Awards Catch Up & Come Pick Up Your Award!

I recieved another award yesterday and I realized that I finally needed to thank the bloggers and pass on all the awards I've gotten. from the oldest to the latest. Sorry for the lateness!

1) The Uplifiting Blogger Award
From Donna at Bites. Donna and her blog are so cool!
Thanks so much Donna :)

There's no set of number of people to give this too, so since I'm tired and have lots of homework to do, I'm passing it on to only a few people.

1. Literanista because she posts about all these amazing things (primarily book news but also charites and current events) relating to the Hispanic community.

2. Susan at Color Online because she's always commenting on blog posts being positive and keeping the conversation going.

3. Lorin at arch thinking Her blog is very unique and inspiring (especially how she supports Kiva)

2) Superior Scribber Award x2
Thanks Jo Ann and Zetta! I aspire to be a good writer and I'm honored you think so =)



Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving
• Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.

• Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to this post which explains The Award.

• Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!

• Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog
Ahh so many awesome people to give this too!

1. Steph Su at Steph Su Reads

2. Kristi the Story Siren

3. Donna at Bites!

4. Cecilia at the epic rat

5. Nymeth at things mean a lot


3) Bingo Award, Beautiful!
Thanks Browngirl! I'm so touched that someone thinks my blog is beautiful :D

B: Beautiful
I: Informative
N: Neighborly
G: Gorgeous
O: Outstanding

B-Amanda at That Teen Can Blog!
I-Ali at worducopia!
N-Zetta at Fledging!
G-Alyssa at the Shady Glade!
O-Amy Bowllan at Bowllan's Blog for the School Library Journal (check out her outstanding Writers Aganist Racisim series!)

Thanks so much everyone for the awards and everyone else pick up your awards and pass them on!

Male Monday: Marcelo in the Real World (aka One of the Most AMAZING Books ever!)

Male Monday is my weekly meme where books are reviewed with male main characters.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork 2009

Rating: 5!/5!

IQ “Boy you really break things down, don’t you?” Jonah

“Some say it is an illness.” Marcelo

“We should all be so ill.” Jonah

There’s so much you can say about this amazing, wonderful, beautiful, tremendous, stupendous novel, but at the same time I don’t feel that I can adequately express how much impact this novel had on me. It blew me away. It’s so powerful. It’s ultimately about the loss of innocence and how we can fight injustice. It also made me think about why God allows suffering?

Marcelo in the Real World is about a 17 year old guy whose father forces him to work at his law firm. Marcelo’s father believes there is nothing wrong with him and he wants Marcelo to learn how to interact with people and work in the “real world”. Marcelo works in the mailroom with his beautiful boss, Jasmine whose not much older than him. He also meets Wendell, the son of another partner at the law firm (Marcelo’s father and Wendell’s father are the two partners). In the law firm, Marcelo learns a lot about the real world. He learns about social dos and don’ts, competition, lust and anger. He also learns about suffering, injustice and compassion.

Marcelo is the perfect example of a lovable, innocent character. I didn’t know anything about Asperger’s syndrome (a disorder he has, it’s a form of autism where people have difficulties with social interaction and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. According to Wikipedia), but most of the time I forgot he had a type of autism and just thought he was a brilliant, but awkward kid. Learning about Asperger’s was interesting. Marcelo refers to himself in third-person and calls his parents by their first names (Aurora and Arturo). He hears music in his head, internal music. “How do I describe it? It is like listening to very loud music with headphones. Only the music seems to be coming from inside the brain. It is actually a very neat sensation.”

One of Marcelo’s main interests besides music is religion. He is friends with a rabbi, Rabbi Heschel, and they discuss religion regularly. He reads Scripture quotes it and reads various books about various religions. These conversations between the rabbi and Marcelo were very interesting and enlightening to me. I’m currently struggling with my own faith and these conversations gave me something to think about. “You’re worried about upgrading your Mercedes or about whether so-and-so is sitting closer to the Tabernacle and all along God is dying for help. It’s urgent! He’s urging you. The urges that you feel are to do His work-you’re getting the signals all mixed up. You think He’s asking you to be a big success in whatever it is that you’re ambitious about, and that’s not what He wants from you at all….But His urges are always toward life and more life and forgiveness and more forgiveness.” Pg. 277-278

I also think this book deals with sex, lust and desire in a different and interesting way. I feel that it explains it differently; Marcelo doesn’t really understand lust or love. Several characters try to teach him about the difference and their perspective, as well as his was refreshing.

My favorite character was Jasmine. She is sarcastic, lovable, kind and a good teacher to Marcelo about life in the real world. I wanted to smack Wendell every other page he was mentioned.

Marcelo in the Real World is one of those books you just have to re-read. It sits on your bedside table, waiting to be read whether you are happy, sad, confused, lost, or angry.

Read this book regardless of your religious beliefs, gender, background, etc. This is the ultimate MUST READ. High school and up.

Thanks so much for this book Edi!

New Crayons

New Crayons is the new books I got this week. Credit goes to Susan :)

This week I got about half of the books I'm giving away (I'm madly trying to read them all before I give them away!)

I also got

Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino 2009

For the peaceful highlanders of Guatemala, life has become a nightmare. Helicopters slash like machetes through the once-quiet air. Soldiers patrol the streets, hunting down suspected guerillas. Villagers mysteriously disappear and children are recruited as soldiers. Tomasa’s family is growing increasingly desperate, especially after Mama goes into hiding with Tomasa’s oldest brother. Finally, after their house is razed to the ground and the villagers massacred, Tomasa, Manuelito, and baby Maria set off with Papa on a perilous journey to find Mama and Carlos, only to discover that where one journey ends, another begins. This gripping novel tells the story of how Tomasa’s family survives the Guatemalan army's brutal regime and how, in the midst of tragedy, their love and loyalty — and Papa's storytelling — keeps them going on their harrowing journey as refugees to the United States. Mirrored in the tapestries of Tomasa’s dreams, the dramatic events of the Guatemalan army’s "scorched earth" campaign of the 1980s are tempered with hope and the generosity of the human spirit.

-Thanks Lyn! This is going to be my first MG review :D

Girl v. Boy by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout 2008

Sixteen-year-old Luisa Perez is not looking to win any awards for school spirit. In fact, she and her friends make it a point to avoid all activities considered "extra-curricular." So when her English teacher volunteers her to be an anonymous columnist for the school paper, Luisa's first impulse is to run. But, unlike her high-school dropout sister, Luisa does want to go to college--it may be her only ticket out of a life spent working at the cowboy-themed diner where she waitresses part time--and it would be nice to something on her applications.

Her first assignment is to cover her high school's latest fundraiser, which pits the girls against the boys. Luisa will cover the events from the female POV, while another anonymous writer provides the male perspective--or, at least, that's how it begins. The two columnists soon find themselves engaged in an epic battle of the sexes--a battle that Luisa is determined to win. Just who does this guy think he is, encouraging his peers to act like Neanderthals with their girlfriends? And why can't Luisa shake the very sinking feeling that her new unidentified nemesis might also be her new boyfriend?

