Serendipity Market

Title: Serendipity Market
Author: Penny Blubaugh
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year of Publication: 2009
Reader's Rating: 3

In a Nutshell: Mama Inez knows that magic is everywhere and, somehow, connected to everything. She invites ten people to the Serendipity Market to tell their stories, every one of them unique and--from a distance--very different from one another. But look closely, and you'll find a common ground in each story--magic.

The Good Stuff: One of the main things I liked in this book was the vocabulary. Works by people with a wide vocabulary just blow me away, and this was one of them. I loved the way the author wrote; it was brilliant. Also, I loved how some of the stories are classic fairy tales but with a twist. They may be told from a different character's point of view, for example, like the lizard-turned-coachman from Cinderella.

The Not-So-Good Stuff: I hope you've taken it into your head by now that this book is about magic and fairies and the like. I'm a Christian and I don't really approve of magic and folklore (faeries, elves, giants, etc.). It made me feel a little uncomfortable reading about them, especially Maisie's story about the elf queen. It made the book a little dark. And one little thing that I didn't like: the Princess and the Pea retold version, where the prince is gay. I have nothing against gays but I really liked the original story better.

Reader's Say: This was an okay book. The topic was fine except that there was an overuse of magic. The vocabulary was beautiful. I liked it half-half. I would recommend it for the construction (vocabulary, grammar, etc.) but not for the content.

The Princess Test

Title: The Princess Test
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year of Publication: 1999
Reader's Rating: 3

In a Nutshell: Prince Nicholas, whether he wants to or not, has to marry as soon as possible. And the girl he marries has to be a true princess, as the King and Queen so carefully make sure of. They devise a series of tests to pick the truest princess, but it seems that the prince has fallen in love. But not with a princess--he has fallen in love with Lorelei, a blacksmith's daughter! Prince Nicholas is determined to marry Lorelei, but how can a mere peasant pass tests meant for princesses?

The Good Stuff: Humor is good, language is good (for children), it's all good. And it's by Gail Carson Levine! Need I say more? :D

The Not-So-Good Stuff: This book has only 96 pages. It was really meant for young children. I don't really consider that a bad thing, but it doesn't have that much depth in it. It's a very quick read, for, say, when you're at the library and you don't want to check anything out (which is exactly what I did, haha).

Reader's Say: The Princess Test is actually a retelling of The Princess and the Pea. I love fantasy books and I definitely love Gail Carson Levine. Even though this book was a really easy read, I enjoyed it. It was good.

Flipped

Title: Flipped
Author: Wendelin van Draanen
Publisher: Random House
Year of Publication: 2001
Reader's Rating: 2.5 [Please see my post on ratings because a 2.5 for me doesn't mean that I don't like it! :)]

In a Nutshell: Juli Baker has always thought of Bryce and his brilliant blue eyes as dazzling and dreamy, ever since the second grade, in fact. Meanwhile, Bryce Loski has always thought of Juli as weird and annoying, ever since the second grade. The story jumps back and forth between Juli and Bryce and tells things about their families, school, and each other from their point of view. Things get a little more complicated and change when Juli and Bryce reach their teen years. Bryce suddenly starts seeing Juli in a different light and finds that he's flipped for her once crazy, now cool ways. Juli, on the other hand, sees past Bryce's "brilliant blue eyes" and wonders if he's really as dreamy as she thought. What will happen to Bryce? What will happen to Juli? Will it work out in the end?

The Good Stuff: The story was okay. No kissing, but...(see below)..

The Not-So-Good-Stuff: Someone did try to kiss someone. :( I also don't like the way Bryce's sister acts. The story, like I said, was okay but I felt like it ended abruptly, and needed something more. I think there's a sequel but I'm still not so sure.

Reader's Say: I love how the title fits perfectly with the story. Juli feels one thing about Bryce, and he feels another about her. Towards the end, they flip and feel the opposite of what they first felt.The story isn't very deep, but it was okay (my mom loved it, though, and I have no idea why).