The elementary/middle grade speculative fiction books reviewed by School Library Journal that aren't in the Kirkus list I made

After publishing my updated Kirkus list of Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction books (with an eye to Cybils nominations), I was filled with doubt regarding all the books that Kirkus didn't review.  So I went to the  School Library Journal's monthly lists of books they reviewed and pulled out the ones that looked eligible (no guarantees, though--I was trying to move along quickly).

So if you haven't yet nominated a book in EMG SF, maybe one of these is the book for you!  The ones already nominated are in green.

December

KELLY, Jacqueline. Return to the Willows.

January

BAUER, Hans & Catherine Masciola. Fishtale

February

BURGESS, V. L. The Mapmaker’s Sons

NEIMARK, Gillian. The Golden Rectangle. 

ODYSSEY, Shawn Thomas. The Magician’s Tower. 

RESNICK, Jacqueline. The Daring Escape of the Misfit Menagerie. 

THOMSON, Jamie. Dark Lord: The Early Years.

March

KARCHUT , Darby. Finn Finnegan. 

LERANGIS , Peter. The Colossus Rises. 

MAGNIN , Joyce. Cake: Love, Chickens and a Taste of Peculiar.

April

HOLUB , Joan & Suzanne Williams. Poseidon and the Sea of Fury.

NYLUND , Eric. Titan Base. Bk. 3. 276p. (The Resisters Series)

 

THOMPSON , Paul B. The Fortune-Teller. 

May

GRIFFITHS, Andy. The 13-Story Treehouse. 

HOLT, Christopher. The Vanishing. Bk. 1.  (The Last Dogs Series). 

WINDHAM, Ryder with Jason Fry. Battle Mountain. Bk. 2. 260p. (Transformers Classified Series)

June

BRADLEY, Timothy J. Infestation.

 

KROSOCZKA, Jarrett J. The Frog Who Croaked. 

 

MATTHEWS, Patrick. Dragon Run. 

 

OLIVER, Lin & Theo Baker. The Shadow Mask.

 

July

DANESHVARI, Gitty. Ghoulfriends Just Want to Have Fun. Bk. 2.

 

HAIG, Matt. To Be a Cat.

HOLT, Christopher. Dark Waters. Bk. 2.. (The Last Dogs Series).

 

YOLEN, Jane &  Adam Stemple. The Hostage Prince. 

August

FAGAN, Cary. Danny, Who Fell in a Hole.

KAPLAN, Bruce Eric. Cousin Irv from Mars.

LUBAR, David. Numbed! 

SALANE, Jeffrey. Lawless. Bk. 1. 277p. (Lawless Series).

SODERBERG, Erin. The Quirks: Welcome to Normal.

SUTCLIFFE, William. The Wall. 

September

GEORGE, Jessica Day. Wednesdays in the Tower. 

JARVIS, Robin. Dark Waters of Hagwood.

KELLEY, Jane. The Desperate Adventures of Zeno and Alya.

SACKETT, Frances. The Misadventures of the Magician’s Dog. 

 October

AMATEAU, Gigi. Macadoo of the Maury River

BATES, Ron. How to Make Friends and Monsters.

CURTIS, Vanessa. The Haunting of Tabitha Grey.

ELSE, Barbara. The Queen and the Nobody Boy: A Tale of Fontania. 

FITZGERALD, Sarah Moore. Back to Blackbrick.

HOBBS, Valerie. Wolf

RIMES, Raleigh. Dinosaurology: The Search for a Lost World. illus. by G. Blythe et al. 30p. (Ologies Series).

Ripley's Believe It of Not--Dare to Look, starring Camilla the Space Chicken

My mind has been distracted and confused (more so than usual) by the busy-ness of organizing the Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Cybils nominations, and (the Shame!) by the fact that, thanks to a tweet a while back from Liz, I have discovered Candy Crush on Facebook.  Sigh. 

Happily today I have a book received from review that is fairly straightforward to write about--it's more a "this book is in the world" post.

Dare to Look is the latest offering from Ripley's (September 10, 2013), and if you have seen one of their books, you'll have a good idea of the mind candy/image and fact explosion/startling, disturbing, fascinating content that these books offer.  This one is no exception.   Some things are grotesque, like the guy who holds the record for most clothes pegs attached to the face--161, some are scary, like a Swedish evil clown who gets hired to terrify children at birthday parties, and some are very side-show-esque, like a real "wolf boy"--a man suffering from "werewolf" syndrome, and a man who ended up with a big toe where his thumb should be, and vice versa....

I myself enjoy the more historical trivia sort of facts than the "freakish" ones; I can't help but feel a bit voyeuristic looking into the eyes of the Wolf Boy, for instance.   On the other hand, he's making a living from his difference, and it was his choice to be in the book...so it might well be the sort of thing that could lead to a Profitable Discussion with a handy child about how strange and quirky things happen in some people's bodies and, those these things might be odd, they are superficial differences and there it is, and one says "huh" (or other interested but not judgemental noise) and moves on.

Although I get a bit dizzy reading the Ripley's books cover to cover, I do enjoy dipping into them.  Here is something that I had somehow missed at the time--in March of 2012 Camilla the rubber chicken was launched by NASA to the edge of space to test levels of radiation during an intense solar storm.   I think it is great that NASA has a sense of humor, and I truly appreciate that someone make her a knitted sweater.  (She parachuted safely back to Earth).

(image from NASA's image of the day website, which, for some strange reason (sarcasm) isn't loading today).

Disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

Wondering what to nominate for the Cybils in Elementary/Middle Grade speculative fiction? A list of Kirkus reviewed books

Just over eighty  books have been nominated for the Cybils so far in Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction (for which I'm category organizer and panelist).  And although it would be perfectly possible to make a great short list from just those books, there are many more out there! 

I've been trolling through Kirkus' reviews from October 16 2012 to today, and have compiled a list of what looked eligible at a quick glance (you might well have seen the earlier version of this, and I'll be updating this through the 15th, the last day of eligibility for this year).   There are lots of fine books that Kirkus didn't review, of course, but I can't see how I'd find them all to list them....so no offense intended to those books.  And I can't promise I didn't make mistakes.

I don't actually want all these books nominated (and a Cybils nomination should mean that someone really truly loved the book); instead, I think of this as a useful tool in reminding people (such as me) of books that might otherwise be forgotten. 

I've marked the ones that are already nominated in green, and I'll mark new nominations thus as they come in.  If the title's in blue, that means I put the link in to the Kikus review, and the green-ness of the author has to indicate that it's been nominated!

