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Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Nature of Jade

Today's Featurette:

The Nature of Jade
by: Deb Caletti



"I don't hold back my tears... Nature is never static, I understand. Change is ever-constant, clouds zipping across a sky. It is dynamic, complicated, tangled, mostly beautiful. A moving forward, something newly gained, means that something is lost, too... But I, like nature itself, am strong and resilient. Over the eons, pieces of me had been brave, and I can be brave too." (287)



Jade DeLuna has Panic Attacks and to survive in them she finds solstace in the things that give her peace, like the elephants at the local zoo. As she watches them through the web cam, she sees a boy in a jacket, a red jacket. She becomes fascinated with him and the boy he carries with him as they visit the zoo; and is drawn to them.

The Nature of Jade shows us the raw emotions of life. The effects of change and the true depths of human emotions. Caletti shows us the world of elephants as a mirror image of some of the deepest emotions, how they can feel what we feel as well. How our emotions all connect, and unwind in a flurry of actions and events.

Caletti once more brings out the raw power of emotion through her writing and pulls you forth to understand the strength in Jade and if you look hard enough, the strength you can find in yourself.

Rating:
*****
[I still... need to find a neat little widget or something to rate!]
;} -the Dizzy says Toodalou!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

On Pointe

Today's Featurette:


On Pointe
by: Lori Ann Grover



The book was simpy amazing! It is written in verse and narrated by the protagonist, Clare Moller. Her dream is to dance in the City Ballet Company and for years she had strived towards that goal, watching all she does, practicing, waiting for her chance to audition... and finally, soon the day is to arrive. But doubt creeps into her mind, what if she can't? What if she doesn't make it and she can't be a dancer?

Lori Ann has crafted a beautiful novel of pain and beauty and grace as well. Of coming to grips with one-self and learning to accept loss and the new things along the way you learn through it. I recommend it well, not just for dancers or lovers of ballet, but for all those who have lost something. On Pointe teaches you that yes, lost is inevitable and things may never turn out like you want them to be; but along the way you can find something you never knew before and come out better than what you would been.

Rating:
**** */2
[I need to find a neat little widget or something to rate!]


;} -this is the Dizzy signing out!

Friday, January 25, 2008

The Young Adult Literature Contest

So much about not blogging while I figure things out.

I've decided for now to dedicate some bloggin efforts to this challenge posted here: http://theshadyglade.blogspot.com/

So let's see what I shall read to fill in that void:

1: Contemporary/Realistic Fiction: The Rules of Survival-- Nancy Werlin
2: Poetry, Drama, Humor: On Pointe-- Lori Ann Grover
3: Sports, Mystery, Supernatural/Paranormal: Ink Exchange-- Melissa Marr
4: Fantasy or Science Fiction: Wintersmith-- Terry Pratchett
5: Historical Fiction: The Luxe-- Anna Godbersen (if I can get a copy after all)
6: Nonfiction: Under the Black Flag-- David Cordingly
7: Classic ''juvenile" fiction: 1984-- George Orwell
8: Graphic Novel: The entire MARS series
9: Audiobook: either Sense and Sensibility-- Jane Austen

For the other 14 I'm thinking of so far reading:

-The Bronx Masquerade-- Nikki Grimes
-All Hallow's Eve-- Vivian van Velde
-Girl Overboard-- Justina Chen Headley
-Into the Wild-- Sarah Durst
-The Garden of Eve-- KL Going
-Firgirl-- Tony Abbott
-The Singer of All Songs-- Kate Constable
-The Perks of Being A Wallflower-- Stephen Chbosky

...and I'll have some more ideas later...

Cha!

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Behold! the Dizzy

I hereby christen the Behold! the Dizzy blog!

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May it do well in its endeavors and such and such...


Hoorah! Hoorah! HOORAH!



Well, this is as far as I'll go for now. See this 'blogging' nonsense is new to me. And I'd like my page to be in tip-top shape before I really get started.


I guess I'm truly just sick of it being blank!


Well, Au Revoir and welcome to Behold! the Dizzy. I'll be your server, how my I help you? ... scratch that.... me! [wink]



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