The Smile November 26, 2008

The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli (Dutton, 2008 )

It’s a face known across the centuries and the world over. And that enigmatic smile, beguiling and distant, makes you wonder, who was Mona Lisa? What was her life like?

 

Author Donna Jo Napoli imagines the life of Monna Elisabetta, daughter of a wealthy silk merchant. Elisabetta’s mother is planning her big 13th birthday party in hopes of finding a suitable husband for her.

 

But Leonardo da Vinci introduces Elisabetta, who lives in the countryside, to Guiliano de Medici, son of the ruling Florentine family. They are immediately attracted to each other and form a friendship that deepens into love. But political strife, personal tragedy, and troubling economic times make it difficult for Elisabetta and Guiliano to see each other.

 

There is much behind those eyes of the famous Mona Lisa, and this story made me see her in a richer light. Highly recommended (Christie, The Loft).

What I Saw and How I Lied November 20, 2008

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Evie is a normal teenager in post-WWII New York: interested in boys and hanging out with her best friend, buying chocolate and practicing smoking. And she’s happy that her step-father, Joe, has returned safely from the war. But when Joe starts getting mysterious phone calls and decides, on a whim, to pack the family car and head for Florida, things start to get a little bit crazy.

At first, Evie enjoys Palm Beach and their extended vacation, but she craves some excitement. Enter Peter, a handsome ex-GI who served with Joe in the war and for whom Evie falls, hard. But Peter and Joe’s relationship isn’t as simple as it seems and as Evie begins to figure out the truth and the plot takes a deadly turn, she must make decisions that will change her family’s life forever.

“What I Saw and How I Lied” just won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. It’s a mysterious thriller with a film noir setting that will suck you into the plot. (Heather, Reference)

The Fold November 19, 2008

The Fold by An Na (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2008 )

 

The Fold  is the story of Joyce who is plagued by the beauty of her older sister Helen, and her own false sense of plainness.  With her best friend Gina, she explores how she would look with an extra “western” fold of skin above her eye.  She tries a makeup session and is pleased with the results and even goes to a plastic surgeon, with the money from her Aunt Gomo “Michael”’s (as in too much plastic surgery) lottery winning and has her eyes taped temporarily as well.

 

But the boy she likes, John Ford Kang, AKA JFK, doesn’t notice her until one night when she is working at the family’s Korean restaurant, he mistakes her for beautiful Helen. It is only when JFK decides to explore his Korean heritage that they become friends.  

 

Helen has a secret struggle herself, and only openly comes out as gay.  Joyce decides to give her portion of the lottery money to her friend Gina so she can get see-through braces, instead of the ugly metal ones. And Gomo approves of her generosity, and her big heart. (Nancy, The Loft)

The Big Splash November 12, 2008

The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo (Amulet, 2008 )

 

Imagine taking Phillip Marlowe or Sam Spade and placing them in middle school – that’s how you end up with Matt Stevens. Matt is a no-nonsense private eye working the halls of the ‘Frank’- that’s Franklin Middle School to you.

 

 

Matt has the unenviable task of trying to track down who took out Nicole Finnegan, or as she was known up until the end of last year, Nikki Fingers. You see, Nikki was the fastest squirt gun shot around, but as her younger sister Jenny is about to start classes at the Frank;,Nikki gave up the life of squirt gun assassin extraordinaire in an effort to set a good example for Jenny’s sake.

 

 

 It could be anyone.  There’s Vinny Biggio, Nikki’s old boss, who’s in charge of anything and everything not on the level.  Then there’s Kevin Carling, Vinny’s right-hand man, and Nicole’s old flame. We can’t forget Liz Carling, Kevin’s little sister either. Or maybe it was one of the kids that Nikki put in the Outs.

 

 

The Outs? Let’s just say it’s the social leper colony. Once you’re on the Outs, there’s no coming back.

 

 

 Matt only has a few days to solve the case.  The weekend is approaching and by Monday this case will be as forgotten as last week’s math quiz.

 

 

This book was cooler than the back of on ice cream truck, funnier than a clown convention, and smarter than a MENSA meeting.  (Bridget, The Loft)

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks November 9, 2008

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (Hyperion, 2008 )

 

Meet Frankie Landau-Banks: smart, funny, and unwilling to be left out of an all-guy’s secret society. She’s now a Sophomore at the elite boarding school, Alabaster. During the summer between her Freshman and Sophomore years, she grows up a bit, fills out, briefly meets a guy at the beach whom she meets again at Alabaster, and no longer fits the cloying nickname from her family, “bunny rabbit.”

 

Frankie’s father and older sister both attended Alabaster. It used to be an all-boys school. Frankie has heard hushed stories of the secret society to which her father belonged. But when Frankie starts dating hottie and senior Matthew, she catches on quickly that his abrupt cancellations and occasionally mysterious behavior mask his meetings with the boys-only secret society, The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds.

 

Frankie’s not one to be left out or sit idly by while Matthew refuses to share the truth about his clandestine meetings. But direct confrontation and whining aren’t her style. Instead, she decides to infiltrate The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds on her own terms. She outwits the guys at their own game, bests their pranks, and discovers a thing or two about herself and her relationships along the way.

 

Witty, irreverent, and insightful about gender relationships and how one smart girl rewrites the old boys’ code, this is a terrific story, and my favorite one so far by the talented E. Lockhart. (Christie, The Loft)

 

Also available on CD: YA CD Fiction Lockh.E

Vote! November 3, 2008

Illinois Polls are open on November 4, 2008, from 6 am – 7 pm

Where do I vote?

 

Need Judicial ratings? Ratings from 9 different bar associations and lawyer’s guilds

 

Bus & Train schedules on election day: CTA Election Day Schedule

 

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