Small Eternities, by Michael Lawrence, for Timeslip Tuesday

A little while ago, I reviewed A Crack in the Line, by Michael Lawrence. It wasn't a timeslip book, but it was similar in mood. That book tells of two teenagers (Alaric and Naia) who are each other in alternate realities. The line between their realities blurs, with concomitant disorientation (a feature of many timeslip stories), and in the end, they take each other's place.

The sequel, Small Eternities (2004 UK, 2005 US, Greenwillow, YA, 322 pages) picks up where the first book left off, with Alaric and Naia trying to feel comfortable in each other's life, and then heads off into time travel. The split in reality, it turns out, was caused by something that happened back in the 1940s, and Alaric was there. What is more, he was the unwitting cause of a tragedy that sent his long ago relation, Aldous Underwood, travelling into alternate life paths of his own...

The three points of view--Naia, Alaric, and Aldous--bring to the reader three very different characters. All three, however, are bound by a common thread of uncertainty and loss, and I found the result both fascinating and moving. Somehow Lawrence managed to tell this rather complicated and inexplicable story of characters hopping in and out of realities in a way that allowed me to suspend the peevish disbelief that sometimes happens when I'm being told a story with unreliable events/narrators, in which confusion is a large part of the plot. I think I was helped by the steady stream of detail about people and places that Lawrence pours into his story--he might not give easy answers, but he does create a very vivid and tangible world, providing firm footing for the reader's mind (as it were).

I enjoyed it more than the first book--there seemed more reason for things, even though I continue to have unanswered questions. The only thing I hold against Lawrence is the end. Not fair, especially to mothers of boys.

Timeslip wise: Falls into the "not explained clearly" category. Time travel is important as a plot device for the story of the characters in the present, more than as a way of allowing the characters to experience the past. The world of the 1940s is part of the book, but in a minor way, and primarily is seen from the point of view of young Aldous, who was living it, rather than Alaric and Naia, travelling back to it.

(I can't say I fancy the cover much. It reminds me all to vividly of what is happening in my son's school-made plastic soda bottle terrarium, inhabited at the moment by one lonely fish for whom I feel very sorry)

Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy round-up for this week

Hello, everybody, and welcome to another round-up of middle grade science fiction and fantasy goodness from around the blogging world. As usual, if I missed your post, let me know!

The most exciting release of the year, as far as I'm concerned, happened this week when the fourth book of Megan Whalen Turner's series, A Conspiracy of Kings, came out to wide acclaim. Although the first book, The Thief, is solidly middle grade, the later books move up, age-wise--I'd recommend holding off on the others until you are at least 12. There are scads of reviews of C. of K. around--here's one from frequent mg sff round up contributor Book Aunt, and lots more linked to in this post at the MWK livejournal community of Sounis.


Reviews:

The Birthday Ball, by Lois Lowry, at Green Bean Teen Queen and also at Charlotte's Library

The Boneshaker, by Kate Milford (May 2010), at Book Aunt

Clone Codes, by Patricia C., Frederick, and John McKissack (2010) at Bookish Blather.

Drizzle, by Kathleen Van Cleve (2010) at Kids Lit.

Fairy Rebels, by R.J. Anderson (2009), at The Christian Fantasy Review (Fairy Rebels is this month's selection of the Christian Sci fi fantasy book tour--lots of other posts are listed at the bottom of this review).

Falling In, by Frances O'Roark Dowell (2010), at Becky's Book Reviews.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry at Bookish in a Box.

Green, by Laura Peyton Roberts (2010) at The Joys of Reading.

Guardian, by Katie Hines (2010), at Just One More Paragraph

Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven Book 5), by Brandon Mull (2010), at Craig Everett's Anopisthographic Chronicles

Knightly Academy, by Violet Haberdasher (2010), at Brooke's Box of Books.

The Name of This Book is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosch (2007) at Book Aunt.

The New Brighton Archaeological Society, (a graphic novel) by Mark Andrew Smith, illustrated by Matthew Weldon (2009) at The Book Smugglers.

The Scarlet Stockings, by Charlotte Kandel (2008) at Booking Mama (giveaway!)

Thirteen Treasures, by Michelle Harrison (April 2010 in the US) at Charlotte's Library.

The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams, by Rhonda Hayter (2010), at Red House Books.

News:

A modern up-date of Kipling's Just So stories is coming out this summer--more info. here at Fantasy Book Review.

Over in the UK, the Times runs a context every year (the Chicken House Children's Fiction Award) for best unpublished author. This year's winner was Janet Foxley, for Muncle Trogg, about a fairytale community living hidden inside a volcano. The winner in 2008 (the award's first year) was Raider's Ransom, by Emily Diamond, which just came out over here in the US--so by 2011 we should have Muncle Trogg in our hands...but in the meantime, you can read a bit of it here.

