Violet Bing and the Grand House

VIOLET BING AND THE GRAND HOUSE; Jennifer Paros; New York: Viking, 2007; 106pp. Intermediate

Violet Bing, seven going on eight, says "no" to lots of things--lumpy pancakes, going swimming, eating out. In fact, Violet's mantra is "I don't want to go anywhere or do anything," which is why, when she refuses to go on vacation with her family, she is sent to stay with Aunt Astrid at the Grand House. (Whatever happened to "Quit whining and get in the car," one wonders?). In any case, Violet refuses all adventures with Aunt Astrid, too, saying she doesn't have time, but when she finds the time to help a neighbor girl catch a dog, things slowly begin to change. Ms. Paros dedicates her book to " . . . Those Who Don't Get Out Much But Who Really Ought. . . ," and the point is well taken (and presented) in this delightful beginning chapter book about a very cautious little girl.

The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous

Merilee Monroe is a 13-year-old who keeps a very strict schedule (her Very Ordered Existence, or V.O.E.) and doesn't quite fit in with her peers. The reviews say that she has Asperger's, but this is never mentioned in the book. A poet moves to their small Texas town with his 8-year-old son Biswick who has fetal alcohol syndrome (this is actually mentioned near the end of the book; previously everyone refers to him as retarded.) Biswick latches on to Merilee and disrupts her V.O.E., which she eventually comes to accept. The town has a fabulous cast of characters: one woman wishes she were Audrey Hepburn, so she always dresses like Audrey from her movies; two sisters have been feuding so long that they have to schedule days to come into town so they don't overlap; Biswick's daddy is often found passed out drunk, once in the cemetery; and Merilee's family includes a crotchety grandma and a mysterious uncle. The book might be too slow-moving for some, but it is just a simple story about life and families and love and being different. I loved it.

Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider is back in his 7th novel, Snakehead. This book picks up with Alex in Australia (where he crash-landed at the end of Ark Angel.) This time, the Australians want to get a piece of the action. They use Alex to infiltrate a snakehead (a criminal organization found in Southeast Asia) to find out how they are smuggling people into Australia. We finally learn more about Alex's parents and how they died, as Alex finally gets to meet and work with his godfather. All in all, it was a good book, although I preferred Ark Angel. My main gripe is that Alex always knows the answer to everything. He beats the snakehead's highly accomplished (and much more skilled than Alex) martial-arts expert, knows just what to do when his boat goes over a huge waterfall, and puts together some spare electrical wires (in the middle of the jungle, no less) to bypass a missing battery and send a signal out to MI6. It gets kind of obnoxious when the 14-year-old needs no help, and always saves the day, but it's still a fun read.

Edward's Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan

Wow. If I hadn't been on public transit when I read this book, I think I would have bawled. Jake tells about his younger brother Edward who died at the age of 8. I thought it dealt with loss in a very realistic, yet profound way. My favorite line comes from their mother after Edward's death: "'Now. We won't talk about "woulds" or "coulds,"' she went on. 'We will talk about Edward,' she said softly." It was not a long book, but it was a very heart-wrenching and moving story that inspires pondering and reflection.