The Vengekeep Prophecies, by Brian Farrey

The Maelstrom, by Henry H. Neff

The Twinning Project, by Robert Lipsyte

"Who Could that Be At This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket

Hollow Earth, by John Barrowman and Carole E. Barrowman

The Secret Prophecy, by Herbie Brennan

Curse of the Thirteenth Fey, by Jane Yolen

Divide and Conquer, by Carrie Ryan

Super, by Matthew Cody

Here Where the Sunbeams are Green, by Helen Phillips

Darwen Arkwright and the Insidious Bleck, by A.J.Hartley

The Lost King, by Ursula Jones

Heroes of Mercy Hall, by Garth Edwards

Secrets of Mercy Hall, by Garth Edwards

The Steam Mole, by Dave Freer (YA?)

The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon, by S.S. Taylor

Fire Prophet, by Jerel Law

Magicalamity, by Kate Saunders

Zombie Kid, by Scott J. Savage

Shadow Breakers, by Daniel Blythe

If the Shoe Fits, by Sarah Mlynowski

The Lost Heir, by Tui T. Sutherland

The Shadow Mask, by Lin Oliver and Theo Baker

How to Scare the Pants off your Pets, by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

Quest for the Spark, Book Three, by Tom Sniegoski

The Adventures of a South Pole Pig, by Chris Kurtz 

The Seven Swords, by Nils Johnson-Shelton

Jinx, by Sage Blackwood

The Water Castle, by Megan Frazer Blakemore 

Beholding Bea, by Kimberly Newton Fusco

Hokey Pokey, by Jerry Spinelli

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket, by John Boyne

Hyde and Shriek, by David Lubar

The Slither Sisters, by Charles Gilman

Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels, by Hélène Boudreau

Girl Meets Ghost, by Lauren Barnholdt

The Trap Door, by Lisa McMann

Unlucky Charms, by Adam Rex

Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp, by Nathan Bransford

City of Death, by Laurence Yep

The Curse of the Pharaoh, by Steve Stevenson

Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff, by Robert Paul Weston

A Dash of Magic, by Kathryn Littlewood

Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun, by Liz Kessler

A Tangle of Knots, by Lisa Graff

Cloneward Bound, by M.E. Castle

The Fellowship for Alien Detection, by Kevin Emerson

Pip and the Twilight Seekers, by Chris Mould

The Runaway King, by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In Search of Goliathus Hercules, by Jennifer Angus

My Epic Fairy Tale Fail, by Anna Staniszewski

Freaks, by Kieran Larwood

The Legend Thief, by E.J. Patten

Undertown, by Melvin Jules Bukiet

Goulish Song, by William Alexander

Mirage, by Jenn Reese

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, by Charles de Lint

The Menagerie, by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland

Garden Princess, by Kristin Kladstrup

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, by Kate Saunders

Code, by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time, by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Through the Skylight, by Ian Baucom

The Witch's Curse, by Keith McGowan

Bot Wars, by J.V. Kade

The Ultra Violets, by Sophie Bell

When the Butterflies Came, by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Canary in the Coal Mine, by Madelyn Rosenberg

Home Sweet Rome, by Marissa Moss

How I Met My Monster, by R.L. Stine

Hammer of Witches, by Shana Mlawski (YA?)

Frogged, by Vivian Vande Velde

The Key and the Flame, by Claire M. Caterer

The Sasquatch Escape, by Suzanne Selfors

 Lenny Cyrus, School Virus, by Joe Schreiber

Story's End, by Marissa Burt

Stolen Magic, by Stephanie Burgis

We Give a Squid a Wedgie, by C. Alexander London

The Flame in the Mist, by Kit Grindstaff

The Incredible Charlotte Sycamore, by Kate Maddison

Rump, by Liesl Shurtliff

Thrice Upon a Marigold, by Jean Ferris

Bad Unicorn, by Platte F. Clark

Gustav Gloom and the Nightmare Vault, by Adam-Troy Castro

Fyre, by Angie Sage

Summerkin, by Sarah Prineas

The Silver Dream, by Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves, and Mallory Reaves (YA?)

House of Secrets, by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini

The Ability, by M.M. Vaughan

Unnatural Creatures, edited by Neil Gaiman and Maria Dahvana Headley (YA?)

The Hidden Deep, by Chrita Kine

 The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle, by Christopher Healy

The Path of Names, by Ari Goelman

The Spies of Gerander, by Frances Watts

New Lands, by Geoff Rodkey

Doll Bones, by Holly Black

Olympus at War, by Kate O'Hearn

Loki's Wolves, by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr

Teacher's Pest, by Charles Gilman

The Lightning Catcher, by Anne Cameron

An Army of Frogs, by Trevor Pryce and Joel Naftali

A Hidden Enemy, by Erin Hunter

Odessa Again, by Dana Reinhardt

The School for Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani

The Glitter Trap, by Barbara Brauner and James Iver Mattson

A Box of Gargoyles, by Anne Nesbet

The Neptune Project, by Polly Holyoke

Giving to the Poor, by Peter Abrahams

The Watcher in the Shadows, by Chris Moriarty

The Planet Thieves, by Dan Krokos

The Pirate's Coin, by Marianne Malone

Handbook for Dragon Slayers, by Merrie Haskell

A Mischief of Mermaids, by Suzanne Harper

The Secret of the Twelfth Continent, by Antonia Michaelis

Haunters, by Thomas Taylor

Curse of the Ancients, by Matt de la Pena

Starbounders, by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson

The Apprentices, by Maile Meloy

Escape from the Pipe Men! by Mary G. Thompson

Pi in the Sky, by Wendy Mass

The Wells Bequest, by Polly Shulman

Evil Eye, by Jeff Szpirglas

The Ravens of Solemano, by Eden Unger Bowditch

How I Became a Ghost, by Tim Tingle

Sidekicked, by John David Anderson

Playing With Fire, by Bruce Hale

The Feros, by Wesley King

The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail, by Richard Peck

What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World, by Henry Clark

Rules for Ghosting, by A.J. Paquette

Saving Thanehaven, by Catherine Jinks

Bone Quill, by John Barrowman and Carole E. Barrowman

The Glass Puzzle, by Christine Brodien-Jones

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, by Kathi Appelt

The Alchemist War, by John Seven

The Rise of a Legend, by Kathryn Lasky

The Hypnotists, by Gordon Korman

The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe, by Dan Poblocki

My Totally Awkward Supernatural Crush, by Laura Toffler-Corrie

North of Nowhere, by Liz Kessler

Listening for Lucca, by Suzanne LaFleur

Momo, by Michael Ende

The Time Fetch, by Amy Herrick

Fear the Barfitron, by M.D. Payne

Texting the Underworld, by Ellen Booraem

Sleeping Beauty's Daughters, by Diane Zahler

The Year of Shadows, by Claire Legrand

Earthfall, by Mark Waldon

The Lost Kingdom, by Matthew Kirby

Time Travel Trouble, by Scott Seegert

The Beasts of Upton Puddle, by Simon West-Bulford

Hit the Road, Helen, by Kate McMullan

Super Schnoz and the Gates of Smell, by Gary Urey

Mickey Price Journey to Oblivian, by John P. Stanley

Sammy Feral's Diaries of Weird, by Eleanor Hawkin

How to Catch a Boggle, by Catherine Jinx

Risked, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Island of Fire, by Lisa McMann