Sarah Prineas (author of the mg fantasy series The Magic Thief) has a fascinating discussion of fairy tale retellings happening here at her blog.

The School Library Journal Battle of the Books continues, with mg fantasy The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge headed on up into the third round...and, speaking of Megan Whalen Turner, she will be the judge when it is pitted against Charles and Emma on March 31st. I cannot wait to hear her thoughts.

I kicked off this post with a squee for MWT's Conspiracy of Kings, which is dedicated to Diana Wynne Jones (whose most recent book, Enchanted Glass, is shown at right). DWJ's struggle with lung cancer continues, and her editor at Greenwillow said in a comment at Sounis that she would welcome notes and such. Here's the address:

Diana Wynne Jones
c/o Greenwillow Books
10 E. 53rd St.
New York, NY 10022

(I originally had Greenwillow's own address here, but I've just found out that this Harper Collins address is preferable)
And on a happier note--as some of you may know, I'm a great admirer of Beth Kephart (House of Dance, in particular, knocked my socks off)--so I'm pleased as punch to say she just left a comment on my previous post saying she's writing a fantasy book! All authors I like should write fantasy books. Because, really, it's all about me. Science fiction books are acceptable as well.

13 Treasures, by Michelle Harrison

13 Treasures, by Michelle Harrison (Little Brown, April 12 2010, 353 pp).

13 year-old Tanya has lived her life hounded by fairies--not sweet little flowery things, but capricious and dangerous beings.

"The rules are simple," said Feathercap. "You speak of us to no one. If you continue to try, than we will continue to punish you." (p 9)

When she is packed off to stay with her grandmother, in an old house off in the English countryside, it is not just the prospect of boredom and loneliness that she dreads--it is superabundance of fairies that live there, filling not only the garden and the forest beyond, but the house itself. Fairies who have made her life a misery of annoyance every time she's visited her grandmother.

But this visit, there is more than annoyance waiting for Tanya.

The woods around the house are out of bounds--years ago, a girl was lost in them and never found, and mysterious dangers still fill them. Tanya and Fabian, the son of the caretaker with whom she is gradually becoming good friends, become obsessed with the story of the lost girl. To solve the mystery of her disappearance, they brave the disapproval of Tanya's formidable grandmother and the threatening fairy folk, exploring the hidden passageways of the old house and venturing into the dark woods.

They are not entirely without help in their quest. There are 13 treasures hanging on a charm bracelet that's been passed down through generations of Tanya's family, that seem more than just a chance collection of trinkets. An old Gypsy woman gives Tanya a strange compass, that likewise has more to it than meets the eyes. And not all fairies are entirely bad.

13 Treasures won the prestigious Waterstone Prize when it came out in the UK last year, and it's clear why it was chosen. It's a dense and fascinating story, a bit slow to start, perhaps, but a page-turner once it gets going, satisfyingly dark and mysterious. I'd particularly recommend this to kids who loved The Spiderwick Chronicles, and are ready for something with a bit more heft.

Although I myself enjoyed the book, for the most part, I found some aspects of the plot unsatisfying (although it's possible that this might partly be my own fault for reading Too Fast, as is my wont). A few loose ends, I felt, were tied too abruptly, and there were other (relatively minor) bits that remained confusing, and bits that remained unresolved--it cries for a sequel. Which, fortunately, is already out in the UK (The Thirteen Curses).

And speaking of which, the US edition is not identical to the UK version (for one thing, the UK title is The Thirteen Treasures). From an interview with the author, Michelle Harrison, at Beyond Books:

"Aside from the cover there aren’t too many differences. The most notable was that in the US edition the prologue was cut. The other two biggest things were that the treatment of Brunswick, the goblin, at the hands of his companions was toned down a little to be less violent. There’s also the mention of a suicide in the UK edition that was cut for the US. Other than that it was the general small things, like changing ‘pavement’ to ‘side walk’ for a US audience."

Hmph. You would think that after publishers realized that Americans could handle the British words in Harry Potter they would stop doing this to us! Maybe we really want to be able to believe the book is taking place in England....and walk, as it were, on the "pavements" of the exotic other....sigh.

And now I am dying to know who committed suicide! Bother.

A few other reviews at Kids Lit, and Wondrous Reads.

(disclaimer: ARC received from the publisher at ALA midwinter)

The Birthday Ball, by Lois Lowry

No timeslip book this Tuesday, as is my usual wont, but instead, here's a newly released book that is a fun take on the princess genre, a great one for any young middle grade reader, whether reluctant or bibliophilic.

