Books as yet un-nominated for the middle grade science fiction/fantasy Cybils

Nominations for the Cybils have now been open a week, and have come flooding in...but there are still many fine books that haven't been nominated. And if a book's not nominated, it can't win. I hate to think of might have beens, and so I'm offering two lists of books still not on the middle grade science fiction/fantasy list (because that's the genre I know best, and that's where I'm a panelist.

I myself haven't nominated a book yet, and am trying to chose one from the list of books I read and really enjoyed (and it shows just how hard this process of coming up with a short list of books is--I could happily do it from this list alone! edited to add--not so much now, since thankfully my list has gotten shorter as people have nominated more books!)

Flood and Fire, by Emily Diamond
City of Ice, by Laurence Yep
The Midnight Gate, by Helen Stringer
Mistress of the Storm, by M. L. Welsh
House of the Star, by Caitlin Brennan

and I just read The Secret Kingdom, by Jenny Nimmo, and had to add it to my list!

(there are lots of others, but these are my top contenders for my own nomination! Happily, lots of other books I loved have already been nominated, but still....)

(note: it's my opinion that all of these are middle grade eligible, but that's just me....)

And then there are all the books I haven't read (which make me very anxious, because I don't know if I am destined to love them or not!) This list includes:

THE SHEPHERD OF WEEDS: THE POISONS OF CAUX by Susannah Appelbaum
CITY OF LIES: THE KEEPERS by Lian Tanner
THE FIRE KING: THE INVISIBLE ORDER by Paul Crilley
THE LAST MUSKETEER by Stuart Gibbs
LIGHTS ON THE NILE by Donna Jo Napoli
THE SUMMER OF PERMANENT WANTS by Jamieson Findlay
THE DEAD KID DETECTIVE AGENCY by Evan Munday
THE FLIGHT OF DRAGONS: THE FOURTH TALE FROM THE FIVE KINGDOMS by Vivian French
EMMY AND THE RATS IN THE BELFRY by Lynne Jonell
THE EMPIRE OF GUT AND BONE by M.T. Anderson
YOU'LL LIKE IT HERE (EVERYBODY DOES) by Ruth White
GHOST MESSAGES by Jacqueline Guest
THE DOOR IN THE FOREST by Roderick Townley
SUDDENLY IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST, by Amos Oz.
HERO by Mike Lupica
DARKFALL, by Janice Hardy
RUNEWARRIORS: SHIP OF THE DEAD, by James Jannewein

and I'd really like to read Tollins II: Dynamite Tales, which just got published in Canada, making it eligible....

To nominate a book, first snag its isbn through the handy link provided. Then go to this page of the Cybils, to make sure it isn't there already (I'll be updating myself, but things happen). Then go to the nominations page.

Nightspell, by Leah Cypess

Nightspell, by Leah Cypess (Greenwillow, 2011, YA, 336 pages)

"Here be ghosts, the maps said, and that was they had to say about the kingdom known as Ghostland" (page 4). Ghostland, where Darri's little sister Callie was sent as a pawn in a political game....though she was too young to be married to its ruler straight away. Now the exigences of politics have demanded that the match between Ghostland and Darri's homeland be made now, and so Darri is sent, accompanied by her brother, to take her sister's place.

In Ghostland, the spirits of the dead live side by side with the living, and the intrigues of both the living and the ghosts have created a tangle of twisted plots. And the loyalties of Darri and her siblings are no longer as simple as they were when they were children together. As Darri begins to untangle the machinations at the heart of Ghostland, she finds both hope and heartbreak in its ancient magic.

This is one for fans of twisty, political fantasy, where the reader (along with the central character, in this case) is plunged into a mystery, and must struggle to determine who to trust (and who is alive or dead!). In this case the mystery is compounded by the magic at work in Ghostland--magic that brings anyone who was murdered back from the grave. And there are lots of these....

And this is one also for fans of books in which the relationship between sisters is front and center. It is fascinating to watch Darri and Callie, so close as children, struggle to rework the bond between them.

And finally, this is one for those who like complex magics, tangling past and present, that dictate the shape of a whole society!

All of this is presented in smooth writing, that nicely balances the various aspects of the story, offering information gradually, teasing the reader with clues about the mystery (resulting in the pages being turned very quickly indeed!), and making the characters people for whom one can care (especially Callie. I was very fond of Callie). My one reservation was that I found the bad character too one-dimensionally bad; I would have liked more backstory gradually doled out, and more nuance of character.

I loved Mistwood, Leah Cypess' first book, lots; it's still my favorite, but Nightspell is a great read in its own right.

Flood and Fire, by Emily Diamond

Flood and Fire, by Emily Diamond (Chicken House, 2011, 368 pages, middle grade). Sequel to Raider's Ransom.

In the 22nd century, rising sea waters have swamped much of Great Britain. Greater Scotland has kept some vestiges of civilization, while the Last Ten Counties of England have become a technophobic, sexist, dystopia. And bloodthirsty Raiders prowl the coasts, competing with each other for power over scattered bits of dry land among the marshes.

Young Lily has escaped from one group of these raiders, with her friend (the kidnapped daughter of the English Prime Minister) and PSAI, the only functioning computer know to have survived, a machine that was the pinnacle of game playing technology, and which truly has a personality of its own. But escape back to England is a tricky thing--both the raiders, and agents of the Scottish government, are on their trail.

Meanwhile Zeph, the raider boy who had helped them escape, is trying to become the true leader of his clan, facing stiff opposition from his brother (a nasty, bloodthirsty piece of work), and in a position of perilous weakness with regard to the other clans. If he can get hold of the PSAI, and Lexi, his problems will be solved...except for the problem of betraying his friends....

Lily, Lexy, Zeph, and the PSAI, after a rather exciting (and fascinating) visit to post-Apocalyptic Cambridge, make their way to London--a chaotic place where the power of the raiders is greater than that of the government. But a new power has awakened--the automated defense system of the city, set up in the last years when technology was still viable--and it's grasp on reality is shaky at best. Against its high tech robots and mad computer manipulative skills, will three kids and their own computer be able to bring some sort of piece, not just to all the waring factions, but to their own lives?

I found this second book even more riveting than the first--the story felt more tightly focused, and the action begins almost immediately. Part of the appeal is watching the PSAI come into its own, partly the appeal lay in the deeply felt moral dilemmas faced by the characters. And in fact it's the most satisfyingly character-focused adventure in a world of civilization gone to pot I've read for ages--Diamond doesn't belabour the thought processes of her actors, but allows them to become apparent over the course of the action. There's also a very nice cat, as an added bonus for us cat folks.

In short, I highly recommend it! I'm not sure just how well this would read as a stand alone, and there's no reason not to read Raider's Ransom first.

It's solidly middle grade (ie, for readers 10-12)--there are hints of possible romance to come, but it hasn't yet. There is, however, considerable violence and mayhem, that might not be to the taste of the more peaceful child.

Here's another review, at Jen Robinson's Book Page

(disclaimer: review copy acquired in a give away from the publisher)

Icefall, by Matthew Kirby

Icefall, by Matthew Kirby (Scholastic, October 2011, middle grade, 336 pages)

When is historical fiction fantasy? In reading well-written historical fantasy, sometimes the beliefs of the characters in magic, strange gods, prophetic dreams, and seemingly supernatural powers, make it seem as though all those things are real. And this, coupled with a setting that is strange and a culture that is alien, can make a book feel like fantasy.

