10/11/09

New Releases of Science Fiction and Fantasy for Children and Teenagers--the middle of October Edition

Here are the new releases of science fiction and fantasy for children and teenagers from October 6-15th. This is a big list, but I wanted to get these all out in the open, because the cutoff for nominating any of these books for the Cybils is October 15th. Lots of them have been nominated already--I've put an asterisk next to those I know are already on the Cybils lists.

Middle Grade:

ALIENATED by Andrew Auseon. "Best friends Gene Brennick and Vince Haskell come across freaky aliens like Mold Man, Calamari Girl, and Crumble Bun all the time as reporters for their homemade weekly tabloid, the Globe, a newsletter featuring stories on the aliens living quietly among humans in Santa Rosa, California. Gene and Vince's classmates don't take their articles too seriously -- no one does, really. Gene's determined to find a way to end his outsider status for good, and when he and Vince discover a local teacher's deep, dark secret, Gene's convinced he's found the answer. But after taking it one step too far, Gene and Vince are suddenly at the center of an intergalactic conflict, one that could be the death of the boys' friendship, or of the boys themselves -- whichever comes first."

THE BIG BOOK OF BADDIES: HOW TO CATCH THE MOST WANTED VILLAINS OF ALL TIME! by John Townsend. "Felons, gangsters, outlaws, pirates: meet the bad guys! This dip-in delight has the lowdown on 100 infamous scoundrels from history, literature, mythology, film, and TV. Drawing from sources around the world, this unusual and eclectic collection makes its case against each evildoer through an imaginative range of incriminating evidence: police and psychiatric reports, diary entries, eyewitness statements, and school records.

The line-up includes some of the most notorious figures in villaindom (Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Dracula and Bonnie and Clyde), as well some newer—but equally wicked—faces"


THE BLUE SHOE: A TALE OF THIEVERY, VILLAINY, SORCERY, AND SHOES by Roderick Townley. "It was only one shoe. It fit no one. But everyone wanted it. Hap Barlo in a cell, wondering how it had all gone so wrong. The blue shoe was ruined, the girl he’d been trying to help was missing, and he’d been branded a thief—again! He would be banished to the far side of Mount Xexnax in the morning. On the bright side, now he might be able to rescue his father, who had been banished last year. No one has ever returned from Xexnax, so perhaps Hap is a tad optimistic to be dreaming of rescue. Then again, perhaps a dreamer, a doer, and a thief is just the kind of boy who could challenge this mountain—and win!"

THE CHRISTMAS GENIE by Dan Gutman. "It's the last day of school before Christmas vacation and Alex, Chase, and the rest of Mrs. Walter's fifth-grade class couldn't wish more for that final bell to ring. But the day takes a crazy turn when a mysterious meteorite crashes through their classroom window and a genie pops out. He will grant just one wish for the whole class to share. Be careful what you wish for!"

DWEEB: BURGERS, BEASTS, AND BRAINWASHED BULLIES by Aaron Starmer. "Strange things are happening at Ho-Ho-Kus Junior High. The cafeteria is covered in a sea of burger wrappers. Bullies aren’t bullying anymore. And there’s an eerie growling coming from the walls.
If anyone can get to the bottom of these mysteries, it’s Denton, Wendell, Eddie, Elijah, and Bijay. They may be misfits, but they’re also the smartest kids in the eighth grade."

FINN THE HALF-GREAT by Theo Caldwell. "Finn McCool, at fourteen feet, thinks he is the tallest thing in the Emerald Isle. That is, until he ventures outside his childhood valley. Finn soon discovers that ancient Britain is a land of giants, dragons, wizards, and men, in which he is only one little fellow. Despite treating those about him as decently as he can, Finn finds he has enemies all over. Even before he was born, cruel creatures known as the Frost Giants killed Finn’s father and tried to do away with his mother. When Finn learns what befell his parents, his first order of business is to seek out the Frost Giants and take revenge."

THE KNIGHT IN THE SHADOWS: HAUNTED by Chris Eboch. "When Jon and Tania attend a costume party at a museum full of ancient arms and armor -- relics that have been through bloody battles, or worse -- it doesn't surprise either of them to discover a ghost lurking in the shadows. But this particular ghost is on a mission, and if Jon and Tania don't help him, he just might become the warrior he was when he was alive, and that means trouble -- and danger -- for everyone involved!"

*THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PRISONER'S DILEMMA by Trenton Lee Stewart. "Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other. When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, the foursome must unravel clues relating to a nefarious new plot, while their search for answers brings them closer to danger than ever before."

THE NAMING OF TISHKIN SILK by Glenda Millard. "Griffin Silk is an uncommon boy, from an uncommon sort of family—but lately Griffin isn’t so sure that’s a good thing. If he were an ordinary boy, he wouldn’t have to worry about the secret in his heart and maybe he would understand why his mother and baby sister have gone away. When Griffin starts school and meets the spirited Princess Layla, a once-in-lifetime friend who can heal souls, the answers to his questions gently start to unfold. And just like the mythical beast whose name he bears, Griffin discovers that he has uncommon courage and the heart of a lion."

*THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD: THE FORGOTTEN WORLDS by P. J. Hoover. "At the end of summer school, Benjamin was given one task find his missing brothers. Should be easy right? But Benjamin can't locate a trace of them anywhere until he interns at his father's office over spring break. There he finds a mysterious file written in ancient Lemurian with his name on it. Could the answers that Benjamin seeks be in the past?"

PETER AND THE SWORD OF MERCY by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson."It's been twenty-three years since Peter and the Lost Boys returned from Rundoon. Since then, nobody on the island has grown a day older, and the Lost Boys continue their friendship with the Mollusk tribe, and their rivalry with Captain Hook. Meanwhile in London, Molly has married George Darling and is raising three children: Wendy, Michael, and John. One night a visitor appears at her door; it's James, one of Peter's original Lost Boys. He is now working for Scotland Yard and suspects that the heir to England's throne, Prince Albert Edward, is under the influence of shadow creatures. These shadow creatures are determined to find a secret cache of startstuff which fell to London many centuries ago. The starstuff is hidden in an underground vault which has only one key: the Sword of Mercy, a legendary weapon kept with the Crown Jewels. Molly is determined to help, but when she suddenly goes missing, it is up to her eleven-year-old daughter, Wendy, to keep the starstuff out of the Others' clutches. She has heard her mother's stories of a flying boy named Peter Pan, and he may be her only hope in saving the world from a shadowy doom..."

THE SHADOW OF MALABRON: THE PERILOUS REALM by Thomas Wharton. "When Will crashes his father’s motorcycle and stumbles into the Perilous Realm, all he wants is to find his way back to the world he knows. But he cannot get back the way he came, and as he soon discovers, his story is bound up with this mysterious land and with the very fabric of Story itself. Will is befriended by many strange people and creatures — including Rowen, a girl with a special destiny of her own, and Shade, an unusual wolf — but he is also pursued by dark forces under the control of Malabron, otherwise known as the Night King, the Master of Fetches, and the Storyeater. As Will’s path crosses those of the inhabitants — both innocent and malevolent — of this strange new world, his choices will determine not only his own fate, but that of his new friends in the Perilous Realm."

*THE SHIFTER: THE HEALING WARS by Janice Hardy. "Nya is an orphan struggling for survival in a city crippled by war. She is also a Taker—with her touch, she can heal injuries, pulling pain from another person into her own body. But unlike her sister, Tali, and the other Takers who become Healers' League apprentices, Nya's skill is flawed: She can't push that pain into pynvium, the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it into another person, a dangerous skill that she must keep hidden from forces occupying her city. If discovered, she'd be used as a human weapon against her own people."

