The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

     Where to begin...well, let me begin by saying I did not cry while reading this book. I did not even tear up. I did, however, end with a feeling of numbness. Let me try to put that feeling into words...

     I find the whole concept and plot of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne intriguing. It isn't often you get to read a book from a nine year olds point of view set during the Holocaust, whose father is a Nazi. I do like what john Boyne had to say about writing about the Holocaust:

"The issue of writing about the Holocaust is, of course, a contentious matter, and any novelist who explores it had better be sure about his or her intentions before setting out. It's presumptuous to assume that from today's perspective one can truly understand the horrors of the concentration camps, although it's the responsibility of the writer to uncover as much emotional truth within that desperate landscape as he possibly can.

Throughout the writing and rewriting of the novel, I believed that the only respectful way for me to deal with this subject was through the eyes of a child, and particularly through the eyes of a rather naïve child who couldn't possible understand the terrible things that were taking place around him. After all, only the victims and survivors can truly comprehend the awfulness of that time and place; the rest of us live on the other side of the fence, staring through from our own comfortable place, trying in our own clumsy ways to make sense of it all."

      Again, I find the whole plot concept of the book very intriguing. However, I think John Boyne failed in some regards to properly tell the story. Bruno, the German nine-year old whose point of view we read from, pronounced German words wrong. Auschwitz was pronounced 'Out-With' by Bruno all throughout the book, and even when other characters in the book pronounced it correctly, it was written as 'Out-With'. Führer was pronounced 'Fury' the entire time, despite correction from multiple people. I don't know if John was trying to convey the naivety of Bruno by writing the words as Bruno pronounced them, or John just didn't know how to spell them and didn't want to take the time to learn. German was the spoken language, translated into English for the readers sake, but John's failure in using correct German spelling for Auschwitz and Führer made it seem like Bruno was a native English speaker trying to pronounce German words, instead of a German pronouncing German Words. It might seem a petty and insignificant thing, but even small things like this can really effect a persons take of the book.

     And the naïve Bruno seems to be taken to the insane level. Surely even a nine year old would have enough sense to know that the things on the other side of the fence aren't as fun as he pictures. He watched for a year and a half as his friend grew thinner and thinner and starved. He watched as a soldier beat a Jew mercilessly. And yet he is still envious of all the people on the other side of the fence, all the Jewish boys have hundreds of friends to play with. He never really did listen to what Schmuel told him about life on the other side of the fence. I found Bruno a selfish brat, honestly. Seems cold hearted, but for a boy portrayed as smart and yet extremely naïve...it just wasn't believable. And surely after over a year of sneaking out of the house everyday at the same time, someone, even one of the servants would have grown suspicious? And at the end of the book, surely everyone at the house would have been busy packing, and he wouldn't have had the opportunity to sneak out?

     The more I think on it, the more I find I not so much dislike the story or plot, but I dislike how John wrote Bruno. Not to mention little to none character development. And the ending...I knew something bad was going to happen, although I didn't expect that. It was twisted, and I'm ranting to much on this. I've probably spoiled a bunch. I know John was trying to make a point that those who did not experience the horrors of the Holocaust can never really comprehend it, but surely we aren't as naïve and stupid about it as Bruno was! He didn't know what Jews were, he didn't know about the war going on, or what concentration camps were doing, and his tutor was drilling them on geography and historical events!

     And thus concludes my rant on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Brilliant idea, poorly executed in my opinion. But not a wasted read. Maybe someone with a less hardened heart than I would find it more moving then I did?




      One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
 The Holocaust, Jewish concentration camps, Nazis, WWII

       Language:
None explicitly written, but multiple times a 'bad word' was said but omitted in the text because naïve Bruno wasn't entirely sure what it meant, he just knew it was bad.

       Sexual/Romantic Interaction
Bruno's sister flirts with a Nazi soldier multiple times.

