My favorite books from 2016

2016 has the lowest number of books read of any year since I started keeping track--258.  I was generous to myself in not finishing books I wasn't enjoying, didn't take the bus to work very often, and was busy with a big project.  But there were some good ones.

My favorites. based on the simple criteria of "will I give them precious shelf space on the second floor of the house because of wanting to re-read them" (some books get kept for possible re-reading, but on the first floor, others get donated to the library).  This is a different criteria from "books I would save if a fire were threatening to consume all the books I read in 2016" because that would be a rather longer list.

Middle Grade fantasy:

The Creeping Shadow, by Jonathan Stroud (bonus winner of "most intriguing skull character")
The Evil Wizard Smallbone, by Delia Sherman (bonus winner of "most helpful magical bookstore")
The Mage of Trellian, by Michelle Knudson (bonus winner of "mg fantasy series that I love that not enough people have read")
Secrets of the Dragon Tomb, by Patrick Samphire (bonus winner of "character most like Percy Blakeney")

YA fantasy:

The Mountain of Kept Memory, by Rachel Neumeier
The Queen of Blood, by Sarah Beth Durst
The Keeper of the Mist, by Rachel Neumeier
A Thousand Nights, by E.K. Johnson
The Raven King, by Maggie Steifvater

side note:  I seem to enjoy stories of young women caught in webs of political power (Raven King being an exception).  But I am picky about them- at least three I didn't finish this year count as that subject....Now that I am aware of this, I will pay attention in 2017 to see what it is that makes me love some but not others.

Favorite Re-reads:

Sue Barton, Student Nurse, by Helen Dore Boylston  A regular reread. Best nursing story ever, even though it's set in the days of ether cones (see Sue Barton: Neighborhood Nurse).
Elizabeth of the Garret Theatre, by Gwendoline Courtney, an English family story of yesteryear about four free-spirited girls whose reviled stepmother turns out to be really good at shopping and home decorating.Soothing.

The Creeping Shadow, by Jonathan Stroud

The Creeping Shadow, by Jonathan Stroud, is the fourth book about Lockwood and Co., about a group of kids fighting malevolent ghosts in an alternate England where the dead have become a serious problem.  If you loved the first book, and why would you not, because it is excellent, but found books 2 and 3 somewhat less engrossing, do not let that stop you from reading The Creeping Shadow! 

All that made the first book good is here as well--the hair-raising psychic investigations, including some really horrible ghosts, interesting dynamics between the team members that don't slow down the narrative, and solid world-building.  Here in the forth book, as an added bonus, there begins to be some actual progress on understanding why problem of ghosts happened to begin with, which makes it an even more interesting read.

At the end of book 3, Lucy left Lockwood and Co. to work on her own, which was a real downer of ending.  Happily, she rejoins the team in The Creeping Shadow, and her time on her own offers the opportunity see the other members of gang--Lockwood, George, and Holly, with fresh eyes.  The first ghost they tackle when they are once more together is really really gruesome--he was a cannibal murderer, and if you are squeamish about ghostly body parts, be warned!  I don't generally like horror qua horror, but I was utterly gripped.

So gripped by the whole book, in fact, especially once Larger Elements of the Problem began to unfold, that I stayed up past my bedtime to read it all in a single sitting.  The only downer--it ends with a teasing note--not quite a cliffhanger, but awfully near the cliff's edge, and I want the fifth book Now.

side note--I am now totally shipping George and Lucy.  Although the Skull comes to life as more of a person in this book, and his ambiguous, trickster personality is not as unappealing as one would expect from an evil (?) bottled skull......

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher for Cybils Awards judging

Bounce, by Megan Shull

So last week I had a post up at the  B. and N. Kids Blog of middle grade Christmas-time fantasy books, and I am vexed at myself for not having read Bounce, by Megan Shull (Katherine Tegen Books, September 2016), before I wrote it because it would have been a lovely addition--I didn't have any other contemporary, realistic (except for the fantasy) book.  Oh well.