The Birthday Ball, by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Jule Feiffer (2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, younger middle grade, 186 pages).

Princess Patricia Priscilla is bored. So one day she commands her maidservant to hand over her clothes, and escapes from the castle...and heads into the village to spend time with the "poor peasants" attending the village school. Although "Pat's" attempts to mingle with populace are not entirely successful (she did too good a job dirtying her face and hands), she enjoys herself immensely, not least because of the very pleasant and not at all bad looking and rather intelligent village school master...

But Pat remains a princess. A princess who is about to turn 16--the year she has to marry. So a birthday ball is organized, with the four local princes invited. All repellent in their own way. What is a princess to do?

A fun, lighthearted take on the basic princess plot, in which Lowry's brisk prose is further enlivened by Feiffer's illustrations. I especially liked the palace pulley-boy, whose job consists entirely of hauling the ropes of the various royal dumb-waiters...although I did share Pat's fondness for the village school master. And I loved the way Lowry demolished the Princess' misconceptions of the populace!

Other reviews can be found at The Book Aunt, Green Bean Teen Queen, and BooksForKidsBlog.

disclaimer: ARC picked up at ALA midwinter.

Haunting Bombay, by Shilpa Agarwal

For the first time in ages, I've read a novel for grown-ups-- Haunting Bombay, by Shilpa Agarwal (2009, Soho Press, adult fiction).

In an ex-colonial bungalow in Bombay, in the 1960s, live the Mittal family (dysfunctional), their servants (with their own pasts, stories their employees know nothing of), and the family ghost. It is a little baby ghost, the beloved daughter of the family, who died 13 years ago. And in the family there is another girl, nicknamed Pinky, also born thirteen years ago. She was taken in by her grandmother, the family matriarch, when her mother died...which her aunt, caught in bitter morning for her own child, found unforgivable.

One night, Pinky, in an act of rare defiance, unbolts the door of a bathroom that her aunt has ordered locked every night. The opening of the door frees the angry ghost of the baby, and soon family and servants alike are caught up in the consequences of the child's death. Dark secrets from the past shatter the Mittal household's veneer of perfect life, and Pinky's own life is in danger...

With one exception, every character, and there are many of them, has both a back-story and a connection to what happened thirteen years ago that has affected their lives in the present. The narrative swirls between their various points of view, gradually adding piece after piece to the puzzle, gradually making clear what happened and why it tore the family apart. The one character who stands apart from the others is Pinky--although she was the catalyst, and plays a vital role in restoring peace, she wasn't there when the baby died, and so she alone is outside the tangled web of the past. And perhaps because she has no secrets for the author to revel to the reader as the book progressed (it almost felt as though the author wasn't as interested in her as she was in the other characters) she never quite became a fully realized person in my mind. Almost...but not quite.

This disappointed me, because I was expecting Pinky to be the Central Character, the way she would have been if this had been a Young Adult book, and I was furthermore vaguely expecting this to be a book about a teenaged girl who meets a ghost and somehow sets it to rest while growing up/realizing who she wants to be/insert YA trope of your choice here. What I got instead was a family saga of great denseness. It was a good read -- engrossing and vivid, with scary ghosty bits -- but definitely a book for adults (I find it rather interesting that although I can read a 350 page YA book in a few hours, it took me three times as long to read 350 pages of fiction for adults).

Now I am wondering, though, why it is called "Haunting Bombay," and I am imagining writing about this for a college essay, exploring the ways in which this cast of characters is a metaphor for post-colonial Bombay, haunted by many, many ghosts of various kinds, not all of whom are dead...

This Sunday's Round-up of Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction news and reveiws from around the Blogosphere

Here's this week's gathering of what I found around the blogging world of interest to fans of middle grade science fiction and fantasy. Please let me know if I missed your post!

Dealing With Dragons, by Patricia Wrede, at Please Don't Read this Book.

The Grimm Legacy, by Polly Shulman (July 2010), at Abby (the) Librarian and Welcome to My Tweendom.

The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin, by Patrick Doud (2010) at Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood (2010), at Becky's Book Reviews.

Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve, at Oops...Wrong Cookie (an older mg/ya)

The Night Fairy, by Laura Amy Schlitz (2010), at Book Aunt A Year of Reading.

Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper, at Book Nut.

