The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an inspiring journey that teaches readers to follow their Personal Legend.

The story is a parable about life and how so many people settle for less than their dreams.

We follow the story of a young shepherd boy who desires to search for treasure. Will he choose to follow his dream? If he does, will he make it to his goal?

Coelho talks about “Beginner’s Luck”, saying that when a person sets out to achieve their life dreams, the whole universe comes together to try to help. Then, at the end of the journey, the universe tests everything it has taught us.

I want to share with you a piece of my favorite part of the book (being the romantic that I am), but I’m not going to share the whole scene because I don’t want to spoil anything…

“At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him…when he saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke—the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in the heart. It was love.” P. 92

I recommend The Alchemist because it is a quick, inspiring read that can be read on a very basic level or on a more philosophical level.

The Alchemist is meant for adults, but it is perfectly clean and appropriate for teens as well.

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

Review by me, Emily

My other blog: Whimsy Books

I'm a little bit torn about this book. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it. It's funny, meaningful, creative, compelling, thoughtful, realistic, and hopeful. It's a teen version of the "miracle books" I've talked about before, like The Wednesday Letters, Letters for Emily, and the Blue Bottle Club.

There is a difference, though...and, despite how wonderful Jeremy Fink is, and how well written, I admit that this difference is bothering me a bit.

The adult miracle books I have mentioned all incorporate God into the meaning of life. To me, God and the meaning of life go hand-in-hand and cannot exist without the other.

There are a couple brief mentions of religion in Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life...but these almost make it worse. I think the story would have been better without addressing religion at all than the way it was done. Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, have some time to kill and wander into a church where they are healing people. They leave more confused than ever but don't really talk about what was confusing.

Anyway, the book was wonderful. I just feel like it is missing something. God. It still has a great message (enjoy every moment of life), but, in my opinion, lacks the bigger picture. I certainly don't think all novels need to talk about God. I read more regular fiction than Christian fiction, but I feel that talking about the meaning of life without God is a little bit...empty.

So, you may be wondering why I am reviewing it at all since I don't review books I'm not excited to share...well, I AM excited to share this one. I just want to be upfront about what you are getting into.

Jeremy Fink is almost thirteen when a package arrives for his mother. Encouraged by his best friend, Lizzy, he opens the box to find another box. A beautiful wooden box engraved with the words, "The Meaning of Life, For Jeremy Fink to open on his thirteenth birthday." The ornate box is accompanied by a note that says the four keys (one for each side) have been lost.

As you can imagine, an adventure begins. Jeremy, who is afraid of subways, has a mutant candy collection, and sweats peanut butter, is the ultimate fun character. Wendy Mass has nailed his voice. He takes us on his quest to understand the meaning of life. He wonders what is wrong with himself that he never pondered the meaning of life before.

The journey takes Jeremy and Lizzy to a fortune-teller, a Natural History museum, a comic shop, an abandoned law firm, and even to a makeshift police office.

Despite my one minor reservation about it, I am recommending Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. Check it out. I bet you'll love it.

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

Hope was Here by Joan Bauer

“Hope was here.” Those three simple words are how sixteen-year-old Hope marks her presence in a place she is about to leave, and Hope has made her mark in quite a few places as she and Addie, the aunt with whom she lives, travel around the country. The last place they left was Brooklyn, where Addie, a professional cook, was part-owner in the Blue Box Diner. When her business partner skips town with all the diner’s money, Addie and Hope have no choice but to move on. Their destination: Mulhoney, Wisconsin, where a job awaits Addie at the Welcome Stairways Diner.

After the bustle of Brooklyn, Hope doesn’t have high expectations for Mulhoney, feeling sure she will not fit into small town life. But she couldn’t be more wrong. In addition to waiting tables at the diner, Hope gets involved in local politics, helping her boss, G. T. Stoop, run for mayor. In her work on G.T.’s campaign, Hope sees both the best and worst in people, and finds something she has always wanted in an unexpected place. Hope truly is here, in so many ways. This is a heartwarming story, liberally sprinkled with humor. Recommended for age 12 and up.

