Book Series Review: Three Rancheros - by Kate DiCamillo

Hello, friends!

On October 16th, 2014 I read my first Kate DiCamillo book: The Tale of Despereaux. I devoured the whole thing in one day and I LOVED it. That started me on the journey of Kate DiCamillo being one of my favorite authors. By complete coincidence, I read another book of hers in totality on October 16th, 2015. When I realized that I year had passed since my first, I decided to make this accident turn into tradition and therefore read a book by her every October 16th. I consider it my "reading birthday" in a way.

Today I'll be reviewing three of her books I've read over the years that are slightly connected.

This "series"---called Three Rancheros---takes the three girls introduced in the first book---Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly---and gives each a turn at being the main character. They are sequential in that each goes off of the background of the previous book(s), but they could also be read as stand-alones. I'll give a light overview of the premise and some thoughts, both of which will be spoiler free.

Raymie Nightingale - by Kate DiCamillo

"Are you going to be a problem causer or a problem solver?"

Premise: Raymie Clarke's father just left her, but she desperately wants him to still be part of her life. The best way she can think of to accomplish this is to make him see her picture in the paper by winning the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition and he'd be proud of her and come back. Some other girls in the competition are Louisiana and Beverly, but Raymie learns to not see them as rivals but friends, and needs their help in forming her new life.

Genres: Coming of age, Middle grade fiction

Awards: National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's, The Magnolia Award Nominee for 6-8.

There is an updated cover for this book that is in the same style as the next two, but I just adore this original cover.

General thoughts:

Kate DiCamillo perfectly captures the feeling of a hot summer filled with a young girl's desperation to bring back what she has lost. I admire Raymie's determination to fix things. I love stories with three friends as I have two sisters and together we make up our own "three rancheros." My first instinct was to say that I was most like Louisiana due to physical appearance, but as I look back on this book I think I'm most like Raymie. Just minus the determination. The other characters form so solidly in ones imagination as Ms. DiCamillo's prose just carries you along: from youngsters to old folks and everyone in between.

"She sounded like a little cartoon bird when she talked, and this made everything that she said seem ridiculous but also possible--both things at the same time."

Ms. DiCamillo's books always have powerful character revelations and this is no exception, pulling in the historical figure of Florence Nightingale, not as a character but as a hero to admire. This book looks at the emotions when someone we think of as a hero does things we would not believe them to, and how to be heroes ourselves. It's a book about what it means to rescue things.

There are references to other great children's literature such as The Borrowers, Paddington, and Little House on the Prairie, and I would say it should go in the canon of heartfelt children's books itself.

"Well, dear, I have found that most things work out right in the end."

Louisiana's Way Home - by Kate DiCamillo

"In some ways, this is a story of woe and confusion, but it is also a story of joy and kindness and free peanuts."

Premise: One day Louisiana's grandmother tells her to get in the car and they start driving. This feels different from her grandmother's other whims and as they don't have any money they try to keep that secret as they arrange for a hotel room in a new town. But that's not the only secret her grandmother is keeping and between her health and her grandmother's, someone is bound to notice that something is wrong.

"Because that is what it means to be alive on this infinitesimally spinning planet. It means you have cares.

Doesn't it?"

Genres: Coming of age, Middle grade fiction

Awards: Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Grades 3-6, Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee, Minnesota Book Award Nominee for Middle Grade Literature, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's, Whippoorwill Award.

General thoughts:

"Those who love us can't always find us, can they? Or else I would not be writing these words."

One of my notes from reading this book several years ago was "why is it so amazing and sob inducing???"

If my younger sister read this book she'd probably say that it wasn't realistic. But that's part of the point, it's seeing the world for what it could be and finding unexpected kindness in strangers. The sort of people "who give you two when you ask for one."

Through that, I adore the cast of characters in this one. Burke Allen III will forever hold a place in my heart, and his grandpop is pretty great, too. Louisiana is such a dear and her strength comes from within.

