Tag: Review

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

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Thank you to Jill at Fizzy Thoughts for offering up a read-a-long of the classic, Little Women.  While I read this in High School, and once I believe about 4 or 5 years back, I tried my hand at the audio version narrated by Kate Reading (AWESOME!).

SO I am going to believe that most of you have read Little Women at some point in your life and for those of you who have not I am also going to believe you at least know what the story is about…. either way, I am going to give you a little synopsis, Sheila style:

It is the mid 1800’s and the 4 March sisters (thus the March read along… so clever!) Meg the oldest, Josephine “Jo”, tomboy just as tomboy was considered cool for girls, Beth – quiet and reserved, and the youngest Amy – beautiful and a little snooty; all live with their mother “Marmee” and Hannah the servant.  “Pa” March is absent for much the first part of the book as he is a chaplain in the war, so Marmee runs the household and the girls.

The girls shortly after the book opening meet their neighbor Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence who is between the two older girls ages.  He becomes fast friends with all of them  especially Jo as she is like having another boy to run and have adventures with.

The book goes on to share each girls stories of growing up and  their trial and errors along the way.  Meg is humble, but admits to wishing she had lovelier things – later she becomes a disgruntled wife for a time due to… hmmmm…. over protectiveness perhaps growing up?  Jo, who really is the main protagonist seems to struggle the most with her own identity – finding herself frequently in trouble for her blunt mouth, her constant mess of clothes as she can not keep anything clean and her desire to write or not write… or write…. as the book goes on.  Beth is sadly in poor health most of the book and may go down as the longest death scene at least in my bookish history (more on that later) and you really never get to know her as she is such a quiet mouse in the corner of the book. Amy is in my opinion snooty (until much later in life) and feels herself beyond an impoverish life always wanting nice things for herself and wanting to be socially above her current class.

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My silly thoughts along the way.  First off – the audio was a fantastic way to go on this one.  Kate Reading (narrator) really did make it enjoyable and a new way to experience the book.  I am not sure I will ever feel the need to read this one again, but I am happy to say I have read it and listened to it now. 

I have always said it is kind of fun to pick on classics.  In most cases they are so different then the way we live in today’s society while we can appreciate them…. we could not (I could not) live that kind of life.

Marmee is both wise and overbearing.  Her life lessons to the girls which I am sure at the time spoke to the young ladies who read the book back in the day, caused me to eye roll more than once.  Ever patient, ever kind – just once I wanted Mrs. March to let her hair down and really give the girls what for….

“Meg, quit whimpering in that exhausting way as you sit on your butt all day!”

“Jo, seriously think before you speak and start thinking of a future that does not involve spinsterhood and living with your parents until you die… or we die… or the world implodes.”

“Beth…ok, I can’t yell at you because you are sick but girl, what has happened that you can never pull out of this illness?”

“And Amy, pull the stick out of your butt and quit acting like you are so much better than what we can give.  You pompous brat do you not see that you have a family who loves you, relatives who dote on you and I am guessing a good deal more than many other girls your age.  Also – burning Jo’s book?  I could send away for someone to spank you for that if I am too weak to do it myself.”

Whew that felt good.  Beth’s death scene that started with scarlet fever at the age of 14 and continues as she never quite gets her hearth back and eventually succumbs at the age of 19.  FIVE YEARS.  The girl is sick for FIVE YEARS.  It drug on and on. 

And on.

And on.

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Jo I have to say was a brilliant character for the time and I love that people for the most part have found her to be the favorite of the March sisters even though she was by no means the prettiest or the most successful.  This pleases me because I love strong women characters and Jo seems to be a character ahead of her time, not feeling she needs a man to make her whole and until much later in the book, content to be on her own. Of all the characters Jo is said to be the character that Louisa May Alcott had written as her self and the others as her three sisters, and you see that again in the book The Lost Summer of Louise May Alcott (fiction) which I has just read earlier this year.

I admit I was happy to see that the initial publishing of Little Women was broke later into two books: Little Women and Good Wives as I felt the story did go on to long….  I have never read Little Men (1871) or Jo’s Boys (1886) but I am am not ruling out that I someday might. 

Overall – kudos to Louisa May Alcott who wrote a book almost a century and a half ago that told of a strong independent woman in a very Christian like setting.  I like that Marmee did not try to change go into more of a lady as I would suspect would be the “thing to do” at the time. 