       Violence
It's the Holocaust, although it isn't extremely descriptive be warned of the ending two chapters

      I would give The Boy in the Striped Pajamas a rating of heavy PG


      On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give The Boy in the Striped Pajamas a 2

God Grew Tired of Us, A Memior

     I ran into a friend the other day at the library. We talked for a bit before she dragged me across the building to check out a book, God Grew Tired of Us by John Bul Dau. She told be she had watched the documentary on it (same titled as the book) but didn't want to read the book until I had done so she would know if it was worth it. Haha, I guess that is what happens when you are a bibliophile and you have some not-so-bibliophile friends.

     When I read the introduction, which gave a detailed account of what happened the night his village was attacked by Arab soldiers called 'Djellabas', I felt like crying. Perhaps it is because I normally fiction that ends 'happy', but to know that events like that take place and are real is sometimes very difficult to understand. John's journey from Sudan to America is inspiring. And his comparisons of the Sudanese lifestyle and American lifestyle is very thought provoking. I liked what he said about America and it's 'tribes'.

"America as many tribes. Irish, German, Mexican, Greek, Chinese, Italian, and on and on through scores of other ethnicities, religions, and languages. Jews and Christians and Muslims. Great-grandchildren of slaves and great-grandchildren of slaveholders. Those who crossed the ocean in first-class cabins on luxury liners and those who traveled in steerage. Red-state citizens and blue-state citizens. Unlike the Dinka [John's tribe from Sudan], whom God placed along the Nile long, long ago, Americans live in a young and restless country. Everyone is an immigrant in this nation of immigrants; even the so-called 'Native' Americans once traveled to this continent from Asia. As an outside to the U.S., who knew next to nothing about America before arriving on these shores in 2001, I have observed many things that others have stared at but failed to see. Too many Americans have put on blinders. They see only what they choose to, not taking the time or effort to try and understand the big picture. I believe a macroscopic view of America must take account of all things that make this country great, as well as the things that stand in the way of its achieving even more greatness." (God Grew Tired of Us, chapter 6)

     John is very proud of America, he continually blesses it and will do anything to help America, just as he would do anything to help his homeland. I love what he had to say about America's great strength too.

Without even pausing to think, I can tell you America's greatest strength is its enormous spirit, manifest in its generosity. Americans deserve huge credit for giving to those in need. They open their checkbooks and make donations to people in Africa, in Asia, in Latin America, and in devastated New Orleans, and they seldom know personally who benefits from their altruism. Nowhere else in the world do people give so much, so freely, with no expectations in return...You tell an American you need assistance, and chances are you will find in his or her response the spirit that made this country grow and prosper. (God Grew Tired of Us, chapter 6)

     After reading this book, I feel good. I feel inspired. I feel like my opportunities here in America as an American citizen are endless, and I am so proud of this country God has blessed us with. I also have a great respect for the Dinka culture, and want to learn more about them. I think it would be a good thing to incorporate some key Dinka teachings into my everyday life. This is a book that makes you think, and is well worth it.

     I love the story that John Bul Dau shared with us, and I hope you will take the opportunity to read his story too.




      One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
 Survival, Hope, perseverance, war and its aftereffects.

       Language:
None.

       Sexual/Romantic Interaction
The Dinka practice polygamy, John marries a woman, but it's all done in a modest and 'courtship' like manner.

       Violence
War time violence. Shooting, starvation, burying dead friends who get eaten during the night, and so on.

      I would give God Grew Tired of Us a rating of light to mild PG-13


      On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give God Grew Tired of Us a 4.5

 

Goodreads exclusive from J.K. Rowling

     In celebration of Rowling's book, The Casual Vacancy, being released in paperback, Goodreads picked a question from one of its members to ask the author of the Harry Potter series. Here is a link to the article featuring the winning question: How She Crafts Gritty, Realistic Characters

     Rowling gives a detailed answer explaining each of the characters in the book, and how they developed over the course of the story, and what she intended with them. Beautifully done, once again by Ms. Rowling. I especially liked what she had to say about rising above what we usually are:

"We need to become absorbed in something bigger than ourselves. That doesn't mean everyone should stand in for parliament (God forbid); it is a more subtle business than that. If we make decisions in small matters in the awareness that our ...actions can have huge impacts on others, we will begin to make a difference. If we choose to understand the other person's point of view, if we make the effort to understand before rushing to judgment, all kinds of different vistas might become apparent to us. This might sound very little, but the effects could be world changing..."