If I had to name one type of book to read for the rest of my life, it would be "fish out of water" stories, where the main character comes to a new town and the reader gets to discover all the residents at the same time the main character does. The character has been through a couple towns already and is reluctant to let these new people take up residence in their heart to only leave again. 

This book checks all of those boxes.

It's about forgiveness, kindness, and finding oneself. I couldn't ask for a better and more hopeful message.

"And perhaps what matters what all is said and done is not who puts us down but who picks us up."

Beverly, Right Here - by Kate DiCamillo

"This is the end of the road unless you have a dream."

Premise: It's 1979 and Beverly is lonely. So she decides to run away from those feelings and her town and start anew. She lies about her age to get a job at a restaurant and as an old lady's chauffeur in exchange for a place to stay. Beverly is known for being quiet, so she usually blends into the background, but that's not the same as belonging. Maybe leaving will help her find a true home. 

"I mean to say that I am afraid I've mislocated my capabilities."

Genres: Coming of age, Middle grade fiction

General thoughts:

"The fan was on the floor, turning slowly from side to side, looking for something it had lost."

This is a book where plot-wise, not a lot happens. But emotion-wise, everything happens. You've got an old lady going to bingo and an odd kid in a grocery store and a restaurant that is trying to survive and all of those are connected through Beverly. All her life she's been told she doesn't have feelings, and now they're swarming inside of her from not being released.

Of all the books in this series it's the one that feels most firmly set in a year. And as I know someone who was Beverly's age in that year, I felt it gave me a look into her life.

It's a book about trust and letting people inside, both literally and figuratively. I love the art. And the turkey scenario. And the bird motif. It has relationships with young and old folks alike that made me grin non-stop. My heart was very full after reading this book. 

It seems to me that this is the least well known of the three books, which makes me sad because it is a masterful conclusion. It's set a few years after the other books and I love the way they all connect. 

"They were such beautiful blue words.

She couldn't help it. She loved them."

Ah, Kate DiCamillo writes books that I will never get tired of and never forget. Her stories always change me and as she says in Louisiana's Way Home, "There is a great deal of power in writing things down."

Thanks for reading! Have you read any of these or Kate DiCamillo's other books? What are other books that pull at your heart? Any "fish out of water" books, like these or Moon Over Manifest? 

Happy "Kate DiCamillo day!"

Chloe the MovieCritic

Book Trilogy Review: A Riddle in Ruby - by Kent Davis

 Greetings, friends!

Time for my first book reviews of the year and you are getting threesome. Nicely organized how this occurred with both of my first reviews for books and movies being trilogies, eh?

These are books that Iʼve never heard of anyone else reading, and Iʼm going to try to change this! I have mixed feelings on these books, but I want other people to talk about them to. Plus, I can imagine that things in these books would make awesome fan art, so I want to see that. Iʼm giving you a dose of encouragement to try these books and let me know what you think.

Letʼs get into the reviews!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. All three of these reviews are spoiler free! Because of that the reviews for the second and third books will be more vague because I donʼt want to reveal what happened in the other books.

A Riddle in Ruby - by Kent Davis:

ʻNever pick a chemystral lock.ʼ

Ruby Teach is training to be a thief and picking locks is her specialty. Between cons with her mentor Gwath and sailing with her father, a smuggler and pirate, sheʼs learned a lot. Lately she keeps running into the same two suspicious characters: a young lord and his servant. The world flips when Ruby learns that people are after her, and she is forced to flee the life sheʼs always known. Organizations appear and offer help to her if she does what they want, but in this world of Tinkers creating chemystry and the reeve controlling everything, whom can she trust? What do they want with her, merely a skilled pickpocket?

Genres: Steampunk, Adventure, Fantasy, Middle Grade Fiction.

Characters: 8, weʼre just getting the characters started here and donʼt know a lot about them which can be confusing. But let me tell you, after reading the other books and looking back, good foundations are built here that will be used later even though it all seems crazy.

