Jinx's Magic, by Sage Blackwood

So on January 7, the release day of Jinx's Magic, by Sage Blackwood (Katherine Tegen Books, 2014), I carefully gathered together all the receipts from my year of purchases at my local independent bookstore (where you get 10% back in January) and when right to where I hoped it would be, and lo! it was there, and I took it home very happily (and I even had 40 cents left over from my receipts).  Jinx  was one of my favorite books of 2013, and I had high hopes...

And though it was all a bit more Worrying than I would have liked, I enjoyed it just fine, and I think readers who are made of tougher stuff will enjoy it even more than me!

Jinx's life has been left somewhat snarlish after the events of book 1.   He has become a Listener, able to hear the voices of the trees of the Urwald, and the trees are not happy--incursions of tree fellers are wrecking havoc.   His companions of his first adventure, Elfwyn and Reven, are headed toward their own adventures, in Reven's case, reclaiming his rightful kingdom (which involves plans to acquire more and wealth through deforestation).  And Simon, Jinx's surly yet charismatic mentor/guardian, is determined to take down the Bonemaster, the bad guy of Book 1.  He won't let Jinx come help him, but instead sends Jinx to the desert land of Samara, to track down useful knowledge there.   In Samara, Jinx must infiltrate an organization of scholars to track down the book of magic Simon needs (this was my favorite part of the book) but in Samara, magic is a crime punishable by death.

And all the while, Jinx is realizing that somehow he's found himself in the position of being the one who must ultimately defeat the Bonemaster and save the Urwald....but he has pretty much no clue how to do these things.  So he sticks, in this book, to finding Sophie, and trying to save Simon, and trying to learn as much possible before everything goes even more awry, and he's very realistically a 13 year old boy trying to figure out just what he should be doing, without much help from any grown-ups.

The absolute best part of Sage Blackwood's writing is how much dialogue she uses to tell her story--her characters Talk to each other, and at each other, lots, and their conversations beautifully advance both plot and character development (and there are many characters who are utterly deserving of the page time they get, including two new young Samarians, both appealing and interesting).  The reader learns nothing directly from the author--all the lovely rich worldbuilding is done through the lens of Jinx's real-time experience, and it works beautifully.  

As in the first book, I almost felt it was a bit of a pity that there had to be danger--I would happily read page after page that was just Simon and Sophie and Jinx at home, preferably with visits either to or from several of the other characters.  I begrudged the fact that there was never really a time in which the characters weren't worried, or in mortal peril.  I realize, with the logical part of my mind, that the adventure/danger element of the story really does have to be there, and that it really does have lots of appeal as a Good Story, and those elements of the story give the characters a chance to shine.   So I'm not actually complaining, just saying.   And though I became very worried about the tree chopping down almost immediately, and this kept me from feeling comfy and happy, I also realize that this is a very personal reader reaction (I am fond of trees), and maybe when I go back and read it again (after the forest has, one assumes, been saved in future books) I will not be as distressed.

Jinx's Magic is not a stand-alone, but since Jinx is lovely in its own right, this is a non-issue.

And as in the first book, there's one description of Jinx as having dark skin, making this one for my multicultural sff list!

Other reviews at Random Musings of a Bibliophile and Waking Brain Cells.

Waiting on Wednesday--The Winner's Curse, by Marie Rutkoski

There just isn't enough time in the day to read quietly, in part because it's been too cold to take the bus (each bus trip = 45 minutes of reading), and the other problem with cold weather is that everyone, including me, wants to be in the same room as the woodstove, and the happy chatter can get awfully, horribly happy.  I try hard to be glad the dear children are so happy.

But in any event, I failed to finish my Timeslip Tuesday pick in time to review it yesterday, and this morning I must fall back on a Waiting on Wednesday post.  Happily, while indulging in a nice little round of adding forthcoming books with star reviews from Kirkus to my wants list,  I found a book I can wait for with a truly willing heart earlier today (though it strikes me that "a book I'm happy to wait for" is not even faint praise),

In any event.

Marie Rutkoski (she of  the Kronos Chronicles, the first book of which, The Cabinet of Wonders, is especially excellent) has a new book coming out that sounds most interesting.

The Winner's Curse (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, March 2014)

From Amazon:  "As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart."

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The Misadventures of the Magician's Dog, by Frances Sackett

So there are a number of stories about an ordinary kid who learns how to do magic, and a smaller number of these are set firmly in the real world.   Mostly the point of the story involves the magic somehow getting out of control, and various high-jinks ensuing.  Less often these stories involve the main character seriously thinking about the consequences of the magic that's invaded their ordinary life, and realizing that wonderful powers aren't necessarily a ticket to happiness.   The Misadventures of the Magician's Dog, by Frances Sackett (Holiday House, August 2013, middle grade), is that rare sort of story.  (At least I think it's rare....but I could be blanking on hundreds of them....)

Peter didn't want a dog--he didn't even like dogs-- but he had no choice.  He found himself compelled to ask for one, and, once at the animal shelter, found himself compelled to become the owner of a scraggly white mutt.   The Dog had picked him, for a particular purpose.

The Dog is no ordinary animal.  He had once belonged to a magician, and had acquired powers of his own, including the ability to talk.   He is a dog on a mission, one that involves awakening the powers lying dormant within Peter....not just so that Peter can become a magician in his own right, although this is what happens, but so that Peter can save the Dog's former master from an enchantment gone wrong.

And Peter, once he realizes that he can now do magic, becomes convinced that somehow he can bring back his father, off fighting far away.  Even if he can't do it himself, maybe the Dog's magician would be able to do it for him....

But the magic Peter uses draws on anger.  Every time he uses it,  anger moves closer to the surface.  If he gives in to the allure of his new powers, he risks loosing himself and harming his family....even though he is motivated by his love for this father.  

The Dog leads Peter to his former master, who's trapped in a magical mansion of madness.  He brings Peter's younger sisters too, in a deliberate effort to balance anger with love.  But the freeing the magician involves more than just Peter drawing on his new powers...and Peter's not sure at all that the magician is worth bringing back to life, especially when it will put his sisters, and himself, in danger.   Because the magician hadn't been able to hold on to the self he once was, back when he too was a boy, owner of a beloved dog.  He has become not nice at all.

