Winifred MorrisReseñas

Some people just have a knack for bringing on the snark. This book was quirky, fun, and had me cackling out loud all the way through. Annie fronts a rock band (this writing is extra spectacular for the rich understanding of the ins and outs of music, how each instrument in a group functions as part of the whole from the snare drummer dancing around the beat to the bass player being the steady—just very well done.) She’s barely making ends meet. Wes pops into her life (too bad he’s an undercover agent. Her uncle gets hooked into a plot to sabotage a parade (I nearly spit water all over the breakfast table laughing at the part about the out of rhythm ukuleles and disgruntled horses—seriously this book is SO funny in the small sentence details) and it’s up to Annie to save the day.

This is the awesome sort of read perfect for people who love quirky, funny comedies. Morris has an artist’s touch in terms of comedic timing when it comes to dialogue, as shown in scenes like with the hippie commune out in the woods. It’s a crazy plot. Think Austin Powers with rednecks and hippies. But the author makes it completely work in a hilarious read that will keep you in stitches from start to finish!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.

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One of my all-time favorite books to use in storytimes and readalouds, especially with 5 year olds, who seemed to be the perfect age to be just a little bit scared by the prospect of a SHARK. COMING. INTO. MY. HOUSE, yet were old enough to appreciate the humor and nonsense of it. Love the art, and the ridiculousness of the boy's worry about being attacked by a shark, spinning a story for his mother before bedtime.

Living in Suspension is about Sky, an unhappy teen who despises high school. At first, I didn't like Sky very much and felt that his problems were a direct result of his poor choices and bad attitude. He doesn't put forth much effort academically, he skips school, his group of friends is comprised of dropouts and troublemakers, he acts like a jerk to his parents, and his overall demeanor is angry and mopey. So why the four-star rating? Because by the end of this novel I grew to understand and like this character, who happens to be the perfect portrait of an average kid who simply isn't hardwired to succeed in a traditional classroom setting. I also enjoy Morris' writing style. She takes her time letting you get to know her characters, and she has a way with inserting a bit of humor where you wouldn't normally expect it.

In addition to Sky's difficulties with succeeding in mainstream classes, Morris highlights his battles with authority, his struggles to be a good friend, and his crush on the popular neighbor girl. I should also mention that there's a story within this story. The secondary story is a novel Sky is working on for a creative writing class--the only class he's ever really enjoyed. This novel ends up providing clarity and hope for Sky in the end.

Even though Living in Suspension is geared toward teens, I think adults would benefit from reading it as well. As a warning to teachers who might want to use this book in the classroom(because it would be perfect for discussion related to differentiated learning environments and teen issues in general) and parents, this book contains instances of swearing and drug use. These instances added authenticity to the subject matter, and nothing was over-the-top or added simply for shock value.

Disclosure: I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

After reading Morris’s Of Mice and Money (which I highly recommend) I was happy to learn that she’d written another novel. Just like Of Mice and Money, I enjoyed Bombed. Not only is it unique and peppered with humor, romance and suspense, but it is also well paced and full of memorable characters.

The main character, Annie, is the front woman in a band and a likeable drug dealer. Yes, that’s right, she’s an LSD distributor. This tidbit leads me to something that I love about Morris’s characters: They are realistically flawed, yet I can’t help but like them! (I even like the half-wits!) Besides Annie, there’s a hunky FBI agent sent to track down Annie’s suppliers (who happen to be retired, fun-loving hippie friends of her deceased parents), Annie’s paranoid uncle and an array of hilarious side characters.

There are a lot of moving parts in this novel, but Morris did an exceptional job of weaving the plot and subplots together. Everything flows nicely from scene to scene, which allowed me to picture what was going on as if I was watching a movie. In fact, I think Bombed would be a hit on the big screen.

One of my favorite things about Morris’s writing is the way she’s able to transition from:

Funny - “Wes had to wonder if his superiors were truly stupid or cunningly pretending to be.”

to

Touchy-feely - “She wasn’t clever in bed the way some women were. She wasn’t trying to impress him with her skills. She wasn’t manipulating him for her pleasure either. She was just fully there, going with him, taking him with her, so that he couldn’t think about impressing her, or manipulating her. He couldn’t think at all.”

to

Serious - “He seemed deliberately to leave a universe of frigid air between them.”

If you enjoy books that break genre barriers, then you are likely to enjoy Bombed. I truly look forward to reading more of Morris’s work!½

Tara is a girl who enjoys all the noise in the city. She always pays to the slightest sound, like the hum of the fridge. When she visits her grandmother in the country, she hears different sounds like squirrels, the wind, and owls. Her grandmother teaches her to listen to silence. Her grandmother refers to the silence as Tara's special song. She has to teach herself to appreciate silence.

Tara is a young girl who lives in a busy city full of eclectic noises and sounds. She takes pleasure in listening to every single sound that he city has to offer, at all hours of the day and night. When she visits her grandmother she discovers a whole new set of sounds that differ greatly from the hustle and bustle of the city, and something unfamiliar to her, silence. In the silence is her own special song that her grandmother tells her that she should never forget.½

I thought this book was really good and showed an interesting relationship between a grandma and her granddaughter. It allows for children to realize their inner peace. This book allowed me to value the time I have alone with my self.

This book by Winifred Morris is an heart wrenching story of a young boy, Alex Shafer, and his troubled life and how he is always in trouble. Alex is in trouble wit the law, his school, and his family. He is caught up in the lies he is told and the lies he tells himself, and he always seems to the the wrong thing. Despite his negative attributes, I found myself cheering him on as Morris captures all the desperation and desires of being young and hurting. This book would be an excellent recommendation to troubled children who need help coping with their situation. This book is for a more advanced reader of about 4th-6th grade. I would recommend this book because of the diversity it would bring to a classroom, because everyone should have a book that can relate every kind of child.

In Just Listen by Winifred Morris, a city girl goes to visit her grandmother's. While she is there, her grandmother shows her how to "listen" to the sounds of the forest, silence, and to listen for her song. The girl hears her song when she is with her grandma but when she goes back to the city it seems as though she has lost it in the depths of all the sounds of the city. She does find it again at the end of the book when she goes out again with her grandmother. The story is sweet and endearing but not compelling or captivating. The illustration are realistic with dark natural colors. I would have this book in my classroom but it would not be my first choice to read aloud.

In the book "Liar", a 15-year-old boy named Alex is sent to live with his grandparents in Rimrock, Oregon. He was put there for constently being in trouble with the law, school, and other people around him. When he arives, he makes friends with Mickey and Barry (and being acationaly bullied by Wytt). Life seems prettey good for him while he does barn chores and eats grandmas cooking until something tragic happens. When Alxes started a campfire in the woods and didn't put it out right, a forest fire starts and is in hot water with alot of people. As soon as things started to get better, he's blamed for stealing a phone and a motorcycle. To prevent from getting in more trouble, lives out in an abandond house for shelter. But when a storm hits, he fights for life as he tries to get back home. When he's rescude by his devorsed dad and nursed back to health he is taken to juvinial detention. When he gets out, his friends forgive him and life seems to go back to normal again(hopefuly for a while).

For me, this is a tough book to read. In these type of books, you half to pay attention to every little detail or you woun't understand the next page. I think the reason why Alex lies alot is he got it from his mom. She always told lies and sounded like it was the truth because she was so good at it. Mickey is very forgiving even when Alex acted dangerous(witch was very brave of he). Barry did alot of wrong and suprizing things like stealing Alex's dad's motorcycle.