Loony Literature

Breadcrumbs | Anne Ursu My Rating: 2/5 Stars I picked up this book with the intention of it being a fast read. It was not. The story follows a young girl named Hazel, and her ongoing struggle to fit in with her fifth-grade class. Luckily, however, she has a best friend Jack who accepts Hazel, crazy fantasies and all. The novel is divided into two parts, and if I had stopped reading after the first, I would have categorized it as a middle-grade realistic fiction story about friendship. As soon as you start part two, the theme changes completely. Suddenly Jack is cursed and taken by an evil snow witch, and Hazel must traverse the dangerous and completely random magical woods that seemingly appeared next to the town's local sledding hill. This sudden jump halfway through Ursu's story was extremely unusual, not to mention unexpected. Many of the subplots from the first half, like Jack's mother's illness and Hazel's bullies, were completely dropped, never again me...

Along For the Ride | Sarah Dessen My Rating: 4/5 Stars I recently finished Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen, and I was very grateful that I picked this one up. I was in a mood for a cheesy romance and got just that, however, Dessen also brought a little more to the table than anticipated. The author dealt with heavy topics like divorce and child attention issues. I found myself relating to many of the main character Auden's challenges throughout the novel. Overall, a girl "finding herself" through a vacation in an odd location, with a strange boy, and some crazy friends is generally an overused and beaten down plotline. However, the rich characterization and drama of Auden and her family members spice up the cliche in a way that is both refreshing and a bit unnerving. I gave the novel 4 out of 5 stars because it did seem like the loose ends were wrapped up in a rush right at the ending. Although this is my first read from the author, many argue that Sarah Dessen...