatal to him if he can’t get help, because Mackie is a Replacement. He was put in the crib of a human baby who was snatched 16 years before. He lives in the small town of Gentry, but he comes from an ugly world below. His birth world is run by two “people,” one of which is a girl who looks like a child but exhibits a seriously scary amount of sharp teeth in her mouth. And to think she’s the nice one!

            The book is mostly dismal, as in, the weather is rainy and gray. One gets the impression that there is nothing happy about Gentry. There’s sacrifice, blood, pain, grief and love. There’s also a will to save and survive. It’s standalone, which is good, for I do not want to return to Gentry and the world beneath. It is not a light and happy place. Consider this if you’re looking for something a little different, a little ugly. Can you find the good in all the ugly?