Children's Atheneum

A Million Suns Boo Review

2012-02-18T20:53:00.007-05:00

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

It has been months since Amy, the only person aboard Godspeed who remembers Earth, was unplugged from cryosleep. Everything she ever knew is gone and everywhere she looks are the suffocating metal walls that make up this ship. Elder has assumed an uneasy leadership, made more difficult by the lies that have been running the ship for centuries. Together they must unravel this puzzle for the lives of all those on board may depend on it.

I love me some good old fashioned science fiction. Bring on the adventure, the spaceships, cryosleep, space adventures. Forget that dystopian sci-fi that has permeated the genre. Having met Beth Revis last spring, the very reason I read the first in the Across the Universe series. I loved her, my favorite quote of hers being, "I love explosions." And she is a woman after my own heart for she too doesn't love writing romance, which means that the love story in A Million Suns never felt forced.

Very early on in the book the secret is revealed that the ship is no longer moving, the engines no longer working. This of course goes against all theory of relativity, for if the ship is stopped then that means someone stopped it, and then the next question is why? As the citizens of Godspeed begin to think for themselves, no longer on the drug Phydus, Elder is stuck between discovering the secret of Godspeed and becoming the leader he doesn't want to be.

Oh and those secrets...big. HUGE. AWESOME! With every new twist and turn I found myself pleasantly surprised, glad that Revis gave just enough to her readers that I knew a lot but not everything. For those who aren't huge fans of hard science fiction, I challenge you to give this series a chance. Apart from the setting there is a great mystery, serious adventure, coming of age, romance, and deep intrigue.

Mississippi Jack Book Review

2012-02-18T13:44:00.005-05:00

Mississippi Jack: Being an Account of the Further Waterborne Adventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman, Fine Lady, and Lily of the West by L.A. Meyer

In the fifth installment of the Bloody Jack series, Jacky Faber is wanted by the crown for piracy--among other things. Along for the ride is her faithful servant Higgins, her boatswain Jim Tanner, and friend Katy Deer. Jacky and company set out from Boston heading toward the Ohio River in hopes of taking a boat down to New Orleans. But as is always the case with Jacky, nothing ever goes as planned and she soon finds herself with a host of problems from tall-tale telling captains, to slave catchers, to bandits. Little does she know that her love and betrothed, Jaimy Fletcher is on her trail with misfortunes that are as disastrous as Jacky's.

Up until now I have been singing the praises of the Bloody Jack Adventures, but I am afraid that this one just fell flat for me. Jacky was her usual charming self, of course. There was no end to the adventures and therein lies the problem. There was just too much adventure, a statement that I never thought I would say.

For my benefit and yours the various scenes/adventures are as follows:
1. Escapes from a British warship with the help of Higgins and an acting troupe.
2. Travels west to Katy Deer's home in order to confront the other girl's molesting Uncle.
3. Hires a boat whose captain is the most annoying tall-tale teller this side of the Mississippi.
4. Steals said riverboat from the captain.
5. Picks up passengers including a card man and his black servant girl, a conniving evangelist, a Native American cook, and two drunken fools fresh out of prison.
6. Pick up Clementine, a country girl who knows a secret or two about Jacky's fiancee.
7. Deck out the riverboat with guns for safety and paint in order to make her a showboat.
8. Get in a fight with bandits along the way, clearing out their den with the handful of people on board.
9. Pick up a runaway slave named Solomon.
10. Visit with some Native Americans where she runs into some Brits who are stirring up trouble.
11. Is captured and tortured by said Brits, eventually being rescued.
12. Get attacked by renegade Indians who are scalp hunting.
13. Is caught by Jaimy kissing another man. Jaimy paddles away and Jacky can't catch him.
14. Gets captured along with Solomon and Chloe (the serving girl who turns out to be the card sharks daughter).
15. Is tarred and feathered and almost hung by slave catchers.
16. Is thrown overboard during a storm and washed up near New Orleans.
17. Goes to a friend who works at a whorehouse where she raises some money and a few eyebrows.
18. Gets into a fight with three men who all want to kill her.
19. Buys a boat using money that she won by cheating at cards.
20. Travels to Jamaica to meet up with Jaimy who forgives everything in a single instant.

I think I got it all in there, but I think you get the point, simply too much going on here. There were also some things I was curious about. When Jaimy catches Jacky in the arms of another man, something to which she has admitted to doing, he flips out and refuses to return. Not only is this hypocritical of him, for he was very recently in the arms of a Miss Clementine Jukes. To that point, Jacky also gets upset, very upset, when she finds out about the Clementine and Jaimy, yet she has no problem in showing her parts or giving out kisses to handsome and sometimes not so handsome men. Although Jacky is impulsive, in this regard I felt that the story went against character.

There were also a number of plot points that felt unnecessary. Like Jacky falling into the water. Perhaps Meyer was trying to find a way of getting Jacky into the whorehouse down in New Orleans, but I think this could have easily been done since she would have needed a place to hide out and it was the perfect place for her entertaining skills, not to mention her new found card shark abilities. Throughout the book there were a number of parts that just felt so contrived. British soldiers at a Native American encampment that she just happens to be visiting at the same time? Pulling over the boat to get some firewood at the exact moment that slave catchers were nearby?

Lastly, I think it is time that Jacky and Jaimy be together. I understand that in most good love stories, the characters shouldn't get together, really together, until the end, but after five whole novels, I am just tired of them chasing each other around, always missing each other by second. Their bad fortune makes me think that perhaps they should never be together, for clearly the fates are not with them.

The book isn't without some merits, but I do wonder if there was any character development that really mattered in this book and if it wouldn't be possible to just skip book five altogether with the simple understanding that she went on an adventure down the Mississippi, picked up some more crew, and is still waiting for Jaimy. Jacky is wonderful, but Huckleberry Finn she is not.

The Pregnancy Project Book Review

2012-02-04T20:55:00.006-05:00

The Pregnancy Project by Gabby Rodriguez and Jenna Glatzer

Typically a senior project is something simple, volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity or following around a business professional, but Gabby Rodriguez took the call of her sociology project seriously. How could she do something that would make a real difference, that would challenge her peers. So Gabby set out on a journey in which she would pretend to be pregnant for six months, complete with a fake belly bump and symptoms". Only a handful of people would know.

There are a number of judgements that people made about Gabby before knowing her story. Some thought she was searching for her fifteen minutes of fame, while others thought she was purposefully being cruel, tricking the people she called her friends. My greatest fear at the beginning of the book was simply that she was a little too naive about what she was getting herself into.

I was correct. I don't think Gabby realized what the consequences would be. She is smart and defintiely brave and thought about a lot of the way people would treat her, but the reality was harder than she imagined, but the results were incredible.

The thing I took away from this book and what Gabby came away with too was that everyone makes mistakes. Pregnancy is a hard one, made even harder by the people who are supposed to love and care about you. Your family, your friends, your teachers. The mistake has been made, but once the girl decides to go through with the pregnancy, it doesn't end there. The constant stream of negatives fills their life. "Doesn't she know she ruined her life?" "I always knew she would get pregnant." "What a waste." Gabby found solace in the fact that she was not pregnant, but was all too aware that the same comfort was not available to girls who really were pregnant.

The writing is rough, even with the help of a ghost writer, but I think the importance of what is said is enough to make the book a worthy read. Besides, she is seventeen, life only gets better, with or without a child.

The Fault In Our Stars Book Review

2012-01-30T22:45:00.006-05:00

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Despite a medical miracle drug, Hazel has always been terminal, her cancer simply a side effect of dying. Forced to attend a Cancer Kid Support Group because she is depressed (also a side effect of dying), Hazel meets Augustus Waters, philosopher and fellow cancer survivor who shows Hazel what it means to really live and die.

Despite being beautifully written, this book is a hard sell. Not exactly a light read, I have found it difficult to recommend this one to teens and have watched on a number of occasions, a teen pick up the book from the shelf, read the dust jacket, and consequently put the book back on the shelf. The relative success of movies lie 50/50 and My Sister's Keeper apparently have not increased the love for books where cancer is the major crux of the story.

Truth is, this book is excellent. It is an existential crisis wrapped up in a love story, which is not to be confused with a romance story. There is so much more to this book than that. The character's Hazel and Augustus come off as a little smarter and pretentious than one thinks they should, but the sarcasm and humor make them likeable and relateable. Also, I would like to think that when kids have to handle such difficult situations like cancer and dying, they mature in a way that is the epitome of beautiful strength and terrible weakness.

Although this is not technically a book about disabilities, I still thought it was necessary that they
obey certain peremitters that I have previously set up in regards to those kind of books. The most important being that although there are kids with cancer, I did not want it to be a book about cancer. It was not. As Hazel drags around her oxygen tank, one doesn't forget she is sick, but for Hazel oblivion is to be ignored and her fierce need for closure is what drives her. What will her parents be like when she is gone? What will Augustus do if he falls for her and then she leaves?

I also loved how deep and real the parents were in the novel. Typically, in young adult and middle grade novels the parents are either dead or simply not around. I know in my own writing, I was advised to make the parents as non-existent as possible for it is hard to have an adventure with the parents around. The reality is that parents are part of these kid's lives and I love that Green did them justice.

The cover is a little bland, but it is a must read.

Mighty Miss Malone Book Review

2012-01-30T21:45:00.004-05:00

Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

Deza Malone is one of the smartest girls in her class. That's why she is confused when her teacher gives her a second place on her English essay. But Deza's teacher knows that the life of any child in 1936 is going to be difficult. When her father is injured in a boating accident, the already struggling family is forced to make many changes that require Deza to see the world as it is. Always tenacious, Deza refuses to give up on her dreams or her family.

With the backdrop of the Great Depression, Curtis' newest novel paints a vivid picture of a struggling family in the 1930's. There is Deza's brother, Jimmie, who has quit growing due to lack of adequate food and nutrition. Her mother, whose clothes hang off her. And her father, whose efforts to obtain a job have proven fruitless and have forced him to travel further and further away in search of work and self-respect. Eventually Deza's family is forced to move, finding a home in a transient camp, a place full of people whose lives have been just as touched by the economic disaster as the Malones.

The thing that makes this story so endearing though is Deza's resilience despite all of this. She is aware of their difficulties, yet as all children do, she can see past this. Her teeth may be rotting in her head, but Deza powers through, concerned only for her family and her schoolwork. She never complains about her teeth even though they hurt excruciatingly. Deza's insatiable need to learn and love and see the best of any situation makes her easy to follow through this terrible ordeal.

Admittedly, there were times when I wondered if she was a little too innocent, a little too naive. One wonders if a twelve-year-old would truly be so self-absorbed and out of touch with what was going, but perhaps Curtis was attempting to capture some of the innocence that seemed to last longer all those decades ago. Luckily, Deza does grow and change and that innocence does begin to fall away a bit, leaving a much wiser little girl in her stead.

As in many middle grade books, I think there is a lesson to be learned here, but the story is by no means didactic. The lesson is simple, take nothing for granted. From your teeth, to your clothes, to your shoes. Appreciate everything, but most of all your family. No matter what happens to the Malones, no matter what they are forced to leave behind, their love and humor is what keeps them going. A wonderful book to be added to the historical fiction genre.

Biographies: To Bobble or Not to Bobble

2012-01-16T20:22:00.003-05:00

I am a sucker for a good biography and even more enamoured by a good autobiography. People fascinate me and I often find myself flipping to the picture pages present in most biographical tomes. As a kid I loved history books with pictures of children from the turn of the century or during the civil war, something about those old photographs drew me into their world. These days, there are a number of places to turn if one wants to find a good biography for children. Everyone from Walt Disney to Mother Teresa to Albert Einstein to Neil Armstrong. The two biggest series though are the Who Was...? series and the DK Biography series.
The Who Was...? series' covers always have a rather comical caricature of the books' subject. Often the picture looks like one of those caricatures a person might buy at the fair or the beach. Except of course, the subjects of this art is none other than Michelangelo or Babe Ruth. The biographical information is on point, but something about the cartoon characters throughout the entire book really irks me. How is a giant bobble headed person going to help a child understand what George Washington looked like? Dispersed throughout the book are sidebars with other historically relevant information having to do with that particular time period or subject. Again, I do wonder if cartoons are really the best way to convey historical information here. Anyone know of a study regarding visual learning of facts, cartoons vs. photographs?
The DK series is my preferred method of biography. DK loads their biographies with all kinds of photos and whatnot. For example: Paintings of George Washington, a photograph of his house, pictures of his false teeth used in the day, letters, as well as other artifacts of the era.

Perhaps I should have made a caveat in regards to cartoons. As a child, cartoons were never my preferred viewing method. I would have rather watched a Disney live action film over an animated film any day. Hans Christian Andersen starring Danny Kay was one of my favorite movies. And it is just this bloggers' opinion, but if you are going to introduce a child to a historical figure, the lease you can do is show them a real picture of them rather than a giant bobble head.

An Invisible Thread: Action Beyond Thought

2011-12-30T10:36:00.001-05:00

“Excuse me lady, do you have any spare change? I am hungry.”

When Laura Schroff first met Maurice on a New York City street corner, she had no idea that she was standing on the brink of an incredible and unlikely friendship that would inevitably change both their lives. As one lunch at McDonald’s with Maurice turns into two, then into a weekly occurrence that is fast growing into an inexplicable connection, Laura learns heart-wrenching details about Maurice’s horrific childhood and journey's into a friendship that has spanned over three decades.

When I lived in Boston, I can't tell you how many homeless people I walked past every day. They became like part of the scenery, only sticking out if one of the crazier ones screamed at himself in the subway or held the door open for you in hopes of some change in return. I never saw children begging, at least not that I remember, which disturbs me because I wonder if perhaps I did and I ignored them as many of us do. Laura Schroff did too. She admits it. But then she stopped because something drew her to one little boy on a street corner.

An Invisible Thread reminded me of that small link we have with humanity. It reminded me that the things we take for granted like brown bag lunches, Christmas presents, and dining rooms, are some of the things that other children crave desperately. I read articles about politicians and policy makers every day who are constantly asking how do we clean up the streets, lower crime, get people off of welfare. I think some of those answers lie within the pages of this book. It is about showing children that the vicious cycle they are stuck in, the lies they are being told daily, does not have to be their life.

Maurice could have easily become a drug dealer or an addict. I would even say that if a woman had not stopped on that street corner and come into his life, he probably would have been one or both. But how many children out there are like Maurice? Good kids who have never met anyone with a real job before, whose lives have been one welfare motel to another.

So my charge to you, my dear readers, is to open your eyes and look for ways in which you can be a good example for a child. In Maurice's words, "Kids like us know about this stuff, but we are always on the outside looking in." Perhaps this year you can open your heart and life to someone.

For suggestion on ways that you can help children in your community check out these links:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Mentor

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Also, check out local schools, Urban ministries, and Literacy centers for places where you can volunteer. It may be only a few hours out of your week, but the difference you can make in someone's life is beyond huge. In case you need a reminder though, read An Invisible Thread.

A Year in Review 2012

2011-12-27T23:55:00.004-05:00

Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud

We're In a Book (An Elephant and Piggie book) by Mo Willems

Goodnight iPad: A Parody For the Next Generation by Ann Droyd (hehe)

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith

New-To-Me Series That On One Hand I'm Glad To Have Found, But On The Other, I'm Seriously Horrified That I'd Missed Out On Until Now:

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Sequel Happiness:

The Death Cure by James Dashner

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

Stoner & Spaz II by Ron Koertge

In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L.A. Meyer

Book That Made Me Crave Food:

Raspberries by Jay O'Callahan

Most Enjoyable Bad Book:

Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker

Forgettable Plot Saved By a Fresh, Honest Voice:

Liesel & Po by Lauren Oliver

Book(s) I Was Most Surprised By:

The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Made of Pure Awesome:

Tuesdays at the Castle

Amanda & Her Alligator by Mo Willems

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Best Book Hidden Under the Worst Cover:

Pride an Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

More Adorable Than Sparkling Puppies:

Tuesdays at the Castle

YA Book Most Likely to be Loved By Adults More Than Actual YAs:

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Biggest Disappointment:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Books that Invoked Irrationally Violent Emotions in me:

Empty by Suzanne Weyn

Books I Loved For Their Imperfect Heroines:

Graceling by Kristine Cashore

Valiant by Holly Black

Best Book For Wimpy Kid Lovers:

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbets

Best Vampire Book For Twilight-Haters:

Valiant by Holly Black

Favorite Roadtrip Book:

Ranger's Ransom by Emily Diamand

In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L.A. Meyer

Best Action/Adventure Book:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The Death Cure by James Dashner

Books that were weird just to be weird:

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

The Green Futures of Tycho by William Sleator

Dormia by Jake Halpern

Sci-fi's that made me think there is still a future for this genre (future, get it):

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Girl Parts by John Cusick

Raider's Ransom by Emily Diamend

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard

Books I lent out to people multiple times:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Jumper by Steven Gould

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Worst Book of the Year:

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Have a question about this list. Wonder why I loved or hated a book? Leave a comment...let's discuss.

Raspberries: For the Love of Audio Books

2011-12-27T22:27:00.005-05:00

Raspberries by Jay O'Callahan
Illustrated by Will Moses

Despite much pleading and begging, our home was television free for years. This meant that several times a week, our little flock of children would traipse up to the local public library and check out a stack of books that had to be hauled back home via our red Radio Flyer. There were some particular favorites that we checked out over and over. Dinotopia, Ruth's Bake Shop, and one audio cassette featuring a couple of folk tales. Among those folk tales was a story called Raspberries by Jay O'Callahan.

The story is simple, a kindly egg farmer helps a young girl who gives him magic raspberry seeds. Whenever someone eats said raspberries they lift into the air and uncontrollably shout, Rasssssppppbberrrieees!

This of course means that whenever someone says the word Raspberries in my house, someone uncontrollably sing out, Rasssssppppbberrrieees! So you can imagine my excitement as I opened my Christmas present this year to discover one very beautiful brand picture book of Raspberries, with the audio book included. My dad's eyes beamed as I unwrapped it and I feel bad for him because he had to keep it a secret for over a month.

Nostalgia aside, this is a wonderful story, told by a great storyteller, and the new picture book's folk art fits perfectly with the stories motif.

Favorite Christmas Picture Books

2011-12-11T09:18:00.006-05:00

The Soldier's Night Before Christmas by Christine Ford
Illustrated by Trish Holland

Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner
Illustrated by Michael Beuhner

The Night Before Christmas by Robert Sabuda

A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree: A New Zealand Twelve Days of Christmas by Kingi Ihaka
Illustrated by Dick Frizzell

The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman
Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

Mole Family Christmas by Russell Hogan
Illustrated by Lillian Hoban

It's Christmas David by David Shannon

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Illustrated by Laura Cornell

Finally, a piece of my favorite Christmas movie, Santa Claus: The Movie. No this is not the Tim Allen one, but when I was a kid, I thought it was magical. I continued to watch it far past when I quit believing in Santa. I still root for the reindeer as they try to perform the super duper looper.