The book is truly a brilliant read and I highly suggest that each of you take the time if you have not already to read it in your lifetime. 

Thank you to Jill at Fizzy Thoughts as I believe this was her brain child to do this read a long and if not for that push, I doubt if I would have ever picked up the book again.

I will be adding this as part of the weekly meme, Sound Bytes at Devourer of Books

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The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

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An eight year old neighborhood boy is found dead in a playground.   When witnesses come forth as to saying he was recently seen playing and rough housing with another neighborhood boy, 11-year-old Sebastian, Sebastian and his mother are called in for questioning.

The defense solicitor, Daniel Hunter is called in to hear Sebastian’s story and defend him if necessary.  While Daniel’s own troubled  childhood has led him to a life of working with young children, he has never worked with one as young as an eleven year old. 

Sebastian has the look of an angel, a small delicate boy with shiny intelligent eyes.  Yet when Sebastian speaks he does not talk like an eleven year old, his speak and ability to catch on are beyond his years.  Daniel still has a strong sense that Sebastian is not guilty of this crime. 

As the case opens wider, Daniel has to check himself to make sure his own past is not clouding his judgement.  Leading him to walk that fine line between truth and lies.

 

 

Holy crackers batman.  Get ready for a twisted ride.  This book has a little something for everyone who likes a good mystery and/or adventure.  Lacking in neither, The Guilty One will definitely make you think as you watch Sebastian’s life and family slowly peel back hidden layer after layer.  Honestly… you really never know your neighbors do you? 

 

But wait… while we start to see Sebastian’s life unfold, the reader also sees where Daniel is coming from and this guy has a lot of crazy past himself which makes him so right for this case…. but also so wrong.  If anything, it’s really hard to get a firm grip on who Daniel is (in my opinion) and why I should want to sympathize with him.

 

I would say over all, the book is engaging and it did have me trying to figure it out (which I enjoy) and did hold me all the way through.  If I had one complaint – and its a rather small one – I would say it gets a little bogged down in the details mid way through  and I wanted things to move on… move faster.

 

People who enjoy a good mystery with a nice dash of CRAZY sauce that is not fast paced will enjoy this book.  It was well written and impressive as a debut book. 

Six Years by Harlan Coben

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

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Six years ago Jake Fisher met the girl of his dreams.  Natalie came into his life like an answered prayer.  They had a whirlwind romance, and Jake could not imagine life ever being any better and he felt they would be together forever.  Then, as suddenly as Natalie had walked into his life, she walked out.  Claiming a love for someone else, someone named Todd Sanderson who she had once dated.

Jake, heartbroken and helpless can do nothing as his dreams of a future with Natalie vaporize into thin air.  When she marries Todd shortly after, Jake has to see the wedding for himself still not believing that his Natalie was gone.  But as he watched her say “I do”, and slip a ring on her finger, there is no denying that she has moved on.  Before Natalie leaves the chapel she asks Jake to promise to never look for her, to never try to contact her.  And helplessly, he promises.

Now, six years later and working as a College Professor, an obituary he stumbles upon on-line captures his eye.  Todd Sanderson has died.  Suddenly Jake’s promise doesn’t seem to hold as he vows to go to the funeral and see his Natalie, one more time.  Yet the woman who mourns for the loss of her husband is not Natalie, and crazier yet, this woman has been married to Todd for over 20 years.

As Todd tried to go back to where Natalie and he had met to look for clues as to what has happened and where she went people who they knew together act as they do not know him… and the more bizarre it becomes, the more Todd digs in, letting go of a six-year promise, and trying to find the truth…

 

 

 

Holy smokes…. there is nothing like a good read bu Harlan Coben to put your reading mojo on the right track.  When I opened this book a few days ago the plan was to read a few pages just to get the feel for what it was about.  That was enough to hook me and have trouble putting it down until I turned that last delicious page.

There are so many wonderful reasons I like Coben’s writing.  I tell people that Stephen King is hard and dark and sometimes far out there, than Dean Koontz is a mellower version of King, a little funnier, still dark…. then there is Coben.  Coben grabs the reader and entangles you in the story before you have a chance to walk away, he is funny and witty, rarely dark, and I love all of that.

 

The woman at the desk had a helmety beehive hairdo last seen on a senator’s wife circa 1964.  She hit me with a smile so wooden I could have knocked on it for luck.