The Harder the Fall, by Lauren Barnholdt

The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School, by Fowler DeWitt

Rose, by Holly Webb

Magic Marks the Spot, by Caroline Carlson

Wake Up Missing, by Kate Messner

Zombie Baseball Beatdown, by Paolo Bacigalupi

Wild Born, by Brandon Mull

The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root, by Christopher Pennell

Death of a King, by Andrew H. Vanderwal

Fallout, by Todd Strasser

Superkid in Training, by Jennifer Allison

Guys Read: Other Worlds, edited by Jon Scieszka

Fortunatly, the Milk, by Neil Gaiman

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud

The Monster in the Mudball, by S.P. Gates

The Lonely Lake Monster, by Suzanne Selfors

The Real Boy, by Anne Ursu

Flora and Ulysses, by Kate DiCamillo

Making the Team, by Scott J. Savage

Wild Boy, by Rob Lloyd Jones

Sky Jumpers, by Peggy Eddleman

Joshua Dread: The Nameless Hero, by Lee Bacon

Pinocula, by Obert Skye

The Dragon at the North Pole, by Kate Klimo

The Third Door, by Emily Rodda

The Field of Wacky Inventions, by Patrick Carman

The Last Present, by Wendy Mass

The Whatnot, by Stefan Bachman

Chupacabra, by Roland Smith

Empire of Bones, by N.D. Wilson

Mrs. Noodlekugel and Four Blind Mice, by Daniel Pinkwater

Time Trapped, by Richard Ungar

Atlantis Rising, by T.A. Barron

Ghost Prison, by Joseph Delaney

Hive Mind, by Timothy J. Bradley

Constable and Toop, by Gareth P. Jones

Villains Rising, by Jeramey Kraatz

Mousemobile, by Prudence Breirose

Exile, by Shannon Messenger

Blue Moon, by James Ponti

A Question of Magic, by E.D. Baker

The Princess of Cortova, by Diane Stanley

Lucy at Sea, by Barbara Mariconda

The Abominables, by Eva Ibbotson

The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield, by John Bemelmans Marciano

The Wolf Princess, by Cathryn Constable

The Winter of the Robots, by Kurtis Scaletta

Archon, by Lana Krumwiede

Anton and Cecil, Cats at Sea, by Lisa Martin and Valerie Martin

The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, by Catherynne M. Valente

The Storybook of Legends, by Shannon Hale

The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan

When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket

Code Name 711, by F.T. Bradley

Cave of Wonders: Infinity Ring Book 5, by Matthew J. Kirby, for Timeslip Tuesday

Cave of Wonders, by Matthew Kirby (Scholastic 2013), is the fifth book of a series, with each book written by a different author, in which three kids jump around time to fix the breaks in history that will cause a violent cataclysm if left broken.   For the kid who enjoyed the Magic Treehouse books three or so years ago, and who enjoys a bit of (occasionally) violent mayhem, these are a good pick.  (There are lots of on-line extras, including time-travel games, to add interest).

Each of the (shortish) books is a new adventure in a new time and place...and each time the bad guys of SQ try to thwart the kids (I cannot, at this point in my reading, remember why), and good guys (a secret order of Hystorians [sic]) help them.  And in each book the kids face dangers, escape from dangers through luck and (sometimes) intelligence, and emerge ready to start again in a new time (I am thinking they really need a vacation before they go to pieces--they have been through weeks of horrible tension at this point, and I would have cracked long ago).

But in any event, here in book five they are in Babylon just as it is about to be attacked and destroyed by a Mongol army, and their mission is to save the writings of Aristotle from its main library (which I'm assuming is the titular cave of wonders, because I don't remember any other caves...).  There's not much in the way of American middle-grade fiction set in the medieval Islamic world, so I was intrigued, and although the world-building doesn't go to far beyond courtyards and gardens, and carpets and donkeys, there are also the great libraries, and at the very least it is a Good Thing to introduce young American readers to the idea that the Near East has a history of its own...

I would also like to express my gratitude to the author for moving the relationship between the three young protagonists along in a healthier direction.  There's a lot less sniping and unpleasantness in this installment, and they are finally starting to talk to each other about what's worrying them.  On the other hand, the focus is so much on the adventure that there's not a whole lot of page time given to character growth...oh well.

The next one up takes them to WW II, which appeals to me...so I shall continue onward even though I am increasingly bothered by the fact that I have no clue what's motivating the bad guys.  What I would really like is for everyone to spend quite time in the original present, falling back, regrouping, repairing the time travel equipment, reminding forgetful readers about the larger story arc, etc.; the groundwork for this has been laid, so maybe it will happen...

(thanks to its multiracial protagonists, this is another for my list of diverse sci fi/fantasy for young readers...)

disclaimer:  review copy received from the publisher

Cybils nominations!

I had a nightmare last night that someone nominated a really creepy book about a family of humanoid potatoes for the Cybils.  Such a relief to wake up and see that all the lovely books nominated so far include no root vegetables as main characters!

Fourteen of them so far in Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction...will we pass last year's total of 150 before nominations close on midnight of October 15?

The central nominations page is here--go forth and spread the love for your favorite books of the past year!  (Oct. 16, 2012, to Oct. 15, 2013).

How to Catch a Bogle, by Catherine Jinks

How to Catch a Bogle, by Catherine Jinks (HMH Books for Young Readers, Middle Grade, September 2013), is a truly satisfying historical fantasy.  It has scary bits, funny bits, and thoughtful bits.  It has a great central character, who's both believable and likable, and a nuanced supporting cast (including adults who are interesting people too!).   And it has a really good story.

As an impoverished (but plucky) Victorian orphan, Birdie knows what it's like to live on the edge of nightmarish destitution.   So she considers herself fortunate to be the apprentice of Alfred the Bogler.  Sure, she's the one who baits the bogle traps, siting in an unfinished circle of salt and singing to lure the bogle out of hiding.  And yes, the reason bogles need dispatching is because they eat children.   Alfred, though grumpy, is not abusive, and the money, though not enough for much in the way of creature comforts, keeps them going.  They are a good team.

In this alternate London, the educated rich consider bogles the childlike superstition of the lower orders.  But there are two who don't.  One is a well-off woman engaged in the academic study of supernatural creatures of the British Isles, keen to use Alfred and Birdie as a means of observing the creatures first hand (which leads to amusing situations in which she is desperately out of place), and, as the story progresses, keen to introduce science into bogle trapping and save Birdie from danger (though Birdie is hostile to this idea, as it would put her out of work...).

And then there is the second well-off person who believes in bogles...who doesn't care a whit how many children they eat.  He, too, is keenly interested in Afred's bogling skills, but his interest is much, much, more dangerous than any monster Birdie's ever faced.

