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January 27th, 2010
 Rating:  
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: May 2009
Pages: 309 pgs.
Source: publicist
Buy from (affil. links): Amazon, Powell’s, Indie Bound
Imagine that an MTV-like station wants to film a reality documentary in your high school. Would you prefer you be a star or just a face in the crowd? Jesse O’Rourke would love to fade into the background, but a $40,000 check for college tuition is hard to turn down. Now she finds herself living a life that is not her own; pretending to be rich and being best friends with girls she barely likes. The only bright spot is that her crush, Drew, has been chosen to be one of the cast members as well. This may finally be her chance to make him part of her life. However, the manipulations and scheming of the production team threaten to ruin that and much more. Will Jesse be able to regain control of her life or will it all go down in flames?
The Short of It: I have a confession, this book completely and utterly surprised me. I honestly didn’t think I would like it, but decided to give it a try for reader’s advisory sake. Don’t let the Gossip Girl-ish cover/description throw you off as it did me. This book is full of intelligent and realistic characters that are sure to win your heart.
Plot: I dare you to look at reality shows the same way after reading The Real Real. While I’ve never personally been in a reality show, the manipulation and “scripting” seems quite accurate. I love how Mclaughlin & Kraus show how an average, every day girl’s life can be turned upside down as she becomes a star in front of millions. How the life that the viewers see is nothing like the life she used to lead. How perfect dates could be cheeseburgers backstage while waiting to shoot the perfect-TV date. It makes you realize that the reality shows that most of us can get addicted to are nothing compared to the true reality we live everyday. No matter how many times you redo a scene it’ll never be as good as the real thing.
Characters: I simply adored Jesse. She really was your average, every day teen. Yes, she made mistakes. She let money get her into situations she never wanted to be in the first place. (But can you blame the girl? College money is hard to come by for most!) Yes, she even did some things she wouldn’t have never done without the help of alcohol and emotional distress. However, I feel like at the very core she never lost who she truly was. She dealt with the consequences to her actions the best she could, especially with millions now tracking your every move. I cheered as Jesse stood up for herself, but not sure I agree with the deal she struck. I only hope she learned her lesson from the first time around.
I also want to make a quick comment on the secondary characters. Mclaughlin & Kraus could have easily let the popular crowd be superficial, rich kids and let Jesse have all the spotlight. However, I’m very glad they didn’t. It was nice to have Jesse realize that these people who she thought had fairy-tale lives had problems of their own. From school & home pressure to parents who are hardly ever there/don’t care, the teens were painted in a way that anyone could relate to. There were even times where I felt amazed by their strength or pitied the situation they were in. Kudos to Mclaughlin & Kraus for going that extra step, making all the teens believable and relatable.
Romance: There is no easy romance for Jesse and Drew. Instead it is full of roadblocks, bumps, and lots of wrong turns. It would be easy to say the problems they faced were all due to the production team, but really a lot of it was due to them being human (especially teenage ones). However, when they work they really do work well. I found myself cheering them on and booing when something screwed up their blooming relationship. I would love to see where their relationship would lead. (sequel maybe?)
Writing: I can’t say that I had any real complaints here. And if I did, they were small enough that I’ve already forgotten them. Mclaughlin & Kraus do a good job at keeping the reader entertained and wanting to read more. I really liked how they decided the book into four sections: The Real, The Reels, The Real Reel, & The Real Real. It was a nice way to divide up Jesse’s life by what was happening.
Librarian-Mode: This is an easy one to throw into the chick-lit recommendations. Intelligent, sassy characters with lots of drama will reel in a variety of readers. The Real Real will easily appeal to those who like authors such as Dessen and Elkeles, but also has enough juiciness to pull in those who love Gossip Girls and The Clique as well.
And guess what, I was given an extra copy to give to one of you!
So here are the rules, fill out the Contest Form to be entered by Feb. 11th @ 11:59pm and must be in the US (International if you have someone to ship in US that’s fine,too).
You can earn extra entries for the following:
+1 for being/becoming a follower
+1 for blogging/putting on blog
+1 for posting on social network (Twitter – make sure to include @awaitinserenity, Goodread, etc)
Good Luck and don’t forget to fill out the Contest Form…no comment entries will be counted!
January 26th, 2010
So, ALA Midwinter was in Boston last week. After my experience in Chicago, I was completely hooked and was a little sad that I couldn’t swing it. However, after arming my boss with a good wish list I was okay just knowing that good books would still make their way back to me! And after all, I’ll be going to the next 2 years worth of Midwinters & Annuals thanks to my new committee position. Of course (as most of you know by now) plans got changed…a lot. My boss unfortunately was unable to go and offered me a chance to go in her place. (Have I mentioned I have the BEST boss?) And while it was less than 24 hours before I had to leave, well, this was not something I could not say no to! After a little scrambling to do last minute packing and securing a ride to the airport (<3 you Jess!) I was ready to head off to Boston!