This is what happened to me when I read Icefall, the gripping tale of Solveig, a Viking girl sent with her siblings (an older sister and a younger brother) and a handful of retainers to an isolated holding far in the north, to keep them safe while their father wages war. As the book begins, this small group is waiting for the promised supply ship that will bring them food for the long winter to come. When the ship does arrive, it carries (along with food) a contingent of berserkers--their father is clearly worried for their saftey.

In the dark and crowded wooden hall, boredom gives way to unbearable tension when it becomes clear that somewhere nearby, perhaps in the hall itself, there is a traitor, working to sabotage the group's chances of survival. But along with the berserkers came a skald, lifting the spirits of those trapped until the thaw begins in spring. And Solveig finds that she herself has a gift for telling stories...one that she will be forced to use when treachery is compounded by the arrival of her father's enemy, come to claim her older sister as his bride.

It is a most utterly gripping story, with the tension growing beautiful toward an edge-of-your-seat conclusion. Solveig's path toward becoming a skald, and finding her place in the world through her own talents, is in itself a fascinating story, and that, when coupled with the dangers faced by her small community, made this book one of my favorites of the year.

More, perhaps, could have been made of Solveig's older sister, who is essentially absent as a character during the long winter, but balancing that quibble out was the delight of watching Solveig tame a young raven (ravens are everywhere this year), and watching her interactions with the other characters change over the course of their time together.

Getting back to the question of whether this is fantasy or not--Solveig's prophetic dream has a hugely consequential impact on the course of events, but otherwise there is nothing that could not have been real (the berserkers, for instance, do go berserk, but they are supposed to in real life....). Yet this is a book that will delight fans of historical fantasy. I don't care as a reader, but I'm wondering in which category this will end up in over at the Cybils Awards. It was first nominated (by Betsy over at Fuse #8, who knows her stuff) as straight middle grade, but now its over in middle grade sci fi/fantasy. And I think, even though very little is "fantastical", it might feel more at home there, and attract the readers who will appreciate it most.

I'd give this one in a heartbeat to any eleven year old girl reader of fantasy and adventure stories, or boy, for that matter.

Just as an aside--I was curious about how many female skalds (if any) there really were, so of course I started googling. And I found a book that has me full of want--Old Norse Women's Poetry: the Voices of Female Skalds. Not only does it include the poetry of nine women known to history, but, among other tantalizing categories, there are apparently 7 poems attributed to troll-maidens. I am tremendously intrigued.

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

A nervous list of books I haven't read, that are (I'm pretty sure) eligible for the mg sff Cybils

I told myself that I would not get nervous about the books being nominated for the Cybils. I lied.

I am anxiously imagining that the best middle grade science fiction and fantasy book of the year is out there, unnominated, and these are the books I'm anxious about in particular--the ones that I myself haven't read, that I think (based on my own lists of new release posts) are eligible in mg sff. (I'm also nervous about some of the ones I've read, in as much as I can only nominate one of them, but that's a different story).

So if you've read one of these, and love it, and think it could be a winner, do go nominate it (before midnight on October 15...) In the meantime, I have copies of the first four, that I'll be busily reading...

(some from my original list have now been nominated...will more find champions???)

13 CURSES, by Michelle Harrison
THE SHEPHERD OF WEEDS: THE POISONS OF CAUX by Susannah Appelbaum
A WEB OF AIR: FEVER CRUMB by Philip Reeve
CITY OF LIES: THE KEEPERS by Lian Tanner
THE FIRE KING: THE INVISIBLE ORDER by Paul Crilley
THE LAST MUSKETEER by Stuart Gibbs
LIGHTS ON THE NILE by Donna Jo Napoli
THE SUMMER OF PERMANENT WANTS by Jamieson Findlay
YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS by Pseudonymous Bosch
THE DEAD KID DETECTIVE AGENCY by Evan Munday
THE OGRE OF OGLEFORT by Eva Ibbotson
TORN: THE MISSING by Margaret Peterson Haddix
RIP TIDE: DARK LIFE by Kat Falls
THE FLIGHT OF DRAGONS: THE FOURTH TALE FROM THE FIVE KINGDOMS by Vivian French
RUNE WARRIORS: SHIP OF THE DEAD, by James Jennewein
DOWN THE MYSTERLY RIVER, by Bill Willingham
BEASTS: THE MYSTIC PHYLES by Stephanie Brockway
EMMY AND THE RATS IN THE BELFRY by Lynne Jonell
THE EMPIRE OF GUT AND BONE by M.T. Anderson
YOU'LL LIKE IT HERE (EVERYBODY DOES) by Ruth White
FLY TRAP by Frances Hardinge
GHOST MESSAGES by Jacqueline Guest
THE DOOR IN THE FOREST by Roderick Townley
SUDDENLY IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST, by Amos Oz.
HERO by Mike Lupica

Dot to Dot, by Kit Bakke, for Timeslip Tuesday

Dot to Dot, by Kit Bakke (2011, YA, CreateSpace, 185 pages)

Here's a rather different Timeslip Tuesday, in which the time travel element is really truly a slip more than a travel!

Dot (short for Dorothy Mary-Jane) witnessed her mother being horribly killed by the rear view mirror of a bus. Still in shock, she is dragged unwillingly off to England by her eccentric aunt. There her aunt plans to scatter her mother's ashes, while making a literary pilgrimage to the places associated with the three famous women for whom Dot is named--Dorothy Wordsworth, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Jane Austin. Over the course of their journey, Dot begins to recover from the worst of her grief, finding comfort in utterly unexpected meetings along the way.

Time allows itself to slip a little for Dot, allowing her to actually encounter her three namesakes. They aren't ghosts, but presences who speak to Dot, and each other. And as Dot learns more about them, both through their own words and through the background of her travels and her aunt's commentary, she is inspired by their lives, and reassured that, through her names and the qualities they represent, she will have part of her mother's love with her forever.

Dot's journey through England is by no means entirely taken up with visits from her namesakes. Throughout the story, her grief is front and central. Her Aunt Tab, a virtual stranger to her, seems grating and strange, and Dot can't imagine staying with her. Then there's Nick, the annoying English boy who was incredibly rude to Dot on the airplane, who turns up again in the Lake District....a boy who offers Dot a chance to escape, if she wants to take it....

It's an intriguing story, and Dot's grief is made beautifully real--there's no quick fix, but a slow progress up from utter blackness. The difficult relationship between Dot and her aunt was also well done. The only aspect of the book that didn't ring at all true for me was the reintroduction of Nick--he always seemed to me external to the story at hand, and I could have done without him.

The timeslip encounters add mystery and atmosphere, as well as food for thought. They are rather strange, and never explained--in my mind, there's no need for them to be, but some readers might find that jarring. And there might also be readers with little patience for frequent disquisitions about 18th and early 19th century writers, although I was interested.

And as soon as the trio of deceased women writers appeared to Dot in a London teashop, I knew I wanted to include this in my Timeslip Tuesday series. But it's a rather odd sort of time travel--people from the past are interacting, but they are not coming to the present, exactly, nor is Dot going to the past....so I asked the author what she thought about the type of timeslippiness she has created! Here's what she replied:

"Time for me isn't a linear thing. Nor is it like space where you can't be in
two places at the same time--except for electrons, which apparently can be
in two places at the same time, which just shows that time is far more
flexible than we usually think.

It isn't like there's a past, and then a full-stop, and then there's now,
and then there's the future. It's a more recursive phenomenon. Kind of like
multiple universes or parallel realities--all times are present all the
time. You just have to know how to navigate among them, how to find the
slip-doors or wormholes or whatever you want to call the places where the
boundaries thin and dissolve.