      Be sure to check out the entire article.

Cold Case

     Cold Case by Julia Platt Leonard is a mystery novel for middle-school kids. When Oz's brother is accused of murder, and Oz is told the terrible truth about his father, he and his best friend, Rusty, investigate to find out the truth that links the present to the past.

     This was a nice, easy read. There wasn't anything special about the book, but it was nicely written and a good plot line. I figured out who the culprit was with a third of the book left to go, but there were some loose ends I couldn't figure out that were cleared up at the end. For her first novel, Julia Leonard has a good start. If I ever feel like it, and if she ever releases new novels, I wouldn't be against reading them.




      One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
Murder, mystery, detective

       Language:
None, but if I am remembering correctly there were a few instances of taking the Lord's name in vain.

       Sexual/Romantic Interaction
None.

       Violence
Murder, some gun violence, dog attack, kidnapping

      I would give Cold Case a rating of mild PG


      On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give Cold Case a 2.5

The Fault in Our Stars

Poignant - adjective
1. Keenly distressing to the feelings
2. Keen or strong mental appeal
3. Affecting or moving the emotions.

      This is a perfect description of The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. A beautiful read. My mind literally cannot comprehend it. Something in this story has resonated deep in my soul.

     This is one of those books that the technical aspects does not matter to me, the words were music to my heart. All I am left with is the emotions and a need to keep this book close to my heart. This was such a beautiful read, that I can't do a 'proper' review on it. The emotional aspects affected me in such a beautiful way. I read the library's copy of The Fault in Our Stars, but I had to go out and buy me my own copy.



     One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
  Cancer, death, relationships, coping

       Language:
  Mild language throughout, the F word is used once but not in a sexual way.

       Sexual/Romantic Interaction
  Kissing (sometimes passionate) One scene where sex happens, but it is a paragraph and very very little detail. I am a stickler for this, I don't normally let things like it slide, but it did not make me feel 'icky', or violated, so it didn't bother me.

       Violence
 Cancer is such a huge thing, the book revolves around it (The main characters have cancer). Not surprising there is a lot of anger and sometimes that is taken out physically (mostly on inanimate objects, I don't think there was every physical, human harm)

      I would give The Fault in our Stars a rating of mild PG-13

      On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give The Fault in Our Stars a 5

The Princess and the Goblin

     If you like C.S. Lewis' Narnia, then you will like The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. C.S. Lewis even said himself, "I regard George MacDonald as my master."

     The Princess and the Goblin is the story of Princess Irene and young miner Curdie. The Princess lives in a house next to the mountain, and the mountain is full of mountain goblins. The goblins come out at night to pick on any stray travelers who come across their paths. The only way to scare the goblins off is to sing rhymes and not be afraid. Soon after Curdie saves Irene and her nurse from goblins he discovers a terrible plot being planned by the Goblins to attack Irene's mountainside home. The question is, will it be too late for him to save her?

     Just like Narnia, The Princess and the Goblin is full of magic and mythical creatures. Narnia is written in a similar fashion to George MacDonald's fairytale. With the basic foundations of believing without seeing, trusting when the path seems long and winding and does not go how you expect, and even the unexpected boy or girl can be a hero, or prince, or princess.

     One of my favorite quotes from this book is "People must believe what they can, and those who believe more must not be hard upon those who believe less."

     This book was masterfully crafted and written, a beautiful read and great addition to anyone's (young or old) collection.



     One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
  Christian, fairytales, magic

       Language:
  None

       Sexual/Romantic Interaction
  Purdie and Irene kiss at the end

       Violence
  Goblins attack the house. Goblins and their 'pets' are killed and injured. Purdie is hurt, but Irene's grandmother heals him.

      I would give The Princess and the Goblin a rating of G

      On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give The Princess and the Goblin a 5

True Grit

     I picked up True Grit by Charles Portis on a whim from the library. My dad enjoys the movie adaptation starring John Wayne. After hearing that the 2010 adaptation starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld was truer to the book, I was interested in finding out for myself. (You will discover my findings in a later 'Book VS. Movie' post).

