A True Addict

I've been at it again. I've finished 3 books in 3 days and it's time I blogged about them. In the interest of making this first review make sense, I have to give a little background on the first Fablehaven (see previous post). Fablehaven was a really fantastic fantasy book about two kids - Kendra and Seth, who go to spend the summer with their distant grandparents. They soon discover that their grandparents are the caretakers of Fablehaven, a sort of wildlife preserve for magical creatures such as fairies, satyrs, imps, and demons. In this second book in the Fablehaven series, Kendra and Seth discover that Fablehaven is under attack by a secret society trying to create Armageddon, and it's up to Seth and Kendra to figure out how to save the preserve, their grandparents, and the world. I have really enjoyed the Fablehaven books (I stayed up until 2:30 last night finishing this one) and they are great engaging, fun reads. Many compare them to the Harry Potter novels because they are fun books that draw you in and have great stories. I highly recommend them. Also, a 3rd book in the series is due out soon, and Brandon Mull is a member. Just an FYI.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir and was the book for my ward book club this month. The author had a very difficult life with immature and neglectful parents that put her in hazardous situations. At 3 she was cooking hot dogs on the stove by herself in a tutu when her dress caught fire. She ended up in the hospital and had skin grafts because she was burned quite a lot. At age 4 or 5 while her family was fleeing debt collectors, the back door of the car flew open on a big bump and Jeannette flew out. She waited there for hours until her parents realized she was missing and came back for her. Her father was a drunk and her mother completely devoid of any responsibility to her family. Sometimes there was no food for the family to eat, and at one of these times they discovered that her mother had been hoarding chocolate bars all to herself while her 4 children starved. This was a completely disturbing book to read, but what amazed me was how matter of fact the story was. There was no self pity, simply a story to be told. That fact made the book readable and interesting instead of depressing.

I had seen this title in the Scholastic book orders once and decided to get it. I read it in 1 day, so it's a quick and easy read. It's about a 14 year old girl who accidentally turns in her journal to her English teacher instead of her assignment. The journal contained a story about a super hero who rid the world of all the things teenage girls (and old ones too!) have to deal with - cattiness, insults, gossip, fashion, figure, etc. The English teacher contacted a publishing house who snapped up the story and almost overnight, this 14 year old awkward girl was a bestselling author. The book focuses on 2 things - the new author trying to figure out how to become more polished overnight, and the horrible "idols" girls compare themselves to such as movie stars and other celebrities. It was a simple, fun read that was a nice contrast to The Glass Castle. I think it is a great book for young girls to read that would help them not feel alone with the pressures they are put under.