THE TIME QUAKE: THE GIDEON TRILOGY by Linda Buckley-Archer. "Abducted to 1763, Peter Schock and Kate Dyer begin to understand that history has reached a tipping point. The antigravity machine is in the hands of the cruel and ambitious Lord Luxon -- who has set his sights on the most valuable prize of all: America. He is determined to manipulate time to his advantage, no matter what the cost. And the cost is great indeed. As Lord Luxon changes more and more of the past for his own gain, terrible time quakes begin to sweep through all of history. Kate Dyer, adrift in time and suffering from an overexposure to time travel, knows that if Lord Luxon is not stopped, the time quakes will tear the universe apart."

THAT DOGGONE CALF by Bill & Carol Wallace. "What happens when an uppity calf who thinks he has a royal pedigree tries to take over the job of a no-nonsense guard dog? Dust flies and so do some pretty hilarious antics. Cookie, a black-and-white belted Galloway calf, thinks that he has come to the farm to be in charge of the herd of cows. Hoss, the German shepherd, figures that Cookie can barely keep track of his own tail. The only thing the two stubborn animals have in common is their loyalty to a young farm girl named Ann. So when Ann is in danger, the two rivals must figure out how to go from butting heads to putting their two heads together to save her from a pack of stray dogs."

WITCH ON THE WATER by Christine & Ethan Rose. "Witch on the Water" chronicles the continuing adventures of twelve-year-old Cullen and his friends, Maddy and April. Cullen thought he had enough trouble surviving school, dealing with his miserable home life, and being possessed by Rowan, a 1400-year-old wizard. But when Rowan's wife, the sadistic vampire Fiana, comes back seeking revenge, Cullen and his band of misfits must do what they can to stop her."

YOUNG ADULT

*ARCHENEMY: THE LOOKING GLASS WARS by Frank Beddor. "The Heart Crystal’s power has been depleted, and Imagination along with it. The people of Wonderland have all lost their creative drive, and most alarmingly, even Queen Alyss is without her powers. There is some comfort in the fact that the vicious Redd Heart seems to be similarly disabled. Amazingly, she is attempting to team up with her enemy, Alyss, in order to reclaim Wonderland from King Arch. Alyss might have no choice but to accept Redd’s overtures, especially when she begins to receive alarming advice from the caterpillar oracles."

THE DEMON KING: A SEVEN REALMS NOVEL by Cinda Williams Chima. "Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. "Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can't sell. For as long as Han can remember, he's worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They're clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off. .... Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Helena, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father's family at Demonai camp - riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties."

DISCOVERING: LILY DALE by Wendy Corsi Staub. "After finally learning who was behind her mother’s death, Calla still doesn’t understand why it happened. Somewhere out there, someone seems to share the powerful psychic abilities that allow Calla to see not only into the past, but to the Other Side—someone who apparently doesn’t want to be found. Will Calla’s journey lead to the closure she's been searching for, or will it force her to accept yet another loss and forever wonder what might have been?"

GATEWAY by Sharon Shinn. "As a Chinese adoptee in St. Louis, teenage Daiyu often feels out of place. When an elderly Asian jewelry seller at a street fair shows her a black jade ring—and tells her that “black jade” translates to “Daiyu”—she buys it as a talisman of her heritage. But it’s more than that; it’s magic. It takes Daiyu through a gateway into a version of St. Louis much like 19th century China. Almost immediately she is recruited as a spy, which means hours of training in manners and niceties and sleight of hand. It also means stealing time to be with handsome Kalen, who is in on the plan. There’s only one problem. Once her task is done, she must go back to St. Louis and leave him behind forever. . . ."

THE GHOST AT WIDOWER'S POND: GHOST GIRLS by Karen Chilton. "Paige Parker is adjusting to life in Heather Hollow. She’s O.K. with the ghost-girl roommate, the Hounds of Hell, and the vampire buried around the corner. What’s really scary? The mean girls at Heather Hollow High. Queen bee Heather Duffy is using all her nastiest tricks to make the new girl in town feel very unwelcome."

*GIRL IN THE ARENA by Lise HainesLyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him...

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: GIFTED by Marilyn Kaye. "Shy, dreamy Emily Sanders is able to foresee future events with the gift of premonitions, but they aren’t always quite right. With frustration, Emily can not yet manage to control her visions, and the other students usually don’t take her seriously. As Emily works on controlling her gift and her premonitions become clearer, her classmates find themselves in a situation where they are forced to listen to her, but will it be too late?"

*HUSH, HUSH by Becca Ajoy Fitzpatrick. "With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to [Patch] against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life."

*ICE by Sarah Beth Durst. "Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe. Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice."

LADY MACBETH'S DAUGHTER by Lisa Klein. "Albia has grown up with no knowledge of her mother of her father, the powerful Macbeth. Instead she knows the dark lure of the Wychelm Wood and the moors, where she’s been raised by three strange sisters. It’s only when the ambitious Macbeth seeks out the sisters to foretell his fate that Albia’s life becomes tangled with the man who leaves nothing but bloodshed in his wake. She even falls in love with Fleance, Macbeth’s rival for the throne. Yet when Albia learns that she has the second sight, she must decide whether to ignore the terrible future she foresees—or to change it. Will she be able to save the man she loves from her murderous father? And can she forgive her parents their wrongs, or must she destroy them to save Scotland from tyranny?"

LEGACY by Tom Sniegoski. "What if you found out your deadbeat father is a superhero? Would you leave your small-town life to take up the mantle of a father you never knew? For 18-year-old Lucas, the choice is an easy one: he’s not going to leave behind his mother and his comfortable life for a father who’s never shown any interest in him. But his father—known officially as billionaire Clayton Hartwell, and secretly as the vigilante superhero The Raptor—tells Lucas that as he is dying, evil is growing, and the world needs Lucas to become the new Raptor. When Lucas’s mother is killed by mysterious warriors, he realizes that his father is right. Once in Seraph City, Lucas is stunned by the amount of poverty and crime. But after observing his father’s “heroic” behavior up close, Lucas is left wondering about the line between good and evil. And eventually, he must decide whether to take a stand against the one man who loves him in order to defend a world that desperately needs him."

*LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld. "It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever."

MAD WITH WONDER: HATTER M VOL. 2 by Frank Beddor. "Hatter follows the Glow from London to the battlefields of America's Civil War in search of the Princess who must some day be Queen. The America that Hatter encounters is a sprawling, wounded, boiling landscape of innocence and energy run amok. The war is tearing the country apart, yet Hatter must maintain his sanity in this maelstrom of holy rollers, child healers, prophetic snake handlers, deranged outlaws, and passionate southern belles. As Hatter searches he learns he is not the only Wonderland presence that has found its way to the Promised Land. Queen Redd's black imagination is fueling the Civil War and threatening our world with her evil!"

*THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner. "When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers."

*MIRRORSCAPE by Mike Wilks

*THE VAN ALEN LEGACY: BLUE BLOODS by Melissa de la Cruz. "With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Jack and Schuyler are over. Oliver's brokenhearted. And only the cunning Mimi seems to be happily engaged."

WHITE HEAT: THE PERFECT FIRE TRILOGY by K. M. Grant. "Picking up where Blue Flame left readers, Raimon has escaped the pyre and is hiding deep within the mountains of the Occitan. He longs to follow Yolanda to Paris, where she has been forced to marry Sir Hugh. However, he knows he must instead fulfill his duty of protecting the Blue Flame and save their beloved country from the advancing forces set on destroying it. In Paris, Yolanda believes Raimon is dead, she still resists her marriage, and as Sir Hugh’s war train—backed by the French king—heads for the Occitan, Yolanda must find new ways to fight."


