Out of My Mind

Out of My Mind

Author: Sharon M. Draper

Narrator: Sisi Aisha Johnson

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise

Summary: Out of My Mind is a story about a young girl living with cerebral palsy and how she conquers her disability.

Review: In this book, is a lifetime filled with lessons. We meet Melody Brooks, a child who is born with cerebral palsy. She describes how it feels to not be able to speak, be in a wheelchair, and live her day to day life. Narrator Sisi Aisha Johnson does a wonderful depiction of Melody’s thoughts and the feelings she has that goes with them. All of these intricate and intelligent thoughts Melody has are inside of her, but she isn’t able to express herself. Many, from doctors to teachers, don’t understand that cerebral palsy only affects her body and not her mind. Melody is smart and should not be underestimated, and her parents and a loving neighbor know this and are filled with compassion. To hear how Melody describes her constant struggle with her disability, I find myself even more thankful that I am able to communicate in so many ways. This will tug at your heartstrings and you’ll also gain a better understanding of those with a disability.

Bedtime Math

Bedtime Math
Author: Laura Overdeck
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Sue

Summary: This fun book is educational, and a great way to practice math with your child.  The math story chapters included are Exploding Food, Wild Pets, Extreme Vehicles, Sports You Shouldn’t Try At Home, and Really Odd Jobs.  The illustrations are as quirky as the stories!  Each math story has an interesting explanation, and then a math question for three different abilities. “Wee ones”, “Little kids”, and “Big kids” can each answer a question that pertains to the math story.

Review: What a fun way to instill a love for math in your child!  There is a great introduction for parents and adults to explain how to use the book, but the main thing is to have fun with math.  It’s really hard not to read ahead and see all the fun stories.  This is a great book to read along with your child, talk about the stories, and then solve the math problem.  I highly recommend the book.  Also consider checking out the Bedtime Math website and signing up for their free Daily Math Problem by email, or getting the free Bedtime Math app.

If You Leave

If You Leave

Band: Daughter

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Reviewer: Lydia

If You Leave, the first full-length album by the London-based indie band Daughter, is a lush arrangement of ten perfect songs. For fans of moody, atmospheric folk and indie bands, such as Bon Iver and Wye Oak, this album features soothing vocals and hypnotic background music.

The album opens with the track “Winter”,which is one of my favorite songs. “Winter” is one of the more upbeat tracks on the album, and it is a great way to begin the album as lead singer Elena Tonra’s beautiful, dreamy vocals  weave in and out of the song. My other favorite tracks are “Still” and “Lifeforms”. It is hard to find fault with such an album; on the surface it is deceptively simple, but each song features complex arrangements and beautiful lyrics.

If You Leave is a great album to put on in the background as you go about your daily life. Tonra’s voice acts both as vocals and as another instrument in and of itself. Daughter has managed to produce an album that is mellow and simple, but far from boring, since each subsequent listen reveals something new and exciting.

The False Prince

The False Prince
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Aleece

Summary: In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king's long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war.

Review: At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about the main characters voice that Charlie McWade portrayed.  I liked the concept of the character but while listening to the book I felt that the voice sounded a little older than what I had pictured.  I was okay with the voice that Charlie McWade did for the other characters but for the main character I just wasn’t sure.  However, the more I listened the more I laughed out loud when parts were funny. I felt my heart tightened during suspenseful moments.  I don’t know if I would have had the same response if I was reading this book.  I would have laughed but most likely internally rather than externally.  I could picture everything that was being read aloud and it seemed like I was watching a movie that I never wanted to end. 

This book was truly remarkable.  There were twists and turns, characters with terrible personalities that were very realistic, some characters you just wanted to root for, and others you just couldn’t help but like.  This was a fast paced book but at the same time you understood everything that was going on and really understood what Sage, the main character, was thinking and feeling as well as the other characters that surrounded him.  Some of the twists and turns could be predicted but when it happened it was still a shock because of the way it was portrayed and fleshed out.  The way it was written was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to get the second book to continue this wonderful adventure.