Now, I am not a dog person, and so I was a tad slow to warm up to this story, especially when The Dog turned out to be a rather unattractive specimen!  But the story grew on me, with its slow build up of magical adventure, leading to the emotional crux of Peter's decision about how, or if, he should use his powers in his ultimate confrontation with the magician.  By the end, I was finding it both gripping and satisfying.  

It's one for readers slightly on the younger side of middle grade--9 year olds, give or take.  Any older, and there might not be sufficient tolerance for the more fantastical elements of the story (as indicated on the cover, for instance, dinosaurs come to life at one point); and indeed, some of the magical goings on felt a tad like set-pieces, that didn't desperately add all that much.   But I think the emotional heft of the story is pretty universal.  The anger every kid feels toward their parents and siblings at some point, balanced by love and loyalty to family, the desire to be special and powerful, and the love the Dog still feels toward the boy the magician once was, despite everything, will probably resonate for many in the young target audience.

Especially if they like dogs to begin with.

disclaimer: review copy received from the author

The first round-up of Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction of 2014!

It was rather exciting to see, in this first round-up of 2014, books that I've never heard of, let alone read.   2014 is looking good, or at the very least, entirely acceptable.  I'd love to add more MG SFF books of 2014, so if you feel so inclined, please share the ones you are most looking forward to in the comments!  I myself have two ARCs on hand I'm looking forward to lots--The Riverman, by Aaron Starmar, and  Nightingale's Nest, by Nikki Loftin.

And as ever, please let me know if I missed your post this week!

The Reviews:

The 13th Sign, by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, at The Book Monsters

The Abominables, by Eva Ibbotson, at Kid Lit Geek

Aesop's Secret, by Claudia White, at Literacy Love

The Apprentices, by Maile Meloy, at Becky's Book Reviews

Bigger Than a Breadbox, by Laurel Snyder, at Cannonball Read 5

Constable and Toop, by Gareth P. Jones, at Book Ends

Dead City, by James Ponti, at The Book Monsters

Doll Bones, by Holly Black, at Wandering Librarians

Ever After High: The Story Book of Legends, by Shannon Hale, at Beyond Books

The Eye of Minds, by James Dashner, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Fallout, by Todd Strasser, at The Book Monsters

The Flame in the Mist, by Kit Grindstaff, at Kid Lit Geek

Garden Princess, by Kristin Kladstrup, at Good Books and Good Wine

The Ghost Prison, by Joseph Delaney, at Charlotte's Library and Hidden in Pages

If the Shoe Fits (Whatever After 2), by Sarah Mlynowski, at Candace's Book Blog

Jinx's Magic, by Sage Blackwood, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile and Hidden in Pages

Leopards' Gold (Chronicles of the Red King 3), by Jenny Nimmo, at Charlotte's Library

Northwood, by Brian Falkner and Donovan Bixley, at Hidden In Pages  

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, by Karen Foxlee, at Views From the Tesseract and Reading and Sharing

Parched, by Melanie Crowder, at The Book Monsters

A  Question of Magic, by E.D. Baker, at Charlotte's Library

The Real Boy, by Anne Ursu, at Becky's Book Reviews

Rise of the Darkings (The Invisible Order, book 1), by Paul Crilley, at The Write Path

The Rithmatist, by Brandon Sanderson, at Diary of a Text Addict

The School For Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani, at The Literary Omnivore

Sleeping Beauty's Daughters, by Diane Zahler, at The Book Monsters

A Snicker of Magic, by Natalie Lloyd, at Next Best Book

A Sound of Crying, by Rodie Sudbery, at Charlotte's Library

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, by Kathi Appelt, at The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia

Wake Up Missing, by Kate Messner, at The Book Monsters

Zoe and Zak and the Yogi's Curse, by Lars Guignard, at Carpinello's Writing Page


Other Good Stuff:

The Shortlist of the Cybils Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category was announced on the first:

Jinx, by Sage Blackwood

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud

Rose, by Holly Webb

Sidekicked, by John David Anderson

The Rithmatist, Brandon Sanderson

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, Kathi Appelt

The Water Castle, Megan Frazer Blakemore

 

And you can see the other shortlists at the Cybils site, where the winners will be announced Feb. 14.

 

Courtesy of IO9, more books have been added to my wants list--here is an NPR article by Amal El-Mohtar in praise of Travel Light, by Naomi Mitchison, and now I want to read all her books in my copious free time la la la.

Anne Ursu shares some favorite Middle Grade reads at Bookyurt

A lists of the multicultural/diverse MG Sci Fi/Fantasy books of 2013 at Charlotte's Library

For those who like fairy tale comics, especially of lesser known fairy tales, there's a kickstarter of interest for the second volume of Erstwhile 2.

Katherine Langrish delves into the imaginary books she'd like to read in the library of the Unseen University at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles

And moving to unimaginary books-- From Zoe at Playing By the Book I learned that there are folks busily tagging the children's book illustrations amongst the 1 million or so images recently released into the wild by the British Library.  Here, from Zoe's blog, is the direct link to the ‘Children’s Book Illustration’ set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/sets/72157638906393085/

She's also amassed a nice little trove of book related illustrations, like this lovely one:

My Birthday Books

I have read all but two of my Christmas books, and now I have unwrapped the Birthday books!  Here's what I got (plus bonus bit of cat of at the left.  I tried pushing the cat into the picture more, but she wouldn't stay.):

William and Mary, by Penelope Farmer (author of Charlotte Sometimes), which is about the magical undersea adventures of the titular characters.   It has been many years since I read this, but I remember finding it good back when I was young (it was one of the library books I looked forward to checking out when visiting my grandparents in the summer).  And it just now occurred to me to see if my library her has other children's books by her that I haven't read, and it does, so now I am awaiting the arrival of Year King....