And here's one I don't think is fantasy exactly, but it sounds like a good one for those of us who read it: A Brief History of Montmary, by Michelle Cooper. "On a remote island kingdom of Montmaray live the last of the FitzOsbornes, a royal family of scrappy (but dignified) orphans teetering on the edge of poverty in their crumbling castle. It’s 1936, and sixteen-year-old Sophie occupies her days with mundane household chores, half-hearted study in the family library, raising her unruly tomboy sister, and keeping a diary of distant hopes and longings. Her older cousin Veronica—a budding scholar—writes a history of the Montmaravians while keeping close tabs on the current political signs that point to another world war. One of those signs--in the form of a boat carrying Nazi "historians"--lands on their shores. The arrival of the Germans sets in motion a chain of events that rivals any of the high adventures of the princesses’ colorful ancestors."

10/10/09

The Dream Stealer, by Sid Fleischman

The Dream Stealer, by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Peter Sis (Greenwillow, 2009, middle-grade, but a good read-aloud to younger children, 89 pages)

"Unknown to her, Susana had a night visitor. Outside, a great bird with big feet was flying in as silently as an owl. It circled the pink house.

After a long journey, the strange creature came to rest on a limb of the old pepper tree in the patio of Susana's house.

A bird, did I say? Yes and no. Its wings and feathers flashed orange and red polka dots like bloodshot eyes--and green spots and purple ones, too. You'd think the night visitor had the allover measles. Now, think of teeth as sharp as broken crockery. And a full moon of a face, with cunning eyes protruding like a frog's." (page 2)

This creature is the Dream Stealer, with his lasso ready to capture dreams and take them far away. He's supposed to take nightmares, but has grown tired of being frightened. Now he is making off with happy dreams, like Susana's own dream of being reunited with Consuelo Louisa, her best friend.

Consuelo and Susana had had an argument. A bad one. And then Consuelo had moved away, without saying goodbye, leaving Susana alone and grieving. So this dream that was stolen from her, jerking her out of sleep, was more precious than the Dream Stealer could have guessed. Now Susana wants it back. Even if it means confronting the Dream Stealer, and setting out on a scary journey to the castle where all the stolen bad dreams are kept.

The Dream Stealer turns out not to be that villainous, but the nightmares trapped in his castle are plenty scary! Fortunately Susana is smart and plucky enough to save the day, and the Dream Stealer, when they get loose...and she finds her lost dream.

The Dream Stealer has a lovely fairy tale quality to it--the brave girl confronting dangerous fantastical creature, the quest and safe return. It's a satisfying story, but it is, I think, a much better read-aloud book than one a child would read alone (unless the child in question is a fan of illustrated fairy tales). There are consistent authorial intrusions, which I found distracting when reading it to myself, but much less so when reading it to my children.

The illustrations by Sis, deceptively simple black and white drawings that pack lots of subtle atmospheric punch, didn't quite complement the book, at least in my mind. Fleishman goes all out (maybe even a bit too much so) to make it clear that this is a book set in Mexico, and Sis, not so much (like the castle on the cover, which doesn't look Mexican at all to me, though I'm prepared to be proved wrong). You can see some of the illustrations yourself, and read quite a bit of the book, here.

Here's a vague uneasiness I have about this book. One the one hand, I think it's great to have a lovely fairy tale story set in Mexico, featuring a brave Mexican girl (in as much as brave Mexican girls in fairy tales are rather thin on the ground, and I'm all in favor of diversity in children's books). And this is a fine story--I'm glad it's in the world. On the other hand, I think I would feel more celebratory if the book were by a Mexican writer, or illustrated by a Mexican artist. I think, if either were the case, that I would feel more confident that the diversity represented by the book was authentic. But is that unfair, especially in the case of book such as this, which is an original fantasy rather than a re-telling?

Here's another review of The Dream Stealer at Eva's Book Addiction

The Dream Stealer is eligible for this year's Cybils Awards.


10/9/09

Here is the list of middle grade sf/f books nominated for the Cybils

Here are all the books nominated for the Cybils in the Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy Category. My fellow panelists and I are looking forward to reading them all in the next 10 weeks!

DO YOU SEE ANY BOOKS THAT AREN'T ON THIS LIST THAT REALLY REALLY SHOULD BE BECAUSE THEY ARE SO GOOD? (well, you can't see what's not there, but you know what I mean).

We want to be sure that our starting lineup of books is as good as it can be, so please, if you notice a striking gap where a Great mg sf/f book published between Oct 16th 2008 and Oct 15 2009 belongs, please head over to the Cybils site to nominate it! And while you're there, you also can, of course, nominate books for other categories...

I have been making lists of new releases in sf/f since April, so feel free to click on the "new releases" label at right if you want reminding of some of the good books published this past year.

(this list will be revised until nominations close at the end of the day on October 15)

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder
The Book of Knowledge (Sacred Books, Volume II) by David Michael Slater
The Brotherhood of the Traveling Underpants (Melvin Beederman, Superhero), by Greg Trine
The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 by Harriet Goodwin
Century #1: Ring of Fire by Pierdomenico Baccalario
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #5: Oath Breaker by Michelle Paver
Daddy's Little Angel (Bedeviled) by Shani Petroff
Dandelion Fire: Book 2 of the 100 Cupboards, by N.D. Wilson
Darkwood by M.E. Breen


Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George
The Dragon of Trelian by Michelle Knudsen
The Dragons of Ordinary Farm by Tad Williams
Dreamdark: Silksinger (Faeries of Dreamdark) by Laini Taylor
Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull
Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson
Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen, by Serena Valentino
Farwalker's Quest, The by Joni Sensel
Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan
Fortune's Magic Farm by Suzanne Selfors


Ghost on the Stairs, The (Haunted) by Chris Eboch
Grey Ghost, The (Wolf's Apprentice) by Julie Hahnke
Hannah (Daughters Of The Sea) by Kathryn Lasky
Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan
The Healing Wars; Book One: The Shifter by Janice Hardy
Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
Immortal Fire, The (Cronus Chronicles) by Anne Ursu
Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow by James Rollins
Jaspa's Journey: The Great Migration by Rich Meyrick
Kendra Kandlestar and the Shard from Greeve (The Chronicles of Kendra Kandlestar Book 3) by Lee Edward Fodi


The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons, by Joseph Delaney
Last Olympian, The (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 5) by Rick Riordan
Last Synapsid, The by Timothy Mason
The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge
The Magic Thief: Lost by Sarah Prineas
Magician's Elephant, The by Kate DiCamillo
Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass by Erica Kirov
Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel by K. A. Holt
Mousehunter, The by Alex Milway
The Museum of Mary Child by Cassandra Golds


My Rotten Life (Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie) by David Lubar
The Navel of the World (The Forgotten Worlds, Book 2) by P. J. Hoover
The Nine Pound Hammer: Book 1 of The Clockwork Dark by John Claude Bemis
Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments by Emily Ecton
Oceanology: The True Account of the Voyage of the Nautilus (Ologies) by Ferdinand Zoticus deLessups
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes, The by Kelly Easton
Prince of Fenway Park, The by Julianna Baggott
Quest for the Simurgh by Marva Dasef
Revenge of the Itty-Bitty Brothers (Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?) by Lin Oliver

Roar by Emma Clayton
The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell
The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate by Donna St. Cyr
Stonewall Hinkleman and the Battle of Bull Run by Sam Riddleburger
Suddenly Supernatural: Scaredy Kat by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Syren (Septimus Heap, Book 5) by Angie Sage
Taker and the Keeper, The (The Red Monocle) by Pat Perrin
Tentacles by Roland Smith
The Wyrm King (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles) by Holly Black
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by R. L. LaFevers


Timothy and the Dragon's Gate by Adrienne Kress
Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Walk Through A Window, A by KC Dyer
Water, Water Everywhere (Sluggers) by Loren Long
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

orange snail uncertainty

having made my orange nebula snail (see header art) into a promoter of the Cybils, I am now filled with doubt.

