Review: Obsidian (A Lux Novel, Bk.1)

Obsidian (A Lux Novel, Bk.1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Entangled Publishing, 1st Ed.
Released: December 6, 2011
268 pages
ISBN: 978-1-937044-23-7

Description on the book:
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

My Review:
There aren't many books I buy immediately after I read a review, but Obsidian was one of them.  I fell for the amazing description above and it has a 5 star average rating on Amazon with glowing reviews. Thus, I took the plunge with this first installment of the Lux series. I devoured the book in less than a day. 

Obsidian is hot, hot, hot!  It starts off when seventeen year old Katy, who just moved from Florida to West Virginia with her mom, goes next door to ask for directions to the closest market.  She finds an incredible hot guy, shirtless with six pack abs and all.  But Daemon's downright rude and obnoxious to her. So begins their back and forth chippy retorts, fighting yet flirtly.  There's a good reason why Daemon's trying to stop Katy from getting close to him or befriending his sister Dee...they're aliens!  The twist isn't actually a spoiler because it clearly states it on the back cover.  The real fun is leading up to Katy's discovery of her neighbors' identity, reconciling with it when she finds out and trying to survive attacks from the alien's enemies.  I know that sounds kind of ridiculous, but it really works.  The story is funny, suspenseful and intoxicating.

There are obvious plot stereotypes that will annoy some readers.  The normal teenage girl, who is beautiful but doesn't realize it, meets the gorgeous supernatural guy who's obnoxious but occasionally shows her a softer side.  Also, it has those overly dramatic scenes where the helpless damsel in distress is saved by hot supernatural guy, one such incident reveals his secret.  I've read these story lines before but it works well here.  One of my favorite side notes: Katy is a book blogger who loves paranormal novels.  I laughed out loud when she passed time by publishing her "Waiting On Wednesday" post and explains to Daemon why she blogs when she doesn't get paid for it. It was a great touch to the story.

Obsidian is a downright delicious guilty pleasure. It reminds me of how I fell hard for Hush, Hush. It won't become my favorite book, but I'll definitely reread it.  The sexually charged banter and chemistry between the leads is what makes this book good.  There is some cursing, although I completely enjoyed it when Katy shot them at Daemon for acting arrogantly.  He loved it too.  Actually, I was more annoyed by the main characters' names. Did Daemon really need the extra "e"?  Then Daemon's nickname for Katy is Kitten and Kittycat.  Slight gag reflex...but then again I'd take any nickname that Daemon wanted to give me. Gush!

If you're looking for a sexy, new paranormal romance series to sink your teeth in, buy Obsidian.  I'm glad I did. I'll definitely preorder book 2, Onyx, when it releases in May 2012.  I can't wait to read more from Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5!

My Favorite Quotes:

"Since it was Wednesday, I'd typed up a quick "Waiting on Wednesday" post for my blog featuring this YA book about a hot boy with a killer touch--can't go wrong there--apologized for my extended absence, responded to comments, and stalked a few other blogs I loved. It was like coming home."   (page 17)

    "Time seemed to slow, every second stretching out before me, tantalizing and torturing every breath I took. Waiting, wanting to show him whatever he was looking for as his eyes darkened to a deep green. His face strained, as if he were waging an internal battle. Something in his eyes made me feel very unsure.

    I knew the second he made up his mind. He took a deep breath and his beautiful eyes closed. I felt his breath against my cheek, slowly moving to my lips. I knew I should pull back. He was bad, bad news. But my own breath caught in my throat. His lips were so close to mine, I desperately wanted to meet him halfway, to rush forward to test if his lips were as pillow soft as they looked."   (page 62)

For More Information:
Read the first chapter of Osidian on Entangled Publishing's website.
Learn more on Amazon, Goodreads, and Jennifer L. Armentrout's blog.

Review: Stonewords: A Ghost Story by Pam Conrad

Stonewords: A Ghost Story
by Pam Conrad
First HarperTrophy Edition, 1991
130 pages.
ISBN: 0-06-440354-8

Description on the book:
Zoe's best friend is a ghost.  The first time Zoe met Zoe Louise, Zoe was four years old. Zoe Louise was more than one hundred. From that day on---living in the same house, separated by a staircase and a century---Zoe and Zoe Louise have been an important and permanent part of each other's lives.