Rose and the Lost Princess, by Holly Webb (sequel to Rose), and ordered all the way from the UK for me!  My 10 year old boy, who enjoyed Rose, was pleased to see it too....but will his interest survive the fact that the title includes the dreaded "p" word....

Katherine at Feather Ghyll, by Anne Bradley, which is an old one (1959) from the UK about a girl who spends her convalescence in an English country village in bed making crafts, and which so far is proving just as soothingly diverting as I had hoped.   I predict her recovery will be complete and her father will marry again.

Ondine--The Summer of Shambles, by Ebony McKenna   Here's Cat's review at Beyond Books from April 2011 that made me put this on my wish list...I'm glad to finally be about to read it!

The Sleeping Army, by Francesca Simon.  In a modern Britain where people still worship the Viking gods, a girl inadvertently brings 4 of the Lewis chessmen to life and they have to go quest etc. together.

The Ghost Prison, by Joseph Delaney

The Ghost Prison is an illustrated novella from Joseph Delaney, author of the Spook's Apprentice series, perfect for horror loving readers of 11 or so who are looking for a nice, fast, spooky read.

15-year-old Billy rushes through the night-time streets on the way to his first job in the old castle prison, home to murderers, witches, and...ghosts.   His head is full of fearsome stories, but he reassures himself that as a guard, and not a prisoner, he'll be just fine.  And the money he earns will get him clear of the Home for Unfortunate Boys, and set him on a path to better things.

But then the prison overseer assigns to him the feeding of whoever, or whatever, is held down in the dark depths in the Witch Well....and Billy fails to follow the most basic rule of jail-keeping--"never leave your key in the lock."  With most unpleasant consequence...

At only 92 pages of story, plus 2 of epilogue, most of which are heavily illustrated in lots of lovely black and white detail by Scott M. Fischur, this is a quick read--which makes it excellent for the uncertain reader.   And the story is full enough of ghostly horror to keep any reader's attention, and the twist at the end was truly gripping.  For the faster reader, there might be some disappointment that there's not more to it, but that's the faster reader's problem, not the book's.

Warning:  The ending is really truly horrible horror, so not for the faint of heart.   Young, sensitive me might well have been disturbed by both the pictures and the story, but I would have read it anyway.

Disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher for Cybils review consideration. 

Leopards' Gold (Chronicles of the Red King Book 3), by Jenny Nimmo

Leopards' Gold (Chronicles of the Red King Book 3), by Jenny Nimmo (Scholastic, 2013), continues the saga of Timoken, who left his African home 300 years ago, and who has now established a magical castle in Britain.   But even the magic of Timoken and all his companions can't keep his family safe from treachery.

Petrello is one of Timoken's younger sons, watching as his siblings come into their inheritance of magic, and wondering if he will ever manifest a gift of his own, and Leopards' Gold is primarily his story.   When his father is captured by an evil spirit, the more mundane forces of the real world close in, and it's no longer clear who within the castle can be trusted, Petrello finds himself in the role of hero....whether he wants it, or not.

This is one of those third books in a series that works best for those who have books 1 and 2 fresh in their minds.   Readers who remember everyone will enjoy seeing them again, and there is plenty of magic to add interest.   The plot is kind of a piling on of bad things, and not that subtle, but it works well enough.

However, the shear number of characters means it was hard be convinced I was caring about them as individuals.   The book really is excessive in this regard--surely nine siblings gives one plenty of scope, without having to bring in two more orphaned kids to add to the mix.   Though I have read books 1 and 2, it was a while ago....and I kept getting distracted from the main thrust of the story by a feeling that I was at a family reunion of someone else's family. 

I was also bothered by the fact that Timoken and his wife are pretty awful parents.   I myself would try to take steps not to let my kids grow up into psychopathic sadists with magical powers (and in fact I'm doing well on that front).  Some of these kids do nasty, bullying things to each other that everyone just shrugs off, and it was not nice.

So in any event, I enjoyed the first book of the series (The Secret Kingdom) lots, the second (The Stones of Ravenglass) was fine, but this third one just didn't work for me.

Disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher.

The Diverse Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Books of 2013

Here are the middle grade speculative fiction books from the bigger publishers that I know about that star young protagonists who aren't "white."   Feel free to let me know about any I missed!  And I'm keenly aware that defining "white" and making distinctions about who's diverse and who isn't is fraught as all get out, and is especially tricky when you're dealing with people who aren't from Earth, so please also feel free to disagree with me!  

The links go to my own reviews, if I've reviewed the book, or to other places, if I haven't.  I've put little stars (*) next to the books that were written by people who aren't white European types, in case anyone is looking for diverse authors, but goodness knows I have no idea about most of them.


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

The City of Death, by Sarwat Chadda (Scholastic)*

City of Death, by Laurence Yep (Starscape)*

The Creature Department, by Robert Paul Weston (Razorbill)

Darwen Arkwright and the School of Shadows, by A.J. Hartley (Razorbill)

Ghost Hawk, by Susan Cooper (Margaret K. McElderry Books)

The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)

How I Became a Ghost, by Tim Tingle (The Road Runner Press)*

The Infinity Ring series (books 3-6 were published in 2013), various authors (Scholastic) *(for Matt de la Pena).

Jacob Wonderbar and the Intersellar Time Warp, by Nathan Bransford (Dial)

Jinx, by Sage Blackwood (Katherine Tegen Books)

Killer Species-- Menace From the Deep, and Feeding Frenzy, by Michael P. Spradlin

Leopards' Gold (Chronicles of the Red King Book 3) by Jenny Nimmo (Scholastic)

The Menagerie, by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland (Harper Collins)

The Monster in the Mudball, by S.P. Gates (Tu Books)

My Neighbor Totoro, by Tsugiko Kubo (Viz Media)*

Paradox by A.J. Paquette (Random House)

Parched, by Melanie Crowder (HMH Books for Young Readers)

The Real Boy, by Anne Ursu (Walden Pond Press)

The Time Fetch, by Amy Herrick (Algonquin Young Readers)

The Unmaking, by Catherine Egan (Coteau Books)

The Water Castle, by Megan Frazer Blakemore (Walker Childrens)

The Wells Bequest, by Polly Shulman (Nancy Paulsen Books)

Wild Born (Spirit Animals Book 1) by Brandon Mull (Scholastic)

Zombie Baseball Beatdown, by Paolo Bacigalupi (Little Brown)


There are of course lots independently published books that star characters of color; here are two I know about because they were nominated for the Cybils:

The Adventures of Emery Jones, Boy Science Wonder: Bending Time, by Charles Johnson and Elisheba Johnson (Booktrope Editions)*

Song of the Mountain, by Michelle Isenhoff (CreateSpace)

That's 31 books, which is better than some years, but still a pretty small percentage of the total (which I feel I can say with confidence despite having No Idea how many middle grade speculative fiction books are published in a given year).