-Thanks Steph Su! This book sounds cute :)

Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month Giveaway!

In honor of Hispanic Heritage month I'm giving away 8 books with Latino/a main characters!

There will be 5 winners. The first winner will pick 3 books, the 2nd winner will pick 2 books and the other winners will each get one.

Ends: Thursday Oct. 8 at 11:59 PM CT

Open: Internationally (some authors are mailing the books to the winners, those books are only open to U.S. residents. A * means it's open to U.S. residents only)

Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Pena *

Danny's tall and skinny.
Even though he’s not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any
college scout would sign him on the spot. A 95 mph fastball, but the boy’s not even on a team.
Every time he gets up on the mound he loses it.

But at his private school, they don’t expect much else from him. Danny’s brown. Half-
Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else
knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can’t speak
Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they’ve got him pegged.

Danny’s convinced it’s his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico. And that’s why he’s
spending the summer with his dad’s family. Only, to find himself, he might just have to face the
demons he refuses to see right in front of his face.


Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gil

Girl meets boy at a car wash.
"Dog," she says.
"Dude," he says.
And probably this would have been a sweet teen romance. . . .
If Beals hadn't been sitting next to her in the car.
If Beals hadn't been a supernatural repo man looking to repossess her car.
And to possess her.

Graffiti Girl by Kelly Parra

Graffiti art. It's bold. It's thrilling. And it can get a girl into serious trouble....

Raised by her single mom (who's always dating the wrong kind of man) in a struggling California neighborhood, Angel Rodriguez is a headstrong, independent young woman who channels her hopes and dreams for the future into her painting. But when her entry for a community mural doesn't rate, she's heartbroken. Even with winning artist Nathan Ramos -- a senior track star and Angel's secret crush -- taking a sudden interest in Angel and her art, she's angry and hurt. She's determined to find her own place in the art world, her own way.

That's when Miguel Badalin -- from the notorious graffiti crew Reyes Del Norte -- opens her eyes to an underground world of graf tags and turf wars. She's blown away by this bad boy's fantastic work and finds herself drawn to his dangerous charm. Soon she's running with Miguel's crew, pushing her skills to the limit and beginning to emerge as the artist she always dreamed she could be. But Nathan and Miguel are bitter enemies with a shared past, and choosing between them and their wildly different approaches to life and art means that Angel must decide what matters most before the artist inside of her can truly break free.



Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra

Kara Martinez has been trying to be "normal" ever since the accident that took her father's life when she was eleven years old. She's buried the caliente side of her Mexican heritage with her father and tried to be the girl her rigid mother wants her to be -- compliant and dressed in pink, and certainly not acting out like her older brother Jason. Not even Danielle, her best friend at Valdez High, has seen the real Kara; only those who read her anonymous blog know the deepest secrets of the Sign Seer.

Because Kara has a gift -- one that often feels like a curse. She sees signs, visions that are clues to a person's fate, if she can put together the pieces of the puzzle in time. So far, she's been able to solve the clues and avert disaster for those she's been warned about -- until she sees the flash of a gun on a fellow classmate, and the stakes are raised higher than ever before. Kara does her best to follow the signs, but it's her heart that wanders into new territory when she falls for a mysterious guy from the wrong side of town, taking her closer to answers she may not be able to handle. Will her forbidden romance help her solve the deadly puzzle before it's too late...or lead her even further into danger?

Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole

Here's what it means to be a tortillera.

It means you're a girl who loves girls.

Which means you get kicked out of Catholic school faster than Mother Superior Sicko can say "immoral."

Which means your wacko Mami finds out.

Which means you're kicked to the curb with nowhere to go, and the love of your life is shipped off to Puerto Rico to marry a guy.

But this is Miami, and if you have a bighearted best friend and a loyal puppy at your side, and if your broken heart is still full of love, you just might land on your feet.

Amigas and School Scandals by Diana Rodriguez Wallach Book #2 *

(I have read this book just not yet reviewed it. I'm going to re-read it, but I'd say it's in the 3-5 rating).

Mariana Ruiz is bringing a lot home from her vacation in Puerto Rico, including memories of a hot summer romance, a new understanding of her cousin Lilly Sanchez who's enrolling in Mariana's suburban Philadelphia high school.Mariana's best friends, Madison and Emily, aren't thrilled about the new arrival, especially when Lilly soars through the ranks of Spring Mills High's social circles. But Mariana has other things on her mind. Like Mariana's developing crush on her locker buddy, Bobby, the one boy to ever take Emily on a real date. But it's the revelations at Mariana's Sweet 16 party that make it clear that life at Spring Mills High School will never be the same again.

Muchacho by Louanne Johnson (2 copies)

Eddie Corazon is angry. He’s also very smart. But he’s working pretty hard at being a juvenile delinquent. He blows off school, even though he’s a secret reader. He hangs with his cousins, who will always back him up—when they aren’t in jail.

Then along comes Lupe, who makes his blood race. She sees something in Eddie he doesn’t even see in himself. A heart, and a mind, and something more: a poet. But in Eddie’s world, it’s a thin line between tragedy and glory. And what goes down is entirely in Eddie’s hands.

Gripping, thought-provoking, and hopeful, Muchacho is a rare and inspiring story about one teen’s determination to fight his circumstances and shape his own destiny

.

To enter: leave a comment with your email address. The comment needs to answer one of the foll wing questions:

1.Why do you like Hispanic Heritage Month?

2. Your favorite aspect of Latino culture

3. If you could visit any Spanish-speaking country what would it be? Why?

Must leave your email address!

+2 If you become a follower

+1 If you comment on any of my reviews starting from Rogelia's House of Magic

+2 If you link to the giveaway in your sidebar

+3 If you write a post about the giveaway or a post about Hispanic Heritage Month (list of book suggestions, a book review about Latinos, etc.) Leave an extra comment with the link.

Good luck everyone!

Viva Hispanic Heritage Month! :D

Winners of YA & MG Book Packs!

Thanks to everyone who entered this contest! September is almost over, but I still have a lot of books to giveaway. I'm debating if I should give them away into October or save them for special holidays/event giveaways. Also, I apologize for not getting the L.A. Summer review up before the contest ended. You can read it here

Onto the winners (courtesy of random.org).....

1. Paradox

2. jpetroroy

Congrats guys! You have 48 hours to respond to my email with your book choices and mailing address.

The next giveaway is going to have lots of winners and be in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month! It will be announced tomorrow, so be sure to check back and enter :)

By the way I received an email from author Jo Ann Hernandez telling me about a writing contest about poc. I'm re-posting the email here.

