Things I've Read Recently (79)

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

Three Sisters by Norma Fox Mazer

Published: January 1st, 1986 by Scholastic
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: Paperback
Page Count:
Part of a series? Nope.
Got via: Library reject.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): All the talents in Karen's family were taken up by her older sisters: Liz is the beautiful one; Tobi is a talented artist. And Karen - she's just the little Freed girl.

The only one who takes her seriously is Scott, Liz's almost-fiance. He helps her find a summer job. He lets her take care of him when he's sick. He understands how she thinks, who she is. And when he kisses her, Karen is sure she's found someone who thinks she's special.

Funny how wrong a little sister can be.

Thoughts: This is a weird book. The voice is strange. Maybe I'm just not that used to reading third person these days, but it was very removed. Surprisingly, despite being written in the peak of the 80s, it's not technology or fashion that dates this book the most, but the attitude. Because I am sorry, but if you are 21, and the guy you are dating, who is your age or older, comes onto your fifteen year old sister and kisses her, you do not get mad at HER. You get angry at him, and possibly murder him and bury his body in the woods where no one can ever find it.

Seriously that boggled my mind. Honestly, it's no wonder that YA started having overly-perfect and idealized male characters. Every dude in this book besides their dad is a creep! And even their dad is kind of bland. Karen's boyfriend won't spend 5 minutes without pushing her for sex she's not ready to have, or interested in having, he can't say anything nice about her but "she's okay", and he immediately starts dating her best friend after they break up. Liz's "almost-fiance" is, again, a 21 year old who thinks it's okay to kiss a 15 year old and then pretty much blames her for it. Tobi's boyfriend is a 35 year old professor (with a 14 year old daughter) dating his 18 year old student, and physically and emotionally abuses her.

The weirdest part of this is it's kind of a dull book. Not a ton happens and the plot is really slow. I dunno, it was just kind of boring. My copy is also really beat up and I actually had to tape it back together to be able to read it, so I'm just gonna pass this one along. Not one I'd reread. This was re-released as an ebook in 2015, and I can't say I'd really recommend it, even though I've enjoyed other books by the author.

Do You Want Fries With That? by Martyn Godfrey

Published: It was released in 1996 from Scholastic Canada.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 153 plus an About the Author
Part of a series? No.
Got via: It's a library weed.
AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Brittany and her best friend Laura are all ready for a great spring break. Florida, Disney World, MGM Studies - it's as if someone has taken their order for a dream vacation! And meeting the drop-dead gorgeous star of Do You Want Fries With That?, their favorite TV show, would be the perfect dessert.

Too bad the order is delivered by Brittany's overprotective father. "Talk to him," Laura advices. But he still treats her like a little girl.

Just when Brittany thinks she's had all she can take, things start happening. Before you know it, dessert arrives - complete with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top!

Thoughts: A few years ago I reread a childhood favourite by this author, There's a Cow In My Swimming Pool, which actually shares a couple of traits with this one. The girls in this one have only been friends for a couple months, just like that one, it's set over a school holiday, and the character types are pretty similar. Looking at the author's goodreads profile, I think I managed to find two of the most similar books he's written, among some pretty varying premises like historicals and fantasy, which I find amusing.

Honestly I liked this one more than I expected. It's cute. Very wish fulfillment, but there's nothing wrong with that. And this kind of "child actor celebrity has a harder life than you'd think and wants to be normal sometimes" plot was actually pretty common during this time period. I think the Baby-Sitter's Club had a book with a very similar premise. For some reason, it was a thing for a while.

I still liked the dynamic of the girls only having known each other for two months and still figuring each other out, and the subplot of Britt dealing with her dad treating her like she was a very small child was good, especially because the book pointed out when they were both not acting their best, and when he was actually right about things. Also, Britt is Latina and biracial, and the author doesn't overstep in my opinion. It's mentioned at the beginning, and then the book isn't about that, which I think is probably the best choice for a white dude in the 90s, you know?

All in all, I liked this fine. Plus it's a pretty slim book, so it's not gonna take up a ton of shelf space when I keep it, which I do believe I will. Also, props to the cover artist for really nailing an actual scene in the book.

Fun trivia time: The show in this book is a comedy show set in a fast food restaurant. Where apparently a 13 year old can get a job and work the fry station so, some lax labour laws in this world. There was actually a Canadian teen sitcom called Fries With That? in 2004, although it was based on a Quebecois show, and totally unrelated to this book. I just find that amusing.

Who Let Girls in the Boys' Locker Room? by Elaine Moore

Published: This edition was released in 1994 by Rainbow Bridge, which is an imprint of Troll.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 144
Part of a series? Yeah, there's a sequel. I'll... go into that.
Got via: I think a yard sale or something. There's no library marks or anything.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Smidge, Skye, and Keisha are three very different girls with one thing in common: they love to play basketball. So when budget cuts eliminate the girls' basketball team, they accept Jefferson Junior High's offer to join the boys' team!