Finding Ethnicity in the Christmas Story

2011-12-09T21:11:00.003-05:00

I need a little help from you, my dear readers. Although many of you remain silent, leaving few comments, I know you are out there because well...let's be honest I can see everyone who visits my blog. So I know there are many of you. Normally, I consider myself rather good at google searching, but with this particular subject I am coming up short so I call upon your expertise.

Recently, a customer came into the store looking for a book on the First Christmas, with one caveat, she wanted Jesus and by extension, his family, to look like they were actually Middle Eastern. "Of course, right this way," I said to the nice white lady with her adopted Ethiopian child in tow. (she informed me that this one of the reasons for looking for such a book on the way to the children's department) But what to my wondering eyes should appear....but a mass of First Christmas books with a very white, or at best, slightly tan baby Jesus. To be fair, this isn't the middle ages so luckily I did not see any blond Jesus' and Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds seem to be wearing historically accurate clothing for the most part. But I don't think I could categorize a single one of them as middle eastern looking in any way shape or form. So I apologized to the customer and still bothered by this, came home and began to look for this picture book for surely it exists. So far I have found one book that I think fits this description, at least from the cover art. This saddens me greatly. In the 21st century why is it that Jesus is still, for the most part, white? Is there a sub-genre of books that I am just not finding? Help me dear readers for I know you are out there. Are there First Christmas/Nativity stories in which the illustrations reflect historical accuracy as well as ethnicity?

Back to the Classics

2011-12-05T21:57:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I get tired of all this new fangled stuff. Not that books written today aren't written well, but sometimes I yearn for that classic lingo, the overly detailed paragraphs, and the lyrical way in which words jump from the page. I have spent the past few years reading new book after new book often feeling guilty when I want to re-read a classic (or something classic to me) because I know that this blog is sitting here and my readers want new books. Perhaps it is time to go back to the classics though, help children re-discover the magic of Peter Pan and The Secret Garden. The beauty of Heidi or adventure in The Enchanted Castle.

As an author, I am constantly told how important beginnings are, how you must find that perfect hook that will grab the reader and make them want to read the next sentence and paragraph and page. However, the classics defy this logic, which frankly makes me happy. You mean kids can read books that don't begin with some hook that defies logic? So here are the openings to some of my favorite classics, which are fantastic and I have read in the past few weeks.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression. Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another. Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people. She had not wanted a little girl at all, and when Mary was born she handed her over to the care of an Ayah, who was made to understand that if she wished to please the Mem Sahib she must keep the child out of sight as much as possible. So when she was a sickly, fretful, ugly little baby she was kept out of the way, and when she became a sickly, fretful, toddling thing she was kept out of the way also. She never remembered seeing familiarly anything but the dark faces of her Ayah and the other native servants, and as they always obeyed her and gave her her own way in everything, because the Mem Sahib would be angry if she was disturbed by her crying, by the time she was six years old she was as tyrannical and selfish a little pig as ever lived. The young English governess who came to teach her to read and write disliked her so much that she gave up her place in three months, and when other governesses came to try to fill it they always went away in a shorter time than the first one. So if Mary had not chosen to really want to know how to read books she would never have learned her letters at all.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, "Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!" This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

From the pleasantly situated old town of Mayenfeld a footpath leads up through shady green meadows to the foot of the mountains, which, as they gaze down on the valley, present a solemn and majestic aspect. Any one who follows it will soon catch the pungent fragrance of grassy pasture lands, for the footpath goes up straight and steep to the Alps.

The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit

There were three of them Jerry, Jimmy, and Kathleen. Of course, Jerry's name was Gerald, and not Jeremiah, whatever you may think; and Jimmy's name was James; and Kathleen was never called by her name at all, but Cathy, or Catty, or Puss Cat, when her brothers were pleased with her, and Scratch Cat when they were not pleased. And they were at school in a little town in the West of England the boys at one school, of course, and the girl at another, because the sensible habit of having boys and girls at the same school is not yet as common as I hope it will be some day. They used to see each other on Saturdays and Sundays at the house of a kind maiden lady; but it was one of those houses where it is impossible to play. You know the kind of house, don't you? There is a sort of a something about that kind of house that makes you hardly able even to talk to each other when you are left alone, and playing seems unnatural and affected. So they looked forward to the holidays, when they should all go home and be together all day long, in a house where playing was natural and conversation possible, and where the Hampshire forests and fields were full of interesting things to do and see. Their Cousin Betty was to be there too, and there were plans. Betty's school broke up before theirs, and so she got to the Hampshire home first, and the moment she got there she began to have measles, so that my three couldn't go home at all. You may imagine their feelings. The thought of seven weeks at Miss Hervey's was not to be borne, and all three wrote home and said so. This astonished their parents very much, because they had always thought it was so nice for the children to have dear Miss Hervey's to go to. However, they were "jolly decent about it , as Jerry said, and after a lot of letters and telegrams, it was arranged that the boys should go and stay at Kathleen's school, where there were now no girls left and no mistresses except the French one.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof.

illustrated by: www.tracybishop.com

Anne McCaffrey: A Life Worth Reading

2011-11-22T20:15:00.003-05:00

Once I reached the age where I could read to myself, my mother rarely read to me, especially not long chapter books. I don't remember how old I was when my she brought Dragonsong into my bedroom one night, but I remember the remarkable feeling when a mother and daughter share something magical. For us, it was a book. She went on to read me Dragonsinger and Dragondrums.

By then I was hooked. I quickly gobbled up characters and series like Acorna, The Ship Who Sang, Doona, Freedom, and my favorite, The Talents series of which Pegasus in Flight is by far one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time. It hasn't made many of my lists on here because it is typically considered an adult book, although I venture to say it is YA as all the main characters in it are teens. I did notice that occasionally Anne McCaffrey wrote some rather strange books, my least favorite being The Crystal Singer.

Even so, Anne McCaffrey has become a staple in the sci-fi and fantasy community, creating worlds that mothers want to pass on to their daughters. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "If you would no be forgotten as soon as you are dead either write things worth reading or do things worth writing." Anne, you did just that. She will forever be in my heart and on my bookshelf.

NPR and the 50th Anniversary of The Phantom Tollbooth

2011-11-14T21:42:00.006-05:00

This month NPR has chosen The Phantom Tollbooth as their Kids Book Club Pick, in celebration of its 50th Anniversary. Young readers can read along, listening throughout the month to various essays about the book by many people including the author himself, Norton Juster. Once read, young listeners are encouraged to send questions to NPR, some of which will be asked to the author during an interview. This is only the second book that NPR has picked for their new book club, but I simply love the idea of engaging their listeners. Check out this link, send in a question, and listen in.

Tuesdays at the Castle Book Review

2011-11-13T21:50:00.003-05:00

Jacket Flap: Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom.

I was in search of a nice fluffy middle grade book to give me a break from some of the heavier stuff I have been reading lately. After reading the jacket flap and judging the book by its cover, I decided Tuesdays at the Castle would be just that. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a story of political intrigue and danger, just light enough for a young reader though. When the King, Queen, and one of Celie's brothers are attacked in an ambush, her brother Rolf is in line to become King, but the three Glower children aren't so sure that their parents are dead. This is furthered by the actions of the Council who obviously don't want Rolf to become King, or at the very least want to control him. They will do anything, even threaten the lives of the two princesses.

Princess Celie is a wonderful and precocious character, the kind of kid I would like to think I was and who many children want to be. She is quick thinking and willing to do anything to help save her family and the castle.

Perhaps the most interesting character though was the castle itself. A castle that is literally alive, bowing to the needs of those who live within, kicking people out who it doesn't like, moving rooms closer or further to where they need to be, despite the frustrations of those who live within. The castle notices and feels and thinks and perhaps has some prescient abilities.

I thought this was a rather delightful read, one that I didn't want to stop reading. It's perfect for those who love fairy tales, adventure, and everything else in between.

On My Nightstand

2011-11-03T22:48:00.006-04:00

I think I having a small bout of ADD because I can't seem to finish a book but I have been rather good about starting them. Let's assume that I somehow manage to stop beginning the books and actually finish one, then you can expect to see reviews for these books very soon. Or not since some of them are adult books, but sometimes I just have to get my autobiography on.

Death Cure Book Review

2011-10-27T20:00:00.009-04:00

The Death Cure by James Dashner

Thomas is tired of the lies from Wicked, so when the opportunity for the Gladers to get their memories back arises, he knows there is a catch. Escaping to Denver, Thomas must finally face the reality of the Flare, the disease that is ravaging strangers and friends alike. With the clock ticking and the world dying, Thomas must finally face Wicked and the lies.

After reading Mockingjay, I'll admit I am a little jaded on these sci-fi dystopian trilogies. Never mind that everything is a trilogy these days and endings are already a difficult thing to write. Even so, I had high hopes for this series, confident that Dashner knew where he was going.

I will do my best not to ruin the ending, but I can't promise anything, therefore, read on at your own risk.

The ending was quite satisfying. As is traditional with young adult literature, Dashner offers hope, a chance for a future despite the bleakness and death that proceeded it. Unlike Mockingjay, Death Cure didn't end with a happily ever after or a marriage or a ridiculous epilogue. There was too much pain and death and suffering for that to happen though and Dashner didn't fall prey to that overused literary device.

As usual there were a few elements that I wish had been explained more fully. For example: Thomas never gets his memories back, which was fine, but it also meant that we never learn of his past. Worse, although some of the other Gladers do get theirs back, we still don't learn much about the past. Perhaps this would have slowed down the pacing of the plot which was rolling and quick, but on the other hand, I desperately wanted to know more. Also, I wanted to understand the motivations of Wicked, Thomas included. What led them to believe that torture was the way to cure a disease? It was the one thing that made no sense to me. Lastly, how is the rest of the world dealing with The Flare. Are there true disease free places or is it everywhere?

It was nice to see more of this unraveling world, to glimpse firsthand how The Flare affects the mind and soul. Although the goals are still the same, find a cure, defeat wicked, the adventure felt new. Better yet, Dashner is not afraid to get his character's hands dirty. There is no end to the death and destruction and let me warn you, if you haven't read it already, no character is safe. This is probably my favorite part in regards to this book, the complete understanding that not everyone can survive such chaos and a good author knows when to let their characters go.

The Project Book Review

2011-10-07T20:50:00.002-04:00

The Project by Brian Falkner

It was an innocent prank involving a toilet seat and the most boring book in the world, The Last of the Mohicans. For punishment, Luke and Tommy have to write a paper and during their research they stumble across a book that makes The Last of the Mohicans look really exciting. But it's not what the book is about but rather what secrets it contains. Luke and Tommy may have just stumbled across a secret that is centuries in the making and could very well change the course of history.

In the same vein as Brain Jack and Tomorrow Code, Falkner weaves together a story that is a bit science fiction, a little bromance, and a lot action adventure. Faulkner has a real knack for plot, weaving together one adventure after another and taking turns that you never saw coming. The Project goes from a sleepy Iowa town to a terrible flood to a kidnapping and then to Germany--during World War II. The constant movement makes the book a quick read despite its 288 pages.

Because Falkner cannot let go of his roots, Luke is of course, a Kiwi (New Zealander for those not familiar). However, this story felt more honest and true than Brain Jack did in that regard. Now, I don't know where all Falkner has lived in the US, but it is obvious that he Iowa really made an impact on him when he was living there and the insertion of the floods was clever.

One of my criticisms would have to be that Tommy and Luke were far too much alike. I often forgot which of the characters was supposed to be the "smart" one. Which one was the gadget guru. Especially since once kid would pull something out of his backpack and then the other one would use it and it was occasionally confusing. Also, I'm just wondering if there really are kids out there using the phrase "Sweet as"? It isn't a big deal except I thought it sounded goofy and I really hope that the author made it up because I don't know how I feel about living in a world where "Sweet as" as an actual sentence.

Falkner's biggest strength though is his endings. A lot of authors, like Suzanne Collins, have disappointed me time and again with their too-good-to-be-true endings or just an inability to bring the story home. Falkner has never had this problem and The Project is no exception. I still say Tomorrow Code is his best book thus far, but The Project is better than a lot of books out there.

Yet again, I prefer the international cover to the boring US cover.

Books my Nephew Loves

2011-09-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

My Nephew is only two so his favorite books are rather small, but I do so love that the last time he visited me one of the first things he said to me was, "Hi, Aunt Benus (V is a very difficult letter to pronounce). Read a book?"

New and Noteworthy by Hamline University Faculty

2011-09-29T22:42:00.007-04:00

As is my custom and in an effort never to offend those whom I revere, I do not review books written by those who were once my advisors and teachers. Keeping in this tradition, I thought the very least I could do was provide you, my readers, with some of the newest books by some authors who I think are fantastic both in their writing and as people.

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

The Kneebone Boy Book Review

2011-09-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

Otto, Lucia, and Max Hardscrabble have written a book, or at least one of them has, but we will never know which one. They live with their father, an artist who paints portraits of defunct royal families. When the children are sent away to London to stay with a cousin, said cousin turns out to be on Holiday. So the siblings venture to a small village where their Aunt is currently living in a miniature castle and harbors some very deep secrets, ones that she may just want the children to discover if they are up to the task.

In the vein of "The Series of Unfortunate Events" and "Coraline", Kneebone Boy manages to feel haunting and dark, yet stays grounded in reality. Often, the book felt like it was heading in the direction of the supernatural with whispers of a mysterious boy locked in away within a castle, rat filled dungeons, and one very grumpy taxidermist. The writer, whichever Hardscrabble it may be, takes great cares though to inform the reader that under no circumstances is this book to be considered a fantasy. Although the author does promise one ghost, although even that has a logical explanation.

With all the running around and breaking into castles and lost princes in the forest, I couldn't help but think the end was a little anti-climactic and enormously sad. Then I must remind myself that a children's book does not need to have a perfect happy ending, just one of hope. And there is hope for the children. Hope that their lives can become more normal, well as normal as they are at least, now that they have learned the truth.

I loved the style in which Potter wrote the story, with three very interesting and unique characters. It was funny and engaging, just don't expect the end to be all tied up in a bow.

One last thing...I love the cover art by Jason Chan. Really engaging and captures the characters perfectly, right down to the scarf Otto is wearing.

Book Trailers

2011-09-22T08:59:00.000-04:00

I am completely in love with book trailers and I absolutely think they are worth the investment put into them. I have shared some before, but I am including a few more recent ones here in hopes that perhaps the trailer rather than a review may peak your interest. Can I just say, some of these trailers are Wow with a capital W.

I'm Here Book Review

2011-09-21T20:43:00.003-04:00

I'm Here by Peter Reynolds

A child sits alone on a playground. The loud noises and bustling children make it hard for him to join in the fun. So he makes himself a paper airplane and flies away, imagining all kinds of fun. When he lands, a little girl retrieves the plane and the beginning of a quiet friendship is underway.

With its sparse text and beautiful illustrations, Reynolds has written another wonderful story. By page three I was completely aware that the child in the story was autistic. This is a rare find. Not only because it is a picture book that isn't one of those, "Sally Has Autism" books, but also because it is told with such simplicity and not once did Reynolds feel it necessary to inform the reader why the child is not playing with the others. If the reader picks this up then good, if not, that is fine too for the story stands on its own. Even without words, it is great. See for yourself:

Eve Book Review

2011-09-20T23:04:00.007-04:00

Eve by Anna Carey

After a terrible plague ravages the earth and 98% of the world’s population has died, Eve is taken to an orphanage where the girls are trained in math, science, decorum, art, and music. Eve is about to graduate and will soon be attending University, all in an effort to help rebuild America. Then Eve learns the truth, that the girls are going to be used for breeding not their brains and she can look forward to a life of multiples childbirth until her body gives out. Escaping, leaving all her friends behind, Eve goes out into the world that she has been sheltered from for so long, a world full of men. But perhaps all the things she has been taught were wrong. Or maybe not.

In the tradition of The Stand by Stephen King, Eve uses a bit overused premise of a humanity offing plague as a jumping off point to play around with the future. Despite such an obvious premise, the plot rolls along rather nicely and Eve is naive enough to make her an interesting character to discover this dystopian world with. As a reader the parts I found most interesting were Eve’s distorted views of men, literature, and society. The reader is well-aware of Eve’s knowledge shortcomings and it is her discovery of the truth that is the most engaging part of the story.

That said, the romance within the story felt a little shallow. Eve falls in love with the first young man she meets, who happens to be a nice guy and that’s it. Sure, romance goes in the face of all she has been taught about men, but it felt too well put together and for a book that was showing the world at its grittiest, the romance story was one giant sparkle. Perhaps that is what the author wanted, a shining moment in an otherwise chaotic story.

Also, the world in which Eve lives did not pan logically. Why, if the girls are just going to be used as baby birthing machines, were they trained in science and art. What purpose does that serve? Would it not be easier to have the girls be treated like Annie and then one day take them away? And why are children, orphans, being used as slave labor. Children are weaker than adults and I would imagine that hard labor would be rather counter productive. In a society where there are only perhaps 60,000-80,000 people left in the entire United States, it seems stupid to waste people.

As usual, Eve will clearly be part of a series, because heaven help up, we can’t seem to tell an entire story in one novel. I haven’t yet decided if this is a writing issue or a publishing issue, but either way, past sci-fi authors have proven that a good story can be told in one go. Eve is a nice addition to this new Dystopian Romantic Sci-Fi genre, but I would prefer my sci-fi to have a little more substance beyond a love story.

The Green Futures of Tycho Book Review

2011-09-01T20:02:00.003-04:00

The Green Futures of Tycho by William Sleator

Eleven-year-old Tycho is digging in his garden when he stumbles upon an odd egg-shaped object. With a little experimentation, he quickly discovers that it is a device for time travel. But when Tycho travels to his future he discovers a self that isn't exactly what he dreamed he would be. As he travels back and forth in time, playing tricks on his bossy older siblings, his futures grow more and more ominous. The question then becomes, how can Tycho not become the monster he seems destined to become?

Time travel is a difficult and complex issue to broach in fiction. Michael Crichton, H.G. Wells, Mark Twain, Arthur C. Clarke, Madeline L'Engle, and Rebecca Stead have all tried it with varying degrees of success. Doctor Who, the Time Lord himself, has even grown a little convoluted as of late. The Green Futures of Tycho is a classic, but one that I don't think should have been forgotten.

Sleator approaches time travel with his usual psychological mind twists. Tycho is not an unlikable character, but with each future trip he finds a more and more horrifying version of himself. Worse, with every change he makes in the past, something gets tweaked in the present which makes his future worse. The book is small, but Sleator manages to pack just enough character, passion, adventure, and questions that the book will remain with you.