It is very easily restored to its original form, however, so I think I shall leave it for now....

10/8/09

Archie and the Pirates, by Marc Rosenthal

Last week Archie and the Pirates, by Marc Rosenthal (Harper Collins, 2009) entered the life of my six-year old. For several days it was the first thing he wanted when he came home from school. It has been his book of choice at bedtime. When he comes down the stairs in the morning, it is often clasped to his chest. Mercifully, because I feel that reading it twenty or so times in six days has really been enough for me, he has decided now that he can read it to himself. And he does.

It tells the story of a monkey named Archie, who finds himself shipwrecked (actually, bed-wrecked) on a tropical island. Being a resourceful chap, he sets to work using the materials at hand to build himself a house (imagine a picture of Archie the monkey on a beach, with driftwood, strong vines, a sawfish, etc., laying on the sand, all nicely labeled. This was the first page of the book I saw, and I liked it lots). A friendly ibis named Clarice befriends him. Sharing the island with them is a tiger named Beatrice....who fortunately turns out to be not nearly as fierce as she looks, and all is well:

"They decide to have a party to celebrate their new friendship. Clarice helps with the decorations. Archie cooks his specialty: fish and coconut soup . They have a wonderful meal,with fried bananas for desert.
"My favorite!" says Beatrice." (page 18).

But there is another threat approaching. In the distance, through Archie's window, we can see a pirate ship, getting closer...and when the pirates land on Archie's island, they capture Beatrice! Archie and Clarice must save her, before it is too late!

Those of us who fondly remember Zephyr, the monkey from Babar, will find this book wonderfully evocative. I asked the author about Babar, and this is his reply:

"You nailed it with the Babar influence. Those were some of my favorite books. Everyone sees Curious George in Archie, but he is really much more Zephyr (with some MacGuyver* mixed in). The final scene was my homage to Celesteville and Zephyr's treetop village. There are also elements from one of my other favs, The Sailor Dog, by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrations by Garth Williams."

Zephyr's treetop village is right up there in my top ten list of favorite illustrations, and Rosenthal's own double-page village that closes this book is a treat as well.

The aspects of the original Babar books that were delightful--the relatively dense story, the rich details of daily life shown in the illustrations, the improbable fantasy of it all, are here in Archie and the Pirates. It is the sort of book that creates an imaginary place in the young reader's mind that sticks for a lifetime. It is truly charming, and I bet that if someday my son has his own kids, this will be one of the first books that he puts on their shelves.

Incidentally, this is a great book to read to a younger sibling that an older sibling (in my case, a nine-year old) will enjoy as well! Based on the huge kid appeal of this book (although admittedly my sample is small, even if you include my husband, who also enjoyed it, and myself), I've nominated it for the Cybils in the fiction picture book category (nominations are open till October 15th).

Here is my son's picture of Archie's house, with all the details from the original (sawfish, folding bed, checkerboard, water pipe, etc.) lovingly included:




Full disclosure (as apparently will soon be required by law): Not only did I receive a copy of this book from the publisher, but it came with a charmingly wrapped coconut chocolate bar, a small booklet of Archie's favorite recipes, and two band aids.

10/7/09

Waiting on Wednesday--TWO NEW BOOKS BY CONNIE WILLIS!


I'm on the mailing list of Subterranean Press, a publisher of gourmet and collectible editions of science fiction and fantasy. I was thrilled when they recently announced that they will be publishing limited editions of two new Connie Willis books-- Blackout, and All Clear. Yes, the author of To Say Nothing of the Dog, Fire Watch, Bellweather...Here's what Subterranean has to say about the first one:

"Blackout is the opening movement of a vast, absorbing two-volume novel that may well prove to be Connie Willis's masterpiece. Like her multi-award winningThe Doomsday Book, this marvelous new work marries the intricate mechanics of time travel to the gritty - and dangerous - realities of actual human history. The narrative opens in Oxford, England in 2060, where a trio of time traveling scholars prepares to depart for various corners of the Second World War. Their mission: to observe, from a "safe" vantage point, the day-to-day nature of life during a critical historical moment, As the action ranges from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the manor houses of rural England to the quotidian horrors of London during the Blitz, the objective nature of their roles gradually changes. Cut off from the safety net of the future and caught up in the "chaotic system" that is history, they are forced to participate, in unexpected ways, in the defining events of the era.

Blackout is an ingeniously constructed time travel novel and a grand entertainment. More than that, it is a moving, exquisitely detailed portrait of a world under siege, a world dominated by chaos, uncertainty, and the threat of imminent extinction. It is the rare sort of book that transcends the limits of genre, offering pleasure, insight, and illumination on virtually every page."

I'm not sure I want a limited edition, but I do want this book! February 2nd, 2010... All Clear, the second book, is due six months later.

10/6/09

The Magic Half, by Annie Barrows, for Timeslip Tuesday

The Magic Half, by Annie Barrows (Bloomsbury, 2008, middle grade, 211 pp).

Miri and her family have moved into a big old house out in the country. At last, eleven-year old Miri is going to have a room of her own, a strange shaped little attic room, away from the rest of her family. With one set of twins (boys) a year older than her, and another set of twins (girls), five years younger, Miri feels like the odd one out--the unremarkable, lonely, middle.

But exploring her bedroom, she finds a mysterious piece of glass taped to the wall. When she looks through it, she finds herself back in time, in the 1930s, face to face with Molly, another little girl who is even more lonely and out of place in her family than Miri herself.

Molly is an unwanted orphaned, living in fear of her bullying cousin Horst. It's clear that Horst is a no-good thief, and every day the threat of his violent temper hangs over Molly's head. Miri must figure out the magic of time travel to save her new friend....

Miri is a lovely heroine--smart and imaginative. She's naturally very unhappy about being seemingly stuck in 1935, but appealingly, a more trivial thought crosses her mind: "Great," she muttered. "When I'm in my eighties, I'll find out what happens to Harry Potter" (page 57). Her story is told briskly enough to keep the reader's interest, while allowing for plenty of description that brings the place and people alive.

This is an excellent book for those who like mysterious old houses, hidden treasure, unhappy orphans, and happy endings! I enjoyed it as a grown-up, and would have loved it to pieces as a ten-year old.

10/5/09

A Guide to Fantasy Literature: Thoughts on Stories of Wonder and Enchantment, by Philip Martin

A Guide to Fantasy Literature: Thoughts on Stories of Wonder and Enchantment, by Philip Martin (Crickhollow Books, Second Edition 2009, 144 pages, which includes bibliography and index).

"The goal of this book, " says Philip Martin in his introduction, "is to help you better appreciate fantastic stories of all sorts" (page 8).

So I am not the intended audience, exactly--I already appreciate fantasy just fine. His audience is those at the beginning of their journey into fantasy, and for these readers he offers a written gallery tour of the aspects of fantasy writing that set it apart from other genres. It is not a list of the best fantasy books, although many great books (some of which might come a surprise to those with a narrow view of the genre) are mined for examples. This is a book about the tropes of fantasy--the familiar patterns, places, characters and plots that one might encounter on a fairly regular basis.

For the reader who is already well-versed in fantasy, Martin offers no incredibly surprising insights, but he does a great job introducing his readers t the insights of others. "My role," he says in his afterword, "mostly has been to assemble a lot of ideas in one place and to try to provide a helpful organization structure" (page 138), and this he does well. Many of the ideas showcased here are from the great thinkers about writing fantasy. Some I was familiar with (Le Guin, Tolkien) other authors were known to me only through their fiction, and it was a delight to meet them in a non-fiction context (Elizabeth Hand, Peter Beagle, Steven King). It is easy to imagine this assemblage of diverse thoughts leading further in to deeper reader.