This is also the first list I've made that includes a middle grade speculative fiction book written by a Native American author (Tim Tingle).  It also includes the first middle grade dystopia set in a future Africa book I know of (Parched).

There's no point, I think, in seeing which publisher publishes the most, because some, like Scholastic and HarperCollins, publish more MG Spec Fic than others, so the odds are on their sides.

In any event, there they are, and may many more come in 2014!

The books of 2014 I want most

It is a sad thing having a January birthday, because it means that there are eleven and a half months in which to work on your Christmas book wish list (Mother's Day I get plants instead of books, because you can't get those in January, which is the other main reason Jan. birthdays are ick).   But, though presents might be thin on the ground, it is also fun to actually go to the store oneself with a goal in mind, holding one's money tight in one's hand (or credit card or whatever) and then taking the beloved book home and reading it right then and there (perhaps with cookies). 

However, I find books I buy for myself come with no pressure to read them at all, and all too often they languish sadly amongst the dust bunnies at the bottom of the bookshelf.  And so of the 318 I read last year, only 2 were books I bought new for myself--Handbook for Dragon Slayers, by Merrie Haskell, and The Summer Prince, by Alaya Dawn Johnson--and both of which, miraculously, I read within days of buying them. 

But in 2014, there are books that I have to read just as soon as ever I can, and there is no chance at all of the any dust getting a chance to settle on them....

These two are obvious:

Jinx's Magic, by Sage Blackwood.  Loved Jinx, Brandy loved this one, can't wait.  Can justify purchase as "back to school gift" for child, thus adding self-congratulation to the pleasure of the book itself.

The Islands of Chaldea, by Diana Wynne Jones, completed by Ursula Jones.  Nothing more need be said.

This one isn't a sure thing:

Pat Walsh is an English author who is writing lovely historical fantasy set in a medieval abbey.   The first two books are The Crowfield Curse and The Crowfield Demon, and they are excellent, and I am truly looking forward to the third book in the series, Crowfield Rising, which is supposedly coming out in 2014.   I am pleased.

But that is not what I am waiting for with Wantingness!  Here is what made me do little glee bounces when I read it at Pat Walsh's website:

"And now Brother Walter has his own books! The first book in a new series about the hob from the Crowfield stories will be available soon. It is set 200 years after Will’s story, and shortly after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Something dark and evil lurks in the abandoned ruins of the abbey, and something is making the carved stones and wall paintings disappear…"

OH MY GOSH I love Brother Walter the Hob and anyone who loves the same books I do will love him too if they don't already.  

This one might not actually be available:

The sequel to Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman.   I was promised this in 2012 and I am starting to get restive.

This I'm not actually expecting, but you never know--the year is young and stranger things have happened:

The next Megan Whalen Turner book

There are lots and lots of other books I'm looking forward to, too many to list, but these are the ones I cannot put off reading any longer than I have too.

The Cybils Shortlists are here!!!!

The shortlists for the 2013 Cybils Awards have been announced!   Just a few days ago, my fellow hardworking panelists and I met on-line in an epic struggle to narrow down the lists of books we loved in the Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category (you can see the whole list of 149 books here) to just seven titles, and they are:

Jinx, by Sage Blackwood

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud

Rose, by Holly Webb

Sidekicked, by John David Anderson

The Rithmatist, Brandon Sanderson

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, Kathi Appelt

The Water Castle, Megan Frazer Blakemore

 

The biggest surprise of this list to me was The Rithmatist, by Brandon Sanderson, which I had only just barely heard of going into my Cybils reading.  It teeters just on the edge of YA, but we agreed the tone of it was more upper Middle Grade, and its Chalkling magic just oozes with Middle Grade appeal.

 

My second biggest surprise was how much I enjoyed True Blue Scouts--I'm not naturally inclined to love animal fantasies, but this story of two raccoon brothers bravely saving their home has stuck with me just beautifully.

 

Thank you, Liviania, Stephanie, Kristen, Melissa, Cecelia, and Brandy for being such excellent first round panelists!  

 

Now the second round panelists must pick a single winner, and I don't envy them the task!  The winner will be announced February 14, 2014.

 

If you think it might be fun to be a Cybils panelist, look for the call for to join next August!  And start reading now....

The reading and reviewing I did in 2013

In 2013, I read 319 books, three more than last year, not counting picture books (and though I want to keep on reading more books every year, being rather competitive with all my various past selves,  I am trying hard to realize that this will inevitably lead to failure down the line and I should just Stop It).  133 were from the library, 118 were review copies, and the rest were my own books.  I reviewed (using the word generously) 192 books, about half of which were review copies.   But since I am chronically behind on reviews, this doesn't seem like enough....

There were only three books that I re-read--Jinx, by Sage Blackwood, and The King Must Die, by Mary Renault, and The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman--which, given that I have spent most my life not having enough to read, and so re-reading desperately, gives me pause for thought (a hysterical thought along the lines of I Am Drowning In Books).  I miss re-reading, because many do get better and more beloved each time, and I still use "will I read it again" as my standard for Book Goodness.

Here are the books I read this year I want to read again, which is not at all the same as the books I think were the "best."

About half the Discworld books, which is basically all of them except the more stand-alone ones and the Rincewind ones.

Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater, because I bet when the third one comes out, it will be nice for me to go back to this one and the first one.