William Sleator passed away on August 3 and I thought it would be fitting to share such a wonderful little but by a brilliant writer.

Other Notable Books by William Sleator:
House of Stairs
Interstellar Pig
The Spirit House
The Boy Who Couldn't Die
Monster
The Last Universe
Marco's Millions
Among the Dolls
Dangerous Wishes

Liesel & Po Book Review

2011-08-18T17:38:00.002-04:00

Liesel & Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesel lives in her attic, imprisoned by her murderous step-mother. When her father dies, Liesel grows despondent and catches the attention of a ghost. Po has come from the Other Side and it is as lonely as Liesel and it has a message from her father. "I shouldn't have eaten the soup."

Down below on the street, Will, the alchemist's apprentice watches little Liesel as she sits in her attic window and dreams of having a friend. When Will misplaces a box containing the world's most powerful magic, it sets him on a course that will put him directly in the path of Liesel and adventure.

Set in world that is vaguely industrial revolution, Liesel & Po is full of vivid imagery and quiet yearning. The illustrations were beautiful and gave just the right amount of clarity without feeling heavy handed or childish.

There are some darker themes, with a murderous stepmother, an abused boy, and a dead best friend, one cannot avoid it, but there is a sensitivity to the story, a softness. The wonderful description of the Other Side, a place where one goes after death, was written in a beautiful and magical way that removes the fear of death, inserting instead a peace that even the grieving Liesel can understand.

Although there is a melancholy to the story, there is also a great sense of adventure, purpose, and discovery. There are a lot of great moments of dramatic irony culminating in some wonderful moments that the reader sees coming, but take the characters completely off guard.

Liesel & Po is a delightful fantasy that is both profound and fun.

Release date: October 4

Hypocritical Sci-Fi

2011-08-16T13:11:00.006-04:00

I have a confession to make. I’m a hypocrite. When I read young adult books, especially dystopian science fiction, I get annoyed by the didactic nature that is so prevalent among them. In Uglies, readers are hammered by the implications of beauty and freedom. Rash charges its audience to embrace a little danger because too much safety can be, well ridiculous. Feed presents the dangers of the internet age. And on and on it goes. Most of these books focus on a single issue, a single question they want to be answered and then drill that point home, to the point of redundancy.

That said, one of my favorite aspects about science fiction is the fact that it is always asking questions and trying to answer them. Now, here comes the real hypocritical part. I don’t mind when adult books do it.

I recently finished reading Dune for the seventh or eighth time and I was struck again by how preachy it really is. For example:

The Missionaria Protectiva – The Bene Gesserit created a missionary system in which they sent women to every planet in the known universe to spread myths and religion to the people. These myths would serve to protect the Bene Gesserit generations later since they planted prophecies that were often so convoluted the women could use them to their advantage.

The Spice – The Spice must flow. It is vital to space travel. Whoever controls the spice, controls the universe. It is more valuable than money. The people who truly understand it’s worth are those of the desert. Now, simply replace the word spice with oil and one cannot miss the lessons in that particular imagery.

These are actually some of the less blatant examples as Frank Herbert is unafraid to point out the evils of computers taking over what men can do, the Orange Catholic Bible, Messiah complexes, and drugs.

So why do these blatant metaphors and analogies not bother me in adult books but rankle me in young adult fiction? I think a simple explanation is that Dune is complex, not trying to answer just one question. It has an epic scope that although in your face about some issues, it such a large composite of intricate ideas that you are simply swept away by the story. With Young Adult fiction though, you cannot be swept away so easily, not if the entire book is so hyper-focused on one single issue.

And then I realized that this is only an issue with these recent dystopian novels, because real science fiction, both for teens and adults is so much bigger and grander than one single issue. But the real question is, do teens care? I don’t think they do. As an adult, I find myself really searching for character and story and the theme doesn’t matter as much to be. At least not as a reader. As a writer, that is a whole different story. I think teens are looking for the same thing though and for them, the message isn’t as important as the story and so things like Feed and Rash and Uglies don’t bother them as much.

For this blogger, if your only going to harp on a single issue for an entire book, it better be one very awesome plot with some incredible characters, otherwise YA sci-fi writers should take a hint from their adult counterparts and begin thinking bigger. Much bigger.

Even so, I plied through my considerable library and found all kinds of wonderful sci-fi books that aren’t so preachy and they are wonderful and epic and they blow some of these one-issue novels out of the water.

Remnants by K.A. Applegate

Orion by Ben Bova

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher

The Earthborn by Paul Collins

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

The Eye, the Ear, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Dayworld by Philip Jose Farmer

Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney

Jumper by Steven Gould

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Away is a Strange Place to Be by H.M. Hoover

The Lake at the End of the World by Caroline MacDonald

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

Ship of Fools by Richard Paul Russo

House of Stairs by Williams Sleator

Psion by Joan D. Vinge

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Dragon & Thief by Timothy Zahn

As I pulled these books out, my mind swirled with all these incredible stories that have weird aliens called Boov, labrynths, rhionitis attacking diseases, teleportation, dark caves, dome cities, drug lords, space stations, space ships so large they have their own gravitational pulls, symbiotic dragon poet warriors, and on and on. (if one of these descriptions sounds intriguing, just ask and I’ll tell you which book it is.) Check out your local library or order them on-line, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Links & Thinks

2011-08-11T16:08:00.001-04:00

I swear my dear readers that I have not abandoned this blog or that I have quit reading. I just find it extremely difficult to update a blog regularly when I have no Internet at home (which is where I like to spend my time when not working). That said I have read a couple of wonderful books lately an you can look forward to reviews of Wildwood by Colin Meloy, Liesel & Po by Lauren Oliver, and something having to do with Dune, which I just re-read for the millionth time. That said there are three books on my bookshelf that I just can't seem to find any interest in finishing. Mississippi Jack by L.A. Meyer, Matched by Allie Condie, and Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Perhaps there will be a blog entry concerning why I can't get through books sometimes. Or why I quit reading them.

Along that note, check out this link for some "great" books that some other folks just couldn't get into.

Oh and stop by the Storyteller's Inkpot, a wonderful writer's blog by the faculty and students of Hamline University.

Graceling Book Review

2011-07-20T16:32:00.004-04:00

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Lady Katsa has a special gift, a grace, one that gives her the ability to kill. Working for the King, Katsa travels the country torturing, maiming, and killing anyone the King wishes. Secretly, she has created a council that rights some of those wrongs, but even she knows that isn’t enough. When a young man with a fighting grace arrives at court, Po befriends Katsa and makes her question everything; her loyalty, her grace, and what it means to stay true to yourself.

There are very few books I read these days that I feel have a true epic quality. Of course, when we think of epics we think of Tolkien or George R.R. Martin, but often children’s and young adult series can have such a limited feel, as if the age or length takes away the epic scope that they could possess. There is also that ever nagging feeling that, as far as high fantasy is concerned, the author is just imitating Lord of the Rings as I felt when reading the series by Croggon.

Graceling never felt that way. This is a world wholly belonging to the author with its own magic that never felt overly complicated nor too simple. As is one of my favorite things in any novel, the plot was wholly unpredictable. As I read I was constantly thinking one thing would happen and when it didn’t I couldn’t help but smile.

Katsa, despite her standoffish, is a truly relateable character. She struggles with the labels that others have put on her and desperately wishes to be something else, something more. Po (Katsa’s love interest) is both strong, mysterious, and struggling with his own secrets. Each of the characters, from the little princess to the evil King are wholly memberable, rounding out the book and breathing life into the story. The plot is crisp and quick, like Katsa who hates doing anything slow.

I imagine there may be some parents who may be a little concerned over the blatant sex scenes and Katsa rejecting the standard mode of marriage, however I think teens are savvy enough to think for themselves and parents shouldn't be choosing their teens' books anyway. Personally, I thought the interactions for very believable for the characters. This is a medieval like world in which young teens are looking for suitors and thinking of marriage as soon as they hit puberty. Katsa's grace may be the only thing that has really protected her from serious and unwanted attention.

As a side note, I read a few other reviews of this book and found it interesting that the reviewers suggest that parents can discuss the "themes" of this book with their teens. Now, be honest...when was the last time you (the parent) or you (the teen) actually read the same book? Do parents really read the same books as their teens and discuss the themes with them? I read a ton of books as a teenager and frankly, unless I read them aloud, my parents never read any of them. As a teenager, I would have felt more than a little demeaned if my mother read the same books as me in an effort to control what I read and/or to discuss the themes with me. I can't imagine I'm the only teen who would not have liked that.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Book Review

2011-07-10T21:24:00.014-04:00

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Jacob Portman has been listening to his grandfather’s wild stories all his life. Stories about girls who float and boys with bees in their stomach and monsters. Of course, he didn’t believe any of those stories until he finds his grandfather in the woods, dying, and sees a monster of his own. Grasping at the last words his grandfather says to him, Jacob and his father head to England to look into the place where his grandfather grew up during World War II. The truth? Perhaps those stories weren’t stories after all.

Full of old photographs, this book reminded me of a writing exercise I had to do once. As part of the exercise we were given a picture, I believe mine was a guy with a bleeding head. As we wrote you were supposed to insert the picture into your writing somehow. Many of the photographs in this book are real and strange and that’s what adds to the novelty of it, but even without the photos, the story is well-crafted and unpredictable.

The reader is brought along on a journey to discover a reality that is both strange and beautiful, constantly questioning what is normal and what will a person do in order to remain safe. I was a little thrown off by the language as Jacob never really felt sixteen to me and the children of the Home for Peculiar Children did not speak in the way that you would expect people from the 1940's and earlier to speak. This is of course a minor flaw in an otherwise gripping novel. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has a definite Peter Pan feel, complete with a flying child, but the bad guys are far more terrifying than Captain Hook.

* * *

Because I am feeling exceptionally friendly, I am also going to post two chapters of a novel I am working on, the one which was originally a writing assignment and had a guy with a bleeding head. It's a first draft of course, but I enjoyed the exercise so much that it has become a full fledged book. As of yet, it is untitled.

Chapter 1

The antique pen lay on the teacher’s desk just waiting for someone to snatch it. With no sign of the teacher, Taya’s hand slipped across the cold metal and vanished the fountain pen into her pocket like a well-learned magic trick. As she did, Taya slid her homework into the middle of a stack of badly penned essays on the merits of a world government.

As she turned she caught a few of the other students peeking up at her, but one quick glare and they went back to writing, the dull pencils scratching away. No one dared mince on her, for Taya had a notorious right hook that had connected with more than a few jaws in this classroom. Max, the kid who she shared a desk with looked up at her through a disheveled mop of brown hair as she sat down. He winked at her before returning to his homework.

Taya didn’t risk looking to the back of the room, but she knew what she would see. A thin trickle of smoke eeking out from under the closet door. Smoking may be illegal down here in the Straights, but everyone around here did it, least a ways all the adults she knew. She moved the pen carefully down into a fold in her pants.

A pen like this could fetch a fair coin on the black market. Perhaps her brother could fence it for a blanket or a new jacket, or both. She felt the briefest twinge of guilt, but it didn’t last long. That’s what Miss Star got leaving something so valuable in a room full of twelve-year-old degenerates. Besides, Miss Star was a moody old mincer who only worked as a teacher to earn herself a berth on a space cruiser. Work twenty years for the government, you get paid yearly and eventually a ride out of this trash heap. Miss Star was on her sixteenth year. It showed.

With a quiet hiss the door slid open and Miss Star’s heels clacked on the concrete, trailing a cloud of smoke behind her. A few of the kids coughed as their teacher walked by, a small reminder that they always had something over on her. Taya peeked out from behind her hair, careful to not make eye contact.

Up front now, Miss Star straightened her skirt before sitting down. It took a single breath for the old bitty to notice something was amiss.

“All right, which one of you hoodlums took it?” she shouted, slamming her fists on her desk.

Even though she had been expecting it, Taya jumped. Miss Star looked at the essay on the top of the stack.

“Jup?”

With a jerk, Jup, a frail boy with hair matted into dreadlocks rose to his feet. “Yes, Miss.”

“Where is my pen?”

“I don’t have it, Miss.”

“You were the last person to put their paper on my desk, right?”

“No, Miss.”

Taya held her breath. Jup didn’t say anything else though.

“Well, if you weren’t the last one then who was?”

“I don’t know, Miss.”

“I don’t know, Miss,” Miss Star mocked.

In four steps Miss Star was across the room and with a sound like a thunderclap, her open palm connected with Jup’s small face, causing the boy to stumble backward into the desk behind him. Poor Jup recovered but not before sending a wandering eye her way. Miss Star didn’t miss that either. Turning, she looked right at Taya who was still holding her breath.

Looking into Miss Star’s cold face Taya imagined the worse. If she was caught she expected more than a slap. Miss Star had the reputation to mince on kids, having them hauled off by police never to be seen again. Rumor had it they sent you off planet, but no one knew where. More likely, they would drag her off to prison and her brother would have to pay a fortune to get her out.

Before Miss Star could open her mouth though, the school bell rang, releasing them from their prison. Taya darted for the exit but wasn’t faster than the teacher who was waiting in the doorway to frisk down the students as they passed, but Taya’s hiding spot was so good that the only thing Miss Moon found was a hole in Taya’s pocket.

“Dirty little bastards,” Miss Star shouted as they escaped.

Out on the street, Taya found Jup and handed him the apple from her lunch. It wasn’t much, but she knew, one had to take care of those who took care of you. Jup walked away rubbing his cheek and holding the apple close.

Taya’s stomach rumbled as she pulled her jacket tight around her and made her way out into the chill evening air. The twin suns of Armulus IV were just setting, casting the tin shacks and dirt streets in a pink and purple glow. The only time anyone would say the place looked nice.

"Hey, Taya, wait up."

Taya turned to see Max running up behind her. He stepped into pace with her.

"Pretty smooth nattering back there."

She shrugged but couldn't help but grin. "Nice fair, eh?"

Max nodded. They both walked toward the space dock. People scurried down the narrow streets most making their way to their destination as quick as they could. A man selling meat of unknown origin stood glaring at anyone who dared to pass without buying his wares. A few women stood around a door, bright scarves around their faces. Prostitutes. A girl close in age to Taya sat in front of the building, waggling her finger at strangers. Taya had always wondered, if she didn’t have a brother, would that be her?

“Madam Corona says this winter is going to be the worst in twenty years,” Max said beside her as he pushed his face down into his coat.

“No one needs that crazy psychic to know that.”

“Well, she was right wasn’t she?”

“Yeah, well Madam Corona also said that the world was going to be destroyed by a comet. Twice. And you see how right she was with that one.”

Max shrugged.

As they grew closer to the space docks, the air grew warmer, the very reason she took this route home. Rounding a corner, the docks came into full view. Giant searchlights danced through the air, pointing the way to the most coveted destination on the planet. Space.

The docks were full of ships. There were military ships, dark gray and ugly with huge side gun towers. War was always a constant, although Armulus IV had managed to stay almost neutral for over a decade. Almost meaning they weren’t afraid to shoot their own people if need be, but hadn’t fought with any of the neighboring systems. Even as she watched one of the ships took off, heading straight up before disappearing in the smog.

Off to one side were huge containers, stacked three and four high. Supplies for the transports and cruisers that left every few days. In the middle of the docks, lit by blue and green lights was the space cruiser. Once every four years the cruiser took off, taking anyone with enough money off planet. It was the only way ordinary people had any way of escaping this germ infested garbage heap of a planet.

“Kind of pretty ain’t it,” Max said beside her.

“Ridiculous waste of money if you ask me. Think of all the stuff we could do if we had the kind of money those people waste on a trip out of here. It may even be a decent place to live.”

“I don’t know,” Max said after a moment. “If I had that kind of money, I would probably leave too. Who wants to stay here?” He kicked a tin can into the canal as if to make his point.

“I don’t know, hell has a certain kind of charm don’t you think.”

“So the saying goes.”

They both stood silent, out of the way of the passers by. Taya knew her brother would be waiting for her, but she was loathe to return to her cold shack. Max’s stomach growled, Taya’s belly rumbled in comradery.

“Well, best be off. See if my old man drank away what little money we had.”

“Still drinkin’ eh?”

“Since mum died. At least Aunt Willa took in my little brother. That way only one of us will starve to death.”

“At least you have the government lunches from school,” she said sarcastically.

“Ha,” he laughed so loud two women stopped to look at them.

“Well, it’s been a stimulating conversation. Gotta run,” she said making off for home.

“There you go using big words again. You know I warned you about that.”

“Eh?”

He laughed and waved goodbye.

Her house was another fifteen minute walk from the docks, near a dump and close to a butcher shop. She had no illusions, her home was smellier than most.

Escaping the biting wind that had started up, she rushed into the house, slamming the door as she did, making the little shack sway.

“Taya,” Lucas said, sitting at the table, “How many times do I have to tell you—”

“One of these days this house is going to fall down around us,” she finished for him.

Lucas looked up at her. His eyes were the same color as her, dark like night, secretive. Like their mother’s, at least that is what he said. She had never met the woman. Lucas was all she had. He was eight when she had been born. Their mother had died of some disease within months of her birth. Their dad left within the year. Her brother had taken care of her, fed her, stole for her, raised her.

Their little shack was one room with an old couch, a table with two stools, and a small bed that was hers. They also had a sink and a refrigerator, but there was no running water or electricity. Some places did have electricity but it was pointless seeing as it was only on about four hours of the day and they were never the same four hours you were home.

Lucas was sitting at the table writing something on a piece of paper with a pencil stub.

“Need a pen?” Taya asked taking out the antique pen and laying it on the table.

With a smirk, Lucas grabbed the pen and studied it. “And where did you get this young lady?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really.”

“What do you think we can get for it?”

“I’ll have to shop it around a bit. See what we have here. Looks like a proper 24^th century gold tip, but I can’t be certain. Could be just a copycat.”

“Nice way to get my hopes up.”

“Truth. You know I like truth. Besides, this should raise your spirits.”

He shoved a black bag towards her. Gasping with delight, she pulled out a loaf of bread, still warm, garlic spread, a jar of olives, and a small package of sausage.

“A feast,” she cried. “How did you afford all this?”

He was quiet, focused on whatever he was writing on that piece of paper of his. Taya placed her hand on her hip, another gesture that Lucas said was like their mother.

“Poker?”

“I wouldn’t have gambled if I wasn’t sure I could win. And the minute I had enough for dinner, I folded.”

Taya frowned at him. “What if you had lost it all? Then we wouldn’t have had anything to eat. That has happened before.”

“You know I wouldn’t let you starve, besides I have a deal coming up that will have us eating like this for a year.”

Taya had already loaded a slice of bread down with olives and garlic and sausage and was cramming the entire thing into her mouth in one bite. “Mmmm,” she mumbled around the bread.

