Snow is shocked to find, first, that his tribute Lucy Grey Baird has some surprises up her sleeve. The tributes are not treated as royalty prior to the games as they are in the trilogy, so soon tributes and mentors are dropping like flies, and Snow believes that Lucy may actually have a shot at winning. I don't want to spoil too much of the story, but there it is definitely a love story, and I was worried that Snow may actually still be likable at the end of the story, and then how do we reconcile that with the President Snow we all love to hate? Never fear, by the end of the novel, Snow is as despicable as we all know him to be. A satisfying addition to the trilogy.
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There's Something About Sweetie is the natural companion to Dimple as it features Rishi's younger black-sheep brother Ashish. If Rishi is the golden boy in the Patel family, basketball star Ashish is a player, able to get any girl he sets his eye on. Unfortunately for his parents, none of those girls are Indian. After Ashish gets his heart broken by his latest girlfriend, he finally decides to let his parents play matchmaker, and he meets Sweetie. Sweetie Nair is every bit the star athlete that Ashish is, except on the track, despite her plus-size physique. And therein lies the rub. While Sweetie embraces her size, her mother does not, and she refuses to allow Sweetie to date Ashish.
Again, I don't want to give too much away, but this is the first book in ages that I read all in one day, if that tells you anything. Also, I think this is a really important book for teachers to have on their shelves because of the theme of size shaming. As someone who has gained and lost the same 20 pounds a hundred times in my life, I absolutely understand the struggle with being fat (and kudos to Sweetie for not applying a stigma to that word as the rest of society has done). In Sweetie, Menon has created a character who explores and pushes back against societal expectations of size and size shaming, and it's about time! Highly highly recommended!
My first review from this summer is Olivia Twist, which is a new take on the classic Oliver Twist story. In this new rendition, Olivia WAS Oliver when she was younger. When her mother dies in childbirth, Olivia's caretakers wisely raise her as a boy so she can survive the streets unmolested. She successfully passes herself off as Oliver, even to the Artful Dodger, until a random pickpocketing episode brings her face to face with her biological great uncle, who takes her in and allows her to reveal her true gender.
Years later, Olivia again comes in contact with the Dodger, now in the guise of handsome Jack MacCarron. Olivia is about to become engaged to one of the most eligible bachelors in town, but Jack throws a monkey wrench into those plans. Much heavy breathing follows, but it's all very PG-rated. I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable remake of the Dickens classic with a satisfying ending and enough action and suspense in the middle to keep me listening. This would be a great YA recommendation.
characters--Joana, Florian, Emilia, and Alfred--and I had to reread the first 30 pages or so probably three times before it really hooked me. Having said that, once I got into the rhythm of the constantly-shifting narrators (and once the characters connected with each other), I could not put it down.
The story takes place in the winter of 1945, as the Nazis are losing World War II, and the Russians are pushing West through Poland. The four main characters eventually find themselves at the port in Gotenhafen, trying desperately to flee before oncoming troops, and their stories converge onboard the Wilhelm Gustloff Each of the main characters has something significant to hide, so much of the first part of the book is spent in keeping their secrets. Once they reach the Gustloff, the tension continues to build until the climactic disaster and aftermath. I have to say, the character of Alfred was one of the creepiest, most irritating characters I've encountered in a while, but Sepetys does a fantastic job creating four completely realistic main characters. As I was reading it, the novel didn't strike me as YA, but it is from the Penguin Teen division, and I would certainly recommend it for the classroom. I also love that Sepetys shares much of her research and some verbatim interviews at the conclusion of the novel which will enhance the knowledge of readers. Definitely a recommended read.
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