THE EDUCATION OF BET by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

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THE EDUCATION OF BET (ARC)
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Source: NETGALLEY
**I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (July 12, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0547223080
  • ISBN-13: 978-0547223087

SYNOPSIS:

Bet is sixteen, very intelligent, but only knows as much as her limited education will allow. In Victorian England, girls aren’t allowed to go to school.
Will is also 16, and though not related by blood, he and Bet act like brother and sister. In fact, they even look like brother and sister. And though they’re both raised under the same roof, by the same kind uncle, Will has one big advantage over Bet: He’s a boy, and being a boy means he isn’t stuck in the grand house they call home. He gets to go out into the world–to school.
But that’s not what Will wishes. He wants to join the military and learn about real life, not what’s written in books.
So one night, Bet comes up with a plan. She’ll go to school as Will. Will can join the military. And though it seems impossible, they actually manage to pull it off.
But once Bet gets to the school, she begins to realize the education she’s going to get isn’t exactly the one she was expecting.

MY TAKE:
When I received this book awhile back with another ARC from the same author, I couldn’t believe they wanted me to review it already! I was so excited to read this book!

This is a story that is set in the 1800’s. Bet, short for Elizabeth, is taken in by a man that is related to the Master of the house that her mother, the maid, works for. They have a son named William, and the two grow up to be best of friends and like brother and sister. William is constantly getting in trouble and gets thrown out of school 4 times. Bet, who dreams of going to school, can’t go to school because at this time girls are not allowed to. William would rather chase his dream of joining Her Majesty’s military.

Bet comes up with a plan to where both of them can chase their dreams. She decides to dress as Will and go to school for him while he goes off to the military. We get to see the challenges Bet faces when entering a school and getting chuckles the whole time. She slowly falls in love with her room mate James. She has to hide her feelings from him though and continues with the charade.

This book left me laughing and rooting for Bet the whole time. Many surprises and wonderfully included twists to capture your interest from page one all the way to the end. Another wonderfully written book by a great author who never ceases to amaze me with her writing skills and easy flowing story. A great historical book for the young adult genre!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!

Q&A with author of CRAZY BEAUTIFUL Lauren Baratz-Logsted

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Today I am so excited to feature a Q&A with author Lauren Baratz-Logsted. She is the author of a wonderful young adult novel titled Crazy Beautiful. I posted my review of the book in post below this one and it is one of my favorite young adult books of the year!


To start off, welcome and can you tell the readers a little about yourself?

Before becoming a published author, I was an independent bookseller (11 years), a reviewer for Publishers Weekly (292 books reviewed), a freelance editor (nearly 100 books), and a window washer. Since 2003 I’ve had 15 books published: 5 comedic novels for adults, 1 literary novel for adults, 1 anthology of short stories I edited, 3 YA books, 1 middle grade, 4 books for young readers. Phew!

Can you tell us a little about your new and/or current releases?

My most recent is the YA novel CRAZY BEAUTIFUL, a contemporary re-visioning of Beauty & the Beast, told in he-said/she-said fashion, about a boy with hooks for hands and a gorgeous girl who meet on their first day at a new school. Also within the past year the first four books in the nine-book series for young readers, THE SISTERS 8, which I created with my novelist husband Greg Logsted (www.greglogsted.com) and our nine-year-old daughter Jackie, have been released.

How did you decide what to write?

A few times a year I get a visit from The Idea Fairy. Crazy as that might sound, it’s what happens. I’ll just be living my life when I’ll hear or see something that causes an idea to strike, followed almost immediately by the thought that the idea is a big one, big enough to fill a novel.

When you’re not writing what kind of books do you like to read? Do you have any favorite authors, that are must reads?

Just like I’m an eclectic writer, I’m an eclectic reader. There’s almost nothing I won’t try and I currently read just as many YA novels as I do adult fiction. All-time favorites would include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Brontes. More contemporary favorites, there are just so many. In the past year I’ve loved Little Bee, by Chris Cleave (adult literary); The Castaways, by Elin Hilderbrand (adult commercial); and Freeze Frame, by Heidi Ayarbe (YA). But there are so many others, I could go on forever here.
What are 3 things that are “must haves” for you when you sit down to write a new book?

I’m not much of a must-haves sort of person. Really, the only thing I need is that little TV over there in the corner so that every day at three I can take an hour-long break to watch “General Hospital.”

What are your favorite things to do in your downtime?

Read-read-read, hang with my family, shoot pool. Oh, and I also watch several series on DVD.

Where can we purchase your books?

My books can be ordered anywhere books are sold.

Do you have a blog or website that your readers can keep up with you and your books?

My website is www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com from which you’ll find links to the various blogs I participate in.
Thanks for having me!

Don’t forget to go buy your copy of Crazy Beautiful!
Until next time…

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

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CRAZY BEAUTIFUL
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (September 7, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0547223072
  • ISBN-13: 978-0547223070

SYNOPSIS:
In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself. Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her. But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering. Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.

MY TAKE:
I was so excited to get the chance to read and review this book! I fell in love with everything about it from page one until the final page. The book flowed nicely, and the characters were perfect. Books like this one is what the young adults should be reading! It teaches people that just because someone has a disability, doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings or dreams for life and love. A beautifully written teen novel that should be required reading at schools for life lessons. I personally can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next! I am proud to say that this book is one of my favorites of the year!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book! A definite favorite!