“I’m afraid I have to go out for the evening. Do not stay up too late. Oh and Miss Comet asks that you help her out in the morning.”

Taya wrinkled her nose, but was too busy stuffing a second piece of bread into her mouth to answer.

Chapter 2

Taya woke early the next morning. Lucas was still gone which wasn’t unusual for he often stayed out for a days at a time. She had more bread with the remaining olives and garlic spread on top. There was no more sausage.

She walked down two blocks to the community poor house, aka the bar, where the manager was gracious enough to give the local kids a free pint of water for washing, drinking, and other such uses. Never mind that he stole the water through a secret pipe he had built and the water was probably contaminated anyway. Taya never drank it, but she used her spare shirt to wash her face and underarms, before dunking the entire shirt and then taking it back home to dry.

Mrs. Comet was waiting in front of her shack when Taya arrived.

“What do we have this morning?” Taya asked, sidling up to the thin woman and grabbing a pair of spare gloves from a barrel beside Mrs. Comet.

“The usual dear. A couple of computers that need some tinkering. Remember, the wiring and chips are most important, but I have a new buyer who wants anything silicone. Apparently the price had doubled in the past month.”

“Right.”

With deft fingers, Taya tore apart the computer, exposing its innards, searching with a keen eye for parts that could be resold. For this she received ten VP chips, which could usually get her dinner for two days, three if she was careful. People walked past them on the street, but no one bothered them, illegal activities were the norm in the Straights and if there were coppers anywhere nearby they would have already been alerted. They worked well into the morning, stopping only to drink some mead and eat her last piece of bread. Well, it had been good while it lasted.

“Well, time for school,” Taya said, glancing up at the two suns.

“Don’t know why you bother,” Mrs. Comet said, handing over the money. “It will do none of you any good. You’ll just end up sitting here one day, sorting out wiring and hope you get enough to eat. Government fools trying to convince each other that they are doing a good job. If I could—”

Taya left Mrs. Comet to her ranting, which could go on for hours even without an audience.

Max met her at the gates looking rather sullen and with a new bruise under his right eye.

“Don’t tell me he is drinking and hitting now.” She grabbed his face with one hand to inspect the eye, which also had a small gash.

“Nah. Some guy on the way home tried to rob me. Joke was on him. I ain’t got no money. Don’t worry, my old man came out and beat him so bad that it’s a wonder he could see enough to run away.” Max smirked. “At least he’s good for something.”

Together they made their way into school. The little ones went to classes in the early morning, the kids Taya’s age went midafternoon, and the teens, if there were any, attended school at night. Taya actually liked school despite the teachers and Mrs. Comet was wrong, there were jobs for people who were smart. She could work at the spaceport or in one of the administrative offices. If she had to, she would even work for the government, even if it meant screwing other people over. Fend or yourself, take care of your family, those were the only rules in the Straights.

“Alright,” Miss Luna said entering the room. “Books open to page one hundred and four. Taya. Read.” So she hadn’t forgotten about yesterday.

Taya rose from her seat and began reading:

‘In the years following the great war, the Armulus system became one single government, calling themselves the Armulus Federation of Planets (AFP). The AFP was responsible for recreating infrastructure on nine habitable planets and moon in the system. Due to the immense cost of such an undertaking, the AFP began the Space Cruiser initiative, by which citizens could leave to go to other planets and a portion of the monies raised would then be put back into the AFP for restoration purposes. No government in the United Galaxies has ever undertaken such an immense project with positive results.’

Someone snickered in the back, but a sharp look from Miss Luna ended it. “Please continue Taya.”

‘Among the nine planets, Armulus IV is considered one of the wealthiest planets, with almost 70% of its population above the poverty line. It’s highways and majestic buildings are a popular tourist destination throughout the galaxy.’

A couple students coughed a few choice words.

“You may stop,” Miss Luna said.

Of course the books were propaganda, written for those who lived light years away and were wondering where they should go on their honeymoon. Try 70% of Armulus IV lived in abstract poverty. Possibly more. The resorts were off by a secluded beach with beautiful clean streets and shops. No one really lived there, it was only for the tourists, but anyone who came to the planet could easily ignore how bad things really were.

“Can anyone tell me what Armulus IV’s number one source of income is?”

“Bullshit,” someone called out.

“Polluted Water?”

“Slave labor?”

Miss Moon shook her head as the students continued to call out various questionable moneymakers. Raising her eyebrow, the class grew quiet. “I can see no one is taking today’s lesson seriously. Please take out your pencils and write a two page essay on one of the benefits of the AFP.”

It’s not that Miss Moon believed this crunk any more than anyone else did, but her job was to teach whatever they told her to. After sixteen years though, Taya wondered if the teacher had begun to believe it.

* * *

Taya stopped at the butcher’s near the spaceport on the way home, getting a few strips of dried beef. A woman across the street was selling something green and Taya bought one, knowing she needed to eat vegetables whenever she was able, otherwise you got all kinds of weird diseases from a bad diet.

Slamming her way into the shack, Lucas said, “One of these days this shack is going to fall apart around us.”

He sounded strange though, quiet like. Lucas was lying on the couch, his hand clutching a towel to his head. The once blue towel was red.

“Our last towel,” she said stupidly.

“Sorry, dear.”

“What happened?”

His face was pale and drawn. “Some guys down at the Verina thought I had something I didn’t.”

“They beat you for something you didn’t have?”

“Oh, I have it. Just not on me.”

Taking the towel, she pulled back the towel to look at the wound. Her stomach lurched down into her toes. The gash went from the top of his head down to his right ear. There was a lot of blood, but worse, she thought she could see bone and maybe even brain.

“How does it look?” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “That bad huh? Okay, take the emergency money stash and get a doctor. Jiles should be close. I hear he is working over at the mission this week.”

“Right.”

“Taya.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Tears threatened to tumble over but she forced them back down. “I’ll be back before you can say Super Nova,” she shouted racing outside.

It took ten minutes to reach the mission using every short cut she knew. Jiles was there, a medic who had fought in the great war decades ago. He was old, but he was the best doctor around. She showed him the money first before dragging his protesting self down the street.

Flinging open the door, Taya nearly shoved Jiles inside. Lucas still lay on the couch, his hand having fallen away from the towel that was still stuck to his head. He wasn’t moving.

“He lost a lot of blood, but he’s going to be alright, right?”

Jiles knelt beside Lucas and placed his fingers on her brother’s neck. Slowly he stood, shaking his head. “I’m sorry child.”

Taya stood dumb, her eyes transfixed on her brother’s stomach, willing it to rise. Jiles pulled the towel away and inspected the wound. “It looks like they used an axe of some kind. It’s a wonder he got home. Would you like me to let the morticians know?”

She felt herself nodding, then she pulled out the money and offered it to him. “No, no. I didn’t do anything so no payment is needed. Some of us are still honest enough to not rob a grieving child.” He hesitated before placing a hand on her shoulder. “I am terribly sorry.”

Then he left, leaving her alone in the cold shack.

Valiant Book Review

2011-07-10T21:16:00.004-04:00

Valiant by Holly Black

Val didn’t think she was naive, not until she walks in on her mother and boyfriend in a passionate embrace. Cursing her stupidity, Val runs away to New York making friends with Lolly, Sketchy Dave, and Louis. But there are things going on beneath the streets that no one sees, magic that is both addictive and enticing. Finding herself addicted to a faerie drug called Never, Val ends of making a deal with a troll, who may or may not be a murderer.

Holly Black has done an amazing job of weaving reality with fantasy. On the surface, this feels like a gritty drama with the runaway teen on the streets, shaving her head and using drugs. Enter the magic and the story twists into a beast all its own, reminiscent of Finder by Emma Bull. Despite this being the second book in a series, for it is my lot in life to start series in the middle, I never once felt lost or out of place. Black never felt it necessary to give long bits of exposition and she allowed the world to happen as it went.

I was most drawn in by how quickly Val sinks into this world. What would make a child leave their only home? What drive someone to try drugs? What are the thought processes that someone would have throughout this process? With carefully sculpted characterization, it isn’t hard to see why Val does what she does. She is a girl searching for herself. When she doesn’t find it on the streets, she searches for it with drugs, and it is only love and friendship that can truly pull her from it.

I usually shy away from these books labeled Paranormal Romance, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Of Classics, Teenagers, and Relatability

2011-07-09T14:53:00.002-04:00

When I was a teenager I went through this phase where I wanted to read all the classics. Since I was home schooled, and my veracious reading kept my mother from requiring any reading, I didn't have the usual classic literature disdain that my friends did. So I set about in my usual methodical way to read the classics. The methodology was this: Go to the classic literature section of the library. Read all books in the section alphabetically by author. This was an okay system, except that as I went, I didn't ever go backwards. Therefore, most of the books that everyone had to read for school, which were usually checked out, I didn't read. I read almost all of Dickens, one right after the other, but missed Of Mice and Men. Ayn Rand was always gone, although somehow I manage to snag The Fountainhead at one point. I read Frankenstein but missed Dracula. The list goes on and on. Over the years I have slowly been filling in the gaps with Brave New World, Of Mice and Men, The Pearl, and most recently The Great Gatsby.

The impression I always had before reading this book was that it was a great book for teens. I don't know why, but that was how it was presented to me. A book for teenagers to read and relate to, an American classic with prose so verbose that you could read it over and over again and always find something new.

After reading it my impressions are thus: The majority of the characters are made up excessively rich, spoiled, needy, pompous, narcissists, who all have a pension for partying and traveling into the city whenever they are bored. Although one would think these are traits that a teenager may be able to relate to, let us remember this is written in an era where being rich meant you did nothing. The women in the book are vapid with little thought beyond their own physical happiness, which never involves sex mind you. Nick Caraway is a unreliable narrator, who supposedly works although we never actually see him doing so. Everyone lives in giant houses right outside the city and whenever the mood strikes them, they drive into New York to lounge about in hotel lobbies talking about more inane things.

I understood the weakness of the characters, but I don't think a teenager will. Not because teens are stupid, but because the weaknesses are those of adults. Teens need some strength in their characters because they see strengths in themselves. They haven't become so jaded as to think only terrible things can happen to themselves. Most Young Adult books these days have happy endings, or at least hopeful endings, Gatsby is none of that. In fact, I would say that all the characters in this story are mostly unhappy people from beginning to end.

Sure there are themes that can be discusses such as drinking, drunk driving, infidelity, more drinking, extreme wealth, and the importance of having a big house, but I am very glad I did not run across this book as a teenager. I don't think I would have appreciated it on any level and I suspect that it is books like this that turn teenagers off of reading. Heaven forgive us for there are so many wonderful books out there that teenagers will fall in love with and we give them this, telling them that they should not only understand it but love it for it is "an American classic after all".

If you don't mind, I think I am going to go read Oliver Twist now. At least that one was exciting.

Sapphique Book Review

2011-07-01T16:43:00.004-04:00

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

In book two of the Incarceron series Finn has escaped the prison only to be thrust into a new kind of jail, one full of rules and backstabbing, and Protocal. He must convince everyone that he is the long lost heir Jiles, but how can he do that if he isn't even sure of it himself? Meanwhile, inside the prison his friends Keiro and Attia maneuver desperately to outwit the Artificial Intelligence that runs the prison. Perhaps the only way to escape is to find the mythic glove of Sapphique, but can they find it before the prison does?

Incarceron was definitely not one of my favorite books. As I stated in that review the pacing was quick, but there were a lot of rules in this world that I didn't understand. In this second installment, I was hoping for answers and all I got were more questions.

Is Finn truly the prince? If so, who was responsible for placing him in Incarceron? And if he isn't, why is he a Starseer? What are these seizures he has? What is the Warden's role within all this? Does he want to preserve Protocol or overthrow it? If he wants to overthrow it, then why has he been lying to the Steel Wolves? Where is Incarceron? Is it really a small cube on a watch chain or is it hidden somewhere? What is the Glove, and how does its magic work? Better yet, is it magic or technology? What causes Keiro and Claudia to exchange places in the two worlds? How does Jared know what he must do to save everyone? Is Rix really a magician? If he is, then why does he resort to cheap tricks in his shows, and where does he get his powers that nobody else seems to have in the book? If he isn't, how does he perform all that magic at the end? How did Attia and Keiro find Ric had the Glove? Why does Incarceron's meltdown cause the illusions of the Realm to disappear? Why is Attia in this story at all? And are we supposed to believe that there is actually any romantic feeling between Claudia and Finn?

One of my biggest pet peeves in this book is the vocabulary. The author has found many wonderful verbs, but after a while I wondered how many things truly smelled acrid? And why was everything so gaudy? The one good thing about listening to the audio book of this rather than reading is that I wasn't as aware of where I was in the chapters or in the book as a whole. However, one couldn't help but notice how episodic each chapter was, reading like Charles Dickens, but without the depth. I grew frustrated with Attia, a character with such promise in the first book and absolutely pointless in this one.

Perhaps the most damning thing about this book was that despite Fisher trying to be mysterious, she was constantly giving away what would happen at the beginning of each chapter. As many books do, there are made of poems and songs regarding Sapphique. Conveniently, these snippets are always telling us what is going to happen in that chapter or worse, at the end of the book. It was like Fisher didn't trust the reader to fully comprehend the chapter and thought they needed a little help. Well, we did need some light shed on the mysteries, but the problem was with the world she created not the actual plot. I understand the plot. Get the Glove. Escape the Prison. Convince everyone you should be King. Simple. It was all the actual world building that was the problem.

Perhaps the inevitable third book will help clear up some of these issues...but I seriously doubt it.

Clementine Book Review

2011-07-01T16:27:00.003-04:00

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

Clementine is a precocious six-year-old whose logic would make sense to her parents if they just asked, but instead poor Clementine is constantly getting into trouble for things like cutting her hair, using permanent magic markers, and not paying attention in school. If only the grown-ups could see things from her perspective.

I rarely review Chapter Books. One would think, given their length, these would be a natural go to item, but I often feel that they lack the emotional depth that I need to make a book feel good. Not that Junie B. Jones and Encyclopedia Brown don't have their place, but often these books feel like language lessons to me and although I appreciate their need, I personally don't place much weight on them.

Clementine was different though. Pennypacker has caught the thought processes of a child and everything that Clementine says sounds perfectly reasonable, even cutting her hair. I'm sure parents out there shake their heads, but any kid who has ever tried a little forbidden scissor action and then read this book is probably thinking, that's exactly what I was thinking when I did that. Pennypacker never deems it necessary to speak down her very young audience and I never felt like I was receiving a vocabulary lesson. There are the occasional Clementine mistakes. Example: Hysterical vs Historical.

With half a dozen Clementine books in print, this is definitely one sweet and juicy story.

I couldn't avoid that pun.

Summer Sounds

2011-06-24T12:12:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid, my brothers and I were always trying to come up with new ways to make old games more interesting. Usually this involved tools we weren't allowed to touch and heart attack inducing tree jumping. The heart attack being in my mother, not us. Sometimes we would ride our bikes up to the store to buy 35 cent sodas at Ace Hardware and baseball cards. We weren't baseball card enthusiasts in the slightest, we just wanted them for our bikes. I don't know who the first kid was who tested this out, but somewhere in history, some kid came up with this genius idea to stick baseball cards to the spokes of your bike rims. Going up hills there would be this soft thwap thwap thwap sound, in rhythm with your legs as you forced your way up, legs straining. With a devilish grin, we would turn around and zoom down again, the baseball card making zipping along. We were a motorcycle gang, each bike thrumming to the rhythm of their cards. Some kids even had three or four, making us the loudest gaggle of kids in the neighborhood. We went through a pack a week. That's how much we rode and new cards always made the best noise. I still ride a bike, although there is more ragged breathing up hills then there used to be. My bike is older, and despite numerous trips to the Bike Doctor and a heaping of oil, he (my bike) still makes a lot of noise. I know bikes aren't supposed to make the sounds that this one does, but it doesn't really bother me. I listen to the whir of my bike and I think, that is exactly how a bike should sound. My bike is singing in summer.

What are your sounds of summer?

Covers: New and Improved?

2011-06-09T12:45:00.007-04:00

I don't mind publishers making new book covers for older books. In fact, if the books cover is screaming 80's then I seriously think a makeover is needed, however Publishers seem to be going down a route that I personally find asthetically stupid.

Take T.A. Barron's series The Lost Years of Merlin. The new covers are much more in your face, but take a closer look at the boy (Merlin) in the background. Is that stubble I see? On a young twenties looking man? Isn't Merlin supposed to be a pre-teen in this first book?

Tamora Pierce's Alanna series has also undergone a makeover. The first book follows Alanna (a girl pretending to be a boy) through ages 11-13. Yet, on the new cover Alanna looks to be in her late teens and she is very obviously a girl. I think if Alanna was that pretty she would never have pulled off her deception.

Perhaps the logic is that teen readers will grab a book in which the character on the cover is older, but then what about books like Hunger Games or the Book Thief that don't have the character on them at all? I know photography on YA covers is becoming the thing, to the point that I sometimes mistake one book for another because they are all beginning to look the same...some burnett or blond white girl looking fiercely into the camera conveying the need for you to buy this book because see....the character is intense.

Have you noticed any books that have had the covers re-done? Let me know. I'll add it.

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything Book Review

2011-06-08T18:26:00.004-04:00

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami

Dini is moving to India. Although unhappy about the move, upon arrival she grows more and more excited for she her favorite Bollywood starlet is staying in the same village and Dini just knows she will be able to meet her movie idol.

I will begin this review with a small caveat...I couldn't finish it. I tried. And tried. And tried. I managed to get past the middle and slogged through 3/4 and then I just gave up. Why? Because I didn't care. Not about Dini or Dolly Singh or any of it. Dini never felt like a real character to me. Written in third person omniscient, I always felt so far away from her. We heard her thoughts, but there was nothing about Dini that really made her stand out to me. Nothing about her voice that really grabbed me.

The hardest thing though was that this was the kind of setting that was ripe for description and sensory overload. Instead, India felt bland and boring with some monkeys and a few interesting villagers for some flavor. Either the author forgot that we (the readers) have never been to India or she thought that the pictures would help add flavor. Where was the sounds of the city? What did the air smell like? There was absolutely no description of the heat. For someone who hates hot, that would have been nice to hear about. Perhaps Dini doesn't notice it, but I know the weather has to be different from Maryland. On the bright side, Uma does capture some of the sounds of India like sneezing and car horns.

The illustrations were lovely and did help provide authenticity as well as insight into the country and characters, which is what good illustrations should do.

I know books about other cultures are all the rage with editors these days and who can blame them, the exotic feel to them linking young readers to other children around the world. I imagine that those who have grown up in this culture will get a lot more out of this book though. I desperately wanted to be transported to India, but I think there was too much I didn't know and didn't understand and I needed to author to take a moment and lay down a little more groundwork for me. Young readers may or may not have a problem with this, but I imagine for some this will be a magical adventure and for others a adventure story with not enough flavor. Sadly, I fell into the second category.