In many ways, this book is the beginning of a conversation, where the reader is invited to think about topic x, y, or z, as if for the first time. I think it would best for younger readers, perhaps high school students who dream of becoming writers. For such an audience, not used to breaking books into bits, this would be a valuable place to start. And I think the heavy use of older works of fantasy for examples might tease new readers of fantasy into exploring some foundation stones of the genre.

But I'm a tad uncertain that this younger reader I've created as the ideal audience for the book, because Martin assumes that his readers will be bringing considerable literary erudition to the table. For example, in the section entitled "Premonitions & Prophecies" is the following:

"Readers and the characters themselves are challenged to ponder the meaning of these advance signs. Will Birnam Wood travel to Dunsinane Hill? Unlikely, we think. Can a man not be born of woman and yet come to harm Macbeth? Seems like an impossibility" (page 80).

So that young, would-be writer of fantasy I imagine reading the book should, at the very least, not mind bits of not knowing, not mind that in this swirl of great books and great writers, there are things that might not make sense at the moment.

"Readers," Martin observes, "will tend to identify with the character who knows the least about what will happen in a book; they share this state, trying to understand any new or puzzling event with meager clues" (page 105).

A Guide to Fantasy Literature offers a generous collection of clues, but it is, in the end, simply a series of first steps into a much larger discussion....

which continues at Martin's website.

The Non-Fiction Monday Roundup is at Moms Inspire Learning today!

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author.

The Cybils: "memento awards confirmed at effortlessly"

I just found my post from Sept. 30th babbled on a site that shall be nameless. I thought it was funny (especially the effortlessly part):

"Tomorrow the 2009 Cybils build!The Cybils are memento awards confirmed at effortlessly the children’s and teenaged grown-up memento blogging community. mainly depreciatory Everyone (blogger or not) mainly is invited to set forward the books of the days of yore year they friendship kindest in a multitude of categories, including Science Fiction and Fantasy. mainly From these nominations, a panel of readers selects a shortlist, which then goes on to a guild of judges. mainly There hand down be more details agree upon at effortlessly how to set forward books on the Cybils Website tomorrow. mainly Any memento in English published from October 16th 2008 to October 15, 2009 is eligible–this includes books published this days of yore...."

Do keep nominating books (or mementos)! Especially the bestest middle grade science fiction and fantasy mementos out there, because that's my panel, and I want to read them, and, of course, it's all about me (tongue firmly in check).

10/4/09

The Carbon Diaries 2015, by Saci Lloyd

The Carbon Diaries 2015, by Saci Lloyd (2008 UK, 2009 here, Harper Collins, YA, 320 pp)

5 years and 3 months from now, London becomes a dystopia. The collapse of the city starts slowly, with the government imposing Carbon Rationing. It wasn't supposed to happen so suddenly, so fast, but the Great Storm was a warning that steps had to be taken, and now the UK is the European guinea pig for a system where each citizen is allowed only 40% of the energy they consumed in more care-free times.

Laura just wants to plug in her bass and play with her band, attract the attention of the cute boy next door, and get through school...Instead, she watches as her family crumbles under the pressure of their first winter with limited power, and writes the carbon diary entries that tell the story.

"Fri., Jan 2
My parents are in deep denial; they've spent the day on the sofa, staring blindly at the TV like amoebas. So far they've back-to-back watched Dumbo, Mary Poppins, and Judy Garland: A Tribute in Song." (page 2)

No more job for her father, an expert on travel--with an airplane trip costing almost all one's carbon points, there's no point. No gap year in New York for her older sister Kim (a bad thing for Laura, as Kim has turned Evil).

Over the next year, climate fluctuations plunge the UK from one crisis to another. After freezing weather comes drought, after drought comes floods, and gradually civilized life built on fossil fuel consumption collapses, aided and abetted by the new quasi-police state governing London. Laura's personal life is more than a little disastrous too--her family has imploded, she's failing out of school, and the neighbors are watching her family's pig, of whom she has grown fond, with more than a little hunger. The cute boy next door has been shipped out of town by his parents.

By December 2nd, London waits for the next high tide to find out if it will live or die. Laura's dad is badly injured. Their house is flooded. And Kim is lost somewhere in the darkness of the city...

There's a sequel, Carbon Diaries 2017. Will things get better? Will Technology leap in and save the day? Will Laura's band get a chance to go on tour? Does the pig (Larkin) get eaten???? Does London have to be evacuated? I want to know!

But even though I was fascinated by the brilliant, scary premise, and even though I appreciated the way Lloyd leavened disaster with humor and teenage angst, this was not a good book fit for me personally. Laura's family is such a mess in their failure to cope and the misery of their personalities that it was no fun at all riding out the storm with them. Maybe their lack of ingenuity and spirit is more believable than cheerful inventive Swiss Family Robinson-ness, but it's just not as much fun.

Not that it was fun for Laura, either, and, to her credit, she didn't whine much. It was not till near the end, though, that I really felt at all like rooting for any of them. Except the old neighbor guy that Laura tries to adopt to fulfil a community service project, who turns out to be the smartest, most practical person on the block. I liked him!

Climate change has certainly given fans of dystopia reason to rejoice, inspiring as it has numerous books about the disasters that might lie in wait. Carbon Diaries 2015, though, is so immediate in its nightmarish unscience-fictiony future world that it is best read in the cold light of day. So as not to use too much electricity.

Incidentally, here is the most comprehensive list I've seen of modern dystopias. Lots of happy (not) reading!

New Releases of fantasy and science fiction for children and teenagers-the beginning of October Edition

Most of these enticing books are elibigle for the Cybils this year--and they won't be next year! Could one of these be a winner???? Actually, two of them could be winners, because of sf/f being split into two age-groups. But the point is, they need to be read and, if they're good, nominated by October 15! There are lots more good books coming out the 13th and the 15th-I'll try to get everything sf/f into my next list. But do head over to the list at Teens Read Too (where I get my information) for the complete lists of new releases--it would be sad if the best books were overlooked.

Middle Grade:

ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE KNIGHTS OF CRYSTALLIA by Brandon Sanderson. "When Alcatraz and Grandpa Smedry make a pilgrimage to the Free Kingdom city of Crystallia, the Smedry home base, Alcatraz is shocked to see that he is, in fact, a legend. When he was a baby he was stolen by the Evil Librarians, and his mother, a Librarian herself, was behind the whole scheme. Now, with his estranged father, who is acting indeed strange, Bastille, who has been stripped of her armor, and Grandpa Smedry, who is, as always, late to everything (that's his Talent), Alcatraz tries to save a city under siege. From who? Why, the Librarians of course!"

THE BIG BIG BOOK OF GIBBLEWORT THE GOBLIN by Victor Kelleher. "From the spiky outback to the ski slopes of the Snowy Mountains, Gibblewort the Goblin blunders and crawls his way through Australia's vast landscape in this collection of hilarious stories. Whether he's cuddled by a python in the rainforest, caged with a love-struck chimp in the Zoo, or strapped to a runaway snowboard in the Snowy Mountains, trouble sticks to Gibblewort. Wherever Gibblewort goes across the continent, he never can find any peace! Will he ever be able to get back home?"




THE BRAIN FINDS A LEG by Martin Chatterton "Something strange is happening in Farrago Bay and Sheldon McGlone is going to get to the bottom of it. The local wildlife is behaving strangely and so are some of the grown-ups, particularly his teacher, the weird and elusive Miss Fleming. It doesn't help that Sheldon is being relentlessly pursued by bullies--including his older brother! Just when things couldn't get much worse, a new kid turns up in Sheldon_s classroom. Theophilus Brain, aka _The Brain,_ has an excessive imagination and a lot of odd ideas about what is ailing Farrago Bay. With a missing human leg and a crocodile who likes to play fetch as clues, Sheldon and the Brain turn detective and uncover a web of evil that stretches across two continents."


