Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was only given a free sample of the book. I can't wait to read the rest of it! Check out all my book reviews at www.myliterary2cents.blogspot.com

Plot Summary: Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is a touching story about a little girl who obviously cannot read. I only got to read the first 4-5 chapters of this book since it was just a sample of the book, not the whole work. Ally is a very talented, strong-willed little girl who tries to hide the fact that she cannot read from everyone. She constantly gets in trouble at school and is often told to try harder. Her response is if you wanted a fish to climb a tree, would you tell him to try harder? She does not get along well with her teacher. She accidentally gave her a sympathy card when she has a baby shower at school. She gave her the card because she couldn't read it, she just liked the pictures. Of course everyone else thought she was just being mean. The end of the story where my copy leaves off is when her teacher takes maternity leave and she gets a new "man" teacher. He is trying very hard to encourage her... I can't wait to read the full copy!

Notes about the author/writing style: I have never read any other books by Lynda Hunt, but I enjoy her style. She doesn't write words just to be writing them, she values the readers time and gets to the point of the action. I love stories that are told from the point of view of a child, and I would love to know how this author is able to get into the mind of a dyslexic child so well.

What I loved about the book: As a teacher who works with struggling kids, I really sympathize with Ally. I always enjoy books that are told from a child's perspective. I love the way the author goes into detail about how Ally feels and what she sees when she tries to read.

What I disliked about the book: I honestly have not found anything that I dislike about this book.

Who should read this book? All teachers and anyone who has worked with struggling children. This would also be a wonderful story for someone to read who has gone through the torture of reading difficulties (and came out on the other side of course).


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The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Lying Game is an account of 4 women who were good friends in high school who participated in what they called "the lying game". The story is told by one of the friends, Isa. All the women are grown now with lives of their own, but they can't escape the past. There was something that the girls did as a result of the lying game that came back to haunt them. Kate, who owns her dad's estate near a body of water in England, sends each friend a text telling them it is time to come back. The book's plot goes back and forth between what happened with the girls as teenagers and present day.

I liked the general theme of the book, that "your sins will find you out" and "whatever you sow, you'll reap." I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't quite get into it. It seemed that there were many parts of it that were too drawn out. I have read Ruth Ware's Woman in Cabin 10 and really enjoyed it. I thought I would enjoy this one as much, but I didn't.




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Goat Castle: A True Story of Murder, Race, and the Gothic South

Goat Castle: A True Story of Murder, Race, and the Gothic South by Karen L Cox
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Goat Castle was narrated from the author's point of view in a somewhat drawn out "newspaper like" article. The author told the story of the tragic case of the "Goat Castle" murder in Natchez, Mississippi. It is a non fiction book which was researched very carefully. I have never read any other books from the author, Karen Cox. However, I can tell that this author does her research!

The author gives much background about Miss Merrill (the victim) and everyone surrounding her murder. After quite a bit of background about each individual, the author tells the strange story of a old maid - Jennie Merrill and her feuding neighbours who were nicknamed "wild man" and the "goat woman".

I did not particularly care for this book. I found the story interesting enough, but I felt like I had to wade through lots of details that I didn't particularly care about in order to read the actual story. I had never heard about this crime. I think that if I had previously heard about the crime, I may have been more interesting in reading more of the details of each person involved. I personally thought there was too much extraneous details.

I would encourage others who already know about this story and are interested in learning specific details to read this book.


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The Leavers by Lisa Ko
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"A white sheep comes home to roost" - A.

The Leavers by Lisa Ko is told from an very unique dual point of view. Half the book is told from Daniel's "Deming" (the son of a Chinese immigrant) point of view and half the book is told from his mother's "Polly" point of view. The narration is very unique and adds interest, but I am not sure if I really liked it. In my opinion, it was a little hard to follow. However, the point of view definitely lets the reader see "both sides of the story."

Part of the book happens in New York and other parts of the book is set in China. The dual setting definitely gives the reader some insight into where Daniel and Polly came from and what obstacles were overcome to integrate into American life.

"The Leavers"' theme is exactly what the title suggests, - leaving. Leaving one's homeland, culture, family, loves, etc.

I have never read any of Lisa Ko's previous books. I enjoyed her writing in this book, but I am not sure if I would seek any future books by this author just because it was written by her.

"The Leavers" goes back and forth in time between a young boy "Deming" or "Daniel" and his mother, "Polly". Deming was born in America, but was sent back to China to live with his grandfather so his mother could work. After he was brought back to America when he was school age, the reader learns of many struggles he faces as a child growing up around a strange culture and language. His mother abruptly leaves him for apparently no reason one day. Much of the book is spent on Deming's search of his mother and the reason why she left. After Deming is left by his caretakers, he is eventually adopted by white, older, American college professors who have never had children. Deming becomes "Daniel", a Chinese American who struggles to live up to the standards of his new parents. Daniel spends his adult life going in and out of his adoptive parents' care. He has another adopted Chinese friend named "Angel" who emphasizes with his struggles, but adapts much better to her new life than he does. They joke that maybe it's not the "black sheep" that are the bad ones, but maybe the white ones that are the real trouble-makers. After Daniel comes home once, Angel says, "The white sheep comes home to roost."

My Literary 2 Cents...

The best part of this book for me was the ability I had as a reader to "walk in the shoes" of an immigrant boy. I am an ESL teacher and work every day with children who struggle to fit in with others because they don't speak the same language as everyone else, or are in the minority because of the color of their skin. I deeply feel for these children, but I think hearing this story told from Deming's point of view really hit home for me. I felt that I came away from this book with a deeper appreciation of what my students must feel every day.

I only gave this book 3 stars because the book got a little drawn-out and tedious at some parts. By the end of the book, I was just ready to be done with it. The ending was a little anti-climatic and I wished it had a little better ending.

As a Christian, this book spoke to me because I want to be able to minister to people who are different than I am. I Cor. 9:19-20 says, "for though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law.." I don't feel like one can effectively empathize with anyone else until you have walked "2 moons in his moccasins". This book gave me a different perspective on those children that I am around every day and for that, I am grateful and walk away a better person.


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#truth

#Truth: 365 Devotions Connecting Life and Faith for Teens by Josh McDowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very nice devotional book for teens. It starts with a verse of scripture, followed by a short devotion, a "Truth is..." summary from the author and finally an example prayer. I felt that these devotions were perfect for teens. They were short, but meaningful. I felt that the topics chosen would be applicable to teens. I recommend!!

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The Boy in the Park

The Boy in the Park by A.J. Grayson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is going to be very hard to review without having any spoilers. I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

I love books that have a total twist...this one did not disappoint. Nothing in the description of this book gave away what was really going on in the book. Even though I did discover about halfway through what was going on, I still wanted to keep reading.


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All the Missing Girls

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am so happy to finally be able to give a book 5 stars!! This book had me at the beginning when I learned that it was set in a small town in North Carolina. Being a North Carolinian, I could definitely relate to the main character and small town life.

When I found out that this book (part of it anyway) was told in reverse chronological order, I was a little skeptical. I have a hard time staying focused on a book that jumps around. However, this book didn't really jump around. The chapters were perfectly chronological...except it went backwards. It was not hard to follow at all. In fact, I believe that the reverse order made me more curious for what happened the day before.

I loved everything about this book...the characters, the plot, the twists and turns.. It will definitely be a best book for the year!!!!

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