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Oh, Tanita, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I don't know that I could discuss it objectively, because (I'm showing my age here), I first read it when I was probably 10 or 11. But I always found it magical. I LOVE that never grow up poem. I actually think of it fairly often ;-) I would put this one as middle grade, not YA. Even as a teen, Martha isn't very mature by today's standards.

Thanks for brightening my day.

AHA! I knew there was something I'd forgotten - I have now added the link to your 2007 Under Radar review! I remembered that and smiled when I saw this book reissued. I'm glad to have brought you happy memories.

I loved ZKS but never read this one--though I read almost everything else of hers.
Back then, YA did skew younger, and it was more sanitized. A lot of what was considered YA then would probably be MG now, ZKS's work included.

YA and MG also used to be shorter. Frex, SE Hinton's The Outsiders was a typical length for the time, though now it would be on the short end of publishable, and MG books were proportionally shorter also. And this fascinates me: was it just the effect of the long Harry Potter books on the market? We keep talking about how people have less time and attention for reading, yet our books have gotten longer.

I went through a huge ZKS stage when I was in 6th or 7th grade! I was reading a lot of Diana Wynne Jones then, too, so I kind of link the two in my mind. That Dell Yearling cover is definitely the one I remember.

Length is an interesting question--I've been thinking about it a bit because my publisher definitely seems to have a max length (at least when it comes to my books!!). I do wonder whether it's a side effect of the HP books. After all, it doesn't seem to be standalones that have gotten longer--it seems to be the series books.

That cover IS gorgeous.

Without giving too much away, I had a lot of the same questions that you did about what was really happening, what was reality, and what was fantasy. It struck me as fitting well in the magical realism genre--which, I have to admit, I have some trouble with on occasion. (Some of it I love; some just doesn't interest me.) But this one kept me reading--the suspense was great, and keeping me even more on edge was the fact that I didn't know who to trust, if anyone--even Chloe.

There was some writing in this one that I really loved, too--literary and lyrical. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, or what it means, but I'm definitely still thinking about it.

I'd read some reviews of this, and had read that others felt a little wistful that the relationship issues were left up in the air - a reflection of real life, I guess.

Now I want to know what happened in the reservoir. I am such a sucker for this type of suspense.

Nice article, thanks for the information.

I've been of two minds about that cover, because I, too, HATE the hardbodyheadless thing going on - but even with the lipstick, it sounds worth a read.

Oooh. I am salivating. All three are up my alley.

...origami anger trees!

I have to admit that I wouldn't be racing to read anything from the Walking Jeans series, but hey -- if you say the tree sequel is good, then I'll buy it.

The best book on anger I ever read was with a character named Owen -- a Sarah Dessen novel (three books back, I think), can't remember the title! But I look forward to this Crutcher.

Oh, and I totally want to invent an origami anger tree now.

I'll tell you, 3 Willows was fine light summer reading. There were very minor tie-ins to the previous pants books but it's essentially a new set of characters and stories, which is good. It also felt like there was less sentimentality because of the fact that the book starts with the three characters NOT being close. That helped for me--I'm not a fan of sentimentality.

love your description of 1001 Cranes. Thanks so much for highlighting it. And Chris Crutcher is amazing - I'm curious which characters come through in this book.

I'd never heard of this, but it sounds very interesting. My best friend is Muslim, and, while she didn't grow up under such strict restraints, her Mother did. I've heard many of the stories, and the cultural differences are fascinating. I'll definitely add this to my wishlist :)

Thank you for this excellent review, and for insights into a culture I know all too little about in any "real" terms.

Great review. I understand the difficulties living in a culture quite different from that of your parents, and my kids are having to live it, with totally different details.

I've heard good things about this one -- looking forward to it!

You talked me into it--I'm putting it on hold. I think I'm currently getting about 50% of my reading material ideas from Finding Wonderland. You all should be collecting a fee or something.

Great set of reviews!

My goodness. I feel disappointed in me, once again, for my slow going through book piles while there are those of you who read like, well, like you read. How do you do it? I wish I had read all these books.

Great idea for a review roundup! I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with my pile of books needing reviews. :)

Good to know about the Lockhart books, too. I loved Frankie so much!

That sounds like a good list of books to get stuck into. I have The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks sitting at the ready on my bookshelf.

I’m so glad your boys are enjoying Atticus–even though he’s making it too exciting for them to go to bed! If they like the idea of the journey linked with stories, they might also be interested in meeting Coll, Atticus’s Celtic counterpart, and his naughty raven, Branwen (just published by Orion). No flood stories (surprisingly, given recent events, there aren’t many linked to Britain), but a couple of great creation stories–The Hag of the Ridges and The Nimble Dancers–neither of which, as far as I am aware, have been told for children before. And if they want a watery story, they might like King Ocean’s Flute, all about a little boy who wins a contest with the sea king, which The Times called ‘the loveliest summer book of all’, and The Sunday Times ‘a masterpiece’, to my great pleasure! Happy reading, and if you’d like to know more, please visit my website at www.lucycoats.com

Thank you, Lucy, for pointing out Coll to us - we will be in Scotland this summer (should that be in inverted commas?!?) so it sounds like the perfect reading material to take with us. I don’t know the stories you mention and it’s always fascinating to hear different creation stories. King Ocean’s Flute looks a lovely book too and it’s interesting how your story evolved…