DOGMAGIC by Holly Webb. "Eleven-year-old Lottie is enjoying life at her uncle's magical pet shop. Ariadne the witch is giving magic lessons to Lottie and her familar, Sofie the dachshund. Even school is becoming fun now that she has a new best friend, Ruby. But can Lottie trust Ruby? What would her new friend say if she knew Lottie had magical powers?"



THE DOOM MACHINE by Mark Teague. "When a spaceship lands in Vern Hollow, Jack's hometown, he and his no-account inventor-uncle Bud are busy trying to fix a car driven by Dr. Shumway and her daughter, Isadora. Although Uncle Bud secretly knows the aliens are after one of his inventions, everyone is surprised when the space aliens capture seven of Vern Hollow's residents and take them into outer space on a wild adventure. . . . (more) After a series of twists and turns, all of them are taken to Skreepia, the aliens' planet, where they have to defeat the Skreep queen before she can use Uncle Bud's invention to take over planet Earth."

THE FEATHERED CLOAK by Sean Dixon. "When 11-year-old Freya meets Morton — a peregrine falcon who has been stripped of his feathers — in the woods near her home, she has no idea what to make of him. What has happened to this poor creature, and what force has made him cross her path? Before long, Freya and Morton have embarked on an adventure that will take her far from her goatherd father’s small house. As the often bad-tempered girl and the once-majestic bird begin to form an unlikely bond, they find themselves at the center of a battlefield — one that pits old against new, god against mortal, peace against war, pagan against Christian, and brother against brother. Is this the end for the race of Norse gods and goddesses, and the Vikings who fight in their shadows?"

THE GHOST THAT FOLLOWED US HOME by Peg Kehret. "Enjoying the antique doll display at the museum, Kayo Benton and Rosie Saunders are amazed when they encounter a ghost with a tragic secret just before they are trapped among the exhibits by a pair of ruthless thieves."

THE LOST EMPIRE OF KOOMBA: SECRETS OF DROON by Tony Abbott. "Keeah, Julie, and Neal are determined to find a cure for the poison that transformed Eric into the evil Prince Ungast. Their quest takes them to a lost empire deep in the desert, where the mischievous Sand Children are hiding a magical elixir that may hold the secret to Eric's recovery. But the journey is filled with danger, for Gethwing is determined to stop them. And the Moon Dragon has a powerful new henchman at his disposal: Lord Sparr. . ."

MALICE by Chris Wooding. "Three kids get trapped in the world of a deadly comic book in this middle-grade thriller." (although Amazon has it as YA)

THE PHARAOH'S SECRET by Marissa Moss. "When Talibah and her younger brother, Adom, accompany their father, an academic, to his homeland of modern Egypt on his research assignment, they become involved in a mystery surrounding an ancient, lost pharaoh—a rare queen ruler. Someone has tried to wipe her from the record, to make it appear as if she never existed! She needs Talibah to help her and her high priest, Senenmut, reclaim their rightful place in history. Exotic locales, mysterious strangers, and a sinister archaeologist round out an adventure that is full of riddles, old tales, and, most surprisingly of all, a link to Talibah’s and Adom’s mother, who died mysteriously."

RIDDLE OF GREEN: LITTLE FUR by Isobelle Carmody. "When Little Fur loses touch with the flow of earth magic, she knows that she must regain it, whatever it takes. A visit to the prophetic Sett Owl makes it clear that Little Fur has to embark on the most dangerous of all her adventures and follow the dreams of a lemur. Accompanied by new companions including the lemur, a horde of lemmings, and a panther, Little Fur leaves the human city and sets out across the great salten sea. What Little Fur discovers about the past and the future on this most dangerous, yet most personal and rewarding journey, makes for an exciting and moving conclusion to this eco-fantasy quartet."

SECRETS OF DELTORA by Emily Rodda. "A book for old and new fans of the popular Deltora Quest series, this travel guide is told from the perspective of Doran the Dragonlover, the greatest Deltoran explorer ever and a friend of the dragons. Readers will travel with Doran through the seven gem territories, learning the secrets of Deltora-from its many dangers to its special places and magical creatures."

TOO AFRAID TO SCREAM: NIGHTTIME
by Todd Strasser. "The third installment of the Nighttime series is packed with short scary stories sure to please young readers. A phantom text messenger, a skeleton on the hunt for his missing foot, and ghostly hitchhikers are a few of the topics in these spooky, contemporary tales."

THE WIZARD OF RONDO
by Emily Rodda. "When Leo Zifkak inherited an antique music box from his stuffy great-aunt, he never expected that it might hide a wondrous secret. The music box is the portal to a new world, Rondo. Leo's first visit to Rondo was to rescue his cousin, Mimi, and he almost lost his life. On his second visit, something much more important is at stake - his soul. There's a wizard missing and an innocent young man accused of his death. If Leo and Mimi are to right this wrong, they're going to have to risk everything...

Young Adult

BALLAD: A GATHERING OF FAERIE by Maggie Stiefvater. "James Morgan has an almost unearthly gift for music. And it has attracted Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and then feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. James has plenty of reasons to fear the faeries, but as he and Nuala collaborate on an achingly beautiful musical composition, James finds his feelings towards Nuala deepening. But the rest of the fairies are not as harmless. As Halloween—the day of the dead—draws near, James will have to battle the Faerie Queen and the horned king of the dead to save Nuala's life and his soul."

THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE: SACRED BOOKS by David Michael Slater. "The last few days have seemed like a lifetime for Dexter and Daphna Wax. Between the various attempts on their lives, the assault on their father, and the discovery that their deceased mother had been thousands of years old they've endured enough for several lifetimes. They barely have enough energy to stand, let alone to save the world. Unfortunately, they don't have a choice. If they work together, the twins might stand a chance of discovering the truth about The Book of Nonsense. But are they really working together?"


CITY OF SCREAMS by John Brindley. "All Phoenix really wants to do is fly - fly and be with Gabriel, the angel. But their world is a brutal one where accelerated evolution has fractured the city into factions that can barely coexist without killing one another. So it seems impossible for earthbound Phoenix to be with airborne Gabriel, one of the rare humans with wings.
Then the Adults come. Violent, fanatical, and "blessed" by evolution with armored flesh that makes them appear only barely human, the Adults are intent on stamping out anyone they see as a mutation - especially those with wings. Phoenix may be the only one who can save Gabriel, but in so doing, she just might start a war that kills everyone she loves - or possibly destroys the whole world."

DARK CALLING: THE DEMONATA by Darren Shan. "The Disciples are being manipulated by beings older than time. Only Kernel Fleck knows that something is wrong. But he is in the grip of a creature who cares nothing for the fate of humanity. Voices are calling to him from the darkness and he's powerless to resist. Kernel has already been to hell and back. Now he's about to go further..."

THE DOOMSDAY MASK by Simon Rose

FIRE by Kristin Cashore

THE HIGH ROAD: ELF REALM by Daniel Kirk. Although this doesn't sound YA to me... "Matt and his sister Becky must work with the elves and Tomtar the troll to save the Cord and the human and elf worlds. After forming an uneasy alliance, Matt, the elf Tuava-Li, and Tomtar set off to find the sick and dying tree at the northern pole, whose roots bind the worlds together through the Cords. The trio must restore the tree to bring well-being to all the realms. Meanwhile, Becky accompanies Asra to free Becky’s parents, held captive in the elfin kingdom of Helfratheim. To their horror, both groups discover that Brahja-Chi has begun kidnapping human children for a mass sacrifice to appease the goddess."