Princess for Hire, by Lindsey Leavitt (2010), at Bookshipper and The Book on the Hill

The Puzzle Ring, by Kate Forsyth (2010 in the US) at Charlotte's Library

The Robe of Skulls, by Vivian French (2008), at Eva's Book Addiction

The Thirteenth Princess, by Diane Zahler (2010), at Eva's Book Addiction

Middle Grade fantasy is well represented over at School Library Journal's Battle of the Books--The Last Olympian (Rick Riordan) and The Lost Conspiracy (Frances Hardinge) have advanced to the next round, and still waiting in the wings are The Storm in the Barn (Matt Phalen) and When You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead).

At Pixiu Press, there's a series of interviews about speculative fiction in the classroom; here's Part 1.

At A Reading Odyssey, there's a list of books for 3rd and 4th grade boys that includes a lot of sci fi/fantasy.

Here's a fascinating article about fairy tales--"The Dark Forest of Childhood" -- by Laurel Snyder (author of the excellent mg fantasy Any Which Wall).

And finally, there is the sad news that author Sid Fleischman has died at the age of 90. He wrote more than fifty books in a range of genres, including many memorable fantasy/folk tale stories, most recently The Dream Stealer (2009).

The Horses, by Edward Muir -- a poem that fans of post-apocalyptic fiction, in particular, should like lots

I don't often post straight poems, but this one I found recently is so very much on topic viz science fiction/fantasy that I wanted to share it. Also I liked it. It's by Edwin Muir (1887 – 1959), a poet from the Orkney Islands.

The Horses

Barely a twelvemonth after
The seven days war that put the world to sleep,
Late in the evening the strange horses came.
By then we had made our covenant with silence,
But in the first few days it was so still
We listened to our breathing and were afraid.
On the second day
The radios failed; we turned the knobs; no answer.
On the third day a warship passed us, heading north,
Dead bodies piled on the deck. On the sixth day
A plane plunged over us into the sea. Thereafter
Nothing. The radios dumb;
And still they stand in corners of our kitchens,
And stand, perhaps, turned on, in a million rooms
All over the world.

read the rest here

For more poetry, visit today's Poetry Friday Round-up at Some Novel Ideas!

Except the Queen, by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder

Except the Queen, by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder (Roc, a Penguin imprint, 2010, adult, but YA crossover, especially with regard to the cover, 371 pages)

Two sisters are banished from the world of the fairy, cast out into the mortal world for being indiscreet about what they saw their queen doing with a lusty young man....It's a harsh punishment. Not only are they separated--Serena lands in New York, Meteora in Milwakee--but they are stripped of their fairy powers, and their glamorously lovely and lithe fairy bodies.

Fate is often unkind to older women, such as the sisters are now, who live on the fringes of society. But help comes to each. Serena gets a social worker, but Meterora really strikes lucky--she gets taken under the wing of none other than Baba Yaga, the Russian witch, herself. And it turns out that Baba Yaga has invested in real estate, and needs someone to collect the rent...

But the mundane details of life (like learning how to send letters via "eagle") soon give way to an ominously fraught tale, when two urchins of the storm are taken in by each sister. Serena shelters a boy whose Red Cap father (Red Caps are a not nice at all type of fairy) has been using him as a hunting dog. Meteora finds herself involved in the life of a girl who has been marked with an evil fairy magic. Both the teenagers are in danger from forces beyond their control or understanding...and Serena and Meteora are right in the path of the coming show-down.

Can two middle-aged ex-fair-folk with only a touch of their powers do anything useful? The answer is a resounding yes! And each sister gets a little romance, too....so do the teenagers, but that's not as uncommon!

I loved the wealth of details about urban living for ex-fairies that the authors provide. And it was a just fine story, too, although it was the particular, rather than the plot, that I warmed to most. (this despite the fact that Serena/Meteora, in retrospect, have almost the same character and narrative voice, despite each being written by one of the two authors).

Most of all, I loved the sense I had of two great writers having a lot of fun, and letting me come along for the ride. A very nice read indeed.

Other reviews can be found at SF Reviews, The Book Smugglers, Reading, Watching, Playing

New book by Guy Gavrial Key, set in ancient China, coming out in April!

I just read at Fantasy Book Review (a UK site) that Guy Gavriel Kay has a new book coming out in April that sounds rather nice.

That's the UK cover at left; the US cover is rather attractive, but de-personed, which is a pity viz the paucity of People of Color on fantasy covers.

It's apparently "An epic historical adventure set in a pseudo 8th century China....Under Heaven is a novel of heroes, assassins, concubines and emperors set against a majestic and unforgiving landscape."

I've been thinking of Guy Gavriel Kay a lot recently, because reviews of Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken (a book I want to read) have been appearing at various blogs I frequent, and "brightly woven" (meaning "good job" or "excellent!") is a phrase that pops up all the time in the Fionavar Tapestry (a trilogy of Kay's books from the mid eighties).

