Giveaway! AMULET Book Four: The Last Council, by Kazu Kibuishi

It's a pleasure to host a giveaway for two copies of the fourth book in the Amulet series, by Kazu Kibuishi. My son and I were tremendously excited to get our own paws on The Last Council, and it's awfully nice to be able to share the excitement!

For those who don't know these books--they are graphic novels, that tell of the strange happenings that befall a girl named Emily, starting with the kidnapping of her mother by a terrifying, other-worldly monster....

You definitely want to start with the first one for things to make sense, because it all gets very bizarre very quickly. (I had to read the first book several times before I could follow it).

But for those who are up-to-date, here's the publisher's blurb:

"Emily and her friends think they’ll find the help they need in Cielis, but something isn’t right. Streets that were once busy are deserted, and the townspeople who are left live in fear. Emily is soon escorted to the Academy, where she’s expected to compete for a spot on the Guardian Council, a group of the most powerful Stonekeepers. But as the number of competitors gets smaller and smaller, an awful secret is slowly uncovered – a secret that, if left buried, means the certain destruction of everything Emily fights for."

There is some utterly gorgeous art work, the story is engrossing, and (speaking as a mother of a boy) I am always pleased as all get out to watch my son devouring a book with strong female lead.

Watch the Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/DL7QSBT9GNQ

Visit the Websites: http://www.boltcity.com/amulet and http://www.scholastic.com/amulet

To enter to win one of two copies of The Last Council, just leave a comment by next midnight next Monday, the 26th, EST! (US only)

And the winners are Karen and Heidi!

Dark of the Moon, by Tracy Barrett

Dark of the Moon, by Tracy Barrett (Harcourt Children's Books, YA, September 20, 2011), is a re-telling of the story of Ariadne and Theseus. I put Ariadne first on purpose, because she is the center of this telling of the traditional hero-centric story in which Theseus comes to Crete, slays the Minotaur after Ariadne helps him, takes Ariadne away with him, and then ditches her on the island of Naxos.

Barrett's Krete is a place where the goddess of the moon takes human form. Ariadne's mother is the current embodiment of the goddess, a priestess venerated above all others. Minos, generally imagined to be the ruler of Krete, is, in this imagining, simply the brother of the high priestess, whose power comes from her. Ariadne grows up knowing that she herself will some day become the goddess on earth, and so her brother Asterion should likewise become Minos one day.

But Asterion, whose mind is that of a small child, is kept confined below the palace, so that he will not hurt himself and others. Many view him as a monster--he seems to them more a wild animal than a person--but Ariadne still loves him.

Then Theseus arrives in Ariadne's world. And it shatters.

The strength of Barrett's story is in its careful and convincing world-building. The culture of goddess worship on Krete is explained in enough depth to be believable, but Barrett doesn't overburden the reader with too much extraneous detail. Nothing happens that cannot be rationally explained, but still there is a sense of fantastical mystery to the whole story--Ariadne would not be the person she is, and act the way she does, without her belief in the reality of her goddess.

It was fascinating to watch Ariadne navigate the difficult position in which she finds herself, as cultures clash with the arrival of Theseus and her world tumbles around her. She is a believable character, and stays very nicely within the mindset of her own cultural beliefs--the use of the first person makes the train of her thoughts clear. Not at all a modern teenage girl transposed to a foreign setting, but with the universal feelings of any girl facing grief and the collapse of her world (like we all face that, not, but you know what I mean, I hope), with the awareness of the opposite sex fulling entering her mind for the first time.

I wonder what the modern teen reader will make of this--if she will be able to accept Ariadne and her choices, or if she will feel distant from Ariadne, and be frustrated that more is not made of the teen romance angle.

Some of the story is told from the point of view of Theseus, who is introduced just before he discoverers his father is the king of Athens. I was disappointed in Barrett's Theseus--we are told by Theseus' stepfather that Theseus is somehow greater than all the other boys of the village, but I was never convinced by his actions that he was any more than a regular 16-year-old boy, nothing special and not particularly interesting. I didn't mind that in and of itself, because in this story, Ariadne's story, Theseus is not required at all to be a "hero," but I felt the page time devoted to his side of things suffered in consequence.

I'd recommend this one to those who enjoy introspective books--lots happens, but it is the characters thoughts about what is happening, and the decisions they make in consequence, that drives the story! Those looking for zesty romantic fun with the Greek Gods should look elsewhere. This is, however, an obvious choice for those interested in serious reimaginings of how myths began.

And just a quick note on readership age. This is not a book for younger kids. The religion of this Krete is based on the idea that a king is chosen every year, spends three days with the Goddess on earth, and then is killed. The fate of Asterion is dark and sad.

(Review copy received from the publisher)

This Sunday's middle grade fantasy/science fiction round-up

Good morning! Here's what I found this week around the blogs that's of interest to us fans of middle grade (ages 9-12) fantasy and science fiction! Please let me know if I missed your post.

(would you all like more pictures of book covers? or do you care not at all? One reason I don't put them up is that I have a vague feeling that if I show some covers but not others, the ones I don't show will be sad...but I could get over this).