The past is always so present in the present. It's like the elephant in the
room. Unavoidable. Not to everyone, of course, but to the lucky ones, the
thoughtful ones. Dot is one of those.

Our lives can be so incredibly enriched by being able to access those doors
into the past, and they are so narrow without it. Think of how many more
friends and teachers you can have when you can pick them from the past as
well as the present. My first book, MISS ALCOTT'S E-MAIL is about my
epistolary friendship with Louisa May Alcott. She was such a terrific person
and I learned so much from her--the book tries to pull her into the 21st
century so everyone can get to know her better.

There is a small body of fiction that brings historical characters from
different eras together to converse on common issues, or to be involved in
particular plots. It's an enticing approach--wouldn't we all love to
eavesdrop on Rembrandt talking to Picasso or Thomas Jefferson having coffee
with Socrates or Cleopatra chatting with Queen Victoria?

I think I'm wandering a bit here--jet lag...I guess the bottom line is that
it's fun to think of the present as being thick with the past--the
opportunities for interaction and learning grow exponentially. What
fictional character, like Dot, could turn that down? For that matter, what
reader would turn it down?"

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Kit! The type of "time travel" you are writing isn't done much at all for younger readers, and it was a pleasure to read your book! And I also am inspired to someday, when my current to be read pile has diminished, to seek out Frankenstein-Dot's own reading of this while traveling through England makes it sound much for fascinating than I've ever given it credit for.

(disclaimer: received from the author)

The Cybils Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy Panel

The Cybils middle grade science fiction and fantasy panel was announced yesterday, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the first round of judging. Here are my fellow panelists:

Anamaria Anderson
Books Together

Donalyn Miller
The Book Whisperer

Justin Colussy-Estes
Guys Lit Wire

Sarah Mulhern Gross
The Reading Zone

April Conant
Good Books & Good Wine

Rebecca Newland
My Reading Frenzy


Please keep the nominations coming! (there were 150 books nominated in mg sff last year--will there be that many again????)

This Sunday's Round-up of Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction

Good morning, and welcome to this week's round-up of all the blog posts I could find of interest to us mg sff fans! (Please let me know if I missed your post!)

First--nominations for the Cybils are up and running, and the list of mg sff books is growing. If you haven't nominated yet, and would like your memory refreshed regarding the mg sff books that were released in the past year, do check out my new releases posts. I started compiling these lists with Cybils in mind--it's hard to remember all the books that came out last fall, and urgent (well, in my mind at least) that the books that were just released get a chance to be nominated! Here's the list from the second half of October, 2010 (where I am reminded, for instance, that The Coming of the Dragon is eligible....) and here's the most recent list, covering the first half of October, 2011 (a much much longer one of epic proportions!) Do keep in mind, though, that not every book on these lists is eligible--the book has to have been published in the US or Canada.

So go nominate a nice book. Better yet, go nominate a book that will knock the socks of a young reader, and leave them stunned (from a parent's point of view, stunned for a long time is rather peaceful....)

The Reviews

13 Curses, by Michelle Harrison, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy, at Beyond Books and Ms. Yingling Reads

The Black Cauldron, by Lloyd Alexander, at Bookie Woogie

Blackbringer, by Laini Taylor, at My Favorite Books

The Blackhope Enigma, by Teresa Flavin, at books4yourkids.com

Bigger than a Breadbox, by Laurel Snyder, at A Patchwork of Books and Sonderbooks

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, at The Reading Zone, Jen Robinson's Book Page, Great Kid Books, Charlotte's Library, and Alison's Book Marks

The Cheshire Cheese Cat, by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright,at Charlotte's Library

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau, at Musings of a Restless Mind

Dark Life, by Kat Falls, at Karen's Book Nook

Darkfall, by Janice Hardy, at Book Yurt

The Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson, at Fantasy Book Review

The Enchanted Castle, by E. Nesbit, at Tor

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman, by Meg Wolitzer, at Eva's Book Addiction

Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld, at One Librarian's Book Reviews and The Book Smugglers

Icefall, by Matthew Kirby, at Bookyurt and Fantasy Literature

Kat, Incorrigible, by Stephanie Burgis, at Sonderbooks

The Last Council (Amulet Book 4) by Kazu Kibuishi, at The O.W.L.

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, at Becky's Book Reviews

Miss Fortune, by Brandi Dougherty, at Secrets & Sharing Soda

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, by Georgia Byng, at Book Nut

The Only Ones, by Aaron Starmer, at Charlotte's Library

The Owl Keeper, by Christine Brodien-Jones, at Novel and Nouveau

Pure Dead Magic, by Deb Gliori, at Fantasy Literature

Return to Exile, by E.J. Patten, at Project Mayhem

Rip Tide, by Kat Falls, at Karen's Book Nook and The Book Zone (For Boys)

Secrets of the Crown (The Familiars, Book 2) by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, at somewhere in the middle

Timecatcher, by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, at Misrule

Torn, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, at Becky's Book Reviews

Troubletwisters, by Garth Nix and Sean Williams, at Fantasy Book Review

A True Princess, by Diane Zahler, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

and a two for one--House of Many Ways, by Diana Wynne Jones, and 13 Gifts, by Wendy Mass, at Readatouille

Authors and interviews:

Anne Ursu (Breadcrumbs) at Laurel Snyder, The Book Whisperer, and at Kid Lit Frenzy

And the illustrator of Breadcrumbs, Erin McGuire, at Bildungsroman

Chris Moriarty (The Inquisitor's Apprentice) at The Enchanted Inkpot

Ned Rauch-Mannino (Fingertip Island) at Literary Rambles

Jennifer Nielson (Elliot and the Pixie Plot) at Shrinking Violets

James Riley (Half Upon a Time) at Literary Asylum

Other Good Stuff:

Talking animals--realistic or fantastic? Monica at Educating Alice offers her thoughts on a question I posed yesterday.

And here is something utterly brilliant (thanks to Tor for the link)--at Julie's Blog you can find her hand-made My Star Trek Quiet Book (with interactive fun for all ages!)

New releases of science fiction and fantasy for kids and teens--the first half of October, 2011 edition

This is the list of new releases that's always the most exciting to post. Because for these books, the clock is ticking....Nominations for the Cybils Awards have opened, and books published between Oct 16, 2010 and October 15, 2011, are eligible. The books in this list won't be eligible next year--and yet one could be a winner! Actually, one could make a very decent short list of seven books from just this list alone....so do please read them and nominate the best of them! I will try to do so to.

(as usual, my information comes from Teens Read Too, with blurbs via Amazon/Goodreads. I'm rather glad I've given up on the YA section blurbs, because this list is so long I would have been here all night...)


8 CLASS PETS + 1 SQUIRREL / BY 1 DOG = CHAOS by Vivian Vande Velde

"Twitch, the school yard squirrel, has really gotten himself into a bind this time. While trying to escape from a hungry owl, he roused the principal's dog and got chased into the school. Now he's locked in for a dangerous and disastrous night. Can Green Eggs and Hamster, Sweetie the library rat, and the other school pets save Twitch from the crazed dog, Cuddles? In this uproarious chapter book, a group of small animals manages to turn an elementary school into a real zoo."

ALWAYS NEVERLAND by Zoe Barton "School has only been out for one whole day, and Ashley can already tell her vacation is going to bore her to tears. With her friends out of town and her parents working nonstop, she finds herself alone and with nothing to do—until one night she wakes up and discovers Peter Pan in her bedroom, wrestling with his shadow.