In general, I can take or leave Kay, and haven't, in fact, read his most recent book, Ysabel. That being said, images and words from Tigana (1990) are stuck in my mind forever (in this case, a good thing) so I shall look for Under Heaven with guarded optimism. And add Ysabel to my tbr list, now that I'm reminded of it again.

2009 Andre Norton Award Challenge

Reviewing Zoe's Tale a few days ago made me decided to read all the books nominated for this year's Andre Norton Award, the Nebula equivalent award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. Would any one like to join me? The award will be announced May 15th, so there's plenty of time. Here's the list:

• Hotel Under the Sand, Kage Baker (Tachyon, Jul09)
• Ice, Sarah Beth Durst (Simon and Schuster, Oct09)
• Ash, Malinda Lo (Little, Brown and Company, Sep09)
• Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev (Feiwel and Friends, Jul09)
• Zoe’s Tale, John Scalzi (Tor Aug08)
• When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, 2009)
• The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Catherynne M. Valente (Catherynne M. Valente, Jun09)
• Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld (Simon, Oct09)

It is not every day that you see the Newbery Award winner on the Norton ballot.

If you'd like to read these too, please leave a comment and I'll list participants here, with links to any posts you might have about them.....

Just to get things started, I've read Ash, Ice, Zoe's Tale, and Hotel Under the Sand, and read, but not reviewed, Eyes Like Stars and When You Reach Me.

Misty and Becky, have joined me, with Kate and Bookwyrm expressing some interest as well....Anyone else?

The Puzzle Ring, by Kate Forsyth, for Timeslip Tuesday

The Puzzle Ring, by Kate Forsyth (2009, Scholastic, middle grade, 439 pp)

"Hannah Rose Brown was not quite thirteen years old when she discovered her family was cursed."

That was the day the letter came from Scotland, from the great-grandmother Hannah didn't know existed. Not just any great-grandmother, but one with a title who lived in a castle, of sorts, both of which Hannah would one day inherit (along with the curse). Because of the curse, Hannah's father had disappeared long ago. Because of the curse, Hannah is the only heir left...but when she and her mother head off to Scotland, Hannah meets three other children-- 2 boys, 1 girl-- exactly her own age. And one of them (but which?) is heir to a far different, more magical inheritance. That story began more than four hundred years ago, when Mary was still Queen of Scots, and a fairy woman bore a child to Hannah's distant ancestor...

But the story of the fairy woman had a horrible ending. She was burned as a witch, and as she died, she cursed her husband's family, and cast away the four pieces of the puzzle ring he had given her. Until the pieces are found and reunited, Hannah's family will suffer mischance, sorrow, and death.

At her ancestral home, Hannah discovers clues her father left from his own attempts to break the curse. When the time of year comes when the doors to other worlds grow thin, Hannah and her three age-mates travel back in time, to find the pieces of the puzzle ring that were scattered over Scotland long ago. But there are dark forces from the realm of fairy anxious to stop them. Although the children find allies back in the past, who help them survive 16th century Scotland with only a few accusations of witchcraft, they are beset with dangers, both from humans and supernatural creatures...and time is running out.

The Puzzle Ring has two sharply different halves. The first 195 pages are set in the present, with Hannah exploring the family estate, learning about her family history, meeting the other children--very much to my taste! The magic that surrounds Hannah's new home comes gradually into the story, the mystery begins to unfold, wondrous discoveries are made--lovely stuff.

The second, slightly longer, section describes the time-travel quest, and this part didn't quite work for me. The adventures of the four children in the past seemed to me more like set pieces than an organic narrative whole, and the world of 16th-century Scotland never quite came alive for me--despite lots of details, and a rather interesting entanglement with Queen Mary, it felt a bit flat. (I did, however, very much like the Water Horse--a fine creation). My other problem with this second half of the book is that I had expected to get to know the other three children better than I did while travelling with them on their quest, but the characteristics that set them apart from each other struck me, for the most part, as a tad told by the author, rather than shown by the story.

That being said, although I recommend it primarily for its lovely first half (great wish-fulfillment for any fantasy reading 12 year old girl!), the book as a whole is a fine read, one I would have loved when I was the aformentioned type of girl, looking for a good escape...

I seem to be the only reader with any reservations...Here's a sample of the glowing reviews this has been getting, at Rhiannon Hart's blog, Seven Miles of Steel Thistles, So Many Books, So Little Time, and many more at the blog tour Forsyth just recently had.

Although The Puzzle Ring isn't available in the US yet, you can get it easily (like I did) through the wonder that is The Book Depository (no shipping costs!)