If you are looking for books for young readers of fantasy of the alternate worlds/quests/heroic kids saving the day with magic who are  reluctant to try anything real world, or historical, offer them this one.  They'll get a nice introduction to Victorian London along with the brave kid, the magic, and the monsters. 

I enjoyed it lots myself, and highly recommend it to both kids and grown-ups.  Perhaps more to the kids, because it is written with them in mind.  There's a nice solid simplicity to the progression of the story which makes is very satisfying.  Though pleasing complexities of plot and character are introduced, they are done so without any teasing of the reader.   It's a complete story in its own right; the ending is an ending, though there's room for more fun with bogles.  

And now I am mentally comparing it to the other current book about kids facing supernatural beings--The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud.   That one reads slightly older.  The characters have more backstory, and there's lots isn't being told to the reader.   It's twistier, and more gruesome.   I'd give that one to a 12- or 13-year-old; How To Catch a Bogle I'd give to a 10- or 11-year-old.  

Here's another review, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi/fantasy from around the blogs (9/29/13)

Here's this week's gathering of what I found in my blog reading of interest to readers of Middle Grade sci fi/fantasy.  Please let me know if I missed your post!

Before anything else--nominations for the Cybils open on October 1!  All are welcome to show love for their favorite books in a variety of categories from picture book to YA, including Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction....I can't link to the nomination page yet, of course, but here's the EMG SF category description.  Books published from Oct. 16, 2012 to Oct.15, 2013 are eligible, and I've made a handy list of every eligible EMG SF book reviewed by Kirkus during that period (with the coming fortnight to be added) to refresh my own memory....

The Reviews

43 Old Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You, by Kate Klise, at books4yourkids

The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield, by John Bemelmans Marciano, at Becky's Book Reviews

Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception, by Eoin Colfer, at So Many Books, So Little Time 

The Castle of Llyr, by Lloyd Alexander, at Tor

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, by Charles de Lint, at Hidden in Pages

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, by Frank Cottrell Boyce, at alibrarymama 

Darkbeast Rebellion, by Morgan Keyes, at Not Acting My Age  and Charlotte's Library

Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities, book 2), by Shannon Messenger, at The Write Stuff

Fortunatly, the Milk, by Neil Gaiman, at books4yourkids  and Waking Brain Cells

Ghost Town (Saranormal book 1) by Phoebe Rivers, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente, at Beth Fish Reads

The Good Little Devil and Other Tales, by Pierre Gripari, at the Children's Book Blog at The Independent

The King's Ransom, by Cheryl Carpinello, at magical middle-grade literature

The Last Guardian, by Eoin Colfer, at Fyrefly's Book Blog

The Last Present, by Wendy Mass, at Ms. Yingling Reads  and Charlotte's Library

The Lost Kingdom, by Matthew Kirby, at Charlotte's Library

My Rotten Life, by David Lubar, at Middle Grade Mafioso

Operaton:Golden Bum (Fangs-Vampire Spy), by Tommy Donbavand, at Readaraptor

The Princess of Cortova, by Diane Stanley, at Kid Lit Geek

The Real Boy, by Anne Ursu, at Waking Brain Cells, Nerdy Book Club, Book-A-Day Almanac, Fuse #8, and Ritchie's Picks

The Return of the Indian, by Lynne Reid Banksat Time Travel Times Two 

Rooftoppers, by Katherine Rundell, at The Book Monsters 

The Runaway King, by Jennifer Nielsen, at Bibliophile Support Group

The Sasquatch Escape, by Suzanne Selfors, at Reading Rumpus Book Reviews

Scare Scape, by Sam Fisher, at Library of Clean Books

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, at Pages Unbound

The Shadow Thieves, by Anne Ursu, at Bibliophilic Monologues

The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy, by Nikki Loftin, at Michelle Mason

Sky Jumpers, by Peggy Eddleman, at My Precious and Ms. Yingling Reads

Stanley Finnigan and the Race Around the Universe, by Dan Cuoco, at Melody & Words

Substitute Creature, by Charles Gilman, at From the Shadows

A Tale Dark and Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz, at Tales of the Marvelous

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, by Kathi Appelt, at Sal's Fiction Addiction

The Time Fetch, by Amy Herrick, at Jean Little Library

The Whatnot, by Stephen Bachmann, at Random Musings of  Bibliophile

Wild Born (Spirit Animals Book 1), by Brandon Mull, at Bookalicious

An "abundance of children's books" at Things Mean a Lot, including Fortunatly, the Milk, The Abominables, and Mrs. Frisby and Rats of N.I.M.H.

And Maureen at By Singing Light re-reads the Dark is Rising series

Authors and Interviews

Peggy Edleman (Sky Jumpers) at The League of Extraordinary Writers and Literary Rambles (giveaway) 

Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (Starbounders) at Literary Rambles (giveaway) and Nerdy Book Club

Anne Urus (The Real Boy) at Jean Booknerd (with review and giveaway)

Jennifer Nielsen (The False Prince) at Eating Y.A. Books

Ellen Booraem (Texting the Underworld) at Cynsations (giveaway)

Margaret Peterson Haddix, at The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow

Other Good Stuff

"Defending The Giver," a guest post by Elsa Ouvrar-Prettol at Teen Librarian Toolbox 

 Ten feline fantasies, at Views From the Tesseract

I wrote a two part post about Middle Grade blogs as "fans, gatekeepers, partners of industry, and members of a gender-imbalanced community."  Part 1 is here, with link at the end to Part 2.

Kidlitcon cometh, and I goeth.

Rapunzel's Tower under construction, found at Once Upon a Blog

The King Must Die, by Mary Renault

Jenny at Reading the End is celebrating the books of Mary Renault this week, and I promised a review of my favorite of her books, The King Must Die (1958).

Mary Renault is the author of many superb books about ancient Greece, all of which my mother owned.  When I was twelve or so, and whining about not having anything to read, she handed me The King Must Die, a re-telling of the myth of Theseus.   My socks were knocked off, and over the next ten years, it was one of my top re-reads.  It's been fifteen or twenty years since I last re-read it (years in which my to-be-read pile grew to monstrous proportions, and my desperate need for books was finally assuaged).    So I was rather curious to see how it held up.

The story starts with Theseus growing up the son of the princess of the small Greek polity of Troizen.  The identity of his father is unknown, but rumor has it that he was Poseidon, god of the ocean, and of earthquakes...a story young Theseus believes.   But though Theseus does have a preternatural sense of foreboding before earthquakes, he shows no other signs of divine blood; no extraordinary height or physical prowess.   When he reaches manhood, he learns the true story of his birth--how his mother sacrificed her virginity alone on an island to appease the wrath of the Mother Goddess, and how the stranger who swam ashore was the king of Athens.

