Review Mashup #1: Short "EH!" Books



Little Women and Me
By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
★★☆☆☆
40%
Middle Grade
312 pages

Blurb
Emily March is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe one thing she'd change about a classic novel, Little Women is an easy choice. After all, if Emily can't fix things in her own family, she might as well bring a little justice to the other March sisters. Perhaps she can--spoiler alert!--keep Beth from dying? Or maybe she can prevent the boy next door from winding up with Amy instead of Jo? But when Emily gets mysteriously transported into the 1860s world of the March sisters, she discovers that righting fictional wrongs won't be as easy as she thought... especially when she develops a crush on the very boy she planned to save for Jo. After being immersed in a time and place so different from her own, Emily--and not the March sisters--may be the one who undergoes the most surprising change of all. Lauren Baratz-Logsted's winning confection is a journey of self-discovery that will appeal to fans of Little Women as well as anyone who enjoys time travel or a modern twist on an old favorite.

My Thoughts

I thought that this book would be cute, but I didn’t like this much.

I felt that Emily did not fit well into this story, and she was the protagonist. Emily acted petty and she acted way too young for who she actually was. Emily also did not fit well with the original Little Women characters, and I much prefered them. Emily was just a big source of annoyance for me.

This book’s best part was how quickly I could finish it

I could read this book fairly quickly, and it was way too predictable. I had already read Little Women before this, and I felt that it was even too predictable for something based on another book. I also did not like how spontaneous and random the plot and story. This book was all over the place and in everything. In conclusion, I would not recommend this book. If the concept of this sounds interesting, read the original book.
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The Lost Track of Time
By: Paige Britt
★★★☆☆
65%
Middle Grade Book
306 pages

Blurb
A magical fantasy, an allegorical cautionary tale, a feast of language, a celebration of creativity--this dazzling debut novel is poised to become a story for the ages! Penelope is running out of time! She dreams of being a writer, but how can she pursue her passion when her mother schedules every minute of her life? And how will she ever prove that writing is worthwhile if her mother keeps telling her to "get busy!" and "be more productive"? Then one day, Penelope discovers a hole in her schedule--an entire day completely unplanned!--and she mysteriously falls into it. What follows is a mesmerizing journey through the Realm of Possibility where Penelope sets out to find and free the Great Moodler, the one person who may have the answers she seeks. Along the way, she must face an army of Clockworkers, battle the evil Chronos, take a daring Flight of Fancy, and save herself from the grip of time. Brimming with clever language and masterful wordplay, The Lost Track of Time is a high-stakes adventure that will take you to a place where nothing is impossible and every minute doesn't count--people do!

My Thoughts

This book had some cute aspects, but was too reminscent of other books for my personal taste.

I really liked Penelope, and I thought that she was a cute character. Penelope also developed a lot as a character during the course of this story. However, this was one of the only things that I thought was original in this book. This book felt very reminiscent of The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice in Wonderland, and I didn’t like the vibe it gave. I also felt that the rest of this book wasn't too original either. The whole book just felt meh to me, and I just would have liked it more when I was younger. The illustrations and the illustration style were another one of the few parts that I did like.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book to middle graders, fantasy fans, and people in the mood for something that is not amazing.

Comments

  1. CG @ Paper FuryDecember 23, 2015 at 2:15 AM

    I get annoyed with books when they sound too heavily like another book. XD And that happens a LOT to me because I read so much, heheh. So I wonder if I'd get frustrated at The Lost Track of Time, too? (I loved The Phantom Tollbooth when I was a kid! :D)
    Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownDecember 23, 2015 at 1:55 PM

      When a book is slightly reminiscent of another book, I usually enjoy it, but The Lost Track of Time just felt like a watered-down version of The Phantom Tollbooth. Thanks for reading!

      Delete

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