Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Last night I finished reading Debbie Fong’s Next Stop, and while there were definitely feels, I’m going to keep looking for my daughter’s birthday graphic novel. I should specify, though–it’s not because it wasn’t good, because it absolutely was (although the art is not my favorite). I think the ratio of sad to happy might make it less appealing to her long term, however, and the slight touch of fantasy isn’t going to help. (My youngest is much more open to fantasy–my 15-year-old is VERY firmly in the “Give Me Realistic Fiction!” camp.)

I do need to say, though, that if I thought it were going to suit her personality, I wouldn’t mind owning this one at all. It’s heavy–Pia’s family is in crisis, and it isn’t until the end of the novel that they start to actually move through it–but in an unusual twist, the setting provides the needed contrasting lightness for much of the book. The circumstantial sense of family among the members of the Sunset Tours group comes through, and Sam’s personality provides a nice counterpoint to Pia’s. Ultimately, Next Stop is a sort of mash-up of Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons, Dusti Bowling’s Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, and Raina Telgemeier’s Sisters–except that’s just a descriptor, because it is eminently its own book. If your family has been through a tragedy and you want a graphic novel that reminds you you’re not alone, this is it.

It’s also a meaningful read for the rest of us.

That sounds less ambivalent than mixed feelings, right? It’s not just me?

Anyway. I do have an assortment of feelings about Really Truly, the third of Heather Vogel Frederick’s ‘Pumpkin Falls Mysteries’. In it Truly is looking forward to the perfect summer–and then, of course, nothing goes as planned. Instead of birdwatching, summer swim team, time with Calhoun (they’re both interested in each other, she’s pretty sure), and time at the bookstore, she’s suddenly headed to Mermaid Academy, where she’s stuck in a clamshell bra and a professional mermaid tail weighing at least 30 pounds (the amateur tail ordered for her did not come in the size ordered). Luckily, Truly’s a good enough swimmer to pull it off, and learning her most famous ancestor just may have been a pirate makes for an interesting week; unluckily, that week ends with a splashy fiasco that leaves her grounded. Is this going to prevent the Pumpkin Falls Private Eyes from solving two mysteries?

Here’s the thing. While Truly is sometimes whiny in a way that annoys my 45-year-old self, she’s 13, so that’s only realistic, and her readers are likely going to relate. And while the pirate part of the plot is farfetched–eh. Why not? What really bothered me was Truly’s dad’s reaction to the end-of-Mermaid-Academy fiasco and her subsequent grounding, as well as her reaction to it. My children span roughly the age group that the Lovejoys do, and the whole situation was an unacceptable parenting fail. Yeah, yeah, her dad’s only been out of the military for a year or two, and Truly’s older two siblings are both boys, but Truly’s mom should have stepped in–FORCEFULLY. Instead, we have an unjust punishment which sets us up to sympathize with Truly for sneaking around, even though that’s also completely problematic. And if it was mostly a plot device to make the story work–come on. Surely there was another way…

Okay, sort-of-rant over. I’m not sure how my girls will feel about it, but I’m thinking they’ll still enjoy it. After all, I more or less still enjoyed it–I’m just glad it’s over. I’m also, however, looking forward to the next one.

In other news, this is the week of all the appointments, but the most important one–my hubby’s post-surgery follow-up–was yesterday. Basically, the tumor removed from his kidney was cancerous, but it was completely removed and the margins and lymph nodes were clean, so no signs of spreading. He’s going to need blood tests every six months for the next couple of years, and an MRI in February, but he was blessedly philosophical about that. Good news, even if the whole thing still seems just a tad surreal. Today my oldest has the dermatologist and tomorrow my son has therapy–and then, happily, we all have a three-day weekend!

My 15-year-old and I finished reading Julie Sternberg’s Summer of Stolen Secrets together last week, and I have to say–I was excited about it, sure, but I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. It’s a bit different from Sternberg’s other books–my two younger girls and I have read two different trilogies by her–but not at all in a bad way; it isn’t illustrated, and it’s much longer, but it resonates with even more depth. It begins with Cat seizing the chance to visit her aunt, uncle, and cousin in Baton Rouge after the two best friends she’s supposed to be at summer camp with turn on her. Her cousin is a rebel with horrible taste in boys–at least, in one particular boy–but the force of even Lexie’s personality pales slightly in comparison to the Jewish grandmother Cat has never known.

The reason Cat has never known her is a mark against her, of course; Safta more or less disowned Cat’s father for marrying a non-Jew, and Cat is partial to her mom. As she gets to know her grandmother better, however, she learns that (of course) nothing is ever as simple as you think it is. (Except, perhaps, for the awfulness of Lexie’s boyfriend.) By the end of her visit, her whole family is affected by what Cat learns about her grandmother.

In an unusual choice, the entire book is written as a sort of letter from Cat to Safta, and while that isn’t my favorite format, it does work surprisingly well. Cat is also funny, in a way that had my daughter and me laughing out loud more than once. Lexie is outrageous but loveable, and Cat’s friend Max is a treasure whenever he pops up. Read this one when you need a book with deftly blended humor and poignancy–and I dare you not to laugh at the fake band names Max and Cat come up with.*

*Yeah, I ended an entire blog post with a preposition. I’m over it.