KITH: THE GOOD NEIGHBORS by Holly Black. "Rue Silver's life is not what it appears to be. Her mother is a faerie, and has been taken back to the faerie realm. As Rue goes to bring her back, she must travel deep into an inhuman world. At the same time, the faerie realm is venturing into our world too, and taking its toll on those Rue loves. When her grandfather's plans threaten Rue's city, she realizes that she's the only one who can stop him. But is Rue a human or a faerie? Where does she fit? How does she know the difference between love and enchantment?"

LIPS TOUCHby Laini Taylor. "Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls:

Goblin Fruit: In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls?

Spicy Little Curses: A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse. (NEXT->)

Hatchling: Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons?



ROUGH MAGIC by Caryl Cude Mullin. "Follow the interwoven stories of two girls and one woman, their lives all tied to the enigmatic figure of Caliban, the character first introduced by Shakespeare in The Tempest, his famous play of love, loyalty, and magic. Caliban is the strange, half-wild man Prospero and Miranda discovered on an island after being shipwrecked. Rough Magic forms both prequel and sequel, telling the stories of the sorceress Sycorax, Caliban's mother; Miranda's daughter Chiara, who becomes like a daughter to Caliban; and Calypso, a magical young woman with ties to them all. All three must fight against a world that sees magic as evil and uses women as political pawns. Finally, it is the island and its power that draws them all back, demanding amends from the humans who have exploited its natural wonders."

TALES OF A RELUCTANT PSYCHIC: THE FREAK, VISIONS, FAR by Carol Matas. "Since 1997, young readers have been enthralled by the story of Jade, a 15-year-old girl struggling to adapt to her unexpected gift of psychic ability. Now, all three titles in Carol Matas’ Freak series are available in one volume. When Jade wakes from a life-threatening illness and finds she can read her friend’s most personal thoughts and feelings, she faces social challenges she never could have expected. When she begins to have nightmares predicting local murders, she realizes she has to use her powers for good."

THE VAMPIRE IS JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU by Vlad Mezrich. "Are you in love with a vampire? Are you worried that you might not be his (blood) type? Do you wonder whether that cold stare means he isn’t interested . . . or if it’s because he’s been dead for three centuries (nothing personal)? Have you tried to coax him out of his crypt with a flash of your neck or a near-death situation that requires him to save you at the very last possible moment? Have you ever considered what it will be like to introduce him to your mother? Even though your vampire’s skin is transfixingly translucent, he can still be very hard to read. Sometimes he’s simply holding back his true feelings, resisting the urge to bite you in the chance that one day you will truly love him. And other times . . . well, he’s just not that into you.

How can you tell? Undead dating specialist Vlad Mezrich has all the answers, utilizing quizzes, Top Ten lists, language analysis, real-life (and real-death) testimonials, and fancy charts to show you what you need to do in order to get your vampire and keep him forever.



10/3/09

Lips Touch, by Laini Taylor

When lips meet in a kiss for the first time, it can be a magical moment. But it's never quite as magical in real life as it is in the three novellas contained in Laini Taylor's newly released anthology, Lips Touch (Scholastic, 2009, YA, 259 pp).

Three different kisses, three very different stories. And not short stories either, the kind that leave you wanting more, twitchy with unfulfilled plot desire. By letting her stories grow longer, almost (for two of them, at least) to book length, Taylor gives herself room to paint sumptuous word pictures with dizzying effect, and tell great stories.

Kiss the First: Goblin Fruit. "The Goblins want girls who dream so hard about being pretty their yearning leaves a palpable trail, a scent goblins can follow like sharks on a soft bloom of blood. The girls with hungry eyes who pray each night to wake up as someone else. Urgent, unkissed, wishfull girls" (page 13).

Girls like Kizzy, who falls under the spell of the beautiful boy who wants her so fiercely that the ache of her own wanting is all she can feel--ignoring all the warnings, ignoring all the magical stories she's grown up with, ignoring "her soul flattening itself back like the ears of a hissing cat" (page 54), craving his kiss....

More than just another demon lover story, Goblin Fruit is metaphor-rich explosion of sensuality.

Kiss the Second: Spicy Little Curses Such as These. "A cursed girl with lips still moist from her first kiss might feel suddenly wild, like a little monsoon. she might forget her curse just long enough to get careless and let it come true. She might kill everyone she loves.

She might, and she might not.

A particular demon in India rather hoped that she would" (p 67)

During the British raj, there is an old, and rather eccentric seeming woman who makes deals with a demon on a regular basis, bargaining for as many lives as she can save from his clutches. It's a tricky thing to make deals with a demon, and, in this story, "the spicy little curse" the demon gets to inflict on a baby English girl might make this the worse bargain she has ever struck.

Because the little girl's voice can kill, or so the demon says. And so she is silent all her life, all the words she has wanted to say locked behind her lips. Now she has fallen in love, and the dam that holds her words in place is breaking...

Of all these three stories, this is the one most familiar in tone and voice to Taylor's Dreamdark books--matter-of-factly fantastical, where the story takes the reader into remarkable places, and the reader gets to enjoy the ride (very much, in my case. This one was my favorite).

Kiss the Third: Hatchling. "Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turned from brown to blue.....

"It was no trick of the light. Her eye was an eerie white-blue, the color of ancient ice in a lace that never thaws, and as startling as it was, there was something profoundly familiar about it too. Esme's blood quickened as a shock of memories pulsed through her: a world of snow and spires; a milky mirror framed in jewels; the touch of warm lips on hers." (p 139)

Esme's mother has a past--a terrible, magical, ice-bound, cruel, otherworldly past. And it is chasing them.

This one is a fantastical mystery, with dark edges and much tension. And that's all I'll say, for fear of spoiling.

So, three very different kisses, three very different stories...all magical. A lot of bang for your book-buying buck. But wait, there's more! You also get illustrations by Jim Bartolo! Beautiful ones! Enter now (before Sunday night) at Grow Wings, Taylor's website, for a chance to try this one for yourself.

(ARC received from the publisher)

10/2/09

A post for Cybils sf/f geeks--the 2006 long list

Ok. I am a Cybils Geek. Not a Cybils nerd, or, so help me, a Cybils dork, but a Geek. Obsessivly, intelligently (?) interested....as this post demonstates.

I just came across a list that Jocelyn put together back in December, 2006, of all the science fiction and fantasy books nominated for the Cybils in its first year...

Two things struck me:
1: It is much shorter than our lists now, and they didn't split it up into age groups back then.
2: I t is, on the one hand, rather neat to see so many books and authors I love, and familiar series that are still going strong (whose books have been nominated again this year!), back when they were new and shiny....and, on the other hand, it is a little melancholy to see books that have faded like flowers of the spring...

Here are the books:

