Maw Books » published 2008

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

Natasha Maw — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:48:28 +0000

I really really wanted to do a video review with my two boys reading Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea so you would get an idea of how high energy Bob Shea’s books are. But sadly, I don’t have access to a camera at the moment. I could wait yes, but I just couldn’t. Yesterday I shared with you Dinosaur vs. the Potty and I really want to make sure that you don’t miss its companion picture book Dinosaur vs. Bedtime.

We recently had a dinosaur themed birthday party for my now five-year-old boy. I collected all of my dinosaur books and stood them up all around the room. As kids came in and played many of them found books to read. This one was really popular and so I decided to read it out loud to several of the kids. They were totally into it.

Nothing can stop this dinosaur. He takes on a pile of leaves, a big slide, a bowl of spaghetti, talking grown ups, bath time and toothbrushing and he always wins the battle. But can he beat bedtime?

A fantastic bedtime book. Which admittedly might get your kids more riled up when you want them calming down but this book is just too good to miss. Love this character.

Links of interest: Bob Shea website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction picture book. Approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH September 9, 2008.
Hardcover, 40 pages. ISBN 1423113357
Source: Library
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

The Potty Train by David Hochman and Ruth Kennison, Illustrated by Derek Anderson

Natasha Maw — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:40:44 +0000

I am going to tell you a secret. I have checked out The Potty Train by David Hochman and Ruth Kennison and illustrated by Derek Anderson from the library SO many times that it is really ridiculous that I haven’t bought it yet. I am most ashamed of this because if I have checked out the book no less than half a dozen times (renewing three times for three weeks each – meaning I’ve had the book in my home at least for 54 weeks off and on) then the least I can do is to actually buy this this book thus supporting the authors and illustrator. So by putting this shameful secret on the internet I will remedy the error of my ways and make the book a permanent book in my collection.

We started reading The Potty Train when I was potty training my oldest who has since mastered it some time ago. And sadly, I do have to say that no matter how many times we read The Potty Train much to the enjoyment of my three-year-old we have come to a standstill with the potty training. I’m hoping that you will have better luck than me.

That said, we LOVE The Potty Train! I mean come on, any book that says “Chugga chugga pooo-poooooo!” not only on the cover but also in the story is going to be a huge hit. My boys love trains so this is perfect for them. The illustrations are ADORABLE! And we love how learning how to go potty is just like taking a train ride – sometimes you get off track, you might get wet, sometimes you have to wait at crossings but one day you’ll even be able to ride through the night.

Highly recommended for the potty training toddler in your life. Sadly, I think mine just might enjoy the book more than actual potty training. We’ve already read it twice today. I do wish potty training books would come with a 100% guarantee to actually potty train your child. I can dream right?

Links of interest: David Hochman website, Derek Anderson website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction picture book. Approx ages baby to preschool.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. January 8, 2008
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 1416928332
Copy source: library.
The Potty Train is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

Long Shot (Comeback Kids) by Mike Lupica

Natasha Maw — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:52:38 +0000

Now I’ll easily admit that Long Shot by Mike Lupica is not my usual fare in reading material. But when I was offered it for review, I accepted for a couple of reasons. I have two boys myself who one day are going to grow up and start reading on their own. I was merely curious to find out what the heck the prolific Mike Lupica was about and what type of sports fiction boys are reading right now.

Long Shot summary from Mike Lupica’s website:

Pedro Morales has always been content helping others look great. The epitome of a point guard, he plays the game to set up his teammates—Ned, in particular, the star forward on the receiving end of Pedro’s pinpoint passes. Pedro wants to make his father proud, and so he runs for class president. Yet doing so means going one-on-one against Ned, easily the most popular boy in school. And Pedro learns the hard way that being a good teammate doesn’t mean that others will return the favor. Now Pedro wants to win more than ever—but this time, it’s for himself.

Reading this as a mother and a thirty-something old woman, I could tolerate it. It was okay, but I wasn’t loving it at all. But that’s not a very fair assessment is it? After all, I’m not the target audience here. Mike Lupica’s books are meant for preteen boys who love sports.

I guess they’d like it just fine. But if this is as good as it gets, I hope that something better in regards to sports fiction will come along by the time my boys are reading independently. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, the book wasn’t completely awful but it did feel as though it was hitting me over the head with it’s message.

I guess I was hoping that the book would give us something different than expected. But instead, it’s exactly what you would expect: a story all about teamwork, which in sports fiction, I can only imagine is a recurring theme. A good thing? If that’s what you’re looking for than that’s definitely good. But if you’re hoping for something a little unexpected and different, than nope, not the book for you.