Bounce is the story of a 12-year-old girl named Frannie who is basically despised by her parents and big brother and sister as being a helpless, clingy wet-blanket sort of person.  Instead of being helpful and supportive of her, they simply want nothing to do with her, so much so that her parents decide that this Christmas the two of them will head down to Jamaica by themselves.  Frannie is crushed (and why shouldn't she be) by this abandonment.  Her siblings, however, see it as a great opportunity to host a wild party....and all Frannie's bleating protests have no power to prevent the trashing of her home.

She wishes desperately that she could be part of another family....and her wish comes true, as she bounces through a series of Christmases spent as other girls.  And here Frannie gets incredibly lucky, because there are lots of girls worse off than she was.  But instead she gets a lovely Christmas riding horses through the snow with a supportive mother, Christmas as a famous pop start, Christmas sailing in the South Pacific, and more soberly, Christmas as a girl whose sister just died, and Christmas as a girl whose young mom is desperate to make a home for her, and who Frannie has seen being bullied at school.

So Frannie learns valuable lessons, and becomes more self-reliant, mostly because when people assume you can do things, it gives you confidence, but also because she has been able to rise to the occasion of quickly adjusting to new experiences and bravely trying them.  Her Christmas bouncing is indeed a seasonal miracle, and just what she needed.  Being a stronger, braver Frannie makes it a lot easier for her to feel at home in her own family.

It's fun, if a bit over the top in places (South Pacific island adventure, I'm looking at you).  It's a nice one for the 10 or 11 year old girl who likes magical stories about girls enjoying improbable fantastic adventures (Princess Diaries, for instance), and though there are lessons, it's not unpleasantly didactic.

The Adventures of Gracie and MonkeyBear, by C.S. O'Kelly

I don't often say yes to picture book review requests, but when I was offered The Adventures of Gracie and MonkeyBear, by C.S. O'Kelly, illustratd by Jordy Farrell, I thought it would make a fun change so I said yes. And it was a cute book and a fun change (although being a picture book, it was about a five minute change; not a criticism, but just a comment on reading time....).

Gracie is one of the imaginative, smart sort of kids, who is able to make her urban backyard into a place of magic and adventure.  With her faithful dog and super intelligent comrade-in-arms, MonkeyBear, she sets out to meet all the challenges that come her way. A  young T-Rex, entombed in soil, is freed and set on its way.  The duo then come to the aid of a distressed Voosurian starship (MonkeyBear has a helpful Voosuiran starship repair manual. He's that sort of dog).  And finally a third adventure, involving a whale in the backyard plastic pool, shows that deep adventures can be found in what looks like an ordinary small city yard....

Spending a day (of book time) skipping from one adventure to the next with Gracie and MonkeyBear is well worth it.  Especially MonkeyBear--he is the most nerdy genius type dog I've met for ages!  There are lots and lots of fun details to point out to young readers (or for them to spot and point out to you).  A good one for kids love pretend games themselves--it will give them lots of encouragement!  It's an especially good for kids who themselves live in a city, who will enjoy seeing adventures happening in their own environment.

For a picture book, it seems on the high on the word count, making a good one to read with an older child of five or so. And just as a final note--Although independently published, there's nothing about the writing, editing or the illustrations that seemed to me at all unprofessional. 

Here's another review at Kid Lit Reviews, and here's the (starred) Kirkus review.

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (12/18/16)

As always, please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Beautiful Blue World, by Suzanne LaFleur, at Jen Robinson's Book Page

The Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkoski, at Say What?

Crown of Fire, by Tony Abbott, at Boys Rule, Boys Read

The Dark Talent, by Brandon Sanderson, at Fantasy Literature

The First Last Day, by Dorian Cirrone, at Time Travel Times Two

Five Children on the Western Front, by Kate Saunders, at Ms.Yingling Reads

Fuzzy, by Tom Angleberger, at Redeemed Reader

The Girl Who Saved Christmas, by Matt Haig, at So Little Time For Books

Me and Marvin Gardens, by Amy Sarig King, at School Library Journal

The Secret of Goldenrod, by Jane O'Reilly, at Charlotte's Library

The Secret Keepers, by Trenton Lee Stewart, at Hope Is the Word

Serafina and the Black Cloak, by Robert Beatty, at Leaf's Reviews

The Shattered Lens, by Brandon Sanderson, at Fantasy Literature

Snow Fright, by Amie and Bethanie Borst, at This Kid Reviews Books

Under My Hat: Tales From the Cauldron, edited by Jonathan Strahan, at Hidden In Pages