Introducing the 1st Annual
MyAfricanDiaspora.com
SHORT STORY COMPETITION

In our ongoing effort to promote positive images that reflect people of African descent, the website that connects that African Diaspora is pleased to announce our first annual Short Story contest.
We're looking for fiction that is unique, stories with characters we'll remember, plots that leave us thinking. The contest is open to anyone, any race, any country, any continent. The only caveat? The main character must be of African descent. For more info go here

Rules

1. The contest runs from October 1 – December 31, 2009, winner announced February 1, 2010
2. Entries must be 1500 words or less
3. The entry fee is $10 (via paypal or money order payable to DreamDeep LLC.) Address:

   DreamDeep LLC
   9360 W. Flamingo Rd.
   #110-117
   Las Vegas, NV 89147

4. Main character must be of African descent
5. Story must be previously unpublished
6. Submit entries to info@myafricandiaspora.com, with the words “Short Story Contest: (input name of your short story)” in the subject line. Ex. Short Story Contest: My Story. Copy & Paste into the body of the email. No attachments.
7. Be sure to include your contact information and word count with submissions
8. here will be one overall winner and one winner from each of the following genres: Literary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery, Romance (we prefer stories without gratuitous sex or violence)

Prizes

1. First Place: $500 Genre Winners: $25 Borders Gift Card
2. Each winner will have their story and a feature article published on myafricandiaspora.com
3. The winners and top three entries in each genre will have their short stories published in a short story collection at the end of the year

L. A. Summer: Friends till the Blood End

L. A. Summer: Friends Till the Blood End by Sheryl Mallory-Johnson

Rating: 3/5

IQ "But nobody told her anything about being in love and wanting to give the boy she loved something to guarantee he would never forget her."

I'm positive that millions of teenage girls throughout time and around the world have felt and wondered the same thing as the IQ. I know I have wondered about. How do you keep a boy's affection without comprosing yourself? Especially when you will only be with him for summer and you've never had a boyfriend before? That's essentially what the main character, Mikki is trying to figure out.

Mikki is spending the summer in Los Angeles with her best friend Stacy, whom she hasn't seen in six years since Mikki moved from L.A. to Boone, Texas. Both girls are worried that they won't get along anymore and that they have changed a lot but they really want to see each other again. Also, Stacy has another best friend, Carlette who moved into Mikki's old house in L.A. Carlette fears that Mikki will replace her for the summer but she also wants to meet Mikki. While in L.A. Mikki meets a guy (Dominick) who seems perfect and she falls in love. Stacy thinks Dominick is a womanizing jerk and tries to warn Mikki, but Mikki ignores her. Carlette is dating an older man whose living a not-so-great lifestyle. Add to all that Carlette's overprotective mother, Stacy's cop father and Mikki's parents trying to get her to leave L.A. early and there's a lot going on in the book.

In all honesty, the writing isn't fantastic in the book, but the story is an important one. Especially for all girls who've never had a boyfriend before and may not know how to handle having one.

None of the characters were all that lovable (except maybe Keith who is Stacy's special guy friend). Mikki could have been a really great and lovable character, but she was always bragging about her grades and her GPA which grew annoying after a while. Also (and this is probably just me), but her naivete was irritating. I've never been a big fan of naive characters, but I feel that with some different characterizations and actions, Mikki could have been an enjoyably innocent character. I didn't like Stacy because she didn't help out her friends as well as she could have. This is minor, but many of the expressions Stacy used seemed a bit strange (maybe they're just West Coast expressions that I, as a Midwesterner don't understand) for example, whenever Stacy's thoughts were expressed, she would say "yaw". I'm presuming she meant ya'll. Also when she was laughing in her thoughts, she would think LOL. I don't believe that many teenagers use text/IM speak in their thoughts. Carlette was an ok friend. Sure, she had her good moments, but I didn't understand why Stacy was friends with her. Fianlly a minor complaint; Mikki lives in Boone, Texas. Carlette dates a guy named Bone. The names were too similar for my taste.

What I did like about the book: the relationships in it are pretty realistic. The friendship between Mikki and Stacy had its ups and downs like all close friendships. Some of their arguements were serious, but some were deep. I agree with Mikki up to a point that best friends "shouldn't judge you or put you down for your choices. They should respect you and support your decisions." Best friends should also not support your decisions when they are dangerous to you or others (like being anorexic, bullying people, having sex with multiple guys, etc.), but they shouldn't judge you for doing it. They should just help you make a better decision and if necessary, get her/him the helps he/she needs. The relationship between Keith and Stacy was very realistic as well, Keith wants to be more than friends, but Stacy is cautious. Mikki and Dominick's relationship was an interesting one as well. Dominick is an interesting character. I think the most important relationship is between Carlette and Bone (a young girl with a 20 something guy).

There is going to be a sequel and even though the characters aren't lovable, they are interesting and I look forward to seeing what happens to them next summer. The sequel is called L.A. Summer: Sweat and Tears. L.A. Summer: Friends Till the Blood End is a likable read and it's not too preachy. High school and up

Waiting on Wednesday: Perfect Shot

Thanks to Jill at Breaking the Spine for this meme!

This week I'm waiting on.....

Perfect Shot by Debbie Rigaud

Release Date: Dec. 1, 2009

London Abrams likes to spike volleyballs, not wear spike heels. But in one crush-tasic moment, she signs up for a modeling contest to get the attention of its cute photography intern. Never in a million years did London expect to get selected as a finalist. Before she knows it, she’s in an online reality show competition against 14 super chic chicks–including her childhood frenemy.

As the lone (read: token) sporty girl, London feels way out of her league and wants to quit. But when the cutie photo intern is assigned to shadow her, she decides to stick it out. Too bad his lens reports everything it sees to a scrutinizing online audience and to her backbiting frenemy. Suddenly, London’s not so sure she’s ready for this type of close-up.

I'm not big on romance books, but I've only read one (Twilight which annoyed me to no end) so I figure I should try another one. Especially since this one is in the Simon Romantic Comedy series so hopefully it will be funny. Also, I read the book Hallway Diaries (which is a collection of three short fictional stories about African American girls in high school) and Debbie Rigaud wrote my favorite story in it (Double Act). I intend on reviewing Hallway Diaries one day (not sure when since I'm going to re-read it).

The Fold

The Fold by An Na

Rating: 3.5/5

IQ “What might make you happy one minute might not make you happy the next. What is beautiful now won’t be later. Everything is always changing. You have to know what is true to you.” Helen

Joyce never used to care that much about how she looked, but that was before she met JFK—John Ford Kang, the most gorgeous guy in school. And it doesn't help that she's constantly being compared to her beautiful older sister, Helen. Then her rich plastic-surgery-addict aunt offers Joyce a gift to "fix" a part of herself she'd never realized needed fixing—her eyes. Joyce has heard of the fold surgery—a common procedure meant to make Asian women's eyes seem "prettier" and more "American"—but she's not sure she wants to go through with it. Her friend Gina can't believe she isn't thrilled. After all, the plastic surgeon has shown Joyce that her new eyes will make her look just like Helen—but is that necessarily a good thing?

The Fold taught me a lot. I wanted to read this book because I knew nothing about fold surgery. I couldn’t imagine why an Asian person would do that. I love Asian eyes, I think they’re gorgeous (I would love to have them!)! It just goes to show you that every culture (and every person) has something about themselves that they don’t like.