The Reviews:

All in Good Time, by Edward Ormondroyd, at Charlotte's Library

The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy, at Wandering Librarians

Bigger than a Breadbox, by Laurel Snyder, at Geo Librarian

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, at Abby the Librarian

The Centaur's Daughter, by Ellen Jensen Abbott, at Charlotte's Library (another one of those labeled YA, but just fine for older mg kids)

Down the Mysterly River, by Bill Willingham, at Tor

The Dragon of Cripple Creek, by Troy Howell, at Rangatira's Ruminations

Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull, at Susan Dennard

The Fingertips of Dustin Dorfman, by Meg Wolitzer, at Charlotte's Library

The Giver series, by Lois Lowry, at Reading Vacation

Gossamer, by Lois Lowry, at Reading Vacation

Half Upon a Time, by James Riley, at Shannon Whitney Messenger

The Inquisitor's Apprentice, by Chris Moriarty, at Book Aunt

Liesl & Po, by Lauren Oliver, at Book Aunt

The Magician's Elephant, by Kate DiCamillo, at The Accidental Novelist

Mistress of the Storm, by M.L. Welsh, at Book Aunt

Rip Tide, by Kat Falls, at Bibliophile

Secrets at Sea, by Richard Peck, at My Brain on Books

A Tale of Two Castles, by Gail Carson Levine, at The Mod Podge Bookshelf

Time Running Out, by Panama Oxridge, at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Toby Alone, by Timothee de Fombelle, at Library Chicken

The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann, at The O.W.L. and For the Love of Reading

Villain School: Good Curses Evil, by Stephanie S. Sanders, at Charlotte's Library

Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, at Fantasy Literature

Whales on Stilts, by M.T. Anderson, at The Christian Fantasy Review

Wisdom's Kiss, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, at Stacked and Stella Matutina

A World Without Heros, by Brandon Mull, at Challenging the Bookworm

Z. Raptor, by Steve Coles, at Ms. Yingling Reads


Authors and Interviews:

Greg van Eekhout (The Boy at the End of the World) at Writing on the Sidewalk

Stephanie Burgis (Kat, Incorrigible) at Sarvenaz Tash


Other Good Stuff:

Heavy Medal, the mock Newbery blog, is up and running again --with lots to say about middle grade fantasy books in contention (and other books too, but these things happen). So far this year, I'm don't have a mg sff book in mind for the win (do you?)...but that could change at any moment!

At Oz and Ends, you can find a fascinating reflection on Political Authority in Children's Fantasy.

There's an on-line auction of children's book art underway to support free speech, organized by the American Booksellers Association for Free Expression.

A call for papers has just gone out for a 2012 conference in Ottawa on Children's Literature and Imaginative Geography.

And finally, aren't these posters, from artist Caroline Hadilaksono, lovely? Thanks, Madigan, for the link! I would take the third trip, myself.

New releases of science fiction and fantasy for kids and teens--the middle of September, 2011 edition

Here are the new releases of science fiction and fantasy for kids and teens from the middle of Sepbember. As I mentioned in my last post of new releases, I've been finding these posts are taking up too much time, and I had decided to no longer include the young adult books. But since I can't help but notice them as I go through the list, finding the mg sff, I've decided to at least list them....

My information comes from Teens Read Too; the blurbs are taken from Amazon.

The Middle Grade Books (for ages 9-12)

THE AVIARY by Kathleen O'Dell Twelve-year-old Clara Dooley has spent her whole life in the Glendoveer mansion, where her mother is a servant to the kind and elderly matron of the house. Clara has never known another home. In fact, she's confined to the grand estate due to a mysterious heart condition. But it's a comfortable life, and if it weren't for the creepy squawking birds in the aviary out back, a completely peaceful one too.

But once old Mrs. Glendoveer passes away, Clara comes to learn many dark secrets about the family. The Glendoveers suffered a horrific tragedy: their children were kidnapped, then drowned. And their father George Glendoveer, a famous magician and illusionist, stood accused until his death. As Clara digs deeper and deeper into the terrifying events, the five birds in the aviary seem to be trying to tell her something. And Clara comes to wonder: what is their true identity? Clara sets out to solve a decades-old murder mystery—and in doing so, unlocks a secret in her own life, too. Kathleen O'Dell deftly weaves magic, secret identities, evil villians, unlikely heroes, and the wonder of friendship into a mystery adventure with all the charm of an old fashioned classic.


CHANTEL'S QUEST FOR THE SILVER LEAF by Oliver Neubert The Forest People are the key to finding the Silver Leaf, but they vanished many moon crossings ago without a trace. The Forest in the East seems impenetrable and Pizzaro, the wicked leader of the Shadow Walkers, is determined to prevent the powerful relic of the East from falling into the hands of Chantel, the Princess of Freedom. As Chantel’s companions are faced with family problems from their pasts, Chantel struggles to navigate the shadowy realm below the forest canopy in search of the Forest People and the mysterious Silver Leaf.

DANIEL X: GAME OVER by James Patterson & Ned Rust When Daniel X discovers that a duo of evil extraterrestrials is plotting to control kids around the world through videogames, he's determined to take them both out of commission. This pair of wicked game masters wants to destroy the human race by turning brainwashed videogamers into an unstoppable army of doom! They're also running an endangered species hunting club on the side, and their next target is none other than Daniel. He'll have no choice but to turn to the aliens' rebellious son who needs help to stand up to his malicious parents. But can Daniel trust the progeny of this treacherous twosome? Or will it be "Game Over" for the alien hunter?

DOWN THE MYSTERLY RIVER by Bill Willingham Down the Mysterly River is the children’s book debut of Bill Willingham, the creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel series Fables. Complete with illustrations by Fables artist Mark Buckingham, it is a spirited, highly original tale of adventure, suspense, and everlasting friendship.

Max “the Wolf” is a top notch Boy Scout, an expert at orienteering and a master of being prepared. So it is a little odd that he suddenly finds himself, with no recollection of his immediate past, lost in an unfamiliar wood. Even odder still, he encounters a badger named Banderbrock, a black bear named Walden, and McTavish the Monster (who might also be an old barn cat)—all of whom talk—and who are as clueless as Max.