In the Belly of the Bloodhound Book Review

2011-06-08T17:31:00.006-04:00

In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer

Jacky Faber is at it again. Wanted by the British government and once again separated from her beloved Jaimy, Jacky returns to London and the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls. She is reunited with her good friends Amy and Ezra and the ever terrible Clarissa Howe, but things are manageable and Jacky is safe. That is until the School plans an outing to the Boston Harbor Islands and the girls are kidnapped, taken as slaves to be sold in Arab slave markets. Jacky is smart and quick and has been in worse scrapes, but with thirty other girls to watch out for, Jacky knows this may be her biggest challenge yet.

If you haven't read the first three books then my only question is, what is wrong with you? Haven't you been reading my reviews? These books are amazing. Or you could just start with this book. I did. I have actually been holding off on this review because this was the first book I read of our Ms. Faber. However, since reading a series out of order appears to be something that only I do, I waited to review the other three first and then re-read the fourth.

Jacky is a star. Yet again, she manages to get into heaps of trouble although this time it isn't her fault, which isn't much of a comfort, but hey, what's a girl to do. With magnetic realism, L.A. Meyer gives us a glimpse into the bowels of slavery and even though this is only a small taste of what many Africans suffered within those ships, it is enough for readers to begin to grasp the severity of the situation. The descriptions of the rattling chains, the unsanitary conditions, rats, sleeping arrangements, dehumanizing, and despair that these girls are witness to brings the events of the time into sharp focus. L.A. Meyer is a clever historian who works in many elements of life aboard a slaver, all the way to Jacky having nightmares of the girls being chained and drowned as would happen if a slaver was afraid they were going to be caught with their cargo.

I have to say, this story is darker than the previous three. In Jacky's previous adventures, there was always room for merriment and joy, but within the Belly of the Bloodhound, that is a luxury. Jacky does come to terms with her arch-nemesis Clarissa Howe and helps some of the girls discover a strength inside themselves that they never knew they had.

A friend of mine (one who I am sure is reading this), bought the first book upon my recommendation. When I asked her if she had read it yet, she informed me that she had to stop reading them because she wasn't getting enough sleep at night. How's that for an endorsement?

Aliens on Vacation Book Review

2011-05-29T14:50:00.007-04:00

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith

Scrub doesn't get it. Why does he have to spend the summer with his grandmother? Sure, his parents are busy but surely he is old enough to stay home or at least with a friend. Instead he has been shipped off across the country to his grandmother who runs the 'Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast'--a place for all those weird sci-fi nuts to come hang out. Except there's something mighty odd about those sci-fi nuts. Soon Scrub is being sucked into the mania that is a real bona fide bed and breakfast for aliens on a backwoods planet where the only requirement is that the "guests" look vaguely human. With a nosy little girl, an angry sheriff, a stretched-too-thin grandmother, and a couple of giant tree-like children, Scrub finds himself in way over his head.

Although the story took a little bit to get rolling, once it did, it was going at full speed. Scrub isn't what I would call the smartest kid, especially considering it takes someone explaining the 'situation' to him for him to fully "get-it", however he is a quick thinker and amicable by nature so it hard to like him. His grandmother is the spacey type, but considering her line of work, that is understandable.

The writing is crisp, quick, and fun, giving me the same feeling I get when I read Roald Dahl or Eleanor Estes. Smith really knows his audience and although girls could read this novel, this is one novel that would be great for boys. From basketball to camping, summer challenges to first crushes, everything most boys like is here. After reading a number of very serious and dark books, Aliens on Vacation was a nice getaway to something a little more lighthearted and fun.

I was also excited to see that the author, Clete Smith, graduated from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Always nice to see a fellow MFA children's writing graduate out there publishing. It gives me hope.

Picture Books: New and Noteworthy

2011-05-13T18:16:00.005-04:00

Mo Willems is at it again, with this picture book with chapters that is vaguely reminiscent of Frog and Toad. Alligator is funny and interesting and any child with a stuffed toy will find this one entertaining and funny.

I will forever sing the praises of Elephant and Piggie. They are hysterical. Paying homage to The Monster at the End of This Book, Mo Willems creates and interactive reading experience that will have a child reading the book over and over, never mind that Piggie tells you to. All I can say is...Banana.

Pirate books are always a pleaser, but this one really made me smile. Just the image of a pirate sitting in time out on the cover made me smile, and the story is fun too. I imagine that if any parent is having some behavioral issues, this one could be used as a helpful tool.

Peter Brown's first book The Curious Garden was a beautiful book with illustrations that brought a tear to my eye. In Children Make Terrible Pets, Peter Brown uses the same style of illustration, something like a cross between fifties cartoons and advertising art. Also, how many times has a child walked in the door with some creepy crawly squeaky thing and asked if they could keep it?

This book is a very rare animal, very rare indeed. A science fiction picture book. I was pleased that Clunk, the pen pal of the child, is not some figment of his imagination nor a stuffed animal, but a true bona fide alien who shares a common hatred of the boys sister. The illustrations were cute, and I could think of a number of crafts that would go along great with this book.

With Father's Day coming up, this is a book you may want to pick up. Within the sea of Father's Day paraphernalia, this is a gem. The child is cute, the dad is awesome, the family is mixed, and the story is great. I'm sure this will not be just a holiday book.

A marvelously illustrated story about Jane Goodall when she was a child. Somehow I managed to get a poster of one of the spreads and it looks rather lovely in my office/library. I love how this book shows how deep love and passion can carry into adulthood and something as simple as a stuffed monkey could produce a life that embodies strength, courage, and dedication.

What is it about this book? It is adorable. Itsy Mitsy is so cute, she's relatable, although I think children would have a hard time stuffing their houses into the back of their wagons.

Awesome board book! This one is filled with pictures of really awesome mohwaked, rockin' out, skull wearing, leather jacketed, babies. My brother would love this book for my nephew.

Definitely a bedtime book, the beautiful illustrations and simple sing song prose really gave me a sense of gentleness.

Yet another pirate book (because I love 'em). Small Saul is a rather unlikely pirate, but he is determined, for who wouldn't want to be a pirate, even if you are the kind that cooks, cleans, and is terrible at pillaging.

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark Book Review

2011-05-11T12:20:00.002-04:00

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard

Skip is alone. After a series of bad foster homes, he skips out, thus the name, and lives on the streets of Seattle. There he searches the faces of strangers wondering if his mother is among them. He makes friends with a homeless man named Billy and although it is unreasonable, Skip truly hopes Billy will never leave. Then the unthinkable happens. Seattle is bombed and Skip’s world is turned upside down. In what is left of a library, Skip discovers six-year-old Max who is waiting for his mother who will never return. Together Billy, Skip, and Max make their way to an abandoned amusement park where they meet Tia the ballerina and her tiny baby. All Skip wants is a family and in this time of chaos he wonders, will he have the strength to keep everyone together?

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is a rather melancholy book. Skip sees things through the eyes of an artist, with color and light, and even in the good times, I always saw a rather sullen child whose smile was always offset by some deeper sadness. I remember reading an interview with Suzanne Collins who said her Hunger Games series was really about war, which may be the reason why she lost sight of her characters. Millard never loses sight of the characters. This is a novel about war, but it is about how people handle war and what it does to us. Once you move past the fear, what is left? For Skip, the need for family is stronger than any ties he would have to a structure or a place. He is happy as long as they are all together whether that be under a table in the library or in a train car of a ride at an amusement park.

My two small issues with the book, that should by no means belittle the enjoyment of it, is the setting and adjectives. Although this story is set in Seattle, I always had the vague impression that the author had either not visited Seattle or had not been there in a while. I may be wrong, but in the beginning I kept wondering if perhaps this was a town in England or Australia, and soon discovered that the author hails from Australia and somehow that did not surprise me. This does not change what the book is about or how it reads at all, and since place means so little to Skip, it would have been okay if it had been anywhere in the world I should think. The other small issue is adjectives and similes. Although I was well aware that this was Skip’s story and he does see the world in a different way, the constant adjectives (sometimes strange ones) did throw me off. Iris-colored eyes, like a shattered stained glass window, the skyline was a bleeding mouth of broken teeth, peacock sea, violet sky, flyspeck-small. I began to grow tired of the strange adjectives and it reminded me of when you are taught poetry and they want you to describe items in a way that is different and unique. That’s how it felt, as if Millard was trying to be poetic. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it drove me bonkers. Why not just say ‘the sea’…we all know what it looks like, if it looks different, then tell us why.

Aside from those two (rather drawn out) points I found the story poignant and fascinating. It isn’t action packed or full of twists and turns, it’s just one boy’s simple journey to find a family even in the worst conditions.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life Book Review

2011-05-11T12:14:00.004-04:00

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Rafe isn’t much good at anything, as his best friend Leo the Silent reminds him. He will never be president, not even class president. His grades were never that great. Top that off with a mother who works two shifts to pay for her dead beat boyfriend and a nosy little sister, and Rafe isn’t sure he will even survive sixth grade, especially since the beginning of the story begins with Rafe and his sister in a police car. So Rafe comes up with a plan, one that could make middle school history, he is going to set out to break every single rule in the school rule book. No foul language. Easy. No inappropriate dress. Do boxers count? But what if your rule breaking hurts someone else? And what if it means not graduating?

In this witty, insightful, and surprisingly deep novel, the reader is taken on a fun ride with a character that really knows how to draw outside the lines. Colorfully illustrated by “Rafe” and “Leo”, this is clearly a book that wants to appeal to the Wimpy Kid crowd and I think it is a perfect addition to this new graphic novel genre for middle grade readers.

Although I think the Wimpy Kid books are funny, I think this book pulled me in, in a way that Wimpy Kid didn’t. Rafe is dealing with more than lugheads, stinky cheese, and goofball moms. His mother is working two shifts and Rafe doesn’t hide his disdain of Bear, her boyfriend, who spends most of his time sleeping and the other portion of his time yelling. There is a menace there too, a silent fear that not even Rafe states, that Bear may actually have a bite to go with his bark. The other important thing about Rafe is that although he is a rule-breaker, he isn’t bad, mean, or selfish. He’s likeable, and I was really struck by how upset he became when he realized that his failing grades may mean repeating the sixth grade. Rafe’s reactions to the events surrounding him were honest and genuine, and although he may not be as goofy as the Wimpy Kid, he has real heart.

I do think the credit for this book should probably go to Chris Tebbetts (correct me if I am wrong) as I suspect it was he and not James Patterson who wrote this book. At this point I am quite certain that James Patterson’s name is being stamped on many books as a way to help sell a novel by a first time author or whatever. My cynical nature believes that James Patterson probably looks at the novel a few times and edits it and hands it back to whomever really wrote the novel, but that is about as far as he goes as being the “author” of these books. Whatever the case may be, this is a wonderful novel with a witty character and some really touching moments.

Going Bovine Book Review

2011-04-19T11:34:00.005-04:00

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Cameron is a drifter, meaning he drifts through life. His sister sees him as an embarrassment and his accomplishments add up to a big fat nothing. He has no hopes, no dreams, no wishes. During a rather unfortunate day in which fire monsters nearly destroy the school, Cameron finds out that he has Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, otherwise known as mad-cow disease. The diagnosis blows. The disease will slowly eat holes in his brain until it looks like Swiss cheese. The bonus side effects include hallucinations, muscle spasms, and eventually death. Everyone has given up on him so Cameron sets out on a journey to live. His traveling companions are a hypochondriac dwarf named Gonzo, an immortal yard gnome named Balder, and his punk rock guardian angel Dulcie. Together they seek Dr. X, a man who has traveled time and space and may just have a cure—that is if the fire giants don't get to him first.

Libba Bray departs from her usual paranormal fare to bring this wonderfully descriptive story. Cameron’s nihilism along with a healthy bit of sarcasm and a dash of hope, make him a great character to travel with. His view of the world isn’t happy go lucky, but you can really see that he wouldn’t mind it if it was. So we discover when Cameron and Gonz stumble across a cult in which everyone is happy as long as they bowl perfect games and drink vanilla milkshakes. But Cameron is the kind of kid that upsets the balance, not conforms, and it is for this reason that the reader keeps on reader.

This is also a very hard book to read, because in the end, this is a book about life and death. Although this may seem like a spoiler, I promise it is not…mad cow disease is fatal. There is no cure. Even as Cameron journeys past happy milkshake bowlers and gnome stealing frat boys, the reader (and Cameron himself) is aware that the clock is ticking. Except for the reader, we know that this entire journey is all in his head. Again, I promise this isn’t a spoiler. Bray doesn’t hide this fact. There are a number of terrible moments when the reader is painfully aware that the real Cameron is lying in a hospital bed on a ventilator while his family sits around him watching him slowly die. It’s a terrible feeling. One of the reasons I had such a hard time getting through this book.

Was the journey that Cameron goes on in his head worth me reading a 550-page tome? If I already know how it is going to end, should I even bother to keep reading, let alone for another few hundred pages? I still don’t know, but I can tell you that I can’t stop thinking about it. And the end. Wow. The same word backwards and forwards. Wow.

Going Bovine is a collision of bizarre, marvelous, random events where everything is tied together even if it is a little obvious. This is a physics, philosophy, fantasy, romantic journey that asks—what does it mean to live?

Raider's Ransom Book Review

2011-03-29T14:16:00.003-04:00

Raider's Ransom by Emily Diamand

It is the 23rd century and much of England is underwater, split apart by political absence, feuding raiders, and water. Lilly wants nothing more than to be left alone with her gray seacat, free to fish. However, when Lilly's village is attacked and the Prime Minister's daughter kidnapped, Lilly goes off to rescue them since the Prime Minister firmly believes the villagers are responsible and wants them to be put to death. On her journey, Lilly runs into Zeph, the conflicted son of the raider chieftain who has the kidnapped little girl. Perhaps the worst part is that the "jewel" Lilly stole for the child's ransom turns out to be a gaming computer from a time when computers were not considered evil.

Raider's Ransom is a fascinating postapocalyptic book with a smart and daring heroin. Diamand builds a world that is both believable, primitive, and fun to imagine. The characters are realistic There are Viking-like raiders with their warring houses. Scotland with their technology that they are not sharing. A maddening bad guy in the form of the Prime Minister who believes everyone but the rich are conniving, dirty scoundrels.

Be warned, despite being an intermediate read, there are definitely some very intense scene, one involving Lilly rotating on a wheel while having knives thrown at her. The logic says if she isn't hit by the knives then she isn't guilty. Lilly does not take this very well. There are moments that are so suspenseful that I found myself wanting to rush ahead simply because I couldn't take it. However, I was a good reader and did not. There are many unanswered questions that point to the sequel which releases in April.

Raider's Ransom is a full force action filled beginning with memorable characters, an unforgettable setting, and a plot that will leave you gasping for more.

Blessed Book Review

2011-03-23T10:39:00.001-04:00

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith

In this third installment of Smith's vampire series, we are reintroduced to Quincie, restaurant owner, self sufficient, and newly made vampire. With her boyfriend, werewolf Kieran, off to wolfpack camp, Quincie is left to deal with the ramifications of a mass vampire infection on unsuspecting humans. She has only a few weeks to hunt down Bradley (the one responsible for the infection) and figure out how to save the souls of all those unsuspecting soon-to-be-vampires. She is soon joined by Zachary, a fallen guardian angel, a werepossum, a former vampire servant and a current one, along with the new staff of Sanguinis, Austin, TX premier vampire themed restaurant.

The premise of this story may sound ridiculous here, but it is truly one vampire packed story that you can sink your teeth into to. No, all jokes aside, the story is a nice addition to Smith's vampire series, paying beautiful homage to Bram Stoker's Dracula, the plot following THE original vampire story with just enough plot twists to surprise even the most loyal Stoker fa. Smith makes the story her own, crafting the mythology of vampires into something that is both compelling and real. Quincie is a strong character to come back to and I was glad to be in her head once again. I must admit that although I love Zachary, angel extrordinaire, I do miss Miranda.

This is a great story for all those who love vampire books, but cringe at the word Twilight. Although if you're a fan of those books, then I imagine these will thrill to the core. Did I mention I do not love the Twilight series? At all. But clearly by the cover, Candlewick is trying to draw in the Twilight crowd. Rest assured this is a well-written vampire series with twists and turns that will leave the reader begging for more. Good thing there are three of them.

Trapped Book Review

2011-03-08T18:41:00.002-05:00

Trapped by Michael Northrup

When Scotty Weems agrees to stay at school during a snowstorm with his friends, he has no idea what a huge mistake he has made. At first he and the other six students are hopeful, sure that their parents are on the way and soon they will all be home, warm in their beds. But the snow doesn't stop and no one is coming. Worse yet, they are all certain no one knows they are at the school. As the snow continues to grow, becoming the largest snowstorm on record, Scotty comes face to face with his own mortality and wonders if he has what it takes to be a survivor.

When I was a kid, there was a game I used to play whenever it snowed, and that was that the snow wouldn't stop and if we had to find ways of surviving. I would play this game for hours on end in the snow, digging tunnels and imaging the looting that would happen by me as I searched for warm clothes. Or how would I stay warm if the electricity shut off. We had a fireplace, so I was fairly confident that we would not freeze to death although we may have to burn the encyclopedias in the living room.

As such, I thought this story was well imagined. Seven kids stuck in a school together? Where do you get blankets, food, water? While things are less dire, the social clicks, whispering girls, and posturing are ever present, but when it becomes about survival those things are forgotten. Almost. Here's a question...if you could eat anything in the school cafeteria, would you still not eat the mystery meat?

There was the right amount of suspense and drama, teen angst and friendship to really give this story a heartbeat. As the snow keeps falling, filling the windows and entombing its inhabitants, the reader feels the same dark oppression and you find yourself turning the page just a little faster. In the end Scotty made me wonder, what would I have done if I had been in a similar situation?

Girl Parts Book Review

2011-03-03T19:19:00.004-05:00

Girl Parts by John Cusick

In the middle of the night, 750 teens sign-on to their computers to watch a girl commit suicide. David is one and despite the horrific act, he is completely unfazed. The adults in his life are shocked by his apathy and using new technology they decide to treat his disassociative disorder through the use of Rose, an attractive girl robot designed to reconnect David with the world through a rewards and punishment system. With her help, they all hope David will learn to love and feel. Charlie lives across the lake from David and although he cares, he has no idea how to show it and lives the life of a loner, hoping somehow to connect with the world. David however sees Rose as nothing more than a sex doll, a fact that presents a problem for Rose was created with no "girl parts", and the minute he becomes aware of this flaw he tosses her away. Together Rose and Charlie stumble into the world and discover what it means to be connected and how a girl can be more than the sum of her parts.