Now Zoe is older. And although Zoe Louise never grows up, she is changing in dreadful, frightening ways. Time is running out for Zoe's best friend---and Zoe is the only one who can help her. To do so, she must travel back one hundred years in time and somehow alter the past. But in changing the past, must she also change the present? If she saves her friend's life, will she lose Zoe Louise forever?

My Review:
Best friends, ghosts, time travel and a rickety old staircase---it's the magical ingredients for the adorable plot of Stonewords: A Ghost Story. I must admit, I read this book with a complete bias...I remember loving it as a child.  My copy of Stonewords has a tattered cover, yellowing pages, and a Lisa Frank sticker inside the back cover. The publishing date and sticker are clues that I probably read this book between the ages of 8 and 10, around the main character's age. Would it still hold that same magic for me years later? It definitely does.

Zoe's mom, Jessie, took Zoe to live with her Grandma and PopPop at the age of four. Jessie, who would visit once or twice a year, was eccentric and flighty to say the least: 

"She had some mighty strange ways. Like she has this one cemetery on the island she loved. She didn't know anyone buried there---they'd all been dead for over a hundred years---but my mother would walk through the grass, trailing her silk scarf, with her large straw hat shading her empty eyes, and she'd pause at each stone and read the words out loud." (page 2)

Zoe was named after one of these gravestones. The name was the only word left on a particular crumbling gravestone, no last name or dates.  Yet it took Zoe a long time to the dots between this stoneword and her first childhood friend, Zoe Louise. 

Zoe Louise was a ghost who appeared to Zoe shortly after arriving at her grandparents' house. The girls played, fought, and cherished their unique friendship.  As Zoe ages through the years, Zoe Louise stays the same.  Zoe Louise always wore the same dress and it was always the same day---her birthday spent waiting for her father to come home with her present, a pony. Zoe Louise lived upstairs through the back staircase in the kitchen that Zoe's grandparents no longer used. When Zoe follows Zoe Louise up the dark rear staircase one day, she travels back to Zoe Louise's time.  Confused and scared, Zoe doesn't want to lose her best friend, but she needs to find out what's going on.  She starts investigating what happened to Zoe Louise over a hundred years ago. Can Zoe find out the truth?  Can she change the past? 

I really like Zoe's character.  She is a smart young girl you can't help but cheer on. She's happy with her grandparents and appreciative for their role in her life.  She never quite understands her mother and fears that she will end up like her.  When she first met Zoe Louise, Zoe didn't hide the friendship from her grandparents. But as she got older, Zoe realized it wasn't normal to have an "imaginary friend" so she stopped talking about Zoe Louise.  Zoe doesn't have any other friends in the book and there's no mention of school. I found it odd that her grandparents didn't make her socialize with other children.

Then you've got Zoe Louise, who is a spoiled, sometimes obnoxious 11 year old. She's waiting for her pony and claims Zoe's toys as her own. I had to stop and remind myself during her tantrums that she's just a scared little girl who doesn't understand the circumstances either. Despite their flaws, the Zoes share a deep bond and complex friendship that influences the rest of their lives.

I enjoyed re-reading this book. The story doesn't disappoint. Conrad also wrote a sequel called Zoe Rising, which tells a new story about 14 year old Zoe at summer camp.

Stonewords is a book that I'll keep in my permanent collection in the hopes that I'll pass it on to my own children someday.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

My Favorite Passages:
"Probably the strongest feeling I'd ever had for her was anger. For not being a true mother. And for not remembering what she had once told me about the rosebushes." (pg. 4)

"'Zoe, dear.' It  was Grandma, just as the leg tore off the baby doll's body and Zoe Louise's invisible hand disappeared through the door. Grandma opened the door and she stood there alone. My doll was torn in two. 'Oh, Zoe. What have you done? Why aren't you more careful with your things?'" (pg. 21)

"I touched things. My headboard, the wall, the mattress, my pillow. I made sure I was real, that I didn't pass through things, that I was not a ghost. Was not a ghost. I wasn't a ghost anymore." (pg. 51)

For More Information: Stonewords: A Ghost Story on Amazon, GoodReads.