Before long, Max and his friends are on the run from a relentless group of hunters and their deadly hounds. Armed with powerful blue swords and known as the Blue Cutters, these hunters capture and change the very essence of their prey. For what purpose, Max can’t guess. But unless he can solve the mystery of the strange forested world he’s landed in, Max may find himself and his friends changed beyond recognition, lost in a lost world…

DREAMLAND: A RILEY BLOOM BOOK by Alyson Noel Riley’s finding that the afterlife can be a lonely place when all you do is focus on work. So she goes to the place where dreams happen, hoping to find a way to contact her sister, Ever. She meets the director, who tells her about the two ways to send dreams. As a Dream Jumper, a person can jump into a dreamer’s dream, share a message, and participate. As a Dreamweaver, an entire dream can be created in a studio and sent to the dreamer. But Dreamweaving was outlawed decades ago, and the studio was boarded up. Thinking it’s her only way to reach out to her sister, Riley goes in search of the old studio. There she finds a ghost boy, who’s been creating and sending nightmares to people for years. In order to stop him and reach out to Ever, Riley is going to have to confront and overcome her own fears.

THE IRON GIANT by Ted Hughes When a towering giant made of iron appears out of nowhere, young Hogarth sees him not as a monster, but a friend. The townspeople are terrified of the giant and devise a plan to bring him down. But Hogarth believes in his friend, and rescues him when no one else will. Together, they teach the people of the village and beyond to conquer their fears, for beneath the giant's rough armor there beats a mighty heart.

The late Ted Hughes, former poet laureate of England, wrote this modern fairy tale in 1968 (which went on to inspire the popular 1999 Warner Brothers animated feature). This illustrated edition, featuring the complete text, special effects such as foldouts and die-cuts, and striking full-color artwork on every page, offers the perfect family read-aloud.

MONSTROUS BOOK OF MONSTERS by Libby Hamilton Do you dare to delve into the freakishly funny Monstrous Book of Monsters, where nothing is as it seems?

Written by Dr. Thomas Jelly and packed with nauseating novelties and foul facts, this book will teach you how to avoid monsters, show you how to spot them in the news or on the street, and give you a peek inside their dangerous (and smelly) world. At the end, we learn that Dr. Jelly has fallen foul of the infamous book monster, and the readers themselves will be lucky to escape the same fate!

MERLIN - THE BOOK OF MAGIC: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE MERLIN SAGA by T. A. Barron In this extraordinary guide to T. A. Barron's award-winning and New York Times bestselling Merlin saga, readers will discover the mysteries of Merlin's worlds as never before. The guide includes full-color art, seven maps, and information about the creatures, places, and magic in Merlin's worlds.

Glowing with beautiful art and surprising details, this is a treasure trove of adventure and delight - as well as a collector's item for Merlin fans of all ages.

THE ONLY ONES by Aaron Starmer "Call it coincidence, call it fate. This is the place you come. There's nowhere else. There's no one else. This is the entire world."

These words welcome Martin Maple to the village of Xibalba. Like the other children who've journeyed there, he faces an awful truth. He was forgotten.

When families and friends all disappeared one afternoon, these were the only ones left behind. There's Darla, who drives a monster truck, Felix, who uses string and wood to rebuild the Internet, Lane, who crafts elaborate contraptions, and nearly forty others, each equally brilliant and peculiar.

Inspired by the prophesies of a mysterious boy who talks to animals, Martin believes he can reunite them with their loved ones. But believing and knowing are two different things, as he soon discovers with the push of a button, flip of a switch, turn of a dial . . .

ROLAND WRIGHT: AT THE JOUST by Tony Davis Roland Wright has been a page at Twofold Castle for just a month and already he has impressed the King's bravest knights. Now Roland is off to his first tournament, where knights from near and far take part in a full day of jousting. He's only meant to be watching. But when the fearsome Little Douglas, a young page from another castle, throws down a challenge, things get serious. All too quickly, Roland is thrust into the action. It's all he can do to just stay on his feet. . . .

THE TANGLEWOOD TERROR by Kurtis Scaletta When 13-year-old Eric Parrish comes across glowing mushrooms in the woods behind his house, he's sure there's a scientific explanation. But when they start encroaching on the town—covering the football field and popping up from beneath the floorboards—Eric knows something's seriously wrong. Not that much else is going right: his parents are fighting, his little brother Brian is a little pill, and he's had a falling-out with his football team—over a pig.

Then a runaway girl from a nearby boarding school warns Eric that the fungus could portend the town's doom and leave it in rubble—just like the village that inexplicably disappeared in the exact same spot over 200 years ago. Eric, Brian, and Mandy set out to solve a very old mystery and save the town of Tanglewood.

THE TIME TUNNEL: A STORY FOR ALL AGES by Donald Walters While exploring in Rumania, two boys discover a ruined laboratory with a mysterious tunnel. Entering, their bodies shrink. They emerge into a beautiful countryside and meet Hansel, whose father invented the time-tunnel. Hansel shows the boys how to encase themselves in time-light spheres. The trio journeys through time, visiting the Middle Ages, ancient Greece and Egypt, and forward into a surprising future. Along the way the boys gain valuable lessons about history and human behavior.