If you have a sports loving preteen boy in your house, and perhaps a reluctant reader at that, than I wouldn’t hesitate to see how they respond to Mike Lupica’s books.

Links of interest: Mike Lupica website.
Genre: Juvenile Sport Fiction, ages 9-12.
Publisher: Philomel. October 2, 2008.
Hardcover, 192 pages. ISBN: 0399247173
Long Shot is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

Scaredy Squirrel at Night by Melanie Watt

Natasha Maw — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 06:08:08 +0000

Well, I think that it’s pretty safe to say that anything Melanie Watt writes is pretty much perfection and gold. Scaredy Squirrel at Night is no exception. I love this picture book! Melanie Watt is incredibly clever and her books are so much fun to read.

Scaredy Squirrel never sleeps, he’d much rather stay awake for days at a time rather than risk having a bad dream in the middle of the night. A few of the things that Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of? Ghosts, unicorns, dragons, fairies, vampire bats, and polka-dot monsters. I mean, come on, isn’t everybody?! But when Scaredy Squirrel can’t avoid the inevitable - pure exhaustion and sleep – he has a plan that should put all his fears to rest. But things may get a little messy.

So many little details in the illustrations that it’s a lot of fun to read this one withbo my kids. But what Melanie Watt book isn’t? If you haven’t discovered her picture books yet, you should!

Links of interest: Melanie Watt website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book, approx age 4-8.
Publisher: Kids Can Press. February 10, 2009.
Source: Review copy for Cybil’s for which I was a panelist.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 1554532884
Scaredy Squirrel at Night is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle, Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf

Natasha Maw — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 06:01:10 +0000

Here’s a hint for you. Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle and llustrated by Anne Wilsdorf is the perfect book to read to children, when as a parent, you want them to side with you in your quest to convince the other parent that you’d like to own a dog. They will begin to get dogs on the brain and relentlessly ask the apprehensive parent if they can get a dog. When said parent turns to you for back-up, you shrug your shoulders and say, “I want a dog as much as the kids do.” But whatever you do, do not let your other half actually read this book. Because it will further confirm to them, that indeed they do not want to own a dog. Particularly if they sleep on the bed.

In Dogs on the Bed, a family tries to get a good nights sleep but their six dogs make the whole attempt a circus act. When they are banished from the bed, they pout and sigh and make their way back on. Despite a very rough night, it’s decided that their portable heat just can’t be beat.

My boys enjoyed this rambunctious, lively book and immediately started talking about getting a dog for ourselves. My evil plan to convince husband that we want a dog is working!

Reading aloud, I did find some of the text to be a bit awkward to get around.

We’re folks on the floor
With legroom galore
But chilled to the core
Are folks, we folks.

I found that last line odd.

These dogs on the bed
Bring clogs on the bed
Chew slippers instead
Of Bones – these dogs.

This stanza was also odd to read-a-loud as the third line runs into the last line when I want to naturally pause at the word instead but then realize that there should be no pause. The previous stanza does this was well, but most of the other lines in the book don’t do this. So there was a bit of awkwardness with trying to figure out the flow of the text.

A fun book. And if you soon find us a dog-owning family, you will know that my subliminal messaging with the kids to gang up together on my husband is working.

Links of interest: Elizabeth Bluemle website.
Genre: Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Candlewick. October 14, 2008
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 0763626082
Source: Review copy
Dogs on the Bed is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

Natasha Maw — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:14:45 +0000

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis is the story of two girls. Emma-Jean who is the smartest but also the strangest girl in seventh grade. She has no friends but she doesn’t care. She’d rather observe her classmates from afar rather than involve herself in their emotional, illogical behavior. Colleen is the opposite. She has many friends, cares a great deal what other people think, and is possibly the nicest person ever. Nice to a fault in that she’s always worrying about how others feel.

The story is told in alternating viewpoints between the two and their lives collide when Emma-Jean walks into the girls’ bathroom where Colleen is sobbing. Although, Emma-Jean knows everything about everybody because she observes them so much, she normally wouldn’t involve herself in anybody else’s problem. But when Colleen asks for her help, Emma-Jean realizes that if she approaches Colleen’s problem logically, then she could easily solve it. Thus begins a domino effect, as Emma-Jean not only tries to solve Colleen’s problems but others as well.

Emma-Jean looks at the world in such a way that brings unpredictability to the story. Emma-Jean and Collen both have such strong and different voices. A fun book to read and I can’t wait to read the follow-up Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love. These are characters worth following.

