1/7/12

The ones that got away--four mg sff books that didn't make the shortlist

Although I'm very fond of the books on the middle grade fantasy/science fiction shortlist for the Cybils, there were (as is always the case) books that I myself loved that didn't (sniff) make it. Here are four that would have made my own personal best list of the (Oct-Oct) year.

The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud. I am a huge fan of the demon Baritmaeus, and loved this book to pieces. From my review:

"Oh my gosh I enjoyed this one so very much. Not, so much, the first hundred or so pages, which were mostly Bartimaeus annoying various beings and getting into trouble, because I found Bartimaeus is hard to like when he is just one demon among many. But once Bartimaeus and Asmira get together, the sparks begin to fly! With her to provide a foil for him, Bartimaeus pushes the boundaries of standard cold-hearted demon-ness, and Stroud does a beautifully teasingly tantalizing and oh so engrossing job of making Bartimaeus sympathetic (while still demonic). And he was just the companion Asmira needed to push her out of her box of blind duty and into independent thinking. From kick-ass knife thrower without much personality, she progresses to strong young woman one can really root for."

Season of Secrets, by Sally Nicholls, which tells of a grieving girl who finds herself caught up in the age old magical violence of the changing seasons of the year. Here's what I said about this one: "I think that this is one for those readers who would, if they had to pick either Character or Plot to be marooned with on a desert island, would go with Character.

That would be me, and I thought it was a lovely book. The writing, the characters, and mix of fantasy and reality, and the mix of sadness and hope make this one of my favorites of 2011."

The Ogre of Oglefort, by Eva Ibottson. This book, her last, is my favorite of all Ibottson's books. It all hangs together just ever so delightfully, and is basically the perfect, lightly-diverting younger middle grade fantasy for me in particular. Here's my review, where I explain this in more detail.

And finally, I'd like to give a nod to Mistress of the Storm, by M.L. Welsh. This one was on my anxious list of books that hadn't yet been nominated, along with Season of Secrets; I went with Season, and was very sad that this one didn't find a champion. From my review: "There's a lovely, old-fashioned feel to this book. It's set neither firmly in the past, or in the present--there's no technology, but Verity "feels" like a modern child. The setting has a lovely solidness to it--it's a slightly not quite real place, but real in the story sense, and many of the characters are likewise reminiscent of people one might have met in other stories long ago--in an evocative, rather than an imitative, way (if that makes sense?). Verity is a classic example of the bookish outsider making good, and as such many of us will empathize with her, and cheer her on."

1/6/12

Earwig and the Witch, by Diana Wynne Jones

It was rather bittersweet on my birthday to unwrap Earwig and the Witch, by Diana Wynne Jones (June 2011 in the UK, HarperCollins, 144 pages) as it the last book she published. But I bravely enjoyed it, nonetheless, despite the fact that it is very much a book for children younger than me, which is to say elementary school kids of eight or so.

Earwig was left on the doorstep of St. Morwald's Home for Children as an infant, with the following cryptic note:

"Got the other twelve witches all chasing me. I'll be back for her when I've shook them off. It may take years Her name is Earwig."

And although the matron of the home decided that Earwig was not a suitable name, and changed it to Erica Wigg, Earwig she remained. No one ever came back to claim her, and she grew up in great contentment amoung the other orphans, particularly enjoying the company of her best friend Custard (aka John Coster). Her preternatural powers of persuasion ensure that everything runs exactly as she plans it, and so, when grownups come to visit with an eye for taken children home with them, Earwig does her best to be unappealing.

But alas for Earwig, her fate is sealed one day when a very strange couple comes to the orphanage. A couple not in the least little bit nice or ordinary, who are not in the least deterred by her efforts to appear unloveable, and who take her away with them. The woman is Bella Yaga, a witch, and the "man," known as the Mandrake, is something even more scary and powerful, so much so that even Bella Yaga is careful not to disturb them.

Trapped in her new home, and forced to slave away for Bella Yaga, grinding bones into powder and such like, Earwig wonders if she will ever get her own way again. But thanks to her indomitable spirit, and her gift for reshaping circumstances to suit herself, along with the help of Bella Yaga's familiar (a rather nice talking cat), Earwig manages to pick up just enough magic to change things for the better.

It's diverting and appealing and engaging as all get out, once one recovers from the disappointment of the largeness of the font and the generous spacing of the lines. It is classic DWJ, and I enjoyed it. In particular the character of the Mandrake was a delight--I didn't know what to make of him at all, and found him quite as frightening as Earwig did, but by the end I liked him almost best of all (though I do so wish we got to find out more about him!).

