Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Take a Bow

By Elizabeth Eulberg

Published by Scholastic, Inc, 2012

288 pages (hardcover)

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform. (from barnesandnoble.com)

Take a Bow was kind of like “American Idol”, a teenage TV show, E! News, and a high school all rolled into one. And that is a good thing.

The story is told from the perspective of Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter. They all have their own hopes and dreams and, while their lives do intertwine, it is interesting to see how competition, admiration, friendship, and love factor into each characters thoughts and actions. True, by about 1/3 of the way into Take a Bow I had a pretty good idea of what the ending would be like, but that’s ok. Sometimes it is nice to read a book like that.

I liked that Elizabeth Eulberg turned some of the perceptions people have of actors/musicians on their heads. Carter isn’t a complete jerk and the composers aren’t odd eccentrics who write “new age” music that no one understands. Of all the characters, Sophie is the least used, the least developed, and the least likable. I really wish there would have been at least a few redeeming characteristics about her… she was just too easy to hate which made the other characters a bit too easy to like.

This book is for any fan of musical reality shows, books/shows about high school, or someone who wants a pleasant book about ridiculously talented teens.

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Bunheads

By Sophie Flack

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010

304 pages (hardcover)

In a crowd of beautiful ballet dancers, how can one girl stand out?
As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances, and complicated backstage relationships. But when she meets a spontaneous and irresistibly cute musician named Jacob, her universe begins to change.

Until now, Hannah has happily followed the company's unofficial mantra, "Don't think, just dance." But as Jacob opens her eyes to the world beyond the theater, Hannah must decide whether to compete against the other "bunheads" for a star soloist spot or to strike out on her own. (from barnesandnoble.com)

I picked up this book to read after seeing that there will be a TV show called ”Bunheads” on ABC Family this summer. Spoiler Alert: from what I can tell, the novel Bunheads is absolutely nothing like the TV show will be. Oh well.

Bunheads is a fun novel filled with friend and boy drama, questions of identity and future, and a good mix of silly and serious. This was a quick read that entertained me, but never made me think too hard. What is even more awesome, the author, Sophie Flack, was once a dancer who left that world to go to college and become a writer. I am not sure exactly how much of Bunheads is based on her own life and experiences, but Sophie really allows the readers to feel like they have a backstage pass into the mysterious world of ballet.

I have seen the Royal British Ballet while living in New Zealand, the Russian Ballet while studying in Latvia, and the Butler University Ballet so many times as a student watching my friends perform and as an alumni just wanting to see some good ballet. For all the ballets I have seen and dancers I have known, I never realized how difficult ballet really was. I mean, I definitely knew I would never be able to do the stuff they can do on the dance floor, but the hours of practice these men and women endure and the dedication the exhibit to the art is amazing.

The extremely long hours, cut-throat competition, and physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that Hannah (and her friends) goes through was eye-opening. I didn’t always like Hannah’s attitude or decisions, but her commitment to her craft definitely made her more endearing.

Although it might be fun to twirl around on stage in a pretty tutu, I am glad that I never had any promise the one year I took ballet. Bunheads was a great book, but it made me realize that there is definitely no way I could have handled the life of a ballerina.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: My Top Ten Favorite Book Characters

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is My Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters In Books.

Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Elizabeth is smart, funny, confident, and doesn’t give in to silliness just because her sisters and mom are vain and annoying. Although she is interested in dresses and socializing, Elizabeth remains practical and kind which makes her endearing and a character you can’t help but root for.

Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Oh, I just love P&P. Mr. Darcy is just awesome and the fact that Colin Firth played him in a movie version is an added bonus!

Mary Anne from the Babysitter’s Club series by Ann M. Martin

Mary Anne isn’t the typically pretty one, popular one, or out-going one. But she is sweet, loyal, smart, and brunette! For some reason she was always my favorite of the BBC gang so obviously I had to put her on my list

Gandalf from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is a wizard with attitude. He tricks Bilbo into having a hoard of dwarves over to his house and then pretty much forces the little hobbit into a crazy adventure where the wizard comes and goes randomly. Of all the wizards in literature, I think I would most want to hang out with Gandalf.

