Review: Huck by Janet Elder

The remarkable true story of
how one lost puppy taught a
family - and a whole town -
about hope and happy endings.

In the tradition of Dewey, A Lion Called Christian, and Homer’s Odyssey, HUCK is an unforgettable true story of a lost puppy and a family who learned a valuable lesson about tenacity, faith, and the generosity of strangers.

This story begins with a little boy’s dream. Janet Elder’s son Michael was about four when he began begging for a dog. His relentless campaign went on for years. At one point, when Michael was about seven years old, there was even a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “My Dog,” with headings like “A Childhood Without a Dog is a Sad Thing.” Janet almost caved, but then thought about the impracticalities and the logistics--their city apartment, her and her husband Rich’s demanding jobs, their need to get away. So as much as she hated having a heartbroken boy on her hands, she remained steadfast: no dog. What makes her reconsider her long-standing position on a family dog is a breast cancer diagnosis.

Worried about the toll the illness would take on eleven-year-old Michael and Rich, Janet decides the anticipation and excitement over the arrival of a new puppy would be the perfect antidote to the strain on the family of months of treatments for her illness. The prospect of a new puppy would be an affirmation of life, a powerful talisman for them all.

On Thanksgiving weekend, shortly after the treatments were completed, they bring home a sweet, mischievous, red-haired, toy poodle, they name Huck, who quickly and conclusively wins everyone’s heart.

A few months later, the family ventures south to attend the Yankees’ spring training and enjoy a much-needed vacation, leaving Huck for the first time with Janet’s sister in Ramsey, New Jersey. Barely twenty-four hours into their trip, Janet gets a dreaded phone call. Huck has slipped through the backyard fence and run away. Broken hearted and frantic, the family races home to begin a search for little Huck. It’s a race against time, for Huck, lost in an area he is entirely unfamiliar with, faces the threat of bears, coyotes, raccoons, swamps, freezing temperatures, rain, and fast cars on curvy roads. Moved by the family’s plight, strangers – from school children to the police lieutenant -- join the search.

As the days pass, finding a small puppy in a densely wooded area in freezing and rainy weather proves to be an incredible test. Buoyed by grit, the open arms of strangers, and faith, the family soldiers on. Touching and warm-hearted, HUCK is a page-turning, heart-stopping story about resilience, the kindness of strangers, and determination. It is a story about hope, a story the reader will neither put down nor forget.

I'm a sucker for animal stories. Especially the cute, fuzzy pets who have a heart-wrenching story to tell. This wasn't quite what I thought it would be but it was still a touching story. I assumed the author was writing this book about her struggle with breast cancer and how this new puppy helped them through this horrible trauma. Huck was actually a gift for her animal-loving son after her treatments. He was a goal for them to achieve as a family, something for them to be excited about and plan for. This little dog helped them accomplish this and immediately won their hearts. He was a handful but he brought them great joy in a very short time.

He also brought great heartache when he ran away while the family was on vacation in 2006. They returned to Janet's sister's home in New Jersey to help search for him. Their tiny dog was alone in the freezing woods facing many dangers and they were desperate for help. During the days that Huck was missing they were blessed to have the help of many people. Despite the fact that they were complete strangers and Janet's family wasn't from their town these people stepped up to help someone in need. The book details the days Huck is lost and how sightings of him kept people motivated. We get to know Ramsey, New Jersey and what it took to find this little pup. (I don't like to give spoilers but it tells early on that Huck is found and the cover notes it's a book about hope and happy endings.)

Although it wasn't the story I expected it and it seemed to wander a bit it was still a feel good, easy read. It was nice to hear how these interesting characters came together through hope and determination to help others. It was also inspiring to find out Janet's personal experience with breast cancer and how she and her family fought for her survival. Her struggle and perseverance are great examples to others.

Janet Elders is a senior editor at The New York Times.

Thank you to Broadway Books for an ARC of this book to review.
Author's blog - www.huckthebook.com

Publisher: Broadway Books
Release date: 9/28/10
Pages: 304
Price/format: $23.99/hardcover
Type: nonfiction

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(When the author finds out he has a life-threatening tumor in his leg he is worried that his young daughters may not have enough male influence as they are growing up. He writes a letter to six men who have come from different parts of his life and asks them to be a part of his daughters' lives. He called them "The Council of Dads".)

In a letter to his girls:
The air force teaches its novices that when they face a life-defining challenge, they should not run from their fear. They should embrace it. "Hug the monster," they say. Wrap your arms around your fear, wrestle it into submission, redirect it into a source of resilience and purpose.
Hug the monster, girls.

~page 232
The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, And The Men Who Could Be Me by Bruce Feiler

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday at The Printed Page (this month at Knitting and Sundries) is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I hope you had a very happy and safe Halloween. Now that it's the holiday season it seems like the rest of the year usually flies by. Of course I won't be ready for any of it. I'm still mourning the loss of summer and am in denial that it's fall. I really can't wrap my brain around the fact that it's November! Well, whatever time of year it is I know I will always be reading and these are the new books I just got. What goodies came into your home last week?

Pray For Silence
by Linda Castillo

In the quiet town of Painters Mill, an Amish family of seven has been found brutally murdered on their farm. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect. Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to secrets, but she can’t get her mind around the senseless brutality of the crime.for review from Harper Collins

State agent John Tomasseti arrives on the scene to assist. He and Kate worked together on a previous case during which they began a tentative relationship, but each is wary of commitment. The disturbing details of this case will push them to their limits and force them to face demons from their own troubled pasts.