There are a lot of different layers to this book. The obvious one being that technology is detaching our young people from the world, that things like on-line suicides are so blase that not a single person reported it. Worse yet, although some other kids may have been bothered by it, David doesn't care. Rose, is nothing more than another computer and all he cares about it winning the game, whatever the game is. The minute it is clear that he can't win with his usual tactics, he gives up.

But there is more to it than that. There is the fact that Charlie is the antithesis of David for he is disconnected from the world completely and desperately wants to connect. He needs someone like Rose to show him how human a girl can be.

Or that David never really changes. He never gets it. He sees girls as nothing more than sex toys and Rose is no different. How terrible for the girl, but in the end you feel really bad for him. Even after sex, there is no happiness, only emptiness. He will forever be lonely and sad, searching for that human connection that he will never find because he doesn't know how to connect to other human beings.

There were a few moments where I got lost on who was telling the story as it sometimes happened mid chapter, but the characters were different enough that I was able to make the switch rather quickly.

Girl Parts is a clean, crisp, story full of truth and honesty in a way that guys can really connect with. Cusick grasps the complexities of his characters, human and non, and brings humor to serious subjects like depression and sex. Although the ending was kind of open, I understood it for in the end we need to see how Rose changed Charlie and David as much as they helped change her. Sometimes we don't realize the change that has happened until the person who initiated the change has gone.

Novel Into Film

2011-02-24T13:45:00.005-05:00

You knew it was coming. The annual, what books are being made into films this year segment of the blog. If you have been watching television you may have already been seeing the trailers for some of the upcoming spring movies. So here are the movies coming out this year. Please let me know if I have missed any.

Beastly
March 4, 2011
Book by Alex Flinn

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
July 15, 2011
Book by J.K. Rowling

Winnie the Pooh
July 15, 2011
Book by A.A. Milne

Mr. Popper's Penguins
August 12, 2011
Book by Richard and Florence Atwater

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
December 9, 2011
Book by Brian Selznick

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules
Book by Greg Kinney

The Adventures of TinTin: Secret of the Unicorn
December 23, 2011
Book by Herge

Breaking Dawn
November 18, 2011
Book by Stephanie Meyers

Movies currently optioned or in production:
(italicized titles are currently in production and are a go)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

Across the Universe Book Review

2011-02-24T10:24:00.003-05:00

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Amy has given up everything she has ever known, Earth, friends, Jason, in order to help colonize another planet. The one catch, it will take 300 years to get there. Wait, 301. So Amy and her mother and father are cryogenically frozen. But something goes terribly wrong and Amy is woken too early, 50 years too early. By the time they reach Centauri, Amy will be an old woman or possibly dead. She may never see her parents again.

Also on board are over two thousand workers who live on the ship as it hurtles through space toward their destination. After a terrible plague decimates the population, the people of the ship set up a system of control using leaders. Elder is training to be the next leader of Godspeed. He never questioned the way things were on the ship until Amy wakes up. Only Amy realizes that people should now walk around like zombies, Eldest runs the ship like a dictator, someone has changed Earth's history in the computers, and someone is trying to kill those who are frozen just like they tried to kill her.

Unlike some people, I make a very big distinction between science fiction and fantasy. Sci-fi is not fantasy for it doesn't contain magic and oh how I love some good old-fashioned sci-fi. Beth Revis does a stupendous job of bringing this world to life, the world of the Godspeed. Can you imagine living on a ship your entire life where you never felt a breeze, where the inside air is the same as the air outside, of never seeing the sun or moon or stars, of knowing about mountains only through pictures? Revis paints such a vivid picture of life aboard this ship and the reader can wholly relate to Amy who nearly goes mad with the idea of being trapped aboard a ship that does not contain any of those things that she loves.

My only criticism was in that I guessed who the "bad guy" was pretty early on. Some other things were obvious as well, but that is to be expected for we are Amy and we understand that people should not be walking around as zombies, so we feel her frustration and anger as she tries to get Elder to understand that things are not "normal". People do not act this way. This is a story of realization and discovery and asks the question, what lengths would you go to in order to make people happy? This is classic sci-fi with all the necessary elements with a rolling plot and impeccable timing and I look forward to hearing the author speak in Raleigh this week.

On a side note, the cover of this book is fascinating as it is double sided. I'll be honest, I may not have picked up this book if the kissing girl and guy had been showing. Take that book, I would not have picked it up. I don't like romance stories. But the cover with the ship schematics on it...that grabbed my attention.

Under the Jolly Roger Book Review

2011-02-15T14:16:00.003-05:00

Under the Jolly Roger: Being an Account of the Further Nautical Adventures of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer

Jacky Mary Faber is up to her old tricks. After leaving Boston in chaos, she signs on to a whaler, eventually finding her way back to London and her beloved Jaimy. Instead she finds Jaimy in the arms of another woman. Jacky's usual impetuousness send her running straight into the arms of a press gang and soon Midshipman Jacky Faber finds herself and her womanhood up for grabs. Being Jacky, she soon finds herself in a world of trouble that makes her a Lieutenant and then a Captain and eventually, for it was inevitable, a privateer with her own ship.

My dear readers, you need to begin reading this series, because I am going to continue reviewing them and as much as I don't want to give things away, I can't stop reading and writing about it. These books are so much fun. Jacky is wonderfully misbehaved and the trouble she gets herself into is delicious. L.A. Meyer's attention to detail made me smile. I don't even know if everything described in the book is what a real sailor would do, but there is such an air of authenticity, that real or not, I believe it.

I think I am jealous of L.A. Meyer though. He has found such a wonderful character in Jacky, a character that a reader wouldn't mind following for years and years. Considering how much she has accomplished in three books (six years), one can only imagine what she will do in a lifetime. That is, if she doesn't find herself at the end of a hangman's noose. I am jealous that he found such a strong voice and brilliant plot ideas.

Please someone, say I am not the only one who has been reading these books!

Dark Materials: Reflecting on Dystopian Themes in Young Adult Literature

2011-02-14T13:18:00.000-05:00

In December the New York Times ran an opinion peace regarding Dystopian young adult fiction and the reasoning behind it. The opinions expressed by writers and educators are as follows:

Paolo Bacigalupi, author of 'Ship Breaker', believes that the obsession with dystopia is because young people see the truth in the world around them and want that honesty and truth-telling in their fiction.

Maggie Stiefvater, author of the 'Shiver' trilogy differs in her opinion, stating that rather than truth, teens are looking for escapism. These dystopian worlds are not theirs and for that reason, they are enjoyable.

Jay Parini, poet and novelist and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Middlebury College says, "They [teens] feel trapped, forced into a world of tests that humiliate and unnerve them. And so we have "The Hunger Games” books by Suzanne Collins, or any number of young adult novels that eerily reflect aspects of our current world -- or the least attractive aspects of this world."

Scott Westerfeld, author of the 'Uglies' series and 'Leviathan' is under the impressions that teens are intrigued by the idea that the "system", the very thing that gives them rules and regulations, may fall apart. What an idea that in the end, all those tests and rules don't matter because it is about survival in the end.

Andrew Clements, author of 'Frindle' and most recently 'Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of School' series believes that in a world where we have video game death and constant news feeds, the world is darker and in consequence, so are readers. It is the same as reading horror stories, we live in a scary world, therefore we create and read stories that are even more terrifying.

Lisa Rowe Fraustino, an associate professor at Eastern Connecticut State University proffers that we as humans find some kind of comfort in the darkness. "The more we understand how small and powerless we really are against the immense forces that control our existence, the more we yearn to feel meaningful."

Finally, Michelle Ann Abate professor and author of 'Raising Your Kids Right: Children's Literature and American Political Conservatism' raises the questions "Is the role of these books to educate young people about the world in which they live, including its unpleasant aspects. Or, is it their responsibility to shield children from such elements?"

As for this blogger and writer and lover of Dystopia since I was twelve, I think that it is that Dystopian sci-fi asks the right questions, or more importantly THE question. What If? It is a question that scientists and philosophers and writers have been asking for thousands of years. The question has spawned great literature, momentous scientific achievements, and allowed people to dream of a future different from their own reality. Dystopian sci-fi is the darker side of that question, but it is still the same one. What if, in the future, we run out of a gas? What if the sanctity of life was completely taken away? What if our obsession with beauty and cosmetic surgery was taken to a point of normality? Teens think about these things all the time. They wonder what their world will be like. In the news we watch the rise and fall of nations and leaders, the destruction from a bomb, the constant talk of climate change, and teens wonder, what will their reality hold. Dystopian sci-fi is not a truth, it is one author's answer to one question, but is a question that must be asked and my favorite part of being a fiction writer is that I can answer that question.

Why do you think Dystopian sci-fi is so popular?

Brain Jack Book Review

2011-02-08T10:08:00.005-05:00

Brain Jack by Brian Falkner

In the not too distant future, the world is on the brink of war. A cyber war. Unknown enemies have destroyed Las Vegas, leaving behind a nuclear wasteland, Neuro-transmitters are all the rage, but seriously addicting, and terrorists threaten national security through hacking. Seventeen-year-old Sam, hacker extraordinaire, is the best at what he does, so good that he is enlisted to work for National Security, fending off would be hackers and hopefully preventing another incident like Vegas. But there is another threat, one that no one expects and this time the enemy is themselves.

In the vein of M.T. Anderson's Feed, Brian Falkner takes the idea of Internet downloaded directly to the brain to a whole different level. With the aid of well-thought out and visualized technical jargon, Brain Jack takes on a life of its own, rolling from one hack to the other, until the true enemy is brought to light. The basic concept...if you can hack a computer, could you hack a human brain? If you could erase the memory of a computer, what about a human brain? If you can add files, what about creating new false memories? The implications are mind boggling.

Amazing. From the beginning I was sucked into this world Falkner has created. Part action flick, part meditation on the powers and perils of technology, Brain Jack is a fast, fun read. Sam is one of those teens we all know...an extremely bright and talented person who walks, talks and lives for technology. He is vibrant, intuitive, and leaps off the pages as well as the other characters in this novel. My two favorites being Dodge and Vienna. The prologue captures the reader and doesn't let go. In fact, I think I will let the book talk for itself. You can also find this prologue on Amazon. I highly recommend making this and The Tomorrow Code part of your collection.

Right now, as you read this prologue, I am sifting through the contents of your computer. Yes, your computer. You. The one holding this book. I am reading your e-mails, looking at your digital photos and images you have downloaded off the Net opening your most private documents and having a good read, or a good laugh, depending on the content. To be honest, most of it is utterly boring. Except for a few files. You know the ones I mean. I know you don't believe me, and I prefer it that way, but think about this. When you bought this book, you used a credit card or a debit card. That created a record in the massive computer systems that the banks use. The systems they claim are impregnable. But they are on the Net. And nothing is impregnable on the Net. So I monitor hose systems for transactions with the ISBN of this book--that's the International Standard Book Number. You'll find it on the publisher's copyright page on page iv. Have a look now. It's 978-0375-84266-2. When your transaction went thought, I got an alert from one of my monitoring programs, and, as I had nothing better to do, I dug a little deeper. I got the credit card number from the transaction log, and that, with just a quick poke around in the "highly secure" databases of the bank, gave me your home address and telephone number. I cross-matched that with the Internet service providers in your area to find your broadband connection. Then I checked to see if you have a static IP (that's the electronic address of your home computer). You don't , so I raided your ISP's DHCP server to get your current IP. It didn't take me long to find out where your computer lives on the Internet. Your router's firewall was a joke--and not even a very funny one. The built-in firewall on your PC was another story, though. That held me up for a couple of heartbeats. I has to use your peer-to-peer-file-sharing client to slip a Trojan past your security and gain remote-administrator access, shape-shifting a little as I did it so as not to attract attention from your antivirus software. No matter. It took me less than ten minutes from seeing the transaction to obtaining complete access to your hard drive. So now, while you're reading this, I'm looking through your computer and having a great time. You could turn your computer off, but you'd already be too late. I could delete a few files, but I probably won't. I could change your passwords and lock you out of your own system, but I can't be bothered. And I won't crash your system or delete the contents of your hard drive or anything like that. I am not malicious or evil, or even particularly bad. I'll just quietly leave and erase any trace that I was ever there. But i know you now. I know who you are. I know where you live. I know what you've got. And if the time comes that I need something from you, something that you might or might not want to give up, I'll be back. That time is coming Sooner than you think. But in the meantime, don't worry about me. I'm not worrying about you. Right now, I've got a much bigger problems to think about.

James Frey and the Formula to Success

2011-02-07T14:43:00.006-05:00

Author and professional liar James Frey is up to his usual shenanigans, duping the American public and minimizing literary merit. Let's begin at the beginning shall we.

James Frey was caught embellishing the details of his book A Million Little Pieces. Unapologetic, Frey did go on Oprah to plead his case and kind of apologize, but it was clear, Frey had sold over a million books and if it was a lie, so be it. Fast forward a couple years. A best-selling author James Frey walks into your college campus and promises you fame and fortune. He is starting a new publishing venture and promises that he has discovered the key to success and he wants you to come one board. Young author's (and some old) desperate to be published, sign on to James Frey's contract which will pay them $250, Frey has complete creative control, must be published under a pseudonym, and the author is not allowed to proclaim their authorship of the book for a year. Why would anyone sign such a contract? Because Frey has found the key to success and your book will be published. Isn't that enough? (read this great NYT article and this one) The Author's Guild has expressed serious concerns over these contracts.

So what is Frey's motivations? Apparently, he wants to produce the next Harry Potter. Mr. Frey has been aggressive: only developing ideas that have serial book potential, as well as obvious film, TV, merchandising and digital marketability. If it isn't going to be a TV show or movie then forget about it. All the buzz surrounding the book and film? A lot of that pre-published buzz came from Frey himself. He is determined the create the next commercial success and the fact that young writers are lining up behind him in hopes that he will make their books (not them) famous is enough. Should it be any surprises that Jobie Hughes (the true author of I am Number Four) was a huge fan of James Frey before working with him? In fact, I can imagine that only big fans of Frey's ego would be allowed to work with him.

To be fair, without its commercial film making appeal, this book may never have been published. It wasn't until Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg expressed interest in the film, did any publisher take ti seriously.

The book I Am Number Four has received mixed reviews with one thing for certain, it will not be winning any literary awards any time soon. It has made no significant cultural impact either, and is unlikely to be the next Harry Potter or Twilight. But it is being made into a Hollywood film with director Michael Bay at the helm, which promises for a lot of action and explosions.

Hughes has walked away from the project. He hired a lawyer, and they prepared documents requesting 20 percent of all future proceeds related to “The Lorien Legacies.” Hughes and Frey’s legal dispute have reportedly been settled, but the terms are unknown.

Here is my major issue with Frey. His key to success states that the author is a nobody and that you do not need to have a good book in order to have a best-seller, take it from him. Now, as an author I would be rather offended that someone is telling me they don't need my help, my name, or even literary quality to attract the masses. Also, how offensive is it to the art of writing and all the labor and love that goes into it, for a man to come forward and say that none of it matters, all that matters is the formula? But then, he also says he loves books, so which is it?

Personally, I would love for my future books to be wildly popular and (maybe) made into a film, but not at the expense of literary quality. I would rather write something brilliant that isn't a best-seller, but really connects with my readers in a way that they will carry the books with them forever. Commercial success is grand and all, but I refuse to sell my soul/book to obtain it. So in case you were wondering, I will not be reading the book as a matter of principle and I will not be seeing the film either.

A Crack in the Sky Book Review

2011-02-05T15:33:00.003-05:00

A Crack in the Sky (Greenhouse Chronicles) by Mark Peter Hughes

Eli Papodapolous has lived in the domes all his life. Built by his grandfather and run by InfiniCorp, which his entire family runs, Eli's life is one of ease and comfort. However, something is wrong. The domes are hotter than ever, the sky advertisements are just plain weird, and the Foggers (those trying to bring down InfiniCorp) are trying to recruit him. Eli wants the truth, but not if it means betraying his family. Meanwhile, Tabitha is a traitor and she has learned that she must take care of herself to survive and escape InfiniCorp's relearning program, a high-tech brainwashing scheme. Neither Tabitha nor Eli realize that their quests are the same and they will need each other to find the truth.

A Crack in the Sky is a book with a very clear message concerning global warming, but a fresh voice, interesting what ifs, and fast paced plot save this would-be sermon. Eli is a character that children can relate to. He wants to please his parents and his family, but there are questions that demand answers and not even his loyalty can thwart his curiosity. This leads him on a path that is self-destructive, but with hints of a promise towards salvation. Tabitha too has questions, but perhaps believes a little too quickly what she is told and trades one lie for another. When confronted with possible truths, Tabitha loses her faith in everything which is possibly worse. There is also a third character, an altered mongoose who speaks with Eli telepathically and is their miraculous savior due to gifts that she isn't sure the full depth of.

The story itself is rather obvious. The domes were built to escape the global warming, a temporary solution until things cool down, however things aren't cooling down and the domes are beginning to lose their battle with the changing planet. Instead of letting people know of their impending doom, InfiniCorp chooses to keep everyone in the dark, brainwashing them into nonchalance. When Eli probes, it becomes clear that humanity will die a slow death completely unaware of what is happening. The company has chosen to be comfortable even though there were plenty of opportunities to take the harder less comfortable path that could have brought back the planet. Very preachy.

Again, the characters and plot twists are fun and interesting, a mash up of Dune, Logan's Run, and The Matrix. Hughes clearly thought a lot about the book, global warming, and characters thoroughly, making this far better than that Empty mess of a book. The cover art is beautiful, by Per Haagensen. I could have done without the author's note at the end, which was basically a note to young readers reminding them what the "message" of the book really is and that the series is fictional. It's as if the author doesn't trust his reader's enough to get it and to do their own research if they have questions. Another nice addition to the dystopian sci-fi genre.

Of Domes and Other Things

2011-01-28T14:16:00.004-05:00

In the Arizona dessert there are series of interconnected glass domes and pyramids called the Biosphere 2. Originally conceived as a self sustaining ecological system the experiment was a miserable failure in the early 90's when it was revealed that the plants weren't producing enough oxygen and the people inside had to breach the airlock when one of the scientists' leg was broken. The biosphere was a realization of an idea that has intrigued science fiction writers and scientists for decades. Sci-fi writers see these domes of furtile places for the imagination, often representing oppression. However, scientists see these self-sustaining cities as possible habitats for human life in the moon or Mars.

Early science fiction (pre-Global Warming days) usually showed domes as space colonies. Various writers put domed cities on Venus, Mars, and the moon. Other writers used domes cities to show the ills of ouor society and government. In the short story by E.M. Foster "The Machine Stops", humans live in a vast series of rooms in an underground machine that provides everything they could ever need. However, the machine eventually breaks down causing the inevitable death of all its citizens. Arthur C. Clarke saw domes as a retreat in The City and the Stars, a modern day (1950's style) Eden.

