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I spent a lot of time in the car last week. Thankfully, audiobooks shortened the road and propped open my eyes. Since my mom and niece were along, and since we all have different reading tastes, I chose two middle-grade books at random. They turned out to be almost equally enjoyable but very different, and I'd recommend both Inside Out and Back Again and Liar and Spy for easy summer reads.
I expected Liar and Spy to be more mystery/external conflict and less emotional/internal conflict, but I did enjoy it a lot. The secondary characters are great (love me some secondaries!) and I especially liked the chapters set during science and gym class.
Inside Out and Back Again opens in Vietnam. I loved the way the author wove the Vietnamese culture throughout the story, and the main character is very likable. If you like bittersweet, this book is for you.
A funny thing about audiobooks: you don't see the formatting. I noticed a poetic feel to the short, almost dreamy chapters, but not until today did I use Amazon's "look inside" feature and realize the entire book is told in free verse! Wow. I love poetry, and I love middle-grade books, but I would never have willingly spent time on a combo of those two things. Had I picked this book up at the library, I would never have read it. ​But I'm really glad I did.
Just a reminder: there's one day left on my Goodreads giveaway, so if you haven't signed up, head on over and do so!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Growing Toward the Sunby Vila GingerichGiveaway ends May 25, 2018. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. My short memoir piece will be published in the June issue of Purpose magazine by Mennomedia. This issue's theme is Being Content, which immediately made me think of our adopted grandparents in Romania. Grandpa Dumitru and Grandma Aurica have less than most of us, but paradoxically are more content than most of us, too. "The Lord Giveth" tells the story of how we met them in dire circumstances, but with their contentment shining through.  |