Review: Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux

Allison Hewitt is Trapped: A Zombie Novel
by Madeleine Roux
St. Martin's Griffin, First Edition
January 2011, 348 pages.
ISBN: 987-0-312-65890-8

Description on the book:

Allison Hewitt and her five colleagues at the Brooks and Peabody bookstore are trapped together when the zombie outbreak hits. Allison reaches out for help through her blog, writing on her laptop and utilizing the military's emergency wireless network (SNET). It may also be her only chance to reach her mother. But as the reality of their situation sinks in, Allison's blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures (with some witty sarcasm thrown in) as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans.

My Review:

Madeleine Roux delivers a fun, kick-a** zombie apocalypse novel in Allison Hewitt is Trapped. Allison is a grad student working part-time at the Brooks and Peabody bookstore when the outbreak begins. The bookstore "was attacked by the infected" a.k.a. insanely hungry zombies. Along with three coworkers and two store regulars, Allison finds refuge inside the break room protected behind a heavy reinforced door. But how long will their resources last?  Of course, they must ultimately leave the room (and bookstore) due to supplies and sanitation issues (yuck!).  They find the outside world populated with "groaners" (loud quick zombies) and "floaters" (their quiet slower counterparts). While sometimes impulsive and stubborn, Allison is definitely a feisty leader and becomes pretty handy with an ax.  Despite overcoming many challenges, the characters make some major survival mistakes in the process. Obviously poor judgment leads to unfortunately gory circumstances. 

Written in blog posts, the book chronicles Allison's survival experiences using her laptop powered by electric generators and the military emergency wireless network SNET.  As I started it, I thought reading a whole book of blog posts could get really annoying, but I lost that concern halfway through.  I loved Allison's storytelling. It switched effortlessly from describing their daily events to sharing her feelings like a journal. The blog is Allison's connection to survivors around the world who stumble upon it.  It becomes a comfort to her and her readers, plus a way to share advice and information.

This is definitely NOT a YA novel. There is a lot of language, which isn't necessary a bad thing.  I would have many choice words if crazed zombies attack.  Each chapter title (or blog post) is named after a book: Heart of Darkness, In Defense of Food, Sense and Sensibility, etc.  As a self proclaimed bibliophile, I love this homage.

Allison is courageous (in a brash I'll-stick-my-neck-out-to-save-you sense) yet still approachable.  I felt most of the minor characters were believable (Holly, Ted, Julian) except for a few personalities that fell flat (Collin...I didn't really buy that storyline).  Even though I'm a new reader to the zombie apocalypse genre, this book was a fun, suspenseful read.  I look forward to Roux's upcoming sequel, Sadie Walker is Stranded.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

My Favorite Passages:

"I throw the nearest thing, a monster copy of Whitman's collected works, and it hits a zombie square in the face. It doesn't stop it but it sure as hell slows it down." (pg. 22)

"Here we meet a few of our undead friends and Ted and I get to practice our golf swings. I've never cared for golf much but I could certainly learn to love it. The driver is light but vicious." (pg. 53)

"I don't want to regret or hate, I want to be the person I was before all of this started: Allison Hewitt, Graduate Student, Student of Literature, Faulkner Enthusiast, Field Hockey Player, Daughter, Normal Person. Those titles don't exist anymore." (pg. 120)

For More Info:
Allison Hewitt is Trapped on: Amazon, Facebook, GoodReads
Madeleine Roux's blog

Review: Tunes For Bears To Dance To by Robert Cormier

Tunes for Bears to Dance to

by Robert Cormier

Publisher: Laurel Leaf, Mass Market Paperback, 1994, 101 pages

Description on the book:

After his brother's death, Henry moves with his parents to a new town, where he meets and befriends Mr. Levine, an elderly survivor of the Holocaust who spends his days carving a replica of his childhood village.

Enter Mr. Hairston, who holds power over Henry's life. He is a man of glittering promises, but he exacts a terrible price from Henry that involves the boy's friendship with Mr. Levine.

All Henry has to do is...

 
 

My Review:

Wow! Robert Cormier is a remarkable author. This is another riveting example of Cormier's mastery of powerful realistic fiction.

Tunes For Bears To Dance To is about a young boy Henry who recently lost his older brother in an accident.  Even though his family moved to a new town to escape the memories of his brother, Henry's father is still stuck in a dark depression and his mother is struggling to support the family during the post-WWII era. To help out, Henry works at a local general store for a bigoted owner who is nice to customers while in his store but says some really nasty stuff once they leave.

