A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Rating: 1.1.1
Category: Middle reader, Newbery Medal 2002
Published: 2001
Audiobook

Review: 4.5/5

I read this book months ago but have gotten very behind in my reviews. I really enjoyed it though so I want to finally get my thoughts down. The story is set in 12th century Korea. Tree Ear is a 10 year old orphan who is fascinated with the pottery made by several potters in his village. Orphans are not treated well since family and lineage is so important in the Korean culture but Tree Ear manages to become an apprentice to a potter who has no son. The story goes on from there and includes very interesting descriptions of how the pottery is made but the most compelling part of the book is the relationships between the characters. I really enjoyed this book. I lived in South Korea as a missionary for about 16 months so it was especially interesting to me but I recommend it to all. It's not a long book and I actually listened to the whole thing as I was doing one of my training runs for a marathon last year. I finished the book as I was running my last mile. I don't know if it was fatigue or the book but I was running down the road with tears streaming down my cheeks.

Johnny Big Ears by John Paul Padilla

Rating: N/A

Category: Children's book

Review: 2/5

John Paul Padilla has wonderful intentions with his book Johnny Big Ears, The Feel Good Friend. Unfortunately, good intentions are not always enough. I've been needing to review this book for a long time since I received it as a review copy but I've kept putting it off, mostly because I don't have a lot of good to say about it. The story is told in the voice of a 5 year old boy just going to kindergarten. You can guess from the title that he different from other kids because of his big ears. He gets teased but deals with it admirably and talks about how everyone is different and everyone is special. Sounds pretty good, huh? The idea is nice and the message is good but it is poorly written. It's supposed to be the voice of a five year old but it sounds like an adult trying to pretend he's five. It's also in the form of an easy-reader for 6-8 year olds with several illustrations scattered through the book (which aren't very good either). I think a picture book would have been much more effective and would have forced some much needed editting of the story.

Simply stated, my opinion is--good message, poorly executed. (By the way, on Amazon there are several very good reviews for this book, so I may be up in the night. But I don't think so. :) )

Messenger by Lois Lowry

Rating: 1.2.1
Recommended audience: Ages 10+
Category: Fantasy, YA fiction, juvenile fiction
Review:


This is the book that brings The Giver and Gathering Blue together. I'm not going to say very much about this book because I don't want to give anything away about the other two. I will say that this does bring up some good points about greed and materialism. What are we sacrificing when we become too greedy and are consumed with getting "things"? Are we actually giving up something in our efforts to get more? This was an interesting book and a good ending to this trilogy. I thought it ended a little abruptly but other then that I really enjoyed it.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Rating: 1.1.1

Recommended audience: Tweens, teens, adults

Category: YA Fiction or Children's, Historical

This is one of the sweetest, funniest books I've read in a long time. It made me laugh out loud one minute and cry the next. The story is told by Holling Hoodhood and chronicles his seventh grade year at Camillo Junior High. This takes place in 1967-68, during the Vietnam War. While the war does affect his life it is not the main part of the story. It is about the struggles and triumphs of a 12 year old kid. The book reminded me quite a bit of The Wonder Years with Fred Savage that was on TV back in the late 80's to early 90's. It has a similar feel to it. I highly recommend this book. It won a Newbery Honor that I think is well deserved.