Since his original adventure with the Darlings, Peter Pan has been bringing new “Wendy girls” to Neverland to take care of the Lost Boys. But Ashley’s made of much tougher stuff than the Wendy girls before her—she’d rather befriend the mermaids or fight Captain Hook and his pirate crew. Creating new adventures for her friends, Ashley is bringing change to Neverland . . . and not everyone is happy about it."

THE APOTHECARY by Maile Meloy "It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows - a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster."

THE CASE OF THE GREEN GUINEA PIG: JACK GETS A CLUE by Nancy Krulik "Our big school trip was at the end of the week, and I couldn't wait! But someone kept playing pranks at school, including dyeing the class guinea pig green. I love a good practical joke, but Principal Bumble threatened to cancel the trip if the pranks didn't stop.

I knew what I had to do--talk to the animals around school to get some clues. That's right--I can talk to animals. It sounds crazy, but it's true. Now it was up to me and my brainiac friend Elizabeth to solve this mystery in time to save our trip!"

THE CHESHIRE CHEESE CAT: A DICKENS OF A TALE by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright "Skilley, an alley cat with an embarrassing secret, longs to escape his hard life dodging fishwives brooms and carriage wheels and trade his damp alley for the warmth of the Cheshire Cheese Inn. When he learns that the innkeeper is looking for a new mouser, Skilley comes up with an audacious scheme to install himself in the famous tavern. Once established in the inn, Skilley strikes a bargain with Pip, the intelligent mouse-resident, and his fellow mice. Skilley protects the mice and the mice in turn give to Skilley the delectable Cheshire cheese of the inn. Thus begins a most unlikely alliance and friendship. The cat and mouse design a plan to restore Maldwyn wounded raven and faithful guard in the service of Queen Victoria to his rightful place in The Tower, but first they must contend with a tyrannical cook, a mouse-despising barmaid, and an evil tomcat named Pinch. Will the famous author suffering from serious writer s block who visits the Cheshire Cheese pub each day be able to help?"

THE CHOCOLATE MELTDOWN: B MAGICAL by Lexi Connor "B will cast a S-P-E-L-L on middle-grade readers in this funny, fast-paced series!

Eleven year-old Beatrix, B for short, is a witch with a quirky talent. When she spells out words, magic spells take shape!

B's dad's job at Enchanted Chocolates has always been a great thing -- who doesn't like free candy and special tours of a chocolate factory? But when something goes wrong with the new batch of treats, there's nothing sweet about it! Everyone seems to be losing their magic touch -- can B whip up a solution, or could this spell the E-N-D of witches?"

DARKFALL: THE HEALING WARS by Janice Hardy "War has come. Nya’s the one who brought it. And the people love her for it.

With Baseer in shambles and Geveg now an impenetrable military stronghold, Nya and the Underground have fled to a safer location—without Tali. Nya is guilt-ridden over leaving her sister behind and vows to find her, but with the rebellion in full swing and refugees flooding the Three Territories, she fears she never will.

The Duke, desperate to reclaim the throne as his own, has rallied his powerful army. And they are on the move, destroying anyone who gets in the way.

To save her sister, her family, and her people, Nya needs to stay ahead of the Duke’s army and find a way to build one of her own. Past hurts must be healed, past wrongs must be righted, and Nya must decide: Is she merely a pawn in the rebellion, a symbol of hope—or is she ready to be a hero?"

DARWEN ARKWRIGHT AND THE PEREGRINE PACT by A.J. Hartley "Eleven-year-old Darwen Arkwright has spent his whole life in a tiny town in England. So when he is forced to move to Atlanta, Georgia, to live with his aunt, he knows things will be different - but what he finds there is beyond even his wildest imaginings!

Darwen discovers an enchanting world through the old mirror hanging in his closet - a world that holds as many dangers as it does wonders. Scrobblers on motorbikes with nets big enough to fit a human boy. Gnashers with no eyes, but monstrous mouths full of teeth. Flittercrakes with bat-like bodies and the faces of men. Along with his new friends Rich and Alexandra, Darwen becomes entangled in an adventure and a mystery that involves the safety of his entire school. They soon realize that the creatures are after something in our world - something that only human children possess."

DIAMONDS AND DOOM: THE RAVEN MYSTERIES by Marcus Sedgwick "There's no sign of the fabled treasure of the Otherhand, and the family are on the verge of being thrown out of the castle in the sixth quirky mystery by BLUE PETER-award-winning team Marcus Sedgwick and Pete Williamson. "

DREAMS OF A DANCING HORSE: ANIMAL TALES by Dandi Daley Mackall "Fred the plow horse is born with a dancing tune in his heart. When he hears music, he just has to dance-even if it means overturning the plow and wreaking havoc! When Fred gets kicked off the farm, he must find a new home for himself-a place where a dancing horse might truly fit in. This feisty horse gallops hooves-first into the Animal Tales series-and into the hearts of young readers who are graduating from chapter books. Black-and-white line art dances off the page to bring Dandi Mackall's whimsical characters to life."

FAIR WIND TO WIDDERSHINS: THE SIX CROWNS by Allan Jones "After finding the first of six legendary crowns, Trundle the lamplighter thought he could finally return to his quiet life in Port Shiverstones. But Esmeralda has other ideas. A princess with a talent for magic and mischief, she is determined to continue their quest to find the five other crowns, and to use them to unite the Sundered Lands once and for all.

Accompanied by their new friend, Jack Nimble the bard, Trundle and Esmeralda sail to new lands in search of Esmeralda’s wise old aunt. Will the mysterious Aunt Millie give them the clues they need to find the next treasure? Or are they walking straight into a trap?"

GHOSTS OF THE CAROLINAS FOR KIDS by Terrance Zepke "Sixteen ghost tales from all around North and South Carolina that are suitable for 9–12 year-olds, including stories about lake monsters, pirate ghosts, a ghost who doesn’t like Christmas, haunted schools, a swamp creature, the strangest house in the world, a ghost who warns people about hurricanes, and even a ghost train. The book is in color and every story is illustrated."

THE GHOSTS OF GRIBBLESEA PIER by Deborah Abela "Aurelie Bonhoffen has grown up in the circus. She’s been a juggler, the back end of a cow, and played a dead girl on the ghost train at Gribblesea Pier, her parents’ run-down amusement park. She adores her family, especially her uncles Rolo and Rindolf, but when she turns twelve she stumbles onto a remarkable secret. Her family members have two chances at life—they can become ghosts! It’s hard to accept that her favorite uncles are ghosts, but when Aurelie’s new friend at school reveals a dangerous plot to demolish the pier, the secret helps her confront the greatest threat her family has ever faced. "

THE HUNT FOR THE YETI SKULL: SECRET AGENT JACK STALWART by Elizabeth Singer Hunt "Jack has become the most decorated secret agent for the Global Protection Force, but during the day he’s still just an ordinary kid who has to put up with annoying people—like Marko Mayer, a new student in Jack’s rock-climbing class. When Jack and Marko race to the top of the wall, Marko stomps on Jack’s hand and wins—then has the nerve to gloat! But Jack has no time to sulk—the GPF needs him in Nepal. A plane carrying a team of scientists has gone missing over Mount Everest. They were thought to be carrying the first true Yeti skull ever recovered—proof that the legendary Abominable Snowman really existed. Jack quickly discovers that a greedy collector is behind the theft—and he may have hired Jack’s archnemesis for the job. Can Jack and his fellow agents use their climbing skills to brave the highest mountain on earth and recover the priceless skull?"

