Book Review: Karma Bites

Title: Karma Bites

Authors: Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

From Goodreads

Her best friends aren’t speaking, her parents just divorced, and her hippie grandmother has moved in. The only karma Franny’s got is bad karma.

Then Franny gets her hands on a box of magic recipes that could fix all of her problems. It could even change the world! Finally, life is looking up.

But Franny is about to learn that magic and karma aren’t to be played with. When you mess with the universe, it can bite back in unexpected ways.

Ouch!

My Review

This was such a cute book!  Ok at first it had the cringe factor for me.  Not the writing or anything like that but because of Franny's actions.  Once she learns of her grandmother's "magic" box that can give her ways to "fix" things I cringed left and right at what she decides to do.  As an outsider I knew it wasn't going to work but was helpless to stop her! Her actions just made me cringe! That said, I really liked Franny.  As a 7th grade teacher Franny rang true for me.  She just wanted to blend, to fit in, to not stand out in a way that might make her noticed and targeted.  She knew she needed to wear the right clothes, do the right thing and not rock the boat.  I see that with a lot of my students.  So when she feels like life isn't going her way, it's not a suprise that she does things that, to an outsider, might seem crazy. But because she's so realistic they are understandable.  I also liked that I could see how Franny was giving up parts of herself for her friends.  Because she was torn between two friends and wanting to make them both happy, she wasn't doing anything for herself.  She didn't get to do what she wanted to do.  I see that happening with some of my students - not to this degree but it's there. I think this will help them relate to Franny even more.

In the end what I really like about the book was the message within the chaos Franny creates. Franny learns there are no easy fixes. What seems like an easy solution may actually make it worse.  She's told over and over by her mother, grandmother and even Lama Tensing Pasha to talk to her friends about how she feels.  Of course she ignores them and goes to extreme measures that backfire. In the end she does learn that fixing something is best done through the simplest means - it may not be what you want to do, but it's the best way to go.  What a great lesson!!  There is also a secondary lesson about being true to who you are.  Franny's friends Joey and Kate know that - each having their own style.  It's Franny that has to figure out that's ok, and they don't need to change to fit in. This is something girls this age struggle with all the time.

There were a couple of things I wasn't over excited about in the book.  I didn't like the slang her friend Kate used.  I found it hard to read and a bit over done.  Also the social ladder in the school was a bit much.  I know it's there, but not in such an obvious way.  These are minor things that didn't take away from the over all enjoyment of the book, but I did notice them.

Final thought: Cute book about what happens when we try to change things to the way we want them

Best for readers who: are girls in 5-7th grade
Best stick-with-you image: The english teacher dancing to Katy Perry!
Best for ages: 9-13

Don't forget that this is one of the books up for grabs for the In the Middle Reading Challenge update.

Make sure to share your reviews. You can still join!!!

 If you pick this book the authors have offered to send a SIGNED copy plus some cool swag!!!!!

Here's the trailer for it.  And make sure to check out the Karma Bites website.

Waiting on Wednesday - Hero

This is inspired by a meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. In this post I talk about books yet to be released that I'm excited about OR already published book's I've seen that I'm really wanting to read. I also like to try and find books other bloggers aren't sharing so that more books are shared!

This week I'm waiting on:

 

Hero by Mike Lupica

Release Date: November 9, 2010

 

Mike Lupica has been known for his sports books.  I've had many many boys read his books and really enjoy them.  This one seems to be a step away from that.  I'm curious to see how well it goes over.

 

From Goodreads
Fourteen-year-old Billy Harriman can feel the changes. The sharpening of his senses. The incredible strength. The speed, as though he can textmessage himself across miles. The confidence and the strange need to patrol Central Park at night. His dad had been a hero, a savior to America and a confidante of the president. Then he died, and the changes began in Billy. What Billy never knew was that his father was no ordinary man-he was a superhero, battling the world's evil. This is a battle that has been waged for generations and that knows no boundaries. And now it's Billy's turn to take on the fight. It's Billy's turn to become a hero.

So those of you that have read Mike Lupica - what do you think?????

In the Middle Reading Challenge Update +Giveaway Time

Hey everyone it's time to update your In the Middle Reading Challenge progress! Using Mr. Linky below please link to any reviews you've written since our last update.  Here's the link to that update if you can't remember what you linked last time.

If you still want to join the challenge you can!!!! Here's the link to the info on the challenge :)

 If you don't have a blog you can leave links to reviews at places like Goodreads, Shelfari or Amazon etc.

My MG reads have been:

(linked to my review or Goodreads if I haven't reviewed yet)

Mamba Point

Mackenzie Blue

Karma Bites

Bran Hambric

A Place for Delta

Countdown

Middleworld: The Jaguar Stones

Up for grabs is your choice of:

Any of the books listed above :)

You'll need to wait for Karma Bites - it's not out yet.

A runner up will win some various swag.

Open to US residents only.

Ends Aug 10.

Blog Tour: Jaguar Stones an Interview with Jon and Pam Voelkel

Today I have the honor of interviewing J&P Voelkel authors of The Jaguar Stones: Middleworld. 

 I reviewed the book about and month ago.  You should go read the review! In short - I liked it :) 

 Since then The Jaguar Stones was selected by The Today Show as it's children's book club pick.  A perfect choice I thought!

So without further ado - here's a bit of what they had to say.

1. My students hate revising what they've written. How many revisions, or how long did you spend, revising The Jaguar Stones?

Your students wouldn’t believe how many times we revised the manuscript – at least twenty times, maybe more. Some of it was due to our evolving knowledge of the Maya, but most of it was due to plot refinements. The story changed a lot and so did the characters. Some went from good to bad or vice versa, one even went from male to female. Whole episodes got cut to make the story flow faster. There’s a real satisfaction in editing: it’s like you’ve written the music and you’re a choreographer asking your characters to try out some new dance steps. Sometimes when you watch what they do or hear what they say in your head, the characters edit themselves. It’s also a good idea to read your work out loud to find any clunky bits. I know your students don’t want to hear this, but the first draft is never any good. Revisions make the book.

2. I really like that there is a strong girl character in the book, Lola. Did you set out to make sure she was great role model for girl readers?

Lola is not just a strong girl character – she’s something very rare in children’s literature, a strong Maya girl. But she’s no noble savage; she’s savvy about the modern world and she’s smarter than Max most of the time. We wanted to show that there are many different ways to live your life, and newer isn’t automatically better. Lola doesn’t have all the answers, but she understands the importance of being connected to the world around her. She has an intelligent and practical approach that sees her through. Because she’s not as reliant as Max on technology, she is able to cope better. But Lola has her own identity issues. And like many Maya today, she’s caught between the old and new.

3. Is Max based on anyone or complete fiction?

In many ways, Max is based on Jon as a child. Jon had a very adventurous childhood in Latin America, but he always wanted to live in a city and eat fast food and have all the latest gadgets. But he took a lot longer than Max to reassess his priorities!

4. I was excited to see The Jaguar Stones picked by the Today Show for their kids' reading series. How did you learn about this, and what was your first reaction?

The publisher’s PR company called us two days before Al Roker announced it, but we were sworn to secrecy. We were dancing round the office at home. When it sank in and we realized we’d have to go on The Today Show, my next reaction was sheer terror!

5. Who are your favorite authors?

Jon likes Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Pamela likes Harper Lee.

Thanks Jon and Pamela for taking time to answer my questions! Can't wait to hear more about The Jaguar Stones!