As the title suggests, The Christmas Quiet Book by Debra Underwood and Renata Liwiska does for Christmastime what The Quiet Book did for everyday life; it celebrates the many kinds of calm that punctuate our otherwise busy lives. From “Lights on quiet” and “Blown fuse quiet” to “Shattered ornament quiet” and “Note to Santa quiet”, Underwood’s text captures the wonder, anticipation, peacefulness, and gratitude of the holiday season. Liwiska’s gently drawn scenes of woodland creature families beautifully convey a sense of community and tradition, and may nudge nostalgic readers to reminisce about holiday traditions of their own. Together, the text and illustrations have an almost zen-like calming effect on the reader.

The real magic of The Christmas Quiet Book, however, rests in what it inspires. Readers won’t be able to help seeking out and naming quiet moments of their own while they prepare for Christmas. This reviewer would add “Munching on roasted chestnuts quiet”, “Stringing popcorn and cranberries quiet”, “Santa really got my letter quiet,” and “Last note of Silent Night quiet”. In today’s commercial holiday climate, The Christmas Quiet Book may be the perfect gift for those seeking relief from the hustle and bustle of Christmastime.

As the title suggests, The Christmas Quiet Book by Debra Underwood and Renata Liwiska does for Christmastime what The Quiet Book did for everyday life; it celebrates the many kinds of calm that punctuate our otherwise busy lives. From “Lights on quiet” and “Blown fuse quiet” to “Shattered ornament quiet” and “Note to Santa quiet”, Underwood’s text captures the wonder, anticipation, peacefulness, and gratitude of the holiday season. Liwiska’s gently drawn scenes of woodland creature families beautifully convey a sense of community and tradition, and may nudge nostalgic readers to reminisce about holiday traditions of their own. Together, the text and illustrations have an almost zen-like calming effect on the reader.

The real magic of The Christmas Quiet Book, however, rests in what it inspires. Readers won’t be able to help seeking out and naming quiet moments of their own while they prepare for Christmas. This reviewer would add “Munching on roasted chestnuts quiet”, “Stringing popcorn and cranberries quiet”, “Santa really got my letter quiet,” and “Last note of Silent Night quiet”. In today’s commercial holiday climate, The Christmas Quiet Book may be the perfect gift for those seeking relief from the hustle and bustle of Christmastime.

Rachel Cohn’s Beta walks the subtle young adult line between the 2005 movie thriller The Island and Ishiguro’s brilliant story, Never Let Me Go. In Beta, the first in this YA sci-fi series, Elysia is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was created to serve in the island of Demesne, a paradise for the wealthiest people in the world. The air of the isolated island is superior to the rest of the world’s, and can only be resisted by clones. These clones are created in a laboratory to serve after their “first” human dies and their soul is removed. Clones are expected to have no human feelings, and any found “defect” means brutal consequences. In the ultimate utopia, where Elysia is being bought as a companion clone in a rich home, what could possible go wrong? As Elysia quickly learns, perhaps she is not as soulless as the her adopted family may think—she yearns for chocolate, knowledge, and when she meets the beautiful, recently-returned-to-Demesne teen, Tahir, love. While the book focuses heavily on of the extreme beauty of the clones, occasionally to the detriment of the emotional depth of the inhabitants and other genetically engineered humans on the island, its strong themes cannot be ignored. What does it mean to have a soul? And how far will Elysia go assert her independence and that of every seemingly subservient clone on the island? This book ends with quite a reveal for the future installments!

Rachel Cohn’s Beta walks the subtle young adult line between the 2005 movie thriller The Island and Ishiguro’s brilliant story, Never Let Me Go. In Beta, the first in this YA sci-fi series, Elysia is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was created to serve in the island of Demesne, a paradise for the wealthiest people in the world. The air of the isolated island is superior to the rest of the world’s, and can only be resisted by clones. These clones are created in a laboratory to serve after their “first” human dies and their soul is removed. Clones are expected to have no human feelings, and any found “defect” means brutal consequences. In the ultimate utopia, where Elysia is being bought as a companion clone in a rich home, what could possible go wrong? As Elysia quickly learns, perhaps she is not as soulless as the her adopted family may think—she yearns for chocolate, knowledge, and when she meets the beautiful, recently-returned-to-Demesne teen, Tahir, love. While the book focuses heavily on of the extreme beauty of the clones, occasionally to the detriment of the emotional depth of the inhabitants and other genetically engineered humans on the island, its strong themes cannot be ignored. What does it mean to have a soul? And how far will Elysia go assert her independence and that of every seemingly subservient clone on the island? This book ends with quite a reveal for the future installments!