Knit your Bit: A World War I Story by Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrated by Steven Guarnaccia

Review by Brenna B. (demiducky25)

I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a WWI historical fiction picture book for children before, so when I saw this on display at a local library, I just had to check it out!  This story is about a boy named Mikey who wants to do something big to help the war effort, especially since his Pop is over in Europe fighting.  Mikey’s Mama and sister knit hats and scarves for the war effort and invite Mikey to join them, but he refuses since he considers that a small effort and is certain that “boys don’t knit.”  His sister tries to convince him otherwise by showing him a newspaper article with firemen knitting as a group and a political poster with a boy knitting on it, but Mikey steadfastly refuses.  Mikey finally decides to try knitting when the boys at school are egged on by the girls to enter the Central Park Knitting Bee to help the war effort.  But knitting for Mikey and his friends Nick and Dan is a lot harder and more time consuming than it looks.  It’s not until Mikey talks to a war veteran who lost a leg that Mikey realizes that small efforts lead to big change and that impacting just one person is enough to be considered “doing something big.”  Will Mikey give up or will he continue to knit?

I thought that this book was very good!  Even though it’s set during WWI, the message this book sends could be applied to today as well.  It also provides a number of topics for discussion: war, returning soldiers, challenging socially constructed gender roles, community service, and more.  The author’s note at the end provides historical context for parents/ teachers as well as for children.  The note discusses the real knitting clubs of WWI as well as the real three-day “Knit In” at Central Park in NYC.  It ends with information for modern day knitting for soldiers and other charities.  I started loom knitting last year and have already made hats for pretty much everyone I know, so now I can channel those efforts elsewhere using the resources in this book!  I think for Christmas I might get a copy of this book and a beginner’s knitting kits for the kids in my life who are old enough to give it a try.  Speaking of age, Amazon lists this book as appropriate for grades K-3.  I’d agree that children younger than kindergarten might have a hard time understanding this book due to content (the language is simply enough but it does hit on some complex themes).  However, I think it can be enjoyed by kids older than 3^rd grade and for those of us who are kids at heart!

My rating- 4 out of 5 stars

The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore

Review by Issa S. (Issa-345)

Jennifer Haymore’s new House of Trent series begins with young Sarah Osborne, the gardener’s daughter, falling into a blackberry bush.  Fortunately the young Duke of Trent, Simon Hawkins, is handy to save her and brings her to meet his mother, a Duchess unlike most duchesses…she’s open, engaging, and caring and treats Sarah more like a member of the family then a servant.

Many years later, Simon returns to the family home, as his mother has disappeared without a trace.  In the years between the prologue and the beginning, Sarah has become the head house maid and Simon has joined parliament and lived a non scandalous life in London to live down the scandal his mother and father and their numerous affairs caused the family name.  Three years prior to Simon’s return, he and Sarah shared a kiss that left them infatuated with each other…but a maid and a duke have no future and they both know it.

The book continues with the search for the Duchess.  We meet the rest of the siblings, 4 brothers and 1 sister, all of whom will likely get their own stories.  The mystery of the Duchess is not solved in this book and during the search Simon encounters even more mystery, murder, lies, deceit, and secrets that will change his life and the lives of his siblings.  To save them Simon needs to make a choice, protect his family, or embrace Sarah.

Things I liked.

The mystery of the missing duchess, an interesting new twist.

The emotion of from both Simon and Sarah when Simon makes his choice and from Simon as he debates what to do.  I felt it right down to my toes.

The characters.  I liked both Sarah and Simon and found the family itself enjoyable (except for brother Luke, a man with a huge chip on his shoulder.  Rude and an all around jerk, but no explanation is given as to why).

Things that didn’t work.

We are told early in the story that the Hawkins names was buried in scandal due to their parents infidelity, and as a result Simon lives by a strict moral code.  His siblings mention it often.  But we are only told about this.  Not one single example is shown and quite frankly, I couldn’t believe either part.

Not enough emphasis was placed on the missing duchess.  The search was a little weak and it didn’t seem like the siblings cared all that much about her disappearance.  Again, another aspect told but never shown.

