A-Z Marathon! Author of the Day: Veronica Roth

We already had an Author of the Day today, but in the future, nobody will notice.
It also doesn't matter. "Author of the Day" just sounds catchier than "A post about a certain author because I haven't finished reading The 5th Wave yet, and I kind of want to maintain an audience by posting daily, but this might not be posted daily, so don't get your hopes up."

You might know Veronica Roth because she wrote the Divergent trilogy. And you may not know that Four, a Divergent collection, will be coming out pretty soon.

For those of you who don't know, Divergent is a relatively new dystopian trilogy about a girl named Tris. Her society is separated into 5 factions, and when you turn 16, you get to choose which faction you want to live in for the rest of your life. So, she has a pretty tough decision because she doesn't fit into one faction. She is divergent.

Now, here's the thing about Veronica Roth's writing:
-I think that she is more of storyteller than a writer. I'll explain. This isn't at all an insult towards Veronica Roth. I just think that there's a difference. A writer is someone who I think creates very thought-provoking work, and every sentence is well articulated. I think that a storyteller is someone who takes you on this wild and fun and exciting adventure through words (or pictures, but not in this case). Veronica Roth can definitely write. She seems to have a pretty good vocabulary, her sentences are pretty, and there are some things in her writing that did make me think and consider the possibilities. But Divergent, more than anything, is a fast paced, kickass story with cool characters in a cool world and a cool concept. What I'm trying to say is that her writing is not a work of genius. It's not a very deep series. There are messages in the books, but it's kind of lost with the whole awesome-heroine-trying-to-stay-alive thing. It's pretty fun to read, though, and they make for cool movies.
-Oh, the plot holes. You can find plot holes in almost any work of writing. Without them, most stories would have no climaxes or satisfying resolutions, and writers would have immense writer's block. But the plot holes in this series are a bit lavish. Now, I didn't really notice them when I first read the series. I whipped through the series in under 3 weeks. During the time I was reading, I wasn't thinking very much. I never stopped to think "Hmm . . . that isn't like Tris's character . . ." or "What? That makes no sense!" But as soon as I was finished and I started speculating the books, I realized some things. I don't want to say much, but Allegiant is just kind of one big plot hole.
-No love triangles! A little refreshing in YA.

Overall, her writing is exciting, but don't speculate it while you're reading it if you want to enjoy the series. If you want to write an intelligent review, speculate all you want.

A-Z Marathon! Author of the Day: Shel Silverstein

I just found out that Shel Silverstein died years and years ago.

So, this post is dedicated to him.
When I was in second grade, we had to read one picture book every day. Once I had finished my picture book before everyone else did, because I've always been a show-off, I read Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, A Light in the Attic, and I absolutely loved the books.
The illustrations that came with his poetry used to kind of freak me out, but I still loved everything that Shel Silverstein created.
Where the Sidewalk Ends is my favorite by him. I have devoured that book multiple times. His poetry just really relates to kids. He wrote these really interesting poems that talked about cleaning you room, and eating everything on your plate, and pretending to be sick to miss school. I loved it, and I still do.
Shel Silverstein's writing actually inspired me to make my own poetry at one point, but I have burned the poetry since because it made no sense. And I was 7.
All in all, love the poems. If you haven't read any of Shel Silverstein's poems, I highly recommend them because they're really fun to read.

A-Z Marathon! Author of the Day: Rick Riordan

**Mild Kane Chronicle and Percy Jackson spoilers below. The big spoilers will be covered up, and I hopefully shouldn't have to tell you how you can view them. If you don't know, just look up some of my other book talks to find out.

I have been waiting for so long to do this segment. Everything has lead up to this moment.

So, you might know Rick Riordan because he wrote the Kane Chronicles, The Maze of Bones (the 39 clues), and . . . PERCY JACKSON!!!
Also, he's basically the kind of character development and wittiness.
Before I begin on why he's a great author, here are some other things I've posted regarding his books: http://bookahooligans.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-z-marathon-book-talks-house-of-hades.html
http://bookahooligans.blogspot.com/2014/05/beautiful-covers.html
http://bookahooligans.blogspot.com/2014/05/book-talks-red-pyramid-by-rick-riordan.html
http://bookahooligans.blogspot.com/2014/05/books-to-read-lightning-thief-by-rick.html

Anyway, we're going to score Rick Riordan's writing on a point system. This isn't what I'm actually giving him. It's more like a rubric for authors:

1. 5 points for the ability to create female and male heroes that aren't dependent on the person they love.
2. 5 points for a good writing style.
3. 5 points for a plot that makes sense.
4. 5 points for character development in every book.
5. 5 points for good pacing.
6. 5 points for creating very diverse and realistic characters.

