Get Off At the Next Stop: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

If Ernest Hemingway were a woman and wrote a spin-off of Gone Girl, it would look very much like The Girl on the Train.  Gone Girl is incredibly crafted to deliver a psychological punch -- TGotT is a mostly flimsy, slapped-together, predictable addition to the unreliable narrator genre.

I want to like Rachel, I really do -- she's pathetic in her earnestness and inability to focus.  She's lost her job, her husband, and any hope of having children.  In order to keep up the charade of going to work, each day she takes the morning train into "work," walks around all day (usually drinking), and then takes the train home after "work."  Every morning the train makes a stop that allows Rachel to gaze into the houses built right next to the track.  One of those houses used to belong to her -- and her ex-husband, with his then-mistress and now-wife.  A few houses down, a seemingly loving couple lay out on the patio, unaware of Rachel's intense gaze.  Rachel names the couple Jess and Jason, and proceeds to imagine their sophisticated, affection life together.

Except, appearances can be deceiving.  Just like Rachel attempts to fool everyone that she is not an alcoholic and still has a job, it is quite easy to see the rifts in “Jess” and “Jason”’s relationship.  Rachel conveniently blacks out quite often, enabling her to forget what she did the day and night before – did she knock on her ex-husband’s door again?  Did she leave drunken voicemail messages again? 

Storylines between Tom (Rachel’s ex-husband), “Jess,” “Jason,” Rachel, and Tom’s new wife all begin to cross paths more often than not.  I could predict the ending relatively early in, leaving me to race through supposedly taut and mysterious scenes in the hopes that something, anything, would surprise me.

We All Should Go DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN

Down From the Mountain

by Elizabeth Fixmer

Now, this is why I read young adult literature – an interesting and not overwrought narrative from the viewpoint of a teenager ingrained in a religious cult, Down From the Mountain is interesting, fresh, and alarming.

Eva, so named after Eve and therefore always a reminder of temptation, is 14 years old and lives on a compound with her real mother, several other “Mothers,” and several children.  Prophet Ezekiel leads his flock with an increasingly iron fist.  He insists on marrying every woman in the compound, thereby driving out the men and further bolstering Ezekiel’s power.  When Eva’s talent at jewelry-making allows her to leave the compound for the heathen world outside, she begins to realize that Prophet Ezekiel may not be the word of God, after all.

Fixmer creates a nuanced suspense that is charming and realistic; we hope that Eva escapes from the cult but we also are sympathetic to her desire to be loved.  Eva clings to the memories from a book she read, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, an allegory for a loving God:

“Ezekiel can make me say yes when I mean no, I think.  He can make me submissive and obedient, but he can’t control everything.  He can’t control my thoughts or memories.  Like my book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  He burned it, but it will always remain in my heart” (139).

Eva befriends a waiter named Trevor and they begin meeting at a local library; once Eva obtains “[her] most precious possession,” a library card, she begins to devour the knowledge that Ezekiel may not be God’s word.

The ending is sad and tragic, but also quite realistic.  I only wish we would have gotten more information about what ultimately happened to Ezekiel.  Overall, I will be highly recommending this story – what a treat!

Far From Perfect - FAR FROM YOU

Far From You

by Tess Sharpe

Count me as someone who is disappointed with this book. The premise had me hooked and I could not wait to read it. Unfortunately, there are just too many things going on with this book, and not enough attention is given to any of them.

Sophie, our protagonist, is addicted to prescription narcotics, caught in a love rectangle, and on the hunt for her best friend's murderer all while being stalked herself. It's just too much for one novel. If the author had just cut out all that murder mystery stuff (which is unbelievable, anyway) and focused on the addiction/love rectangle, the novel would have been splendid. Think about it: what are the chances that a teen is going to witness a murder and be swept up in a murder mystery? Zero to nil. What are the chances that a teen may try drugs and/or fall in love with the wrong person? Much more possible. 

So, all in all, I was very disappointed. I am also disappointed that whomever is in charge of writing the blurbs did not explicitly state this is a novel that addresses themes of bisexuality/lesbians/gay community. Why are they trying to hide that?

