What I've been reading...

Don't know why I decided to do this post on a Friday but I think that I'm going to try making it into a weekly thing. No full fledged reviews (as per my last post), just mini-thoughts on what I read that week.

First up for this week: Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is the first middle grade book of LHA that I've read. I have to tell you that I was impressed, not too surprising though because LHA is so consistent with her storytelling. Chains is about a young slave girl living during the American Revolution and what she tries to do (selling secrets back and forth between the redcoats and the patriots) to earn her freedom. It was a riveting story, full of hypocrisy, hardships and tough decisions. There were moments where I just cried thinking about the injustice of it all, and the description was so realistic. You can really tell she did her research. I mean would you have thought to include eel pie in your historical? LHA really hit it the nail this time and I highly recommend it to all. In terms of young people reading it, I think that my fourth grader would have trouble with some of the vocabulary and there's one scene of abuse that I think would be harder for younger kids to handle. For older kids though (maybe 5th or 6th grade), it would be perfect.

Second up: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, which counts as my first read in the YA Aussie Challenge. OMG, if you love fantasy then you should have read this already! I can easily say that this is the first book in a long time that grabbed me so much that I want to re-read it just a few days later. That hasn't happened to me in over a year (and I read a lot of good books last year folks)!  A little summary: After the 'five days of the unspeakable', when the King and Queen and their children are slaughtered, an imposter king takes the throne of Lumatere. A curse is put on the country, trapping those inside and forcing thousands of others to roam the land as exiles, dying of fever and persecution in foreign camps. Ten years later, Finnikin, a boyhood friend of Prince Balthazar encounters the young novice, Evanjalin, a girl plagued by dark dreams, who holds the key to their return to the Land of light. Finnikin of the Rock, like most fantasies, has a prophecy, a young man who is destined for rulership, and a lot of swordplay. But what sets Finnikin apart is the strong female roles. Yes, yes, Arwen and Katsa are strong females, but not like Evanjalin. I can't say more without giving away major plot elements, but trust me, if you like strong female roles, read this book. You won't be disappointed. Oh! And the ending. I have to say it was one of the sweetest scenes I've seen in a long time. You thought Edward had the proposal thing down. Ha! Loved it!

I'll be spending the weekend re-reading my manuscript so I'll probably only get to one book next week. I just started it - Feed by MT Anderson. And then I have a few others coming up that I just ordered, including The Duff! Can't wait for that. So what have you been reading this week? Share!