I give the book 3.5 stars mostly because there was too much telling without show.  I also found the ending to be a bit odd.  But it’s a good start to a new series and I look forward to the next one.

Blast from the Past by Lauren Carr

Review by Kelsey O.

Mac Faraday returns with the usual trouble. Lauren Carr takes this new mystery into the past life of Archie Monday, formally known as Kendra Douglas, who witnessed a mob murder when she was young and has been in witness protection since. Now the mob has found her and they aren’t going to leave her alive for a second time. Eventually there are three murders to solve and the trouble comes trying to link the common thread or are they unrelated. Never fear though, Mac and his half-brother, David O’Callaghan, are on the job along with Archie and Gnarly, the German Shepard. Archie doesn’t want to relocate so she ends up just moving in with Mac (they were eventually going to do that anyway). David is already living in the mansion and when Marshall Randi Finnegan ends up there also to help protect Archie. Even though there are many different plot lines running around, I didn’t feel like it made it confusing, I was just constantly wondering who did it.

The thing with Carr’s mysteries is she always injects some good humor. I have grown to absolutely love Gnarly. He is a stand out character and should have his own book. Another great aspect of her mysteries is that fact that you will always be kept guessing. You have all the clues but there are a few wrenches thrown in that keep you from tying them together until Carr is ready for you to. I recommend any of the Mac Faraday novels for all mystery lovers.

4 BUTTERFLIES

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)

When I saw the trailer for the movie ‘The Silver Linings Playbook’ I was perplexed.  Why was Bradley Cooper wearing a trash bag?  Then the movie went on to receive a myriad of award nominations and wins, including the Best Actress Academy Award for Jennifer Lawrence.  Even with all the accolades, I had no idea what it was about.  Then I found out the movie was based on a novel and at that point I thought, ‘ok, time to see what all the fuss is about’.

I started to read ‘The Silver Linings Playbook’ with no clue of the plot…except there’s a guy who wears a trash bag while running, which really told me nothing at all.  I quickly came to realize ‘Silver Linings’ is a complex story full of hope and disappointment.  Quick hooked me from the first chapter and I couldn’t put it down…and it got me through a long transatlantic flight and I didn’t check my watch every hour like I usually do when itching to get off a plane.  For that, I thank Mr. Quick.

In ‘Silver Linings’, Pat is trying to get his life together after being in a neural health facility for an extended period, which he thinks has only been a few months. His main focus after being released from the facility is to end ‘apart time’ and win back his wife Nikki and be a better man for her and their marriage.  Pat’s plan includes reading novels his wife teaches to her students, a comprehensive exercise regimen (which explains the trash bag he wears while running: he’s trying to increase his sweating to lose as much weight as possible), and therapy sessions with Dr. Patel.  I won’t get into the specifics of Pat’s progress because that will ruin the reading experience for you but, as you would expect, there are ups and downs during the implementation of his plan.  Pat experiences setbacks and catalysts to his growth and development.  However, he believes in silver linings and knows in spite of the negative things in his life, some good will emerge in the end. Pat’s belief in silver linings is what motivates him throughout the entire novel.

The characters in this novel are rich and rewarding for the reader.  Each character brings a different perspective to the plot and without each character Pat would not develop the way he does.  Without a doubt, one of my favorite characters is Dr. Patel.  He ended up taking on a role I did not expect and his level of compassion and method of treatment for Pat is endearing.

‘The Silver Linings Playbook’ was an unexpected surprise for me.  I think it inspires without being cheesy and imparts a lesson on compassion without being preachy.   In short, it is about so much more than a guy wearing a trash bag.

Hit Me by Lawrence Block

Review by Diane G. (icesk8tr)

For those of you who love Lawrence Block’s Keller series, you are going to love his latest Hit Me!

Nicholas Edwards now lives in New Orleans doing honest work and making decent money renovating houses, and fixing them up after hurricane Katrina. He has been keeping busy with his family, and his stamp collection. You would not think that he used to make his money killing people.