~ page 389

 

Six Years was a delight to read.  A great protagonist, a believable storyline… do not hesitate to become a new Harlan Coben devoted fan by reading this book.  Just remember you can not be president of his fan club, because I am pretty sure that would be me.  😀

On another fun note… Six Years was part of a bidding war for rights to the movie and Paramount won and Hugh Jackman will play Jake.  Awesome right? 

March With Me by Rosalie T. Turner

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

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April 1963.  Birmingham Alabama.  Letitia lives her young life with a family who loves her.  She enjoys the freedom of youth and loves to embark on adventures with her brother.  Her family shares a tight bond.

Martha Ann lives with her family as well and dreams of the future, pretty dresses and music feel her thoughts.  Martha Ann’s father is often angry and she can hear him from her room when he yells at her mom.  This unsettles Martha Ann’s sense of comfort in her own home, causing an almost always existing tension.

Both girls live in Birmingham.  They do not travel in the same circles and they do not know each other.  Letitia in black and Martha Ann is white.

As the story unfolds both girls witness the civil rights movement through very different eyes.  From the bombing of the Baptist Church, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and of course, the Children’s March, where briefly the girls will meet.  Letitia feels the pressures pouring down around her and her family friends of color.  A tension builds around her of the unjustness of it all.  Martha Ann witnesses what is happening as an outsider looking in, but can not help but begin to understand what prejudice is and how it is a part of her very life. 

The events of 1963 affect the girls in different ways.  As the two girls grow and mature their paths will cross again in more ways than one.

 

 

In a way, as I closed this book two words seemed to hang in the air.  Haunting and powerful.  Haunting, because the images of what happened during that time period seem to be forever etched within me, although I did not live during the time.  Powerful, because Rosalie takes this hard subject and softens it, making it personal and approachable, about two young girls who lived during a time that should not be forgotten or its importance lessened with time.

Written for a younger audience to understand, March With Me shares a powerful fictional story based on historical truths.  The truth of the children’s march for me is one that pulls at my heart and takes my breath away.  To me, this is a story based on acts that while I was not alive during the time of the march, I am well aware of it. 

Rosalie Turner uses two young protagonists, one white, one black, to tell what happened during that time.  I thoroughly enjoyed looking at this event from the two cultures, and found that a smart way to write this book.  It is so easy to think of it as one-sided, Rosalie makes us go beyond the common thinking. 

There are lessons for all of us here.  For those who lived it, whose who remember it, and even for people who like me who were not around at the time, but have learned about the civil rights movement and the children’s march.  This is a story everyone should read and really think about.  As in most things in life, it really isn’t all black and white. 

The First Warm Evening Of The Year by Jamie M Saul

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

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Occasionally a book comes along that you wish with all your heart you could leap within it’s pages and walk along it’s streets and hang out with the new friends who hold court within.  The First Warm Evening Of The Year is such a book.

~Sheila

Geoffrey Tremont has a pretty sweet life.  He works hard and lives fairly well in his New York home and seeing the occasional woman he has his eye on but with no deep commitment and that is the way he likes it. 

Then one day a blast from the past lands at his doorstep.  A College friend, Laura, who he has not seen in twenty years has passed away from cancer and has named him executor of her estate.  Bewildered, and grieved for the friendship he once had, Geoffrey packs his bags to go to Laura’s home in Shady Grove planning to get things in order and then head back home.  Then Geoffrey meets Marion, a friend of Laura’s who is reserved and mourning the loss of her husband.  Oddly, Geoffrey is drawn to this quiet woman and finds himself wondering if there could be any future with her.

It’s kind of funny as I am normally inclined to prefer books that move along at a nice clip, keeping me engaged and turning pages.  The First Warm Evening Of The Year does not fall into that category.  Slowly you are taken through a calmly paced adventure of nor peaks and valleys but more level terrain and for whatever reason, it worked for me.

Geoffrey is the guy in the fast lane at the beginning of the book who finds that Shady Grove has more appeal than he would have ever thought.  I think I may have liked him for that reason.  As a person who tends to love in the fast lane, I occasionally dream of living in the woods growing my own food and avoiding all outside world communications.  It’s true… sometimes the lure to slow down and shut out the outside noise is great…

I digress.

For whatever reason, this book spoke to me, Geoffrey is a protagonist I enjoyed watching change, told mainly from his perspective it was interesting to see things through this 40 something bachelors eyes. 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for allowing me a trip to Shady Grove where I too could slow down and bask in someone elses world for awhile.

