What is REAL?
What is TRUE?
And is there a difference?
Author Martine Leavitt's fascinating new novel, Calvin, a "true" story narrated by a severely schizophrenic character, will have you asking these questions about your own life before you're through. By the end of the book, you may see the world a little differently. A little more clearly.
I've read only one other book by Leavitt. This was Keturah and Lord Death (about a hopelessly romantic girl who strikes a bargain with, well, Death and loses--or does she?). I'd read it on the recommendation of a friend whose taste in reading material I highly respect. Admittedly...Keturah just wasn't my thing. Calvin is a different story altogether. Although short (less than 200 pages), this story is one of those I couldn't put down.
Calvin was born the day artist Bill Watterson published the last ever Calvin and Hobbes comic. As a tribute, Calvin's grandfather bestowed upon him a stuffed toy tiger he named Hobbes. A toy tiger Calvin used to hear, before his mom washed it to death when Calvin was nine. There are other coincidences too. The girl next door is Suzie (just like in the comic), Calvin's dad wears glasses (just like in the comic), and Calvin's first-grade teacher was Mrs. Wood (just like...well, close enough). But these are only coincidences...Until, several years after the fatal washing, Hobbes comes back. Only this time he's real. And he won't leave Calvin alone.
Wallowing in the psych ward of his local hospital, awaiting diagnosis and, quite likely, a perscription for some heavy-duty anti-psychotic meds, Calvin comes to a realization: If he meets Mr. Watterson and convinces the famed artist to draw one final comic, one where Calvin is 17, healthy, happy and, most importantly, NOT accompanied by Hobbes, he (the REAL Calvin) will be cured. So Calvin breaks out of the hospital and, accompanied by Suzie and, of course, Hobbs, begins a dangerous trek across the frozen Lake Erie to track down Watterson and become cured.
The question I, as a reader, had is this: Did any of this really happen? Or was the journey all in Calvin's mind? But even if the later is so, if the adventure was real only in Calvin's mind, does it make it any less real? It really makes you think...
Trippy.
Calvin reminded me a lot of my favorite book of all time, Going Bovine (by Libba Bray and a past Prinz winner) in that both books are about Epic Quests that may or may not have taken place only in the mind of the narrator. Although Going Bovine is still quite a lot better, in my opinion, Calvin is its own brand of awesome. I highly recommend both books. --AJB
What is REAL?
Naila is not one to keep secrets from her parents. She lives by their rules, is an excellent student. She doesn't attend after school activities, and has never even had a sleepover. The only defiance she has committed is having a boyfriend, who is even from Pakistan like her family. But since her parents didn't arrange it and don't approve of his family, it's kept a secret. All will be good in a couple of months because Naila is about to go off to college and she can do as she pleases (as long as her parents don't find out of course). Before she heads off to college Naila's parents decide that the family needs to make a trip to Pakistan to visit their extended family. After being there for a month her parents decide to extend their trip for another week. Naila's bags are packed ready to go when the extra week is up. Again her parents inform her that their trip has been extended. Fearful she is going to miss college orientation (and the start of her new life of freedom) Naila decides she is going to get herself home. Only her passport is missing, along with the money she had hidden away. Naila's life falls out of her hands before she realizes it and after it's too late.
Suzy is exceptionally smart and possesses a near-photographic memory for scientific facts and figures. Even obscure ones--like how many jellyfish stings happen worldwide each year. But when it comes to understanding the more life smart side of life... Well, Suzy is more than a little clueless. Like understanding how someone who was such a good swimmer could drown and just be gone. Suzy just can't wrap her mind around it.
Did you know that the Internet's biggest feline sensation, Grumpy Cat, has her own movie? Neither did I...until a friend clued me in. Naturally, curiosity got the better of me, and I had to check it out. I wasn't expecting a lot from this film, so was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was good. I mean, really good. And not just the "good for a trendy, made-for-TV movie" kind of good. I mean good good.
Hester, 17, knows she must live without love. She knows that it was love that killed her mother and her grandmother and several generations of women in her family. But are these deaths due to an undiagnosed and rare genetic condition or a curse? Practical Hester doesn't want to believe in curses (or magic of any sort). All she knows is, unless she takes every precaution she can, she will be next. And the plan is going well. It really is. Then Hester meets the strangely puzzling Ezra on the beach and, against her better judgement, finds herself drawn to him. But Ezra is not who he seems to be and, as the reader eventually learns, neither is Hester. A bit of library research and a few well-placed questions lead Hester to the truth about the link between love and death that has plagued her family. A centuries-old murder, a childhood friend, an old preacher, and a strange sea creature all play a part. But can Hester undo the terrible thing that was done centuries before so she can get on with her life? Or will she be the curse's next victim?
What Do You NEED?
As kids, Sam, Will, Ludlow, and Eddie saved the world countless times--in arcade games. Now, as adults, they have the chance to do it again. For real. Aliens, having intercepted a 1982 transmission of classic 80s video games, have misinterpreted what they saw as a threat and have declared all out war on Earth. The gamers have three chances to beat life-sized versions of the video games they excelled at as children. Only this time, if they lose, it's Game Over for real. Not just for their character, but for the entire planet. Guest appearances by Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Qbert.