It's clear in this beginning section that Renault isn't going to pull any punches to sanitize her view of ancient Greece.  Sex is an accepted fact of life to young Theseus, and he enjoys it, and feels entitled to it (which makes him not entirely sympathetic to grown-up me, but it feels accurate...).   She does a magnificent job setting up a world in which the gods are really truly real, and present, in daily life--never once does Theseus anachronistically question their existence.   More troubling is her view of this era as one in which fair-haired, horse riding Hellenes swept down from their north, conquering the shorter, darker people of the coast, the Minyans, and bringing their sky gods to the fore of the pantheon of divinities....It's natural that Theseus accepts this as right and proper, but it is essentially racist imperialism, and therefore troubling.

So in any event Theseus sets out overland to meet his father, with lots of adventures on the way, most important of which is his defeat of the year king of the Goddess worshipping, Minyan people of Eleusis.   He is supposed to accede to his own death the following year...but instead he subverts the old ways, and co-opts the power of the queen for himself, and travels on to Athens already a king.

His father Aigeus eventually recognizes the young and powerful Theseus as his son and heir, but Athens has its own problems.  Crete rules the seas, and demands from Athens a tribute of young men and women, destined to be bull-dancers in the palace of Minos.   Theseus casts his lot into tribute, and sets off for Crete...

At this point the book becomes truly excellent, in my opinion.   Theseus molds the other 13 in the tribute into a team in which distinctions of Minyan and Hellene are meaningless, and they become bull dancers of extraordinary renown, not just because of their physical skills, but because of Theseus' shrewed political manipulations (shades of The Hunger Games, and Ender's Game).   I adore detailed fictional descriptions of characters mastering obscure crafts, and the bull dancing is no exception to this.  (In my re-reading, I would often skip the early parts and cut right to this section...).

But even more gripping than the specifics of training for the bull dancing is how Renault makes the story of Theseus, and Ariadne, the Cretan princess with whom he falls in love, and the defeat of the Minotaur things that are Real and Possible, without sacrificing the details of the myth.  Yes, the Minotaur here does not literally have a bull's head, but metaphorically he is still the monster of the myth....and the story becomes one of political, religious, and personal conflict in which the gods are very real, though the modern observer might not think so.

The King Must Die was the first time I encountered gay and lesbian characters in fiction--the bull dancers take lovers amongst themselves, and with wealthy patrons of both genders, and this is an accepted part of life.  Although strictly heterosexual Theseus is a bit dismissive of the "pretty boys," he recognizes the worth of the individuals behind the jewelry and makeup, and one of the lesbian bull dancers, an Amazon, is a superb leader in her own right.   It was also the first book I read in which there is lots of sex (though not explicitly described), which rather overshadowed considerations of the gender of the participants in my young mind....

I was much more consciously troubled this time around by the Minyan/Hellene distinctions, because in the last twenty years I have dealt at work on a regular basis with the European invasion of New England and its consequences, and so I am rather more aware of the racist cant of conquest than I used to be.   Though, during the course of the book, Theseus confronts the tension between the two groups directly and positively, he still ends it with a "Hellenes rule" attitude, which is believable, but truly yuck.  Likewise, I disliked Theseus' rather unappealing sense of entitlement with regard to sex a lot more this time around.   This is, of course, the Catch 22 of historical fiction--people in the past believed lots of offensive things, but to pretend otherwise weakens and falsifies the story....

But still I was utterly absorbed by the story.  The world-building is incredible, packed with sensory detail, and with a political and religious framework so solid that the metaphors and the exaggerations of the myths all become, for me, part of a very real past.  It is full of the numinous power of the gods, so inextricably part of the characters' world-view that the reader is sucked in to a reality at once believable and utterly foreign.   And so it continues to be one of my two touch-stone books of historical fiction in which myth and magic are made reality (the other being The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart).

Darkbeast Rebellion, by Morgan Keyes

When I reviewed Darkbeast, by Morgan Keyes, about a year ago, I said: "It's a very good book. The constant danger Keara's in keeps the tension humming, the relationships among the characters (and their darkbeasts) are very nicely done, and the world building, which includes a panoply of gods, is sufficiently detailed to interest, without going overboard in dotting every socio-political i."  And so when Darkbeast Rebellion (Margaret K. McElderry Books, September 24, 2013), arrived in the mail, I was eager to pluge right in.

In Keara's world, each child is bound to a Darkbeast, a creature who takes all their negative thoughts from them.   When a child turns twelve, the Darbeast must be killed. But Keara couldn't kill the raven, Caw, who has been her closest friend all her life...and so, in Book 1, she fled from the Inquisitors and found sanctuary with a group of travelling players.  There she found she was not alone--her friend, Goran, and his grandfather had both spared their Darkbeasts too.

But they are betrayed, and this book opens with the threesome venturing out into the winter, hoping to find the Darkers--the secret fellowship of those like them.   The Inquisitors are hunting them down, to kill their animal companions and torture them to find out the identity of other Darkbeast lovers.   Even in the face of fresh betrayal, Keara can't stop hoping that somewhere there is a place for her to live with Caw in saftey...

Darkbeast Rebellion is somewhat misleading named, as the book does not deal with a large scale revolt against the edicts of the Inquisitors; "Darkbeast Rebels," prehaps, would give a better idea of the smaller scope.  The story takes Keara and her friends through escapes, falls hopes, imprisonment and the threat of torture, to a safe haven where they, may, at last, be welcomed...or not.  Threats to the safety of the friends and their Darkbeasts dominate the story, keeping things tense (though mercifully Keara escapes true torture).

 

Keara can do little to control her destiny, except to try and trust strangers (who may or may not have her best interests at heart) and to try to mold herself into a person worthy of trust.  It's interesting to see how both the danger she's in, and her relationship with Caw, her Darkbeast, seems to have shaped her--he has been her best friend her whole life, and it's a bond that has kept her, I thought, from being able to reach out with empathy to other people and make friends easily.  In this installment of her story, she's forced to think about these things, because her life depends on it, and the seeds are planted for future character growth.

 

The world building faltered somewhat in this sequel, when Keara and her friends are taken to the central temple of Bestius, the god of the Darkbeasts.  There the dark creatures are breed, to be taken out into the world and bound to children throughout the land, which seems to me a logistical nightmare.  It's unclear how the communities of Darkers, living outside the law, will get Darkbeasts for their own children.   And although irrational superstition is easy to accept, as is the hatred felt by those who killed their own Darkbeasts toward those who didn't, I never found myself really accepting why it was such a big deal in the grand scheme of Inquisitor-run things....

Still, the animal compaion aspect of the story has huge kid appeal, and the dangers Keara and Caw face make for exciting reading.  A new characer is introduced, who ups the political ante of it all, and sets up the series for further adventures--perhaps even a true rebellion that topels the existing order of dictatorial rulers, both political and religious.

disclaimer:  review copy received from the publisher

Register now for KidLitCon 2013 in Austin this November!