Whatever After: Fairest of All, by Sarah Mlynowski, at Renell Aysling's Book Blog

Word of Mouse, by James Patterson, at the B. and N. Kids Blog

Young Scrouge, by R.L. Stine, at Pop Goes the Reader and Charlotte's Library

Authors and Interviews

Monica Tesler (The Bounders series) on meeting Meg Murry, at Nerdy Book Club

Other Good Stuff

Alums from Studio Ghibli are making a movie (Mary and the Witch's Flower) from one of my most favorite children's fantasy books, The Little Broomstick! via Tor

At the Barnes and Noble Kids Blog, I picked ten favorite MG books of the year, which includes five great spec fic titles.

Zetta Elliott has made a list of MG and YA titles of 2016 by African American writers

and finally, Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer, rendered in Anglo-Saxon at All Things Linguistic

The Secret of Goldenrod, by Jane O'Reilly

The Secret of Goldenrod, by Jane O'Reilly (Carolrhoda Books, October 2016, middle grade), might sound like it is going to be a haunted old house/creepy doll story, but it actually isn't creepy at all (apart from the fact that any doll who comes alive has an inherent creepiness).  It is instead a happy story, which ends up with the doll being happy, the old house being happy, and the main character being happy.  And the reader being happy too (although if you keep waiting for creepy ghostliness you will be disappointed).

Trina and her father have bounced around the country all her life, from one house fixing project to the next.  None of the houses they repair are theirs, so it's always on to the next one, and the next one here is a doozy--a dilapidated Queen Anne mansion named Goldenrod, sitting in the middle of Iowa cornfields, that all the local folks think is cursed.  It is certainly spooky enough to warrant its reputation, with all the old house accoutrements of flickering lights, strange noises, and drafts, but Trina's father firmly tells her that there are no such thing as ghosts. 

It does not occur to him to tell her that there is no such thing as sentient dolls. 

The doll was asleep in its dollhouse bed, but woke when Trina found the way into the secret old playroom, and started conversing with her.  Lonely Trina, who never has had the chance to live anywhere long enough to make friends, does not run screaming, but accepts that the doll is in some measure alive. They become confidants, sharing a love of stories, and encouraging each other as needed.  Both need the encouragement--Trina finds it hard to make friends in the small town where she goes to school, the doll, Augustine, has lost her parents (other dolls, of course), and Trina is about to find her father has been keeping secrets from her about her own mother (who took off years ago to live an exciting life of her own).

Goldenrod, the old house, also is in need of encouragement and hope, and Trina, once she gets over her fear of ghosts, begins to listen to what the house seems to tell her.  As she and her father work to make it bright and shinny again, the townsfolk come to terms with their own past relationships to the house, and bring back all the things belonging to it that they or their families had taken as dares over the years, which had seemingly brought them all bad luck.

All ends well (even a day at school in which Trina has a too chatty Augustine in her pocket ends up without disaster) and there are, in fact, no ghosts, though there are quite a few secrets.  I am not sure I picked up on all the secrets.  The blurb says:   "With help from Augustine, Trina realizes Goldenrod is trying to tell her an important secret, one that may just change her life."  Um...my own feeling was that Goldenrod was actually saying things more along the lines of "I want my furniture back" and "I like my new paint" and "a party sure would cheer up a lonely old house" and "don't put my new septic system where someone is buried" and possibly "a family house needs a family."  But I feel the blurb writer was thinking of something Bigger....beats me.

But in any event, if you love books about lonely girls moving into old houses, and finding friends despite rocky starts, with bonus details like making dollhouse curtains and reading fairy tales to a talking doll,  you will enjoy this one lots.