The Young Adult Books

AFTER OBSESSION by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel
AWAY: THE LINE by Teri Hall
DARK PASSAGE by M.J. Putney
DRINK, SLAY, LOVE by Sarah Beth Durst
EMPIRE OF RUINS: THE HUNCHBACK ASSIGNMENTS by Arthur Slade
FATEFUL by Claudia Gray
FIRST DESCENT by Pam Withers
FROST by Marianna Baer
GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan
HALF-BLOOD: A COVENANT NOVEL by Jennifer L. Armentrout
HUNTED: THE SHADOWING by Adam Slater
THE ISLE OF BLOOD: THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey
MODELLAND by Tyra Banks
SEARCH FOR THE DOMINION GLASS: GHOSTS OF ROCKVILLE by Justin Heimberg
SO SILVER BRIGHT: THEATRE ILLUMINATA by Lisa Mantchev
SPELLBOUND by Blake Charlton
TANKBORN by Karen Sandler
WISDOM'S KISS by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
WOLF MARK by Joseph Bruchac

Villain School: Good Curses Evil, by Stephanie S. Sanders

Villain School: Good Curses Evil, by Stephanie S. Sanders (Bloomsbury, 2011, 240 pages)

Even fairy tale villains sometimes end up with children...and, naturally, expect their children to follow in their villainous footsteps. But some kids struggle to find their inner evil...and those chidren find themselves sent to the School for Wayward Villains. Young Rune Drexler hasn't exactly been good, but since his dad is the headmaster, he's a Wayward Villain student like everyone else, slowly working his way up in the ranks of evildoing, with many stops in detention.

But now his chance to show himself true villain has come! He's been assigned an Evil Plot! In one week, Rune and his friends, Big Bad Wolf Jr., and Countess Jezebel Dracula must find a henchman, steal a baby, kidnap a princess, and overthrow a kingdom.

Rather a lot to accomplish...especially when a rival gang of students is on a Plot of their own. Only one set of students will succeed, but things miraculously start falling into place for Rune and his companions. There's just one problem--far from hatching schemes of great evilness, Rune and co. are starting to look more and more like heroes!

The Quest occupies the bulk of the book, and proceeds nicely in entertaining fashion--encounters, dangers, rescues, and the like. Nothing surprising for the experienced reader, but an amusing and exiting quest experience, none the less, that should engross the young (and, even though I'm old and jaded and cynical, I rather enjoyed it myself!). Although the main character is a boy, there are two strong girl characters--one of whom, the princess, ends up having to rescue her would-be kidnappers.

I'd especially recommend this to the the eight or nine year old who's developing an appreciation for poking fun at established literary conventions--the sort that wants to be in the joke. It's fun to see old fairy tales friends, and plot elements, from a new perspective.

If you children have been reading the Sisters Grimm series, they are probably beyond this one. It's more similar in feel to Vivian French's Tales from the Five Kingdom series; fans of those books should enjoy this one too.

[I have left this around for my own eight year old to pick up. I think he will like it lots. He's read the description on the back of it a number of times already...and says he finds it funny....so why won't he just stop reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid et seq. for the umpteenth time and sit down and read this one for crying out loud???? Sometimes my children make me want to bang my head against the wall.]

Disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

The Centaur's Daughter, by Ellen Jensen Abbott

I read Ellen Jensen Abbott's first book, Watersmeet (2009, my review), at one of my son's first swimming lessons (nicely appropriate). And I finished its sequel, The Centaur's Daughter (Marshall Cavendish, September 28, 2011, upper middle grade/YA) yesterday at his fencing lesson (he knows how to swim now). Archery would have been more appropriate--many arrows are fired in the course of this book--but fencing would come in handy too....

Abisina thought Watersmeet, a place where all manner of folk (humans, dwarves, fauns, and centaurs) lived together in peace, would be her home forever. After a traumatic childhood as an outcast, despised for her dark skin and black hair by the cruel followers of Vran (blond and blue-eyed) who ruled the towns of the south, she had found refuge there, and helped her father win the war against a supernatural enemy who sought to crush Watersmeet.

But wining a war doesn't mean that peace follows. Hoards of monstrous beings--uberwolves, hags, and minotaurs--are besetting the folk of both north and south. The lands of the Vranians are in chaos, and the flood of refugees to Watersmeet (many still hostile to the diverse folk who live there) threatens to overwhelm it.

Abisina's father died in the war. She wants to do what she can to ensure that his vision of tolerance and peace is not lost, but the challenge seems insurmountable. With all the courage she can muster, she returns to the Vranian lands, with her closest companions--only two of whom are human. The journey is dangerous (the death count of uberwolves grows rapidly) but the real challenge is creating a new society, one in which folk of all kinds can work together.

The challenge is made greater by the fact that Abisina is truly her father's daughter--like him, she is a shapeshifter, who can become a centaur. And centaur's are, with good reason, the most loathed of all the non-human persons...

Me being me, my favorite part of the book was not the exciting fighting monsters aspect (those with a taste for adventure will find much to enjoy!), nor even Abisina's internal confusion about her shapeshifting abilities. What I liked was when Abisina and her companions arrive at the one town where there is hope that a new society can be built, and pitch in with tasks like wall-building and food-gathering....

Abbott's story-telling is direct and to the point. When someone appears trustworthy, they are, and Abisina--full of confusion and uncertainty, but determined withall--is an open book to the reader. In my mind, this makes The Centaur's Daughter an excellent one for the upper middle-school reader--in particular the eleven or twelve year old adventure-loving girls, for whom galloping in centaur form while firing arrows at uberwolves will seem wonderful! Those looking for Romance will find only its first beginnings here, although it seems clear there's more to come. The importance of tolerance and building trust between diverse peoples and cultures are themes that come through loud and clear, and are a welcome message.

So for the target audience, this series is spot on, although the lack of subtlety limits (but doesn't exclude!), I think, the cross-over appeal to adult readers.

