Edward’s Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan took me twenty minutes to read. I’m still a little blown away by that, even though I know it’s a super-short book with pretty big print. A teacher at my school loves this book and says it’s a great tool for teaching foreshadowing. Umm, yeah. I think it would be a great way to introduce the term “plot anvil.” It’s hard to care that much for a character more marked for death than a golden retriever in a ’60s YA novel. My tears refused to be jerked, or maybe I was just out of moisture in my eyes by staying up until 2:30 a.m. to squeeze out one more book for the night.
I woke up to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the gratification of which I have been long delaying. Fully expecting this to be my last book of the challenge (foreshadowing!), I decided to go out with a bang. I’m not sure what I can say about this book that hasn’t been already said, but I thought it very nearly lived up to the hype (although I still think Katsa would win in a Special K showdown). Since I can’t imagine a more hyped YA book since Breaking Dawn, that’s pretty high praise. (OK, maybe Deathly Hallows, but I digress.) It’s got more plot than you can shake a stick at and surprisingly tantalizing descriptions of food. Seriously, I can’t think of another YA book that makes me want to eat goat cheese more. I’m trying to resist the Catching Fire fever currently sweeping the internets and wait for the real book like a good little girl, but it’s gonna be tough. I guess that’s a big advantage in waiting so long to read the first one. SLJ BoB got it right, I think (two books enter! one book leaves!… I’ll stop now).
I had planned to end my 48HBC prematurely since I’d already planned to go to the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival, but thought I could squeeze one more book in on the train there, so picked Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg. The sequel to The Plain Janes, the Janes contine to make public art, negotiate their friendship, and fall in luurve. I liked the first one (knit hats for parking meters!) and the second is more of the same. I particularly enjoyed the flower-y prom stunt and the thought of some artsy teens crashing a stuffy grant interview.
Went to MoCCA, basked in the excitement of Cozy Lummox behind a presenter table instead of walking around with the plebes, got some cool stuff. Since my MoCCA partner had to split early to get to a movie, I took advantage of some unexpected time and made it through my ninth, and last book, Masterpiece by Elise Broach. I picked this up for its recent E.B. White Read-Aloud Award win (and can I just wonder aloud here how the judging for this one works? like, shouldn’t it really be an audience choice kind of thing?) and it’s a quietly fun Chasing Vermeer meets The Cricket in Times Square meets From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I don’t generally go for mysteries, but I do like sentient insects involved in Borrowers-esque hijinks. Also Durer.
Whew. That took a lot out of me, and the Tonys are on. Final time/pages recap to follow.
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