Young Scrooge, by R.L. Stine, for Timeslip Tuesday

In Young Scrooge (Feiwel & Friendsm, Sept 2016)  R.L. Stine (of Goosebumps fame) reimagines Dickens' Christmas Carol as middle grade horror.

Rick Scroogeman is a middle school kid who hates Christmas (in large part because it's also his birthday and he feels cheated and bitter, with some reason).  He is not just a Christmas-hater; he's also a psychopathic bully with no empathy for the other kids.  He has so little empathy that he doesn't even realize he is an utter jerk and that no one else is laughing at the cruel things he does that he thinks are funny (which is a change from the usual middle grade bullying one reads about, in which the bullies are under no illusions about how their victims feel....).  

One of young Scrooge's Christmas traditions is to find and open the presents his mother has hidden away for him (and why she hasn't learned from past Christmases to hide them better I don't know), and it is there in the attic with ripped paper and a some really not good presents that he is found by  the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.  They have decided to take action and intervene in his life to see if it is possible to turn him into a decent kid who can appreciate Christmas and not make life hell for those around him. 

So the time travelling starts.  First Scrooge gets a lesson from some kids in the 19th century of the be-done-by-as-you-did variety, which involves time in a pigpen.   Then he's whisked to the present, where he gets to hear the kids he thinks of as friends expressing their loathing for him, and spends time with a family suffering severe poverty, with creepy snowmen outside their house.  And finally there's a trip to the future, where he finds himself at Dead Middle School with zombie classmates who try to kill him (if there was a moral lesson here, I missed it).

Young Scrooge's redemption is pretty flimsy, not at all convincing, and lacking emotional depth. The story doesn’t even come close to the power of the original, but fans of R.L. Stine may well enjoy it, though the scariest part is the main character's casual acts of cruelty that he fails to recognize as anything but jokes.  The bits of interest that come from the various time travel scenarios are bright (but somewhat pointless) sparks in an otherwise uninspired effort.  

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (12/11/16)

Here's what I found this week; let me know if I missed your post.

The Reviews

The Arctic Incident, by Matthew Kirby, at Lunar Rainbows

Beautiful Blue World, by Suzanne LaFleur, at The Children's War

A Boy Called Christmas, by Matt Haig, at Word Spelunking

The Bronze Key, by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, at Leaf's Reviews

Deep Wizardry, by Diane Duane, at Fantasy Faction

The Door to Time, by Pierdomenico Baccalario, at Pages Unbound Reviews

The Dragon’s Eye, by Kaza Kingsley, at Leaf's Reviews

Fortune Falls, by Jenny Goebel, at Log Cabin Library

Furthermore, by Thera Mafi, at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Insert Coin to Continue, by John David Anderson, at Semicolon

The iPhone that Saved George Washington, by David Potter, at Time Travel Times Two

Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger, at Renell Aysling's Book Blog

Ratpunzel, by Ursula Vernon, at Puss Reboots

Red Moon Rising, by K.A. Holt, at Semicolon

Shadow Magic, by Joshua Kahn, at Charlotte's Library

"When Did You See Her Last?" by Lemony Snicket, at Leaf's Reviews

Young Scrouge, by R.L. Stine,  at Good Books and Good Wine

Three at Semicolon--The Memory Thief, by Bryce Moore, The Last First Day, by Dorian Cirrone, and Time Traveling With a Hamster, by Ross Welford.

Three at Ms. Yingling Reads--the Hammer of Thor, by Rick Riordan, Legendtopia: The Battle for Urth, by Lee Bacon, Lee, and The Battle of Hackam Heath, by John Flanagan

Five at Random Musings of a Bibliophile-- Imperyium, by Henry Neff, Making Mistakes on Purpose, by Elise Primavera, Phoenix, by S.F. Said, The Secret Horses of Briar Hill, by Megan Shepherd, and Voyage to Magical North, by Claire Fayers

Authors and Interviews

Eleanor Glewwe (Wildings) at Cracking the Cover

Other Good Stuff

"Five times we Earthlings messed up a fantasy world" at Tor

Shadow Magic, by Joshua Kahn

Shadow Magic, by Joshua Kahn (Disney-Hyperion, April, 2016) , is an excellent pick for upper middle grade readers (11-12 year olds) who are beginning to look YA-ward, but who aren't yet interested in the more romantic plotlines of much YA fantasy.  It was also an excellent pick for me. It's a story that weaves legends and magic into struggle of a young queen coming to power, with a would-be killer at her heels, and a boy desperate to find out the fate of his outlawed father, coming into his own gifts of magic.