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MILKWEED By Jerry Spinelli

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

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Warsaw 1939,  a young boy, no more than 8 years old wanders the streets alone, stealing food to survive and sleeping wherever he can feel safe for the night.  He knows not who he is or where he came from, and when is asked what he is called honestly replies, “Stopthief” as that is all anyone has ever called him.

When he meets a group of boys who are much like him, they hie our at night in a bombed out barber shop, stealing food by day.  People ask him, “Are you a Jew?  A Gypsy?  A filthy son of Abraham?”    He eventually is given a name by the boys he hangs out with, “Misha”.  He likes it and the story they gave him as well about his family.  The boys watch out for the “Jackboots.” the Nazi’s who come to town to gather up the Jews, and destroy any happiness.  Misha would like to be a Jackboot with their shiny boots and big tanks.  When he grows up, that’s what he wants to be.

Misha makes a friend with a little girl in town names Janina.  She is 6 years old and has lovely things and Misha enjoys visiting her.  When Janina and her family are forced to move into the newly created ghetto, Misha thinks it is a game and goes along.  When a wall is built high around the ghetto so no one can get out, Misha finds a hole in the wall that he is the only one small enough to use, and he goes out and steels food as he pleases and brings it back in to Janina and her family.  But times are changing and the bread shelves are empty, and the ladies with the fox fur who used to be easy to rob with their large boxes of sweets are no longer able to be found.

As Misha leans more about his surroundings and what is really happening, he no longer wishes to be a Jackboot.  Not at all.

We chose this book for our Bookies book club read for March.  Our plan was to choose a YA book to read as a group.  This is the book that was nominated and I found myself thinking this is not what I was considering for YA.  Yet, having never read Spinelli before I had no idea what an experience I was in for. 

MILKWEED is YA like Book Thief is YA.  They are written with a younger reader in mind, yet they are written on important and powerful topics.  There is no paranormal activity, no witches or werewolves, or vampires in MILKWEED.  Instead, there is young, dirty boy.

MILKWEED is a young orphaned boys view of the Holocaust and the innocence of not knowing what is happening, and never really fully understanding until many years later the full impact of what he had been through.  Living in a world where you were shot at, called “filthy pig” and seen friends die, was the only world Misha knew. 

Even as I type this I am still in awe of the power of this little book.  AT 208 pages, you do not need a lot of time to read it, but I do recommend that you do read it.  I will definitely be looking for more of Spinelli.

 

 

Bookies Thoughts:

The Bookies had a good discussion over this book.  It definitely left us with quite a bit of things to think about as the book focused around the Holocaust, Jewish people, hunger, and the crippling effects of having no hope.  For all of us, this was our first Spinelli (speaking for myself, it will not be my last). 

We discussed the value of a Holocaust book being written and marketed to 5th – 9th grade.  We appreciated the value of a book to this age group on this topic but felt for the younger end they would need a follow-up with a parent to have questions answered as it does not go into much about the reason for the Holocaust or explain much about why people died.  Of course this same line of discussion led to the wondering if a generation that has grown up surrounded by violence on tv, at the movies, and in video games would get the book and understand this was reality. 

Overall the Bookies gave it an average rating.  Some found the ending to be not to their liking.  And of course, we had food… and lots of choices from the book as in the beginning Misha and the boys he hung around with stole from stores, gardens, and people’s homes, and food was plentiful.

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The Tale Of Lucia Grandi by Susan Speranza

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

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The world thinks me dead, but there is a lot of life left in these old bones, yet.  I’ve been absent from the world for a long time.  But I’m here.  Waiting.

`Lucia Grandi

Born the first day of June, Lucia Grandi has lived a long life.  Having just celebrated her one hundred and tenth birthday she is startled when a young female visitor, as Lucia does not receive much company, comes to see her.  She is more startled, or perhaps a better word is amused, when this stranger asks if she will share her life story.   Having outlived friends, family, and other loved ones, Lucia had seen much in her long life.  Still with her wits about her (not sure if that was a gift or a curse) Lucia decided that perhaps she could share her memories… just this once…

And so Lucia does share her life stories, from being an unwanted child from the moment of birth, witnessing a suicide at 3 years of age, difficulty with parents and siblings, running away, sent to a strict Catholic school, and more, Lucia opens up her life to the stranger a chapter at a time….

 

 

My love of mixing genres amuse me.  In the middle of reading a paranormal YA, a good old-fashioned crime novel, and Little Women, I find my way into The Tale Of Lucia Grandi with a “lets see where this goes” attitude.

