Rating: 
Summary: Misplaced therapy
Review: "Icy Sparks" begins with the peculiar story of the birth of the main character (Icy Sparks, herself) and the death of her parents. Told through the eyes of a child, it is quite difficult to determine exactly what was going on. Actually, most of the book was this way - confusing.Once Icy starts "pitching fits" (due to her undiagnosed Tourette Syndrome) most of the writing becomes focused on explaining every movement that jerks through her body and every sound that comes from her mouth. Icy's signature tic is "CROAK"ing, but no matter how detailed Gwyn Hyman Rubio made each jerk and croak, I could never quite see the scene she was describing. The supporting characters of this book are the only thing that kept me reading. Miss Emily, an intelligent but overweight friend that seems to substitute for Icy's mother. Mrs. Stilton, a spiteful and mean fourth grade teacher. They seemed to come alive, among many others. But the rest of this book seems to be a inside joke. In the way that unless you are from Kentucky you won't understand what kind of food they are eating or some of the words they are using. In the way that unless you are knowledgeable about Tourette Syndrome you'll feel like you are watching from the outside wondering what is going on. The end was sudden and abrupt. A new storyline is started with less than twenty pages to go and it seems most of the pages are filled with hymn lines. And the epilogue just made everything worse by trying to wrap up Icy's whole life in under one page. This book just seems to be a form of misplaced therapy and once the author was done with all the subjects that were giving her psychological trouble, she gave up. The reason for writing a fictional book should not be to teach a lesson on how to treat people or force religion down throats (out of place and at the last minute). It should simply be to entertain and unfortunately, this book did not accomplish that.
Rating: 
Summary: Touching story
Review: Full of truth and harsh reality, Icy Sparks tells a sweet and heart breaking tale of trying to fit into the round hole when you are the square peg. I loved this book. The characters are lovable, and you can picture yourself right there in the room. Wonderfully built story by the author. Enjoy this very good book.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking and Hilarious
Review: Gwyn Hyman Rubio's "Icy Sparks" is an exceptional book. She has created an unforgettable character in Icy -- a young girl suffering from Tourette's syndrome. Set in rural Kentucky during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the reader is consistently challenged to question their response to the incidents and situations that occur in this novel. The book is so rich in detail that the reader is often left feeling as though they have actually witnessed one of Icy's outbursts. The question is -- from which point of view? One of Gwyn Hyman Rubio's strongest assets is her ability to convey the shock and horror of those around Icy as she "jerks" and "croaks," while at the same time describe Icy's self-hatred of the inablity to control her body. In the end, this book is not simply about Tourrette's syndrome. It is about human igonrance, fear and tolerance. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Gwyn Rubio's Icy Sparks is an outstanding novel
Review: I always spend my lunch break, at work, reading fiction novels. I can partially gauge how much I enjoyed each book by how often I have to work late, making up the time I lost when I couldn't stop reading. While I was reading my latest acquisition, Icy Sparks, I had to work late a lot. I was pulled into Icy Sparks immediately by the interesting prose and became completely immersed during the sequences when Icy would struggle to control the outbursts brought on by her disorder. The excellent narration of these events is fluid and believable. Although the narrative is excellent, a well-crafted plot is what makes Gwyn Rubio's first published novel outstanding. The novel describes the universal plight of a young girl trying to understand the differences which set her apart from her peers. The plot unfolds in a natural way, with Icy, a victim of Tourette Syndrome, trying to come to terms with her undiagnosed condition. Her search for acceptance and understanding culminates in a beautifully written scene which is charged with emotion. I enjoyed this book immensely.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a winner
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, because I learned about a subject I knew nothing about before. This is a wonderful coming of age novel set in rural Kentucky in the 1950's. The main character is an orphan named Icy Sparks. She suffers from Tourette's syndrome which causes her body to jerk involuntarily. Tourettes also causes Icy to repeat curse words uncontrollably. This condition leads to much embarassment at school in her early years. She is teased and shunned by her classmates. Icy spends some time in a mental hospital upon the suggestion of her school principal and grandparents. She makes friends with other disabled people there. She also learns new ways to deal with her disorder during her stay. Miss Emily is a compassionate fat woman. She is Icy's best friend throughout the book. I loved the relationship between these two characters. She teaches Icy her academic subjects and about life too. I loved the ending of the book. It is so touching when Icy finally finds her gift. I highly recommend Icy Sparks.
Rating: 
Summary: Quit on page #50
Review: I hate it when a book is so bad that you just can't read another page. I felt like this book was going to get somewhere but it was too boring to try to get to that point.
Rating: 
Summary: I loved Icy
Review: I really liked this book, and I am fairly easily "bored" with some books, and am definately turned off by saccharine stories. I listened to the audio version, and never felt as though it was moving too slowly. I enjoyed all of the narrative. My 9 and 13 year old girls liked it very much also (although I fast-forwarded through the section where Icy and PeeVee have their conflict). When I listen to the tape on the way to work, Icy stays with me all day. I would recommend it to anyone interested in coming-of-age stories with a twist.
Rating:
Summary: I loved Icy
Review: I really liked this book, and I am fairly easily "bored" with some books, and am definately turned off by saccharine stories. I listened to the audio version, and never felt as though it was moving too slowly. I enjoyed all of the narrative. My 9 and 13 year old girls liked it very much also (although I fast-forwarded through the section where Icy and PeeVee have their conflict). When I listen to the tape on the way to work, Icy stays with me all day. I would recommend it to anyone interested in coming-of-age stories with a twist.
Rating:
Summary: not impressed
Review: Icy Sparks is a girl who was raised by her grandparents because both her parents died when she was young. Along with growing up with no parents, Icy also has a disease called Tourette Syndrom, and doesn't find out she has this disease untill early adulthood. Her violent tics and verbal abuse, caused by Tourettes, isolates her from her peers and social life. This novel is about Icy's struggles and achievements in surviving the emotional and physical effects of tourrettes. And along the way Icy finds the meaning of love that looks beyond her disease, a love that last forever. The love her grandparents, and best friend (Emily), gave from the very beginning to the very end.
This book was hard to get into at first but soon I couldn't stop reading it. The author puts the reader in the mind set of Icy, which give the book a personality of its own. It's a real eye opener to what it's like to be mentally different but appear to be as normal as any other person. It can be confusing at times, so i reccomend it for ages 13 and older. (side note: to understand the story better read the section at the back of the book on Tourette Syndrom.)
Rating:
Summary: A semi-decent read
Review: In the book "Icy Sparks" by Gwyn Rubio, a little girl in the 1950s goes through times of difiiculty. Icy, the main character has Tourett symdrome and everyone in her town looks poorly on her. The same way another lady is treated named Miss Emily. Miss Emily is an obese lady and the whole town makes fun of her when she walks by and such. When i first picked up the book and started reading, nothing really interested me. Nothing caught my attention, but through the middle, it started to pick up. The author Gwyn Rubio, does a great job describing every time Icy has an outburst. Other than the great job that the author does describing the story, I think the storyline was not that great, but it was funny at times. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a relaxed reading and a good laugh.
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