ICEFALL by Matthew J. Kirby "Trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Solveig, along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors, anxiously awaits news of her father's victory at battle. But as winter stretches on, and the unending ice refuses to break, terrible acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst. A malevolent air begins to seep through the fortress walls, and a smothering claustrophobia slowly turns these prisoners of winter against one another.

Those charged with protecting the king's children are all suspect, and the siblings must choose their allies wisely. But who can be trusted so far from their father's watchful eye? Can Solveig and her siblings survive the long winter months and expose the traitor before he succeeds in destroying a kingdom?"

THE INQUISITOR'S APPRENTICE by Chris Moriarty "The day Sacha found out he could see witches was the worst day of his life . . . Being an Inquisitor is no job for a nice Jewish boy. But when the police learn that Sacha Kessler can see witches, he’s apprenticed to the department’s star Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf. Their mission is to stop magical crime. And New York at the beginning of the twentieth century is a magical melting pot where each ethnic group has its own brand of homegrown witchcraft, and magical gangs rule the streets from Hell’s Kitchen to Chinatown. Soon Sacha has teamed up with fellow apprentice Lily Astral, daughter of one of the city’s richest Wall Street Wizards—and a spoiled snob, if you ask Sacha. Their first case is to find out who’s trying to kill Thomas Edison. Edison has invented a mechanical witch detector that could unleash the worst witch-hunt in American history. Every magician in town has a motive to kill him. But as the investigation unfolds, all the clues lead back to the Lower East Side. And Sacha soon realizes that his own family could be accused of murder!"

IVY AND THE MEANSTALK by Dawn Lairamore "Having saved her kingdom from the dastardly designs of a scheming prince in Ivy's Ever After, fourteen-year-old Princess Ivy and her dragon friend, Elridge, have little time to rest on their laurels, for Ardendale is once again being threatened. It seems that many years ago a magical harp and a hen that laid golden eggs were stolen by a youth named Jack. The rightful owner, a surly giantess who hasn't slept a wink since the thefts, needs her harp back to cure her insomnia. Otherwise Ardendale will suffer an unspeakable fate. So Ivy and Elridge set off on another fairy-tale-inspired adventure--a quest for the magical harp that takes them across the sea, into the fiery depths of a magnificent golden kingdom, and high into the clouds to the top of a vicious man-eating meanstalk."

KILLER KOALAS FROM OUTER SPACE: AND LOTS OF OTHER VERY BAD STUFF THAT WILL MAKE YOUR BRAIN EXPLODE! by Andy Griffiths "Surprise, absurdity, and laugh-out-loud humor are the hallmarks of this New York Times-bestselling author, and in Killer Koalas from Outer Space, Griffiths offers up a collection of ridiculous stories featuring zombie kittens, rocket stealing ants, and of course, killer koalas from outer space."

LIESL & PO by Lauren Oliver "Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places."

THE MASTERWORK OF A PAINTING ELEPHANT by Michelle Cuevas "Ever since he was an infant, Pigeon Jones has lived on the back of an artistically gifted white elephant named Birch. Birch is a loving father, but that doesn’t stop Pigeon from wondering about the human parents who abandoned him. Birch has dreams, too—of being a well-known artist, and of finding the acrobat he fell in love with while they performed together in a circus years ago.

And so, on Pigeon’s tenth birthday, their search for fame and lost loves begins. Pigeon and Birch paint their way across the world, dodging an evil circus ringleader, freeing zoo animals, and befriending singing hoboes along the way. But when they reach the end of their journey, Birch must master the most difficult art of all: letting go and allowing his beloved Pigeon to stand on his own two feet."

THE MISSION TO FIND MAX: SECRET AGENT JACK STALWART by Elizabeth Singer Hunt "Jack joined the Global Protection Force for two reasons: to thwart evil around the world and to rescue his brother, Max, who went missing while working as a GPF agent. The GPF refused to share any details with Jack about Max’s whereabouts, but on two previous missions, Jack had collected clues that pointed to Max is being in Egypt. Now Jack has reason to believe that King Tut’s diadem—a crown thought to have magical powers—is the cause of Max’s disappearance. The crown was so important that King Tut was buried with it on his head, but when the boy-pharaoh’s tomb was opened in 1922, an assistant archaeologist named Omar Massri stole the artifact. Could a descendant of Massri somehow be involved in Max’s disappearance? Jack and his old friend Kate must prevent an ancient and terrible curse of the pharaohs from wreaking havoc, or else Egypt—and Jack’s brother—could be doomed."

THE OTHER FELIX by Keir Graff "Felix has nightmares. Every night when he falls asleep he goes to the land of monsters, and when he wakes up he's back in his bed with mud on his feet and torn pajamas. One night Felix meets a boy who knows how to fight the monsters, a boy who looks just like him and is also named Felix. The Other Felix is a fantastical, psychological story of growing up for kids who have graduated from Where the Wild Things Are but are still fascinated by the world of dreams."

RASHOUK THE CAVE TROLL: BEAST QUEST, AMULET OF AVANTIA by Adam Blade "Fight the Beasts. Fear the Magic!

Lurking in the Dead Peaks is Rashouk the Cave Troll. The Ghost Beast smells out his victim's fear--and turns them to stone. It will take all of Tom's courage to capture Rashouk's piece of the Amulet of Avantia, but failure means never seeing his father again..."

SECRETS AT SEA by Richard Peck "In the beloved tradition of The Borrowers, The Tale of Desperaux, and The Cricket in Times Square, here is an irresistible adventure story of the tiny individuals who secretly live among us humans.

Helena is the oldest of four mouse siblings who live in the walls of the Cranston estate. It is 1887 when the nouveau riche Cranstons decide to take a cruise ship to England in search of a husband for their awkward older daughter. The Cranston mice stow away in the luggage . . . and so begins the time of their lives, as they meet intriguing, cosmopolitan mice onboard and take it upon themselves to help the human Cranston daughters find love. They might just find perfect futures for themselves as well!

Full of laughs, near-misses, and surprise, this is Richard Peck at his best and most playful."

THE SHEPHERD OF WEEDS: THE POISONS OF CAUX by Susannah Appelbaum "Back in the Kingdom of Caux after her journey to its sisterland, Ivy wakes up in a dismal orphanage alongside her friend Rue. Accompanied by a strange woman named Lumpen—who looks suspiciously like a scarecrow—the girls make their way back to Templar to plan a massive battle against the Tasters Guild, where Vidal Verjouce is making ink out of the deadly Scourge Bracken weed. Rocamadour grows darker and more dangerous with every drop.

With an army of scarecrows, a legion of birds, and her friends and uncle by her side, it's up to Ivy—the true "Shepherd of Weeds"—to wage war against the Guild, defeat her own father, and restore order to the plant world. Susannah Appelbaum's imagination soars in this stunning and utterly satisfying final volume of the Poisons of Caux trilogy."

THE SNOW MERCHANT by Sam Gayton "The Snow Merchant is a fantastic, hugely imaginative, quirky debut by Samuel Gayton. It's a story of alchemy, family and an astonishing new creation, snow."

THE SON OF NEPTUNE: THE HEROES OF OLYMPUS by Rick Riordan

"In The Lost Hero, three demigods named Jason, Piper, and Leo made their first visit to Camp Half-Blood, where they inherited a blood-chilling quest:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Who are the other four mentioned in the prophesy? The answer may lie in another camp thousands of miles away, where a new camper has shown up and appears to be the son of Neptune, god of the sea. . ."