Here's a typical supper at Earwig's new home:

"And what have the demons brought us today?" Bella Yaga asked in the bright, wheedling voice she always seemed to use to the Mandrake.

"Pie and chips from Stoke-on-Trent Station Buffet," the Mandrake growled without looking up.

"I hate Station pie," said Bella Yaga.

The Mandrake looked up. His eyes were like dark pits. A spark of red fire glowed, deep down in each pit. "It's my favorite food," he said. The sparks in his eyes flickered and grew.

Earwig quite understood then why she was not to disturb the Mandrake. She was glad that he did not seem to notice she was there." (pp 47-49, with a full page illustration in between).

Whether you are a DWJ fan or not, this is a great one for any young readers, with enough zest and fun in the storytelling to make it diverting for us older fans (even though I did want more....there are many unanswered questions).

Viz the illustrations--there are lots of black and white drawings by Marion Lindsay in the UK version, which is what I read; they are fine, I guess, but I tend not to notice them when I read, and then when I go back to them, I've already made my own pictures in my mind. The U.S. version, which comes out Jan. 31, 2012, will be illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, and I'm curious to see what he makes of it all! Based on the US cover, shown at right, I'm thinking I made the right choice (for me at least) in getting the UK edition. Zelinsky's Earwig looks kind of scary herself....and she's not. I liked her lots!

1/4/12

My life as a reader--a birthday retrospective, with never before seen pictures!

Today is my birthday, and I will be getting books, as I have for every birthday. To celebrate, here's a look back at my life as a Reader.

I have suffered all my life from people bothering me when I was trying to peacefully read. This is me at the age of two, being rudely interupted while reading Fox in Socks.

I was lucky to have grown-ups in my life who read to me (my grandfather, my mother, my father), although my father liked reading us scary books just to tease us. (I am the thumbsucker on the left).


Soon I was an inveterate bookworm, reading desperately whatever was at hand. This is me, age seven, in Portugal, reading a Ladybird biography of Lord Nelson. Why did no one buy this poor child more non-fiction? I had to re-read Lord Nelson about twenty times, and am bitter to think of all the knowledge I could have painlessly absorbed. The cat is named Mitzi.

Here's another picture from Portugal, to give Satchel, the dog, a place here too, even though it looks like my big sister is the one reading.

Then we moved to the Bahamas...where I bravely ignored the garish fabrics of the 1970s and managed to get in quite a bit of peaceful reading. Mostly Enid Blyton. I am ten in this picture, and I so badly would have loved an enormous box of the middle grade fiction of today.... there was no good library, and the one bookstore had a limited selection.

We spent our summers at my grandparent's house, and I looked forward lots to going to Arlington Central Library, where I would immediately pick out my favorite re-reads. Here I am, in the top bunk, during one of those summers.

And then we moved back to Arlington ourselves, and I became a sullen adolescent reader. This is me at the age of 13 celebrating Christmas with my family, clearly throwing myself enthusiastically into the fun of it all (not). It was the early eighties by then, but textiles hadn't improved much.



I spent much of the next few years reading to escape the trauma of growing up. The book I am reading here is Nobody's Garden, by Cordelia Jones ("Two very different girls become friends and share their secrets in a deserted garden that they discover among the blitzed houses of post-war London."). I have my own copy now, and still quite like it.

Then I went to college, and read as much I could to escape having to do the work. Here I am reading Gerald Durrell's How to Shoot an Amateur Naturalist.

No one bothered to take any pictures of me reading when I was in my twenties, although I did do lots of it....mostly re-reading. I would wander into bookstores, and nothing new would appeal...very sad.

In my thirties, I began to read aloud to my two boys (note: that's just a curl, not a dead rodent, on my cheek in the picture on the left, and we know longer have Thomas stickers on our living room wall, as shown at right).

But I have still managed to find time to read lots to myself (despite someone, naming no names, saying things like "I guess, Mama, you love that book more than you do your own little child....")


Here is a picture of me last night, reading The Jewel of the Kalderash, by Marie Rutkoski, well wrapped up in blankets and woolly sweater (our house is cold) with our current cat (Kitty) on my lap:

And that is my life with books. Thank you to anyone who has ever read me a book, given me a book (with a particular nod of thanks to my dear husband, for the books of this birthday!), sat with me peacefully to read a book, or, perhaps best of all, left me all alone to read in peace....

1/3/12

The Dead Gentleman, by Matthew Cody, for Timeslip Tuesday

The Dead Gentleman, by Matthew Cody (Knopf, 2011, mg, 288 pages)

In 1901, an eleven year old New York street urchin named Tommy Learner steals an unexpected prize--a mechanical bird. The bird was about to fall in the hands of the Dead Gentleman, an undying villain bent of the destruction of all living beings...but when Tommy makes off with it, the Gentleman's plans are (for the moment) foiled. And Tommy attracts the attention of the Explorers Guild, a secret society dedicated to the explorations of portals between a myriad of worlds, and begins a life of monster hunting, steampunk-esque submarine excursions, and mystery.

