July Book Review #2

Book: Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl
Age-range: 13 and up
Recommended: No

This was a book that I enjoyed... once I got into it.  It took me quite a while to really grasp the story, and the character felt so distant through the entire book.  It was Ms. Kindl's first book, so it's understandable that some things would not be as perfect as they were in Goose Chase (see the previous post).

This is a book about a girl named Owl who is half-human, half-owl.  She can change at will between the two species.  The creepy part about this book is that she's in love with her science teacher and the way she talked about him gave me the heebie jeebies.  Luckily, before the book is over, she's over him and in love with someone more suitable.

Like I said, this wasn't a bad book, it's just not one that you'd miss anything if you didn't read it.

July Book Review #1

Book: Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
Age-range: 5 and up
Recommended: Yes

SO CUTE!  That is the way I would describe this book, no doubt.  It's sort of a fractured fairy tale in the sense that it has a lot of fairy tale elements without blatantly being about any particular tale.  I definitely think all my nieces would love this story.

Firstly, the writing style is so cute.  It's very fairy-tale-ish without being obnoxious or overbearing.  The voice is very distinct, however, and you absolutely hear her personality in every line.

Secondly, the storyline is original and not super predictable.  There were a lot of times when I was surprised by what happened, which is always nice.  This book was so well-written it actually helped me overcome my writer's block!

Lastly, it's the perfect story for any boy or girl who likes fairy tales.  You can even make it a game where you identify different things from different stories (being trapped in a tower, a goose girl, magical hair, etc.).

In short, it's a super-cute, super-quick read and you should run out to your local library and get it.  Right now.