Technically, it’s PAST that time again, really–my second girlie turned 15 a week ago tomorrow, and I still haven’t committed to a graphic novel for her birthday. (At this point, I won’t stop trying them out when I find one; I’ll just keep reading until I find one for her for Christmas as well. And for her younger sister, and then that younger sister’s birthday is in February…yikes.) I did finish Stephanie Rodriguez’s Doodles from the Boogie Down on Wednesday, however, and while I don’t think I liked it QUITE enough to have it live in my house forever (or at least, until its owner moves out), it was fun and interesting and a cultural slice of life that should expand my girls’ horizons a little bit.

Doodles is actually fiction based on the author’s own experiences growing up in the Bronx (‘Boogie Down’, among other meanings, appears to be slang for the Bronx). Steph and her two best friends are applying to high schools–they do school a little differently in New York City–and while her friends are looking at Catholic high schools, Steph wants desperately to focus on art. The catch is that the arts high school she’s looking at is a public school, and her mother’s own experiences of public school as a new immigrant soured her on the whole idea. How is she going to convince her mother to change her mind? I’ll give you a hint–her initial plans are not exactly great ones. There is growth and learning and increased understanding ahead for everyone, however, and the ending is satisfying. Kids who can’t relate to New York’s educational peculiarities will find plenty to grab onto in the mother/daughter/grandmother relationships, as well as in the inevitable shifting of school friendships as kids transition into a new phase of life. Rodriguez’s debut is a solid read for middle to early high school, but I imagine my 9- and 17-year-olds will enjoy it as well. Give it a looksee–especially if you’re looking for books about first generation Americans with immigrant parents. In the meantime, I’ll keep reading more graphic novels…

Swindle, by Gordon Korman, out of the (at least) four completed books waiting for me to review them. Mostly because it feels like an easy review, and I’m feeling lazy in the writing department. (Not so much in the laundry and computer task departments, thank goodness.) The Amazon summary calls it “Ocean’s 11…with 11-year-olds,” and really, that’s decently accurate; a planning type of kid gets cheated by a local swindler and concocts the most epic plan of his life to rectify the wrong. His family’s financial struggles provide extra motivation, and there’s a memorable dog for all the animal lovers out there. It isn’t one of Korman’s newer titles (it was originally published in 2008), which may be why there’s more action and less emotional depth, but it’s the kind of story that ought to appeal to a broad range of kids. After all, who doesn’t love it when the underdog triumphs over the corrupt? I’m hoping my son will get a kick out of it.

In the meantime, my hubby is getting around better and better, although he’s frequently tired. (I’m attributing that to the healing his body’s doing.) He’s been working from home more, which is good for him–he was getting bored–and it’s especially nice for the kids to have him around more often during the first week or two of school. I hope any kiddos you all care about are settling in well; in the meantime, guesses on when I’ll actually be caught up with book reviews? Because I have no earthly idea…

Before y’all think I’m a monster, let me explain. My 15-year-old (her birthday was Saturday) had a friend–probably more than one friend?–gushing about The Summer I Turned Pretty. My hubby told her the tv series might be a bit questionable for her, so I listened to the books–all three of them–and told her that they were full of questionable decisions (by both adults and kids), but she could go for it. I’ve gotten them from the library for her, and as she’s approaching the wrap-up of the 3rd book, she’s baffled as to why people love them so much, and–YES. SO much yes. Because they’re all drama, and one boy is emotionally manipulative bordering on emotionally abusive for more than the whole first book, while the other (his brother) gets incredibly annoying by the third book. Knowing my daughter sees this and isn’t enjoying the obnoxious roller coaster thrills me, because I don’t want her making any of the mistakes Belly makes about either boy. I am sorry she’s not enjoying what she thought would be enjoyable, yes, but I’m still glad she’s not enjoying it.

In the same vein, she asked me about Sarah Adams’ The Cheat Sheet, which I finished listening to late last week, and I enjoyed that listening experience far more than the “Summer” books. I told her I’d leave it up to her–the frequent inner dialogues about how hot the other person is and their occasional conversations about sex might make her uncomfortable, but at 15, that’s her call to make–but I did warn her that while I found the main characters both likeable, the actual plot is flimsy. I gave it three stars because there’s entertaining banter and the discussion of panic attacks and mental health pleased me, but the idea of two adults spending a considerable amount of time together for six years without a)realizing the other is in love with him/her or b)admitting that he/she is in love with the other is pretty eyeroll-inducing. I mean, you’re out of COLLEGE, not just high school–talking honestly with each other really ought to be a thing at some point. AND the fake-dating-for-a-commercial is awfully contrived. On the other hand, if you set that aside, it’s a fun book, and while the constant inner ogling is the weakest aspect of Adams’ writing, the main characters’ relationships with side characters add a lot to their story. If you’re looking for deep literature or cleverly constructed plots, this is not your best choice; if you’re looking for an entertaining distraction from stress, however, then I’d say go for it.