My favorites: The characters are so involved in every part of the story that spoilers can be easy when talking about them, but have no fear. Iʼm going an extra mile to avoid that. Iʼm just going to talk briefly about my favorites in the trilogy review as a whole. 

Words/Writing style: 10, I love this writing style. Itʼs told in past tense, third person, I think? Itʼs surprising that I claim myself to be a writer when Iʼm not the most knowledgable about this. All I know is that I love it. Ruby is the main character, but it shows different peopleʼs perspectives in a really cool way. I want to try writing like that, now!

 ʻHe had scoffed at watches and chronoms. Timepieces were for the weak.

ʻThe only true measure of time, he said, was the beauty of your heart. There was

never a maxim for that, though.ʼ

Quotability: 9, there are so many unique descriptions and dialogue that are easily quotable. I would say the lines more if I had anyone to tell them too.

ʻ...Ruby had always imagined swordplay as a thrilling dance, filled with grace and daring.

ʻThis was not a dance. It was a chicken coop on fire.ʼ

Content: 8, there is mild peril with people getting hurt in many different ways as well as death. With that are descriptions of the different wounds. At one point in time someone isnʼt wearing a shirt which is mentioned.

Some of you may be wondering, “What is this ʻchemystryʼ?” Itʼs basically as it sounds: chemistry. There is some magic involved. Even with rereading Iʼm still a little confused about it, but I thought it was really cool. Itʼs not like any of it could be recreated in real life because we are either not given the ingredients or they are fictional. Itʼs that people started learning about the wonders of science earlier than in actual history, so the setting is...steampunk. I canʼt think of a better way to describe it than that. Alternate history, perhaps?

Originality: 9, have I mentioned that the whole world is AWESOME? The plot was fun, but not particularly mind-blowing. Maybe that was because I didnʼt have a mind to be blown because it was already taken out by how astounded I am by the world and setting!

Good For: Anyone who loves steampunk, anyone looking for a circus of an adventure. 

Age Range: Itʼs categorized as Middle Grade Fiction, and I know that some people donʼt like to read that once their past the age, but I think itʼs really fun for all ages. This first book should be fine for young audiences, but 10 and up would probably enjoy it especially.

Overall Score: 8.5.

ʻAll well and good; Ruby ate devilishly complex locks for breakfast.ʼ

Thoughts:

This was the book that made me realize that I love steampunk (Iʼm sorry, you guys are probably thinking, “Stop saying that word!”). I will gobble it up! Truthfully, these books are the only steampunk that Iʼve read so far, but the concept is beyond awesome. I want to explore this genre more.

&

The Changerʼs Key - by Kent Davis:

Henry Collins is trying to decode a book that could hold unimaginable secrets while he and the others look for someone who can actually help them. All the while hiding from the ones who are out to catch them. Rubyʼs having to work hard training in new ways, while avoiding mean kids and testings by a doctor. The reeve seem to think that she has some secret, something special about her and she wonders, what is it? Can she control it?

Genres: Steampunk, Adventure, Fantasy, Middle Grade Fiction.

Characters: 8. We get to meet new characters here! So, so, so many of them. I really liked the motivations for all of them and wish that I could remember the names of some of them, because the names are awesome.

My favorites: Avid Wake needs a shout out because of that awesome name. I also loved the names of the Curtsies, but Iʼm a little confused because sometimes the girlʼs name was Never, and sometimes it was Ever. Which one is it?

Words/Writing style: 10, same as last time! To me it seemed like we got more of Cramʼs point of view which I really like because I relate to Cram in so many ways. We also got a noticable more chapters from Henryʼs perspective! I love that because I love Henry. The visuals that are built into this writing are fantastic!

Quotability: 7, this had lines that I could share but they would be out of context and very confusing. I havenʼt quoted this one in my head as much as the first one (with the chicken coop line), but it still has really good lines.