STAN AND THE TOILET MONSTER by Steve Shreve "Stan finds a mutant chameleon egg in the sewer near his home."

A WEB OF AIR: FEVER CRUMB by Philip Reeve "The second, thrilling adventure in the Fever Crumb trilogy from the brilliant and award-winning Philip Reeve.

Two years ago, Fever Crumb escaped the war-torn city of London in a traveling theater. Now, she arrives in the extraordinary city of Mayda, where buildings ascend the cliffs on funicular rails, and a mysterious recluse is building a machine that can fly. Fever is the engineer he needs - but ruthless enemies will kill to possess their secrets."

THE WHITE ASSASSIN: THE NIGHTSHADE CHRONICLES by Hilary Wagner "Book II of the Nightshade Chronicles begins three years after Juniper and his rebel band liberated the Catacombs from Billycan's vicious control and established the democratic Nightshade City. A sense of peace has settled over Nightshade, but it is a false one. Billycan, the White Assassin, has been found deep in the southern swamps, where he now rules a horde of savage swamp rats eager to overrun Nightshade City. With the help of an ancient colony of bats and an uneasy alliance with the swamp snakes, Juniper and his council set out to thwart Billycan's plans. When a shocking secret is revealed everything changes. The fate of Nightshade City and the life of Juniper's only son depend on Juniper's decision: should he help his mortal enemy? The past resurfaces with devastating impact in this sequel to Nightshade City, a dark tale of intrigue, deception, and betrayal. "

WHY I QUIT ZOMBIE SCHOOL: GOOSEBUMPS, HALL OF HORRORS by R.L. Stine "Welcome to the Hall of Horrors, HorrorLand's Hall of Fame for the truly terrifying.

Matt was never a superstar in school, but he's definitely the most energetic and quick-witted student here. But what's up with the others? His suspicions are finally confirmed when Franny, his new friend asks, "How long have you been dead?" To his horror, Matt realizes his parents have unknowingly enrolled him in a zombie school. When Matt overhears the zombie plans to march and claim the whole city for the undead, he has to make a frightening choice- protect himself and continue his charade-or reveal his aliveness and try to save the unsuspecting alive people in the town."

A YEAR WITHOUT AUTUMN by Liz Kessler "Jenni Green’s family vacation has finally arrived! Even though she has to deal with her annoying little brother, her slightly overbearing dad, and her very pregnant mom, she gets to spend a week with her bestest friend in the world, Autumn. But twelve-year-old Jenni’s world turns upside down when she takes an old elevator to visit Autumn and discovers that everything has changed: not only is her friend in a different condo, but tragedy has struck Autumn’s family, Jenni’s mother has had her baby, and everyone is a year older. When Jenni realizes that the elevator caused her to skip a whole year, she tries to go back, but soon finds that fixing things won’t be as easy as pressing a button. How can she alter the past and keep her family and Autumn’s from falling apart? With honesty and insight, Liz Kessler explores how the bonds of family and friendship can endure through time. "

YOUNG ADULT

ALL GOOD CHILDREN by Catherine Austen
AWAKE AT DAWN: SHADOW FALLS by C. C. Hunter
A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP by David Weber
CARRIER OF THE MARK by Leigh Fallon
THE COMBINATION by Elias Carr
DARK VENGEANCE VOL. 1: SUMMER/FALL by Jeff Mariotte
THE DEATH CURE: THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner
DEVOTED: ELIXIR by Hilary Duff
EMBRACE by Jessica Shirvington
EVE by Anna Carey
EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by A.S. King
FOX & PHOENIX by Beth Bernobich
FROST by Wendy Delsol
THE GLASS SWALLOW by Julia Golding
THE GOBLIN WAR by Hilari Bell
HEAVEN AND HELL: BEAUTIFUL BEINGS by Kailin Gow
LAST DESSERTS by Megan Atwood
THE LATE BUS by Rick Jasper
OUT OF BREATH by Blair Richmond
PALACE OF THE DAMNED: THE SAGA OF LARTEN CREPSLEY by Darren Shan
PHOENIX: BEAUTIFUL DEAD by Eden Maguire
THE PRANK by Ashley Rae Harris
SILENCE: HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick
THE SLEEPWALKERS by J. Gabriel Gates
STEAMPUNK!: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FANTASTICALLY RICH AND STRANGE STORIES
edited by Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant
TRIS & IZZIE by Mette Ivie Harrison
THE TWELFTH STONE by Jana Laiz
UNFORSAKEN: BANISHED by Sophie Littlefield
VARIANT by Robison Wells

The nominations for the Cybils are open (and--when is an animal story fantasy?)

Head over to the Cybils now to nominate your favorite books from the past year!

1. published in the US or Canada only.
   
2. published Oct. 16, 2010 to Oct. 15, 2011;
3. widely available for public sale. Titles available only from book clubs or publisher websites are not eligible, for example, as we cannot obtain copies easily.
4. aimed at the youth market up to age 18. Books marketed to adult readers that may also appeal to teens are not eligible.

Here's a question I have-- when is a book with sentient animals acting as Persons and effecting the course of human events fantasy? The Cheshire Cheese Cat, which I just reviewed, has been nominated in straight middle grade; I think it's fantasy. After all, one of the mice knows how to read. Charlotte's Web--fantasy? (spiders who read) Black Beauty--not fantasy? (none of the horses knows how to read) Thoughts????

The Cheshire Cheese Cat, by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright

The Cheshire Cheese Cat, by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright, with drawings by Barry Moser (Peachtree Publishers, Oct 1, 2011), is an utterly lovely, warm and funny and tense story, highly recommended to all who love children's books, but in particular to fans of cheese and Charles Dickens.

It tells of Skilley, an alley cat with an embarrassing fondness for cheese, desperate to escape the mean streets of 19th-century London. In particular, he wants a home at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese--haunt of famous authors, home of delicious cheddar, and overrun by mice. So Skilley strikes a bargain with Pip, one of the resident mice--he will act the part of a fierce mouser, and in return, the mice will provide him with cheese....

But the path to cheese is not as easy as it might seem. For gathered at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese are an enemy tomcat, a hostile and unscrupulous barmaid, and an injured raven from the Tower of London, who must somehow be returned to his post before the British Empire falls! Observing the developing crisis is Dickens himself, desperate to find the first line for his new book....

I found it all very appealing. The personalities of the cast of characters come through most beautifully, some speaking in simple English, others exhibiting more erudition. The story is tense, and more intricate than it first appears--I found it hard to put the book down. It made me chuckle (especially the passages from Dickens' journal, and the scattered references to his books, though these will probably go right over the head of the young reader), and yet alongside the rollicking story there were thoughtful moments with real emotional resonance, believable and meaningful because the characters themselves so clearly are thinking, caring, fallible beings.

And, although it is not belabored at all, there is a message to be found here of the best kind--that one does not have to be bound by stereotypes and expectations.

"You eat cheese." The words emerged from Pinch's clenched jaws with a slow hiss.

So, he knows.

Skilly allowed himself an instant of surprise to savor how little he now cared. "Yes, I eat cheese. What's more, my truest friend in this friendless world is a mouse. And I would risk my life for him, and for that bird-" (p 211 of ARC).

And so, somewhat to my surprise, this has become one of my favorite books of 2011. That being said, I'm not sure it's for everyone--it's the sort of book that feels like it is being read aloud in one's head, somewhat portentously in places. And this emphasis on the dramatic (for instance, "The alarm turned to dread as his eyes met those of that pitiless malcontent, Pinch."), while it struck me as in keeping with the Victorian setting, might be a bit much for some.