But one day, in the basement of an old hotel, a simple monster hunting mission goes horribly wrong. And Tommy is trapped....until, over a hundred years later, Jezebel, a bored and lonely modern-day girl living in the hotel, decides to explore the basement of the hotel, and sets in motion a chain of events that frees him. Now the two children, traveling through time and space, must keep the bird from the Dead Gentleman and his minions of Grave Walkers. No members of the Explorers Guild survive to help them. Fortunately, time is on their side (along with some nifty gadgets!).

I was sold on the premise--steampunk science-fiction time-travel adventure with kids! And I was not disappointed.

At first Tommy and Jezebel have separate stories (they are, after all, in different time periods), and it's not at all clear how Tommy's life as street urchin turned explorer's apprentice, and Jezebel's life as vaguely unhappy modern child, made infinitely more unhappy when her closet becomes a portal that disgorges monsters, are going to intersect. But I had no objection to this separation--I enjoyed getting to know each of them individually before the Big Adventure really got going. And Cody does a nice job with them--their personalities are nicely developed, and their struggles with friendship, loyalty, and escaping terrible death are convincing!

The science fiction elements (cool gadgets, travel to other worlds, supernatural undead villains) are certainly front and center, but not in a pushy way; not so much as to put off the kids who think they like their adventure stories science fiction free (edited to add: although certainly the ideal reader has to have a tolerance for the wildy fantastical!). The villain is, perhaps, a tad too utterly horrible to be swallowed without a pinch of salt, but he's not out of place in a book that clearly sets out to enjoy the impossible (although I must say legions of undead minions aren't really my thing).

The cover does a really nice job of capturing this spirit--note in particular the skulls in the goggles. If the cover appeals, you'll probably enjoy this lots. I'd give it to fans of Artemis Fowl, and Matthew Kirby's The Clockwork Three, but am not entirely satisfied that those are the best read-alikes--strangely (sarcasm font) I am not coming up with anything else in the way of middle grade steampunk sci fi adventure involving travel through both time and space!

It's a satisfactory stand-alone, but there's an opening left for a sequel, absolute evil being tricky to defeat absolutely. Although this isn't my own personal favorite type of book (what with aforementioned legions of undead minions), I myself wouldn't say no to more adventures for Tommy and Jez!

1/2/12

Winterling, by Sarah Prineas

In Winterling, which comes out tomorrow (Jan 3, 2012) from Harper Collins, Sarah Prineas has done something very nice indeed. She's taken a story whose elements might seem old hat to many of us adults, and made it into one that I can imagine will be a touchstone for young readers beginning their own enchanted journeys.

Fer, short for Jennifer, is happiest out in the woods beyond the snug safety of her grandmother's house...at school, with its taunting classmates and the muzzy-headedness that overwhelms her, she is an outsider, and even the coziness of the small house where she lives, with its beehives and herbal workroom, is confining.

And then one day, wandering into the dark woods just as winter seems to be giving way to spring, Fer rescues a strange boy from the savage attack of three wolves...and magic enters her life. Her grandmother had been keeping secrets from her; secrets that will change everything.

“We live here, my girl, because it is close to the Way, and echoes of its magic are felt in our world. The Way is a path leading to another place, where the people are governed by different rules. Magic runs through them and their land.”

But that land is cursed by the dark power of the Mor, who promises to bring an end to a winter that has lasted too long...with blood of those pursued by her wild hunt. Fer, all unwitting, has opened a way into this land, and when she learns that her parents were lost there long ago, she sets out to find them. In a land of magical creatures (not least of whom is the "boy" Fer had rescued, whose fate becomes tangled with hers), Fer must confront the evil beguilement's of the Mor, and find her true self...or doom the land to never ending winter.

Basically, here's an orphan girl with a magical destiny, aided and thwarted by magical creatures, pitted against a dark queen of a fairy-esque realm where the natural order of things has gone badly awry. As I said, it isn't all that "new" a story, on the face of it.

There were moments where the pictures made in my mind--of Fer riding through the winter sky, the "wilding" of the land's people, slipping unwilling into animal shape as the blight grows stronger, of the blood shed by the wild hunt, when I forgot I wasn't the target audience, and simply enjoyed it for my own sake. Questions thrice asked and oaths thrice sworn, a seeing stone that reveals truth when you look through it, and the shapeshifterish magic of the land's inhabitants were a great pleasure to read about. Being me, I especially liked the herbal healing elements! And I liked Fer as a central character just fine, with her hair that keeps getting untidy and her pluckiness and her willingness to do the right thing.

