My Thoughts: Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

This week, I'm pleased to introduce you to a wonderful new book by Lise Haines, Girl in the Arena! This tour is sponsored by Children's Book Blog Tour and will end today.

As mentioned on Monday, when I first received this book I wasn't sure about it. The cover looks great though and kept begging me to open it up and find out what was inside. I can say that this book easily is deserving of 4 stars!! I just loved the story of Lyn and her seven gladiator fathers, her mother, and her brother Thad.

The Glad life is not an easy one, marked by the fact that Lyn is now living with her 7th father. Her mother has totally absorbed the Glad life, being a true, through and through Glad wife. I mean, it's such a way of life that their are Universities dedicated to teaching young girls how to be a proper Glad wife!

Lyn's father Tommy is facing the biggest fight of his life and he is just beside himself. He tries to study all the angles and weaknesses of his opponent to have the upper hand. No matter what he does, it's his hand that is undermined (no pun intended!). Uber wins and collects a dowry, but not on purpose. Because of that, Lyn is now expected to marry Uber. Whatever is a girl to do?

Without giving much more away, I'll tell you some highlights about this book...

• I loved the tenderness of Tommy. Just loved it! Nothing like this "bad boy" Glad attitude mixed in with this special kind of love for his family, especially where Thad is concerned.
• I thought that the author did a great job of describing the scenes. I felt like I was at the fight watching from the ringside.
  
• The way of life presented in this book was intriguing. It's one that I *might* consider living in a fairy tale world.
• I found Lyn's mom to be weak, despite her standing with the Glad society. Yes, she had a lot on her plate but she rubbed me the wrong way. She always seemed to take the easy way out of things.
  
• Uber was also one that bugged me. He's UBER for goodness sakes!! Actually I did like him a lot. He was a very strong man to do what he did and to face the things he saw.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, young or more mature. Next week is Teen Read Week and this would be a great one to pick up during that time!

Be sure to stop by and see what these bloggers have to say on this wrap up day of the tour! Comments are more than appreciated!

Abby the Librarian

A Patchwork of Books

All About Children’s Books

Becky’s Book Reviews

Fireside Musings

Homeschool Book Buzz

KidzBookBuzz.com

Maw Books Blog

My Own Little Corner of the World

Reading is My Superpower

Through a Child’s Eyes

Thanks to Bloomsbury USA for generously providing me with an ARC of this book for review.

Let's Meet the Author of Girl in the Arena: Lise Haines

This week, I'm pleased to introduce you to a wonderful new book by Lise Haines, Girl in the Arena! This tour is sponsored by Children's Book Blog Tour and will run through Wednesday.


Today you have the opportunity to meet Lise and learn more about how this book came about.

LISE HAINES is the author of three novels, Girl in the Arena, published in the US and the UK (Bloomsbury) and in Turkey (Alfa-Artemis Yayınevi); Small Acts of Sex and Electricity (Unbridled Books), a Book Sense Pick in 2006 and one of ten “Best Book Picks for 2006” by the NPR station in San Diego ; and In My Sister’s Country, (Penguin/Putnam), a finalist for the 2003 Paterson Fiction Prize. Her short stories and essays have appeared in a number of literary journals and she was a finalist for the PEN Nelson Algren Award.

Haines is Writer in Residence at Emerson College. She has been Briggs-Copeland Lecturer at Harvard, and her other teaching credits include UCLA, UCSB, and Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine. She grew up in Chicago, lived in Southern California for many years, and now resides in the Boston area. She holds a B.A. from Syracuse University and an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars. (This info is taken from Lise's blog) Check out her blog for more background and to learn more about our author! She welcomes feedback, especially that of teen readers!

Once you do that, be sure to see what these bloggers have in store for you today!

Abby the Librarian

A Patchwork of Books

All About Children’s Books

Becky’s Book Reviews

Fireside Musings

Homeschool Book Buzz

KidzBookBuzz.com

Maw Books Blog

My Own Little Corner of the World

Reading is My Superpower

Through a Child’s Eyes

Thanks to Bloomsbury USA for generously providing me with an ARC of this book for review.

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

This week, I'm pleased to introduce you to a wonderful new book by Lise Haines, Girl in the Arena! This tour is sponsored by Children's Book Blog Tour and will run through Wednesday.

It’s a fight to the death—on live TV—when a gladiator’s daughter steps into the arena

Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine. (Taken from Amazon)

When I first received this book, I thought to myself, "This just doesn't look like something that I would read." How wrong that assumption was! I just love the cover and it speaks volumes to this book. I grew up in the era of watching American Gladiators on TV and loved the idea of the gladiator life. I have also seen bits and pieces of movies featuring gladiators. This book, although a work of futuristic fiction, gives what seems a reasonable background into the Gladiator world. This book does make the American Gladiators look (and sound) like a bunch of overpaid sissies!

I can't speak to the statement about your enjoyment of this book based on your enjoyment of The Hunger Games and Fight Club as I have not read these books. Maybe one of these other bloggers can help you out with that one!


Abby the Librarian

A Patchwork of Books

All About Children’s Books

Becky’s Book Reviews

Fireside Musings

Homeschool Book Buzz

KidzBookBuzz.com

Maw Books Blog

My Own Little Corner of the World

Reading is My Superpower

Through a Child’s Eyes

Thanks to Bloomsbury USA for generously providing me with an ARC of this book for review.

Show Me 5 Saturday

Alison over at That's a Novel Idea has decided to start a new MEME. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week.

It will work like this:
Each Saturday You will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1 Book you read and/or reviewed this week: Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
2 Words that describe the book: Gladiator Sports!
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met: Lyn, Thad, Tommy
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it: 1.Loved the cover. It says so much! 2. Was disappointed in Lyn's mom's character. 3. Great decisions made on both sides. 4. Hated the sneakiness of the Glad Association, especially where parents are concerned.

5 Stars or less for your rating? 4 stars Be sure to visit Monday-Wednesday next week for the tour of this book.

If you would like to become a part of this meme, please join in! Alison would love to have you! Create your post and then let her know the link and she'll add you to the linky list!

Thanks Alison for a super fun Saturday meme!