Abisina is explicitly described as having dark skin and black hair, discriminated against/hated/distrusted by the majority of the blond, blue-eyed Vranians as a result. Since this prejudice, and intolerance of the other more generally, is important to both her character arc and to the larger story, I'm adding Watersmeet and The Centaur's Daughter to my list of multicultural sci fi/fantasy above.

And with regard to that--I'm feeling sad and cross that Abisina's hair has gotten lighter on the cover of The Centaur's Daughter. Although it's damp and untidy, and so hard to tell how light it would be if clean and washed, on both covers, it's clear that her hair as shown on the second book isn't black, or even dark. And, although skin color is more subjective, the girl on the covers doesn't look noticeably dark skinned to me....



By happy chance, there's a great new interview with Ellen Jensen Abbott over at The Enchanted Inkpot.

(review copy received from the publisher)

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman, by Meg Wolitzer

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman, by Meg Wolitzer (Dutton Juvenile, Sept. 20 2011, ages 9-12, 256 pages)

Life as a new middle school kid in Drilling's Falls was worse than joyless for Duncan Dorfman, aka Lunch Meat, a boy lower than a nobody in the middle school pecking order. When he can't stand it any longer, he breaks his word to his mother, and demonstrates the one thing he's sure makes him special.

Duncan can read with the fingertips of his left hand.

And soon he finds himself approprited by the uber cool head of the school scrabble team, a boy driven to win...and having a partner who can pick out any letter he wants from the scrabble tiles is a surefire way to triumph at the Youth Scrabble Tournament. Duncan has never played the game before, but the prize money would be a big help to his mom...and maybe he won't have to use his power in the end....

Across the country, other kids are preparing---April Blunt, determined to show her sports-mad family that Scrabble is a worthy competitive endeavor in its own right, and Nate, whose father (still devastated by his own loss in the final round of the YST years ago) has pulled him from school, to coach him obsessively in acceptable 2 letter words and other Scrabble skilz (which stinks for Nate, who misses skateboarding with his pals something fierce).

All these kids are consumed by Scrabble, and all are determined to win (even Duncan starts finding anagrams marching across his brain). And they are about to meet across Scrabble boards in a hotel in Florida....

Their story is about more than Scrabble (although details of competitive Scrabble playing pack its pages). It is, in essence, the archetypal middle grade story about finding who you are and what you might want to be.....and as such, it's an enjoyable story--bits of humor, interesting characters, and (for me, at any rate), an fascinating set-up. The dilemma faced by Duncan--would it be cheating to use his power, and how much is at stake if he doesn't--is also interesting, although it got somewhat overshadowed by the larger social dynamics of the group of kids, and in the end was almost a non-event. Enough so that, although he certainly has a magical gift, making the book "fantasy," it reads much more like realistic fiction.

It is a fact that a four page list of acceptable two letter scrabble words adds little narrative umph to a story. That being said, it is also a fact that a reader can skim such Scrabbilian esoterica. For those of us who enjoy minutiae, the scrabble details that Meg Wolitzer packs into her book add value. But one can't help but wonder what an actual 10 or 11 year old kid, who has maybe not played very much Scrabble, is going to make of it...One hopes that they just enjoy the story of three middle school kids, each with their own backstory, coming together for a short, intense burst of camaraderie, and returning home to lives changed by the experience.

(review copy received from the publisher)

Book Blogger Appreciation Week--How Do You Do Community?

Today's discussion topic over at BBAW is community--how do you find your place in the overwhelmingly large (and getting larger) world of book blogging?

The number of book blogs that have joined technorati is now up to 15, 216. That's about 6000 more than it was around a year and a half ago....Happily, within this seething morass of book blogging, it's possible to find a community. I blogged on Monday about the marvellous Kidlitosphere, my main community.

But even the Kidlitosphere is pretty darn big. Fortunately, there are niches. There's the Poetry niche, that comes to life on Poetry Friday, when bloggers share poems, or books of poetry. I know that the regular participants have become close as a direct result! There's Non-Fiction Monday, for those that tilt non-fiction-ward, and monthly carnivals--these too foster a sense of a cozy community. And other bloggers have taken the initiative and started themed days of their own, like Shannon Whitney Messenger's Marvellous Middle Grade Monday.

I myself wanted a community of bloggers passionately interested in middle grade (for ages 9-12) science fiction and fantasy. So I started gathering together each week all the posts I could find about mg sff books and authors, and posting a weekly round-up every Sunday (94 of them so far). I'm not sure that this has resulted in a "community" -- there's not a whole lot of direct interaction -- but I do like making the scattered posts I find into a little cluster where those of us who love mg sff can find them easily! Many of the same blogs show up in my round-ups on a regular basis, as well as new ones (always exciting) and so my mental map of my part of the book blogging world becomes brighter and clearer with every round-up (and someday I'll magically find the time to leave appreciative comments on all the posts I gather ha ha).

(If anyone writes about mg sff during the week, do feel free to email me your link directly (charlotteslibrary at gmail dot com)! I have a long long list of blogs I check, but I know I miss people all the time, even when they are on my list....)

All In Good Time, by Edward Ormondroyd, for Timeslip Tuesday

Today's time travel book, All In Good Time, by Edward Ormondroyd, is a sequel to one I reviewed a short while ago--Time At the Top. It's impossible to write about All In Good Time without spoiler for the first one, so consider yourself warned!

Spoiler space, just in case....

So. At the end of Time At the Top, Susan Shaw had dragged her father onto the time travelling elevator, planning to marry him off to the lovely lady she had met back in 1881. Said lady's children, a boy and a girl, were keen on the idea as well--after all, with nasty men like the despicable Mr. Sweeney keen on marrying her for her money, Susan's father seemed like a nice safe bet.