Then the economy starts to take a down turn, and he does not get many construction jobs. He starts wondering how long his savings will last him. Then Dot, who he used to work for in his previous career, calls him out of the blue asking him to do a job for him, and the man known as Keller is back in business.

Thus, he is back at it, and traveling back to New York, Dallas, and even taking his wife Julia along on a cruise.  Julia has accepted her husband’s occupation, and sometimes seems intrigued by it.

If you have read the other books in this series, you will enjoy this one. It was a pretty quick read, but kept you wondering how he was going to complete each job as it came along.

The Keller series books are as follows:

Keller

1. Hit Man (1998)

2. Hit List (2000)

3. Hit Parade (2006)

4. Hit and Run (2008)

5. Hit Me (2013)

Lawrence Block also writes other mysteries that are worth checking out. Here is a link to his books that are available to order from other members on PaperBackSwap: LINK

Werewolf in Alaska by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Review by reacherfan1909

Series: Wild About You; can be read as a stand alone

Rachel Miller inherits a small cabin on a lake in Polecat Alaska from her grandfather.  It comes with an all too handsome, but anti-social neighbor across the lake, Jake Hunter.  At least Grandpa Ike had left her an excellent pair of binoculars, so she had some wonderful views to enjoy of Jake skinny dipping each night.

He also was the first sale of one of her wood carvings.  Working on becoming vet had been a dream, but dealing with the reality of death and pain had been harder than she ever realized.  Taking this break let her try her first steps at seeing if the talent she had could be a way to make a living.  When the first sale was a wolf she carved went to Jake, she was thrilled, but too shy to reveal she was the artist.  That sale gave her the courage to quit vet school and pursue art.

Three years later Rachel was still in Polecat, still carving, and still watching Jake Hunter skinny dip –when he was home.  Now though, Rachel was financially set, famous for her wolf carvings and sold pieces large and small all over the world.  Little did she know most went to rick werewolves who recognized her signature wolf – Jake Hunter (or more correctly, Jake’s father).

Then one night, busy on a cell phone call and carrying a tube of sketches, she walked out of the workshop she’d had built without looking around first – and ended up between a mama grizzly and her cub.

For 3 years, Jake has been fighting his attraction to the very human Rachel Miller.  As the founder of WARM (Werewolves Against Random Mating), Jake has spearheaded the movement to keep humans and weres apart, especially in the bedroom and most certainly NOT a mates.  But living across from his biggest temptation, hasn’t been easy, and seeing her walk out of her shop, unaware of the bears has him shifting to wolf in daylight to try and communicate with the bear as a wolf.  But Momma bear is too panicked and Jake end up in a fight with trying to save Rachel.  And he might be a big wolf, but no wolf is a match for an upset mama grizzly and he gets hurt.

Rachel is determined to ‘save’ the brave wolf, ‘her wolf’ the one she’s convinced she’s been carving for 3 years, and drags Jake’s furry butt into her cabin to do her modified vet thing.  If she’d just let him go, he could shift and the healing would speed up.  Instead, he endured her painful ministrations …………. Right up until she tried to shave his fir with a PINK razor!  He wiggles under the bed and refused to come out.  Sometimes, it was kind of strange; it was like she could hear his thoughts.  But that only happened with mates ……….. no, no, no.  She was not his mate!  When Rachel lets Jake the wolf go in the morning, her young assistant Lionel tracks him to Jake’s cabin.

From there, this slow paced romance finally gets moving, sort of, but with no pizazz or verve to speak of.

I’m a big fan of all kinds of shifter romance, especially Shelly Laurenston, and Werewolf in Alaska has its moments, but it’s a lightweight paranormal romance without much substance and kind in its polt or characters.  No moments to remember.   The romance part was okay, no real fireworks, just a sense of ‘been there, done that’.   Overall, it got a C (3*) from me.  The language and romance are at the PG level.

Recommend instead – Molly Harper’s Half Moon Hollow vampire/paranormal series or Shelly Laurenston’s Pack and Pride series.