Thorn is not good at being a cooperative slave, yet something about him catches the attention of Tyburn, the executioner of Gehanna, kingdom of dark shadow magic.  Thorn has no desire to spend any time in Gehanna, what with all the stories of vampires and zombies that are told of it.  But he's not given any real choice, though he's determined not to be sidetracked from his quest for his missing father.

Lilleth, the 13 year old queen of Gehanna, doesn't have lots of room to chose her own destiny either.  Her parents and brother were murdered, and though she wasn't trained in the necromancy that is her family gift, because of being a girl, she is now queen of the beleaguered country of Shadows (where most people, it turns out, live perfectly ordinary quasi-medieal lives sans vampires and zombies).  She must marry the heir of a neighboring kingdom (after an engagement of several years), and he turns out to be utterly insufferable.  On a less personal issue, his country's magic is based on light, the antithesis of her own heritage, and she has no desire to leave her home and its shadows for his bright realm.  And then her puppy is poisoned, after drinking wine meant for her (for those distressed by puppy death--this is the kingdom of shadow magic, so the dead aren't necessarily gone for good....)

Lily and Thorn become friends and allies as they work to solve the mystery of the would-be assassin and the mystery surrounding the deaths of Lily's family.  In the process, each explores their gifts for magic.   Lily has a strong affinity for the shadow magic of her ancestors, though it is forbidden to her, and Thorn has an uncanny way with animals, taming and learning to ride the giant bat that has inadvertently been awakened. (Side note--giant bats don't appeal to me, per se, but I found myself making an exception for Hades.  He's a fine giant bat). 

There's plenty of excitement, but the dangerous adventures leave room for the reader to grow to care about the characters.  Though it doesn't feel wildly original to someone who's read 100s and 100s of books with similar stories (give or take), that won't be an issue for the target audience (political intrigue usual happens after middle grade). Shadow Magic works very nicely indeed as a gripping, coherent, and fascinating story of  young people figuring out who they are.  Give this one to a Ranger's Apprentice fan, or a fan of Sage Blackwood's Jinx.  I am very tempted to foist it on my own 13 year old over Christmas break.

The book got a very negative review on Amazon from someone who felt it had a liberal agenda because the good guys are the dark magic ones, and the light magic folks are less good.  However, it's made pretty clear that the magical powers of shadow magic are only bad if the person wielding them is bad, and if there was a more subtle liberal agenda (perhaps the minor point that Thorn's father became an outlaw because the family needed to poach to live, which I guess could be construed as subversively threatening the power and rights of the 1%) I missed it.  Oh, and I just remembered there's a bit that can be read as anti-death penalty.

And now I will go see what Kirkus says.  Hmm, we disagree.  "A kingdom that embraces darkness but not evil is an interesting concept but not enough to make up for choppy pacing and flat characters; here’s hoping the sequel is better balanced."  I don't remember any bits that dragged, but I was reading very quickly because of being interested, and I really didn't find the characters flat...I think it's one of those books where you are given enough to build up the characters in your own mind beyond the actual words on the page, which I am just fine with.  The Kirkus reviewer also says-- "Encouraged by her beloved but chronically drunk uncle to marry for her people’s sake, Lily resists, a decision that seems unlikely, empowered, and selfish simultaneously."  Geez.  The kid's 13, her parents just got killed, and her putative fiancé is an ass.  It's not like she resists with any realistic hope of an alternative, and she realizes she not in a position to decisively say "no."  So I can confidently object to that opinion of the Kirkus reviewer.

Here's another review, at The Book Smugglers, with which I have no quibbles at all (which is nice for me).