Except that, once Susan and her father arrive in 1881, he doesn't want stay and be married off. And that's not all that goes wrong. Mr. Sweeney is back, hatching more despicable schemes, the children's carefully acquired treasure goes missing, and, perhaps worst of all, dictatorial, opinionated, and thoroughly nasty Cousin Jane has arrived on the scene. In the face of all these obstacles, will Susan be able to make her dream come true?

The reader already knows, from reading the first book, that the answer is yes. But still--there is enough uncomfortableness here that I had to keep reminding myself of this! It wasn't quite the cozy read of domestic happiness I had hoped it would be....for which the blame must be split between Mr. Sweeney and Cousin Jane. I did, however, love the clever way in which those two baddies were properly sorted in the end!

The presence of the author, as an interested observer (busily reading Susan's 19th-century diary) and minor participant, back in the present, and the fate of the elevator (which is almost a character in itself) add interest. And the efforts of Susan and (somewhat half-heartedly at first) her father to fit in in the past made for good reading. So despite my own shallow desire for soothingness, it was a fun book, and finishes off the story begun in Time At the Top very nicely!

Give this series to your ten year-old self to read--she'll enjoy them lots! Purple House Press has recently released an omnibus reprint (shown at left) making them easy to find.

And good thing, too, given the Utter Hideousness of the original cover of this one!


(Ms. Yingling often posts time travel books on Tuesdays too--this week she looked at Always a Witch, by Carolyn MacCullough.

BBAW Interview Swap, featuring Zoe of Playing by the Book!

I was tickled pink to be paired with Zoe of Playing by the Book for the BBAW interview swap--I've been reading her blog for over a year with great enjoyment (her Reading Around Europe series, in particular, is delightful) and it was lovely to have the chance to get to know her better!
Question 1:
Me: What is the UK children's book blog scene like? Yours is the only UK blog that I know of that focus on books for younger children--are there others that you'd recommend?

Zoe: It has to be said that the UK children's book blog scene doesn't do justice to the brilliant children's books that come out of the UK - there are very few bloggers dedicated to reviewing children's literature and book illustration and I think this is partly because technology doesn't play the same role in UK families as I believe it does in the US. I know only a single parent who owns an iPad (and that's largely due to the fact that she is a librarian specializing in electronic book resources). Indeed families who don't even have a computer are much more common in my circle of friends and acquaintances.

I am a loyal follower of Library Mice and Fantastic Reads, two UK based children's literature blogs which I wholeheartedly recommend.

Me: I will definitely check these out! Thanks!

Question 2:
Me: Have you ever had a chance to get together in real life with other children's book bloggers?

Zoe: I have met up on a couple of occasions with Ali, who writes Fantastic Reads, but other than that, unfortunately not. I've met more children's authors and illustrators than I have bloggers! Every year I look at the Kidlitosphere conference and day dream about living a parallel life where I might attend it.

Me: I wanted to go to this year's conference so badly...but it just wasn't possible.

Zoe: I'm hoping that next year I'll find a way to attend the annual conference held by the Federation of Children's Book Groups. This isn't for bloggers, but it's a great place to meet other adults passionate about children's books.

Me: Meeting other adults passionate about children's books is one of the great pleasures in life! I hope you get to go.

Question 3:

Me: Has blogging changed your relationship with books for your kids?

Zoe: Blogging has enabled books to be almost the life blood in our family. Of course we've always loved books, but now we receive so many for review and I do all sorts of other book related activities, at least half linked to the blog (such as running Book Week at my daughters' school, or attending the Just So Festival [one of Zoe's pictures of this event is shown below] which has many authors and illustrators attending each year) books really are everywhere in our lives and this makes me very happy.

It gives us a very rich life.


Me: And just as a little side question to this--do your children know about the blogging part of your life? And another related question-- Do you think that as your children get older, the age level of books you review will also change?

Zoe: Yes, my eldest (who is 6) does know about the blogging. In fact it was very interesting to overhear her recently introducing our family to the family on the neighbouring allotment plot who we were meeting for the first time. My eldest said "My mummy reviews books. She writes a blog about books and then tweets and emails lots about them". I was quite taken aback by how succinctly she put it all! I'm not quite sure what our new neighbour made of it...

As to how Playing by the Book will evolve as my kids get older I can imagine that there will be more reviews of chapter books, but I can't ever imagine leaving the world of picture books behind. I love illustrated books, I love the art, the beauty they bring into our home. So it may be that my blog will stay primarily a place to celebrate picture books - come and visit me in a year or two years and we'll see how we're getting on!

Me: Will do!

Question 4. Me: I'm assuming you are the English half of your family, and your husband the Dutch half. Did you read Enid Blyton as a child? Are there any of her books that you'd actively offer to your own children? (I loved the school stories, myself....)

Zoe: Yes I'm the English half (though I'd never identify myself as English unless pushed, having been born in Zambia and lived a lot of my life in Scotland as well as elsewhere in the world).

Yep, I went through a stage of reading lots of Famous Five and Secret Seven, though looking back now I don't feel so especially fond of Blyton apart from the description of tables groaning with food. I'm sure I'll suggest them to my kids as I know how wonderful it feels to know there are lots and lots AND lots of books by the same author to read if you get hooked on that particular author (my eldest is currently going through a Steve Cole phase and it makes her so happy to know that there are many more books out there by him to read). I'm not worried about Blyton's books perhaps being a little "dated" (for want of a better word) - all books are written in a certain context they are bound to reflect, and learning about that is important. I don't think I'll be offering my kids the updated versions of Blyton - it doesn't seem right to me. Just this weekend we listened to a new audio version of Dahl's Matilda which had been updated to make references to Lady Gaga and so on [me--yoiks!] and in doing so I found it lost a lot of its charm and appropriate innocence. It was too "knowing" and "clever", definitely not an improvement or any more intelligible/accessible than the original version.