My Neighbor Totoro, by Tsugiko Kubo; a future comfort read.

Sorrow's Knot, by Erin Bow, in about five years, I think...it's still to fresh in my mind to imagine re-reading it sooner.

The Rithmatist, by Brandon Sanderson, because I love the chalklings, and when there's a sequel I'll want to make sure I remember everything.

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, ditto, but minus chalking love of course.

The Dragon's Quest, by Rosemary Manning, which is an older book,  a companion to one I loved as a child (Green Smoke), but I do not know if I will ever be able to re-read it because it is Lost somewhere in the house.

Kill Fish Jones, by Caro King, because it was just really Tasty reading, though dark.

The Bards of Bone Plain, by Patricia McKillip.   So good.

But of course since I am going to get all caught up on my reading in 2014, I will doubtless have vast quantities of time in which to do all the re-reading my little hert desires, and re-read many more.....


Here's what else I did in 2013--brilliant modeled the fine qualities of Persistence and Determination for my children by working my way through 262 levels of Candy Crush in less than three months.   

A Sound of Crying, aka House in the Wood, by Rodie Sudbery, for Timeslip Tuesday

Today's Timeslip Tuesday book is an oldie but goodie--A Sound of Crying, by Rodie Sudbery.  It was first published in the UK in 1968 as House in the Wood, and published with the new title in the US in 1970 by Scholastic (with biscuits changed to cookies; sigh), and it's just right for 9-12 year olds, and I am cross I didn't find it back when I was that age.  It is one of those books that teeters between ghost story and time slip, but since the main character does travel to the past to witness the events that transpired (albeit in her dreams), I'm going with time slip.

Polly and her younger siblings did not want their mother to be ill, and did not want to be dumped on their aunt and uncle and cousin Frederick while she got better.  Frederick did not want them either; he wanted his peaceful life as a young scientist (poor kids today--no mercury to play with) to be unbroken.   But it happens, and if you are going to be dumped on relations, it is nice when they live in an old house at the edge of a wood....

It is not so nice when Polly hears the sound of ghostly crying.   And in the night, the dreams come, taking her back to the life of Sarah, a orphaned girl who lived in the house many years ago, who was a virtual slave to her insanely miserly uncle.  Polly is a passive observer in the past, horrified by Sarah's unhappiness,  and her life in the present is haunted by the story she's witnessing.  At last the dreams lead her to the point where Sarah's life changed dramatically, and Polly can finally convince her family that there is physical proof that Sarah's story was real.

It's a lovely mix of the supernatural and the everyday, with plenty of good family dynamics, a lovely setting, and an intriguing mystery in which the past spills over into the present.  As the story progresses, Frederick relaxes away from serious scientist who doesn't have room for fun into the good companion he used to be, and although the younger children are only lightly sketched, they serve their narrative functions just fine.   Even if you don't like ghost/time travel stories, do try this one if you like 1960s/70s English family stories.    I was very excited to learn that there are sequels, although they apparently have no supernatural elements.

Clearly I should have been following my little sister's reading on Goodreads more closely.  The reason I got this from the library is that she asked for the fifth book in the series, Warts and All, for Christmas; I'm not quite sure why she hadn't shared these books with me more directly (perhaps she thoughtfully didn't wish to burden my TBR pile).   I am even sadder now that the cheap copy of Warts and All I managed to fine was "damaged" in handling and was no longer saleable.  I suspect the seller had a change of heart viz the price. 

However, if you live in Rhode Island, you can at least read this one, which I am about to return to the library.

Question:  though the book is over forty years old, it did not feel especially dated to me (possibly because I am too), and there was no  instance in which a cell phone would have made a huge difference to the plot.   But do  you suppose modern young readers, so used to their electronics, would notice the complete absence of any electronics and feel that they were truly deep in the dark,dark past? 

A Question of Magic, by E.D. Baker

The First Round of the Cybils is done--I handed in the blurbs for Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction today, and I do hope you all like our list!   It will be announced with virtual trumpets on the First of January, over at the Cybils website.   

My Cybils reading ended up far outpacing my reviewing (which happens when you have a list of 149 books to read), and so I am left with many fine books on hand that I received for Cybils reading purposes, many of which deserve to be read widely and well.   One of these books is  A Question of Magic, by E.D. Baker (Bloomsbury, Oct. 2013) which turned out to be my favorite of all E.D. Baker's books thus far. 

It is a reimagining of the Baba Yaga story.  After the death of the original bad witch, a string of young girls took her place over the years, heirs to her chicken-legged house with its fence of bones.   Serafina is the most recent girl to assume the mantle, and she does not want it one single bit.  She wants to peacefully marry her beloved, and live a simple life that does not involve magical responsibilities.  

For Baba Yaga, in this story, has the power to answer with the truth--one question per person per lifetime.   But for every question answered, Baba Yaga grows older, relying on a magical tea to restore her youth.  Lots of people have questions for her, from simple matters of the heart, to sweeping political questions....and so Serafina finds the truth coming from her mouth, finds herself in a cycle of aging and rejuvenating, and finds herself caught in the war that's swept through the kingdom.   And she misses her beloved something fierce, thought the skulls are friendly once you get to know them, and a magical cat who adds conversational spice.

Then the potion of youth is spilled.  The war grows worse.  And Serafina cannot refuse to answer the questions that keep coming...even though with each answer she grows nearer to death.......

But not to worry.  There is a happy ending.

What a nice premise is was, the whole question thing, and how nicely E.D. Baker used it!  There was just tons of variety in the questions and their consequences, and I enjoyed it very much.   With my mind still very much preoccupied with Christmas cookies, I would compare A Question of Magic to an American version of Pfeffernüsse (a sweet outside around a softly spicy inside).  Which may or may not be useful, review-wise, but there it is.

In any event, this is one I'd give in a sec to my nine year old self, in the absence of other handy nine-year-old girls.    It would not necessarily be easy to get a boy to read it--the cover is very girl marketed, what with the pink dress and the fairy (yes, there are fairies in the story) and, though I enjoyed it lots myself, I feel no need to insist with passionate conviction that my own son try it (but darn it, before he turns 11 I will get him to read The Runaway Princess, by Kate Coombs.  Maybe as a birthday present to me).