Friday morning saw me up at 5am in order to get ready and get to Midway in time for my 9:30am flight. (Again much, much love to Jess!) Bags checked, planed boarded, and soon I was in Boston, MA! Right away, I knew my day would be a full one. I barely had time to eat lunch, check into the hotel, and get my badge before running off to a meeting with EgmontUSA. This had to be my absolutely favorite part of the conference. I got the chance to sit one-on-one with people from EgmontUSA. As some of you may know, I love EgmontUSA and already try to do my best to keep up with what they’re doing. I think I surprised them by how much I did know, especially when I was like “Already know that one!” and would ramble on about it. Yes, there was indeed lots and lots of rambling mainly thanks to favorites like The Cinderella Society. After a while, they started to joke that I should stand at their booth and “sell” the book to others! (And, really, any time ladies!) In the end, I left with several fantastic ARCS that I can’t wait to read, such as False Princess, Things I Knew About Love, Raised by Wolves, and The Rise of Renegade X.
After the meeting, I had just enough time to swing by the early opening of the exhibits and managed to score my top-wants including Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Radiant Shadows, Perchance to Dream, and Guardian of the Gate. To say I walked away a very happy girl was an understatement! But there was no time to rest because I had to hurry back to hotel for a dinner at Sel de la Terre. Oh my god, can I just rant about the food for a bit! It was absolutely fantastic! I had sweet potato soup, Roasted Chicken, and ended it with a chocolate cake, marshmallow, and ice cream dessert. I was a bit out of my realm here, but it was fun to connect with other librarians and even a new twitter friend! We got back to the room quite late and I was more than ready for bed!
Saturday morning offered no chance for sleep! I was up and out of the hotel in time to catch the shuttle to make a 7:15am breakfast with HaperCollins. Can I just say ARC-Heaven?! This breakfast was for their juv/ya fiction and they had almost every upcoming title out to take. But, you should be proud of me, I practiced restraint and choose carefully which books I wanted. (Ok, this doesn’t mean that I didn’t still get a bagful, but it’s for the teens, right?!) Breakfast was very nice and I got to talk to several HaperCollins reps and fellow librarians. It was a very pleasurable experience and one I hope to get a chance to go to again!
After breakfast, I ran back to the hotel, dumped my books, and then headed back to the exhibits. I was lucky enough to met up with Gail and walk around with her a bit. I would tell you some of the cool titles I got, but my exhibit time is starting to all run together and I can’t remember what I got when. (When my box arrives I’ll make a master list of all I got) I do remember leading Gail around and making sure she got the books she really wanted. We must have spent a good 3-4 hours walking around with a lunch break thrown in, too. As we walked, we bumped into both Laura and Mitali. At this point, a migraine and exhaustion got the best of me and I headed back to hotel for a while.
After a little nap, I was feeling a bit better and decided to try the Tweet-Up. Oh my, can I just say I felt so overwhelmed at this? There were at least 100 people in a small space and it was utter chaos in my eyes. My shy nature took over and I was very ready to run away. I managed to last an hour before I slipped away. My next adventure was go to another dinner, but by the time I got back to the hotel I was feeling sick and decided to stay in for the night. I enjoyed a little twitter talk before collapsing for night.
Sunday was definitely my busiest day. I was up and out very early again for another HarperCollins breakfast. This time it was for picture books. This is one of those events my boss hinted that she wanted me to go to, so I made sure it happened. Again more talk with fellow librarians and reps and a few picture book galleys to take back to the office/co-workers. Then it was off to the exhibits, but I didn’t spend a whole lot of time in the book section. Instead I wandered over to the other side and hit up the more research/services area. I got to see a demo of an online-based summer reading, which I’m crossing my fingers that we may eventually end up on! (Or at least something similar!) After that, I raced off to Random House’s Spring/Summer preview. It was fun to hear them talk about the different titles coming out. Several I had never heard of and really am kind of excited about like Party and Folly.
I got a little break for lunch before heading over to the BBYA Teen Session. I managed to catch one of the committee meeting last time and was excited to see what the teens had to say. I ran into Mitali and sat with her during the session. I was kind of surprised by what the teens did and didn’t get up to talk about. Some of the books they were excited about flew under my radar, while I was sad to seem some of my favorites passed over. I think my favorite quote come from one of the teens as she said “do all authors think that teens are depressed? If we are, it’s because we read books like this!” She got quite a bit of applause and it was a good reminder to all that just because teens have issues, doesn’t mean they want to read about them! Don’t forget that authors! In other words, please, please keep the fun, less-angsty books coming!