One day, Henry follows an old man whom he sees every day walking back and forth from the psychiatric hospital next door. Henry soon befriends the old man, Mr. Levine, and the learns about his past as a Holocaust survivor and why he's staying at the "crazy house". Then Henry is blindsided when he's given a terrible ultimatum. Henry is stuck in the middle of a moral dilemma and has very little time to decide what to do.

Just over 100 pages, this book is a short, fast read. Henry is genuine and you can't help but feel sorry for his situation (and cheer him on despite it).  I'm the type of reader who gets emotionally involved while reading and I found myself gasping and getting teary-eyed at several points. Tunes For Bears To Dance To is not a happy read. It confronts some uncomfortable topics and situations dealing with mental health, prejudice, and the concept of evil. But it's another Cormier tale that will stay with you long after you finish it. I love Cormier's powerful yet simple and effective writing.

My Rating: 5 out of 5! Couldn't put it down.

I also recommend Cormier's Heroes, a startling book about a young disfigured WWII veteran who plans on killing the man that inspired him to enlist. Surprisingly, I haven't read "The Chocolate War" or "I am the Cheese" yet. But they're on my TBR list now.

Review: The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michele Young-Stone

 

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors

by Michele Young-Stone
Shaye Areheart Books, April 2010, 372 pages.
ARC received from publisher.

Description on ARC*:

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors follows two lost souls separated by time and place, from the moment lightning changes their lives until the day it ceases to define them.

On a sunny day in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Becca Burke, flame-haired daughter of Mary and Rowan Burke, was struck by lightning.  She was eight years old. No one believed her, even when her watch kept losing time and a spooky halo of light appeared over her head in every photograph taken after the strike. She was hit again when she was sixteen.  Becca survived, but over time she would learn that outsmarting lightning was the least of her concerns.

Buckley R. Pitank was always very attractive to bullies, including his pseudo-evangelical stepfather, the Reverend John Whitehouse.  When he escaped with his mother to glorious Galveston, Texas, at thirteen, it seemed his luck was changing.  But when Buckley loses the love of his life to a lightning strike, his quest to understand the power of lightning will lead him around the country and into the heart of a young woman who once thought she was alone in the world.

My Review: 

I wasn’t prepared for The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors. This story is much darker than I thought from the description above. It’s not a romance or an uplifting story or a book I could fall in love with.  It’s a gripping tale about two children living separate lives, Buckley in Arkansas and Becca in North Carolina. They both grow up in dysfunctional families and become scarred from lightning in different ways.  Most of the adults in this novel are downright selfish, focusing only on their needs, wants, biases.  I particularly couldn’t stand Becca’s parents.  Definitely not good role models for any kid, I don’t envy Becca or Buckley’s situations.  They are confronted by heart-wrenching issues including a parent’s adultery, the pressures (and addictions) of drugs/sex, and surviving the pains of death, grief, heartbreak and (of course) lightning strikes.  

It took longer to read this book than I initially thought it would.  For me, it was hard to get through the first 100-and-some pages.  We meet so many friends and families members, it was sometimes difficult to keep track of the characters (i.e. wait, who’s grandma is this again?...oh, okay that one).  Buckley is slightly older than Becca so the timeline jumps around throughout the book and begins in the 1960s stretching until the 1990s.  At times, it didn’t really feel like a YA novel to me because of the frequent drug use, cursing and casual sex (I’m talking about the adults and our two main characters)...no sugar coating, not something I’d recommend for younger readers.  Half way through, I had to stop to ask myself, “Is this a book I actually want to read?” Finally, Becca and Buckley’s separate worlds SLOWLY begin to merge...first with locations and then minor characters (friends-of-friends) until the inevitable meeting.   

Each chapter begins with an excerpt from The Handbook of Lightning Strike Survivors, either an anecdote, “fact”, or advice on surviving lightning.  It a unique way to break up the alternating chapters between Buckley and Becca’s story lines.  I have to say that it was great finding out who narrated these excerpts.

