The Museum of Us by Tara Wilson Redd

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

First and foremost, Happy Fourth of July to all my fellow stateside friends/readers.  Here's to you and yours, and I hope your day is spend in merriment with friends, family, and in memory of all those that helped us get as far as we have today.  Now then, on to the books...

Today, we're joining Random House Children's Books for a stop along their current tour starring a NEW RELEASE title via Wendy Lamb Books.  It's the first novel from this talented writer and while it fits snugly in the Young Adult genre, I've got a feeling it will connect with readers much beyond that target audience.  So, if you're ready to discover your next potential must read, here...we...go!  Today's book of choice is...

The Musuem of Us

by

Tara Wilson Redd

9781524766870

Wendy Lamb Books

About the book...

Secrets are con artists: they trick you into letting them out. 

Sadie loves her rocker boyfriend Henry and her running partner and best friend Lucie, but no one can measure up to her truest love and hero, the dazzling and passionate George. George, her secret. 

When something goes wrong and Sadie is taken to the hospital calling out for George, her hidden life may be exposed. Now she must confront the truth of the past, and protect a world she is terrified to lose.

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This is a story that hides its depth within the simple pleasures often found between the pages.  It's a tale of how one tragedy, one accident acted as the Zero Point for the shattering of a heart and mind into so many pieces as to be unrecognizable by the "owner" until things began to slip too far...almost out of reach.  It's a story that many readers AND writers will find themselves in, to some degree, allowing that deeper connection to be made, a necessary "evil" for the challenges our leading lady must face to become her own hero, face her own destiny, and reclaim her life.  It'll haunt and amuse, try and confuse, perplex and leave you to ponder, but ultimately, its true colors come shining through, leaving behind much more than we at first thought was possible with truths unable to be denied...and yet filled with a beauty all their own. 

After the crazy work week(s) I've had and the severe lack of free time cutting into my extracurriculars, I think I actually feel closer to Sadie than I would otherwise.  Seriously, in my half lucid state at the moment created by having to adult, it seems easier to make those connections.  I mean, fact...I'm an avid reader.  Fact...I love to escape into other worlds because let's face it, the majority of the real one...sucks.  Also fact...I know the difference between reality and fiction....I've never had an imaginary friend, nor have any "book boyfriends" ever taken their best qualities combined and tried to make any leap from the 2D to the here-and-now...and while life can certainly be traumatic to every one in its own way, I've never been one drawn to things that would harm others or myself.  A vivid imagination is a powerful thing and can get us through a lot of difficult times, but knowing where fantasy ends and reality begins, understanding that pretending is fun but should not be an alternative to living, needs to be a solid stone in its foundation...as is the knowledge that WE ARE NEVER TRULY ALONE.  There are always those out there willing to help "seek and find" our true selves and while the road may not be paved in yellow bricks, or traversed by a majestic steam locamotive, it doesn't make it any less worth the journey.

Recommended read for Young Adult fans of all ages.  The author really places you in the story, in the moment, for better or worse, allowing you to take your own journey with Sadie, both near and far, while staying grounded in the reality of your own life.  She celebrates the joys of being a reader, writer, or otherwise creative mind, while also emphasizing that "to live would be an awfully big adventure".

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About the author...

Tara Wilson Redd, a graduate of Reed College, grew up all over the United States, including in St. Louis, Seattle, and Central Oregon. An impenitent dilettante, she is interested in everything, but especially language, travel, and animals. When she is home from her adventures, she lives in Washington, DC, where she works in libraries. The Museum of Us is her first novel. Visit her online at tarawilsonredd.com.

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Special thanks to Kathy at Random House Children's Books for the ARC for review as well as the chance to bring this tour to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, so be on the look out for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.  Be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the tour as it makes its way through the blogosphere for more bookish fun...

Here's to Happy Endings                                   6/25/2018

Reading Teen                                                     6/26/2018

Take Me Away to a Great Read                        6/27/2018

Take Me Away                                                   6/28/2018

PageTurners                                                      6/29/2018

Picture Books to YA                                           6/30/2018

Jessabella Reads                                               7/1/2018

Quite the Novel Idea                                          7/2/2018

The Reading Cafe                                              7/3/2018

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers                    7/4/2018

Selina Falcon                                                      7/5/2018

Booklish Lifestyle                                                7/6/2018

Such a Novel Idea                                               7/7/2018   

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Have a PITCHIN' summer with AL CAPONE THROWS ME A CURVE by Gennifer Choldenko!

HI guys and gals!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today is being renamed.

It is no longer Thursday.

Today is now BLOGAPALOOZA...

...or maybe REVIEW-APALOOZA...

...oh heck, pick which one you like, but it boils down to me being overworked, and having WAY TO LITTLE time to do the things I love like reading and reviewing, and the desire to clean out the GIANT tote I'm carrying around with books that need to be reviewed.  So...