It was back to the hotel to get ready for another dinner at Restaurant Stella. Mm, a girl could really get used to this stuff! The food here was my favorite of the whole conference. They had these rice balls with Parmesan cheese that were to die for! Ok, maybe I was a little out of my element again, but who can complain about good food and fun company? Not to mention, I ran into one of my old co-workers/friends and got to catch up with her a bit. I think seeing her was one of the best surprises of the trip!
Monday still did not allow for any sleeping in. I mean, I had to be up to “hear” the Youth Media Awards announced. I wish I could have been there in person, but the shuttle schedule didn’t allow me to get over there in time, so I settled for the webcast/live chatroom.There were a couple of surprises, especially for the Printz. I haven’t read ANY of the Printz winners, so I’m withholding my comments right now. However, I don’t know that the winners have high teen appeal, but at this point I’m not sure that most of the Printz winners really do. At any rate, it was nice to experience the announcements with some of my other twitter friends.
After that, it was back onto the shuttle to mail a box of books home (48 lbs!) and walk away thankful that no one stabbed me because I had the tape/labels/any other shipping supplies. I have learned that going to ship books on the last day right when they open is a bad, bad idea! Never, ever again! My ALA experience ended with another short walk around the exhibits to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Plus, since it was the last day, display books were dirt cheap! I walked away with Naughty List and Match Made in High School for $4.00! Got to love that!
And that my dear readers, it all I have to tell. I’m sure I’ve missed some things, but that is all the major highlights. To say I had fun is an understatement. To say I left exhausted is an even BIGGER understatment! But all in all, it was a great experience. I can’t wait for Annual in D.C., which promises to be an even bigger deal. After all, putting Katie, Sarah, and myself in the same hotel = party time. Only 5 more months!!!! I swear it needs to get here faster!
January 25th, 2010
 So, the below interview questions were supposed to be part of the Calamity Jack tour but with the holidays and book release, I unfortunately didn’t get them in time. However, I hate to think that they wasted their time, so I’m going to post them anyways. (Plus the answers are a lot of fun!) Enjoy!
First, I have to start by saying that normally I’m not a fan of graphic novels, but I love this series. Where did the inspiration/idea come from?
SH: Thanks, Bookblather! What a gorgeous compliment. I wanted to collaborate with my awesome husband, who is brilliant but tragically apathetic. We combined our first loves: comic books + fairy tales, and this is where it took us.
DH: My first love is actually apathy, but combining that with anything doesn’t really make a good story. So we went with my second love.
Out of all the fairy tale characters out there, why did you pick Jack and Rapunzel as your hero/heroine?
SH: Rapunzel irritated me. I wanted her out of that stupid tower and in the world doing cool things. Jack just is cool. The rogue is an intriguing character.
DH: It was totally Shannon. I wanted to do the woodsman from Little Red Riding, but wolf-dismemberment didn’t quite seem all-ages appropriate.
What inspired you to choose the Old West setting?
SH: Westerns rock! But really it was all about the hair. We wanted Rapunzel to use those braids as weapons, and the Old West was the setting that made sense.
DH: We also briefly toyed with an “Indiana Jones” type of setting, given the hair as bullwhip, but it just felt too derivative. And less interesting.
Do you have a favorite character in the series?
SH: Rapunzel of course! She’s awesome! But I love Freddie too. And Jack. And Brute. And all the creatures, especially in Calamity Jack, which I won’t name for fear of spoilers.
DH: Apart from the mains, the bandersnatch is my favorite in Calamity Jack. And probably Witchy Jasper from Rapunzel.
SH: The bandersnatch is creepy. Eyes as toothy maws is creepy. So you know it was Dean.
Will we be seeing more of Jack and Rapunzel in the future?
SH: I hope so! I don’t want this to sound like a cheap plug for the book, but the honest truth is, the better the books sell, the more likely we can do more. Nathan Hale feeds a family of 12 (or is it 4?) on this meager income. Save the Nathan Hale children!
DH: I’ve suggested Nate sell his children’s organs for the disposable income, but after some research, he decided against it. Turns out organ farms are way more complicated to organize than I thought.
How is the process of writing a graphic novel different?
SH: We have to be so brief! I’m used to the luxury of 300 pages. And werely so much on the illustrations. I’m not as in control of the story, which is scary and wonderful.
I know Rapunzel’s Revenge was the first GN for all. Was there anything that changed while writing/drawing Calamity Jack?
SH: Ironically, CJ was TONS harder to write than RR. You’d think we would have learned the process and had a smooth sailing, but CJ really kicked our collective buttocks.
DH: The actual format of the Calamity Jack script was a little different than the Rapunzel one – we already knew, sort of, how Nate worked, so we were more loose with panel descriptions, unless they had specific plot impact. There were a couple of scenes we knew he’d love to have some fun with, so we just said, “Fight scene. Have fun. Let us know if you want it written out.” He didn’t.