Review by Lina

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

I personally didn’t love Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, but I’m reviewing it anyway because I know a lot of people do love it. Stargirl is on virtually every list of clean teen books I have ever seen.

I think the problem was that I was confused about what I was getting myself into. The book cover (and many reviewers) call Stargirl “magical”, but she isn’t. Not in the traditional way. She’s a wonderful non-conformist character who changes the lives of those around her through her personality, not magic.

When Stargirl starts going to school at Mica Area High School, everyone notices her. She wears pioneer dresses, strums her ukulele, carries her pet rat, and serenades her classmates on their birthdays. Slowly, people start to wonder why they conform to be like the popular crowd and Stargirl becomes the most popular girl in school. Of course, Stargirl is genuine and couldn’t care less that she is popular.

But Stargirl turns out to be too weird to be popular. (Her classmates blame homeschool for her obliviousness about how to be normal.) The school shuns her when she cheers for both teams at the basketball games.

Stargirl’s story is told by Leo, who is fascinated by her. Even when she falls from popularity, Leo stands by her. But he has a lot to learn about himself before he can fully understand what an amazing person Stargirl is. Will he truly understand her before it is too late?

Stargirl reminds me of Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember, only Stargirl is much quirkier.

Honestly, I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I hadn’t expected elements of fantasy. If I had gone in knowing it was realistic fiction, I probably wouldn’t have been looking for more. I may have felt satisfied with this well-written story about a girl who changes lives for the better by being completely selfless and genuine.

If you enjoy this book, look for the sequel, Love, Stargirl.

Review by me, Emily.

whimsy books

Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller

Miller, Sarah. 2007. Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller.

I don't quite remember when I first saw the movie The Miracle Worker, but I do remember it making a great impact on me. I remember being fascinated with finger spelling, particularly the famous w-a-t-e-r and d-o-l-l. I do know that at some point afterwards, I learned the alphabet. It's something I still know to this day, though I don't place too much confidence on my being able to remember "x" or "z"or "q" on demand. But there is something about this story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan that has always fascinated me. So when I first read about Miss Spitfire, I was excited. Very excited. I wanted to track down a copy of this book quickly. Very quickly.

But enough about my pre-reading activity. What did I think of Miss Spitfire? I loved it. Absolutely loved it. True, I was already interested in the story. Already compelled to love it based on my prior history, but Sarah Miller's writing was remarkable. I not only fell in love with the story. I fell in love with how she told the story.

"I'm not sure I can do this job. Yet a part of me understands Helen better than she does herself. I'm no stranger to frustration, anger, isolation. I wonder, though, how Helen can be content to deprive herself of my affection? The thought of her indifference makes my throat sting, yet I can't help feeling drawn to her. If I could only touch her heart, I know I could reach her mind. But she won't even let me hold her hand." (43)

"It seems nothing I do comes out right. But in my heart I know what's right for Helen: obedience, love, and language. Come what may and hell to pay, I'll find a way to give her all three." (64)

Annie Sullivan is a young woman on a mission. Her job? To teach a child--a six year old child--who is blind, deaf, and dumb. It won't be easy. There has only been one successful case in the past to base their hopes and dreams on: Laura Bridgman. But Annie is strong-minded and determined. She'll need every ounce of stubborness she has if she's going to master the willfullness of Helen. Used to getting her own way, Helen runs wild. And as Annie soon points out, the family expects better behavior from the dogs than they do their young daughter. Helen has never been disciplined a day in her life--at least since an illness left her blind and deaf. This journey from despair to hope, from chaos to communication, is an important one. It is full of emotion--as day by day Annie struggles to teach and love a child who fails to comprehend the meaning of words altogether. Anger. Frustration. Rage. Joy. Happiness. Fear. Hope. Despair. It's all here. Annie and Helen. This is their story. And for the record, I loved, loved, loved the ending. It was oh-so-magical.

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