Zoe's Tale, by John Scalzi

Zoe's Tale, by John Scalzi (2008, Tor, YA, 330pp)

Zoe is not your typical teenaged girl/interplanetary colonist. She's had a pretty eventful life even before her foster parents accepted an invitation to lead a group of colonists to the planet Roanoke--for one thing, she is practically a goddess to the alien race to whom her father gave the gift of consciousness. Two of that alien race shadow her every more, but she's used to them--they're part of her family, and they are going to Roanoke too.

When their colonizing ship emerges from its space jump, they find that they are at the wrong planet. Worse still, an enemy league of alien races is out to get them, and this means starting their new lives devoid of every technological gadget that might betray them to the watchers out there in space. But life goes on, rather pleasantly in parts--like kissing her new boyfriend, Enzo, and engaging in snarky one-ups-manship repartee with her best friend.

Until the war in space comes for them, and all that Zoe holds dear is threatened...can a teenage kind-of-goddess, with just a few self-defense skills and more than a bit of smart alecky attitude, save her new planet, without loosing too much in the process?

Zoe's Tale is a young adult companion to the Old Man's War series, but it is not at all necessary to have read those books before reading this one. The information dumps are tastefully handled, and are rather interesting backstory in their own right. And I found Zoe's particular story engrossing, full of twists both plotwise and with regard to character. The relationships between Zoe and her friends, complete with relationship angst, friendly banter, and tremendous loyalty, were as interesting to me as the space adventure/planet colonizing plot.

Young adult science fiction is a pretty rare breed, so there's not a lot of competition for this book within that subgenre. But even standing it against adult sci fi on the one hand, and teenage romantic fantasy on the other, it's a strong book. I might even lend it to my mother...and I say that only of books that have both intellectual and emotional appeal, and pretty tight writing.

Zoe's Tale has been nominated for this year's Andre Norton Award. But it doesn't please everyone--Scalzi bravely offers a look at some of the one star reviews he's gotten here...I think those people are misguided at best.

(disclaimer: I received this book from the publishers back in fall 2008 for Cybils consideration...and it has been haunting me ever since. I just couldn't read all 166 of the books nominated, so I saved this one for a rainy day-which turned out to be yesterday).

New releases of fantasy and science fiction for teenagers and children

Here are the new releases of science fiction and fantasy for children and teenagers for the middle of March (3/9 to 3/18), taken from Teens Read Too, with blurbs from Amazon/the publishers.

Middle Grade:

AWAKENING ON ORBIS 4: THE SOFTWIRE by PJ Haarsma. "Johnny Turnbull now knows that his sister, Ketheria, is the Scion — a long-awaited being who will bring understanding and healing to the universe. But what about him? As the Scion’s protector and guardian, JT is expected to start training to become a Space Jumper, a mercenary soldier who can jump through time and space. And he’s not happy about it, especially as he promised his girlfriend, Max, he would never take on that dangerous role, which could take him who-knows-how-far away. Can anything — or any one — guide Johnny to his true calling? And as new trouble brews on Orbis, will even Space Jumper skills be enough to help JT protect his sister and his friends?"

BERYL: A PIG'S TALE by Jane Simmons. "When Beryl decides to look for a family that will love her just the way she is, from her pig nose to her curly tail, she bravely sets off on a journey that will ultimately change her life forever. Away from the cruel and ill-tempered pigs on the farm where she grew up, Beryl finds her preconceived notions of wild pigs-- and everything else--put to the test. And with the help of the many unlikely friends she meets, Beryl discovers, at the cost of some heartache, that there just might be a place she could call home after all. If she could only get there . . . "


KNIGHTLEY ACADEMY by Violet Haberdasher. "Henry Grim has never been in trouble for borrowing a sword from the headmaster's private stores. He has never discovered a forbidden room in a foreign castle, or received a death threat over breakfast. All Henry knows is life as an orphaned servant boy at the Midsummer School, bullied by the privileged sons of aristocracy. But all that changes when Henry is the first commoner to pass the entrance exam for the prestigious Knightley Academy, where he will be trained as a modern-day knight alongside the cleverest and bravest fourteen-year-olds in the country. Henry and his roommates, two other students from decidedly un-Knightley backgrounds, are not exactly greeted with open arms by their classmates. In fact, it soon becomes apparent that someone is going to great lengths to sabotage the trioÕs chances at becoming knights. But Henry soon learns that there is more at stake than his future at Knightley, and only he can sound the alarm. Is anyone going to believe a former servant on the brink of expulsion?"