Me: And with regard to the Dutch side of things, have you read the Dikkie Dik books? We find them awfully charming!

Zoe: Aah Dikkie Dik. Yes, he's adored in this home, especially one story we have where he pees in a plant pot :-)

Me: I like that one too!

Zoe: I wish Dikkie Dik was as well known as those other Dutch characters, Miffy (Dick Bruna) and Frog (Max Velthuijs).

Me: Max Velthuijs seems to be pretty much out of print here, which is too bad. My favorite translated Dutch books are those of Toon Tellegen, illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg. I love them!

Question 5:
Me: Do you have a mental list of books your children must read before they are twelve? Have you ever put off reading them a book you love because you are anxious that they might not like it? (although your children are younger than mine, so there is still lots of time for you....)

Zoe: I don't have a very clear list, if I have one at all. There are of course books I enjoyed as a child which I hope to share with my children. I'm really hoping that I'll be able to read them as bedtime books (even as the children get older) and so the experience will be really one of sharing. These books include the Little House series, the Narnia books, and books by Ursula le Guin and Alan Garner. But I'm also aware there are so many books out there that I didn't read as a child, that I don't necessarily even know about yet so I'm very open to lots of new discoveries (for all of us). I'm continually learning more about great Dutch children's literature (of which there is a lot, but sadly a very small percentage is translated into English) and I know my husband has just as many books he wants to share with my kids as I do.

I guess I'm saying that in general I don't think there are any books my children "must" read before a certain age. I'm a great believer in free choice when it comes to reading for pleasure (although I'll certainly make sure opportunities to read brilliant books abound).

I don't think I'm worried about my girls having different preferences when it comes to favourite books (but I have yet to experience a situation where they do feel very differently about a book that I care about, so I reserve the right to change my mind!). What matters to me is that they become passionate readers, that they find books, authors, illustrators that they want to read and read again, whoever they are.

Question 6.
Me: I have two boys, you have two girls....any thoughts on gender stereotypes and children's books? Are they attracted to pink books?

Zoe: My eldest adores books about Greek Gods, Dinosaurs and Vikings so I don't think she's (yet) attracted to pink books. It's probably fair to say I have made a very conscious effort to avoid bringing them into the home (as I have with pink clothes) as I want don't want her to start feeling already at the age of 6 that she has to dress in a certain way or do certain things because she happens to be female. My youngest adores any book I'll read to her so she too seems to so far be escaping the worst of the pink curse. And I call it a pink curse as I don't want either of my daughters to start thinking that there are books for particular groups to the exclusion of others. Now my eldest is beginning to enjoy picking her own reading books I'm sure she'll stumble across pink books before too long, but I'll always make sure there's a good supply of other books to entice her too!

Although some of M's favourite topics aren't what you'd call girly, my eldest loves stories with really strong girl characters, such as Ronia in Ronia the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren, or Quenelda in the books by Lucinda Hare. She'll spend days believing she is Ronia or Quenelda. If a story doesn't have a strong female lead (such as the Astrosaurs books she's currently devouring), then she just pretends she's the female twin of the lead character.

Question 7.
Me: What books did you read for pleasure when you were a teenager? I know quite a bit about early to mid 20th-centuryBritish school stories, and a decent amount about British children's books, but almost nothing about late 20th- century British "young adult" books.....

Zoe: (1) I have a terrible memory and (2) as a teenager I was keen on studying hard and these things combined mean I don't remember reading a great deal purely for pleasure as a teenager. I did lots of school projects (not related to English, but rather Geography or History) and played a lot of piano and flute but I was certainly not a book worm. What I do remember reading as a teenager is quite a few Jeffrey Archer books. A very shameful admission, but there you go!

Question 8.
Me: In your first post, you stated that your blog would focus on "kids’ activities based on our favourite children’s books. I intend to review the books we’re reading and then document the crazy stuff the books inspire us to do." You still do a lot of this--but how do you feel your blog changed since 2009, and what sort of posts do you most enjoy writing these days?

Zoe: As I've become more established I've made more links with authors, illustrators and publishers and this has enabled me to do more than simply review books on the blog - I now interview authors and illustrators quite regularly and share book related news. I hope it makes for a richer blog! I still see the core content of my blog being (picture) book reviews accompanied by play inspired by the book in question. These posts are the ones which give me the greatest pleasure, although each takes much longer to prepare and write than any of the other sorts of posts I do.

Question 9.
Me: If you could visit one book related place anywhere in this world (past or present) where would it be?

Zoe: Ooh Charlotte, how long have you got? Although I'm not religious I'd love tovisit the monks who made illuminated manuscripts such as the Lindisfarne gospels and watch them at work (if you and your kids don't know the wonderful film The Secret of Kells I can highly recommend it. I'd love to visit any ancient/historical society where writing was still something highly specialised and treasured - writing papyri in an Egyption court or carving runes in a viking settlement for example. These societies would still have had many great oral storytellers too and I'd love to have sat around fires listening to their stories.

In the modern world I'd love to visit and of the kidlit destinations in Sweden I described in this post of mine. I love Swedish children's literature and could have so much fun in Astrid Lindgren's World [shown at right] or Junibacken.

Three places that I might actually get to visit relatively soon are Seven Stories in Newcastle, this bookshop in Maastricht and the Children's literature museum in The Hague. In my dreams I work for Seven Stories, helping them create their exhibitions. As to the bookshop I could probably spend several days there if given half the chance, popping out just occasionally for a coffee and a sticky bun.

