Overdrive

Monday, April 2, 2012

Spring is in the Air!

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It is spring again. Birds are out, grass is green, and everywhere you look here in Texas there are bluebonnets. I came from Oklahoma and did not really get into the bluebonnet thing until last year. I guess I just did not get what the big deal was. Then last year I decided to take pictures of my son in the bluebonnets. I realized that since I did it then, I am going to have to do it every year now. They are beautiful and my kids love it!

With Spring comes romance, and in turn, I move away from my dystopian fiction and move into my girl fiction. It is just what the doctor ordered and I will tell you Sara Zarr is the best at it. I read How to Save a Life this weekend and it was so good that I stayed up until 1:00 finishing it. (Looking at the cover, I know, is not exactly springlike, but the story will melt any winter heart.)
Summary
Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one. Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too? As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy--or as difficult--as it seems. Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about the many roads that can lead us home.(Taken from Titlewave.com)


Mrs. Lassley's Review
I will say at first I struggled with this book because I wanted to slap the main character, Jill. She was so mean to everyone; her mom, her boyfriend, her friends. But at that point I knew I was reading a great book...the author had me wanting to slap the main character...not many writers can create that environment. The other side is Mandy, the girl whose baby is being adopted by Jill's mom. Your heart goes out to her because she is so naive it will make you cringe. Add in a few secondary characters that help lead both characters to a final decision and you have an amazing book that will leave you think. 

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