Oh… how I amuse me.  😀

Lucia Grandi speaks with a voice of someone I could listen to a long time.  (How fun is that to say we can put a voice to writing, a voice I have never heard except for the one in my head I have given to this elderly protagonist).  As chapter by chapter unfolded I was more and more memorized by the book.  Never heavy, but always interesting, what a life this woman lead!I am finding it hard to put into words the beauty of this writing.  Rhythmic comes to mind.  Poetic.  Resigning.  There were quite a few passages that I had to pause after reading, think about how I liked what was said, and then read it again to go even deeper into the meaning.  Time and again this happened throughout this read, never distracting, but instead engaging me even more.  What a fascinating way to write a book.

Over all, I am thoroughly impressed. I enjoyed this book so much that for several days it became a constant companion everywhere I went so I could get in a few pages while waiting in the car, before meetings started…

Take note – this is called “The Early Years” and we do not hear all of Lucia’s life within this book and I suspect there will be more to come…  Yet reader, sigh not, for I believe that by the time you turn the last page of this book, you will have no problem wanting to read the next as well.  After all Lucia’s story needs to be told.

 

I wish to thank TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest opinion and for allowing me to spend time with a remarkable woman named Lucia Grandi.

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Here are the other tour stops this week so you can see more thoughts on this book:
Monday, March 11th: Becca’s BylineTuesday, March 12th: Book Journey

Wednesday, March 13th: Between the CoversThursday, March 14th: Reflections of a BookaholicFriday, March 15th: Chaotic Compendiums

Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

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Elizabeth Shore used to love to paint and was considered to be possibly good with a little direction and training.  Yet, at a young age Elizabeth met and fell in love with Jack and dreams of painting went to the wayside as they raise two beautiful daughters, and follow Jack around to wherever his sports career will take them.

When the girls are raised and off to college, Jack struggles to keep his career afloat and when an opportunity to jump-start that career is offered, Jack jumps at the chance to take it, once again disrupting their lives for his needs without consulting Elizabeth first.  No longer having the buffer of her daughters, and worrying about her ailing father, Elizabeth decided enough is enough.  She is tired of feeding Jack’s ego while her dreams wash away.  While Jack goes on and on about what HE wants and what HE needs… Elizabeth wondered if he even has a clue of what she would like or need.

Elizabeth decided its time for her to find the woman she lost within herself and asks Jack to move to New York without her for his career while she takes time away.  She goes to their isolated beach house to discover a wonderful womans groups, a link to painting again, and a connection with her step mother she never had before.

Finding herself seems to also open doors to discovering who she is without Jack and leading up to doors opening before her she never dreamed were there and the ultimate decision of choosing a life with or without Jack.

 

 

Kristin Hannah has a formula in her writing of couples and families in crisis, separating and them finding happiness again.  Yes it can be predictable, but you know what?  It can also be fun.  Hannah’s characters jump off the pages and I truly felt for Elizabeth’s loss of identity and she for years spent time in her husbands shadow.

What I liked about this particular book is that you do not only get Elizabeth’s side, but Jack’s too.  I liked reading that Jack was surprised when the woman he has loved all his life stands up and says “enough”.  I liked watching his reevaluation of his life and decisions as well, coming to the ultimate decision that could either make or break his connection to his wife.

Distant Shores is a lovely read of love and loss and the possibility of starting again.  Its beautifully written, engaging, and filled with hope.

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

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For a while, Jordan and Courtney were the unlikely  “it” couple in High School.  For a while things were going well, and for a while they even looked like they were going to make it, even planning to go to the same college.  And it was working.

For a while…

Then Jordan meets a girl on the internet and suddenly, Courtney is dumped. 

Two weeks later, the college road trip Jordan and Courtney had planned is happening and since no other arrangements had been planned, the two are forced back together for the drive across country for orientation.  Courtney is hurt and doing her best to hide it, and most surprising of all, Jordan is struggling with deep pain because he does still love Courtney, and he never wanted to break up…

Jordan has a secret one that is ripping him apart and it has everything to do with why they broke up and nothing to do with another girl (and no for you quick thinkers out there, it doesn’t have to do with another boy either. 😉 )  Jordan has been forced to break it off with Courtney and if he told her… she would hate him…. and that, as painful as this is, would even be worse.