Not until the end could I appreciate all the earlier details.  Readers must endure the pain to understand and grow with these characters.  The ending was poignant and I got teary-eyed.  Even though I questioned reading this book, I’m glad I stuck with it for the compelling ending.  I love YA fantasy, and I like to take chances on books outside my reading comfort zone.  The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors challenged me in this way. Michele Young-Stone, a lightning strike survivor herself, created a forceful story and I can understand why other readers might love it.

My rating: 3/5  

For more information on the book, check out Michele Young-Stone's website (for the book trailer) and blog.

* I used the ARC's description because Amazon doesn't really feature a product description but has reviews and an excerpt. I think the Goodreads description gives away too many details.

My First Graphic Novel & Review: The Courageous Princess by Rod Espinosa

Last month my husband and I went to our local comic book store on Free Comic Book Day.  He used to collect comic books as a kid, so we figured we'd go over and check out what they have.  Besides the few comics-turned-movies I've seen, I didn't know anything about comics, comic book stores or graphic novels.  I was pleasantly surprised by the visit because it was a lot of fun!  I spent most of the time browsing the graphic novel section and I found several intriguing choices (Castle Waiting, Twilight, Pride and Prejudice).  After a while I finally decided to buy The Courageous Princess by Rod Espinosa. Why did I choose this one?  (1) It's colorful artwork is beautiful, (2) it has a fairy tale premise (and I'm a sucker for that), and (3) it's geared to a younger audience (a.k.a. it looked G-rated).  So here's my first take on a graphic novel:

The Courageous Princess

by Rod Espinosa
Publisher: Dark Horse edition, April 2007


Princess Mabelrose lives in New Tinsley, a small kingdom in the vast Land of a Hundred Kingdoms. She's a humble, kind-hearted young woman with loving parents.  One day Mabelrose is kidnapped by a ruthless, powerful dragon named Shalathrumnostrium (it's a mouthful so I'll refer to him as the dragon) who commands an evil army of creatures. The dragon routinely kidnaps and ransoms princesses throughout the kingdoms.  But Mabelrose is different from other princesses who wait for princes to come to the rescue.  When she sees the opportunity, Mabelrose escapes from the dragon's castle. So begins her journey back home crossing the Land of a Hundred Kingdoms. Along the way, the courageous princess makes friends, helps strangers, and dodges the dragon's many minions. Meanwhile, her father King Jeryk travels to find out who took his daughter and bring her back home safely.

From the very beginning, I really love Mabelrose. She has no airs and uses all her ingenuity to prevail over challenges. Even though she's a little clumsy, she's gutsy and her adventure is fun to read. Faith plays a big role in this story. She regularly prays before bedtime for the strength and courage to get out of her situations and to bless her parents and friends back home. It's refreshing because I haven't read much lately where characters embrace faith in this way.  The story doesn't end in this volume and I look forward to finding out what's next in store for Mabelrose.

Bottom Line: Charming fairy tale + beautiful artwork = a graphic novel that shouldn't be missed!

My Rating: 4/5

Reading a graphic novel was fun.  I loved the details of the artwork---the castles, the dresses, the characters' expressions.  It's a different experience from reading novels and imagining the entire world in my head. I'm definitely going to incorporate graphic novels into my TBR list.

Review: Nightwalker and Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake

Nightwalker (Dark Days, 1).

Released 7/29/2008. Mass Market PB.

Dayhunter (Dark Days, 2).

Released 4/28/2009. Mass Market PB.

by Jocelynn Drake

My Description: Mira is a 600+ year old nightwalker (a.k.a. vampire) with the very unique ability of creating and controlling fire. She's top nightwalker in her domain (Savannah, GA) and ensures younger ones stay in line since humans are unaware of the existence of nightwalkers. When a vampire hunter named Danaus arrives in her domain, Mira learns that an old enemy race, known as the naturi, are back and threatening to destroy all nightwalkers and humans. Can Mira and Danaus put their inherent feud aside long enough to survive and deal with the naturi problem?

My Thoughts on the Series: Nightwalker opens with a straightforward conflict. Mira is a vampire and Danaus is a vampire hunter that has waltzed into her domain and killed several nightwalkers. Danaus looks human, but his agility, speed and other unique abilities are definitely not human. Mira’s not sure who or what he is, so she doesn’t want to kill him right away. Mira learns from Danaus that the naturi are back. The naturi are a dangerous earth-related creatures who attempted to destroy other races (humans, nightwalkers, etc.) centuries ago in order to protect the earth itself. This begins a very unlikely partnership between Danaus and Mira. They decide to put off their fight-to-the-death battle for another day so they can figure out how to prevent the naturi from returning to power.