That being said, there were also moments when I found Fer and her magical destiny almost too much to swallow, probably because I could guess where things were headed....

But oh, to be ten and to read this! To be given such an escape from the stifling confines of school and growing up, to lose oneself in the story and become Fer, magical and meaningful and able to stand up for what is right against dark powers (with the added bonus of a cool horse friend)...that would be something wonderful indeed.

I think ten is just the right age for this (or even a tad younger)--there's a reader-friendly, companionable feel to the writing, the darkness is enough to thrill and chill without being too disturbing, and the magic should delight.

New releases of fantasy and science fiction for kids and teens--the first half of January, 2012 edition

Here are the new releases of fantasy and sci fi for kids and teens from the first half of January, 2012. My information comes from the handy release date calendar at Teens Read Too, and the blurbs (sorry, only had time for middle grade), from Amazon/Goodreads (a few I didn't find blurbs for).

I myself am tempted to rush out to buy the new Dragonbreath book...

Elementary/Middle Grade

ALIEN by Tony Bradman
"Jake's squad have now joined forces with the Krell in the war against The Old Ones and The Krell Elders. Will they ever manage to beat the grown ups and end the war? This is a final instalment in a thrilling sci-fi trilogy. Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic readers."

BEAST CHILD: VOYAGES OF THE FLYING DRAGON by Ben Chandler
"Lenis and Missy Clemens have found their freedom aboard the airship Hiryu, but are they ready for the responsibilities that come with determining their own fates? Hard on the trail of the mercenary Karasu, the man who holds the keys to unlocking Suiteki's power, the twins face the realities of their own growing abilities. Their search for Karasu takes them to Heiligland, where Missy has to decide which is more important—the safety of an entire nation or her own sense of right and wrong. As she relies more and more on the powers of the Quillblade, her brother grows distant, shunning the bizarre connection that binds the Clemens twins together. When they meet Kanu, a young boy from the distant past who just might hold the key to who they are, the twins must decide whether to embrace their destiny or be torn forever apart."

BELLE THE BIRTHDAY FAIRY: RAINBOW MAGIC by Daisy Meadows "Birthdays are special days -- thanks to Belle the Birthday Fairy! She makes sure that birthdays are filled with happiness and magic. But icy Jack Frost can't even enjoy his own birthday! He's determined that no one else will enjoy it either, so he steals Belle's three magic charms. Now it's a very unhappy birthday to . . . everyone! Can Rachel and Kirsty help save birthday bashes everywhere? Or is Belle's magic lost forever? Find the magic items in all three stories inside this Rainbow Magic Special Edition and help save birthdays!"

THE CABINET OF EARTHS by Anne Nesbet "On their first day in Paris, Maya and her little brother, James, find themselves caught up in some very old magic. Houses with bronze salamanders for door handles, statues that look too much like Maya’s own worried face, a man wearing sunglasses to hide his radiant purple eyes . . . nothing is what it seems. And what does all that magic want from Maya?

With the help of a friendly boy named Valko, Maya discovers surprises hidden in her family tree—grandmothers who walked in magic, a cousin so unremarkable she’s actually hard to see, and a terrible family habit of betraying one’s brother. And now the shimmering glass Cabinet of Earths, at the heart of all these secrets, has chosen Maya to be its new Keeper. As she untangles the ties between the Salamander House, the purple-eyed man, and the Cabinet of Earths, Maya realizes that her own brother may be in terrible danger. To save him, Maya must take on the magical underworld of Paris . . . before it is too late."

CENTAURS: GRAPHIC MYTHICAL CREATURES by Gary Jeffrey

COLE - NINJA OF EARTH: NINJAGO by Greg Farshtey
"The next chapter book in the Ninjago series! Cole is the leader of the team. As the Earth Ninja, he is (perhaps unsurprisingly) the most grounded of the four. And the strongest. There is no physical challenge Cole cannot overcome. Now is his chance to use his skills to save the world!"

DESIRABLE by Frank Cottrell Boyce
"George is a social reject - but the mysterious bottle of aftershave means women can't resist him! How will George cope with his new-found popularity? A laugh-out-loud comedy. Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic readers."