The first mention of a domed city was in 1881 in the white supremacist fantasy Three Hundred Years Hence by William Hay, besides being full of only white people Hay's domed city is mostly used for agriculture. In 1905 H.G. Wells suggested A Modern Utopia where at least part of cities were covered over in glass. in 1931 Ray Cummings wrote Brigands of the Moon where people lived in small glass dome shelters. James Blish created the idea of a spindizzy in his series Cities in Flight in which cities could take off into space at will. Logan's Run originally published in 1976 built domed cities to escape polution and war. In 1982 Ben Bova published A City of Darkness where domes were playgrounds during the day, and terrifying by night.

But these are all adult books you say. Never fear, domed cities infiltrated children's literature as well. The Tripods series by John Christopher has humans living as slaves beneath alien domes (very similar to Battlefield Earth, which is never read due to its scientology affiliation, but is really quite good) In 2010 A Crack in the Sky by Mark Peter Hughes was published with the domes being run by a corporation that isn't admitting that the domes may be falling apart piece by piece. Some may even argue that Incarceron by Catherine Fisher could be considered a "domed" city. Songs of Power by Hilari Bell is about an underground domed city and Away is a Strange Place to Be by H.M. Hoover features space habitats, very similar to domed cities.

But just in case you thought this was all some kind of fictional enterprise, feast your eyes on the newest form of domed city from the minds of the Chinese.

Empty Book Review

2011-01-26T14:58:00.004-05:00

Empty by Suzanne Weyn

The oil is running out faster than anyone expected and Tom, Nikki, and Gwen are stuck right in the middle of a change that may be the end of the world as they know it. Food shortages are on the rise, gas syphoning, and violence are becoming more and more prevalent, but all these teens want is a little normalcy. Tom wants Nikki, rich cheerleader, but Gwen is mysterious in a way that Tom finds attractive. Nikki's whole world is changing, and not for the better and she struggles with keeping a normal life and still looking good despite having to wear glasses. Gwen's mother left her and her brother years ago and they have managed just fine on their own until a freak fire and a super hurricane crash her world.

The premise of the story is great and fun to think about although not terribly original. (see Crunch review) Unlike Crunch, this book often felt preachy, with large amounts of info dumps in the first half of the book. Long conversations about manufacturing and the oil being depleted and a long list of products that are no longer available because of the oil shortage. Of course, as if this wasn't enough of a sermon, the author added a super hurricane created by global warming. Just in case you didn't get that the earth is going to be destroyed. One of the things I loved about Crunch was that it didn't matter why they had run out of gas, the point was that it was gone and people had to move on with their lives.

This is mostly a story about running out of gas with naive characters complaining about the gas costing $40 a gallon, having to wear glasses, and dumb crushes as a giant hurricane is hurtling towards them and they are running out of food. What I couldn't understand was that not a single person ever hopped on a bicycle until the very end. Everyone is still driving around with the gas prices at $40 a gallon or more. Are you kidding me? Not a single person saw this coming and built a windmill or have solar power or grow things in a garden? I can tell you, as an avid bicyclist, I already think gas prices are too high and know for a fact that people are already beginning to plant gardens and live more green. I do not think that people would allow gas prices to reach $40 a gallon and not do a single thing about it. At the very least, wouldn't people begin to hoard food?

On a writing level, I am afraid that all of the characters except for rich spoiled Nikki, sounded exactly alike. Without dialogue tags I would never know how was speaking. The constant grumbling about phones now working and lack of warm showers got old. There was never a character who tried to bring things into perspective. No character who though...hmm...maybe I should build a fire to make food. The news articles littered throughout the novel were written with the same voice as the rest of the book, making them feel less than credible and entirely like more info dumps.

The author is right about one thing. This is an issue that should be brought to people's attention, but I would hope that we and our government would not be as idiotic as the people in this book. I can promise you this...if the gas prices ever reached that point, I am sure more people would be riding public transit, bikes, and subways, because it is already happening. There would be incentives for building windmills and solar powered homes. Personal gardens would become the norm and the teens would have to go on with their lives and would not be bellyaching over cell phones not charging because we would have products like this. Humans are amazing creatures who can surely find other ways to survive and create electricity without oil...oh wait, we already are doing that.

Dormia Book Review

2011-01-21T15:20:00.000-05:00

Dormia by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski

Alfonso has a very unique gift, or perhaps it is a curse. Alfonso can do things in his sleep. But this isn't sleepwalking, because unlike the average sleepwalker who wanders around the house or perhaps make a sandwich, Alfonso climbs trees, repairs clocks, sword fights, and grows plants. In his small town of World's End, Minnesota, this may be strange, but Alfonso soon learns that he is a descendant from a lost and mythical land called Dormia, a place where the citizens are their best when asleep and the last city of Dormia will die unless Alfonso and his strange group of travelers can deliver a Dormian Bloom.

The premise of the book is great. A race of people who have the ability to do anything in their sleep. With the opening of the book the reader is dragged in as we find Alfonso literally up a tree and he has no idea how he got up there and being rather clumsy while awake, isn't entirely sure how to get down. Despite the beginning being set in Minnesota, this is definitely a high fantasy novel, and frankly if Minnesota had been named something like Andalasia (Enchanted reference) then the reader would never have known that this is supposed to be Earth.

Written by two authors, this is a high-energy fast paced novel that is just begging for a sequel. The cast of characters are varied although not well fleshed out. After reading this 500 page tome, I am still unsure of the motivations for a few of these characters. Why would a man who is not Dormian, follow a kid and his Uncle halfway around the world for a fight that isn't his? Alnfonso fights for this kingdom that he has never visited, isn't sure is real, and doesn't intend to stay with. This made him feel more like a puppet than a warrior. The whole country itself has secreted itself away from the world, reminding me of a North Korean Prison. Not exactly inspiring.

I was also unimpressed with the so=called smarts of our main character. Most of the "puzzles" he needed to solve were extremely simple and then he completely ignores clues given to him for another puzzle, which after solving so many of these mind-benders, it seems strange that he couldn't or wouldn't solve this last one. Also, as is often the case in fantasy novels involving any kind of magic, the character always seems to learn some new skill just before he needs to use it, which I have always found suspect.

What this book really suffers from though is a bad case of repetition. The authors often felt it necessary to remind the reader of poems, conversations, history, and descriptions that the reader has already been made aware of, which makes this book about a hundred pages longer than it needed to be. I admit, I am a skipper when I run across information I already know and as a reader I feel like I am being talked down to. Like the authors are saying, "Remember that poem ten pages ago? Well we don't think you do so we are going to spell it out for you again just to be sure you get it."

Although the book wasn't written badly, I often found myself reading just because I wanted to finish it. I have a bas case of have-to-finish-a-book-itis. There is enough adventure and fun elements to hold the attention of middle grade readers, but I think some editing of repeated details and a little more attention to character development would have really made this book great.

Unwind Book Review

2011-01-18T15:05:00.001-05:00

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Under the new Laws of Life, parents have the option of "unwinding" their children any time before their eighteenth birthday. If your kid is a troublemaker, a hothead, or no discernable talents, they will take him or her and use their parts, all of them, to go to other citizens. Need a new heart, kidney, lung? There is always one available with the unwind program. Some religion even encourage parents to tithe one of their children for the good of others. But not everyone is going along with the program. Connor discovers his parents are going to have him unwound in a week, so he runs away. Risa is a ward of the state and is part of a population reduction in the state houses. When Connor runs out into traffic and her bus stops, Risa decides to make a run for it alone with a Tithe that Connor grabs called Lev. Together this unlikely trio must survive until their eighteenth birthdays.

In the vein of Rash by Pete Hautman and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Unwind is a sci-fi mind game that both repulses and inspires. All three children are well flushed-out with stories and histories that make this whole ordeal beyond terrifying. Lev's parents have told him all his life that he will be tithed and he wasn't afraid until that day Connor took him from the car and his Pastor told him to, "Run." Confused, Lev questions everything his parents have taught him and soon anger takes hold. Connor always knew he had anger issues, but he never imagined his loving parents would have him unwound. Risa never had parents and although a good pianist, she couldn't win the competition to save her own life.

On the logistical side of thing (and controversial side), I think the idea of Unwinding is repulsive, which is what Shusterman was aiming for. And it is also completely unrealistic. In the "history" of the book we come to understand that those who are Pro-Life and Pro-Choice agreed to this plan, which just smacks both groups in the face. No way would either think it is okay to dismember a person--a child--in order to have organ donors. That idea that any person would agree to the death of someone because they "believe" the person's soul lives on in others and doesn't die, is stupid. however, this is a fantasy, so we will, for the sake of the story, have to let it go.

The other interesting development in the story is the idea of storking. No longer do women have abortions (because the child can live in a group home and eventually be unwound), but you can also leave your child on the doorstep of whomever you wish and as long as they don't catch you, the baby is theirs for keeps (or until they have the child unwound). Now, just thinking about the state of overpopulation now, I would imagine this would be a very very bad idea. Plus, what if the family who is storked cannot support the child. Or the child is unloved, which is supposedly why this law was created, so that there were no more unloved and unwanted children. In fact, this entire world that Shusterman has created is very Spartan in nature.

As far as sci-fi goes, this is a good book that gets you thinking. The writing is well-done and the characters are believable, but I don't think we have to worry about this ever happening. Despite thousands of years worth of plagues, overpopulation, childhood diseases, and even Spartans...children are still valued and are likely to remain so.

Countdown Book Review

2011-01-14T14:58:00.002-05:00

Countdown by Deborah Wiles

Franny would do anything for her life to be peaceful, but with the threat of nuclear war on America's doorstep, a feuding friendship, a shell-shocked Uncle, and a missing sister, Franny's life is anything but peaceful.

Part autobiography, part documentary, Countdown reads like narrative history and catches the essence of what it would be like to be a child in such a tumultuous time. Franny lives every day of her life afraid that this one will be her last. Will the Soviet Union bomb them today? Will she live to grow up or will her life be cut tragically short just like her Uncle's little brother?

My first memory outside of my own little world was when I was eight. I watched mesmerized as the Berlin wall was pulled down piece by piece. I had a million questions and my parents sat beside me, tears in their eyes, as they explained this weird terrifying world we live in. Deborah Wiles grew up during the beginning of that Cold War. Her first memories were of the fear of those times and in some strange way, I can relate. Except my parents were forthcoming with information and poor Franny is often left completely out of the information loop. As it stands this is really Deborah's story. Although Franny and her family are fictional it is clear that this is the author's time period. This is what she remembers. And by making a character to close to herself and her memories, the reader has a character they can relate to.

My only real criticism or perhaps question is the necessity of the essays of the different people throughout the book. They read like book reports written by Franny, but it felt too much like teaching and threw off the timeline sometimes since the essay would follow the historical figures far past the time portrayed in the book. I liked being rooted in 1962 and felt that the essays pulled me out of it.

Among my favorite parts of the book were the visual references with quotes, pictures, and speeches surrounding the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The story itself was engaging although really nothing terribly important happened. It's not really an adventure story, it's history and I can probably assume that it was some great therapy for the author. The book doesn't preach (except for the last page) and Ms. Wiles allows her young readers to figure some things out for themselves.

Although I think young readers will enjoy this book, I can't help but wonder if the children who grew up in this era, now grown with children and grandchildren, would enjoy it more. An opportunity to relive those moments through someone else's eyes and a reminder of how precious life and living it, is.

A Conspiracy of Kings Book Review

2011-01-12T13:40:00.004-05:00

A Conspiracy of Kings by Meaghan Whalen Turner

I make no secret in that I absolutely love The Queen's Thief series. With the whit and cynicism displayed by Eugenides (aka the Thief), I instantly fell in love with him and the twist ending makes me grin every single time I read it.

In the fourth installment of The Queen's Thief series we now follow Sophos, (originally introduced in the first book and missing for the past two books) heir apparent to the Sounis throne. From the beginning, Sophos has been an embarrassment, terrible with the word, easily cowed, and not very brave, Sophos suffers silently as he is groomed to be King, a role that he desperately hopes he will never have to fulfill. His wish comes true when he is kidnapped, only to be sold into slavery to the very Baron who was trying to kill him. Under the Baron's nose Sophos works as a slave and he doesn't mind so much as the pressures of prince hood are gone. But his captivity is short-lived because despite all his apprehensions, Sophos is to be King. After his uncle dies, Sohpos inherits the throne, but a bloody war with Attolia and a civil war between his own barons as well as an "ally" that is secretly trying to control the country, Sophos knows he needs help. With the Magus, he escapes to Attolia to surrender to his old friend Eugenides, now King of Attolia.

Some may be frustrated by the fact that Eugenides plays a minor role in this book, but I absolutely love how this series has progressed. In The Thief and Queen of Attolia we followed Eugenides (Gen) exclusively. In King of Attolia we were in the head of one of Gen's guards who despises him. Even so, you find yourself rooting for Gen because the reader knows him so well. Now, with A Conspiracy of Kings the story has come full circle, bringing us back to a character from the first book. When Gen is aloof and cold towards Sophos, the reader knows that there is more to the King than meets the eye.

This installment is decidedly more political than the other three, but it fits the temperament of Sophos and this is definitely his book. Interesting point: None of the characters in these books are children, but they are middle grade books. Gen was perhaps a teenager in The Thief but that isn't made expressly clear. What does that say about children having to have characters that are close in age to them in order to enjoy the story? Perhaps it is this unusualness that has allowed me to enjoy this series from childhood to adulthood.

If you haven't read The Thief then I highly recommend you do so. And then real all the others. By the way, you will probably find the book with the Award Winners as it did win a Newbery Honor Award.

The Curse of the Blue Tattoo Book Review

2011-01-11T13:32:00.000-05:00

The Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady by L.A. Meyer

Now that the crew of the Dolphin knows of Jacky's feminity, she can longer remain on board. With her share of the pirate's treasure the Captain "graciously" enolls Jacky in the elite Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston. Despite being separated from her dear Jaimy, Jacky decides to make the best of her situation andis rather excited that she, a lowly girl from the slums of London, will be learning how to be a lady But as you can imagine, Jacky, owner of a tattoo and quite a few stories, doesn't exactly fit in. Before long Jacky is up to her neck in trouble being arrested for led and lascivious behavior, falling under the suspicion of the crazy reverend next foor as a waitch, investigating a murder, and eventually being demoted to a servant girl. Maybe Jacky just wasn't meant to be a lady.

The second installment of Miss Jacky Faber is quite different from the first and yet just as fun. By now,t he reader is wel familiar with Jacky's shenanigans and it is no surprise the trouble he gets herself into. And that is wy you read. What is Jacky going to do now? So is it any surprise that when someone tries to press a friend of hers into service on a ship, Jacky drops her skirt, climbing into the rigging of the ship, and threatens to cut the sails? Never.

L.A. Meyer also does a wonderful job of describing an 1800 version of Boston. Having studies and lived there, I loves these descriptions. I could follow Jacky's every footstep having walked on beacon Street, Milk Street, and State Street. I could imagine the old State House well for I have been in it. The history and geography were wonderful and made the story feel so authentic and lovingly researched. Every detail was perfect and spot on.

The third book is on its way and I am very excited.

Bloody Jack Book Review

2011-01-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer

Mary Faber has been forced to take care of herself since the day her Mum, Dad, and little sister die of plague. Joining the Rooster Charlie gang, Mary begs, borrows, and steals her way to another day of life. They sleep beneath a bridge and occasionally Mary uses her talent of reading to earn them a farthing or two. But when Rooster Charlie is murdered, Mary takes the opportunity to relieve him of his clothes, which he won't be needing anymore, and signs up to be a Ship's boy aboard the Dolphin. And so Mary becomes Jack or Jacky Faber, Ship's boy. Her adventures tale her all over the Atlantic, fighting the French, chasing pirates, and falling in love with Jaimy who has no idea that Jacky is a girl.

This story is absolutely delightful. It's Treasure Island and Alanna: The First Adventure rolled into one. Written in first person dialect, Jacky's quick tongue and bravery will make anyone fall in love with her, despite her propensity for trouble. And get into trouble she does. Nearly beaten senseless by one of the Midshipmen, almost raped (and that was when the sailor thought she was a he), the instigator of a bond between the Ship's boys that results in permanent anchor tattoos, as well as being carried off by a kite, and hung by pirates. And those are just her finer moments. Yet Jacky is a girl despite all her lies and admits that despite everything, she isn't really that brave. This is a breath of fresh air where many historical novels often have the tomboy girl absolutely hating her womanhood. Jacky is simply a survivor, but beneath everything, she is still a girl.

Need a good adventure story? This is it. I don't know if the boys would be as interested in the story as there is a lo of pining done by Jacky as well as some womanly problems that may make the boys blush, but if you are looking for a strong, smart, witty, and lovable protagonist then look no further than Jacky Faber. She will make you laugh and cry and want more and lucky for us L.A. Meyer has written eight books featuring our Miss Faber.

The Last Invisible Boy Book Review

2011-01-04T13:04:00.001-05:00

The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman

Illustrated by J.P. Coovert

Finne Garrett was an average kid with pinky peach skin and black hair until That Dreadful Day. That was when Finnbegan to turn invisible. At first it was a few white hairs. Shock s what everyone thought, but over the next few weeks, Finn's hair turns completely skin and his skin just as pale. Why? Is it really shock, or is he becoming a vampire, or worse, is he truly turning invisible?

The premise of the story is great; a boy slowly disappearing due to he death of his father. But that's all there is in the way of a plot. It reminds m of a lecture I once heard with Allison McGhee in which she admitted that plot often eludes her. Once, when a friend asked for some good plot ideas, she send back an email with these two words, "Albino squirrels." Not much of a plot, but it is a place to start. That is how I felt about The Last Invisible Boy. The idea itself was great, but it didn't really o anywhere. Finn has no actual character development in the story. If this was really a story about a kid getting over the death of a parent, then I was a little confused. How exactly did Finn move on? By planting a tree? By not hanging out in the cemetery as often? And most importantly, why was Finn turning invisible?

This story reminded me of many of the things I was taught not to do. info dumps all over the place. in fact, most of the chapters were written to give us another load of information about Finn, information that never really moved the story forward. Written in first person journal style, I was often confused by Finn's reference to every day being Earth Day and his insistence on mixing up his tenses. Strangest of all were the instructions to the reader where he tells them to write down something or stop reading. The other really important information was left out of the book. What did his father die of? I assume a heart attack, however young readers cannot be expected to assume this and or some reason Finn never actually says, which made me wonder if he even knew. When he finally explains That Dreadful Day, I got the firm impression that non of the adults were forthcoming about what was going on, something that I don't think would happen if the child was twelve. Perhaps if he was younger, but twelve is more than old enough to know what is going on. Secondly, why was Finn turning invisible? Not eve Finn seems to know and in the end i was a little annoyed because his was the promise of the story and nothing really came of it. Was it supernatural or not?