Let's begin.

1. Rick Riordan gets 5 points in this category. Take Annabeth and Percy, for example. They did just fine when they were apart. They were still really brave and strong without each other. However, when they're together, they are absolutely amazing. They even each other out and where one person isn't as strong (Ex: Percy and smarts) the other person makes up the difference. And they can function without each other. In Twilight: "Edward, I can't get the cereal box without you." "But Bella, you know how I am with cereal boxes! It's too dangerous!" That is not the case here.
2. 5 points. I like the writing style. There's a lot of humor in it, but it never feels like an overdose of it. I feel like this was slightly different in the Kane Chronicles, and I think that was just because I didn't care about the characters as much. And because Leo Valdez lives in the Percy Jackson universe, so . . .
3. 4.7 points. The overall plot makes perfect sense. Train young half god children, tell them to fight giants, have them fight giants, save the world. But there are some minor things in his writing that I just don't really believe could even happen in a magical universe. Also, the plot is usually pretty obvious. The characters have lots of interesting stories, but I don't feel like the books are very complicated.
4. Character development. 5 points. All of his characters developed. It's so good. So good.
5. 5 points. I'm never bored during his books. Ever.
6. THE CHARACTERS. 5 points. I'll post pictures of the characters below. Let's stay on topic for now, though.

Overall, Rick Riordan has a 29.7 out of 30. That's pretty good.
You might have seen me gushing about the characters above, so IF YOU HAVE NOT READ PERCY JACKSON, LEAVE

A-Z Marathon! Author of the Day: Lemony Snicket

*By the way, in the last post, I counted JK Rowling as 2, so that's why I'm doing L now. I didn't like much of the choices I had for K.

Lemony Snicket.
You may know him because he wrote A Series of Unfortunate Events. http://bookahooligans.blogspot.com/2014/05/books-to-both-read-and-burn.html He has a very unique writing style that makes the narrator become one of the characters, which is pretty cool, but also feels weird sometimes.

Okay, I just google-searched Lemony Snicket and my mind has been blown.

Here is who I thought Lemony Snicket would be: 
An old, sophisticated, slightly trollish British man. In the "About the Author" part of A Series of Unfortunate Events, it never showed a picture of him. And it had this weird story about Lemony Snicket having warrants for his arrest and stuff. I was young when I read the series, so I partially believed some of it.
I imagined that he would be a navy veteran or something, but that is not the case.




Here is who he actually is, which I didn't know until today:

His name is Daniel Handler. He's 44 years old, and he lives in California.
DANIEL HANDLER.
He is the complete opposite of what I imagined. Compare the picture of the old man above to Daniel Handler.
I'm sorry, but . . .
I'VE BEEN LIED TO MY ENTIRE LIFE
NOTHING WILL BE THE SAME

A-Z Marathon! Author of the Day: Beverly Cleary

I recently realized that most of the things I have read begin with A and T.

Beverly Cleary wrote all of the Ramona's World books, Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Socks, Ralph S Mouse, Dear Mr. Henshaw, and about forty other books. I used to love these books, so I'm kind of revisiting my childhood.

Anyway, I read a lot of these books when I was in third grade and I liked them. I wished I remembered them more so I could tell you more about the plot, but I can't, and I know that I have outgrown these books.

I read all of the Ramona books more than any of the others.
Basically, it's about a girl named Ramona who is a child and is growing up. Yeah. That's it.

There's a really simple plot, so simple there usually really isn't one at all, simply themes, clear messages, and basically other generic things you can find in children's books.

But Beverly Cleary introduced me to reading for pleasure, so I have to make a post about her books and how much they mean to me. I would read these things for hours at a time and she's written so much, so I had lots to choose from.

So, thanks Beverly Cleary. I encourage you to take a peek at these books if you haven't. Maybe read the first chapter. Remember what it's like to be a child.

Author of the Day: JK Rowling

Sigh . . .
I had to talk about JK Rowling eventually.
Do I even need to tell you that she wrote the Harry Potter series?
If I need to tell you what Harry Potter is, I will eviscerate you.
Unless you are four years old. You have an excuse then, but if you are four, then get off the internet.
Go play outside.
Be a part of the generation that will turn this world around.
Go save the universe.
Back on topic.


Don't get me wrong, I love the Harry Potter series. I wore a Quidditch t shirt today and I have this awesome Dobby t shirt and I own the entire series along with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages. I am a Harry Potter fan.