What I found really interesting is not once is Emma-Jean labeled as being autistic. As an adult, it’s something that I identified and thus understand why Emma-Jean acted as she did. For a younger reader, they will certainly pick up on Emma-Jean’s supposed quirks. But will they transfer that recognition and empathy to their autistic classmates, friends, family and neighbors? Especially, as it could likely be the first experience that they have with such an individual. Another thing, that I found interesting was that the autistic lead character is female! Autism has a much higher rate of diagnosis in boys than girls. This is the first book I’ve read about autism where the main character isn’t male.

NOW. The tricky part. I wrote the above portion of the book review and pretty much called it done and didn’t go back to re-edit my thoughts. But I realized now that there is another talking point to this book. I came across this book somewhere on a list of books about autism (and of course, I can’t find the original list), which is why I wanted to read it, as April is National Autism Awareness Month.

But looking through other blogger reviews (and although a fair number, I’m sure were a select few of the entire whole), autism wasn’t a topic of discussion. They all used words such as, and I quote: “quirky, odd, distanced, highly logical, incredibly smart, not socially accepted, abnormal, different, not typical, socially inept, intellectually gifted, strange, master of observation, doesn’t always understand why people act the way they do, unique, rational, prefers to observe, the weird outsider, misjudges, does not comprehend social behaviors.”

I did come across Seven Impossible Things for Breakfast’s fantastic (and much better) review of the book and finally found autism named. But Jules says “I guess there are arguments goin’ around for her being autistic, but I don’t buy that.” SO where does that leave me? Well, of course, now I’m second guessing myself here.

Why did I think this character was on the Autism spectrum when everybody else didn’t identify her as such? The author certainly never gave Emma-Jean any type of diagnosis. Of the few interviews, I found nothing was mentioned. Nothing in black-and-white.

Have you read this book? What do you think? I really want to get others thoughts on this. Have you ever interpreted a character as one thing and they’re really not that way? Am I right or am I wrong? Does it even matter?! Is it left up to interpretation? Why do you think the author never gave Emma-Jean a diagnosis? Is she on the autism spectrum or no?

Links of interest: Lauren Tarshis website, more book blogger reviews. Did you know April is National Autism Awareness Month? Check out all my book reviews that address autism.
Genre: Middle grade fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Puffin. May 15, 2008.
Paperback, 208 pages. ISBN 0142411507
Source copy: Library
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Natasha Maw — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:01:59 +0000

42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer is aptly named, for it is just 42 miles between the two different life’s that JoEllen lives. 42 miles between the doorstep of her Mother’s downtown city apartment and her father’s farm. When she’s in the city she goes by Ellen and loves to hang out with her friends. On the weekends, she’s Joey who hangs out with her cousin and rides horses. JoEllen doesn’t want to be Ellen or Joey anymore. She just wants to be JoEllen. She no longer wants to be split between two different worlds. Why can’t they merge? She wants nothing more than for her thirteenth birthday to have all of her family and friends together.

42 Miles is a free-verse novel. What I love about free-verse novels is that they cut out all the unnecessary and rather get right to the heart of the matter.

In math class today
Mr. Howard showed us how
the line of symmetry
can divide a shape
precisely in half:
a hexagon
a butterfly
a sunflower’s face,
the same on each side.

The formula for my life:
school days in the city with Mom
weekends on the farm with Dad
holidays, birthdays, summer vacation –
all negotiated.

They try to split me
like an apple’s pale heart
on either side of the blade,
pretending
my life is like
Mr. Howard’s hexagon,
equal parts
no matter
how many times they cut it.

Well worth the few minutes that it took to read. In it’s short 73 pages, JoEllen came alive and I wanted to see her happy, no longer two separate halves but rather a whole. Would make for a great read for tweens who may be adjusting to changes in their family through separation or divorce.

Links of interest: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction, Free Verse. Approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Clarion Books. March 18, 2008
Hardcover, 80 pages. ISBN 0618618678
Source copy: Library
42 Miles is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Natasha Maw — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:15:20 +0000

After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson is a beautiful book. Woodson continues to not disappoint me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but I’m a Woodson fan girl.

At the heart of this story is the bond of three twelve-year-old girls. Our unnamed narrator and Neeka are forever changed when D enters their Queens neighborhood and quickly becomes their inseparable third. But while Neeka and our narrator have grown up with each other and know everything about each other, D has a shroud of mystery about her. And in addition to D literally walking into Neeka’s and the narrators life, Neeka’s older brother Tash is in jail for being in he wrong place at the wrong time and her mother is learning to accept that he was gay.

While the girls define their own growing identities and friendships, they latch onto the life and lyrics of hip hop artist Tupac. Tupac’s music gives the girls something to relate too. To be able to take their life experiences and hear them expressed right back to them. Music can speak volumes about the world.