ʻThe whole of this doctoring, if it could even be called doctoring, was worthy of suspicion. In point of fact the dwelling, if it could be called a dwelling, was equally worthy of suspicion.

ʻIt was a cave with a front porch.ʼ

Content: 7, once again there is that high stakes adventure where people get hurt and sometimes killed. Kids purposely hurt each by fighting a few times, but there is talk about why that is bad. There are some medical thing in here, such as someone getting blood drawn, but itʼs not too much. At the end there is something scary that carries on through the next book, so Iʼll explain it the following review.

The quality of this one is lowered slightly because of two instances of crude humor which I did not appreciate, but other than that the first and second are pretty similar in terms of content. Same with the setting and chemystry/fantasy elements.

ʻWhy did chemystry always smell so terrible? Couldnʼt the Tinkers use their almighty skills to make their concoctions smell like rhubarb pie?ʼ

Originality: 9, again, so cool! Part of this reminded me of Spirited Away (2001), but it was only one small detail and the stories are completely different. This book is brimming with details that I want to see brought to life.

Good For: Anyone who loves steampunk, anyone looking for a circus of an adventure. This one also has an edge of mystery, so it would be good for mystery lovers!

Age Range: The stakes are more intense, so Iʼd say maybe just a little older. 12 and up. Depends on the person, though!

Overall Score: 8.

“I cannot go back in disgrace. We must go forward into madness.”

Thoughts:

Sometimes when I think about this book it seems very much like the middle book in a trilogy, where nothing much happens, but at other times it seems to me to have quite a story of its own! I like the separate stories as we focus more on the individual characters. Mostly I want to reread it!

&

The Great Unravel - by Kent Davis:

ʻThey were declaring their allegiances. They were hauling their flags up the mast.ʼ

The time has come to pick a side in this unfolding war. Doubts have been held so long about who to trust, and more bonds are broken each day but decisions have to be made. Disguises and espionage will be needed to play this dreadful game. Can the friends get together to save the people from a terrible invention? Who will win this game of chess, chemystry, and power?

Genres: Steampunk, Adventure, Fantasy, Middle Grade Fiction.

Characters: 9, extra point here because of all the growth! These characters have come so far. I absolutely loved the message of forgiveness and the quiet moments surrounding that time.

“...You observe. You guess. You open yourself to the possibility of who they might be. How they are different from you. How they are the same as you.”

Words/Writing style: 8, I have to take off a few points because some adults *cough* started swearing. It was mild and I donʼt know if most people would notice it, but I did and was annoyed. Other than that I still love the style! I wanted more of a certain point of view (I feel like he was neglected), but other than that awesome.

ʻThe smells sang to him, wrapping him in a rich song of Science...ʼ

(This writing wraps you up in the story!)

Quotability: 8, I wrote down so many parts that I couldnʼt even use them all! Pretty good. Still not as quotable as the chicken coop, but weʼll make it work.

ʻAhead of them in the hallway lay a stout wooden door, the kind of door whose makerʼs philosophy was most likely “You can have your frills and carvings. Give me something that will keep out a hungry werewolf.”ʼ

Notes: There was this really cool thing happening near the end, but it would've tied in nicely if Ruby had related it back to her training as we were in her point of view already.

Content: 6, here is where we step into a tricky area. Part of this one involves (and Iʼm sorry if this is confusing, but Iʼm avoiding spoilers while at the same time still not sure of what happened) energy being taken away from people. This is one part of this that I donʼt want to see a visual of because the description is pretty terrifying. An important note is that itʼs shown as being bad and is only used by the “bad guys”.

There is the usual of fighting, injuries, and death. Mentions of peopleʼs underclothing. One final thing that I want to talk about: the “Source”. When I read these it kind of freaked me out, but thinking back on it I think I was overreacting. Now Iʼm thinking of it as being like the Force (they do rhyme...) in STAR WARS and Iʼm cool with that. If you are bothered by that, then you might want to do a double take on these books. 

