Book Reviews

“We’re like tea bags. In hot water, we just get stronger and stronger.” These two sentences from Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt echoed in my mind for days after I read them. The memorable simile seemed to sum up the essence of the book – and, ultimately, of life. I was impressed, enchanted – and when I realized that the words came from a twelve-year-old kid like myself, I was under the spell of a new favorite character. Delsie McHill dislikes surprises; that’s why she loves tracking the weather, so that she can always be ready for what’s coming. But one summer her life is beset with unexpected changes. She has always lived with her kindhearted grandmother in Cape Cod, but now she begins to look at her life with new eyes and wonder why her parents abandoned her. A newcomer causes her to question the game-show-loving, tag-sale-shopping, quiet life which she and her Grammy lead. Most painfully, her best friend is growing away from her, and she is left suddenly and starkly alone. Luckily, Delsie has plenty of friends and neighbors who – although she doesn’t realize it – comprise the “normal” family she longs for. And through her experiences, Delsie finds out that people aren’t just what they seem on the outside – they are made up of the layers of history within. The thing that makes Shouting at the Rain so satisfying, yet intriguing, to read is that – unlike with many other books – the main idea is never confirmed in one climax paragraph, but hinted in small ways throughout the story. Finding one of these keys to the theme is like discovering a hidden gift, giving the reader a feeling of accomplishment which isn’t easily found in most middle-grade books. However, clues like the description of a boat whose top coat chips away to show a rainbow of different-colored paint layers underneath, or the main character’s obsession with Strong Shoulder jars, cannot be connected to the main theme with absolute certainty because there is never any validation: novels don’t have answer keys. Despite this, one of the joys of reading is the search for meaning beyond the obvious, and the author of this book is adept at providing this pleasurable literary treasure hunt. Another thing that impressed me about Shouting at the Rain is the author’s use of the “show-not-tell” writing tool; in other words, the art of showing a character’s emotions through their actions. Strikingly, not once in the book did the author give away any character’s feelings in a single word, but painstakingly described physical actions: staring at shoes, standing straighter, bouncing on toes. More than once, I had to stop reading and consult my knowledge of human body language – what are people feeling when they avoid someone’s gaze? And do shining eyes actually entail tears? The writing style of Shouting at the Rain forced me to rethink what I took for granted about how a person’s mental state correlates with their actions. In a way, it reshaped the way I look at the world. That is the power of books, and why I enjoyed this one so much. “In hot water, we just get stronger and stronger.” This is a truth that applies to everyone. Shouting at the Rain brought it to life for me, as it brought to life many other truths, skillfully woven together into a story I’ll never forget. Most of all, Shouting at the Rain reminded me of how magical a good book can be, and I hope it does the same for you. Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Nancy Paulsen books, 2019. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!

The amazing book I read this summer was Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I found this book so enjoyable because there are so many surprising twists. This book starts with a curious and adventurous girl named Coraline Jones and her family moving from Pontiac, Michigan to the Pink Palace, an extremely old building in Ashland, Oregon. Coraline keeps whining to her parents that she is so bored until one day, there is a horrible thunderstorm. With her parents busy working on a garden catalog, she finally decides to explore her new house. She keeps exploring until she tries to open the large carved door in the drawing room. The door was locked so she takes the iron key and unlocks the door. She expects a new room but surprisingly, there is just a pile of bricks. That night, she quietly walks to the same door and opens it. However, this time, instead of a pile of bricks, there was an unusual hallway. She keeps walking down and when she opens the door, she sees her mother cooking. Or was it her mother? When her “mom” turned around, Coraline noticed something weird about her. Instead of human eyes, there were black round buttons! There, she met her button eye dad and for the first week, they were very nice to her. However, one night, her mother tried to persuade her into replacing her normal eyes with buttons. Since I do not want to spoil the book, I’ll just say that throughout the story, there are many surprising and chilling twists that will make you jump out of your chair. I think that the book, Coraline, is both dark fantasy and fairy tale. Coraline, in a lot of ways, is a fairy tale. A fairy tale is a story with magical elements and some of its common characteristics include enchanted settings (such as forests, and weird castles/buildings), and clearly defined good and evil characters, a completely understandable problem, climax, and resolution. Coraline has all of those characteristics. Coraline and her family lives in a creepy, old building and a significant part of the book occurs in Coraline’s garden. Also, clearly, the good characters are Coraline, and Coraline’s parents and the evil character is Coraline’s fake mom. Lastly, Coraline’s problem, climax, and resolution is so clear. However, Coraline is not a Disney fairy tale but is more of a Grimm fairy tale. The reason I am saying I think Coraline is both dark fantasy and fairy tale is this reason: As I said, Coraline is similar to the Grimm fairy tales. Grimm fairy tales are very dark, creepy, and has a lot of twists. Coraline has all of those traits. Dark fantasy is mainly explored in Coraline through the setting of both the real world and the other world. Though both settings can be very different at the start, when all the sacred truths are revealed, both settings are very similar. They have very unusual, mysterious, and chilling settings, which are definitely primary elements of dark fantasy. Even until the end, Coraline’s setting remains a supernatural atmosphere. Throughout the book, scary and surprising twisted parts come out, making it more of a dark fantasy. As you can see, this is why I think Coraline is a dark fantasy and a fairy tale. In conclusion, Coraline was a very amusing and super enjoyable novel. Though it scared me so much and sometimes gave me nightmares, this would definitely be a book I would recommend to people. In addition, I would recommend this book to people who are over 10 years old and people who are not scared of horrors. The reason is that this book can really shock someone and terrorize someone’s mental state. If you can not see, read, and imagine scary things, then, please be alerted. However, if you liked Alice in Wonderland, you will enjoy reading this book. Those who plan to read this book, you are in for a scare! Coraline by Neil Gaiman. HarperCollins, 2002. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!