It was hard to read anything about Tupac dying and not think about D. Seems D was right – you listen to Tupac’s songs and you know he’s singing about people like D, about all the kids whose mamas went away, about all the injustice. Brenda throwing away her baby, the cops beating some brother down, the hungry kids, sad skids, kids who got big dreams nobody’s listening to. Like over all that tie and distance he looked right across the bridge into Queens, New York – right into Desiree’s eyes. Strange how he saw her.

He saw her.

There was one thing that had me really surprised and that was the community, the girls and the mother all dismissed Tupac’s unethical actions as unimportant. He was a fantastic role model. Now I have no idea if he was a role model or not. I will thoroughly admit that reading After Tupac and D Foster is my first introduction to Tupac. I know nothing of him, in fact, had never heard of him. So I only know what has been shared in the plot narrative of the book.

But when Tupac is thrown in jail and then later killed, the mother never discussed with her daughter why he was in jail. She dismissed it all to the “system.” Not once did anybody ever question his actions. Was he a victim of the system, not at fault? It felt obvious from reading the book that he wasn’t golden but he was truly golden in the eyes of these girls. What happens when our role models, although they may speak volumes to us in their words, aren’t the best people and are not the role models we should be following? I would have liked to see a bit of exploration in that area.

I found this to be a a parallel to Neeka’s brother, Tash, who was a victim to the system. He was a fantastic role model for these girls. He was trying to find his way in an unjust world and that unjust world put him in jail. Did the girls never question Tupac’s actions simply because their only experience with the system had taught them that good people go to jail? If you’ve read the book, I’d love your insight on this line of thought.

What was outstanding about this novel is the relationship between the three friends. Loved it. The narrators voice was perfect. So true and believable. All these characters were real, breathing people to me. And I love it when that happens. Jacqueline Woodson continues to be at the top of her game and Tupac and D Foster is one in her bibliography that you shouldn’t miss.

Links of interest: Maw Books reviews of Hush, I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This, Show Way, Feathers, If You Come Softly, Behind You, Peace Locomotion, Locomotion, and Miracle’s Boys. My experience meeting Woodson at LA Times Festival of Books. More book blogger reviews.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Putnam Young Adult. January 10, 2008
Hardcover, 160 pages. ISBN 0399246541
Source copy: library
After Tupac & D Foster is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

We Are the Ship, The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Natasha Maw — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:09:50 +0000

Please forgive my rambling for a bit. Let me start off by saying that I know NOTHING about baseball. My only experience with the sport is when I lived in Chicago I went to a Sox game once and when I was in my early twenties I was playing a game of softball (not baseball I know – but close enough for this story) with friends and got hit in the face with a hard line drive. I broke my cheekbone in multiple places really bad and had to have reconstructive surgery. I’ve got a metal plate in there and everything. In fact, I still have nerve damage to the top of my left lip which often reminds me of the injury. For weeks, you could see the stitching from the ball imprinted in my skin – that is if you could see past my swollen face and blood shot eye.

So while I was reading We Are the Ship, The Story of the Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson and it kept talking about how fast these guys could pitch and hit – I kept wanting to wince. It’s no fun to get hit. I have to admire these athletes for even getting out on that field. Me? I am now officially scared of any ball which may potentially break all the bones in my face.

But as I was saying, I don’t follow baseball nor do I know its history or its present. So reading We Are the Ship was literally my first history lesson of any sort of the sport. So Natasha, you may ask, why read about baseball if you’re not that interested in it? Let me tell you. Kadir Nelson can illustrate the back of a cereal box and I would be all over it. His artwork is simply brilliant and I’ll read anything that has his name attached to it. Plus, teasing my husband is kind of fun too. If I mention Nelson’s name, my husband always says, “Oh yeah, that guy that you think is really good looking.” I know I’m not alone in this sentiment. Kadir Nelson is one good looking guy. He’s also incredibly soft-spoken and gracious which makes him even more appealing.

Plus, he can paint. Wow, can he paint. The talent just oozes from him. I am always blown away with his books and We Are the Ship was no exception.

This is a book that I was in awe of. Turning each page to discover the next illustration was a treat in and of itself. Kadir Nelson presents the portraits of Rube Foster, John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, Jackie Robinson, Oscar Charleston, Willie Foster, Andy Cooper, Wilber “Bullet” Rogan, Josh Gibson, William Julius “Judy” Johnson, Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, Leroy “Satchel” Paige, Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, Willard Brown, Hilton Smith, Buck Leonard, James “Cool Papa” Bell and many more. These are strong illustrations and one doesn’t doubt the strength or determination of these players.

