Stay With Me

I just finished reading the new young adult novel Stay With Me by Garret

Freymann-Weyr. Set in New York City in the year following 9/11, it is the

story of sixteen-turning-seventeen year old Leila trying to discover all of

the stories that make up her family after the sudden suicide of her much older half sister. Because she is dyslexic, she is perhaps more capable than most to take the nessecary time to understand things before coming to quick conclusions. Although it was hard to always relate to Leila with her being one of those tall, beautiful, uppercrust Manhattan types, I genuinely liked her because of her thoughtfulness and keen perception of the people and circumstances around her. Presenting a wealthy, gorgeous, well-traveled and fabulously complicated network of characters, the book could have easily become pretentious. But because of Leila it escapes this --things happen subtley and the characters are essentailly all good, likable people. Ultimately, as the dust jacket states, Stay With Me "is about how impossible and important love is." Recommended, especially when looking for fiction that deals with dyslexia, suicide, NYC after 9/11, and teen relationships with older love interests.

Re: Mrs. Mike

I recently reread Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman. I had read it as a

teenager and loved it for the adventure, romance and resiliency of the lives of

Katherine Mary Flanagan and her Mountie. I wondered if it would hold up to

my expectations after so many years. I was not disappointed. In our era of luxury, technology and instant gratification reading this book will remind one of the value of family, friendship, committment and character in the face of tragedy, loss, and hardship. I think this book would be great for early high school and up.

7to8 book club reads

These are two newer books that I came across while preparing for last month's 7to8 Book Club and rather liked.
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin (ages 8-11).
A 99% autobiographical account of one year (yup, you

guessed it, the year of dog from the lunar calendar) in the life of a Twainese-American girl growing up in a small upstate NY town. Pacy, as she's known at home while called Grace at school, shares her experiences of what it's like to be culturally different from most of the other kids in her community and how confusing this can often be. It's year of self-dicovery, finding hidden talents, and making a special new friend. A delightful read, especailly for learning about Asian-American culture.
Down Girl and Sit: Smarter Than Squirrels by Lucy Nolan

(ages 7-10)
What would we do without dogs to save the world from menacing squirrels and pesky birds? Lucky for humans, there are dogs like Down Girl and Sit to protect us! Told from the point of view of Down Girl, this funny book offers four chapters of their neighborhood adventures, including protecting garbage cans full of treasures from Here Kitty, Kitty and avoiding the dreadful creature who lurks behind the backyard fence (the little girl next door who is known to dress pets up in humilating doll clothes). Recommended for young dog lovers!
Martha