Mini Reviews

Quick, bite-sized reviews of fast, enjoyable reads!
A penny for thoughts, a snappy two-cent reflection! 

A Little in Love by Susan Fletcher

Publisher: Chicken House
Published: August 2015
Genre: young adult, historical fiction
ISBN: 9780545829601
Rating: ★★★
Summary: Paris, 1832. A girl lies alone in the darkness, clutching a letter to her heart. Eponine remembers being a child: her swing and the peach tree, and the baby brother she loved. But mostly she remembers being miserable. Taught to lie and cheat, and to hate the one girl, Cosette, who might have been her friend. Now, at sixteen, the two girls meet again, and Eponine has one more chance. But what is the price of friendship—the love of a boy?

Mini Review: Eponine’s story in Les Mis is probably my favorite, only because life is both wonderful and tragic for her. She manages to find love and passion in the midst of hatred, hunger, and revolution. A hopeless romantic to the core. Fletcher’s book shares Eponine’s childhood up to her death, her life with a cold, harsh family and how she is both jealous and admiring of Cosette. She’s a complex character, and through Fletcher’s simple writing Eponine manages to convey so much emotion. You want nothing but love for this poor creature.

This qualifies as book #7 in my resolution to read 10 library books in 2015. 

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Published: March 2010
Genre: middle grade, historical fiction
ISBN: 9780061791109
Rating: ★★★
Summary: Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children. Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must eliminate their canine tendencies. But who are these three wild creatures? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners and socially useful phrases in time for Lady Constance’s holiday ball? 

Mini Review: This felt like a child’s version of Jane Eyre meeting Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Wood occasionally talks to the reader, explaining grammar and offering nuggets of wisdom as little asides, before diving back into Penelope’s journey with the three wild children on this vast estate. What I loved most — and found a great deal of humor in — was Penelope’s teaching method for the children (Pavlovian method, anyone?), and how the children worked so hard to be tame while Lady Constance falls to pieces and turns wild. This is an excellent autumnal read, too, and it ends right at Christmas. A quick read, entertaining, and I’m curious to see what’s in store in the next book!

This qualifies as book #1 in my autumn reading challenge.