two good distractions

amidst the continuous drama that is life these days, i managed to sneak in two new books (quick reads) that i would recommend. no, they are not susan hayward's cinema studies: the key concepts (though good, is not a quick read), nor robert louis stevenson's dr. jekyll and mr. hyde which is a fairly quick read, but it is disturbing (horrifying) and requires adjustment to the writing style.

the two recommendations are--er--yes, more juvenile fiction...the only thing i can fit in quickly outside of blog posts and magazine/news articles... which i should probably round up some to post about.

back to books.

please read Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin and The Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer.

Belle Teal as you'll note in the link's synopsis is the story of a 10-year-old girl--who lives with her mother and grandmother in a noticeable level of poverty; and though Belle Teal (the girl) is conscious of her poverty, it is not a focal point, but merely a fact; which you come to appreciate in the story. Belle Teal's grandmother is getting old and senile; her mother works crazy hours and frequently shifts jobs; the local school is becoming desegregated; a friend at school has an abusive father; add in the conflict of a snobby new girl who is unsuccessful at bullying Belle Teal and has issues of her own.
there are sobering moments within the story, but none of which can be found steeped in self-pity. this is a story about family, and community, and how life achieves normalcy within the act of big changes.
the possible realness of the situations raise questions but do not belabor the story's progression. Obviously there is tension and discomfort over some of the topics; and one story line feels unresolved as the book holds to the untidiness that is life.
this story made me think of Bridge to Terabithia, and Because of Winn Dixie. it has charm, and a really likeable main character; well, you like most of the characters. i do not recall language other than the N-word and that has a place in the story's setting (year) and its address of racism.
the story sets the provocative challenge to face difficulty with a delicate balance of will and compassion. compassion is a strong thematic element that i find exceedingly well-handled.
i would not place this story along gender lines, nor would i place it younger than 9, or a mature 8, mainly because it is a 'middle-school' read. like Esperanza Rising, or any of the afforementioned reads, i think it would be great to read together, or at least having both read it.

Half-Moon Investigations is a lot of fun; and i am getting the feeling that that is because the author Eoin Colfer tells all his stories with such incredible wit. i haven't made it through his artemis fowl series yet but i started the first and i recognized some similarities with Half-Moon--namely the humor and the uniqueness of the story's angle.
Half-Moon is about a boy who gets a detective badge (top of his on-line class of grown-ups) and is presented with his first really big case. the narrative follows the traditional genre narrative form of a hardboiled detective story. just read the first page and you'll know what i am talking about--it is funny and just, well, awesome.
it may be that i watched brick fairly recently but i pictured gordon-levitt playing the part of our hero, regardless, the 12 year-old hero is a good one to follow. like any good detective story, you must know and learn that appearances are deceiving, and that casting types are a mistake (even as the story uses these as its own device); one of the acts of the genre is to overturn an expectation and in this case will not turn back to right it. there is tension, of course, and there is one real act violence--though not too explicit and not unnecessary to the story; but i feel i should cover my bases and put that warning out there.
it is set in ireland, which is fun (that is where the author is from), and the principal at the school reminded me of raold dahl's matilda but not as evil. i like that fletcher moon (the hero) has a good family. there is a lot of that element in the book, the interaction/relationship between parents and child (and that influence).
humor keeps the story from being too dark, and the author holds the content in the realm of children. it is a wonderful read. no gender lines here, and i would put the minimum at 8 or maybe 7; it really is a grade schooler (if not middle-schooler) read as far as having developed social expectations and the awareness of how they categorize people based on sex and age and grade level.
A great story and a perfect genre to present ideas of revisiting and over-turning expectations while having a really good adventure. you can also add: that we can find friends in the most unusual ways. no one's worth should be counted or discounted based on appearances--even our own.


now that i've used this as a warming up exercise, i've a big paper due on wednesday that needs work...ugh.