Reading, Writing & Pondering

  The Restitching of Camille DuLaine by Lindsay A. Franklin is the second book of a young adult fantasy duology. You need to read the first book before this on for it to make the best sense. I would also add that if you like fantasy and like classic literature, you will likely enjoy the book as an adult too. Emlyn DuLaine, the main character in the first book, accidentally bridges story worlds together. She then goes back and tries to sever the connections without destroying the stories themselves.  At the same time, Laramie is lost in a story world with Frank, a special wyvern who needs Rivenlea air to survive. Laramie is the story boy who has grown on Emlyn and Frank is a creature cherished by both of them. Emlyn also needs to find her sister, Camille, and save her. Can they do it all in time? This second book is told from multiple points of view. I like that aspect as the first book was just Emlyn's point of view. We get to hear from a variety of the characters. It is also...

      Emlyn Dulaine lost her sister seven years ago. She literally vanished before Emlyn's eyes. No one believes Emlyn's version of what happened. They think she is crazy. Then Emlyn is pulled into a portal with a magical library. Is this where her sister went too? The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine by Lindsay Franklin is the first book in a fantasy duology that will leave readers wanting to know more--especially since this one leaves the reader with a cliffhanger.  To start with, this book is aimed at young adults and I'm a middle-aged woman so my perspective might be different. Emlyn had to grow on me. I didn't care for her at first with her sullen attitude. As the book went on, though, I started to care for her a great deal. I also liked getting to know the other characters in this story. Also, I wanted to read this because fantasy is a genre that I have not read much of. I found it easy to get into the author's world that she built, which I think says a lot. I had...

At first Josie can't wait for the summer between her sophomore and Junior year. She has a lot she is looking forward to--until her classmates start making fun of her after her. Jose's mom has just published a book with about a teen girl who has some embarrassing moments--and they assume the book is about Josie so start teasing her about it and playing pranks. Then in An Unexpected Role by Leslea Wahl, Josie's summer takes a whole new turn when she decides to spend the summer with her Aunt in South Carolina. That is when the real adventure begins and Josie learns who she really is and what she is about. An Unexpected Role is written for teenage readers--and specifically for Catholic youth. This book starts out with some moments for Josie that would be embarrassing for any teenage girl I think. I didn't like the book at the start because of that and Josie's family didn't seem to be really hearing how hard this was for her. At the same time, though, Josie w...

So Much the Better by Megan Means is a fiction book aimed at upper elementary children and middle school children--but I was deeply touched by this moving story even as an adult. So Much the Better is about Ari, a small lion cub who is happily living with his pride when one day everything changes and he is separated into a new and strange land. Ari is lost and feeling hopeless when a golden eagle named Eliezer befriends him and helps him grow into a stronger young lion. Eliezer also helps give him guidance on how to get back to his homeland. In the journey, Ari learns and grows through encounters with other animals. Mostly he learns and grows in confidence, compassion, wisdom, courage, self-control, purpose, determination, patience, self-esteem, joy, forgiveness, love, leadership, and helps bring unity to others. I truly enjoyed reading So Much the Better . This book made me think and reflect on my own life. I am sure it would be great to teach children. My son is an older tee...