Scumble by Ingrid Law

To read my review of Savvy please click here: Savvy.
To read Stephanie's review of Scumble please click here: Scumble.


Title: Scumble (Companion to Savvy)
Author: Ingrid Law
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Junior/MidGrade Fiction
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Mibs's cousin Ledge is disappointed to discover that his "savvy"--the magical power unique to each member of their family--is to make things fall apart, which endangers his uncle Autry's ranch and reveals the family secret to future reporter Sarah." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I LOVE this book. I loved the first one, Savvy, and the joy continues on in this companion book. I guess it is considered a "companion" book rather than a sequel as it deals with a cousin of Mibs from the first book and the struggle he undergoes trying to learn how to control his savvy. This book also takes place a good 9+ years after the first one does. I loved that we still get to see some of the same characters from the first one as side characters in Scumble.

I really loved Ledger and what he learns about himself and how he grows along the way. I found Sarah Jane (SJ) to be a quirky character that added some intrigue. As much as I loved Ledger, I think my overall favorite character has to be Rocket (Mib's brother) and how he grows by watching the struggles that Ledger undergoes. Overall, I found Scumble a highly satisfying and fun read. You should really check it out (but first read Savvy so that things make sense).

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Title: Frankenstein
Author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Horror
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Murder
Premise: "Tells the story of a scientist who discovers the secret of generating life from lifeless matter, and puts this knowledge to use by creating a monster being." (King County Library System)
Opinions: We read this book for the book club I'm in this month to celebrate Halloween. Let me tell you, the story of Frankenstein is not like what most people think it is. It is much more interesting. If you want to read a clean horror book, then this is the book for you. Bad stuff definitely happens in this book (and most often by choice), but the descriptions are clean and not overly gruesome. The narrative voice doesn't vary much between Walton, Frankenstein, nor the creature, but the imagery is incredible and the story alluring. The creature is articulate, Frankenstein is intriguing, and even Walton (the person Frankenstein is telling his story to) has a major purpose in the story.

This turned out to be a fantastic book for our book club, creating lots of discussion about character, choices, and ethics. Be aware that our book club did notice that there are some minor differences between releases of this book (for example, depending on what release you read the character Elizabeth has a slightly different relationship to Frankenstein). Keep in mind, though, that if you have an active imagination like I do that this book may still be too scary for your taste (I made sure to lock all my doors and check under the bed when I was done reading).