In nine chapters, or better called, nine innings, our narrator who seems to have his eyes on every aspect of the sport and in what feels like a reminiscing by the fireplace takes the reader through the beginnings of the Negro Baseball League to its eventual desegregation with the crossover of Jackie Robinson to the minor leagues.

Let me tell you. Reading about the history of baseball? Fascinating! These men were simply amazing and one can only leave the book with a new-found appreciation for these men who did so much for the history of baseball and paved the way for many athletes who would come after them.

I loved how the story was narrated and wanted to share Kadir Nelson’s thoughts on this in the author’s note:

I have attempted in earnest to present these men (and one woman) in all their dignity, pride and spiritual strength. They are my heroes.

[. . . ] Where these was no way, they made a way. I admire this independent spirit.

In keeping with this spirit, I chose to present the voice of the narrator as a collective voice, the voice of every player, the voice of we. Under the leadership of Rube Foster, who declared the leagues’ independence from major league baseball by saying, “We are the ship; all else the sea,” the owners and players formed and sustained a successful league, demonstrating the power of the collective. And after reading interviews and listening to former players speak about their lives in baseball, it became clear that hearing the story of Negro League baseball directly from those who experienced it firsthand made it more real, more accessible. I hope that the way I have chosen to present the story has the same effect.

He later says,

I hope that I have done justice to these somewhat forgotten men and given them the tribute that they deserve. I have tried to honor them, to portray them as the heroes they were, and to further solidify their place in history. I hope that the reader will agree.

Yes, I completely agree. This is not just a picture book. It’s so much more than that. It’s special and if you have been fortunate to read this book as well, then you know what I’m talking about.

Links of interest: Kadir Nelson website, more book blogger reviews. Also illustrated by Kadir Nelson and reviewed by Maw Books: Moses, When Harriett Tubman Led Her People to Freedom and Henry’s Freedom Box, A True Story from the Underground Railroad.
We Are the Ship is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month. Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.
Genre: Non-fiction Picture Book, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Hyperion Books. January 8, 2008.
Hardcover, 96 pages. ISBN 0786808322
Source Copy: Own
We Are the Ship is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

Natasha Maw — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:59:59 +0000

Despite the fact that I have at least 20 books that will be overlapped into 2010 reviews, it just doesn’t make sense to review a Christmas book in January, so I wanted to squeeze one last 2009 review in. I read The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck for my book club. I liked it, I didn’t like it.

Twelve year-old Eddie only wants a bike for Christmas. He makes sure that his widowed mother knows it whenever she’s in earshot. He’s been working hard all year and knows that he deserves this bike. But his mother breaks his heart when instead of his shiny new read bike on Christmas morning, he receives an ugly, hand-knitted sweater. He is devastated and hurts his mom deeply when he crumples the sweater and throws it in the corner.

That day when returning from a Christmas dinner at his grandparents house and not yet reconciling, his mother falls asleep at the wheel. While he is unhurt, she dies. Now living with his grandparents and mad at the world, he further distances himself from the grandfather that he always adored. His journey through grief, healing, forgiveness, faith and redemption is just beginning and it will take a literal and figurative storm to bring him back from his wayward path.

What I liked: the overall idea of the story. I liked what Beck was trying to do. I like Christmas stories. I liked the message. It was heartwarming. I liked the characters. I LOVED the grandfather.

What I didn’t like: That is was SO obvious that you knew what he was trying to do. It’s like he is trying WAY too hard to tug at your heart strings. Just when he can’t plunge the knife into your heart any deeper, he twists it. I liked it until the storm came and then it was no longer a story but rather a hit-you-over-the-head with this message disguised as a story. And I even LIKED the message!! There was nothing wrong with the philosophy. I knew that this would be a message book going into it. But I just felt that less subtle would have been better. And the ending! I did not like the ending at all. *SPOILER ALERT* The whole thing is a dream! He wakes up and his mom is alive!! He’s given a second chance at making the right choices and being happy with his sweater, instead of mad. It was a real cope out ending. Surely, there could have been a better way to end it.

So, I would recommend this one based solely on who you are (well . . . isn’t that the case with all books – but I know some of you would like it, others I wouldn’t recommend it at all) . Some will love it, others might hate it. With the exception of another book clubber, everybody really liked it. So it might be worth trying to see where you fall. And while I liked much of it, personally, I felt that it was a book that was trying too hard and it showed.

The Christmas Sweater book trailer:

Links of interest: Glenn Beck website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction, Holiday
Publisher: Threshold Editions. November 11, 2008
Hardcover, 284 pages. ISBN 141659485X
The Christmas Sweater is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

__________________________________________________