Gwendy’s Button Box

Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King, 171 pages

“It's 1974 when 12-year-old Gwendy Peterson is offered a magic box by a man named Richard Farris, whom she meets at the top of one of the cliffside Suicide Stairs in Castle Rock, Maine. Farris wears a "small neat black hat" and seems to know just who Gwendy is and what she wants. Eight buttons grace the mahogany box he offers to Gwendy, and a lever dispenses silver dollars and intricate chocolates that Farris claims will help Gwendy lose weight and escape being called "Goodyear" by her classmates. Lose weight she does, but that's not all. Wonderful things keep happening in Gwendy's life, and she's happier than she's ever been. But when she decides to press one of the buttons, the consequences are horrendous. The novella follows Gwendy through high school and beyond, capturing the golden-hued joy of childhood and the wonder of friendship and first love, all under the shadow of temptation.” This was entirely creepy and I loved it.  Anyone who likes horror will love this book.

Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories

Auggie &Me: Three Wonder Stories by R.J. Palacio, 303 pages

These were actually three novellas about stories that happened concurrently with Palacio’s book, Wonder.  People that haven’t read Wonder would probably still like the stories but they probably wouldn’t have as much impact.  The first story, The Julian Chapter, is told from Julian’s point of view.  Julian bullied Auggie in Wonder and this story gives us a glimpse into his point-of-view.  The second story, Pluto, is told by Christopher, Auggie’s first friend from babyhood.  Christopher is introduced in Wonder but doesn’t have a large impact on the story.  His story about his friendship with Auggie rings true.  The last story is about Charlotte.  She was asked to be Auggie’s welcome buddy in Wonder and stepped up to the task.  This story is very much about everything else that was going on in Charlotte’s life at the time.  These were pretty terrific realistic stories.  Anyone who has read Wonder, which I would highly recommend, should read this book too.  Kids who like realistic stories will really enjoy it.

The Anatomy of Curiosity

The Anatomy of Curiosity by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton & Brenna Yovanoff, 286 pages

"The follow-up to the acclaimed title The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff. In an unassuming corner of Brooklyn, a young woman learns to be ladylike, to love context, and to speak her mind from a very curious sort of tutor. In a faraway land convulsed by war, a young soldier hears the desert's curious hum as he disarms bombs with the person he doesn't know how to love. In a place so shriveled by drought that any drowning is a curiosity, a young writer tries again and again to tread water beneath the surface of a vast and unusual sea. Three new stories--complete with commentary on the creative process--from three acclaimed young adult authors working at the height of their powers. Curious?"  I really liked all of these stories and the writer commentary was pretty cool too.  Stiefvater's story was my favorite but they were all good and one I would definitely recommend to teens who like fantasy or horror.

Through the Dark

Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken, 400 pages

I feel similarly about this series of three novellas (which fit after each of the books of the main trilogy, as entries 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5) to how I feel about the original three books (which began with The Darkest Minds). The first novella, "In Time," is the best of the three, and not only has the strongest message, but also the strongest emotional core. The second novella, "Sparks Rise," has at least one very peculiar plot point, and paints a picture so bleak that the tragedy almost gets repetitive. The third novella, "Beyond the Night," tries to strike a kind of balance between the two, only partially succeeds, and ends a bit too cleanly, given everything that leads up to it.

Taken as a whole, the three books and three novellas create a very well-realized world. At its best, it creates characters that you'll love and root for, and compelling (if not entirely unique) struggles for them to work through together. At its worst, it becomes predictable, dour, and almost (but not!) lifeless. In the end, though, even the weakest points kept me reading, and the best points make this a series worth recommending for those not already burnt out on YA dystopia.

In the story itself, quotes like this occasionally feel forced, but this one in particular does sum up the series as a whole:

"...we are stronger for what's happened to us... We have been given the gift of understanding that we can come through struggle and pain... We have learned that life is one journey, and the purpose is not to reach some treasure at the end of it, but to find the courage to decide which paths to take, who to travel with, and to let things fall into place as they should and will." -Beyond the Night, p.365

Amish Christmas at North Star

Amish Christmas at North Star: Four Stories of Love & Family by Cindy Woodsmall, Mindy Starns Clark and Emily Clark, Amanda Flower, and Katie Ganshert   400 pages

These four novellas are interrelated in that they revolve around four babies all born during a 2000 blizzard in North Star, Pennsylvania, to Amish couples. Midwife Rebekah Schlabach delivers the babies at her birthing center; just her and the new mothers-to-be. It was quiet a night.  All went well and the babies became known as Rebekah’s Babies. The years passed. It’s now 2015.

In the first novella, Guiding Star, author Katie Ganshert gets the ball rolling. Englischer Chase Wellington discovers an article about the babies in his mother’s attic. It seems that one of the babies and her mother disappeared shortly after she arrived. Chase is a freelance reporter and decides to investigate what happened to them.

In the second story, Mourning Star,Eden is a single woman working at her parents’ creamery, Dutch Village Fudge. Every day Isaac Yoder comes in to satisfy his sweet tooth. Eden and Isaac become friends; that’s all since he’s so much older. But when Isaac is killed by one of the horses he boards at his stables, Eden has a gut feeling it wasn’t an accident.

The third novella, In the Stars, Kore Detweiler isn’t Amish. He was ready to join the community, but after the third of Rebekah’s babies, Savilla Beiler, rejects him, he moves to Virginia. However, when he grandmother takes a fall and doesn’t regain consciousness right away, the family fears the worst. Kore heads home. He knows he will run into Savilla, but isn’t sure he can control his emotions.

In the final novella, Star of Grace, Andy Danner wants nothing to do with the North Star community after Nellie isn’t ready to marry him. He moved to Mississippi and prefers to stay there for the rest of his life. However, his younger brother Sam misses him. A lot. Andy agrees to come him if Sam earns the money to buy a ticket.

All the stories were well done. There isn’t a lot of tension in any of them. But readers usually know that when they pick up a book like this. Still, the stories have all the qualities necessary for a good story: good plot, a little romance, some mystery, and a moral. And since all take place at Christmas, it was a heartwarming read.

I give Amish Christmas at North Star 3 out of 5 stars. A nice read; nothing really special.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.