Originality: 8, did this reach a level of something scary that I had never seen before? Um, maybe. The plot was so unique, though! There is one "creature" that I was confused about for a while but as soon as it clicked I thought, "Ohhhh, that's really clever." Endings can be so difficult, but this one was good.

Notes: The quote, ʻAdventuring was starting to get to her.ʼ reminds me of a line in The Silver Chair - by C. S. Lewis.

Good For: Anyone who loves steampunk, anyone looking for a circus of an adventure. Anyone who is having trouble with forgiveness or is feeling lonely and unforgiven for something.

Age Range: As I've been mentioning scary things for all of these reviews then I'm going to say this one is more PG-13. As always, it depends on each person!

Overall Score: 8.

Thoughts:

Well, it's the end of a wild ride! I had no idea how everything was going to be wrapped up, but I was satisfied. 

A Riddle in Ruby overall trilogy review:

Words/Writing style: 9.5. Quotability: 8. Content: 7. Originality: 8.5.

Characters: 8.5. My favorites: Of course my favorites are our four main characters:

Aruba Teach: She's a fun and spunky heroine! She has a few stereotypes, but I really liked seeing her struggles and figuring out how to overcome them.

ʻWhat choice did Ruby have? It was simple. And insufferably hard.ʼ

Words to describe these next three: 'Skill, resilience, and courage.':

Henry Collins: I love Henry! He's so sweet and caring and brave while thirsting for knowledge.

Cram Cramson: I hardcore relate to him. I don't even particularly know why, but I do. I love a good sidekick. 

ʻHe wasnʼt a complainer. He could hear Mam in his head: “Moaners never get the pie, boy, and more, they always end up scrubbing the pan.”ʼ

Lord Athen Doyle: I have a sinking feeling that there was some kind of agenda with this character that I'm too dense to see, but nevertheless I liked this character and thought that he had one of the strongest arcs.

There are a lot others who I really like, or heavily dislike, or am extremely conflicted on, but Iʼll leave you to find out about them.

Age Range: The action builds as these books to on, so they are good for growing kids. Even adults or young adults could like them, like I do. (Because I honestly don't know how old these people are. More on that in a minute).

Overall Score: 8.5!

Worth reading?:  Yes, for my introduction to steampunk! Also for the matters of forgiveness in the third book. It was beautiful! All around a fun time that I'm glad I've experienced.

Will I read again?: Rereading books is a very rare activity for me, but I'm going to say yes. If only to better understand them and be in the setting again.

Bonus thoughts: 

This trilogy is...pretty awesome. A few extra things:

Things I donʼt like:

• Something that bothered me the whole time is that we never really knew how old everyone is. Maybe it mentioned it and I just didnʼt catch it, but it was weird to me. At the beginning of the first book Iʼm guessing that Ruby is about 12 (give or take a year), but Iʼm really not sure about any of the others. Theyʼre on the young side but thatʼs a big range and I donʼt know any more than that.
• Doyle's and Greta Van Huffridge's relationship to each other was a little weird. I don't knew what to think about it. The hatred seemed to be so weakly founded? I'm confused. Maybe after I read it again I'll get it more.

Things I do like:

• As I have mentioned in all of these reviews, the writing style is awesome. Another neat thing about these books is that before each chapter there is a "quote" or statement from someone or something in this world. I've seen this before and I really like it because it gives you a more immersive experience.
• I've mentioned this so many times, but once more for good measure: STEAMPUNK. THE SETTING. THE WRITING. I am thoroughly in awe.

I read the first book in this series when it first came out...and was so confused. I reread it last July so I could read the other two books and even with having read it before I was still puzzled, but I began putting things together and admiring the world building. The next two books were great as well and I can see myself reading them each several times to truly solve them.

And I'm done! If any of you have read these books, let me know! And if you haven't, please do so I have someone to talk to! I need a second opinion!

Thanks for reading! Does anyone else like steampunk as much as I do? Any recommendations?

MovieCritic