"Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

I first read this book about five years ago.  I got really into it and planned to finish the series right then and there.  Sadly, life got in the way and that just didn't happen.  So now I am attempting again.  My very first experience with this book was seeing part of the Lifetime movie (I didn't get to finish it, but if I come across a copy of it, I would like to).  Years later when I picked up the book, it sparked memories and I realized that this was the inspiration for said movie.  From what I did see (and remember), I prefer the book.

Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt, opens with four children on their way to their great-aunt's home.  Their mother had pulled into the mall parking lot and they were told to wait for her to return.  There's just one problem- she doesn't come back.  Eventually the four, led by oldest sister Dicey, set out on foot to get to their aunt's with hope that their mother will be waiting for them.  The majority of the book is dedicated to how to manage to get food, find places to sleep and the people they meet that help (or don't) them on their journey.  The rest of the book follows what happens when they make it to their destination and discover it isn't what they were looking for and where they go from there.

Parts of this book are hard to get through.  There are times when it seems rather long and drawn out.  But I suppose this makes sense as the children's journey is also long and drawn out.  I was never bored reading it, but there were several times that I felt like skipping ahead just because the time focused on walking and traveling does get a little tiresome after awhile.  I must say, I am impressed with the way Dicey, James, Maybeth and Sammy come together when they are abandoned by their mother.  Though it would be very easy to just give up and fall apart, they form a bond like no other that helps them on their journey.  Though she is only thirteen, Dicey has a real sense of survival and does a good job at mothering and providing for her siblings.  At times their predicament is a bit unbelievable, but I can imagine that if in this sort of situation, this is how someone would react.  I am slowly working my way through the entire series and so far recommend it (at the very least, give this one a try).

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Balto and the Great Race" by Elizabeth Cody Kimme

I was rather young when I first saw the movie Balto.  Like many of kids my age, I became rather obsessed with the movie.  What can I say, I am a dog person (on my desk I have several photos.  One is of my boyfriend.  Three are of my dog. Enough said).  It wasn’t too much longer that I found out that the movie is based (based) on true events.  I never did much research into those events until recently.  I came across Elizabeth Cody Kimmel’s Balto and the Great Race while looking for something to read on my Kindle.   This is a beginning reading book so of course it was a very simple read, but in a good way.  It covered the facts of the famous dogs’ journey to Nome, Alaska to deliver antitoxin serum to children sick with diphtheria.  It acknowledged that there were many people and dogs involved and not just Balto.  I appreciated that it was very upfront with the information and didn’t try to spin it in a way that made Balto the only hero.  I didn’t become interested in history until I was in middle school but I think that had I read more books like this one, I would have become interested in such subjects at a much earlier age.  I like that this book is aimed at young readers without being dumbed down.   

 I think that it would be very interesting to introduce this to a young reader and have them watch the movie as well.  This would start a conversation comparing the two mediums and get constructive thinking started at an early age.  Though I was certainly not the intended audience for this book, I enjoyed it quite a bit and highly recommend it!

Happy Reading!

-Melly

"The Vow: The True Events that Inspired the Movie" by: Kim & Krickitt Carpenter

The release of The Vow was a bit of a big thing in my hometown, stands to reason as the couple that inspired the movie live here.  Now, I haven't seen the movie yet so this review is based solely on the book (I plan on watching it at some point and have a feeling I will need to do a movie/book comparison post, but we'll see).

I read the book because of the hype surrounding the movie and because I was interested in the story.  Let's say that this book is...interesting.  The story itself is absolutely fascinating.  Kim & Krickitt Carpenter had only been marred a few months when the couple were involved in a horrific traffic accident that wiped Krickitt of her memories of the past year and half- therefore leaving her with no idea who her husband was.  Learning that a couple could go through something like that but still manage to stay together and have a happy family is wonderful and inspiring.  Likely you have either seen a news piece on television or an article in a magazine about this couple.  In a  way I wish that the documentation was left at that.

I found the book itself a little boring.  Not everyone is a writer, and there is nothing wrong with that, but if you aren't a writer, don't write a book...  Even though the story is fascinating, the way it is told is a bit dry and dull.  It almost comes across as though Kim has told their account so many times that there isn't much emotional attached as he wrote about the events (and the book is pretty much solely from Kim's point of view with journal entries from Krickitt ).  I also struggled with Krickitt 's commitment to Kim. While I have to applaud her for not abandoning him since she had no memory of him, I can honestly say that I would have a hard time if I were put into a similar situation.  The book goes into the detail of the struggle to rebuild their relationship (it's not like Krickitt went back to what everyone told her was "normal" without questioning anything) but I couldn't help but imagine myself in that situation and know that I wouldn't have mad the same choices.

I don't feel that I wasted my time by reading this book, but after reading other reviews from those that picked up the book because they enjoyed the movie, I feel that this book is going to be a letdown for many readers.  I would suggest checking it out at the library before rushing out to buy a copy.

Happy Reading!
-Melly