DON'T SCREAM!: GOOSEBUMPS, HALL OF HORRORS by R.L. Stine "Welcome to the Hall of Horrors, HorrorLand's Hall of Fame for the truly terrifying. Jack Harmon finds a cell phone on the school bus. He raises the phone to his ear and hears a girl's voice: "Hi, Jack. Don't scream. I've been waiting for you. I'm your new friend." Jack thinks it's a joke. He tries to end the call, then turn the phone off, but the girl's voice won't go away: "Don't make me angry, Jack. I'm warning you." Jack is puzzled and a little frightened. He must obey her every wish. She appears in all sorts of electronic devices-he can't escape her. "Don't scream, Jack. I'm just a voice. But you're going to be my body." She begins to force him to do dangerous things like stealing a laptop from school. But Jack finally outwits the voice when she jumps into his wristwatch. The school bully has been after that watch all year, so Jack finally lets him have it."

FIREBIRDS: GRAPHIC MYTHICAL CREATURES by Gary Jeffrey

THE GHOST BOX by Catherine Fisher
"Sarah finds herself responsible for freeing the soul of a frustrated ghost, who will punish her severely if she fails. Everything depends on her unlocking the strange silver box that appeared in her room one night. But will freeing the ghost turn out to be a huge mistake? And why is Matt, her weird Goth stepbrother, so interested in the box? Supernatural tale that will make readers want to leave the light on - A cracking ghost story."

GENIE SCHOOL: TWEENIE GENIE by Meredith Badger
"Having passed Stage One of her training with flying colors, Poppy is eager to return to Genie School and see all her friends, especially her trainer, Lexi. But Stage Two of genie training holds some serious surprises for Poppy. Only one of her friends is in her class, and her new mentor is jealous of her success. When a forbidden carpet race threatens to get her expelled from the genie world forever, Poppy has to wonder: Is she destined to be ordinary after all?"

GOBLINS: GRAPHIC MYTHICAL CREATURES by Gary Jeffrey

IMMORTAL WAR: VAMPIRATES by Justin Somper "A bloody war is raging across the oceans, with the Pirate Federation and Nocturnals in alliance against the renegade Vampirates, led by Sidorio and Lola. Nothing will stop either one from making their presence dangerously known in battle.
Connor and Grace Tempest each have important roles to play in the war - he as a pirate warrior at the heart of the fight; she as a powerful healer working with the war-wounded. As the twins face their greatest challenges to date, old allies and foes return to play their part in the ultimate battle of Pirate versus Vampirate."

THE INVISIBLE TOWER: OTHERWORLD CHRONICLES by Nils Johnson-Shelton "Part of the spell has already been broken. The first stones have begun to crumble. In Artie Kingfisher’s world, wizards named Merlin, fire-breathing dragons, and swords called Excalibur exist only in legends and lore—until the day his video game Otherworld springs to life. You are special, Arthur, Says the mysterious message in his game. "

JAY - NINJA OF LIGHTNING: NINJAGO by Greg Farshtey
"The next book in the Lego Ninjago Chapter Book series! Jay is much like the element he represents: fast and full of energy. Always good in a fight, always up for a laugh, and always, always inventing. Even if those inventions don't always turn out the way he wants!"

KILLER GENES: AN ARCTIC6 ADVENTURE by C T Furlong
"The US President is fighting for his life! Mysterious lights, an inexplicable illness and a deadly plague plunge the ARCTIC6 into another exciting adventure. When the friends stumble across a research facility hidden deep in the Suffolk countryside, they discover an insane plot in which the lives of millions are at stake. As they work to unravel the secrets of the facility, a deadly countdown is ticking. Can they prevent a global disaster? Do they have time to save the lives that hang in the balance? Will they even have time to save themselves??"

KILLER STAR: AN ARCTIC6 ADVENTURE by C T Furlong "With oil and gas reserves running out, and nuclear fission contaminating the planet, Nuclear Fusion seems like a good option for our future energy needs. Scientists at a nuclear fusion facility are about to create a star on earthA". The only problem is - the scientists have made a flaw in their calculations, which means the star could supernova. The ARCTIC 6 are contracted by an undercover government agency to infiltrate the facility and sabotage the experiment. Captured during their mission, they are told that their information is false. If they continue with their sabotage plans, they will set the clock back thirty years. And the world doesn't have thirty years of oil reserves. Who do they believe? Who would you believe? Would you be able to make that choice?"

LUNA THE MOON WOLF: BEAST QUEST, AMULET OF AVANTIA by Adam Blade
"Tom must battle the most dangerous Ghost Beasts yet! At night, the Dead Wood comes alive with wild animals made ferocious by the spell of Luna the Moon Wolf. To save his father, Tom must collect the pieces of the Amulet of Avantia-which means battling Luna's murderous magic..."