I just think that Harry Potter goes without saying. I don't feel like there's a need for me to talk about Harry Potter on this blog. So, because this is the Author of the Day segment, I'm just going to say that JK Rowling came up with a fantastic idea and made the most of it. So, because I'm guessing that you've read the entire series, here's some fandom art and memes below.
I know. I'm just mooching off of awesome and clever things that other people have made. Shame on me.
*By the way . . . Luna and Harry shippers: no.

Author of the Day: Brian Selznick

For those of you who don't know, Brian Selznick wrote The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck. He writes books that I don't usually read because most of his books have about 400 pages of illustrations and maybe 50 of words. But he pulls off the illustrations nicely and comes up with stories that are much different than the fantasy and dystopian that I usually read.
Below is a short thing about The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which will tell you enough about the author which is the purpose of this segment, but I also did a review of his other book, Wonderstruck, here: http://bookahooligans.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-book-that-i-feel-kind-of-conflicted.html

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

This book is about a boy named Hugo who lives in this room at the train station and works the clocks there. He has no family, and everybody thinks that his uncle is still working the clocks. Hugo is a bit of a thief, and he gets caught one day and is forced to give the guy he stole from his notebook. His notebook has all of these interesting drawings that he wants to keep somewhat secret, and that's where the story really begins.

I first read this book a few years ago because my brother had a copy of it lying around the house. I picked it up and I liked it. I didn't get enough out of the pictures the first time I read it and I would probably better understand now. However, I still enjoyed it. Being very young and not having any knowledge of art, I still really liked the details in the drawings and the fact that the book also had really neat photographs. This book is a feast for the eyes. I didn't think that the writing was spectacular, though. There just wasn't much style. I feel like Brian Selznick is more of a story teller and an illustrator than an author. My reason for saying this is that he can tell a story with pictures and photographs very well. Writing is just kind of what he does when he can't explain something with illustrations. There just isn't much style to the writing. Metaphors and interesting phrases are rare in this book. But the plot, while sometimes predictable, was interesting. During this book, there are times when you think "Hey . . . maybe that guy is not who he seems!"
but it's fulfilling when you find out what's actually going on because the author usually reveals some sort of secret with a picture. Overall, I liked this book and fell in love with the illustrations. I recommend you read it.

Author of the Day: Carolyn Keene

Carolyn Keene . . .
You may know her because she's the author of the Nancy Drew series, which is about a female detective.

Where this author succeeds:
-Creating a believable mystery
-Creating an interesting mystery with an expected ending
-Creating a very smart female detective

Where this author doesn't succeed:
-Lengthy and frequent descriptions. Ex: "Janet was a tall girl with impressive curves. Her hair was a peculiar shade of brown that was darker near her scalp and was quite mousy and usually tangled. Her eyes were the color of a bruise you would get after hang-gliding into the side of Mt. Everest and falling thousands of feet to your doom. Her mouth was usually in a smile that is almost identical to the mouths on Amazon boxes that get sent to your house when you order items online. Her ears were the same shape as elf ears like the ones you might see in various Santa Claus movies." And the frequent reminders: "Janet struggled to comb out the tangle in her long, brown hair." "Janet got a bruise that reminded her of the color of her eyes." But that's not too bad. I have nothing wrong with an author wanting their reader to know what the main character looks like, even though there's a picture of her on the cover.
-The filler. Imagine ordering a burger. The burger claims to be a juicy burger. When you get the burger, there are two thin slices of bread. There's a mountain of lettuce inside, a single shred of cheese, and at the very bottom, you can barely make out a sliver of the meat you actually ordered. That's what you get when you read these books. "Nancy said, 'Yes. Give me some time to figure out if the killer is truly a monstrous demon.' Then, Nancy went to the store and bought a silk cashmere cotton flannel dress with five glittery buttons. Sadly, it was out of her price range." Then you read about the rest of her shopping trip, and it's back to the fun stuff. There was a lot of a filler, and for the most part, the author tried to weave it into the story, but when I'm reading a book like this, the only suspense I want is the suspense of wondering who the killer is. I don't want to know which color dress Nancy will choose.
-Flat characters. Most of the characters are either good or evil. None of the villains seem to have soft spots, and Nancy doesn't seem to have many weaknesses.
-Not much character development. It's okay to start out with flat characters. Like Neville, from Harry Potter--he started out as a bit of a wimp and stayed that way for 95% of the series. But he developed. We found out why he was sorted into Gryffindor. But, back to Nancy Drew. I have not read the whole series, but I did read book 1 and book 54. Nancy was the same, and throughout the books, all of the characters kept their same values and didn't really change.
-It was agonizingly slow. Sometimes, when I read a book at one in the morning and fall asleep mid-chapter, that's fine. It's understandable. I start reading again as soon as I wake up. I would be enthralled in that book, despite the fact that I feel asleep.
Nancy Drew gave me a special experience, because I fell asleep reading this book during class. That is the ONLY time that has ever happened to me. At first, I was interested in the book, then I started casually leaning my head against my hand. Somewhere in between there, my eyes closed. Thirty minutes later, the teacher said "Time to fill out your reading logs!" And I jumped awake. She knew I had been sleeping. She knew.
And guess what? In all of that time I spent with the book, I had only progressed 5 pages. It was so slow and boring.