"They hungered for us" - IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta

In the After

by Demitria Lunetta

“After They came, I did not leave my house for three weeks.  The broadcasts stopped after the first few days, but they were not helpful anyway.  They kept repeating the same things.  Aliens had landed, they were not friendly, half of the planet was dead.They were horrifyingly fast, traveling across the globe at an alarming pace.  They didn’t destroy buildings or attack our resources, like in so many crappy Hollywood movies.  They wanted us.  They hungered for us” (9).

 A large, unexplained object lands, hosting thousands of hungry, predatory “Them” that rapidly kill, eat, and take over every continent and city.  Amy is alone at home when it happens, and barricades herself inside, thanks to her father’s foresight.  When all becomes quiet, too quiet, Amy ventures outside the safe boundaries of her house to scavenge and find survivors.  She ends up rescuing a toddler, whom she calls “Baby,” and they live three years in silence, as “Them” are attracted to noise.

Eventually, Amy and Baby are rescued by an elite, organized force that resides in New Hope, a highly-regulated society of survivors.  Amy’s mother is the director and assures her daughter that the confining rules of New Hope are for the betterment of future mankind.  When Amy stumbles upon experiments involving the fearsome Them, she begins to realize her mother is not telling her everything.

In The After is a 2015 Lone Star-awarded book, and for good reason – the writing is smoothly-paced, the action has peaks and valleys, and the subject matter of the book is fascinating, albeit in a morbid way.  Those in the lower grades, like sixth and seventh, might not be the best audience for this gruesome subject matter and grotesque descriptions of Them eating people: “The creatures pounced, not bothering to kill their prey before feeding.  They ripped skin and flash from their victims, who screeched in agony” (14) and “They feed for a long time, eating every bit of their dead, their sharp teeth chewing through skin, muscle, and bone.  Their feeding noises sicken me, slurps with the occasional crunch” (68).  So, gird your iron stomach and go ahead and read this, but don't say I didn't warn you.

10 Excellent Children's Books for Kids With ASD/SPD

As they say, if you have met one child with autism, then you’ve met one child with autism.  Ethan, my son, is three years old and certainly doesn’t fit in any type of ASD box, but a few things are for sure: he loves different textures and is very picky about them; he loves numbers; and he loves repetition/routine.  

Building a library appropriate and engaging for my child with autism has been a recent mission of mine.  Up until the age of three, Ethan wanted nothing to do with books -- he would grab them, flip through the pages in a nanosecond, and be done with it.  (It broke my librarian heart, but I kept up the routine of reading before bed.)   I wanted to include books that appealed to him texture-wise and visually, hoping that the interest in the words would follow.  After researching a bit, we have created an overflowing library of unique, thoughtful books.  (Just a note: interest in these books is certainly not limited to those children with spectrum disorders. Most kids will love these books; it can be more of a challenge to get children with spectrum disorders interested in books.)

Here are our favorite ten:

Beautiful Oops

by Barney Saltzberg

Barney Saltzerg is a master of paper engineering, and Beautiful Oops combines unique tactile elements with a simple reminder: mistakes can often be turned into something beautiful.  Interact with spilled coffee, torn pages, splotches of paint, crumpled paper, and more in Beautiful Oops.  For those children who are attracted to the tactile elements and textures in books, this one is a must-have.

Chicka Chicka 123

by Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson, Lois Ehlert

The Chicka books (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Chicka Chicka 123, Chicka Chicka ABC) are classic, and for good reason.  In this large boardbook, glossy pages follow the journey of numbers up and down a tree, a delight for young’uns drawn to identifying numbers.  

Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site

by Sherri Rinker, Tom Lichtenheld 

What happens when all the people go home and the crane truck, the cement mixer, the dump truck, the bulldozer, and the excavator are left to themselves?  They follow a nighttime routine, too, just like us -- the five button-activated sounds include rumbling trucks, a horn, a roaring engine, yawning, and snoring.
Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site boasts more than just cute sounds and lovely artwork -- the text itself is one of the better text-with-audio books I have read.  For instance: “Pushing with his mighty blade, Bulldozer works to smooth the grade.  No one’s as tough and strong as he, [b]ut now he’s sleepy as can be.  He curls into his soft dirt bed, [a]nd dreams of busy days ahead.”

Feely Bugs

by David A. Carter

Let’s just make this clear -- I am not a fan of bugs of any type, but I love this book.  Various textures incorporate child engagement; for instance, sticky bugs literally stick to your fingers on the page, and velvety bugs are swathed in the plush texture.

Pete the Cat (any and all versions)

by Eric Litwin, James Dean

Pete the Cat is a recent obsession for my son; the singsong aspects and repetition feed right into his desire for routine.  He quickly memorized the original Pete the Cat book and loves to reenact the Pete the Cat plush stepping into strawberries and blueberries.  It’s fun for adults, too, with a “groovy” storyline and moral.  We have the Easter book, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Cavecat Pet, and the original Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.  

A Little Bit of Oomph

by Barney Saltzberg

Another stellar tactile-focused book by Barney Saltzberg, A Little Bit of Oomph encourages children to put in that little bit of extra effort to make ordinary things extraordinary.  As with Beautiful Oops, the pages are filled with fun textural elements.  I really hope Saltzberg keeps creating books like these; they’re fun for me, too!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar 

by Eric Carle

I will always love this book, and so will Ethan.  A growing caterpillar eats his way through leaves, sausages, and pies, leaving holes in the pages.  It’s a delight for young ones to follow the caterpillar’s trek through the pages, and the incorporation of his transformation into a butterfly is a beautiful ending.

Good Boy, Bubble Puppy!

by "Editors of Publication International"

Another text-with-audio book, Good Boy, Bubble Puppy! is a sturdy boardbook appropriate for those kids obsessed with Bubble Guppies.  The story follows very closely to an episode on the show, in which the gang travels to the supermarket for more Bubble Bites.  Gil races Mrs. Peekytoe for the last box, and the ending is a sweet sharing moment.
My son loves to match the graphic icons in the text to the sounds it makes, and he’s quite adept at imitating them, as well.  I found this particular book to have more integrated sounds (with the text) than other text-with-audio boardbooks.

Nugget & Fang

by Tammi Sauer, Michael Slack

I cannot tell you how much I love this book!  We picked it up at the book fair and it’s such an adorable story, I want to share it with everyone.  Two best friends, Nugget (a minnow--and I am so stealing that name for my next pet) and Fang (a shark), hang out in the ocean, having a grand time.  Until, that is, Nugget goes to school, where he learns sharks eat minnows (the reading, math, and science lessons offer enough humor to keep kids engaged until they are older, as well).  Nugget can’t be friends with someone who will eat him!  Fang is saddened, and does all kinds of tricks to make Nugget his friend again -- inviting him to dinner, having an octopus ink-write a greeting, and so on. Nugget is not swayed, until Fang swoops in to save the entire school from disaster.

The illustrations are vibrant without being overwhelming, although Fang’s over-exaggerated teeth may be too much hyperbole.  Ethan enjoys following Nugget, who is an orangey-pink color, through the pages.

Llama Llama Nighty Night

by Anna Dewdney

My son doesn’t have the patience for a regular-length Llama Llama book, but this boardbook is just enough and reinforces the bedtime routine (which is quite similar to our own routine).  Anna Dewdney’s lovable llama takes a bath, brushes his teeth, goes potty, put on pajamas, and then snuggles in to read some books before bed.

 BONUS: Alpha Block

by Christopher Franceshelli

Sturdy S and unique U make their debut in this simple yet fun cardboard-cutout book.  Each page boasts a letter cutout, with “A is for…” as the text and an example of the letter on the next page (in this instance, “apple,” paired with a picture of apples in a picnic scene.  The cutouts present opportunities for children to interact more effectively with the letter, either by tracing it or putting little fingers through the cardboard holes.