But A Question of Magic is good too.  Give it to fans of Diane Zahler and Gail Carson Levine (both obvious, because of also specializing in fairy tale retellings....), or to any girl who likes magical cats and has not grown too cynical for fairies.

Thanks, Bloomsbury, for the Cybils review copy.

This week's round-up of Middle Grade fantasy and science fiction postings from around the blogs (12/29/13)

Here's the last round-up of 2013, to which I contributed absolutely nothing, my excuse being that I was in a not very large house for the past week with six children and two sisters, two spouses, and one mother.  My sisters and I played very nicely together.

Let me know if I missed your post; I was also a bit light on blog reading this week.


The Reviews:


The Apprentices, by Malie Meloy, at Hidden in Pages

The  Dragonet Prophecy, by Tui T. Sutherland, at Candace's Book Blog

Ever After High, by Shannon Hale, at Squeaky Books

House of Secrets, by Christ Columbus and Ned Vizzini, at The Book Monsters

How I Became a Ghost, by Tim Tingle, at Book Nut

Hunted (Spirit Animals, Book 2), by Maggie Stiefvater, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra, by Jason Fry, at books4yourkids

Lara's Gift, by Annemarie O'Brien, at The Book Monsters

Many Waters, by Madeline L'Engle, at Secrets and Sharing Soda

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, by Karen Foxlee, at Waking Brain Cells

The Planet Thieves, by Dan Krokos, at alibrarymama

Rump, by Liesl Shurtliff, at A Reader of Fictions

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, at The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia

Seven Wild Sisters, by Charles de Lint, at Wandering Librarians

Sky Jumpers, by Peggy Eddleman, at The Book Monsters

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

The Vengekeep Prophecies, by Brian Farrey, at Book Nut

The Year of Shadows, by Claire Legrand, at Book Nut

My Merry Christmas books!

Some people show children, some people show trees
Some people show cookies and snowmen and      

Well, that went nowhere.

In any event, although I have the tree and the cookies and children et al., what I like showing are my Merry Christmas books, and here's what I got this year!

(all blurbs from Amazon)

A Parachute in a Lime Tree, by Annemarie Neary.  Put on my want list last January, after reading Alex's thoughts.   "April 1941. German bombers are in the air, about to attack Belfast. Oskar is a Luftwaffe conscript whose sweetheart, Elsa, was forced to flee Berlin for Ireland two years before. War-weary, he longs for escape. In remote Dunkerin, Kitty awakes to find a parachute trapped in one of the lime trees. When she discovers Oskar, injured and foraging for food in her kitchen, he becomes a rare and exciting secret. But Ireland during the "Emergency" is an uneasy place, and word of the parachute soon spreads. Meanwhile, Elsa is haunted by the plight of the parents she left behind. With the threat of the Nazi invasion, she feels far from secure. A chance encounter with Elsa, and Charlie, a young medical student, finds himself falling in love. Oskar, Kitty, Elsa, and Charlie's lives intertwine in a climate of war, exile, and ever-uncertain neutrality."

The Green Man, by Michael Bedard.  My Waiting on Wednesday pick from Sept. 2011.   "Teenaged O – never call her Ophelia – is about to spend the summer with her aunt Emily. Emily is a poet and the owner of an antiquarian book store, The Green Man. A proud, independent woman, Emily’s been made frail by a heart attack. O will be a help to her. Just how crucial that help will be unfolds as O first tackles Emily’s badly neglected home, then the chaotic shop. But soon she discovers that there are mysteries and long-buried dark forces that she cannot sweep away, though they threaten to awaken once more."

I Saw Three Ships, by Elizabeth Goudge.  Jennifer remembered I love Goudge, and let me know this was republished--thanks!  "Little Polly Flowerdew lives with her two maiden aunts, and she is absolutely sure that something special is going to happen this Christmas. She leaves her bedroom window open on Christmas Eve, just in case the three wise men decide to come visit. When she wakes up on Christmas morning, more than one miracle seems to have taken place."

Shadows, by Robin McKinley.  "Maggie knows something’s off about Val, her mom’s new husband. Val is from Oldworld, where they still use magic, and he won’t have any tech in his office-shed behind the house. But—more importantly—what are the huge, horrible, jagged, jumpy shadows following him around? Magic is illegal in Newworld, which is all about science. The magic-carrying gene was disabled two generations ago, back when Maggie’s great-grandmother was a notable magician. But that was a long time ago. 

Then Maggie meets Casimir, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen. He’s from Oldworld too—and he’s heard of Maggie’s stepfather, and has a guess about Val’s shadows. Maggie doesn’t want to know . . . until earth-shattering events force her to depend on Val and his shadows. And perhaps on her own heritage.  In this dangerously unstable world, neither science nor magic has the necessary answers, but a truce between them is impossible. And although the two are supposed to be incompatible, Maggie’s discovering the world will need both to survive."

Still She Wished for Company, by Margaret Irwin.  "The story moves between the 1920s and the 1770s, following two heroines: 20th century Jan Challard, a London girl, and 18th century Juliana Clare, the youngest daughter of an aristocratic Berkshire family. Jan is independent and spirited, but leads a humdrum life, working in an office, and walks out with a very suitable young man. Juliana, at 17 years of age, is getting the upbringing of a young lady in the enormous family mansion, Chidleigh, and her life is devoid of excitement and event.

The two heroines can see one another from time to time, momentarily, through some rent in the fabric of time, but never manage to meet and interact. Their lives converge as Juliana's world is turned upside down; her father dies and her notoriously wicked and mysterious brother, Lucian Clare, returns to take his position as head of the family.Lucian recognizes a supernatural power in Juliana, and uses this to reach out to Jan through the ages."

Clare, the Younger Sister, by Margaret Love (1968) No blurb for this one on Amazon, but it is a very appealing sounding story about an older sister trying to united scattered siblings.  I love old books in which homes are made for siblings.