The funniest (and my favorite) character was Andy, Joyce’s younger brother. He’s always eavesdropping and he wants to be in the NBA, but his family doesn’t think he can, because he’s so short. They hope it’s a phase since he’s only in middle school. Andy’s solution to making himself taller is hilarious but sad at the same time. Also, I love how Joyce and Andy gave their aunt the code name Michael. Her real name is Gomo, but they call her Michael because of all the plastic surgeries she’s gotten (eight), like the singer Michael Jackson. I also really liked Helen, but I thought her story was pretty predictable. She was sweet and she gave Joyce some good advice (that she often chose not to listen to). I thought Joyce was too harsh on her sister and was pretty selfish, always thinking about herself.

One of my least favorite characters was Gina, Joyce’s best friend. She was so caught up in being beautiful and helping Joyce become beautiful that she didn’t seem to care about the repercussions of the eye fold surgery. She just wanted Joyce to get the surgery. I felt that Gina wasn’t a good friend because she never told Joyce “You’re already pretty, you don’t need surgery.” She seemed to think that Joyce was ‘ugly’ enough to need the surgery. But at other times she seemed like a loyal friend.

Something that really annoyed me about this book was the lack of explanations of the Korean words. When Joyce greeted her aunt she says ‘on-young-ha-say-yo Gomo”. I’m sure that’s a greeting but I would like to know what it means. Also does Gomo just mean aunt or is it the aunt’s real name? The food dishes were never explained either, I’m not familiar with Korean food so I didn’t recognize many of their names and I was curious about what was in certain dishes (like bi-bim bop). Questions like this ran repeatedly through my mind while I read this book.

On the other hand, I really liked the descriptions at the Korean community. It was very interesting and a lot of their views on certain issues were a lot like other immigrants (I speak from experience!). They were a very close-knit community, which was good and bad. Everyone knew everyone else’s business, but they also looked out for each other. The characters discuss the ideal Korean beauty and it’s sad but enlightening at the same time.

I learned from this book, but I don’t think I would pick it up and read it again anytime soon, although I think the topic is important to read about.

Off Color Review: Ten Cents a Dance

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

Rating: 4.5/5

IQ "It was like how Ozzie's music made me feel. Not just like dancing, although at the beginning that had been most of it. But then his music changed, or I did, and the scream and soar of his trumpet made me feel bigger than the Starlight. Bigger than all Chicago. No one to say, You can't. Like what I'd imagined it might be like to go somewhere new, nobody knowing what you'd done or who you'd been. To see who you could become next."

Ten Cents a Dance is probably one of my all-time favorite historical fiction novels. It's set during one of my favorite time periods, the 1940s and in one of my favorite cities (Chicago). Ten Cents is about 15 year old Ruby Jacinski who is working full-time to support her mother and little sister after her father dies. She drops out of school and is working at a packinghouse. The "neighborhood bad boy" Paulie Suelze takes an interest in her and tells her about taxi dancers. Taxi dancers are girls who work in dancing halls who get paid to dance with men. Ruby's always loved to dance and she's good at it. She takes the job at the Starlight dance hall and soon she's making more money than she's ever had before. However, being a taxi dancer is viewed as unrespectable (people thought they were also prostitutes) and Ruby lies to her mother about where she really works. The title refers to how much a dance cost, men paid a dime per dance, the dancer got to keep a nickel of that. For more information on taxi dancers, go here.

Christine Fletcher's style of writing is stunning. I could hear the jazz music drifting from the pages, see the dancers dancing. The research is so through and well-done, I think even the smallest detail added to the story. This book doesn't just throw information at you, spouting historical facts. You hardly realize you've learned something until you're in history class and your teacher is asking about policy kings (policy was illegal gambling done mostly in African American neighborhoods in the city) and you remember that being mentioned in Ten Cents and you answer the question correctly! I don't what to turn this review into a history lesson, so just check out Christine's website, it's got some awesome resources about the '40s!

One of my favorite things about this book is the descriptions of racial relations. Discrimination against Filipinos play a pretty big role in the story. I didn't know much about how Filipinos were treated so that was interesting to read about. The book also taught me abut "black and tans" and policy kings. Black and tans were clubs that allowed Blacks and whites to dance together. I didn't even know that interracial dancing was acceptable, but in some places it was. Policy kings were men who controlled the gambling and made the most profit, Chicago was the only city that didn't have white gangsters running policy. I knew nothing about Black gangsters or policy kings so that was very intriguing.

Ruby is a great character. She's strong and resilient. She works hard, makes some mistakes, but she learns from them. I was rooting for her every step of the way and honestly, in almost all the situations she was put in, I would have acted the same way she did (that's one way to tell a historical fiction novel is good, when you would do the same thing a character from another time period would do!). The relationship I have with my mother is similar to the one she has with her mom, so I could relate to that as well. I loved Ozzie too (a black trumpet player at the dance hall Ruby works at) and I want to know more about him!

I also really love the cover, the shady background and how you can only see a woman's hand and the back of a man's head. And I love the header "Bad boys and secrets are both hard to keep..."

When I finished Ten Cents a Dance, I was so disappointed to put it down. I wanted to stay in Ruby's world longer, I even wanted to be a taxi dancer! I wanted to learn all the dances of the '40s and wear the beautiful dresses :) The ending wasn't as great as I would have liked, but I'm hoping for a sequel! *crosses fingers* I highly recommend this book to all readers, even if you don't like historical fiction. READ IT ANYWAY! High school and up.

New Crayons

This week was an amazing week! BBAW and my birthday. I participated in a BBAW meme, but due to schoolwork I didn't get to participate as actively in BBAW as I would have liked. My birthday was Friday and I am so appreciative of all the birthday wishes the blogging community sent my way. Thanks for all the emails and comments! *Virtual hug*

New Crayons is run by Color Online. In the New Crayons meme, I share what new books I got this week. I got 2 books this week, one to giveaway and one for myself. The book I received to giveaway will be posted soon :)

So my birthday was Friday and what do I find when I get home? A package. Not just any package. This package contained one of the greatest birthday presents of all time!*drumroll*....................


LIAR by Justine Larbalestier!

Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? Taking readers deep into the psyche of a young woman who will say just about anything to convince them—and herself—that she’s finally come clean, Liar is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers see-sawing between truths and lies right up to the end. Honestly.

I've already started reading it and so far it's incredible! I freaked out when I got it and my mom didn't understand how big a deal this was, especially because she didn't know about the whole original Liar cover controversy. I'm so happy I got it :D

Birthday & Rogelia's House of Magic

First of all, thank you everyone for all the birthday wishes! I had an awesome birthday and I am especially stunned by the outpouring of love and goodwill by my new blogging friends :) I love and appreciate you all!!

Now as promised, finally my review!

Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood

Rating: 3/5

IQ "You see how the words 'courage' and 'corazon' are similar? That is no accident. The words come from the same root. Follow your heart and you will have courage." pg. 160

It's about 2 girls, Marina and Fern who are best friends. One day they attempt to perform a magic spell and in doing so, receive special powers. Fern sees auras and Marina hears voices of the dead. Marina's family has a maid, Rogelia who is a curandera (a spiritual healer). The girls want her to teach them about magic and she agrees. Rogelia's granddaughter, Xochitl (pronounced So-chee) doesn't want her grandmother teaching strangers magic. Xochitl has the power to turn invisible. However, she no longer believes in the power of magic due to the fact that magic didn't save her twin sister who died. The girls must all learn lessons about controlling their powers and being open to growth.

When reading Rogelia's House of Magic, you must go into it with an open mind. You will not be able to fully appreciate the book if you scoff at the idea of magic existing. This book was interesting to me, because in my opinion it made some good points as to why a certain spell would work or why/how magic existed. I learned a good deal about curanderas and how they work. The book subtly discusses how to be a believer in magic and a Christian.

I liked all the characters. I could relate to Marina because even though she's half Mexican, she doesn't speak Spanish (I'm half Latina and my Spanish is pretty bad). However, I thought the book was a bit unrealistic, because it has her start learning Spanish from Rogelia and then becoming fluent by the end of the book (in less than a year!) even though she doesn't speak it at home. I liked Fern's activism. She was very passionate about environmental issues and always spoke her mind. She frustrated me sometimes because she worried over things that were (I thought) unnecessary to worry about because if she had only asked for help, she wouldn't be so confused! Xochitl was a good character too. She's struggling to get over her sister's death and I thought the parts in the book where she tries to use magic or any other way possible, to get in touch with her sister were touching. It made you wonder: if someone you loved died and you had magical powers, how far would you go to see/talk to them again?

I also enjoyed reading all of Rogelia's Spanish dichos (sayings). I'd never heard of any of them and I thougt they were very wise. I'm really going to try and take to heart "Al vivo la hogaza y al muerto, la mortaja. We must live by the living, not by the dead."

You can see the book trailer here

Rogelia's House of Magic was a good book to read. It's a nice story of a strong friendship (there's hardly any romance and that's refreshing) between 3 Latinas, which is a rare subject in books. It left room for a sequel, but I don't think one is forthcoming. 7th grade and up.

YA and MG Giveaways!

So in honor of me starting to review MG books, I'm giving away 2 packs of book for my next giveaway in keeping up with my September giveaway extravangza! Each pack contains a YA and MG book.
*Note I haven't yet read either of the MG books I'm giving away (they are high on my tbr pile though!)
There will be 2 winners. The 1st winner will get to pick which pack they want and the 2nd winner will take the other.

In Pack 1 I'm giving away

Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami (MG)

Although Maya has done her best to avoid it, she is spending part of her summer in Chennai, India, with her mother, who is trying to sell her grandfather's old house. Soon Maya is drawn into a complicated friendship with eccentric Kamala Mami, who has been a housekeeper and cook for years in Maya's extended family. At the same time, Maya is thrust into an ocean of memories, all coming at her too quickly for her to understand. In particular, she is forced to examine the history of her parents' divorce -- all the more painful because she believes the trouble began with the choosing of her name. For years the tension has simmered in a cauldron of anxiety, secrets, and misunderstandings. It is only with the help of Kamala Mami and Maya's cousin Sumati that Maya is able to see what happened to her parents.

In this compelling first novel, a young Indian American girl finally learns that she can choose which memories to keep and which to let go.
And

L.A. Summer by Sheryl-Mallory Johnson (YA)

Now that she’s sixteen, Mikki is dying for a change of scenery. She’s certain that there’s more to life than living in the city of Boone, Texas, with not one cute boy worth a stare. Her wish is to return to Los Angeles and reunite with her best friend, Stacy, so she can experience the real world.

Stacy, known for her loud mouth and street smarts thinks her summer will be “jacked up,” with her father forcing her to attend summer school. After learning that Mikki is coming to town, Stacy’s hyped! She can’t wait to see her old best friend after their six-year separation. The only problem – the fear they’ve both changed too much to still be best friends.

Living in Mikki’s old house is Stacy’s new best friend, Carlette. Carlette is anxious to finally meet Mikki, if she can break away from her over protective mother. Mikki is not the only person on Carlette’s visitor’s list. Her new boyfriend, Bone, is at the top. If her mother finds out Bone’s real age and lifestyle, Carlette will be on lock-down for life.

Enter fine egotistical Dominick, the boyfriend of Mikki’s dreams and Stacy’s worst nightmare. When Stacy discovers that Dominick is checking for Mikki, she tries to protect Mikki from getting hurt. But like her cop dad says, “A bullet proof vest can’t save a man who gets in the line of fire.” Mikki may have to save herself.

Across the way Carlette has troubles of her own. After wild ‘n out all night with Bone, Carlette disappears. No one can find her.

Summer heats up for all three girls. Can Stacy and Mikki’s relationship withstand the test of time? Will Carlette be found...alive? Will Stacy reveal her secret about Dominick to save Mikki, or leave Mikki in the dark, struggling to survive in a city too ruthless for a small town girl?

A review of L.A. Summer is coming soon!

In Pack 2 we have

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott (YA)

Fifteen-year old Genna Colon believes wishes can come true.When Genna flees into the garden late one night, she makes a fateful wish and finds herself instantly transported back in time to Civil War-era Brooklyn

I love this book so much, I want to give you guys another chance to win it! Read my review

Eigth Grade SuperZero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Reginald Garvey McKnight created a superhero character in kindergarten; now he dreams of being a real-life leading man: The Guy who’s got game and gets The Girl. Instead, he threw up on the first day of school. In front of everyone. Eighth grade has gone downhill ever since.

Reggie's story has both humour and heartbreak as he figures out what it means to 'keep it real'. In EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO, Reggie wonders why things are so bad if God is so good; his faith at all levels is challenged by his friendships, his work at a homeless shelter, and a pair of “Dora The Explorer” shoes. A school election leads him to the superhero within; Reggie finds out that sometimes winning big means living small

To enter: Open internationally!

+2 Commenting on my review of L.A. Summer (or any of the other reviews of the books in this giveaway) once it's posted

+3 Become a follower

Must answer this question: Why do you want one of these books?

Ends: September 24 at 11:59 PM CT

*Blogger is at war again with me today, so I apologize for the weird spacing!

Waiting on Wednesday: Gateway

I'm so sorry about the lack of reviews and contest details! I'm starting to get overwhelmed with schoolwork and it's only September! *gulps*
It's very frustrating because I've finished 10 Cents a Dance and Rogelia's House of Magic and I really want to write the reviews but I haven't had any time this week! I'm determined to publish some reviews and type up others and have them ready!

I have time to wait for books though. This week I'm waiting on...