Yay!  I'm going to Austin and I'm going to meet lots of new book people and see old friends and be happy that I'm a blogger!  I hope you can come to--KidLitCons are a wonderful thing.

 

Here's the official "registrations are open" post, lifted straight from Kidlitosphere Central:

 

"The seventh annual KidLitCon on November 9th in Austin, Texas is officially accepting registrations!

 

While we would love to be ahead of schedule with well, a schedule, we invite you to register now to help your organizers plan for attendance. Registering early will also give you a chance to suggest topics that YOU would like to see at KidLitCon 2013. Register before October 11th for $10 off the registration fee and a chance to win a prize package of books and goodies!
Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for sending your check or money order. Hotel information will also be available, hopefully with a discount for our group.

We are still accepting proposals for workshops and panel discussions. Past KidLitCon sessions have included topics such as ethics of reviewing, diversity in children/teen literature, effective marketing, kidlit social media, and online community building. If you are interested in presenting at KidLitCon, please submit a proposal soon.
Look to this website for updates to the schedule, including our Friday evening event.
Lots more info to come. For now, start spreading the word! Be a fan on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! And best of all register to attend KidLitCon 2013."

The call for Program Presenters is also out:

"We’re looking for excellent programs to fill this year’s KidLitCon! What would you like to talk about with your children’s lit blogging colleagues? We’re especially interested in topics of diversity and gender, reviewing critically, evaluating illustrations, social media, trends, blog design, marketing, technology, and industry relationships. Panels, teams, and singular presenters are all encouraged, but only in person presentations will be accepted.
Proposals must be submitted through the official form.
You have until 11:59pm on Friday, October 4, 2013 to submit your proposal. You may submit more then one proposal, but preference will go to those that seem the most fully formed. Presenters do not receive free or reduced registration."

I am thinking about a session that discusses the topics above from a middle grade blogger perspective, but more a round-table of sharing-ness than strictly formal presentations....If you are a middle grade blogger and are going and might want to formulate something with me do please get in touch!!!

The Last Present, by Wendy Mass, for Timeslip Tuesday

It seems like it was just yesterday that I read 11 Birthdays, by Wendy Mass, for Timeslip Tuesday...but it was back in April of 2009 that I typed up my reaction to it, calling it "a beautifully realistic book, with the angsts of eleven-year old life front and center, but ... also a beautifully magical book, a what-if story of the nicest sort, that leaves the reader with lots to day-dream about."  And I went on to help short list it in Middle Grade Sci fi/fantasy in that year's Cybils Awards.  (It didn't win, but that was perhaps the strongest MG SFF Cybils shortlist ever).

The years passed, the eleven year olds of book one grew older, and new book came out every year--Finally, 13 Gifts, and now, this year, the final book of the series: The Last Present (Scholastic, Sept. 2013).  And it is a good ending, a satisfying one that ties up all the plot threads, and leaves the reader feeling that the kids will be just fine.  But in as much as it is this particular type of a final book, it really requires the reader to have read the first ones...and since they are fun, fast reads, there's absolutely no reason why you wouldn't want to!

So.  The Last Present tells how Amanda and Leo, best friends forever, have to travel back to the past nine birthday's of ten year old Grace to save her from a coma she's mysteriously fallen into.   Angelina, the mysterious old lady whose magical string pullings have made life so very interesting for Amanda and Leo in the past, wants them to make Grace's birthdays go the way Angelina had intended them to go, which would have brought Grace into the fold of Angelina's magical protection, hence no coma.  A straightforward mission of time travel and quick thinking--they only have to get three of the birthdays right, and they've gotten hold of the home videos of all of them so that they can see just what went wrong with each one.

Except that the things that went wrong weren't random chance.  Angelina's schemes were being actively opposed...and the young time travelers are caught up in a much less straightforward endeavor than they had anticipated.  With a full ensemble cast of all the other characters from all the other books, nicely bound together by friendships and developing romantic relationships, and with an even more direct confrontation with Angelina's magic, this is a book that's very satisfying for a fan of the series.

It's a very nice sort of time travel too, with each birthday party visit (Grace getting younger each year) it's own juicy little bite of adventure.  I liked how it was structured--each birthday party presented new challenges of infiltration (easy at first, but harder as Grace and her friends became younger), and each one they fixed resulted in a change in Grace's present state (like unlocking a level in a game), and every birthday party raised more questions and doubts about just what Angelina was up to. 

Fortunately Angelina's magic disguises Amanda and Leo, so they don't have to worry about being recognized (especially the time they arrive in the past in cow costumes), but they, of course, get to see the younger selves of people they know, which makes things interesting.  And they are good, thoughtful, time travelers, making sure they don't pay with money that hasn't been minted yet, and trying not to change things (except the things they have to change--the lost gift bags, the untied balloons, the squashed present, etc.--that got messed up the first time around).

It's perhaps a more external adventure than the other books, in that it's not the lives of the main protagonists that are changing, and there's never any real tension about things working out all right, and so it's not a book with great heft in its plot and its character development.   But if you are a middle grade reader wanting a pleasant page turner with magical intrigue and lots of small excitements (or a grown-up reader wanting the same, and why not), it's a good one.  And if you have read the earlier books, you will definitely want to read this one!

Also reviewed today at Ms. Yingling Reads

Middle Grade Bloggers as Fans, Gatekeepers, Partners of the Industry, & Members of a Gender-Imbalanced Community, Part 2

This post is a continuation of a discussion started yesterday, which you can find here.   In this second half, I talk about the gendered space of Middle Grade (MG) blogging (with data gathered from my weekly round-ups of MG sci fi/fantasy), and how it pertains to community and author-blogger relationships

Thought 3:   MG blogging feels safe and friendly.  A large part of this might be that we are united by common interests and concerns.  For many women, a larger part still may because it is primarily a female space, which isn't something to celebrate, but something to question.  A look at some data shows a troubling gender imbalance in the world of Middle Grade science fiction/fantasy blogging.
 

When I picked an all-female roster of panelists in Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction for the Cybils this year,  this was not because I rejected equally qualified male applicants.  It was because no male applicant (and there were few of them over all) put my category as his first choice.  There are many, many more women blogging about EMG SF than there are men.

The world of children's book blogging is dominated by women (presumably because of the female tilt of  librarianship and elementary school teaching).  The authors who engage most directly in a friendly fashion with me and my blog are also women, and I don't think I'm alone in this.  The  publishing reps who have reached out to me over the years have (I think) all been women.  Clearly the women are the ones with the most "community capital" (the phrase used by Renay, the author of the post linked to Part 1, in an earlier article about gender and blogging in the adult sci fi/fantasy world-- Communities: Beyond Traditional Horizons).

The one area in which there is gender equality is in the breakdown of the writers.   I have been compiling a list of all the EMG SF books compiled by Kirkus from October 16 to the present-- 84 of the authors were male, 81 were female, and 7 books had co-authors who were male and female.  Does this translate in an equal number of reviews in the female-dominated blogging world?  No, and this was an unpleasant surprise.