Here's another review, at Fuse #8.

(review copy received from the publisher at BEA)

The Only Ones, by Aaron Starmer

The Only Ones, by Aaron Starmer (Delacorte, Sept. 2011, 336 pages,middle grade)

In trying to convey what this book is about, without giving too much away, because it's a book that really doesn't want to spoiled, I came up with the following comparison--it's kind of like Life As We Knew It (a disaster has struck that leaves buildings standing empty and cars crashed on the roads and canned goods free for the taking) meets Lord of the Flies (children surviving on their own without any grown-ups around, and things not working out terribly well), only with a science fiction underpinning (see that machine on the cover? that's science fiction), and for younger readers (ie, it's much less horribly harrowing than Lord of the Flies, and many characters are appealing, so it's maybe not too good a comparison, although bad things do happen).

I'm not sure how useful that is. Probably not very. But I tried.

I found it utterly fascinating, in large part because I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't even read the blurb on the back, and I vaguely thought the machine might be a space ship of some sort. The unravelling of the mystery that's at the heart of the book is most definitely best approached with no foreknowledge. So if you are reader looking for books for yourself, stop now. Things will now become more spoilerish.

Martin has had a strange life, brought up by his father in isolation on a remote island. His father is obsessed with building a complex machine of unknown purpose, and his one contact with the outside world has been through a boy who's one of the island's summer residents...who, as well as being someone to talk to, is a conduit for books. When Martin is ten, his father leaves the island to find a piece he needs for the machine, promising to come back for Martin's birthday. But only the boat returns, it is empty. And there is no one else on the island.

Martin sets out into the world himself, to try to find answers, only to find it deserted. The only people left are a group of forty or so children, who have made a community for themselves they call Xibalba, each living in his or her own house, each making a life for themselves as best they can. They are a strange and fascinating group, idiosyncratic and eccentric. And there are things they are not telling Martin.

Martin moves into his own house....and begins to unravel the truth about what happened, not just to all the other people in the world, but in Xibalba itself. And as the days pass, his mind turns to the machine his father was building, and he begins to recreate it himself. It will change everything.

There was much I enjoyed about this. The strangeness of Martin's lonely life on the island, the creepiness of a world in which almost everyone has vanished, the community (of sorts) created by the kids, and all the diverse and detailed characterizations of those kids kept me turning the pages eagerly. That being said, I never became deeply emotionally invested in any of them, perhaps because Martin, from whose 3rd person perspective we see them, is himself a somewhat detached observer (in keeping with his upbringing), and this lack of emotional connection (which might have been just me) kept me from loving the book deeply.

The solution to the mystery of what happened to everyone else is a concept I've never seen before in a book, and provides much pleasant food for thought--does it hang together? could it really work the way the author says it does? what will happen next? Most enjoyable.

It's the best sort of upper middle grade book--ie, great for an eleven year old child, and for the mg reading grown-up. The characters are at the stage of beginning to think about luv, but not quite doing anything about it yet. Difficult, sad, disturbing things happen, but not so much so as to make this too dark.

(ARC gratefully received from the author at the BEA kidlit drink night)

And now for the REAL

SPOILER

space

This is a time travel story in which none of the main characters travel through time. And since I want to put this in my list of time travel stories, I felt I had to say that....

A Monster Calls, with a visit from its author, Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls, written by Patrick Ness, inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd (Candlewick, 2011, 224 pages) is one of the most beautiful, and utterly harrowing, books I've read this year. It tells of a boy named Conor, whose mother is dying, and of the monster who comes walking into his world at night. It is dark and wild and powerful, a creature from the heart of wild magic, but it not as terrifying as the nightmare that torments Conor every night...

And it is calling on Conor for a reason.

"Conor blinked. Then blinked again. "You're going to tell me stories?"

Indeed, the monster said.

"Well-" Connor look around in disbelief. "How is that a nightmare?"

Stories are the wildest things of all, the monster rumbled. Stories chase and bite and hunt." (page 35, ARC).

And in return for the three stories, Conor must tell a fourth story--the story that he cannot face, the story of his nightmare.

All the while Conor's mother grows weaker, and Conor's life falls apart. Neither his father (back for a flying visit from America, and not much use to Conor) nor his grandmother (not at all skilled at making a sad boy feel loved) are any help.

But the monster keeps calling...until the end.

I don't know exactly what the monster's stories mean -- every time I've read them they speak differently to me. And I don't really know what the monster means either...but I do know that Conor's story, sad as it is, is beautifully told and a pleasure to read. In contrast to a number of books I've read recently, in which I got the sense that the author was deliberately writing a book for "young people," here I felt certain that the author was telling the story he had to tell, as truly as he could. Although I didn't always understand, I was willing to trust, and was repaid by a story that will stick in my mind always.

So I was honored when I was invited to ask Patrick Ness a question, and said yes, please, but then was faced with the vexing issue of what question to ask. The monster, so incredibly powerful, so enigmatic, has filled my thoughts, so this was the best question I could come up with:

Me (shyly): Might Patrick Ness be wiling to share a little about how the monster came to be? Was the monster the Green Man from the get-go, for instance? Was it ever more horrible? more emotional?

Patrick: "The short answer to your first question is actually a little bit "no" (he said, apologetically). I have a really strict rule of writing (which I always recommend to new writers when I teach), which is that no one on earth reads my first drafts. No one, not family, loved ones, agent, editor, no one. That way, my story can grow - and stumble and explore and meander - outside the eyes of anyone and find its proper shape without any self-consciousness. Often it happens, for example, that you get your very best idea 5 pages from the end, and draft two is a process of making it look like you meant that all along. But then no one needs to know that and you come out looking like a genius!

The monster grew and changed, of course it did, but the monster in the book - in all its contradictions and complexities, all its horrible ancient terrors and kindnesses - well, its mystery is part of its construction, part of its identity. I'm one of those awful, awful people who wants all of his papers burned at my death (I know, I can hear the dissents already!) but it's that old saw about how dissecting a joke is like dissecting a frog. You learn a lot about the frog, but at the end, the frog is dead. Everything I wish and hope and dream for the monster is in the book, and I'm loath to let any of his mysteries be solved...

But if you're asking as a writer, I can say that he came to be like most of my characters come to be: by listening to him talk. That's how he (and Conor and his grandma and his father...) all come first to life, by hearing exactly who they are by listening to exactly what they say. The monster's calm interest and surprise when Conor isn't afraid of him was where I knew I'd found him. The rest just became a process of setting him talking and writing down what I overheard."

Thank you very much! I loved the interchanges between Conor and the monster early in the book, when the two are getting to know each other, as it were.

"I am this wild earth, come for you, Conor O'Malley."

"You look like a tree," Conor said." (pp 34-35, ARC)

There's a fascinating discussion with Patrick Ness at educating alice, talking in more detail about many aspects of the book with two readers who lived Conor's experiences (sans monster) themselves, including more thoughts on what the monster means... or not.

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu (with bonus ARC giveaway!)

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu (Walden Pond Press, Sept 27, 2011, ages 9-12, 320 pages)

If it weren't for Jack, Hazel would be unbearably alone. She and Jack are the best possible friends, and have been for years. But then the unthinkable happens--Jack no longer cares about her. Just something that happens when kids grow up, Hazel's mom says. But Hazel knows there is more to the story than that.