LEGION OF THE DEAD: BARNABY GRIMES by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell. "Barnaby Grimes is a tick-tock lad, delivering messages and running errands all over the city, day and night. Gangland funerals and diving expeditions are hazardous enough, but when the graveyards begin to give up their dead, this tick-tock lad is faced with his deadliest challenge yet. . . .A blood-curdling tale of greed and betrayal. Will Barnaby be defeated by the Legion of the Dead?"



LORD SUNDAY: THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM by Garth Nix. "Seven days. Seven keys. Seven virtues. Seven sins. In this thrilling conclusion to Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, Arthur Penhaligon must complete his quest to save the Kingdom he is heir to...and Arthur's world."




PRINCESS FOR HIRE by Lindsey Leavitt. "When an immaculately dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and asks you if you'd like to become a substitute princess, do you

a) run

b) faint

c) say Yes!

For Desi Bascomb, who's been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C--that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula "Royal Rouge," she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right? Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don't know? Or when a princess's conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off--and you know she would want you to change his mind?"

STAR IN THE FOREST by Laura Resau. "Zitlally's family is undocumented, and her father has just been arrested for speeding and deported back to Mexico. As her family waits for him to return—they’ve paid a coyote to guide him back across the border—they receive news that he and the coyote’s other charges have been kidnapped and are being held for ransom. Meanwhile, Zitlally and a new friend find a dog in the forest near their trailer park. They name it Star for the star-shaped patch over its eye. As time goes on, Zitlally starts to realize that Star is her father’s “spirit animal,” and that as long as Star is safe, her father will be also. But what will happen to Zitlally’s dad when Star disappears?"

THE WAY OF THE SWORD: YOUNG SAMURAI by Chris Bradford. "After a vicious ninja attack left him orphaned and stranded in Japan, Jack Fletcher managed to complete his first year of samurai school. Still, his troubles are far from over. The prejudice of his Japanese classmates has gained him dangerous enemies within his school, and Dragon Eye – the ninja who killed his father – is still after him. Jack’s only hope of defeating them lies in surviving the Circle of Three: an ancient ritual that tests a samurai’s courage, skill, and spirit to the limit. For most, gaining entry into the Circle means honor and glory, but for Jack it’s a matter of life or death. The winner will be trained in the Two Heavens—the formidable sword technique of the great samurai, Masamoto. Learning this secret is the only hope Jack has of protecting his father’s rutter -- the invaluable navigation guide of the world’s uncharted oceans -- from Dragon Eye."

Young Adult: (sorry I ran out of time and don't have cover pictures for all of them....I blame Daylight Savings)

THE BODY FINDER by Kimberly Derting. "Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself."

THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES: THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan. "Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves."

FANG: A MAXIMUM RIDE NOVEL by James Patterson. "Being a kid with wings--constantly on the run--has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the flock makes her fear the worst. Then, a cryptic message from a young girl arrives, warning them "The sky will fall." And as if an impending apocalypse weren't bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max's soul mate: Fang will be the first to die. Max's desperate desire to protect Fang brings the two closer than ever. But can the team weather the storm, or will the turmoil rip them apart for the last time?"

FLIRTING WITH DISASTER by Rhonda Stapleton. "Felicity is a total romantic. That's why she follows her heart—not the rules—in her job as a cupid. But when Felicity turns her matchmaking magic on her best friend, Andy, it's Andy who breaks their golden rule: friends always come first. Andy is so wrapped up in her new guy that she's ditching everyone else. How can Felicity stop her BFF from letting a BF come between them? Meanwhile, Felicity decides to get over her crush on Derek by setting him up with someone else—but in her impulsive haste, she accidentally matches him with the whole school, and now everyone is in love with him. The entire student body is headed toward heartbreak, just weeks before prom. Does Felicity have what it takes to make everyone's heart happy? including her own?"

HOURGLASS: EVERNIGHT by Claudia Gray. "Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas. After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option. Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything . . . but can it survive what's to come?"

NIGHTFALL: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE RETURN by L. J. Smith. "Elena Gilbert's love, the vampire Stefan Salvatore, has been captured and imprisoned by demonic spirits who are wreaking havoc in Fell's Church. While her friends Bonnie and Meredith explore the evil that has taken over their town, Elena goes in search of Stefan. In order to find him, she entrusts her life to Stefan's brother, Damon Salvatore, the handsome but deadly vampire who wants Elena, body and soul. Along with her childhood friend Matt, they set out for the slums of the Dark Dimension, where Stefan is being held captive. It is rumored to be a world where vampires and demons roam free, but humans must live enslaved to their supernatural masters. . . .Elena will stop at nothing to free Stefan. Yet with each passing day the tension between Elena and Damon grows, and she is faced with a terrible decision: Which brother does she really want? Back in Fell's Church, Bonnie and Meredith have made some dire discoveries. They hastily try to follow Elena and warn her—only to be caught up in Elena's most dangerous adventure yet."