Mira’s inner conflict sometimes feels like a split personality.  She’s fierce and assertive one moment and then suddenly she’s vulnerable, confused, and weak the next. She loses her temper way too quickly and can’t control her emotions.  I like Mira’s character, but her mood swings can get tiring.  Danaus is one hunky vampire hunter and oh so mysterious! The more I read, the more I like him. Their interactions and dialogue is something between dancing and sparring. From scathing insult to quippy remark, they navigate together (reluctantly at first) through scenes with vampires, lycan, naturi, witches, humans and more.

In book 2 Dayhunter, the series gets more complex as we learn about the characters' back stories and the politics of the Coven, the nightwalker ruling body in Venice, Italy. Why is Mira the way she is? What is Danaus? I had so many questions in my head during the second book. Who can you really trust?  There are a lot of supporting characters, so it’s sometimes hard to keep story lines straight. Author Jocelynn Drake does a great job of holding your attention even through those long dialogues. The fight scenes can get a little choppy. I had to re-read paragraphs because I couldn’t visualize the movements. There’s some cursing and one steamy sex scene, which is completely fine since it’s an adult novel (I’m so used to reading YA). Of course, there are many bloody fights and some gruesome torture, but Drake’s nightwalkers heal pretty quickly. I was surprised at the ending of the first book and I'm eager to read what happens next in book 3, Dawnbreaker.  I haven’t read too much in the adult urban fantasy genre, but I enjoyed this series so far.  I plan on buying the third book asap.

Bottom Line: Though not without it's flaws, this exciting vamp guilty pleasure keeps you coming back for more.

My Rating: 4/5

Book 4 Pray for Dawn releases on June 29 and book 5 Wait for Dusk is slated for August 27.  Personally, I'm not liking the covers of these two books.  The guy portraying Danaus on the front of Pray for Dawn looks more like an 80's rocker than how I had pictured Danaus (leaner with "real" shoulder length hair). The Wait for Dusk cover is way too steamy.  It might have turned me off from reading the entire series if I saw this cover first since I'm not a big Harlequin Romance type of fan.

 

For more info on the series, visit Jocelynn Drake's website and blog.

Reveiw: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Here's my first book review! I'll explore with review formats in the future. Enjoy!

Title: Where the Sidewalk Ends
Author: Shel Silverstein
Description: (from the book jacket)
If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer,
A wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er,
A magic bean buyer . . .

Come in . . . for where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein's world begins. You'll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

Shel Silverstein's masterful collection of poems and drawings is at once outrageously funny and profound.
(This copy is the 30th anniversary edition with 12 additional poems)

My Thoughts: Where the Sidewalk Ends is a fun collection of Shel Silverstein’s fanciful poems and drawings. The hilarious black and white illustrations make the poems shoot off the page and come to life. It’s a great book to read aloud to kids (or anyone else who’ll listen). Most of the ideas are ridiculous like eating countries in “Hungry Mungry” or a turtle that falls for a bagpipe in “The Bagpipe Who Didn’t Say No”. But it’s a fun journey with some poignant moral-of-the-story moments too. This is definitely one of those I-should-have-read-it-by-now books. So if you haven’t read it or it’s been a while, pick up a copy for National Poetry Month (NPM). This is the first of three poetry books I hope to read in April for NPM.

What I Liked Most: The cute and whimsical writing! Here is one of my favorite poems in the book:

     LISTEN TO THE MUSTN’TS (pg. 27)
     Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,
     Listen to the DON’TS
     Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
     The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
     Listen to the NEVER HAVES
     Then listen close to me—
     Anything can happen, child,
     ANYTHING can be.
My other favorite poems are “Colors” (pg. 24) and “Mr. Grumpledump’s Song” (pg. 171).

What I Liked Least: Don’t read it in one sitting. It becomes one long, wacky poem if you read too many in a row. I appreciated them more when I broke up my reading. Plus, I started this book late during the 24 hour read-a-thon…so I’m sure that had something to do with it.

More Like This: Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.
Bottom Line: A MUST-read for all ages.
My Rating: 4/5