All that said, if I had a young child who was dealing with the death of a parent, particularly a father, I would recommend this book in a heartbeat because despite its plotlessness, the story itself may well help a childing dealing with a situation like this,

My Reading Highlights of 2010

2010-12-29T16:45:00.004-05:00

Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud:

Can I Play Too? (An Elephant and Piggie book) by Mo Willems

The Siren Song by Anne Ursu

The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes by Kelly Easton and Greg Swearingen

New-To-Me Series That On One Hand I'm Glad To Have Found, But On The Other, I'm Seriously Horrified That I'd Missed Out On Until Now:

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's boy (Bloody Jack Adventures) by L.A. Meyer

Sequel Happiness:

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

Book That Made Me Crave Food:

Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

Most Enjoyable Bad Book:

Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

Forgettable Plot Saved By a Fresh, Honest Voice:

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger

Book I Was Most Surprised By:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Made of Pure Awesome:

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

Crunch by Leslie Connor

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Newsgirl by Liza Ketchum

Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper

Best Book Hidden Under the Worst Cover:

Pride an Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

More Adorable Than Sparkling Puppies:

Birdie's Big Girl Shoes by Sujean Rim

YA Book Most Likely to be Loved By Adults More Than Actual YAs:

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Biggest Disappointment:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Books that Invoked Irrationally Violent Emotions in me:

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Books I Loved For Their Imperfect Heroines:

Fat Cat by Robin Brande

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Best Vampire Book For Twilight-Haters:

Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

Worthy of the Hype:

Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems

Favorite Roadtrip Book (and MAN, there were a lot of them!):

Ranger's Ransom by Emily Diamand

Best Action/Adventure Book:

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Books that were weird just to be weird:

It's a Book by Lane Smith

The Boy Who Couldn't Die by William Sleator

Sci-fi's that made me think there is still a future for this genre (future, get it):

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

Crunch by Leslie Connor

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

X-Isle by Steve Augarde

Books I lent out to people multiple times:

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Jumper by Steven Gould

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

Worst Book of the Year:

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

Have a question about this list. Wonder why I loved or hated a book? Leave a comment...let's discuss.

Setting:New York City - Reality:None

2010-12-28T13:31:00.008-05:00

Despite the lack of book reviews, I promise I have been reading quite a few books over the past few weeks, and through no fault of my own, many appear to have the same interesting trend. The trend being this: That more and more teens are fairly wealthy and live in New York City in apartments that are larger than their other rich friends but never have the one thing they want the most. For boys, this is often a girl, often blond and also rich who doesn't give the main character the time of day because she is currently going out with someone richer and/or manlier. For girls, they are usually searching for popularity and something equally mundane, while trying to squash their opponents/other girls. As an added bonus, these teens often find themselves searching for meaningful adult relationships with the parents who have neglected them due to their money. Take the following books into consideration:

Not to say that all these books are trash, in fact some teeter on the edge of being decent, and a few like The Boy Who Couldn't Die and Beastly are actually rather fun. But most are Sweet Valley High without the kitsch and teens are devouring books like this. Why? Is it because we all imagine what it would be like to be rich? But as you can see, it isn't just the book packaged mass produced series that contain this trend.

The second most popular setting appears to be all girl's boarding schools which is fascinating because although I know they really exist, a raise of hands as to how many people went or know anyone who actually went to one? Off-hand, I can think of only one acquaintance who I worked with ten years ago.

And why are so many books set in New York City? May I venture to say that I imagine for editors (the majority of which work in NYC), would find a book set in their stomping grounds to be more appealing that one set in Wisconsin? As a child who grew up in New Jersey, I used to imagine that New York City was teeming with children my age simply because I had read so many books set in that city that I used to imagine that this was where most of the children of the world lived. I used to imagine that there were roving gangs of children wandering the city treating one another cruelly with no parental supervision. Harriett the Spy may have been to blame for this notion.

All I know is, I am tired of reading about rich people in large apartments in NYC. I think it is time to return to my beloved genre fiction. I'm in the mood for a distant planet full of aliens or a land where the rich are nobility and everyone despises them for it. Any suggestions?

Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion by Mo Willems

2010-12-10T15:01:00.001-05:00

Trixie and Knuffle Bunny are back in this third and final tale of Knuffle Bunny and it is just as delightful as the others. In this tale, Trixie and her family are going on a vacation overseas. As any parent has experienced, it is very easy to misplace things when traveling and Trixie is no exception. Caught up in the delight of flying and visiting Oma and Papa, he leaves Knuffle Bunny on the plane and by the time they realize, the plane is headed to China!

One of the more uncommon themes in a children's picture book is the coming of age story. Some may argue that all picture books are a coming of age story, teaching the children who read them important lessons to help them in their growing up journey, but the Knuffle Bunny books have allowed children to watch Trixie grow from an unintelligible baby, to a little girl beginning preschool, to the cute blond who discovers happiness without her Knuffle Bunny. And I'll tell you, I may have shed a tear at the end. Okay, maybe more than one for the back pages of this book are incredible.

Mo Willems does it again. Knuffle Bunny is a cute, funny, coming of story, set in another country, with all the love and passion of the previous books. This one definitely deserves to be a Christmas gift.

The Game of Sunken Places by M.T. Anderson

2010-12-03T14:42:00.003-05:00

Gregory and Brian arrive at their Uncle Max's house for what will admittedly be a strange fall vacation. True to form, eccentric Uncle Max lives in a giant mansion where he immediately burns the boys' clothes and forces them to wear clothes the turn-of-the-century. The 20th century. They sleep in a nursery where they find a strange fame called the The Game of Sunken Places. But Jumanji this game is not. There are no dice or pieces just an hourglass that is slowly counting down--but to what? The boys are in a race against time, bu they don't know the rules and this game is deadly.

This books is full of wonderful descriptive elements that really bring this world to life. You can feel the crisp fall New England air and whenever the wind blows, there is a creepiness that will crawl up under the covers with you. Yet, for all the brilliant descriptions, it reminded me of a movie where the editing is slightly off. The scenes jump, with only a sentence to bridge where they are going. If you aren't paying attention the characters are suddenly going down a flight of stairs and you aren't quite sure how they got there. Yet Anderson is unafraid of spending an entire paragraph describing an object or using poetic language to make us understand the wind or the languishing canal. All of this is the same issues I have had with other M.T. Anderson novels. Anderson is a brilliant writer, with language and sentences that any writer could be envious of, but sometimes it throws off the pacing. This is not due to lack of plot, but because Anderson doesn't pay the same attention to detail in all aspects of his writing. His language is beautiful and his transitions feel stilted.

The characters in this story are great though, although you may be surprised as to who the main character really is. We are taken on a journey with the Brian and Gregory and I'll admit, I wasn't sure if they could win, although I knew they must.

Anderson does take us on a journey, but I often myself wondering why these boys went on the journey in the first place? Perhaps that is the wrong question for a fantasy novel, but if this happened to me as a child...I don't think I would have continued to play the game. Perhaps that is the joy of this book though, Brian and Gregory go on a journey that most people would be too afraid to set out on. Not a bad book, but it isn't one of Anderson's best.

Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins

2010-11-25T14:22:00.001-05:00

Let's get one thing straight. I didn't finish this book. I made it 2/3 of the way through and stopped. I couldn't continue. Some was due to friends telling me that the book was great and then the last 1/3 of the book just died. One friend was so upset he said he threw the copy of his book (hardback) into the trashcan. He hated the ending that much. I told myself it didn't matter, that I needed to know the ending, but I just can't finish it. I think I am happier with the ending I have created in my head. Also, I grow weary of Katniss.

I promise I won't spoil the book for those who haven't read it yet, but I ca tell you this...Katniss is bring. All she does is sit around and whine and complain as those in power use her as an unwilling and completely naive chess piece. She acts as if she knows what is going on, but as far as I can tell (for the amount I read), Katniss is never a real instigator of anything. She is always the pawn. This girl was completely clueless about the insurrection her acts of "defiance" created. Not that she was ever willfully defiant, those acts were always completely by accident. In act, it feels like everything Katniss does is an accident. She is terrible at fake acing, so they drop her off at a field hospital where she witnesses the death of hundreds and finally is able to deliver her defiant line about fighting. Truly, it was just a happy accident. Would she have been able to deliver such a line if no one had died? Probably not, because Katniss doesn't do anything with purpose. Falling in love. Friendships. It all just happens to her and the poor thing is just along for the ride.

What made this book harder to swallow was that Katniss was the only character telling the story in this narrative. No jumping to Peeta's viewpoint, which was a little annoying a he is a far more interesting character. Also, in this book he is clearly being tortured and for some reason I could never figure out, the rebels label him a traitor, which just made no sense. It's like calling a Prisoner of War a traitor simply because they had the misfortune to be captured. They already know the government is manipulative and that Peeta was in danger by leaving him in the government's hands, but the instant he appears on television they call him a coward? The logic just doesn't pan. But why aren't we given Peeta's perspective as in the other books?

For me, the setting and plot of this final book are weak. Which makes the characterization so much more critical and sadly, it fell. I think it was already stumbling in Catching Fire, but for me this books failed. Anytime I can't finish reading a book out of fear that the author just can't fix all the mistakes they are making is a very bad thing indeed. I need my characters to be intentional. Especially the heroes. And especially if they are willing heroes like Katniss is supposed to be in this final battle.

The Scorch Trials

2010-11-19T21:00:00.000-05:00

The Scorch Trials

By James Dashner

The Gladers have escaped the Maze, after losing nearly everyone including Chuck, only twenty are left alive, taken to some safe house where they are fed and given warm beds. Book Two opens as the boys are woken from their dreams by Crazies with cracked faces, screaming at the windows. Within hours of rescue, the boys are thrown into a situation worse than before. This time there are metal balls that drop from the ceiling that literally suck your head off. Lightning bolts from the sky that will fry a person where they stand. Crazy people who will chase you down just to chop off your nose. Beings with light bulbs on their bodies. Betrayal. Friendships. Loss. Pain. Mystery.

Book two of The Maze Runner series starts right where the last book left off. No back-tracking. No quiet reminders of what happened last time. If you didn’t read The Maze Runner, don’t read this book because you will be more than confused. No starting in the middle for this series. And all those questions left in book one…Why were they locked up in the Maze? Who are they? Why kill Chuck? Who is WICKED? What do they want with the Gladers? What is The Scorch? What is the purpose of them being there? Who was Thomas to WICKED?

Not a single one of those questions is answered fully.

I liked the book. Lots of action and adventure, however, I really needed some questions answered and after two books I am growing impatient. Of course I will read the next one. I want to know the answers. Here’s the catch—those answers better be damn good. I usually figure out twist endings, yet I have no idea where this storyline is going, so the answers to all the questions listed above will have to be mind boggling. I think after two books, the readers deserve that much.

I'm Back!

2010-11-15T15:49:00.004-05:00

Did you wonder where I had gone? Well, I got a new job. One of those new 9-5 jobs which means I work 8-6:30. Then I moved. Then my computer was stolen. Let's be silent for a moment for my poor Mac.

Luckily I do have a terribly slow Dell to write on, but no Internet. Not sure if I am ever going to sign up for it as it is a huge distraction in my writing life.

That said. I am back in a much more subdued form. For now, book reviews will be the staple, at least until I can get back into a normal rhythm of life that will allow three times a week blogging. I have backlogged two reviews and will be posting them on Fridays just as before. Enjoy.

The Name of This Book is Secret

2010-11-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

The Name of this Book is Secret

By Pseudonymous Bosch

It’s so secret that I can’t tell you what it looks like. Or where you can buy it. I can’t tell you whether or not you would like it. Perhaps you would, but I can’t tell you whether this is a story about orphaned children or a little girl who loves dogs or even whether there are girls and boys in it at all. Which means you may or may not like it. Honestly, I’m warning you, don’t read this book at all. It’s dangerous. It’s information you should not have nor do you want to know. Turn back now.

Okay, well I guess I can tell you something about this book. It is boring. How many times did I start and re-start this book, sure that with the next go-round this whole crazy jumble of nothing would begin to make sense, that it would suck me in, that this time, I would make it more than a chapter. Eventually I did, but only by sheer will and determination. It’s not that the book was bad, it was that it was…well, I don’t know. What’s it about? Does it matter? The book itself is funny at times, an entire book that is secretive and full of clichés, both done on purpose, which is different. But it got old and I can’t really see myself reading another four books like it.

But go ahead, read the book if you dare. The characters are, well, I can’t tell you, but you may or may not like it. You may or may not find it interesting. But beware, you may not be able to get into it. And if that happens, don’t say I didn’t want you.

2010-11-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Ender’s Game

By Orson Scott Card

This is the first book that my youngest brother fell in love with. Up until the point of this book, he had only read two other books in his entire life. After this, he wanted to read the sequel, he asked for the third one for Christmas. What made this book so special? Why didn’t he react this way to Treasure Island or The Outsiders?

Because this is the ultimate “male” book.

By male, I mean written by, for, and like a man. This is how a man thinks. It is action upon action upon action with very little ruminating. Not that Ender Wiggin doesn’t think, no he thinks a lot. He thinks about his family, about the Battle school, friends, combat training. But the difference is that Ender thinks AND acts. He doesn’t think and then act. He doesn’t act and think later. The two are the same. The action is immediate. Constant.

So why Ender’s Game and not Treasure Island, which is rumored to have the same thing, action and thinking? I think that in truth, the action isn’t constant enough. Too much talking in Treasure Island. Talking and not doing. Sure there is action, but there are also long drawn out conversations and eavesdropping. Ender’s world is always in the now and it makes for a riveting story.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, especially his more recent books, and I will probably never finish reading the series, because for all the action and twist ending, I found I could only take so much Ender Wiggin, who was never a pure genius to me. Smart for sure, but he was a kid, a military kid trained to the point of insanity, but a kid nonetheless. I also found the constant action, the never ending battle training to be boring after a while. Like reading a sports novel with one game after another. But again, those may be the very things that make guys love this book.

Illustrator of the Week - Dan Santat

2010-09-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Dan Santat is most well-known as the creator of the Disney series, "The Replacements," a show in which two children have the power to replace 'boring' people in their lives. Have a disgusting gym teacher? Replace hi with an awesome Elvis impersonator. Dan graduated from the Arts Center, College of Design and works as a children's book writer and commercial illustrator. He has worked on numerous books including Chicken Dance, Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo, The Secret Life of Walter Kitty, Guild of Geniuses, and Oh No! Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World. The last of which is getting a lot of early Caldecott buzz.

Author of the Week - Billy Collins

2010-09-15T07:30:00.000-04:00

Today isn't the usual fare of an author bio. I stumbled across this poem and wanted to share it with my readers as it hit both the intellectual and childlike way that I view books. Enjoy.

BOOKS

From the heart of this dark, evacuated campus
I can hear the library humming in the night,
a choir of authors murmuring inside their books
along the unlit, alphabetical shelves,
Giovanni Pontano next to Pope, Dumas next to his son,
each one stitched into his own private coat,
together forming a low, gigantic chord of language.

I picture a figure in the act of reading,
shoes on a desk, head tilted into the wind of a book,
a man in two worlds, holding the rope of his tie 10
as the suicide of lovers saturates a page,
or lighting a cigarette in the middle of a theorem.
He moves from paragraph to paragraph
as if touring a house of endless, paneled rooms.

I hear the voice of my mother reading to me
from a chair facing the bed, books about horses and dogs,
and inside her voice lie other distant sounds,
the horrors of a stable ablaze in the night,
a bark that is moving toward the brink of speech.

I watch myself building bookshelves in college, 20
walls within walls, as rain soaks New England,
or standing in a bookstore in a trench coat.

I see all of us reading ourselves away from ourselves,
straining in circles of light to find more light
until the line of words becomes a trail of crumbs
that we follow across a page of fresh snow;

when evening is shadowing the forest
and small birds flutter down to consume the crumbs,
we have to listen hard to hear the voices
of the boy and his sister receding into the woods. 30

Billy Collins, 2001

Illustrator of the Week - Bernice Myers

2010-09-07T20:36:00.008-04:00

As I was cleaning out my shed in preperation for a move and yard sale, I ran across a box of books my mother had set aside. These books she fondly refers to as her "Grandma Books". These books were hers when she was a little girl. When she grew up she read the book to me and my brothers. In turn she hopes that she can read them to her grandchildren and perhaps, if we love them as much as she does, we will read them to our granchildren and so on and so on. Sadly, many of those books are falling apart, having lost their covers or even entire pages over the years because we do in fact love them. Perhaps one of the favorites of my brothers was How Joe the Bear and Sam the Mouse Got Together. Part of the reason for this is because my mother used to change the characters names for my brothers. It is known in my house as How Nathan the Bear and Sam the Mouse Got Together.

So today's illustrator is in honor of that book. All hail Bernice Myers, whose books live on in my family and perhaps yours.

Book of the Week - X-Isle

2010-09-03T22:23:00.003-04:00

X-Isle by Steve Augarde

Half of the world is underwater. Those who have survived are struggling to get by, dreaming of a place where food isn't scarce and dry land. Baz's father wins his son passage on a ship to an island where boys work, but there is rumored to be tons of food brought up by divers. And things were as promised, there are tons of food, not that Baz or any of the others boys can eat it. Along with nine other boys, Baz lives in a filthy room. He is forced to work hard labor six days a week, and hopes to stay out of the way of the cruel drunken men who roam the island on Sundays. On Sunday, Preacher John, the island's leader and self-appointed prophet, preaches of sacrifice, a worrisome lesson as he grows more and more insane. Together with the other boys, Baz begins to form a plan to free them from their oppressors, but is their planning enough against the cruelty displayed by their captors?

When I first started this book I was apprehensive. There was a lot of foreshadowing and I was sure that I knew where the plot was going by page 15. One of the biggest red flags to me was the fact that no one had ever met any other boys who had come back from the island. This told me right away that the boys were being killed and I thought this would be the real crux of the story. I am happy to report it was not. In fact, that little tidbit of information was lightly glossed over. One of the other boys looks at Baz and basically says, "Come on, you don't really think anyone ever gets back do you? Think Baz. Think." For that I was grateful.

Although the plot was predictable at points, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the turns in events. Most importantly, I liked Baz. He is a survivor in a world full of them, and he stands out. He refuses to become a mindless drone or a hard hearted fool. Instead he forces the other boys to cooperate. To think outside the box. That is what made the book good. But here is the best part, this book just flows. I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to know what would happen. The story is dark and grim, but there is hope and this is what I love about young adult sci-fi. That glimmer that the characters are searching for.