Kind of a Big Deal, by Shannon Hale

    One more dog blog post on this last day of March...author Shannon Hale, of Real Friends and Best Friends (graphic novels) fame, writer of one of my all-time favorite books, Princess Academy, released this latest chapter book about a young woman who drops out of high school early to pursue her dream of performing on Broadway.  At high school, Josie Pie is such a talented actress that the drama teacher urges her to go to New York and audition for a Broadway show. Things don't turn out exactly as she had hoped or planned, but the rest is where this story goes in a million different directions...all at the same time!

    Hale has been writing for a long time, and book 1 in the Princess Academy series really is one of the best teen book I have ever read! And I've read a lot of books, dawg! But Big Deal is anything BUT a big deal. I finished it, so there is THAT, but only because I was hoping she somehow brought this story together in one brilliant finish. The ending did get better, for a little while, but then dissolved again into a "what else could I be reading?" kind of book.  

    Some of Hale's books are brilliant (those mentioned above, minus this new one), so make a point of checking something out that she has written. But unless you are a thespian (and if you know what that is you probably are one, which is a good thing!), you could spend your time better on any number of other stories. 3 paws, and only because it's Shannon Hale!

When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller

    The newest Newbery Award winner When You Trap a Tiger is a wonderful blend of folktale, magic, and realistic fiction, told by sophomore writer Keller (that means it's her second book). I read this in bits and pieces - not on purpose, it just worked out that way - and I think that took away a little of the power of the overall story. Even with that element of distraction the story was really good, reminding me of some of my favorite stories by the likes of Kate DiCamillo and Linda Sue Park - two very good storytellers who could make almost anything super interesting!

    Tiger is the story of Lily, her sister and mom, and their move from California to Washington to live with their ailing grandma. Lily navigates her Korean culture as well as her American side along with the move to a new state. She is very close to her halmoni (grandmother), and seems to share her intuitions for magical things. After spotting a tiger, Lily tries to strike a deal with this mythical creature to cure her grandmother. Does it work?

     I can see why this was chosen for the Newbery Award - it has the elements of past winners. It also brings Korean culture into mainstream storytelling, which still does not happen as often as it should. Hopefully that will continue to evolve. While chopping through the early parts of this book I imagined giving it 4 paws, but once I settled into the last half of the story, it is a 5 paw book for sure! Check this out!

No Fixed Address, by Susin Nielsen

 The last of my OBOB books to read for this season, and a pretty darn good one at that! This is Nielsen's 6th book, I believe, and although this is the first one I have read so far, it was good enough to make me want to read some others. That is one sign of a good book, right?! 

No Fixed Address is the story of Felix and his mom, Astrid, trying to live their lives as best they can while living out of their Westfalia van. The further into the story I read, the better the story got. By the end, I could hardly wait to finish my kibble so that I could continue with the story! A realistic look at homelessness, and Nielsen does a good job of telling that story from a teen's point of view, as well as getting into character's heads really well. The dialogue, although occasionally uncomfortable, was very real. I liked that about this book, and the reason I would read more of her writing. The only reason I didn't give this a full 5 paws is because I have the feeling she can do better than this, or perhaps already has. I can't wait to find out! 4 paws and wag!