First post up on the deck, comes to us via Random House Children's Books and is the FOURTH book in the Tales from Alcatraz trilogy.  Yes, you read that right...the fourth book in a series that was suppose to only be three.  You see, according to the 'Dear Reader' section, when the author started writing another story from a different character's perspective, Moose simply wouldn't keep a lid on it because he still had more to say/share.  What can an author due when their lead character will not "go away"?  Indulge them and let the inspiration flow free...and wind up with a story that was certainly meant to be.  Ready or not, here comes today's title in the spotlight...

Al Capone Throws Me a Curve

A Tale from Alcatraz, Book 4

by

Gennifer Choldenko

9781101938133

Wendy Lamb Books

About the book...

Return to Al Capone’s Alcatraz with Newbery Honor-winning author Gennifer Choldenko in this charming addition to the beloved series about the son of a prison guard.

Moose Flanagan lives on a famous island in California: Alcatraz, home to some of the most dangerous prisoners in the United States in the 1930s. It’s the summer before he starts high school, and Moose is going to play a lot of baseball and win a spot on the high school team. But he still needs to watch his special older sister, Natalie–and then the warden asks Moose to look after his two-faced, danger-loving daughter, Piper. 

In the cell house there are rumors that the cons will a strike, and that Moose’s father might step up to a new job. Moose is worried: What will this mean for their family, especially for Natalie, who’s had some scary run-ins with prisoners? Then the unthinkable happens: Natalie winds up someplace she should never, ever go. And Moose has to rescue her.

This was my first exposure to Moose and all his friends, including those more infamous than others (seriously?  The big AC?  Not that I'm a fan, but gheesh...who doesn't know THAT name?), and despite that fact, I rather enjoyed my stay on the island "no one escapes".

I knew of the Al Capone series from my bookstore days...kids would come in all the time asking for them, not to mention the visual appeal when straightening shelves (how can you NOT stop at a book with a title like Al Capone Does My Homework?)...and so when the opportunity to read and share this new one came along, I was definitely all in.  I know, I know...it's a series and it's better to start at the beginning and while I fully intend to go back and visit the other installments one day, I'm here to say if you currently share the same boat as I, you'll wade through these waters just fine...bookmarks up to the author for making it so, too!

Moose Flanagan...what is there to say about Moose Flanagan.  He's not your typical hero, heck he's only a kid for crying out loud, and yet I gotta say, I can't help but see him that way.  Despite how he could have been...self serving, greedy, uncaring, mean, and the list goes on...he was none of those things.  True, he had his moments where he wished life was different, be it the locale in which they live, the acquaintances they keep, or even his very family, but those are simply human emotions...no one is perfect, nor is anyone's life perfect, and the fact that he figures that out while still taking on the weight of the world and never giving up the good fight is hero worthy in my eyes.  But I digress...he is not the only one of note here to mention.  We've got Natalie, his sister, who sees life differently and has her own challenges to face, including that of a mother who simply can't let go...yes, it's harder in her case for apparent reasons, but life still moves forward, people change, people grow, and while protection may be needed, that need changes shape.  Then there's Piper, who I has a seriously had time trusting, you'll find out why, but is yet another case of people changing and growing, even if they still misstep along the way.  Let us not forget Moose's parents (well meaning, but stretched thin), the warden (*grr*), the other kiddos in their group, and...the prisoners.  Yes, that's right...I mean, they ARE on Alcatraz, so yeah, they are "residents" too...and some get a bit TOO close for comfort.

Turning our eyes back to the story on the whole, there were many moments that make up this tale that'll stop you in your tracks.  I about died when Natalie tried to help get Moose on the baseball team...and was seriously worried someone else would! The preoccupation she develops with Passerini was daunting but sweet, even if not exactly meant to be, and I loved how the author dealt with it showing that not all kids/teens are heartless or lack understanding/compassion.  When Moose does interact with Al Capone (SHOCKING!), I admit...I was prepared for so much more and yet the pearls of wisdom gleaned fit perfectly.  Of course there's also the jailhouse sequence, which I shan't ruin by exposing here, but suffice it to say that it's a harrowing experience from start to finish . Seriously, hair-raising, breath holding stuff here.... *gulp*

All in all, I had a great time in Alcatraz, and I'm pretty sure not many can actually say that.  (LOL!)  While entertaining, it also reminds us to stand up for ourselves, those we love, and what we believe in, and that growing up happens whether we want it to or not.  All we can do is hold on for the ride and take it one day at a time.  The story will draw you in, but you'll definitely be staying for the characters because they are truly a memorable lot.  Oh and keep an eye out for Bug...she's a bit of an escape artist.  *wink*

About the author...

Photo: © Patricia Leeds

Gennifer Choldenko was the youngest in a family of four kids, where her nickname was “Snot-Nose.” Her quirky sense of humor made its debut at the dinner table when Gennifer was a very little kid. She is the author of seven children’s books, including Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period; and Al Capone Shines My Shoes.

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Special thanks to Josh at Random House Children's Books for the ARC for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the series, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title celebrated its BOOK BIRTHDAY earlier this month, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!