But playing with the boys is more of a challenge than the girls expect. The boys won't accept girls on their team - or in their locker room! As the big game against Jefferson's arch-rival approaches, the girls must prove themselves to be an important part of the team. And the boys must face a tough question: Can boys and girls ever be teammates - or friends?

Thoughts: Hey, can we talk about this school's sexism? Because this school has a sexism problem, before any of the plot even starts. Budget cuts mean that the school no longer has the funds to have two separate basketball teams. The book doesn't necessarily call it "the boys' team", I will give it credit for that. The summary is off there. It's the only team. But why is automatically majority boys? There's 8 boys on the team and 3 girls. Originally 9 and 2! That's kind of messed up. Why aren't the boys trying to join the girls' team?

Anyways, this is quite dated. Like, what eleven-year-old carries a purse at school? And it's just not amazing by any mean. It's very average. I also think the premise of the second book sounds transmisic and offensive. I would not recommend searching this one out, honestly (although I liked other books by the author as a kid) and I'm gonna be passing it on. I wish I had more to say about this one, but there just isn't a lot to it. Props for the food descriptions, though. The girls have a sleepover at one point and it made me want pizza so badly.

Veronica the Show-Off by Nancy K. Robinson

Published: Goodreads says it was published in 1982, but my copy has the copyright date as 1986. Either way, it's from Apple Paperbacks, which was a Scholastic imprint.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 128 pages
Part of a series? There are actually four book in this series. I used to own one of them as a kid, but I don't think I ever read it.
Got via: It's a book from a library, but not one I've ever been to. It's from a public school in Regina. Totally random and no idea how I ended up with it.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Veronica is starting a new school. She wants to make friends. She tells everyone about all the wonderful things she has... even if she doesn't really have them.

Soon everyone at school is tired of Veronica the Show-off. But then a very odd girl named Hilary and a mystery at the library teach Veronica something new: When you're busy being a friend, there's no time to worry about finding one.

Thoughts: What a strange book. I dunno, I think maybe this one is just one you'd need to have more nostalgia for to really enjoy, because for me I just found Veronica a little annoying. Maybe more than a little. And because the book is so short, it doesn't do a whole lot to grow Veronica's character or give us insight on her feelings or anything like that.

Like honestly she gets a little stalker-ish, and if her actions were seen in today's world, they'd seem very creepy indeed.

Also, there's some casual racism towards Native American people, ableism including a slur for little people, and fatmisia from Veronica's mother. So that would definitely keep me from recommending this one. All in all, I just wasn't that impressed by this one and I think I'm just going to pass it on. Short review because there's just not that much to this one. Sorry!!

This was an interesting round! Do you know any of these books? What are your thoughts?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Things I've Read Recently (73): Some Incredibly Random Books

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

Abel's Island by William Steig

Published: Originally released May 1976, my edition was probably released in 2005, although it doesn't say. There's been a lot of reprints of this, and is a kindle version.
Genre: Middle grade adventure is what I'm going to go with because, you know, anthropomorphic mice aren't really contemporary and it's not really clear when this is set, but I think it might be historical?
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 117 plus there are two full page illustrations at the very end of the book.
Part of a series? No, I don't believe so.
Got via: It looks like I bought it at a yard sale at some point.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): A wild August torrent sweeps Abel Mouse away from home, family, and familiar world to an uninhabited island where, between efforts to return home, he makes new discoveries about himself and the world.

Thoughts: This is like a less brutal version of Hatchet starring a rich mouse. I can't honestly say I was that wowed by it, honestly. It's not just the age, either. Some old books age really well, as we've seen here before, and obviously people like it since it got a recent reprint, but I found it just kind of... dull. And "rich privileged dude mouse" is probably not my first choice in protagonist, lol.

With all the great books out there these days, I don't think the voice of this would really capture kids these days and I would not re-read it. I'm going to pass this one on and I wouldn't really say it's something you should rush to seek out unless you have childhood memories of it or something.

Also apparently there was a short film made based on this? I watched a clip of it and, sorry Tim Curry, even you can't make me interested in it.

The Summer of the Falcon by Jean Craighead George

Published: First published in 1962, this edition is from Harper and Row somewhere between 1979 and 1983. There's also a kindle version, but I don't think there are any current physical printings.
Genre: Historical YA (Not just because of its age - it's set in the 30s)
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 153
Part of a series? No, I don't believe so.
Got via: It was weeded from my library, although it's in surprisingly good shape for that. I don't know it was checked out as a ton.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): The summer June Pritchard turns thirteen, her family gives her a sparrow hawk to train. She names him Zander, and over the next three summers she helps him develop the natural hunting instincts he will need in his adult falcon life. Zander, in turn, helps June understand the natural world around her and the delicate balance of life, growth, and death that exists in nature.

June is growing into a young woman, and she is finding it hard to accept the added responsibilities of her approaching adulthood. She wants freedom more than anything, but first she must learn - for both herself and her falcon - that freedom without self-discipline means nothing.