I looked at the past sixteen weeks of reviews of  MG  sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (I gather them in weekly round-ups).  286 books by men got reviewed.  381 books by women got reviewed, though I can't 100% swear that I counted exactly right (if anyone wants to do counting of their own, I have 196 weeks of round-ups--go for it).  Since I see each week as a personal challenge to find as many reviews as I can, I don't think I'm guilty of gender favoritism there...That being said, these 16 weeks may be slightly skewed by the "Holly Effect"-- Doll Bones, by Holly Black, and Rose, by Holly Webb, have been reviewed lots more than other books.  Still, it seems like a dramatic difference.

I then looked at the gender breakdown of bloggers hosting authors-- authors invited to share their words at personal blogger spaces.  I include interviews and guest posts in my weekly round-ups, so I counted the number of female vs male authors back through March 2013.   I'm not confident that this is great data--I might well have missed lots of posts from blog tours, because sometimes when I'm doing my round-ups I find blog tours overwhelming and just don't try to get all the links.  I didn't count posts at author group blogs, or industry blogs, and I didn't count guest posts that were basically publicity, like character introductions.    I found 53 instances of guest posts/interviews from male authors,  and 103 instances of female authors.

I think publicists are just as likely to arrange blog tours on behalf of male authors as they are for female ones, so that's not a likely reason for the disparity.  It might, instead, come from female authors feeling more comfortable personally asking the predominantly female bloggers, with whom they have established friendly relationships, for guest post/interview space.  This is how my own most recent MG interviews happened.   Or conversely,  (female) bloggers may feel more comfortable contacting the female writers. 

Out of curiosity, how many of those of you who are bloggers (male or female) have been approached directly by a man about a guest post or interview (excluding self-published books, for several reasons*)?  I went back through and checked my own blog--in the past seven years, I myself have hosted/interviewed three women and two men who asked me directly (although neither of the guys were authors of MG books), which is not all that meaningful.

My final question was whether the Cybils awards, given by bloggers (some of whom may be author bloggers), have gender skewing in the middle grade categories.   Because I'm pretty comfortable with the baseline of female/male authors in MG sci fi/fantasy being 50-50, but don't know about regular MG,  I just looked at the sci fi/fantasy short lists:  14 men shortlisted vs 24 women over the past six years.  This gender disparity wasn't conscious bias (which I know because I was there for most of them).   And I don't think there's conscious bias in the reviewing and guest-post data either.

Do these three bits of data (possibly faulty) reflect a more subtle phenomena of women writing books that appeal to women, and so getting reviewed and honored by women more?  Extending this line of thought, do "boy books" appeal less to the grown-up women who blog, and so get reviewed less?  Does this in turn contribute to men not feeling part of the MG blogging world, and therefore not wanting to start blogs of their own, or, if they are authors, not making the personal connections with the bloggers that would allow them to feel comfortable asking for guest post space and being reviewed more, etc.?   Or perhaps the guys who write MG sci fi/fantasy don't actually read it for their own pleasure, and so aren't interested in reading lots of reviews of it, and chiming in on the conversations? 

I dunno.   And I've never talked to a guy about it.  Because I have no close blogging friends who are guys, and I don't know any male authors well enough to ask.

But anyway, here is this gender imbalance, and it troubles me.  What to do?

Here are some things I will try to do: 
--make sure I am not falling into an unwitting gender imbalance on my blog (I'm not, currently, but in large part this is because most of the books I review are new, so the even divide of the genders in publishing keeps me on track).
--bravely (because I am shy), reach out to some male authors whose books I enjoyed and ask them if they would like to be interviewed on my blog. 
--make sure I'm visiting and commenting on the blogs written by guys, and not living in a little bubble of best blogging friends who are girls. 

Tentative final thoughts:  Middle Grade blogging is a comfortable place for women, with a blurry wall between authors and bloggers (quite a number of them are wearing both hats), and generally friendly relationships with publishers.  Though some blogs are more "fannish" and some are more directly tied to the industry of writing and publishing, many bloggers move freely between the two spheres.    One reason for the cordial atmosphere is a mutual respect based in part on a shared agenda--promoting good children's books and encouraging literacy.   Another reason may be that it is very much a female space--a safe place for women to speak their minds--which is nice for those inside it, but pretty questionable over-all. 



*I excluded self-published books because these authors are in much greater need of word-of-mouth publicity that traditionally published authors, and may contact hundreds of blogs seeking exposure.

The Lost Kingdom, by Matthew Kirby

The Lost Kingdom, by Matthew Kirby (Scholastic, September 2013, Middle Grade).

It is the mid-18th century in a (just slightly) alternate America.  The colonies are not yet united, and the French and Indian Wars are flaring up on the western frontier.  And Ben Franklin, and his colleagues at the American Philosophical Society, decide to launch an expedition to find the legendary kingdom established by the Welsh prince Madoc, and convince the Welsh to join in the fight against the French.  Fortunately the Society has a magnificent air-ship, a marvel of engineering, that will make the voyage last only a few weeks instead of months or years...and the scientists and philosophers aboard are eager not only to find out if the legend of Madoc is truth or fiction, but to collect data and make observations as they go.

And one of the scientists is a renowned botanist, John Bartram, bringing his son Billy plant-collecting with him for the first time (both are real historical people, which I found cool).  Billy is thrilled, and pleased as well to find out he's not the only young person on board--the daughter of the expedition's leader, Jane, successfully sneaked on too.   It's sure to be a grand adventure--after all, high in the air, what could possibly go wrong?

Answer:   Treachery.  Attacks by the savage megafauna of this alternate America.  Natural disasters and Sabotage.   Violent conflict with the French.   The prejudice of Billy's father toward Andrew, the half-Native translator of the expedition that threatens to destroy the relationship of father and son, and threatens Andrew's very life.   And then the arrival in the hidden kingdom they had searched for...where they do not find exactly what they were looking for.

Once airship sets off on its journey, these exciting bits follow one another like beads on a string, and the tension grows steadily.  But alongside these adventures, and often taking center stage, is the conflict between Billy and his father, as Billy sees his father exhibiting ugly racism toward Andrew.   Like Billy, the reader will (I assume) be disturbed by this; though it's historically accurate, it's no less repellent.

All though the excitements of the journey are enough to carry the audience along nicely,  the perfect reader for this one, I think, has to have some interest in the pass times of geeky adults.  The world of the ship is dominated by the eccentric members of the American Philosophical Society, who we met and observe (as they fixate on their particular interests) as the journey passes.

My one major issue with the book is that Jane, the token girl, never gets to be more than the token girl.  She has no character arc, and though I thought that the relationship (and it didn't have to be a romantic one) between Jane and Billy would be explored during the story, Jane remains off to the side, functioning only to drive the plot (in a dangerous direction) at one point.  And I wondered why she was there at all.