 

 

 

Overall I really liked Two Way Street.  The storyline was interesting, two teenagers who had been dating and recently broke up but are now on this planned a while back road trip to their college.  The fact that they are put together in the truck for the long drive is interesting enough, the story behind the scenes of why they broke up and only one of them knowing that reason makes it reach for the next level. 

Twists and turns, I like Jordan a lot who is trying to do the right thing but as we all know, at times when we try to spare feelings and “do the right thing” we weave an even bigger mess.  I like Courtney too but not as much because she is a bit too dramatic and a bit too whiny and yes, yes I know… she is a teenager. 

SPOILER- I have to give out a “Creepiest character” award to… (scroll your mouse over the following text if you want to know:  Courtney’s dad.  Seriously – a bit too involved and the over-calling to Jordan is uber controlling in a way not cool way.

The over all story was good, it kept me engaged and it kept me in my car after I had pulled into the garage so I didn’t have to shut it off (always a good sign).  Two things however stand out to me about this read.  One was that for a 2010 book, they constantly mentioned My Space.   My Space?  I have never used My Space.  Does My Space even exist any more?  AND – the overuse of the word : hooking up. Yes, hooking up.  I don’t mind the word, I even get the word, but seriously… I wish I had the book version just so I could count how many times it was used. I would guess close to 100 times and I am not kidding.  “Then they were hoping to hook up”,  “Next thing you knew they were hooking up”, I hope he didn’t expect me to hook up”, “It was cool that they hooked up”… and so on and so on.  It actually became a game in the car for me.  Every time they said it on the audio I would repeat it by yelling “HOOKING UP!”  *please note, I am usually in my car alone so therefore did not give any passengers heart attacks with my spontaneous yelling.

Seriously though, I did enjoy the book and had fun listening to it.

 

Bonus note:  Why I think the book may be better than the audio:

As an audio lover, I am always bragging up the many virtues of audio.  However, as any audio lover knows, occasionally an audio does not 100% work for all books – it can be book subject, it can be book topic, and yes, it can sometimes be that the narrator was not the best choice for the book.

Narrator Cassandra Morris has a wonderfully youthful and girly voice. If you look at the list of books she narrates I am sure she adds a great voice to them.  For this book however, If anything her voice struck me as a little too young for college age students.  The hardest thing for me was that Cassandra’s voice did not change between the alternating chapters being told from Courtney and Jordan’s perspectives.  The Courtney parts were fine, but when Jordan was being narrated and talking about hooking up (HOOKING UP!) with girls or checking out someones skirt, it would kill my train of thought because I would have to remind myself that this was Jordan… the boy…. .  I had to pay close attention to when the chapters alternated too as occasionally I would miss that we had switched from Courtney to Jordan and suddenly the conversation would throw me again. 

 

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I added this audio review to the fun meme at Devourer of Books:

The Dogs Of Winter by Bobbie Pyron

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

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Ivan’s world is quickly turned upside down when one day he is happily in the care of his mother and grandmother and it feels like almost the next he is alone… abandoned, on the streets of Moscow. 

What happened?

When Ivan’s grandmother suddenly dies, his mother falls into a deep crushing depression and can not escape it.  She leaves Ivan to the man she loved who wants nothing to do with him (after all… his relationship was never about Ivan) and puts him in an orphanage.  When Ivan escapes, he finds help in the form of a pack of dogs who become his source of self-esteem and in a way his family. 

Ivan soon finds himself living a life of a pack, roaming the countryside, searching for food and adventure, wild and free.  His once gentle nature changes to a more cunning, street smart way of thinking.  When eventually help is offered, Ivan must choose to go back to being in a secure home or remain with his new friends and understanding of the world.

 

 

The Dogs of Winter will blow you away.  Not only is this a gorgeous middle grade (and up) style of read written in beautiful chapters, it is a knock your socks off in your face reality of how quickly our world, our security can change.

Uhhh…. did I mention this is based on a true story?

I am always careful when choosing books about animals – especially dogs as they are too near and dear to my heart.  However this is not an “Old Yeller” read… it is more of an adventure, and a wild one at that.  For every young boy or girl who ever dreamed of BIG adventure, this is an incredible story… but it is also a very real and at times painful story as well of loss and crushing loneliness.  While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I would think if middle grade students read it (ages 9- 12) they may want someone to talk to about it afterwards.

For me, I am so impressed by this book, the incredible story of the human spirit and the amazing connections we can have between dog and man.