Gateway by Sharon Shinn

Release Date: Oct. 15, 2009

As a Chinese adoptee in St. Louis, teenage Daiyu often feels out of place. When an elderly Asian jewelry seller at a street fair shows her a black jade ring—and tells her that “black jade” translates to “Daiyu”—she buys it as a talisman of her heritage. But it’s more than that; it’s magic. It takes Daiyu through a gateway into a version of St. Louis much like 19th century China. Almost immediately she is recruited as a spy, which means hours of training in manners and niceties and sleight of hand. It also means stealing time to be with handsome Kalen, who is in on the plan. There’s only one problem. Once her task is done, she must go back to St. Louis and leave him behind forever. . .

I'm so intrigued by the idea of reading about a Chinese spy!

Thanks everyone for all the MG suggestions, I've got some good titles to check out :)

BBAW Meme-Reading Habits

My first time participating in the BBAW festivities! This meme can be found here

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

-I love food, especially chocolate so my favorite reading snack is water and any piece of chocolate.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?

-The idea of writing in books horrifies me! There's just something that seems wrong about writing on a crisp new page. I'll write down quotes/memorable lines in a notebook.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

-Bookmark (often a scrap of paper or piece of junk mail!) or lay the book flat (bad for the spine I know!)

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

-Both. Non-fiction-Memoirs, some history and government books. I really liked In Her Shoes by Deborah Reber, Letters to a Young Sister by Hill Harper, Leading Ladies by Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Cooking With Grease by Donna Brazilie.

Fiction-Historical, realistic, but I'll try reading any genre :)

Hard copy or audiobooks?
-Hard copy. I don't think I could listen to a book =/ Love my iPod though!

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?

-Read to the end of a chapter. Confession: I read about halfway through a book and if I have to put it down, I read the end of the book. I know, I'm terrible!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

- No, I ignore it or guess it's meaning.

What are you currently reading?

-Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith and L.A. Summer by Sheryl Mallory-Johnson

What is the last book you bought?

-Who You Wit by Paula Chase-Hyman

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?

-Definitely more than one at a time. Some are better than others and if one book is shorter than the other, I can finish it and review it while still having another book to read. Then again, I think a book blogger always has something to read!

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

-I'm a night owl, so I love to read at night. On the train or in my room.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

-Stand alone. I don't deal well with suspense or cliff-hangers!

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

Get your pen/shopping cart ready because these books are so buy-worthy!

-A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott, Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher. Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, and anything by Julia Alvarez (especially In the Time of the Butterflies).

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

-By genre I suppose. I have it in sections. Fiction-YA with POC (starting with AAs, Latino/as, Asians, Native Americans), then YA with white characters. Next, comes the classics, regardless of race. Finally, I have a section of nonfiction (consisting of mostly political biographies & autobiographies, books on race and gender issues, and books about teens).

This was such a good meme! I think readers really learned a lot about me and how odd I am :D

I believe you can tell a lot about a person, based on what they read.

102 & You! BBAW, Dictators, VMAS & Winners!

So I reached 102 followers! Wow. I'm so amazed, I honestly didn't think I would gain even 100 followers. I planned on having a celebration for reaching 101 followers (I thought having one more than 100 would be even cooler than 100), but between the time I took a shower this evening (about an hour ago) and started writing this post I got 102! Thank you so much everyone who follows me!! I have the most awesome readers in the world, someone always leaves a comment on a post so I know that I'm not talking to anyone (before I became a blogger I rarely commented on blog posts even if I agreed with them, now that I'm a blogger I try to always leave a comment on a blog I visit, especially if there is none on the post yet!) I'm going to have to think of something special to do. I'm not really sure since I already have contests going once a week throughout the month. Maybe I'll just throw in extra books for more winners, after all everyone loves good free books! So THANK YOU (best early birthday present from the book blogging community :)

My guest-post for BBAW is up! Please read it (and if you have time leave a comment sharing your thoughts). I'm so behind in all the BBAW festivities. Hopefully, I can catch up on a few tonight and Thursday.

I'm going to get the Rogelia's review up later tonight (after I finish my homework. Science and math are killing me!!)

Also, Kanye's behavior at the VMAS? Grrr. For the record I love his music (I can't think of a single song of his that I haven't liked). His personality, not so much. I don't like Taylor Swift's music, but she seems like a really sweet person. I agree with Katy Perry (I think she said it, I'm paraphrasing) "Attacking Taylor Swift is like kicking a kitten." I agree. Where is the civility in the world? First Rep. Joe Wilson interrupting the President of the United of the States, now this!

Oh my goodness I can't believe I forgot to post the winners of Gringolandia!

Here we go....
Da winnahs!!!!!!

1. book weirdo

2. barbrafl

Congrats you guys! I'll be emailing you shortly for your address. Thanks for everyone who entered and stay tuned for the next giveaway.
The most common response for dictator that you would work to defeat was Fidel Castro of Cuba. Osama Bin Laden came in second.
Sadly, there are way too many evil dictators to choose from. I would have to say that if I could work to defeat any dictator, I would choose Josef Stalin of Russia (he had over 20 million people killed) and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (treats his country terribly, inflation is high and there is so much rape and killing going on over there). Oh and unhonorable mention goes to Omar al-Bashir (hello genocide in Darfur!)

Here's Lyn's (the author of Gringolandia) choice
It is a tough decision to come up with one dictator, because they're all evil in their own way. I ended up going with Pol Pot not only because of the scale of his massacre in terms of Cambodia's population, but also because of his use of child soldiers and his destruction of the Buddhist holy sites. Others that made the short list for me: the Soviet Union's Joseph Stalin, Papa Doc and Baby Doc Duvalier in Haiti, Anastasio Somoza (father and son) in Nicaragua, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in North Korea, Idi Amin in Uganda, and reaching further into the past, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, responsible for the Spanish Inquisition.

I agree with all of them, except King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. It was interesting seeing everyone's various responses.

Finally, I've decided (based on an unanimous vote in my poll) to have a Middle Grade Book of the Month feature. I would like to have one up for this month, but I want it to have a Latino/a main character. Any suggestions? I'm excited about this new feature because many of these I will be reading for the first time since I started reading YA so young.

Hispanic Heritage Month Starts Tomorrow! BBAW Starts Today :)

No Male Monday post today because I haven't started Marcelo in the Real World or gone to the library for more books with a male main character :(

Hispanic Heritage Month starts tomorrow Sept. 15 and goes till Oct. 15. I'm going to try and have a book review up at least once a week with a Latino/a protagonist. Hopefully, tomorrow I will be able to post my review of Rogelia's House of Magic. Also my my next couple of giveaways (excluding the one that will start tomorrow) will be YA books with a Latina/o main character.

Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, Bronzeword Latino Press ( I guest-blogged for them!) will give away a book every week with a Latino/a protag. All you have to do is review a book with a Hispanic main character or you can just do a post about one (like a Waiting on Wednesday post). I love the idea and I'm definitely going to try and participate! For more details, go here

BBAW started today! I'm going to try and participate in all the memes and posts. Also be on the lookout for my guest post!