I am often troubled by presentations of Native Americans in historical fiction, but I think Kirby did a pretty good job here of using the attitudes of the characters to convey a pretty accurate idea of how 18th century colonials would have perceived them.  So I have no substantive complaints on that score, though I think Kirby does tilt slightly toward portraying the frontier lands as unused wilderness with only a scattering of people who weren't properly taking advantage of it, which wasn't exactly the case (and which was something the Pilgrims, for instance, liked to believe).  In fairness, though, the horrific mega-predators in this alternate America might well have kept population densities lower than they were in reality...

In short, a solid adventure with a fresh and ultimately satisfying premise, and a really cool air ship that should delight the scientifically-minded reader, that would have appealed more to me personally if Jane had been more of a person and less a female place holder.

Here are other reviews at Random Musings of a Bibliophile and Views from the Tesseract

Disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

Middle Grade Bloggers as Fans, Gatekeepers, Partners of the Industry, & Members of a Gender-Imbalanced Community, Part 1

I like to take personality tests, which shaped my reaction to Renay's thought-provoking post on communities and fans and industry and authors in the world of speculative fiction blogging at Strange Horizons, in which she draws a distinction between "fannish track blogs" and "industry track blogs," with checklists of characteristics for each.  I was eager to see which my blog would be.....and found her model didn't apply all that well.  My blog is written for my own enjoyment, and for people (kids to grown-ups) who like the same books I do (fannish), but it's also written with an eye to people buying books for kids (industry-ish).  

 

I was also struck, in reading Renay's post, by her thoughts on the relationships between industry (the authors and publishers) and blogger/fan/readers, and the problems that can arise when the lines between the two break down. This isn't something that has been an issue for me.
 

And so I started thinking about the ways the points Renay made do and do not apply to blogs like mine that focus on middle grade (MG) books (written for kids 9-12).  I write predominantly about science fiction and fantasy books, which skews my perceptions.  If your experience as a MG blogger is different, please feel free to disagree with me!  (As an INFP in my favorite personality test, I almost never have Final Logical Conclusions on topics that are this fuzzy, so I won't mind).

 

Thought 1:  Many (though not all) MG bloggers are gatekeepers--helping other grown-ups find good books for kids--and so have a critical distance with the books they review that keeps them from being purely and simply "fans." 

 

The majority of bloggers who review primarily MG books aren't the target audience for those books (though there are some young readers who have great blogs).  Likewise, the regular readers of their reviews aren't generally the target audience either.   Many MG bloggers are motivated by an interest in helping kids find good books, as opposed to finding good books for themselves.  Many do this as part of their jobs.   This sort of blogger, when thinking about a book, will have two trains of thought going--"what will kids think of this book" alongside "what do I think of this book"  (sometimes the trains collide).  Likewise, the blog readers won't necessarily be thinking "do I want to read this book?", but whether the kids they know might like it.  Which isn't to say that a middle grade book can't be a great read for a grown-up. 

 

But in any event, the gatekeeping effect seems to result in some measure of insulation between the blog reviewer and the author.  When I receive books from the publishers that don't appeal, I may well make the effort to read and review them not because I want to strengthen my connection with the industry, but because there may be young readers who will love them.  I want my blog to be useful to people that don't share my taste, and so I don't always say what I really think.  I may write "kids who find bathroom humor amusing may well enjoy this book" as opposed to "This book is horrible because all the snot made me feel sick."  The impersonal is a lot less likely to elicit an emotional response.
 

Following from that, there may be more emotional remove between MG Blogger and author than there is in the world of YA and Adult books.  Though I don't think any of us who read and review books for kids would do it if we didn't enjoy them lots, and love some passionately, I don't think deeply personal, intense fan feelings are all that common (with the obvious exception of one's feelings toward beloved childhood authors!).  I admire, and like, and have huge respect for many of the authors whose middle grade books I review, and I will make a point of reviewing their new books, and possibly bounce a bit when I get them in the mail, but I won't drive to Boston to meet them as authors unless they are Megan Whalen Turner (I did drive to New Hampshire once, which is further than Boston, but that was six authors in one go, and no city traffic).  That being said, there are several people who happen to be authors who I would love to meet in real life and hang out with just because it would be fun. 

The result of this, in terms of blogging, is that even when you write a not entirely positive review of a middle grade book, you (probably) won't be challenged by rabid fans or by the author.  (After over 1,500 reviews, I have been only been attacked by a rabid fan once, and only challenged by an annoyed author in the post comments once, as far as I can remember.  Which makes me think maybe I am being too impersonal...).

 

Thought 2:  MG Authors and  MG Bloggers and Publishers may be friends because of sharing an overlapping agenda, and because lots of them are cool people, and the line between fan and industry isn't hard and fast.

 

Many of us blog about MG books because we have some interest in promoting reading and literacy.  In my mind, authors and publishers are allies in the shared goal of getting books into the hands of readers who will love them, and, as a personal bonus, many of them are nice enough to write and publish books that I enjoy reading.

 

Authors of MG sci fi and fantasy tend to be readers of MG sci fi and fantasy, which fosters friendly feelings on both sides, as other grown-ups with whom you can talk about these books are thin on the ground in real life.  Authors might well be fans of blogs that talk about books they enjoy.   Basically a lot of the MG authors and bloggers are great people with lots in common and the lines get blurry and there it is.

Do I want authors coming to my blog space to tell me I was wrong about their book?  No, of course not.  Do I want authors saying on my blog that my interpretation is one that hadn't occurred to them (as opposed to being Wrong)--uh...maybe, if it was an author with whom I'd had pleasant interactions with before, and they couched their words in a non-attacking way.  Do I want authors visiting my blog and leaving comments on books that aren't theirs and being colleagues and friends?  Yes.
 

With regard to publishing-- I am happy to be useful to the Industry, because the Industry is useful to me as a (personal)  reader and a (public) gatekeeper.  I might help a book get more attention, and find it new readers (good for the Industry).  In turn, receiving review copies from publishers helps me be useful, interesting, and relevant (and quite often makes me personally happy, which encourages me to keep blogging), which in turn (ideally) attracts more readers, making a nice little feedback loop.    However, to be "useful" is good, but to be "used" is a heck of a lot less good, and it's a fuzzy boundary on both sides.  I think that when mutual respect and professionalism are there, the balance stays tipped to the former, and everyone is happier (I realize this is not a Deep Thought).

This is long enough for one post, so please visit Part 2 for:
 

Thought 3:   MG blogging feels safe and friendly to me.  A large part of this might be because the participants share common interests and concerns.  An even bigger reason (for me, probably for others) might be that it is primarily a female space.  This isn't something to celebrate, but something to question.  A look at some data shows a huge and troubling gender imbalance in the world of MG science fiction/fantasy blogging.