Thank you very much to Shannon and Dean Hale for taking the time to answer my questions!
January 21st, 2010
Ok, so I’ve been basically MIA the past week, BUT there is a reason! There were last minute changes at work last Thursday, which resulted in me going to BOSTON for ALA Midwinter. And man, what a blast I had! I still getting back on my feet, but with jet-lag, exhaustion, and work, it may not be until this weekend. I do plan to do a ALA-recap, which I’m hoping to maybe get up tonight *fingers crossed*
While I’m doing this I thought I’d mention some of the changes I’m planning on BookBlather.
1) I’m going to change TBR Thursdays to a bi-weekly or monthly event. My hope is to have the books read and reviewed in the month that they’re mentioned! I’ll try to have something up tonight, but I may wait until next week to bring this feature back.
2) GN Inspection. Every month I want to look at a different GN to review. I’m hoping this will get me looking at GNs a lot more and help my recommendations to teens!
3) YA-Adult Crossover. Once a month, I want to look at adult novels that have high appeal to teens. I have one set, hopefully, for the end of this month. I just need to finish the sequel and I’ll be all set!
4) New layout. I am steady working on this. I’m hoping by March I’ll be able to have it up! *fingers crossed* I’m doing it all myself, so we’ll see if that’s truly doable or not!
Ok, so I think that’s all the news I have! I do have some interview questions for Shannon and Dean Hale that I got while I was gone. They were supposed to be for the Calamity Jack tour (which is now done), but they’re too good NOT to post, so those should be up shortly as well!
January 11th, 2010
Rating:
Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: Jan. 2010
Pages: 144 pgs.
Source: KidzBookBlog
Buy from (affil. links): Amazon, Powell’s, Indie Bound
Welcome back to the Old Wild West with a twist of fairy tale magic. Calamity Jack picks up where the Hales left us after Rapunzel’s Revenge, but this time the story belongs to Jack. After running away after the whole beanstalk incident, Jack’s decided to return home with Rapunzel (and her trusty braids). Hoping to right previous mistakes, he never imagined he’d come back to find his beloved city taken over by evil giants. Unable to run anymore, Jack must find a way to out-smart the giants and return the city to the people who live there. With a little help from Rapunzel, a pixie, and guy with odd inventions, he may just be able to turn himself from a criminal mastermind to a beloved hero.
The Short of It: Two big thumbs up. Calamity Jack is easily added onto my list of favorite graphic novels. I’m thrilled to be able to continue to rave about the greatness of this series.
Story: I was so excited to get the opportunity to be on this tour, but I was a little afraid it wouldn’t live up to Rapunzel’s Revenge greatness. I realize now how foolish it was to doubt and can say safely that it was good as I hoped for. The Hales successful deliver another unique story that’s full of fun and adventure. I adore how they can take a beloved fairy tale/story and twist it into something new. While I felt like this was the Jack I had known and loved, the Hales managed to breath new life into the character. I don’t know if I ever felt Jack so fleshed out before. And really, the only thing I have left to say is I certainly hope this is not the last we see of Jack and Rapunzel. I’m quite anxious to see what other adventures their future may hold.
Illustrations: Again Nathan Hale manages to bring this world alive with beautiful pictures. Admittedly, it’s been about a year since I’ve read Rapunzel’s Revenge, but I don’t remember the level of detail that was included in Calamity Jack. I’ve found myself going back through several times just to look at the illustrations. (And I suppose I should mention that I’m the type who usually ignores illustrations because I struggle with paying attention to both). I simply cannot wait for the finished copy to come into the library so I can look through it again with full-color(the arc only had B&W illustrations). I have a feeling that the color is going to take the illustrations to a whole new level and I’m excited to see if my intuition is right.
Librarian Mode: Rapunzel’s Revenge/Calamity Jack is great for those first time, non-graphic novel loving readers. The story is easy to follow, but exciting enough to keep one entertained, especially with the full-color illustrations. I think Calamity Jack may gear a little more towards boys, who will love all the action/fighting. Girls may be a harder sell, especially if they don’t like graphic novels, but if they give it a try they may just like it.
To check out the rest of the tour, see the links below:
My Own Little Corner of the World
Book Blather
GreenBeanTeenQueen
Book Crumbs
Abby (the) Librarian
Dolce Bellezza
Homeschoolbuzz.com
The Book Cellar
Carrie’s YA Bookshelf
Bookshelf Monstrosity
Everyday Reading
Frenetic Reader
KidzBookBuzz.com
Sally Apokedak
Reading is my Superpower
firesidemusings.blogspot.com
Through the Looking Glass Book Review
Booking Mama
Cafe of Dreams
Becky’s Book Reviews
The Hungry Readers
The Friendly Book Nook
Maw Books
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