THE MAD MASK: ARCHVILLAIN by Barry Lyga "Things haven't been going well for Kyle since Mighty Mike became the new town hero. He's pretty sure he could fix this disaster if he could expose Mike's secret (he's an alien), but to do that Kyle would have to admit he is the Azure Avenger -- the unintentional town archvillain. One night a new masked hero, aptly named the Mad Mask, arrives, boasting to the Azure Avenger of an off-the-charts IQ and superior superpowers. Yet the Mad Mask has come seeking intellectual assistance in building Ultitron (the robot of all robots). In exchange he offers to allow the Azure Avenger to use the awesome Ultitron to rid the world, or at least Bouring, of Mighty Mike. Forging alliances isn't usually Kyle's style, but it seems he has no choice. While Kyle agrees to help, he also has another plan: finding out who the Mad Mask is and how he got his powers. Because the last thing the Azure Avenger needs is another mindless archvillain hanging around town!"

MERMAIDS: GRAPHIC MYTHICAL CREATURES by Gary Jeffrey

MUTANT by Theresa Breslin
"There's something strange going on at the Genetic Clone Unit - but can Shaun find out what? A timely and chilling story about cloning. Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic readers."

REVENGE OF THE HORNED BUNNIES: DRAGONBREATH by Ursula Vernon "Ride 'em, cowboy! Danny's off to summer camp! Danny Dragonbreath is counting down the days to his awesome western summer camp . . . until he gets the terrible news that his annoying younger cousin Spencer is going too. Good-bye, Danny the Cowboy; Hello, Danny the Babysitter. But when Spencer befriends a mythical jackalope (or horned bunny) and then uncovers a diabolical jackalope-napping ring, things start looking up again. After all, if you need a math problem solved, you call a nerd. But if you need a villainous ring of horned-bunnynappers broken up, you call Danny Dragonbreath. The sixth book in this laugh-until-smoke-comes-out-of- your-nose series is perfect for Wimpy Kid fans everywhere."

ROTTEN RULES: DIARY OF A ZOMBIE KID by Fred Perry & David Hutchison "As a reward for being S-Mart''s most efficient (and scariest) security guard ever, Bill Stokes'' zombified mother wins "Employee of the Month" and a free trip to the Diamond Lake Summer Camp for her zombified son! But when the older kids decide to scare the beetles out of the junior campers by bringing to life the tale of "Rotten Rod" and his "rotten rules", the worm turns, and their fun becomes a series of zombie night frights!"

SCIENCE FICTION: FACT TO FICTION by David Orme
What is science fiction? Who invented it? What kinds of science fiction stories are there? Are aliens science fiction, or are they real? Then find out about some amazing science fiction inventions, such as robots and matter transmitters. Is time travel possible, or is that just science fiction? Then read The City: a science fiction story set in the future. It's a world of half-people, half robots, where the Control Zone is in charge of everything. This is one of a series on books on popular non-fiction topics. As with other books in the series, a full colour non-fiction section is followed by a fiction story based upon the topic. The story appears in two formats: one with simple texts for poor or reluctant readers; the facing pages contain an illustrated "speech bubble" version for those who are just starting to read.

SECRET OF THE PRINCE'S TOMB: THE IMAGINATION STATION by Marianne Hering & Marshal Younger
"Cousins Patrick and Beth accidentally push the Imagination Station’s red button. They land in Egypt, where they befriend two children who are second cousins: a boy named Gilead and a girl named Sherah. The family is in turmoil because Gilead and Sherah’s great-grandfather has just died. Their grandfathers are arguing over who gets control of the family palace. Patrick and Beth witness the grand Egyptian burial, help Gilead and Sherah learn to get along better, and explore the city of Aramis with its ancient wonders and Egyptian customs. All the while Patrick and Beth are trying to figure out how to get back to Whit’s End. As they are leaving Egypt, they realize that the funeral they attended was for the biblical Joseph."

SHOWOFF by Gordon Korman
"The fourth SWINDLE book, centering around a dog show that goes horribly awry! The heroes of SWINDLE, ZOOBREAK, and FRAMED are back - and this time, things have gone to the dogs! When Luthor goes berserk at a mall dog show, he's accused of ruining the career of the three-time best-in-show beagle. Griffin always knew that Luthor's viciousness was simmering just below the surface - so why does he feel bad enough to spring him from the pound? Griffin and his team have a new plan. This one involves New York City, a sinister saboteur, a reclusive dog-trainer who's quit the business, an international dog show, and a whole lot of red dye. But if they pull it off, no one will even notice their sting operation...right?"

SLUDGMENT DAY: THE ZOMBIE CHASERS by John Kloepfer "The maul of America! It’s been two days since a zombie virus turned Zack Clarke’s parents, neighbors, and most of the country into brain-munching fiends. Zack and his crew of Zombie Chasers—Rice, Madison, Ozzie, and Zoe—are ready to end this nightmare once and for all! With the antidote in hand, the gang sets off on a wild cross-country road trip to defeat the evil genius behind the zombie apocalypse. After battling undead Elvis in Memphis, ghoulish tourists at a rest stop, and a crew of zweenyboppers at the Mall of America, the Zombie Chasers are still only halfway there! Will Sludgment Day be the dawn of the dead?"