Abadazad: The Road to Inconceivable by J.M. DeMatteis, Mike Ploog. Hyperion
Agent Boo: The Littlest Agent by Alex De Campi; illustrated by Edo Fuijkschot. TokyoPop
Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher, The by Bill Harley. Peachtree Publishers
Anatopsis by Chris Abouzeid. Penguin: Dutton
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer. Hyperion: Miramax
AutumnQuest by Terie Garrison. Flux
Avielle of Rhia by Dia Calhoun. Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books
Beast of Noor, The by Janet Lee CareySimon & Schuster: Atheneum
Beasts of Clawstone Castle, The by Eva Ibbotson. Penguin: Dutton
Beka Cooper: Terrier by Tamora Pierce. Random House
Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley. HarperCollins
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz. Hyperion
Book of Story Beginnings, The by Kristin Kladstrup. Candlewick
Braced2Bite by Serena Robar. Penguin: Berkley
Changeling by Delia Sherman. Penguin: Viking Juvenile
Charlie Bone And The Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo. Scholastic
Corbenic by Catherine Fisher. HarperCollins. Greenwillow
Darkling Plain, A by Philip Reeve . HarperCollins. Eos
Death of a Ghost by Charles Butler. HarperCollins
Devilish by Maureen Johnson. Penguin: Razorbill
Dream Spinner by Bonnie Dobkin. Flux
Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton. RandomHouse: Delacorte
Enemies by Christopher Golden and Ford Lytle Gilmore. Penguin: Razorbill
Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye by Kaza Kingsley. Firelight Press
Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz. Scholastic
Eye Pocket: The Fantastic Society of Peculiar Adventurers, The by E.J. Crow. DNA Press
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. Shadow Mountain
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. HarperCollins
Fetch, The by Chris Humphreys. RandomHouse: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Floating Island, The by Elizabeth Haydon. Tor: Starscape
Gideon: The Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer. Simon & Schuster
Gilda Joyce, and the Ladies of the Lake by Jennifer Allison. Penguin: Dutton
Golden by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. RandomHouse: Delacorte
Good Fairies of New York, The by Martin Millar. Soft Skull
Gossamer by Lois Lowry. Houghton Mifflin: Walter Lorraine Books
Hellbent by Anthony McGowan. Simon & Schuster
Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow. Simon & Schuster: Atheneum
Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen. Simon & Schuster
High School Bites: The Lucy Chronicles by Liza Conrad. NAL Trade
Homefree by Nina Wright. Flux
Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson. Houghton Mifflin
Horse Passages by Jennifer Macaire. Medallion Press
Into the Woods by Lyn Gardner. David Fickling Books
King of Attolia, The by Megan Whalen Turner. HarperCollins: Greenwillow
Larklight by Philip Reeve. Bloomsbury
Last Days, The by Scott Westerfield. Penguin: Razorbill
Last Dragon, The by Silvana de Mari. Hyperion: Miramax
Last of the Wilds by Trudi Canavan. HarperCollins: Eos
Legend of Zoey, The by Candie Moonshower. RandomHouse: Delacorte
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Harcourt Children’s Books
London Calling by Edward Bloor. RandomHouse: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Looking Glass Wars, The by Frank Beddor. Penguin: Dial
Lurkers, The by Charles Butler. Usborne Publishing Ltd
Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier. Penguin: Razorbill
Monster Blood Tattoo: The Foundling by DM Cornish. Penguin: Putnam
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown (Hachette)
Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean. Simon & Schuster: Margaret K. McElderry
Pinhoe Egg, The by Diana Wynne Jones. HarperCollins: Greenwillow
Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner. RandomHouse: Bantam Dell
Prophet of Yonwood, The by Jeanne Duprau. Random House
Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud. Hyperion: Miramax
Pucker by Melanie Gideon. Penguin: Razorbill
Quest of the Dragon Stone by Ami Blackford. Red Cygnet Press
Ranger’s Apprentice: The Burning Bridge, The. by John FlanaganPenguin: Philomel
River Secrets by Shannon Hale. Bloomsbury
Samurai by Jason Hightman. HarperCollins: Eos
Sea of Monsters, The by Rick Riordan. Hyperion: Miramax
Septimus Heap #2: Flyte by Angie Sage. HarperCollins: Katherine Tegen Books
Shadow in the Deep by L.B. Graham. P & R Publishing
Shadow Thieves, The by Anne Ursu. Simon & Schuster: Atheneum
Silver City by Cliff McNish. Carolrhoda Books
Sir Thursday by Garth Nix. Scholastic
Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child by Michael Buckley. Amulet
Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1, The by PJ Haarsma. Candlewick
Stones of Abraxas by K Osborn . SullivanMedallion
Summer King, The by O.R. Melling. Amulet Books
Sword of Anton by Gene Del Vecchio. Pelican Publishing Company
Temping Fate by Esther Friesner. Penguin: Dutton
Tide Knot, The by Helen Dunmore. HarperCollins
Travels of Thelonious by Susan Schade and Jon Buller. Simon & Schuster: Simon & Schuster
Undine by Penni Russon. HarperCollins: Greenwillow
Voices by Ursula Le Guin. Harcourt Children’s Books
Wabi by Joseph Bruchac. Penguin: Dial
Wall and the Wing, The by Laura Ruby. HarperCollins: Eos
Wintersmith by Terry PratchettHarperTeen
Wolfproof by Maureen Doyle McQuerry. Idylls Press
Wuthering High by Cara Lockwood. MTV


Here's what made it to the 2006 shortlist: Ptolomey's Gate, Silver City, Beka Cooper: Terrier, The Last Dragon, and Pucker. Hmmm. I've read exactly one of these. Pathetic.

For me, King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner, and Voices, by Ursula Le Guin, stand out. But I haven't read enough of these 2006 titles to come up with a shortlist of five, and I'm not sure if either of these two that I love have the Kid Appeal that would make them truly Cybilian (which I guess the 2006 panelists decided as well).

Which would you have picked?

10/1/09

The Cybils!

Nominations are coming in fast and furious over at the Cybils website. Lists of the books nominated are updated minute by minute, and getting beautifully long...

I am honored to be part of the Cybils this year, on the nominating panel for Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy.* Hooray for MG sf/f! This subgenre is my favorite--it's here that you find the best stories. Lovely, fun, imaginative, wacky, subversive, scary--that's MG sf/f.

So please go and give us a good one to read!!!! Spread the word! Ask handy fifth graders to send in their favorites of the past year (published from 16 October 2008- 15 October 2009). Let us know what books are so good they zip from hand to hand...


Here are my co-panelists:

Anamaria Anderson, bookstogether
Cindy Hannikman, Fantasy Book Critic
Brian Jung, Critique de Mr. Chompchomp
Eva Mitnick, Eva's Book Addiction


For the next three months, we will be emailing like crazy as we pick our shortlist of the books nominated. Fun!

*Middle Grade and YA have parted ways, because c. 161 books (the number nominated last year for both categories) is really too many for one person to read in 3 months, and there will be more this year. So although you only get to nominate one sci fi/fantasy book, there are two groups of readers...

Flawed Dogs, by Berkeley Breathed

Flawed Dogs, by Berkeley Breathed (Philomel/Penguin, 2009, middle grade, 240pp).

Holly and Sam. An orphaned girl who's never been loved, and a small pure-bred dachshund puppy, who's escaped from his airplane crate and found happiness in her arms.

Cassius. A nasty piece of work under his beautifully trimmed poodle fur. He wants to be the only top show dog in the house, and he'll do anything to oust Sam. Even framing him for child endangerment.

Cassius' evil plot works, and Sam spends several years of misery away from Holly, including a hellish stint of being tortured in a science lab (which mercifully happens off-stage).

Now Sam, scarred and with a soup-ladle tied on in place of his missing leg, and a bunch of misfit canine companions are going to take on the Westminster Dog Show, and strike a blow for flawed dogs everywhere. And bring Cassius down.

This is a story that will hit the hearts of dog lovers hard. Sam is such a good little dog, and he suffers so much. So be warned, young dog lover readers! You'll be rooting for him, aching for him (perhaps even shedding a tear), and finally cheering as, at last, he gets a happy ending.

It's not for the faint of heart, and indeed, I found it rather uncomfortable reading. But there is humor (of a somewhat farcical variety), to lighten the story (this is the wonderfully absurd Berkeley Breathed, of Opus fame, after all), and, as I said, we get a happy ending.


From the Flawed Dogs Website: "Flawed Dogs" was inspired by the staggering pet overpopulation problem, highlighting it with a bit of humor. But the underlying message is clear: millions of healthy, adoptable pets languish and die in our animal shelters every year. National figures indicate that about half of all shelter pets must be euthanized for want of loving homes."From the Flawed Dogs website:"Flawed Dogs" was inspired by the staggering pet overpopulation problem, highlighting it with a bit of humor. But the underlying message is clear: millions of healthy, adoptable pets languish and die in our animal shelters every year. National figures indicate that about half of all shelter pets must be euthanized for want of loving homes.


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