Dead To You - Lisa McMann

Dead To You by Lisa McMann

I read this book a while back, in March I think.
And then it got lost somewhere in a pile.
I found it this morning and flipped through it to remind myself of what it was.

And this is one that I really, really liked.
It's almost a mind eff book, but there's a little piece of you that knows what's going to happen even if you don't want to it to, or even want to admit that it's possible.

I feel like I remember typing out Lisa McMann's name, but I don't think I have.
I think this might be one of the ones I tried to start writing about, had formatting issues, got frustrated, deleted and forgot about it.
But I think I've found a way around my formatting issues, so we shouldn't forget anymore.

Short synopsis:

Ethan De Wilde was abducted when he was seven, and now at sixteen he's finally found his way back home.
After living with Ellen for most of his life, and being homeless for the last few years, coming back to his family is a huge transition, for him and his family.
But mostly for his little brother Blake.
Ethan is having a hard time remembering anything at all from his first seven years of life, and Blake catches on quickly.
Ethan's anxiety attacks don't help either.
Blake's tactics for debunking Ethan's identity continue to tear their family apart when the unthinkable happens.
And. You have to read it to find out!

This was another one of those books that I picked because of the tragedy.
Although I think everyone is drawn to those what happened during the abduction books, or life after coming home books.

Credit:
Amazon - in case you're into buying
Lisa McMann - author website

Read A-like:

Girl, Stolen - April Henry  (This is a 'during the abduction' book)
 

Read on.
Jessica.

Janie Face to Face - Caroline B. Cooney

Janie Face to Face by Caroline B. Cooney

I just finished this this past week. It might be the only book I read in February. School sucks!!!
I'll make up the 18 books I haven't read yet this summer, don't you worry.

So I have to introduce this book big time!
This is book five in a series that was born the same year I was.
I read them in middle school.

I'm not real sure where to start....

The Face on the Milk Carton, 1990
Janie Johnson, sees her three year old self on a milk carton while eating lunch.
Her real name is Jennie Spring.
She was kidnapped from a mall.
This first book is anxiety ridden, and abrupt.
It chronicles Janie as she finds out, researches, freaks out, double checks, and then confronts her parents about the kidnapping.
There is a logical explination.
(and also there is Reeve, the boy next door.)
The end.

Whatever Happened to Janie?, 1993
Janie/Jennie is forced to go live with her biological parents.
I do not remember as much from this book.
She isn't happy with the Spring's and decides that she has the right to move back with her adoptive parents.
There was never supposed to be a second Janie book.
This book answers much of Caroline B. Cooney's fan mail.

The Voice on the Radio, 1996
The kidnapping is old news.
Janie/Jennie's life is settling back down.
Reeve, the boy next door, is away at college.
And he has a job at the campus radio station.
He is supposed to talk inbetween songs, but he doesn't know what to say.
So he tells the only story he knows. Janie's. And Janie finds out.
He made me mad. I hated him for hurting Janie. (I get pretty caught up sometimes.)
I don't remember ever finishing this one.
There was never supposed to be a third book either. (Do you see a pattern??)

What Janie Found, 2000
Janie/Jennie is living life as best she can.
She decides to speak to Reeve again.
And then her Conneticut father has a stroke.
This leaves Janie to help her mother with the family finances.
As she get their affairs in order, she finds some information that only her and two other people know about.
I don't remember much about this book either, but it's anxiety ridden again. (This poor girl needs some meds)
There wasn't supposed to be a fourth book. (Forrealllll, it says that in the back of the fifth book)

Drum Roll Please!!!!!


Janie Face to Face, 2013
There are two sides to every story.
Janie/Jennie is away at college in New York.
She doesn't use social media. She's had enough media to last her a lifetime.
Her friends do.
Her kidnapper does.
I can't give anything else away. It hasn't even been out on the shelves for a month.

I reallllllly reallly liked it. Especially considering the other three after TFOTMC didn't really do a whole lot for me. I even tried to reread them all before Face to Face came out. Janie was making me anxious. :) It's the perfect ending for the fifth book that wasn't supposed to be written.
If you read it make sure you read the aithors note in the back, she kind of explains why there ended up beng five.

There is also a short story. I will be reading that, as soon as I remember to look for it on the eLibrary.

Credit:
Amazon - in case you're into buying
Caroline B. Cooney - author website

Read A-likes:
What Janie Saw - Caroline B. Cooney (short digital novella)
1-800-WHERE-R-YOU Series - Meg Cabot

Read on.
Jessica.

The Raft - S. A. Bodeen

The Raft by S. A. Bodeen

 

I read this back in January. It's the only book I managed to read for fun.

I took a Winter minimester class that kicked my butt, and I only had one week day off before the Spring semester started.

 

This book was recommended to me by Darrell, my friend at CCPL.

Basically, he emailed me that he put it on hold for me, and one day it just showed up.

It pays to have friends at your favorite place.

 

When I went to see him the other day we discussed The Raft.

 

I personally loved it. It was a total mind eff at times, but I really really liked it.

 

We spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out what book is strikingly similar to this one.

But we couldn't figure out which one it is.

I had reading deja vu while reading it, but it was just published in August of 2012.

 

Short synopsis:

 

Robie (In my head I pronounced it Robbie/Robby, but who knows) lives in Hawaii. She travels frequently by herself. This particular trip though is different. The supply plane she's on goes down in the Pacific. She manages to hang on until she's rescued, but there are few twist and turns that aren't expected, and a few moments when you second guess your own comprehension of the story. It ends fairly well, as well as a plane crash book can end.

 

I read it in a matter of a few hours.

It is a quick read. But it's a good one.

The imagery is amazing, it does deal with quite a bit of death, but it does it gracefully.

You are rarely smacked in the face with it, even though it is a plane crash book.

I highly recommend it.

 

Credit:

Amazon - in case you're into buying

S. A. Bodeen - author website

 

Read A-likes:

 

(I may not always do these, but Darrell and I talked about them, so I figured I could put them up.)

 

The Cay - Theodore Taylor, 1969

Far North - Will Hobbs, 1996

Hatchet - Gary Paulsen, 1987

 

I read all three of these in elementary school and middle school, but they each are fantastic books!

Read on.

Jessica.