When Kate discovers a diary, she realizes a haunting personal connection to the case. One of the teenage daughters may have been leading a lurid double life. As the case develops, Kate’s list of suspects grows. Who is the attractive stranger that stole the heart of the innocent young Amish girl? Did her estranged brother—a man with a violent past who was shunned by his family and the Amish community—come back to seek out revenge? Driven by her own scarred past, Kate swears she’ll find the killer and bring him to justice—even if it means putting herself in the line of fire.

Topping her own bestselling debut, Linda Castillo once again immerses readers in the world of the Amish with a chilling story that is both a fast-paced thriller and compelling psychological puzzle.

Moonlight Mile
by Dennis Lehane

for review from HarperCollins

Amanda McCready was four years old when she vanished from a Boston neighborhood twelve years ago. Desperate pleas for help from the child's aunt led investigators Kenzie and Gennaro to take on the case. The pair risked everything to find the young girl—only to orchestrate her return to a neglectful mother and a broken home.

Now Amanda is sixteen—and gone again. A stellar student, brilliant but aloof, she seemed destined to escape her upbringing. Yet Amanda's aunt is once more knocking on Patrick Kenzie's door, fearing the worst for the little girl who has blossomed into a striking, clever young woman—a woman who hasn't been seen in weeks.

Haunted by their consciences, Kenzie and Gennaro revisit the case that troubled them the most. Their search leads them into a world of identity thieves, methamphetamine dealers, a mentally unstable crime boss and his equally demented wife, a priceless, thousand-year-old cross, and a happily homicidal Russian gangster. It's a world in which motives and allegiances constantly shift and mistakes are fatal.

In their desperate fight to confront the past and find Amanda McCready, Kenzie and Gennaro will be forced to question if it's possible to do the wrong thing and still be right or to do the right thing and still be wrong. As they face an evil that goes beyond broken families and broken dreams, they discover that the sins of yesterday don't always stay buried and the crimes of today could end their lives.

Happy Halloween!!

Review: Passing Strange by Daniel Waters

Karen DeSonne
always passed as
a normal teenager -
and now that she's dead,
she's still passing -
this time, as alive.

Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal (if pale) teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing—this time, as alive. Karen DeSonne just happens to be an extremely human-like zombie. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of antizombie regulations that have forced them into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” that destroyed their non-life was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is—because the consequences would be worse than death.

When I started this series I thought it was going to be all about the typical teen drama in high school with some paranormal stuff tossed in. Boy was I wrong. This was the third book of the set and they all share the themes of prejudice and intolerance. The fact that the victims here are zombies is actually not the main idea and they aren't described in the typical zombie fashion. They aren't the ghouls of the horror movies and Michael Jackson videos. They do suffer various physical ailments and possibly some deformities but they retain their intellect, memories and emotions. The same person who was accepted, loved and successful one day could easy be an uncoordinated outcast the next.

No one has been able to figure out why or how for the past several years some young people have returned after death. Since these kids no longer have a heartbeat they aren't technically alive, aren't considered citizens anymore and they have no rights. It's not even illegal to "reterminate" them. Society in general isn't very supportive and usually misunderstands them. There are even those who have developed a mob mentality and are on a mission to destroy the differently biotic teens. A few people have decided to try to make a difference and Karen DeSonne is one of them and is the main character in this book. Although she is dead, she looks normal and is able to pass for a typical teen. She risks everything to uncover the truth about recent crimes blamed on her friends. The consequences have been far-reaching and paranoia and fear have spread. Karen is trying to find out who sets this in motion before it's too late and more lives are lost.

I thought it was a very interesting and disturbing take on prejudice, intolerance and fear. The zombie kids could be almost any minority that has suffered in this horrible way. Using the popular paranormal theme brings the story current and sheds a new light onto these horrible issues. It really made me think about it more. It's hard enough to be a teenager trying to cope with all of the typical problems in their lives and then this comes along. The characters were interesting and engaging. I had strong feelings for or against them and their actions. This wasn't a series to be taken lightly. I was impressed with the author's story telling and look forward to reading more of his work.

Thank you to NonFiction.com

Publisher: Hyperion Children
Release date: June 2010
Pages: 386
Price/format: $16.99 /hardcover

Books in the series:

Generation Dead (#1)











Kiss of Life (Generation Dead #2)











Passing Strange (Generation Dead #3)

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you woke up this morning and your kids were healthy and your parents loved you, then you don't have any problems. You might think you do, but you don't. And if at night, when you steal into your child's room and watch her little body rise and fall with the breathing, and your heart aches with love, consider your life sublime.

~ page 65
Front Porch Tales by Philip Gulley

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday at The Printed Page (this month at She Reads and Reads) is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I can't believe it's October already! Summer went much too fast and I barely remember September. I hope the upcoming winter goes by just as quick. Quicker. We have many cold, snowy months here and it's not my favorite time of year. Fortunately, I have a cozy fireplace and piles of good books just waiting to be read. And even more reviews to post!

Big Nate Strikes Again
by Lincoln Peirce

For review from HarperCollins Children

Big Nate will surpass all others!

But it wont be easy. He's stuck with Gina, his all time enemy, who just might ruin everything!

Will Nate win or lose? Pass or fail? Or end up in detention . . . again?

Matched

by Ally Condie

For review from Penguin

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.