It's such a great question Charlotte! Where would you like to go?

Me: I think I would like to go to Moomin World in Finland!

Thanks so much, Zoe, for being my inteview buddy! Zoe's questions for me can be found at her blog, here.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week--Community!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) has arrived!

And the theme for today is: Community
"While the awards are a fun part of BBAW, they can never accurately represent the depth and breadth of diversity in the book blogging community. Today you are encouraged to highlight a couple of bloggers that have made book blogging a unique experience for you."

For me, the words "blogging" and "community" means my kidlitosphere peeps. I wish so badly that I was going to be at Kidlitcon in Seattle next weekend... I can hardly think of anything I'd rather do than bask in the company of wonderful people who want to talk passionately and intelligently about children's books!

If I were to start listing all the children's book bloggers who have made a difference to my own blogging, it would go on forever. So I shall just give all my co-kidlitophere bloggers a collective "thanks so much for being such a great community!"

If you want to find out more about this thing called "the kidlitosphere," just click through! There is a Yahoo Group, where we ask each other blog questions and chat about our blogging lives, there's the annual conference--"kidlitcon", and a list of member blogs that cover every single aspect of children's books!

(when you look at that picture, does the circle have a crazed smile, which is what I see, or do you see the image as its creator intended--two people reading????)

This Sunday's round up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs

The first week of "child at new school" has mercifully ended, and we have great hopes that soon our new path habits* will be peacefully set in stone. In the meantime, there has been much reading and reviewing of middle grade science fiction and fantasy this week around the blogs, and it is, as always, a pleasure to gather it all together for your reading pleasure! When I say "all," it's with the recognition that I've probably missed lots, so let me know if I missed you post!

The Reviews:

Big City Otto, by Bill Slavin, at A Year of Reading

The Cheshire Cheese Cat, by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright, at Waking Brain Cells

The Chestnut King, by N.D. Wilson, at Read in a Single Sitting

The Dragon of Cripple Creek, by Troy Howell, at Maltby Reads!

The Dragon Princess, by E.D. Baker, at Library Chicken

Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls, by Lynne Jonell, at Library Chicken

Fiendish Deeds (The Joy of Spooking, Book 1), by P. J. Bracegirdle, at Beyond Books

Fly Trap, by Frances Hardinge, at By Singing Light

Galaxy Games: The Challengers, by Greg Fishbone, at Charlotte's Library

The Girl Behind the Glass, by Jane Kelley, at Charlotte's Library

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente, at One Librarian's Book Reviews

Hazzardous Universe, by Julie Wright & Kevin Wasden, at LDS Women's Book Review

Hero, by Mike Lupica, at Donna St. Cyr

Juniper Berry, by M.P. Kozlowsky, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The Last Council (Amulet Book 4), by Kazu Kibuishi, at A Year of Reading

The Last Dragon, by Jane Yolen, at Madigan Reads

The Midnight Gate, by Helen Stringer, at Books & Other Thoughts

Muddle Earth Too, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, at The Book Zone (for boys)

Nurk, by Ursula Vernon, at Library Chicken

The Princess Curse, by Merrie Haskell, at Stacked and Small Review

The Resisters, by Eric Nylund, at Maltby Reads!

Return to Exile, by E.J. Patten, at Reading Vacation

The Shadows (Books of Elsewhere 2), by Jacqueline West, at Mister K Reads

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, by R.L. LaFevers, at Read in a Single Sitting

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, by R.L. LaFevers, at Anita Silvey's Book a Day Almanac

There's No Such Thing as Ghosts, by Ursula Vernon, at Library Chicken

Trundle's Quest, by Allan Jones, at Geo Librarian

Under the Green Hill, by Laura L. Sullivan, at Beyond Books

The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann, at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog and The Elliott Review

Warrior Sheep Go West, by Christine & Christopher Russell, at Wicked Awesome Books

Wisdom's Kiss, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, at Book Aunt (who's assured me it's a middle grade crossover)

The Wizard of Dark Street, by Shawn Thomas Odyssey, at Susan Dennard

At Pickled Bananas, you can find short looks at Bad Island and Ghostopolis, by Doug Tennapel. For more graphic novel goodness, here are the first two books of the Three Thieves series, Tower of Treasure and At the Sign of the Black Rock, by Scott Chandler, at A Year of Reading.

At Seven Miles of Steel Thistles, you can find three out of the ordinary fantasy books--A Dark Horn Blowing by Dahlov Ipcar, Seaward by Susan Cooper, and Geraldine McCaughrean’s The Stones Are Hatching.

Author and Interviews:
Adam Jay Epstein (The Familiars) at There's a Book
Andrew Jacobson (co author of The Familiars) also at There's a Book
And there's an interview with the two of them at Kid Lit Frenzy

Other Good Stuff:
Wildwood, by Colin Meloy, is slated to be made into a movie by the same folks who brought us Coraline (more at Bookyurt)

My college chum Els (hi Els!) has assembled a lovely list of sci fi/fantasy school stories over at Tor.

Sherwood Smith talks about "the problem of kids and science fiction" at Book View Cafe Blog

And finally, continuing the whole "back to school" thing--here is a bunny classroom of great disturbing-ness that I would love to see someday in real life (from the taxidermy work of Victorian eccentric Walter Potter, via io9, where you can see many more pictures of dressed up dead animals....)

Here's a close up. Really cute, until you think about it....










*nothing to do with mg sff, but here is my favorite piece of writing on path habits--Konrad Lorenz discussing water shrews.