The books my boys are getting for Christmas

Since this is Tuesday, I should have a time travel book review, but it didn't happen, so instead I offer the books that my boys are getting for Christmas.  It would be nice if my reading taste just happened to be the same as that of my children, which would be very nice for me, but it isn't. There is only one that I was tempted to get for myself; can you guess which one?

For my 13 year old son--

Homestuck: Book Three, by Andrew Hussie.  Books one and two are out of print and too expensive at this time, so I hope he doesn't mind having just this one.  Since he loves Homestuck, it should be ok.

Year of Yesh: A Mutts Treasury by Patrick McDonnell.  Because all 13 year old boys need love and cute.

Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded by Hanna Hart.  My son took John Green's recommendation to heart, and this is the only book he specifically asked for.  I'm not quite sure what he'll make of it; the blurb references lesbian sex, which might make him blush (the sex part, not the lesbian part).

Rocks Fall Everyone Dies by Linday Ribar.  I pointed this one out to him in the bookstore, and the cover and title appealed mightily.

The Answer (Steven Universe) by Rebecca Sugar.  This turned out to be a bit on the young side, but he's a fan, so he'll enjoy it at least for one read.

For my 16-year-old son--

Mostly Void, Partially Stars: Welcome to Night Vale Episodes, Volume 1 By Joseph Fink.  Night Vale of course is geek teen staple, and I'm hoping his fan enthusiasm carries over into reading.

Hilda and the Black Hound (Hildafolk) by Luke Pearson.  He just read the fifth Hildafolk book for his work as a graphic novelist for the Cybils Awards, and happened to mention that he'd never read this one, and that really he'd like to own the whole series (which isn't going to happen this Christmas...there are limits).

Lowriders to the Center of the Earth (Book 2) (Lowriders in Space) by Cathy Camper.  He wanted it for his graphic novel collection.

The Arrival, by Shaun Tan. Another asked for because it was a gap in his collection.

(Here's his graphic novel review tumbler, if anyone wants the authentic target audience opinion....)

This week's round up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (12/4/16)

Here's what I found this week; let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

A Boy Called Christmas, by Matt Haig, at The Reading Nook Reviews

The Creeping Shadow, by Jonathan Stroud, at Bibliobrit

The Edge of Extiction: the Ark Plan, by Laura Martin, at Semicolon

Fairies of Dreamdark, by Laini Taylor (series review) at A Reader of Fictions

Fires of Invention, by Scott Savage, at Redeemed Reader

Fuzzy, by Tom Angleberger, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Gears of Revolution, by Scott Savage, at Redeemed Reader

Greenglass House, by Kate Milford, at Completely Full Bookshelf

The Floating Islands, by Rachel Neumeier, at Hidden in Pages

The Littlest Bigfoot, by Jennifer Weiner, at books4yourkids

The Lost Compass, by Joel  N. Ross, at Puss Reboots

Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded, by Sage Blackwood, at  Online Eccentric Librarian

Museum of Theives, by Lian Tanner, at Leaf's Reviews

Phoenix, by S.F. Said, at Charlotte's Library

Princess Between Worlds, by E.D. Baker, at Leaf's Reviews

The Secrets of Hexbridge Castle, by Gabrielle Kent, at Jen Robinson's Book Page

The Seventh Wish, by Kate Messner, at The Reading Nook Reviews

The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, at Hidden In Pages (audiobook review)

Sophie Quire and the Last Storygaurd, by Jonathan Auxier, at Becky's Book Reviews

Upside-Down Magic, by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins, at Middle Grade Mafioso

Young Scrouge, by R.L. Stine, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Two at  Ms. Yingling Reads--The Secrets of Hexbridge Hall, by Gabrielle Kent, and The Inquisitor's Tale, by Adam Gidwitz

Two at Good Books and Good Wine--Saving Lucas Briggs, by David Teague and Marisa de los Santos, and The Thickety, by J.A. White

Authors and Interviews

Grace Lin (in graphic novel form) at A Fuse #8 Production

Ross Welford (Time Traveling with a Hamster) at Time Travel Times Two

Other Good Stuff

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has announced Jane Yolen as the 33rd Damon Knight Grand Master (read more at Tor)