I hope all of you who are celebrating Christmas today are as happy, or (why not) even happier than me with your books (and families and cookies)!

This week's round-up of Middle Grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs

Terribly late with this because I had No Time at all to read blogs this past week, and so I had about a zillion blog posts to get through today along with many Reindeer Games with my dear family.  But here it is!  Let me know if I missed your post.

The Reviews

Behind Enemy Lines (Infinity Ring 6), by Jennifer Nielsen, at Charlotte's Library

Beholding Bee, by Kimberly Newton Fusco, at The Book Monsters

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, at Fantastic Reads

Cake: Love, Chickens and a Taste for the Peculiar, by Joyce Magnin, at The Book Monsters

Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder, by Jo Nesbo, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Flora and Ulysses, by Kate DiCamillo, at Becky's Book Reviews

The Gargoyle at the Gates, by Phillipa Downing, at Charlotte's Library

The Ghost Prison, by Joseph Delaney, at Paranormal Sisters

Here Where the Sunbeams are Green, by Helen Phillips, at books4yourkids

How To Catch a Bogle, by Catherine Jinks, at Book Nut

Island of Fire (The Unwanteds) by Lisa McMann, at Back to Books

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, by Julie Andrews, at Becky's Book Reviews

The Little Leftover Witch, by Florence Laughlin, at The Book Cellar

The Lost Kingdom, by Matthew Kirby, at The Reading Nook Reviews

The Neptune Project, by Polly Holyoke, at The Book Monsters

Parched, by Melanie Crowder, at Book Nut and Presenting Lenore

Rose, by Holly Webb, at Book Nut

The Shadowhand Covenant, by Brian Farrey, at The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Sidekicked, by John David Anderson, at Book Nut

Sky Jumpers, by Peggy Eddleman, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The Unseen Guest, by Maryrose Wood, at A Reader of Fictions (audiobook review)

What We Found in the Sofa and How It Changed The World, by Henry Clark, at Book Nut

The Year of Shadows, by Clair Legrand, at Charlotte's Library


Authors and Interviews

Anna Stanizewski (My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending)  at Literary Rambles

Kurtis Scaletta (The Winter of the Robots) at From the Mixed Up Files


Other Good Stuff (more or less)

Exciting news from the British Library--
"We have released over a million images onto Flickr Commons for anyone to use, remix and repurpose. These images were taken from the pages of 17th, 18th and 19th century books digitised by Microsoft who then generously gifted the scanned images to us, allowing us to release them back into the Public Domain."  There's one I liked at right.

(I am going to work really hard to convince myself that the B.L. is using "gifted" in its strict legal sense and is not endorsing the use of "gifted" in instances where "gave" will do, because that makes me cranky.  And in the same vein (it things that make me cranky), the ass has been replaced by a lamb in modern versions of The Little Drummer Boy.  Sigh.)

I'm not sure if this is actually "good stuff" or simply sad, but I find the Darwin Awards rather fascinating, perhaps because someday I might see my own name there (I am the only person I know who has ever managed to slam their nose with the car door)--here are 2013's winners.

The Gargoyle at the Gates, by Philippa Downing

One never knows what will end up on one's Cybils reading list--The Gargoyle at the Gates, Philippa Downing (from the Canadian publisher Dundrun, 2012) was a nice surprise.

Once, long ago, a great artist made a small number of living gargoyles.  They were scattered, and some feared lost, but slowly they  have been gathered back together by the descendant of their creator, who protects them in his English garden (with trips to the local churchyard).  Two ended up in Canada, where they were befriend by a human girl, Katherine, as told in the first books of this series (The Gargoyle in My Yard, and The Gargoyle Overhead). 

By the time this book begins, Gargoth and Ambergine, the two Canadian gargoyles are living in a small city park, pretending, on occasion, to be real stone gargoyles.    A boy named Christopher, new to town, and seeking respite from his happy crowded home, finds the little park....and meets the gargoyles.  Unfortunately, the gargoyles are being hunted down by a ruthless collector (who is a bit too foggy and unequivocally evil to quite work for me).  Christopher and Katherine must try to save the gargoyles from his ruthless clutches, and save the little park they call home. 

I wish that I had read the first two books before reading this one, because the beginning would have worked better if I had known more of the backstory, but after that initial roughness, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The two urban gargoyles are charming and interesting, and it was a pleasure spending time with them.  The growth of the friendship between Christopher and Katherine balanced the fantastical nicely.

If I ever encounter the first two books, I'll snap them up.  I think my personal target audience member, and any young fan of the "mythical creatures living among us" sub-genre would enjoy them lots.  Though originally published in Canada, they are available at Amazon in the US.

Review copy received from the publisher for Cybils consideration.

The Living, by Matt de la Peña

A girl cannot live on middle grade science fiction and fantasy alone, and so, despite the fact that there are still books I need to read (and re-read) for the Cybils, I treated myself to The Living, by Matt de la Peña....

Here's what I expected:  I knew (mainly from the EW review) that the main character, a Mexican American teenager named Shy, who had a summer job working on a luxury cruise ship, was going to end up on a life boat with a rich white babe, Addison.  And I knew that survival was going to be an Issue.  I assumed I was going to get a whole "let's dispel prejudice" love story along with my disaster...but I didn't know how Epic the disaster part was going to be, and how it would propel the story into the realm of speculative fiction...and I didn't know that the whole bit on the boat would be a relatively minor note in what proved to be a more character-rich, action-packed adventure than I had anticipated.

I figured it out pretty quickly though.  The Living may be a gripping page-turner, the sort of book one might read in a single sitting with dishes unwashed, suitcase unpacked, and general let the kids play in the traffic way, but subtle it is not.  Right at the beginning we learn about a horrible (mercifully fictional) disease, and it's hard for even a relatively dim reader like me not to think Pandemic! And when Shy, dispensing free water to the rich strolling the decks, hears the guilt-filled ramblings of man who's about to jump off the ship (and succeeds in making it to the water, despite Shy's efforts to pull him back), it's hard not to suspect that there are Bad Plot Things afoot. 