Charlotte Doyle from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by AviIn the beginning Charlotte was annoying and prissy. Then she totally started kicking some butt. I wish there was a sequel because I would love to know what other adventures Charlotte had in life.

Grover from The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone

1. Grover is my favorite Sesame Street character     2. Grover and I share the same birth date     3. I have a 2 year-old son who loves Sesame Street     4. We own this book AND I have it as a book on my iPhone which my son reads in the car     5. For all the dozens of times I have read/heard this book, Grover still cracks me up

Matthias from Redwall by Brian Jacques

Awwwww… Matthias is the brave little mouse who risks his life to save those he loves. What wouldn’t you love about that?

Alice Cullen from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

Alice is spunky and fun and girly and silly and just kind of awesome. All the brooding and angst from the other characters annoys me, but Alice is just awesome.

Laura from The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Oh, Half-Pint. You always were mischievous and full of life. I loved reading about your adventures on the prairie. One day I WILL make my husband take me to your former home in Minnesota.

Rue from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Rue is so sweet, feisty, and loveable. I wish her storyline would have been longer in The Hunger Games so I could have enjoyed her character for more time.

COMING SOON: Victory by Carla Jablonski & Leland Purvis

~COMING SOON TO THE UMS LIBRARY~

Victory

Written by Carla Jablonski; Illustrated by Leland Purvis

Published by First Second, July 17, 2012

128 pages (paperback)

Source: NetGalley

The final installment in Carla Jablonski’s Sydney Taylor Honor-winning Resistance trilogy.

 

World War II thunders to a conclusion in this third and final installment of Jablonski and Purvis’ critically-acclaimed historical trilogy. As the Allied Forces move to retake France from its Nazi invaders, siblings Sophie, Paul, and Marie Tessier must risk their lives once more and journey into the belly of the beast: Paris. They are on a mission to deliver top-secret intel for the Resistance movement . . . they are its youngest agents.

 

A perfect mix of deft emotional storytelling and hairraising, historically accurate wartime adventure make this final chapter of the Resistance Trilogy the most satisfying yet. (from NetGalley)

I am so fortunate to have received an advanced copy of this book. I had already read the first two books in the Resistance series. The first book, Resistance, I picked up on a whim at the Student Council’s Scholastic Book Fair because it had an interesting cover and couldn’t put it down. I immediately ordered the second book and was thrilled to get to read the final book, Victory, before July. I had been looking forward to finding out what happens to these characters. Yes, I knew that the Allies would win, but I didn’t know if the Tessier family would make it out in one piece.

I have read a bunch of books about World War II, the Holocaust, and even about the French Resistance. This was one of the better books I have read in a long time. It expertly mixed history with intriguing fiction to create characters I connected with and a story I couldn’t stop reading. The fact that Victory (and the entire series) is in graphic-novel format helped me visualize the setting and historical dress/materials and increased my engagement in the story.

Besides the war and French Resistance work, Victory gives a human element to the time period. Sophie, Paul and Marie don’t know who to trust (can they even trust each other), yet they also express feelings of love and friendship for others around them. This story gives names and faces to the extraordinary work that French people did to save each other and their country.

I am thrilled to have this series as part of my library’s collection and it will definitely be among the first World War II books I recommend to students and staff.

Cat Girl's Day Off by Kimberly Pauley

Cat Girl’s Day Off

By Kimberly Pauley

Published by Lee & Low Books, April 12, 2012

336 pages (hardcover)

Source: NetGalley

Never listen to a cat. That will only get you in trouble.

Actually, scratch that. Listening to cats is one thing, but really I should never listen to my best friend Oscar. It's completely his fault (okay, and my aspiring actress friend Melly's too) that I got caught up in this crazy celebrity-kidnapping mess.

