Sunday, March 16, 2014

The Princess of Las Pulgas, by C. Lee McKenzie - a YA that I LOVED

I have a confession to make.  I am NOT a 16-year old girl.  And, yet, I absolutely loved C. Lee McKenzie's The Princess of Las Pulgas, which IS about a 16-year old girl.  I have read and enjoyed several YA books in the past that had teenage female protagonists - Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne and Wyndano's Cloak by A.R. Silverberry (his was a fantasy to boot) come to mind.  So I'm not a novice when it comes to YA's.  You can add this one to my recommend list.  It's absolutely terrific.

I have to give you a warning right up front.  Our protagonist, Carlie, loses her dad to cancer when Carlie is 16.  That leaves Carlie, her 14-year old brother, Keith, and their mom.  This is not a spoiler alert because we fine out about the dad on page 2.  But this may influence whether or not you want to read the book or recommend it to somebody else.  This is not a fun topic, but it obviously sets the stage for the rest of the book.  And if you're talking about the beginning of a book grabbing you, I don't know how much more dramatic this could be.

What follows, and this all happens early on, is that Carlie and her family have to sell their house and move from a very upper middle class California city on the ocean to a much more "modest" area inland.  Carlie and Keith have to go to a new school where Carlie is an incoming junior and Keith a sophomore.  Really, the book is all about the transition from a school where Carlie's biggest worry is what dress to buy for the Spring Fling prom to a school where an armed security guard checks the arriving students each morning. This obviously wouldn't be easy for anybody.

Now you have the premise.  What transpires is all believable to me.  I felt a ton of emotion for many of the characters and did a fair amount (okay, a whole bunch) of tearing up along the way.  In fact, some of my tearing up, if we're being honest here, was a little stronger than that.  I avoided tears running down my cheeks, but I did have to blow my nose a few times!

I really can't tell you too much more.  You need to read it and see how it all shapes up.  I will say, though, that Lee had the opportunity to make this story sappy and maudlin - and she didn't do it.  It felt honest to me and, as I mentioned before, totally believable.  Since I've got 48 years on her, not to mention being a different gender, means, I guess, that you don't have to be a 16-year old girl to like this book.  For those of you, though, that typically read only Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, Gabriel Allon, John Wells, and the like, this may not be the best book for you.  For everybody else, have at it.  I think you will thank me.

ASIDE:  When our 9-year old granddaughter, Haley, was a few months old, and for several years after that, she went with Joni to a class called Music Together.  For those of you who don't know what this is, it's basically an interactive music class for kids aged 0-4. Well, there's one song about a cat that eats mice.  And the verse calls the cat "sleek and fat."  On page 308, Carlie sees her cat after not seeing her for a few weeks and says that she is "sleek and fat."  I had to smile at that one.





35 comments:

  1. Nice review. I've read all of Lee's books and have enjoyed them each of them.

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    1. Thanks for the wonderful comment! Fans are adored. :-)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Alex. He writes well. So good to find a reviewer who does such a bang up job.

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  3. Thanks for the comments. It was a pleasure to write this review. I'm always excited to promote a book that I find to be so well-done.

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    1. Appreciated your review. A nice beginning of a new year. Thanks.

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    1. Hi and thanks for going through the WV! We know about that, right?

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  5. Thanks for the great review. I haven't read Lee's book but you've got me excited to.

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    1. Hello, Natalie. Appreciate your stopping by to comment here.

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  6. That's the whole idea, Natalie. I want everybody to read it!

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  7. What an excellent review! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Bravo, C. Lee! :)

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    1. He writes a great review. Have you checked out his others?

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  8. Thanks, Lexa. And you too, Lee - again!

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  9. Hi, Book Sage,

    Nice to meet you! Excellent review! Congrats Lee.... I like stories that have real life woven within its pages. Life, good and bad, happens to us at every age and kids need to know this if they are to survive. And having books on serious topics are very necessary for kids to have a source to relate to. Well done!

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    1. I really believe that's true. Kids can often work through a lot of issues by following a character and how they deal with that same issue.

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  10. Nice to meet you too, Michael. And although I didn't think about it beforehand, I agree that Lee's book has a lot of topics that especially middle grade and young adults can relate to.

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  11. The Princess of Las Pulgas is a great YA read. I highly recommend it, too!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Lyn. Hope you've worked out that URL issue.

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  12. I've read two of Lee's books, but not this one, although I have it. Great review.

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    1. You do super reviews, too! I've read a lot of them. I can't read as fast as you do. :-)

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  13. Teens are constantly processing and learning. There's a lot of anxiety with new things and it really is a big deal for them. I do think that books that hit on those anxieties and show a path through it helps. Entertaining and yet it's teaching the reader.

    Nice review, btw.

    Sia McKye Over Coffee

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    1. I so agree with you, Sia. Thanks for taking the time to write your comment here.

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  14. Thanks, Sia. I agree with you and Lee.

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  15. What a great review!
    I love Lee's writing!
    I've only read Sliding On The Edge, and it has that sense of honesty and believability too, so I know exactly what you are referring to.

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    1. Hi Michelle! So kind of you stop in and say hi.

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  16. Thanks, Michelle. Lee, it looks like I need to get my hands on another one of your books. Which one should I get next? I'll order it from VHOB.

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    1. If you're up for another YA that would be Sliding on the Edge. If you want a romp with adventure and fantasy Alligators Overhead takes you there. It's for the younger crowd.

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  17. Great review! I agree with you on all counts. C. Lee is an incredibly talented author, and The Princess of Las Pulgas is an amazing book!

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    1. Now you done it. I'm blushing,but I've disable FaceTime, so nobody will see. Thanks, Tyrean.

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  18. I have this book to read, but haven't gotten to start it yet. Now I can't wait! I love Lee's writing and this one sounds soooo good. :) Wishing Lee the best of luck!
    Jess

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    1. Thanks so much, Jess. Did you notice how much better I'm getting at answering your riddles? It has taken a few years, but I'm seeing improvement at last.

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  19. C.Lee is so wonderful and this book is fabulous. She has a tender way about presenting reality and truth throughout the teenage years.

    Sheri at Writer's Alley

    Home of Rebel Writer CREED 2014
    Mighty Minion Bureau Team #atozchallenge

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    1. Hi, Sheri. Thanks for wandering over and saying hello. Appreciate that.

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