And then you have the whole major earthquake devastating the West Coast thing....and the concomitant tsunami hitting the cruise ship...and there's a nice sinking ship of doom bit before finally the reader (along with Shy and Addison) gets a bit of a breather from action and intrigue (though there is a bit of a shark issue) while almost dying of thirst, hunger, and exposure (with bonus overcoming prejudice, although I must say that Addison is such a racist little snot that such rehabilitation of her character as occurs is unbelievable).

But in any event, along the way we are introduced to a bevy of interesting characters (the death toll is high, so don't get too attached), and the characters reflect on class and race, and though one of them is  a Magical Negro type (the shoeshine man, who calls himself just Shoeshine), he clearly has lots of interesting backstory and rises above M. N. status.  Basically, it is all just as riveting as all get out, even though I totally guessed what was up on the Mysterious Island.

Short answer--it was great fun to read, and I still haven't packed (except for the books I'm taking with me).  And if the sequel comes out the week before I go away again, I probably won't pack then either.   Speaking of travel, if you yourself have packed, instead of reading The Living, and are flying in the next few days, it would make a really really good airplane book....cruise ship book, not so much.

Behind Enemy Lines (Infinity Ring 6), by Jennifer A. Nielsen, for Timeslip Tuesday

This week, Timeslip Tuesday falls on a Wednesday (these things happen, even in the best of families), and today's book is Behind Enemy Lines (Infinity Ring 6), by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Scholastic, 2013). 

The Infinity Ring series tells of three kids (Daq, Sera, and Riq) trying to fix history and prevent a cataclysm, and so far in the series they have bounced between many time periods and many places...but still there are more breaks in the way things should have gone for them to set right.  I was rather excited for this episode, because it's about World War II, a favorite period of mine.   In the time line in which the three kids grew up, the Allies didn't win WW II.  Instead, it was a stalemate, allowing a third party ("SQ," an organization working against the time-fixers side of things) to take over.  

But if  Daq, Sera, and Riq can fix one small thing, the Allies will win....and this small thing is a really truly cool piece of trickery on the part of the Allies.  They took a corpse, disguised him as an officer in the Royal Marines, complete with just tons of neat little details to make his identity more believable, and dumped him at sea, where he'd wash up in Spain.   The corpse was carrying Secret Information about the planned Allied invasion of Greece--when really the Allies were planning to invade Sicily.   If all went well, the Germans would get their hands on this intelligence, and swallow the story hook, line, and sinker.  And it worked!

Operation Mincemeat, as this was known, really happened, although not, of course, helped along by three kids from the future.  Jennifer Nielsen did a great job bringing it to life (inadvertent irony), and I enjoyed it lots, and also enjoyed delving on my own deeper into the Mincemeat story (cool fact--because the Germans were so badly burned by this one, two subsequent occasions when the Allies accidentally let important information fall into their hands were dismissed as being more trickery, saving the Allies' tail).

The book did strain my credulity.  Too many adults trusted the kids for no good reason, and some of the opportunities they encountered were not exactly plausible.   But extra interest was added by a time travelling bad guy working hard to mess things up, and I was glad to see that in this episode the three protagonists were spending less time annoying each other (and me), and more time getting things done.   The fact that they were separated for most of the story helped in this regard!

So a fine addition to the series, and it's a pity that it can't quite stand alone, because kids who are WW II buffs who haven't necessarily read the whole series would enjoy it lots.

Review copy received from the publisher.

The Year of Shadows, by Claire Legrand

This has been an excellent year for middle grade ghosts books, and The Year of Shadows, by Claire Legrand (Simon and Schuster, Aug. 2013, middle grade), is by no means the least of these, which is to say I liked it lots.

Olivia is angry, scared, and miserable.  After her mother left, things feel apart, and now she and her father, and her grandmother, are stuck living in the backstage rooms of a decrepit concert hall.  Her father (distant, depressed, unkempt and unhelpful) still dreams of leading his orchestra to heights of fame and financial stability, but Olivia doesn't want any part of her father's hope--she's too busy blaming him for her miserable circumstances (with some reason).

Then she realizes that on top of everything else, the hall is haunted.   And some of the spirits are friendly ghosts, who need her help to pass fully into death, and some are chaotic forces that bring danger to both ghost and girl.   With the help of two classmates who practically force friendship at prickly Olivia, she begins to help the ghosts...a scary process that involves letting them into her mind, so that she can share their memories. 

But in the meantime, the concert hall is literally falling down, and time is running out for both the ghosts, and for Olivia's family.

And once again, I embarrassed myself by sniveling on the bus ride home.  And once again, I realize while writing about a book that it had illustrations--quite nice and atmospheric ones--that utterly passed me by because I was so busy with the words.   Which I guess is a compliment.  (I am very sorry, illustrator Karl Kwasny.  I did notice the cover though, and like it lots, as do my target-audience boys).

So in any event, it's a rather dark book, but not so dark as to render the reader melancholy for any length of time.  One must bravely soldier on (at the beginning, in particular) through depressing bleakness, but gradually, as the story builds in complexity and more characters and twists of plot and zesty little details are added, it all gets lighter (though never what one would really call light)...and crescendos with a big emotional burst.  (At which point I give up fighting against musical metaphor, because after all musical metaphors are woven into the book--the program of orchestral music for each month is very deliberately chosen by the author!).   By the end there have been friendships made, and Olivia and her father are on track to build a better relationship (although I think he will always be a weak read as far as parenting is concerned....he has a habit of putting the music first) and things are better for the ghosts and stuff (that's me avoiding a spoiler).

So, if I had a slightly Gothically leaning 11 or 12 year old girl who played the violin* on hand, I would leap to press the book into her hands.   But anyone who enjoys a good ghost story, in which grimness is mixed nicely with both dead and living warmth, might very well want to give this one a try.

Disclaimer:  review copy received from the publisher for Cybils consideration

*because that's how I hear Olivia's theme; no offense to other instruments intended....although now I'm thinking maybe she's clarinet...tricky....