Thoughts: This is kind of frustrating because the writing is great, but the subject matter frustrated me so badly. It's so ridiculously sexist, and I don't care that it was written in the sixties and set in the thirties, because you know what, feminism existed in the sixties and the author made a choice to write the most frustratingly sexist characters. Her brothers are like two years older than her, and they can't set the table when she's left alone to run the house and instead she has to clean up behind them and make their beds??? Why?? Let them suffer if they want to be jerks.

I just. I can't even. This message that you must be forced into things you have no interest in because girl is so terrible and might be part of the reason this muscle in my forehead won't stop twitching. I just. I know books age, and I'm not angry at this like I'd be angry at a modern book, but it's still really frustrating. It's also casually racist which I'm sure no one is surprised by, and there's one point where June ogles her cousin a little too much.

Come to think of it - the next book I'm reading for this post mentions the Great Depression like a lot - how come this book never brings it up? They're set at the same time.

Again, I think the author's descriptions and prose are wonderful when I don't want to murder the characters, lol. I actually did enjoy a lot of it. But I'm going to get rid of it. And if you have a lot of nostalgia for this one, maybe don't reread it. I actually do think this could be adapted into an interesting modern movie, though, if you went a little less in the "your role in live is inevitable" route.

Sarah and Katie by Dori White

Published: Originally published in 1972, this version is from Harper Trophy and was probably released in 1973. The library stamp that I can make out that's the oldest is 1976.
Genre: Historical MG (Again, it's set in the 30s and written in the 70s, so it was historical at the time as well)
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 168
Part of a series? I do not believe so.
Got via: It was a weeded library book.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Sarah and Katie are best friends. Together they have written a play for their class to perform at Thanksgiving. But when a beautiful new girl, Melanie, joins their class, Sarah is fascinated by her. As director of the play, Sarah picks Melanie rather than Katie to play the leading roles. And things start to go wrong.

Thoughts: Okay, first off, this is a scan of my actual copy, and let's talk about a couple things about that. One, it's pretty gross and boy my scanner picked that up incredibly well. This book is forty years old and there's not a lot of information about it or the author online. It doesn't, in fact, seem like the author wrote any other books. Which is kind of sad. It seems she died in 2007. I hope she was happy. Goodreads does have a slightly cleaner-looking photo, but it's much smaller. I'm going to include it to talk about a thing that I have before.

This is apparently another old book that was yellow and turned pink! I wish I had more pictures of this, because I find it so interesting how so many books that were originally deep mustard colours or bright yellows eventually turn this not very pretty, pale peachy-pink. I'm so curious about how this happens and why so many books end up such a close shade to each other.

Okay, now on to the actual book.

It was fine. I did appreciate that they actually mentioned the Depression, and I thought the attitude about it being absolutely fine to get help when you needed it wasn't bad at all. Sarah's mom also is fat and it's handled very well. Her illustrations even draw her that way, and it's not exaggerated or stereotyped. She's just a mom who's all round and soft, and it's nice.

There's some casual racism that you'd expect from a book written in the 70s and set in the 30s, and overall there's really nothing special to it besides that in the modern world it reads as exceptionally queer. Sarah is super fascinated about Melanie and it honestly reads like she has a crush on her. Like hugely. Girlfriend smells Melanie's perfume and gets super excited about it while sitting next to her. Also, the book does do the "gay old time" thing including Melanie smiling "gaily" at them.

Reader, I laughed a lot.

Anyways, it's not the worst thing I've ever read, and if you have nostalgia for this, I don't think it would hurt to pick up a copy, but it's not one I'm super drawn to. Also it's physically kind of gross. I'm gonna pass it on, but it was a cute read.

Cheater, Cheater by Elizabeth Levy

Published: December 1st, 1994 by Scholastic
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 164 plus an about the author and a list of other books from the Apple Paperbacks imprint.
Part of a series? I do not believe so.
Got via: It was a weeded library book as well.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): The only thing Lucy wanted to do was get the attention of the most popular boy in school. She didn't mean to hurt anyone. It was just a silly game. And now, the very person she wanted to impress is telling everyone that she's a cheater!

There's only one problem - the rumor is true.

Thoughts: If I read the word "cheat" again, it'll stop looking like a real word. This is another one that's just fine. It's really dated, weirdly focused on the Indiana basketball team, and had some mildly offensive moments.

It's a pretty average book overall. The funniest thing was the fashion descriptions, like a large shirt that looks "like a patchwork quilt", or another character wearing red glasses, a red miniskirt, and a red school sweatshirt. Good fashion descriptions in 90s books crack me up.

This just didn't do that much for me and I don't really have a ton to say about it. It was fine. I wouldn't read it again and I'm going to pass it along.

Okay, so. Am I getting rid of all four of these books? Wow, good for me. It's a little bit of a bummer there weren't any hidden gems, but oh well.

At least it was a good decluttering session!

Peace and cookies,
Laina