more reads from 2008

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

A charming junior fiction from the alternating perspectives of a boy and girl who know each other from the 3rd through 8th grades. She likes him from first sight and he abhors her until a series of events flip their feelings (she loses interest while he loses his mind over her). I read this in the middle of the night and must have cried at least twice. The ending didn't charm me but the character development did.




Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.

A must-read for Harry Potter fans looking for new adventure in alternate worlds. Airborn follows 15-year old cabin boy Matt Cruse in a 19th-century like Earth where the primary mode of long distance travel is by airship. Think high-seas adventure, but in the skies. Beautifully written with good character development. While Matt is easily as likeable (and human) as Harry, I particularly like Matt's masculinity. His character is charmingly gendered.