THYME RUNNING OUT: THE TARTAN OF THYME by Panama Oxridge
"As the threat of the Thyme Curse closes in on Justin's family, his life is once again thrown into complete turmoil. Will he finally unmask Agent X and his spy? Has Evelyn Garnet stolen his wristwatch? What's making Eliza the gorilla act so aggressively? Why is Sir Willoughby planning a secret trip in the time machine? And where has Justin's sister, Robyn, mysteriously vanished to? Only Nanny Verity knows the truth - but can she be found before it's too late?"

TOP 10 MYTHICAL CREATURES by Lori Polydoros

UNICORNS: GRAPHIC MYTHICAL CREATURES by Gary Jeffrey

VAMPIRES: GRAPHIC MYTHICAL CREATURES by Gary Jeffrey

WHO CUT THE CHEESE?: DOCTOR PROCTOR'S FART POWDER by Jo Nesbo "This time the adventure includes aliens, disappearing socks, an American Idol style talent show, and a plot to takeover the world . . . nothing that some well-timed farts can't help fix."

WINTERLING by Sarah Prineas
“We live here, my girl, because it is close to the Way, and echoes of its magic are felt in our world. The Way is a path leading to another place, where the people are governed by different rules. Magic runs through them and their land.”

With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn’t belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he’s really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land.

Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the MÓr rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter.

WOLF by Tommy Donbavand "Adam thinks today is going to be like any other. When his fingers start to ache, he thinks he's been playing the computer too long. He's wrong. When he grows claws, fur and a tail he realises he's turning into a werewolf! And he soon realises his parents aren't animal lovers! Particularly suitable for dyslexic, reluctant and struggling readers."

THE WRATH OF DARTH MAUL: STAR WARS by Ryder Windham "The most anticipated Star Wars biography yet! One of the most feared villains of all time. One of the most iconic characters of the Star Wars saga. One incredible story. Features new, never-before-told secrets about Darth Maul!"

ZERO TO HERO: GHOST BUDDY by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver "Billy Broccoli is new to the neighborhood, and wants cool friends and a spot on the baseball team more than anything. But the one thing he never wanted is his own personal ghost. So imagine his surprise when he ends up sharing a room with Hoover Porterhouse, a funny ghost with a whole lot of attitude.

When an obnoxious school bully sets out to demolish Billy, the Hoove comes up with a plan for revenge. It’s all in the Hoove’s Rule Number Forty-Two: Stay cool. And like it or not, Billy and the Hoove have to stick together if Billy ever wants to get in style, get even, and conquer the school."


YOUNG ADULT

THE ALCHEMY OF FOREVER: INCARNATION by Avery Williams
ALIENATION: A C.H.A.O.S. NOVEL by Jon S. Lewis

BLOODROSE: A NIGHTSHADE NOVEL by Andrea Cremer
CHARMFALL: A NOVEL OF THE DARK ELITE by Chloe Neill
CINDER: THE LUNAR CHRONICLES by Marissa Meyer
DARKNESS FALLS: IMMORTAL BELOVED by Cate Tiernan
DRAGONSWOOD by Janet Lee Carey
DREAMING AWAKE: FALLING UNDER by Gwen Hayes
FANGTASTIC by Lucienne Diver
FATED by Sarah Alderson
THE FIRES OF NEW SUN: A BLENDING TIME NOVEL by Michael Kinch
THE GATHERING STORM: THE KATERINA TRILOGY by Robin Bridges
HUSH, HUSH: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by Becca Fitzpatrick
JESSICA RULES THE DARK SIDE by Beth Fantaskey
MEMORY BOY by Will Weaver
A MILLION SUNS: AN ACROSS THE UNIVERSE NOVEL by Beth Revis
THE NEXT FULL MOON by Carolyn Turgeon
PANDEMONIUM by Chris Wooding
REVEALING EDEN: SAVE THE PEARLS by Victoria Foyt
RUN: A SUBJECT SEVEN NOVEL by James A. Moore
SHADOW'S EDGE by Maureen Lipinski
SWITCHED: THE TRYLLE TRILOGY by Amanda Hocking
UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi

1/1/12

My New Year, so far

Number of books read in 2011: 1 (Winterling, by Sarah Prineas. Very good)

Number of books that I was really enjoying reading until it got lost somewhere in the house and the only way to find it (since obvious wandering around looking behind radiators didn't work) is to read all the loose books in the house: 1 (Blue Skies and Gunfire, by K.M. Peyton; WW II. The girl had just been evacuated to the countryside and was learning about Rural Life, and then I went and lost it. Snarl).