And so, when Jack disappears one snowy winter's day, taken by a woman in white, in a sleigh, Hazel follows. In a fairytale world where metaphors become real, she risks everything to keep Jack from being frozen in the realm of the Snow Queen forever.

The first half of the book sets the stage for Hazel's journey, showing the reader in lovely, heart-aching words Hazel and Jack's friendship, and why it is so important to both of them. Jack makes fifth grade in a new school bearable for Hazel--though she fits in not at all, and is taunted by other kids, one quirky look from Jack gives her strength. But more importantly, with Jack, Hazel can be herself.

"Jack was the only person she knew with an imagination, at least a real one. The only tea parties he'd have were ones in Wonderland, or the Arctic, or in the darkest reaches of space. He was the only person who saw things for what they could be instead of just what they were. He saw what lived beyond the edges of the things your eyes took in. And though they eventually grew out of Wonderland Arctic space-people tea parties, that essential thing remained the same. Hazel fit with Jack." (ARC Page 21)

And when Hazel's dad left, Jack gave her his heart--a signed baseball, his most prized possession. Jack's mom is no longer there either, metaphorically speaking--she has become so depressed that she can no longer see him. So Hazel does her absolute best to make sure that she is there for him, making sure that he knows that someone still knows he is there.

And then he isn't. So Hazel crosses into the snowy wood to find him.

"Hazel had read enough books to know that a line like this one is a line down which your life breaks in two. And you have to think very carefully bout whether you want to cross it, because once you do it's very hard to get back to the world you left behind. And sometimes you break a barrier that no one knew existed, and then everything you know before crossing the line is gone.

But sometimes you have a friend to rescue. And so you take a deep breath and then step over the line and into the darkness ahead." (ARC pp 151-152)

And Hazel's adventures begin, in a frightening, magical world where every encounter has a story to it...a place from which almost no-one returns.

This is the sort of book that makes pictures in the mind to treasure. The sort of book best appreciated by those who already have all the stories they've ever read piled up in their own minds, those who sat, or sit, in fifth grade classrooms and stare out the window imagining that there is more out there than a parking lot (and get teased by classmates in consequence). Hazel's unhappiness with her life in the "real" world will call painful sympathy from that reader, and her journey into the world beyond the snowy woods will resonate most beautifully. Especially since Anne Ursu brings this part of her story to detailed, disturbing, lovely life, with words that fly of the page.

The first 150 or so pages, though, before Hazel sets off on her journey, are almost too sad to read. Hazel's unhappiness is all too sharp and clear. The pain of her father's betrayal, the pain of being a different sort of person from the kids around her, was hard reading. Part of her difference is that she was adopted, and her black hair and dark brown skin don't match her mother's light brown and white. But mostly she is different because she is Hazel, who has read and read until her mind is full of stories, who cannot find a kindred spirit among her classmates. Except, of course, for Jack.

So I suffered with Hazel during that first half of the book in the dismal winter of fifth grade, and it was a huge relief to set off into the woods! Suddenly things were real, and in color, and beautiful and deadly, and I wasn't reading a book anymore, but inside a story. And Hazel's determination to find her friend and bring him home made it a story with heart--both fierce and moving.

Highly recommended to imaginative book-lovers, who know just how important it is to find kindred spirits, especially those who don't mind reading a book that will make them ache for the central character....

There are lots of other reviews of Breadcrumbs out there, which I've linked to in my Sunday round-ups; here's another, just posted at Jen Robinson's Book Page, which I'm sharing because she liked the first half best, and I liked the second better (but we both found a quote in common)!

GIVEAWAY: I found myself with two copies of the ARC of Breadcrumbs, and so I'd like to quickly give my second away! Let me know if you'd like it in a comment by midnight EST tonight (Monday) so I can get it in the mail tomorrow!

And the winner is Jen! (I'm trying to find an email for you, Jen--please get in touch if you don't hear from me)

(and I'm also giving away, courtesy of its publisher, two copies of Amulet: The Last Council, here)

This Sunday's Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction Round-up!

Hi, and welcome to the first sff mg round-up of fall! This time next week, Cybils nominations will have opened, and (whether or not I am a panelist), I will be obsessively checking the list of what is getting nominated for mg sff! I myself don't know what I want to nominate in most of the categories--I like to hold back, and see if any books that I love still need putting forward. My one exception is Zita the Space Girl, which I am going to try to get in right at the beginning in the graphics novel category, refreshing my screen over and over as I wait for nominations to open... (Life is more fun if you make as much out of small happenings as you can).

But at any event, I'm sure that the big names of mg sff published this last October to October year will be up there--The Emerald Atlas, The Unwanteds,
Breadcrumbs, The Dragon's Tooth, Kat, Incorrigible, etc. The Cybils, though, is a wonderful place for a lesser known books to find love and attention, so I'm hoping that the list of nominations will include books I've never heard of that I fall in love with!

And now, the Reviews:

The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy, at Candace's Book Blog

Astronaut Academy, by Dave Roman, at Wandering Librarians

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, at A Patchwork of Books, Fantasy Literature, Read Now Sleep Later, and books4yourkids

The Dark City, by Catherine Fisher, at Reading Vacation

Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson, at Eva's Book Addiction

Frogspell, by C.J. Busby, at Wondrous Reads and Tor

The Girl Who Cirumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Vallente, at A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy.

Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld, at The Intergalactic Academy (a new sci fi ya blog in town!) and at Libri Dilectio

The Inside Story (Sisters Grimm), by Michael Buckley, at Biblio File

Jennifer Murdley's Toad, by Bruce Coville, at Postcards from La-La Land.

Juniper Berry, by M.P. Kozlowsky, at Middle Grade Ninja

Kittatinny: A Tale of Magic, by Joanna Russ, at Tor

The Last Council (Amulet Book 4) by Kazu Kibuishi, at Green Bean Teen Queen There's a Book (who are both giving away copies, as am I, in this post here)

Larklight, by Philip Reeve, at Anita Silvey's Book-a-day Almanac

Nightshade City, by Hilary Wagner, at Geo Librarian

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier, at ck2s kwips and kritiques

Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale, at Fantasy Literature

The Princess Curse, by Merrie Haskell, at A Backwards Story

Radiance, by Alyson Noel, at One Librarian's Book Reviews

The Rendering, by Joel Naftali, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Search for Wond-La, by Tony DiTerilizzi, at Donna St Cyr (plus giveaway)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin, at Undusty New Books

Wildwood, by Colin Meloy, at My Favorite Books

Wise Child, by Monica Furlong, at The Accidental Novelist

At Black and White, Anne's gathered a list of four fantasy books she's dubbed lesser known treasures

Authors and Interviews:

M.P. Kozlowsky (Juniper Berry) at Middle Grade Ninja

Laurel Snyder (Bigger Then a Breadbox) at From the Mixed Up Files

Bruce Hale (Chet Gecko) at From the Mixed Up Files

Other good stuff:

"Dubious Monarchy in the World of L. Frank Baum" at Oz and Ends

The LA Times celebrates 50 years of the Phantom Tollbooth

Chris Riddell's top ten author/illustrator pairings at The Gaurdian

Robin McKinley is having an auction to benefit needy church bells in England--included are signed copies of her books, and a selection of mostly out of print books by her husband, Peter Dickinson. One of Robin's books being auctioned is A Knot in the Grain, which contains one of my most loved short stories ever....and, very temptingly, a signed copy of Anne Bechelier's illustrated Rose Daughter (one illustration shown at right, but do click through here to see more)