     True Grit follows the story of Mattie Ross as she enlists the help of US Marshal Rooster Cogburn and Texas Ranger Laboeuf (pronounced La-beef) to track and capture Tom Chaney, who, intoxicated, murdered Mattie's father. Laboeuf is tracking Chaney for a crime done in Texas. The trio sets off into Indian territory where Chaney fled, hot on the fugitive's trail.

     The book is written in the style of a memoir from Mattie Ross's point of view. She wrote it to tell about her experience with Cogburn and what happened afterwards to both him and her.

     I found Mattie Ross's character intriguing. I wouldn't be afraid to say that Mattie has some grit herself. She is a very determined girl who doesn't like to be treated like a weak girl. She doesn't like Cogburn calling her 'little sister', feeling like that means he believes her a weak girl needing protection. She abhors LeBoeuf insisting she not join them on the hunt. She believes she should be respected by all being a property owner, and she knows what she wants and will, under any circumstances, get it.
     Cogburn is a drunk and a marshal who would rather shoot first, ask questions later. He has killed around 27 fugitives in his duty as a marshal, but who knows how many more come from his time serving during the Civil War (on the confederate side). He doesn't enjoy talking about his past, although in one scene later in the book he tells Mattie a lot as they wait to ambush some fugitives. He develops a paternal/fraternal relationship to Mattie (although I don't think neither he or Mattie would admit it at the time). Her safety and survival is his main goal (besides capturing Chaney) near the end of the book.
     Laboeuf is that 'side character' you grow to love by the end of the book, although he didn't seem near as developed as Mattie and Cogburn. He does seem to develop fraternal feelings for Mattie near the end of the book, whereas in the beginning he whipped her in attempts to get her to go back home, abhorring the idea of a girl, not to mention a child, joining the men as they worked. He doesn't take instruction well and is a bit cocky and proud about his abilities.


     One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
 Wild-west, murder, fugitives

      Language:
 Mild cursing (SOB a couple of times)

      Sexual/Romantic Interaction
 None pertinent to the story

      Violence
 Talk of killing, Mattie's father is killed. Mattie totes around a revolver. Mattie is whipped by Laboeuf. There is a shoot out resulting in injury and the death of multiple fugitives. Fight scenes at the end resulting in death, injury, and loss of an arm.

     I would give 'True Grit' a rating of light to mild PG-13

     On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give True Grit a 3.

The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book One - The Field Guide

     Not surprisingly, this was a very quick read for me. This was actually my second time reading this book from the Spiderwick Chronicles, I never did read the others. But when your younger sister insists you read it, you should oblige her.

      Written by Holly Black and Toni DiTerlizzi, The Field Guide was written after receiving a 'letter', informing them of the magical and invisible world of faeries and creatures around us. They then met with the Grace children, and wrote the Spiderwick Chronicles in hopes to open our eyes to this invisible world.

     The Grace children have moved, their parents are divorced, their dad left them, and not to mention their new home is a dump. I believe Holly and Toni did a commendable job portraying the anger and angst some children can feel after their parents divorce.
     Being written for children (10-13 is the range I would give), the writing is simple to understand, yet gives enough detail for a picture to be formed in your head. The illustrations (The handiwork of Toni DiTerlizzi) were cute and well done, but there were incidences when the picture in my head did not match the picture drawn. Personally, I like the picture in my head better, but don't ask me to draw it, I'm not that talented.

     One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
Post-Divorce. Trust and distrust. Faeries and magic/mythical creatures.

     Language:
Mallory says 'crappier' in the beginning, otherwise there is zero cussing or swearing. They do, however, poke fun at their 'insane' aunt a couple of times.

     Sexual/Romantic Interaction
The Grace children's parents are divorced.

     Violence
Jared would get in fights at school. Mallory and Simon get bruised. Mallory's hair is tied to her bed frame. Simon's pet tadpoles are frozen in the freezer, and his two pet mice get kidnapped, but are returned unharmed.

     I would give The Field Guide a rating of PG

     On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give Book one of the Spiderwick Chronicles a 3