If you had asked me, I would have thought it would be one of my super-Talented sisters who'd get caught up in crime fighting. I definitely never thought it would be me and my Talent trying to save the day. Usually, all you get out of conversations with cats is requests for tummy rubs and tuna.

Wait . . . I go back to what I said first: Never listen to a cat. Because when the trouble starts and the kitty litter hits the fan, trust me, you don't want to be in the middle of it. (from NetGalley)

Truth: I like cats. I had 2 while growing up and I have 2 now. They both sleep with me. And, yes, I have dressed all my cats up. It is hilarious. However, I am sooooooo glad I could not hear what Frisko, Little Kity, Kiwi, or Peyton were thinking when I put them in doll dresses.

But Natalie can talk to cats. Like really. She, like all the other members of her family, have special talents/superpowers. One sister can levitate. The other can be a chameleon and blend in to her surroundings. Natalie feels ignored by her parents because she can only talk to cats.

Then she overhears the cat of a celebrity blogger screaming on a YouTube video. Pressured by her friends, her own love of cats, and eventually her cat Meep, Natalie sets out to find out what is really going on. And this leads to chaos and craziness plus a little bit of romance.

No, this isn’t the best pieces of literature ever. However, it was a fun read. I was getting tired of doom and gloom with people dying, the world ending, etc., etc., etc. Yeah, there is a kidnapping or two as well as some fighting so it’s not all sunshine and lollipops, but the author’s sense of irony and sarcastic tone was perfect for a quick light-hearted read.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves cats (and wishes they could talk to cats) or someone who wants a fun read that is well-written but doesn’t take itself too seriously.   

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters

By Meredith Zeitlin

Published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2012

282 pages (hardcover)

Let's say you're fourteen and live in New York City. You'd think your life would be like a glamorous TV show, right? And yet . . . You don't have a checking account, much less a personal Black American Express card. You've never been to a club, and the only couture in your closet is a Halloween costume your mom made from an old laundry bag.

In other words? You're Kelsey Finkelstein - fourteen and frustrated. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled. Kelsey wants to rebrand herself for high school to make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny. But just because Kelsey has a plan for greatness . . . it doesn't mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Kelsey's hilarious commentary and sardonic narration of her freshman year will have readers laughing out loud - while being thankful that they're not in her shoes, of course.

There is now just over a month until the school year is over and the lovely 8^th graders move up to the high school. Going to a new place, no matter what it is, can be scary. And, above all, becoming a freshman can be one of the scariest experiences of all. No longer are you separated from the other grades, have lunch at the same time as most of your friends, or know your way around school. As a freshman you are thrown in with older and more experienced teenagers in the crazy world that is high school.

I lucked out. My high school was small and I knew quite a few upperclassmen so starting high school wasn’t so horrible. Yes, some senior girls made me go late from volleyball practice to play practice so they wouldn’t get in trouble too and, not so shockingly, the senior cheerleaders were none-too-nice to the girl athletes. But whatever. No one really cares now.

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters is a great book for anyone who has hopes and dreams of doing great things in high school. Especially when your hopes and dreams have other plans and seem to want to sabotage your reputation. Kelsey and her friends are funny and entertaining, but they are real. They fight, have crushes, get embarrassed, and don’t always get their way.

And that is what I liked about this book. Sometimes novels can get so outlandish/drama-filled I roll my eyes and think “yeah, like THAT would ever happen.” Meredith Zeitlin did a great job of making Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters believable, silly, hopeful, and a book whose characters you would want to be friends with.

THANK YOU!

A BIG Thanks to everyone who went to Barnes & Noble over the weekend to support Books by the Bushel! A bunch of books have been donated to our library and eventually we will get more books based on how much people spent over the weekend. I am really excited about some of the books that I get to add to the UMS Library collection in the next few days.

Students- stop by later this week to check out what new books we have!

THANKS AGAIN!!!