Also, I received this email and I wanted to share the information with all of you (I just copied and pasted the email).

All across the nation, many Friends of the Library organizations hold book sales that feature cheap books that were either donated or removed from circulation. Typically these sales sell books, CDs, magazines, and DvD's for rock bottom prices. A typical sale will sell most of their items for under 3 dollars.

Being charity organizations, these Friends of the Library organizations often have limited resources to advertise and promote their sales. As such, many people are never made aware of the excellent deals they are missing within their own communities. That's where booksalemanager.com comes ins. We are attempting to bridge the gap between Organizations looking to more effectively advertise their sale, and people looking to find more places to get good deals on books and media.

Friends of the Library organizations and other non-profit groups can freely advertise their sale on our site. Our site currently has 2500 active listings, and we have been adding over 100 everyday.

People looking to find sales can use our powerful search tools to find these sales. They can search by state, zip code, sale size, and date ranged. Furthermore, people can create an account and save sales to their calendar to help them better track the sales they want to go to. You can also sign up for notifications to be emailed when a new sale in your area is listed, or a reminder email a few days before the sales on your calendar so you don’t ever miss a sale you want to attend.

I believe book sales are a great way to find bargain books and media while at the same time supporting the local libraries and non profits we all know and love. It's a total win-win.

Finally, my Gringolandia contest ends tonight at 11:59 PM! What are you waiting for? Go enter!

New Crayons & Updates

New Crayons is when I share what new books I got this week. Brought to you by Susan at Color Online

This week I bought no new books and I didn't get a chance to go to the library either :(
But I did receive

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
-thanks Edi!

I also got another book to read and giveaway (*hint hint* it was featured in one of my recent WoW posts!).



Now for some giveaway news: my contest for Gringolandia ends tomorrow at 11:59 pm. So hurry and enter! Click the picture in my sidebar to enter,

Also Color Online is having a giveaway in honor of BBAW week. You can win anything in their prize bucket, and the prize bucket has some pretty awesome books (if I win I'm asing for a Jacqueline Woodson book so I can finally read why everyone loves her so)! It started yesterday and ends Sept. 17. It's limited to U.S. residents only. Also if you enter, please mention that Reading in Color sent you!

In other news, please vote in my poll! It's important, it asks whether or not you would like to see me review MG books. It would only be a once a month thing.

I was wondering if any book bloggers or authors are interested in guest-blogging here? Especially new, up-and-coming authors and bloggers. Leave a comment or email me if you are interested.

Link news: I found out about this blog from the Brown Bookshelf so thanks BB! Over at Publisher's Weekly, Elizabeth Bluemele has written some great posts about poc in YA/children's lit. She has also created an amazing list of books about poc. They are children's books, MG and YA. I have so many new titles to add to my tbr/wishlist! Thanks Elizabeth for this list!

Finally, my birthday is Sept. 18! Just wanted to share that :)

The Lipgloss Chronicles & Vote

The Lip Gloss Chronicles: The Ultimate Test by Sheila M. Goss Book 1
2009

Rating: 1/5

IQ "We almost failed the ultimate test: that boys may come and go, but a best friend is forever." Brittany

The Diva’s Creed: All for one, one for all; never let the other fall.

Ever since they met in their elite private school, Britney, Jasmine, and Sierra have lived by these words, but now that they’re entering their freshman year in a public high school, their bond is about to be put to the ultimate test.

The daughters of wealthy Texas socialites, these girls are used to getting whatever they want, so it’s no surprise to them when the gorgeous DJ takes them under his wing. Drama soon comes their way in the form of Tanisha, a jealous older student who thinks DJ’s attention should be focused solely on her.

Even Tanisha’s threats can’t intimidate these girls as they form a united front against her. They’re tighter than ever—until a sticky situation complicates everything. Jasmine and Sierra both fall head over heels in love with DJ. Could this really mean the end of their friendship?

I didn't like this book. I bought it because I wanted to read some more books about suburban African American teens, expand my reading habits. Well the Ultimate Test was not what I had in mind. I was thinking it would be a little like the Del Rio Bay Clique novels. No.

The writing is basic. I felt that the basic, short sentences, uninteresting dialogue and short chapters were insulting my intelligence. We young adult readers can handle long sentences, 'big' words, and more complex dialogue and characters. There's 51 chapters, but they are so short. The book wasn't even entertaining, it didn't suck me in. I didn't care how the book ended, I just wanted to finish it.

The three girls all annoyed me. Especially Sierra and Jasmine (the two fighting over the same guy). They were really mean to each other and it was like "you're supposed to be friends!" but what was even more frustrating was that they kept forgiving each other, even after they said some pretty bogus things (I would have dropped both of them as friends). The characters felt stereotypically (in a good and bad way) and the storyline was predictable. The characters all had the same interest as lots of other African American characters in other books, I want to see something different!

This book wasn't what I expected (although I don't think the plot was that great to begin with).
Age 14 and up. If you've read (or reviewed) this book and you disagree, leave a comment with a link to your review (or I'll post your comment). I'd be happy to post it up here so people can get an alternate opinion.

Also please vote for Color Online in the BBAW awards, voting ends tomorrow (Sept. 12). Color Online is nominated for Most Altruistic blog. Previously, I didn't know what altruistic meant, but I looked it up and I've decided to share it here. Altruism is the general pursuit of interests of others. I firmly believe Color Online fits this definition. Color Online is dedicated to promoting books about people of color which helps others. Susan (the creator of Color Online) regularly comments and encourages other bloggers as well, always looking to help others. Do check out all the blogs nominated in all the categories because they're all great and bring something different and interesting to the book blogging world.

Finally, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of 9/11.

Waiting on Wednesday: Asleep & New Silver Phoenix Winner

Waiting on Wednesday is brought to you by Jill

This week I'm waiting for

Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair
Released: April 23, 2009

Adisa Summers doesn't know her boyfriend, Micah Alexander, can fly. These two African American teens come from loving families. However, things are not always as they appear. Micah's parents never touch him though they have the normal parent-child physical interaction with his younger brother. And does the birth certificate Adisa finds, listing strangers as her parents and Valenté as her last name, really belong to her?

Micah's odd emotionless behavior, rigid posture, and vacant eyes are a mystery sending mixed messages to Adisa. When a flash of lightning sends a tree crashing down on her, Adisa is shocked to see Micah actually flying to her rescue!

In an instant, Adisa is in his arms, looking up at the sky over his shoulder as they fly parallel to the ground. She sees the tree descending fast, bearing down on them and Micah suddenly shifts, shielding her completely with his body. As the tree explodes against Micah's back, Adisa feels him shudder with the impact and the air fills with wood chips and sawdust. Miraculously, they aren't smashed into the ground. They safely continue flying, the wind rushing around them as they weave past tree trunks.

After this dramatic rescue, Micah finally begins to open up to Adisa about his secret life as a superbeing and she discovers another shocking secret. Micah burns for her--literally as well as figuratively.