I was totally planning on reviewing a book this morning–after all, since the kiddos are back in school, I have mornings again!–but I did the dishes and brushed Marshy (because OH MY GOSH THE SHEDDING EVERYWHERE) and remembered that OH yes, I signed up to make cookies for a funeral today. (A very nice man from the neighborhood who lost his battle with cancer; I didn’t know him well, but he was completely friendly and community-minded.) I wanted to make something interesting, and so despite the lateness of my realization, I opted for these Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies, because I’m a fan of Craisins. I followed the recipe with one change–instead of using white chocolate chips, since I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate in general, I used cream cheese flavored chips, because why not? And I have to say, they were lovely. I only got a couple, true, but had I an appreciative audience, I would TOTALLY make them again. (I’d be tempted anyway, except that making them when I’d be the one mostly eating them would be folly in the extreme. I’m 45, not 25.)

Anyway. I’m therefore doomed to put off my accumulating book reviews until Monday, because we all know I’m not coherent enough to write about ideas at this time of night. (Food, well–I can almost always write about food.) Today my hubby slept much of the day, and it was actually restful, healing sleep, which is exciting. Progress is being made! In the meantime, have a good weekend all, and I hope everyone’s first days went well.

The rescheduled surgery came with a bit more drama than the original, which was frustrating–first, the surgeon said the 7th when it was actually the 8th, and then my hubby got a bit of a virus a couple of days before, and I was afraid it would have to be postponed AGAIN. It wasn’t, which was good, and we figured out it was the 8th sooner rather than later, but my in-laws had tickets to “Hamilton” the night of the surgery, so Grandma couldn’t stay overnight. (Although she did the night before, thankfully, because our check-in time was 5:45 am.) Our fabulous neighbor came to the rescue and camped out on our couch while I stayed in the hospital with my hubby, and then my oldest drove the kiddos up to Grandma’s house Friday evening so that the first night home from the hospital could be calmer and without an audience. Now it’s been almost a week, the kiddos went back to school this morning, and after a dentist appointment and some cleaning, I’m taking a step toward catching up.

The bummer about the surgery being put off, among other things, is that everything was topsy-turvy. We spent last Monday (the 5th) in Logan because we could go then and my niece and her family will be moving in the next month, but my youngest had to miss a friend birthday party in order to do it. We did make family dinner in Clearfield on the 4th, however, and since my second girlie is one of the two August birthdays, that was a good thing. (As a matter of fact, the kids and I slept over, since it seemed folly to drive home and then right back north to Logan the next morning.) The kiddos had the dentist the day before the surgery (as well as the junior high’s back-to-school night and the seminary opening social), the elementary’s back-to-school night was Monday, and my oldest has her first day of senior year and her first day at her first real (as in, not including housecleaning or babysitting in the neighborhood) job on the same day. (We’ll see how that goes.)

In the meantime, it’s that time of year again–namely, time to figure out a good graphic novel to give my daughter for her birthday this Saturday. I had high hopes for Jessixa and Aaron Bagley’s Duel, which I finished last night, but it isn’t–quite–what I’m looking for. There are certainly feels, and the sister fighting and family dysfunction is perhaps understandable, given the death of their dad a few (I think?) years ago–we grieve differently, and newly single and grieving mothers have a heavy, heavy load–but some of the things they say to each other are just too mean to be read over and over again the way two of my three girlies will. (Even in the flashbacks, when the dad was alive, there are some unacceptable comments. I taught at Sylvan too long to find comments like “I hope her body remembers better than her brain” acceptable, especially when made about a younger sibling IN the younger sibling’s hearing.) The concept of Lucy’s challenging her sister to a fencing duel is solid–their dad was a fencing instructor, and some of their younger conflict involved vying for his attention as he taught them to fence–and the healing that happens is solid as well; I’m perfectly happy to have my girls all read it. (I’d be perfectly happy to have my kids all read it, but my son isn’t terribly into graphic novels.) I just don’t need the sisters’ behavior in the first half of the book to become an integral part of their reading memory, you know?

As far as whether or not I’d recommend it, it does have plenty of satisfying resolution, and it’s probably realistic; I’d say go for it, especially for readers dealing with the death of an important adult. I’m expecting it to be enjoyed at my house, and I’m happy to have that be the case.

I’m just also happy about it having to–eventually–go back to the library.

A BIG change, too. Apparently, the hospital network has two of the machines needed for my hubby’s surgery, and yesterday, they booked three surgeries. Guess who drew the short straw? Now we’re rescheduled for next week and this weekend isn’t going to be at all what we were expecting. As my Spanish teacher in high school used to say–carumba chihuahua!

Anyway. Nothing else I have to say is nearly as interesting as that. On the other hand, I did get to Costco today, so we’re no longer out of things like bread–and almost out of things like milk. I have a meal plan for tonight that uses my oven–gasp!–and I’m trying to recapture my groove. Wish me luck…