Saturday 29 June 2013

Review: Shattered by Kathi Baron




Hello, Therians!
It's review day for Kathi Baron's Shattered :)



Shattered is about Cassie Prochazka, a violinist in the Chicago Youth Symphony. About what happens the day after her debut as a soloist when her dad breaks her violin. She's enraged and runs away. She meets a number of helpful and not-so-helpful strangers. Eventually, her violin teacher talks her into returning home, where she unravels a terrible secret within her family. A painful violin secret. Within the secret is also her sense of power, which she uses to open up new possibilities for healing the homeless, her family, and herself.  

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REVIEW

Firstly, I have to say how much I love this cover. It is a perfect reflection of what can be found between the pages of this book. 

The first half of the story seemed to rush by and I never got a real sense of who the characters were. It was only after Cassie's return that I actually settled into the story. I was happy that she was able to find some kind of normalcy in her life after all the chaos and I think Nick played a big part in her healing process. Their time spent at the batting cages was fun and for the first time I got to see a happy, carefree Cassie.  

I was also glad that Cassie and her Mom were able to reconnect again. It gave me hope that even in the darkness there is light. The mystery of why Frank was so on edge about her violin playing was constantly on my mind. I was as eager as Cassie was to find out the truth once she reached her grandfather's place, but then he flipped out and the weird mystery deepened. My heart went out the the entire family when the truth was finally revealed. I didn't care too much for Frank but when he poured his heart out to his family, I actually felt a twinge on guilt for disliking him so much.  

Cassie has more to worry about than whether her broken family will stay that way or not. As a soloist for the Chicago Youth Symphony, she has to face the possibility of her dream fading away, because without a violin, how can she possibly play? There is hope of a benefactor who can keep her dreams alive but Cassie cannot lie about what happened to he violin and that kind of dashes any hopes of her getting another violin.

This book had so much potential. A story of one girl's journey through fear, heart ache, loss, love and forgiveness, I only wish I had been able to connect on a deeper, emotional level with the characters. 

I give it...

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PRAISE FOR KATHI BARON AND SHATTERED:

 "The family drama will grab readers, but just as enthralling is the story of a young person devoted to her music, note by note."                                                            --Booklist

"Baron successfully uses musical metaphors in the structure of the novel--short chapters with staccato action and slower cadences reflective of the family's struggle to work their way through this situation...a moving story..."                                                               --School Library Journal
"...a compelling read." --Kirkus


"This is a novel about picking up pieces, told in a voice that is both poetic and compelling. Kathi Baron's Shattered has perfect pitch."
   --Kathi Appelt, author
 of The Underneatha Newbery Honor Book and National Book Award Finalist

"It takes a special kind of author to create an emotional jouney that opens our hearts. Kathi Baron is that kind of storyteller andShattered is that kind of book." 
   --Louise Hawes, author of The Vanishing Point and Waiting for Christopher, both New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age, and Rosey in the Present Tense, a YALSA Popular Paperback

"Readers will cheer Cassie's journey as she runs away from a shattered home to a brief experience with homelessness and back again. Kathi Baron soars in this debut novel full of creative inspiration, healing and hope.  --Lynn Hazen, author of Shifty, a Smithsonian Notable Book & Voice of Youth Advocates "Top Shelf Fiction"

"Shattered is a sonata in words, a deeply lyrical journey, ringing with overtones." 
   --Tim Wynne-Jones, Horn Book and Edgar Award winning author of Blink and Caution and The Uninvited


CONNECT WITH KATHI



You can reach me at: kathi@kathibaron.com

My blog: 
http://www.kathibaron.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: 
@KathiBaron
On Facebook: 
Shattered 













MEET KATHI BARON

7-12-13 to 7-14-13--Vermont College of Fine Arts Alumni Mini-Residency--Montpelier, VT
9-28-13--Zion Benton Library--Teen Writing Workshop--Zion, IL




CHECK OUT ALL THE STOPS IN THE BLOG TOUR

June 10
Book Spotlight at Much Loved Books

June 11
Guest Post and Book Spotlight at Moonlight Gleam

June 12
Interview and Review at A Diary of a Book Addict

June 13
Book Spotlight at Unputdownable Books 

June 14
Feature and Guest Post at Delphina Reads Too Much

June 15
Review at Hopeless Bibliophile 

June 16
Book Spotlight at Every Free Chance Reading 

June 17
Interview and Giveaway at Word Spelunking

June 18
Book Spotlight at My Fiction Nook 

June 22
Review at Stuck Between the Pages


June 25
Guest Post at Now is Gone

June 27
Review at The Kari Annalysis 

June 28 & 29
Guest Post and Review at Therian

June 30
Review and Interview at J Bronder Book Review 
 

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