Adisa's journey to unravel these family mysteries requires a strength and maturity she is forced to grow into as her love for Micah is repeatedly challenged. In the end, she is confronted with the ultimate question. Is she truly a super being, asleep to her powers for so many years?

Asleep (a Young Adult novel) is a superhero teen love story, set in modern day Atlanta, filled with thrills, romance, and suspense.

Sounds intriguing!

And the new winner of Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon is (according to random.org)....

insiya!

Contact me asap with your snail mail address. Congrats :) Thanks again everyone who entered and check out my Gringolandia contest, the book owns!

Male Monday: Gringolandia

Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann 2009

Rating: 4/5

IQ "if you don't care about getting rejected, it means you haven't been putting your heart into writing." Courtney

I'm not a writer, but I think the above quote applies to anything you are passionate about (dance, making movies, acting, being on a sports team, etc.)

One of the things that drew me to this story (besides the fact that I wanted to learn more about Pinochet and Chile) was what life is like after torture. Many fictional books about activists, skip the details of the torture or their characters miraculously escape that fate. Gringolandia offers a very detailed, no-holds barred look not just at what happens to a person after they've been tortured but the effect on family members. Daniel's father (Marcelo) has been imprisoned for six years (arrested in 1980 and released in 1986). Marcelo Aguilar published an underground newspaper that exposed the cruelty of Chile's military government led by Augosto Pinochet. His family moved to Wisconsin shortly after he was imprisoned. In 1986 he is released and now he has to adjust to life after prison and torture, and life in America. Marcelo has become a brooding, bitter, ill-tempered, budding alcoholic. He's partially paralyzed and almost blind in one eye. He has terrible flashbacks. He refuses to learn English because wants to move his whole family back to Chile (his family doesn't understand why he would want to go back to the place that ruined him).

My least favorite character was Courtney, Daniel's white ("gringa) girlfriend. She seemed totally oblivious to the pain that Daniel and his family were going through, only caring about the father. That's partially understandable because the father has been through a lot, but he's also making life for his family very unpleasant. Courtney doesn't think about how her actions will impact others, she just does them, while this can be sweet sometimes, it can also be extremely thoughtless. In the beginning, I found Courtney almost unbearably annoying, but she gets better (she has a story too) although in the end I'm still not a fan of hers.

I didn't love any of the characters, but I liked Daniel the most. Although I honestly think I would have coped with his father being around more like Tina did by avoiding him (Tina was Daniel's sister) than by trying to talk to him. You see Daniel grow as a character, but I don't feel like I really got to know him (his likes, dislikes, etc.).

I'm not a big fan of the cover. It's an image of a bird (a conure I'm guessing, cousin to the parrot) in a pool. The pool was used for el submarino which was a torture technique used in Chile. The technique involved a person being held underwater until they confessed. There may have been a brief mention of this technique in the book, but I barely remember it. The bird doesn't come into the story till the last part and that makes a little more sense. I think if I designed the cover I would have put a newspaper or something else that symbolized the father or other people's fight against the cruel Chile government. As well as a torture symbol that was more actively mentioned in the book. I do love the header, When History Calls Your Name How Will You Answer?

All in all Gringolandia was a good and really interesting read. I just would have liked to gotten to know the characters a little better. High school and up.

Next Giveaway in the September Giveaway Extravaganza

Beth and evelyn n. alfred don't forget to leave me a comment with your email address or email me your snail mail address so I can send you your copies of Silver Phoenix.

The next giveaway is Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann. I just finished this book and it's going to be my Male Monday post later (after I finish my homework).

Daniel’s father used to play soccer, dance the cueca, and drive his kids to school in a beat-up taxi…while publishing an underground newspaper that exposed Chile’s military regime.

After Papá’s arrest in 1980, Daniel’s family fled to Wisconsin. Now Daniel has a new life, playing lead guitar in a rock band and dating Courtney, a minister’s daughter.

When his father is released and rejoins the family, Daniel sees what five years of prison and torture in a brutal police state have done. Papá is partially paralyzed, haunted by nightmares, and bitter about exile in “Gringolandia.” Daniel worries that Courtney’s scheme to start a human rights newspaper could bring back Papá’s past and drive him further into alcohol abuse and self-destruction. Daniel dreams of a real father-son relationship, but he may have to give up everything to save his papá’s life.

This powerful coming-of-age story portrays an immigrant teen’s struggle to reach his tortured father and find his place in the world.

I have 2 copies to giveaway, thanks Lyn!

To enter: Contest ends Sept. 14

You MUST answer the question "If you could work to stop any evil dictator in the world (past or present) who would it be?" Hitler is not an option (in my opinion that someone everyone would want to stop today). List the name and the country. I'll share my answer when I announce the winner.

+2 becoming a follower

+1 if you're already a follower

+3 If you link to this contest on your blog (post the link in the comments section for this contest)

+3 If you refer someone (please tell me who referred you)

+2 Commenting on any of my upcoming reviews (leave a comment on the review telling me you entered the contest).

This contest is open to residents of the U.S. only (I will have some international contests soon, I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't think I had international readers so it never occured to me that I would need to specify who the contest is open to. Thanks Nymeth and Jodie for bringing that to my attention!)

Please leave your email address. If you don't feel comfortable commenting with your email address, then email it to me.

The Winner of Silver Phoenix and New Crayons

Good turn out for my Silver Phoenix giveaway :) I'm now almost at 100 followers and I need to think of a good way to celebrate! So stay tuned for more details on that.

Without further ado the winners (chosen by random.org) of Silver Phoenix are....

1. a flight of minds

2. Beth

3. Evelyn n. Alfred

Congrats to the winners and thank you everyone who entered! Winners, I don't have email addresses for all of you so please email me/leave a comment with your email address. You have 48 hours to respond to this post/my email. If not, I pick another winner.


Now onto my New Crayons post. This week was an absolutely fantastic week of books! New Crayons was thought up by Susan.


From HarperTeen



1. She's So Money by Cherry Cheva







2. Good Enough by Paula Yoo





From Justine Larbalestier (all Australian fiction. I'm so excited to read all of these!) She sent me so many books, but I don't feel like posting images or summaries of all them so just stay tuned for the reviews.

1. Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung

2. Nukkin Ya by Philip Gwynne

3. Deadly Unna by Phillip Gwynne (the sequel to Nukkin Ya and it's been made into a movie called Australian Rules)

4. Galax-ARENA by Gillian Rubinstein

5. The Pearl of Tiger Bay by Gabrielle Wang

6. Growing up Asian in Australia edited by Alice Pung (not YA but I'm still going to read it, I'm not sure if I will review it though.)

And I received more awesome books to read and giveaway! My September Contest Extravaganza may have to go into October :D

Have a great Labor Day weekend and be sure to check back tomorrow for the Male Monday post! Hopefully, I will be posting about the next giveaway later today or tomorrow so stay tuned!
Also, check out my two back to school book recommendations at AuthorsNow! I'm off to go work on more guest posts.