The White Giraffe

The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John  180 pp.

On her eleventh birthday, Martine becomes an orphan when her parents die in a house fire. She is sent to live on a wildlife preserve in South Africa with a grandmother she has never met. Once there, a local "magic woman" tells her she has the gift but Martine doesn't know what that means. Eventually she discovers that the mythical white giraffe is real and poachers are trying to steal it. This is a lovely story that incorporates magical realism, adventure, the reality of the political and social problems in South Africa, and the problems of saving animals from extinction. This is the first book in the "Legends of the Animal Healer" series.

January Totals

Here are the totals for January.  We're lagging behind where we were last year, and I know I'm as much to blame as anything.  So here's my deal:  I'll do better, if other people start blogging!  You all need to keep me motivated!


Books/Totals:

Christa:  14/3717
Karen:  14/3050
Marilyn:  15/4433
Annie:  2/752
Kathleen:  7/2128
Stephanie:  3/808
Kara:  1/128
Linda:  4/1140

Total:  60 books/16156 pages

kWonderstruck by Brian Sellznick 634 pages

There is a lot to wonder about while experiencing this title. Selznick, the unconventional winner of the Caldecott medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret (on which the current Oscar nominee, Hugo was based) has created a book that is half novel/ half graphic novel with a dual time line. No wonder it took him 634 pages to complete his vision. The wordless graphic novel follows a young deaf girl searching for the actress mother who had abandoned her. The other half - all text and no illustrations - is about an orphaned boy's search for the father his mother refused to talk about. The two stories connect in a surprising way. A true tour-de-force. If you read this don't skip the Acknowledgments which help explain his inspiration and tells the lover of literature about hidden shout-outs to some of his favorite works!!

Wild Thing: a novel

Wild Thing: a novel / Josh Bazell 400 pgs.

Wow, I've been looking forward to this book since 2009 when I closed the cover on Beat the Reaper but then when I laid my hands on it, I was scared that it would live up to the predecessor.  I guess it is save to say that I had nothing to fear.  There is enough craziness here to make anyone happy (anyone who loves craziness) and there are plenty of interesting asides.  Looks like Josh Bazell loves him some research and could easily compete in our book challenge.

This book finds our hero under another assumed name and still getting flack from his former mob associates.  He takes a job working for a rich guy to get off the cruise ship where he is working (remember how good you felt about going to the hospital after Beat the Reaper?  Don't read this if you have a current cruise reservation). The good doctor teams with a sexy paleontologist and they go in search of a scam artist, a relative of Nessie or maybe just the saddest town in America.  They have run-ins with a variety of super rich and/or famous people who are out looking for their own thrills.  The story ends abruptly (not unsatisfactorily) and you are left 62 pages of appendix and sources to keep you busy.

This was worth the wait but I do wonder how far along the author is with his next book.

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The Pilgrim / Hugh Nissenson / 356 pp

A fascinating and strange novel about an idealistic young man's journey to the New World shortly after the founding of the Plymouth Colony. Contains extremely graphic descriptions of gallows activities and repeated references to a certain unmentionable topic.

Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London / Andrea Warren / 156 p.

I loved this book, full of photos and illustrations, that demonstrates Dickens' particular dedication to improving the lives of London's children through his writing. Warren makes the case that change occurred in the government, financial, and social realms in large part because of the Dickens' portraits of children such as Nell, Oliver, and many others.

Underground Time: a Novel / Delphine de Vigan / 257 p.

An interesting premise that went nowhere. A lonely, stressed-out Parisian woman is told by a fortune teller that she will meet an important man on a certain day. A lonely, disillusioned Parisian man happens to step into the metro at just the right moment, but... A case of a moderately talented writer who has no respect for her readers.

Dead end in Norvelt by Jack Gantos 341 pages

This is the well deserved new winner of the Newbery Award. Some past award winners have been those special books for special (adult) readers. Not this. This semi-autobiographical novel (hey, the protagonist is actually named Jack Gantos!!)and the setting is his childhood hometown. Norvelt is a historical Pennyslvania town. It was created during the Depression and its name was a salute to EleaNOR RooseVELT. The town itself is rather depressed but its inhabitants are wildly colorful. Jack's plans for a fun summer are cut short by his shooting accident. He is grounded for life except for frequent timeouts to help an elderly handicapped neighbor write her obituary column for the local newspaper. It is kind of like reading a Richard Peck historical novel on steroides. Jack Gantos has written many books: the raucous Rotten Ralph (Ralph is a badly behaved, but beloved pet cat) series for the picture book audience and Joey Pigza (his ADD problems are compounded by his father's schemes) for middle grade readers. Hole in my Life was his warts and all autobiography published last year. All of them are a bit dark, but uproariously funny. Kudos to this year's Newbery committee for making the right choice.

Wreck the Halls: Cake Wrecks Gets "Festive" / Jen Yates / 219 p.

Another hilarious collection. The lesson to be learned here is that large blobs of brown icing are a no-no, unless you're trying to create a reindeer toilet motif.

How It All Began / Penelope Lively / 229 p.

I have never read anything by Penelope Lively that I did not like, and this was no exception. In contemporary London, an older woman is mugged. This sets off a cascade of events among friends, family, and strangers. Not earth-shattering, just thoughtful.