Stoner

Stoner

Author: John Edward Williams 

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

Stoner is a simple book about a simple man. It details one man’s everyday struggles and life experiences, and it expertly depicts a single life’s microscopic rise from and meteoric descent back into obscurity. This novel is profound, and will make you contemplate how much one life means in a world of so many. Stoner is a novel that does not shout its brilliance; it is quietly perfect.

William Stoner is the son of two poor farmers who is sent on a scholarship to the nearby college where he begins to study agriculture so that he can one day help his family on the farm. However, a required freshman English composition class changes his life forever, and he breaks out of his parent’s concrete and simplistic world and begins to study literature, philosophy, and the humanities.

Stoner, as he is known throughout the rest of the novel, becomes an English professor at the college, but he is not a great teacher. He also marries a woman who he doesn’t really love, but he is not a great husband. He even has a daughter whom he loves, but he is not a good father. All in all, Stoner deftly takes us through the life of one man, from beginning to end, and the final page ends as Stoner lies on his deathbed, contemplating his life. The realization that many people would consider his life a failure is palpable. However, it is ambiguous as to whether Stoner believes this as well.

It is impossible to describe the essence of Stoner and what makes it so great, so real and raw. Essentially it is a book about a man’s life, and it shouldn’t be as interesting as it is. When it was first released the book received little acclaim, and John Edward Williams, besides being a superb writer, sank into obscurity. With this new release of his most famous book, hopefully William Stoner and John Edward Williams will receive the recognition, fame, and acclaim the novel and author both deserve.

The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Against Slavery

The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Against Slavery
By: Judith Bloom Fradin & Dennis Brindell Fradin
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: Documents the efforts of an Ohio community to secure the freedom of escaped slave John Price, examining various aspects of Price's escape from Kentucky, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and the heroic showdown.

Review: This nonfiction picture book with its realistic illustrations is the interesting story of the slave John Price who escaped a slave state and eventually wound up in the best place he could’ve - Oberlin, Ohio. Oberlin was one of the nation’s busiest Underground Railroad stops sheltering as many as 3,000 slaves. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 didn’t stop the towns people from defending what they felt was right. They went by the law of right and wrong and they felt everyone deserved to be free. When slave hunters came looking for John, they did everything they could to keep John safe. Because they did this 37 men were sent to jail for three months. Their time in jail didn’t break their spirits and the town held a big welcome home celebration upon their release, pledging no slave will ever be taken from Oberlin if they have the power to stop it. This was a town of heroes that deserved to have their story told.

Haunt Me Still

Haunt Me Still

Author: Jennifer Lee Carrell
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

After reviewing Interred with their Bones, which was a positive experience, Jennifer Lee Carrell's second book falls into the dreaded category of many follow-up works: it fails to meet the expectations one would expect from such a popular first book. However, this time Carrell's writing style fails to feel fresh or innovative, and her book is replete with clichés and an overall lack of imagination and scope.

Carrell's second book picks up where Interred with their Bones left off, following Shakespearean scholar Dr. Kate Stanley as she is summoned to a castle in the Scottish countryside. What ensues is another literary mystery, but unlike her first book, this story features too little Shakespeare and too many clichés.

The book begins to grow tiresome within a few chapters, and features too many plot points. Haunt Me Still contains everything: creepy castles, mysterious murders, pagan practices, ancient witches, Shakespeare's play Macbeth, theatre productions, magical powers, ancient rites, and a slew of other gothic literature standbys. While all of these are interesting on their own, I read this book to learn more about Shakespeare.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading about another of Dr. Kate Stanley’s literary mysteries. We are reintroduced to Kate’s former lover and partner-in-crime, and the ending of Haunt Me Still leaves their tumultuous relationship open to interpretation and possibly another installment in the series. If you like interesting mysteries and learning a thing or two about literature and art along the way, definitely read Jennifer Lee Carrell’s books; however, if you’re pressed for time, only read the first book in the Kate Stanley series.