Home renovation tasks completed: 0

Home renovation tasks worked on in a dilettantish sort of way: 5 (including two bags of trash from the barn. Every New Year's Day we try to throw things from the barn away. It was packed to the gills with horrible mounds of junk, and although we sprang for a dumpster back in Year 1, it only scratched the surface. And none of it was valuable treasure; even the tin trunk of books was disappointing (the only book of any interest was Brenda Starr: Girl Reporter).

New Year's Resolutions:

To comment more on other blogs without suffering great angst over whether I sound sane or not.

To put away one book a day, whether on a shelf or in the sadder sense, ala aged animals (we did find several boxes of bullets (!!!!) in our barn cleaning today. We showed them to the boys (They've watched Mythbusters, so they've heard of them). I didn't see my first bullet until I was 18 and learned how to shoot on an archaeological dig in Alaska (shooting skills required because of bears). But in any event we have no gun, and I do not think I could ever shoot any book I've let into my house).

To keep track of the books that I read (I am looking into goodreads for this) so that for once in my life I will finally know how many books I read a year, and then the next year I can get all competitive with myself and try to read more.

Wish me luck, and good luck to all the rest of you with your own 2012s! Now I have to go find a book to put away...

The Happy New Year edition of my weekly round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy

Happy New Year!

The most exciting news of the week (mg sff book wise) is the announcement of the Cybils shortlists! I hope you all are pleased with the books us mg sff panelists chose--we could have made the list ever so much longer, what with all the great books published this year, but we managed to bringing it down to the following seven:

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu
Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George
Icefall, by Matthew Kirby
A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness
The Cheshire Cheese Cat, by Carmen Agra Deedy
Dragon Castle, by Joseph Bruchac
The Inquisitor's Apprentice, by Chris Moriarty

As usual, I am glad I am not a final round judge. I do not know which one I would pick. The full list of all short-listed books can be found here.

On a much sadder note--before getting into the real round-up, I wanted to take a moment to say goodbye to three friends of mg sff who left us in 2011--Diana Wynne Jones, Anne McCaffrey, and Ben Boos. Ben Boos, for those who might not know, was the author and illustrator of two beautiful books--Swords (my review) and Fantasy: An Artist's Realm (my review). His loss is especially sad, because he was so young.

The Reviews (a longish list, because I didn't do a round-up on Christmas day; please let me know if I missed yours!)

Bliss, by Kathryn Littlewood, at Book Aunt

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, at Book-A-Day Almanac, One Librarian's Book Reviews, and Fantasy Literature

Dog Whisperer: Storm Warning, at TheHappyNappyBookseller

The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens, at Jean Little Library

The Flint Heart, by Katherine Paterson and John Paterson, at books4yourkids

The Grimm Legacy, by Polly Shulman, at books4yourkids

Icefall, by Matthew Kirby, at Good Books and Good Wine

The Inquitior's Apprentice, by at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The Jewel of the Kalderash, by Marie Rutkoski, at TheHappyNappyBookseller

The Magic Cake Shop, by Meika Hashimoto, at Book Aunt

Nicholas North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, by William Joyce and Laura Geringer, at Wicked Awesome Books

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The Seige of Macindaw, by John Flanagan, at Karissa's Reading Review

Seven Sorcerers, by Caro King, at Charlotte's Library

Sidekicks, by Dan Santat, at Literate Lives

A Tale of Two Castles, by Gail Carson Levine, at Jean Little Library

The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann, at Page in Training and The Musings of a Book Addict

Winterling, by Sarah Prineas, at Good Books and Good Wine and Ms. Martin Teaches Media

The Wizard of Dark Street, by Shawn Thomas Odyssey, at books4yourkids

A two for one post at Postcards from La-La Land: Sir Seth Thistlethwaite and the Soothsayer’s Shoes, by Richard Thake, and Canadian Flyer Adventures: Beware, Pirates! by Frieda Wishinsky.

Authors and Interviews:

Sarvenaz Tash (The Mapmaker and the Ghost) at Stacked

Other good stuff:

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, at NPR's Backstreet Book Club

Starting tomorrow, Deb at Just Deb is hosting a week long Marvelous Middle Grade Readathon. I'm giving away two ARCs to one participant--The Book of Wonders, by Jasmine Richards,
and Fairy Lies, by E.D. Baker.

And finally, may we all find happiness, wonder, wisdom, and refugee in the books we read in 2012! (art by Guy Laramee, found at Paranthetical).

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