The Nancy Drew series is not for everyone. I still recommend it because it has potential, and I think that if you try hard enough, you will really enjoy these books. But for fantasy fanatics like me, don't read the series.

Author of the Day: Kate DiCamillo

Author of the Day is a new segment that I have that has mini book reviews about one certain author, basically.
Kate DiCamillo is an author that I have a love/hate relationship with. I don't dislike her books, but I don't like them so much either.
Here are some books that I read by her:

Because of Winn-Dixie

This book is about a girl named Opal who finds a dog . . . and makes friends . . . and has emotions . . . that's it.

You may have heard of this book. They made a movie out of it, in fact. Now, I don't think that most of Kate DiCamillo's books are worthy of being made into movies, but this book is about a dog, so Hollywood just said "Come on, guys. People spend their money on book to movie adaptations all of the time. And this one has dogs. Dogs." I digress.
I feel like this is one of Kate DiCamillo's best books because it has her usual quirky and interesting characters, but I feel like she gave each of them more complex stories (like the girl who always looks pouty) and it made them seem like real people, which I really like in all of her writing.
But there wasn't much of a plot. It was like "I made a sandwich. My mom used to eat sandwiches. *emotional turmoil* Okay. I'll do something lighthearted and endearing now." For about 200 pages. So . . . yeah.


The Tiger Rising

This book is about a boy named Robert who finds a tiger . . .  and meets a girl . . . and has emotions  . . . that's it.

This was the second book I read by Kate DiCamillo and I liked it. Sure, it had many similarities to Because of Winn-Dixie.
-It's about a kid who moves somewhere new with their single parent because their other parent died.
-Animals bring the characters happiness and an escape from their problems.
-Southern accents.
-Quirky characters with weird names.
-Kids who like to make strange metaphors that I suppose make sense somewhat
But the ending is a little different.
Overall, I liked this book. I read it in maybe two hours, probably less, but I don't feel like the length of a book measures how much you'll enjoy reading it.



The Magician's Elephant

This book is about a magician who accidently summons an elephant and cripples someone. Then this boy believes that the elephant can lead him towards his long lost sister because some shady fortune teller told him so. Fantastic.

I disliked this book. It just dragged on and on and on and on and I honestly didn't care what happened to the characters. I feel like it's one of those books that teaches you to just simply believe and it will be so. That's not quite how it works. The characters were quirky, but it was becoming a little old. I forget what happened to the elephant in the end, so I don't know what on earth the magician did with it. And you know what? I don't care.
The book was just screaming at me "The idea behind me is a little half-baked, but if I drag it out and add illustrations you might not notice . . ."
A lot of characters were introduced into the story, and I had a nice moment at the end when I realized "Ahhh . . . that makes sense." But up until then, the writing just felt weird and I didn't like it so much.



The Miraculous Journey or Edward Tulane

I haven't finished this book yet because I obtained it yesterday.
*Funny story, my favorite doll was once thrown off of a boat, too. So if it weren't for the nice people rafting nearby who retrieved my doll, she could have gone on an adventure.
Basically, this story is about a self-absorbed china rabbit who falls into the ocean and goes on an adventure.

I don't mind this book so far. It's not the most amazing book, but it doesn't suck so far. I think I prefer it over a few of Kate DiCamillo's other books because it crosses over into more of a fantasy story than her usual realistic fiction. I'm enjoying it so far, minus the creepy grandmother and the parents who are sheltering their seemingly bratty daughter. I'll find out soon enough.

All in all, I've read a lot of Kate DiCamillo's books and I can't really tell you for sure if I'm a fan of any of them. Of all of these, I would recommend Because of Winn-Dixie, because it's a quick and easy read and you might enjoy it. Kate DiCamillo is a decent author, so be sure to read at least one of her books.