POISONED HONEY by Beatrice Gormley. "This story begins with Mariamne, a vulnerable girl who knows little of the ways of the world. Much as she wants to be in control of her own destiny, she soon learns she has no such power. She must do as her father and brother see fit, and when tragedy strikes, Mari must marry a man she does not love and enter a household where she is not welcome, for the good of her family. But she finds a small way to comfort herself when she meets an Egyptian wisewoman who instructs her in the ways of the occult arts. In the spirit world, Mari finds she has power. Here, she really is in control of her fate. But is she? Or is the magic controlling her? This gripping portrait of one of the most misunderstood and controversial Biblical figures is the story of a young girl’s path through manipulation and possession, madness and healing, to a man who will change the world forever."

POSSESSING JESSIE by Nancy Springer. "Two-time Edgar Award winner Nancy Springer has written a chilling psychological thriller about a teenage girl possessed by her dead brother. Quiet, cautious Jessie had always lived in the shadow of her dynamic younger brother--her mother's clear favorite. His recent death leaves Jessie and her mother numb with grief. That is, until the morning Jessie cuts her hair and dresses in Jason's clothes, swaggering out of the house in an uncanny imitation of her brother. Her mother is visibly cheered, and for once Jessie is the center of attention at school. But each day Jason takes over Jessie more and more. Can she escape his power?"

SHADOW MIRROR by Richie Tankersley Cusick. "Unsettling. There’s no better word to describe Miranda Barnes’s ability to hear the cries of the dead, feel the wind move her hair when they run by, and—dare she look into a mirror—see the reflection of a ghostly woman behind her. There’s only one person to turn to for support: Etienne. As sexy as he is mysterious, Miranda can’t help but be drawn to him. He believes her; he wants to help her. But there’s a secret in Etienne’s past, something Miranda’s on the verge of discovering. As paranormal activity escalates, passion grows, and soon Miranda is caught up in both love . . . and tragedy"

SHADOW SOULS: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE RETURN by L. J. Smith. "To save the two vampire brothers who love her, Elena Gilbert sacrificed her life. Now that a supernatural force has brought Elena back from the dead, all handsome, brooding Stefan wants is to keep her safe. But when he is lured away from Fell's Church, sleek, powerful Damon seizes his chance to win Elena over, unaware of the danger they're both in. A malevolent being has infiltrated the town and is growing stronger. Able to possess Damon at will, the creature is also drawn to Elena and the new power she has acquired. But it's after more than Elena's power: It thirsts for her death."

SPLIT by Stefan Petrucha. "Wade Jackson has always felt split, his love for playing and writing music competing with his ambition to do well in school. But when his mother dies, this need for order competes with his desire to leave it all behind. What follows is a split in his consciousness that takes him to two very different worlds. Told in alternating chapters that together form one cohesive story, Split follows both Wades as they pursue what they think is the correct path. One Wade continues working hard in school, pulling all-nighters to write a computer code he believes will save the world. The other Wade pursues the dream of being a dive-bar singer, pulling all-nighters to party, gamble, and live on the edge. But when these two worlds begin to collide, each Wade will need to find a balance between control and abandon, order and chaos, life missed and life lost, in order to save himself."

STUCK ON EARTH by David Klass. "Ketchvar III’s mission is simple: travel to Planet Earth, inhabit the body of an average teenager, and determine if the human race should be annihilated. And so Ketchvar—who, to human eyes, looks just like a common snail—crawls into the brain of one Tom Filber and attempts to do his analysis. At first glance, Tom appears to be the perfect specimen—fourteen years old, good health, above average intelligence. But it soon becomes apparent that Tom Filber may be a littletoo average—gawky, awkward, and utterly abhorred by his peers. An alien within an alien’s skin, Ketchvar quickly finds himself wrapped up in the daily drama of teenage life—infuriating family members, raging bullies, and undeniably beautiful next-door neighbors. And the more entangled Ketchvar becomes, the harder it is to answer the question he was sent to Earth to resolve: Should the Sandovinians release the Gagnerian Death Ray and erase the human species for good? Or is it possible that Homo sapiens really are worth saving?"

VOICES OF DRAGONS by Carrie Vaughn. "On one side of the border lies the modern world: the internet, homecoming dances, cell phones. On the other side dwell the ancient monsters who spark humanity's deepest fears: dragons. Seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt knows she's breaking the law by rock climbing near the border, but she'd rather have an adventure than follow the rules. When the dragon Artegal unexpectedly saves her life, the rules are abruptly shattered, and a secret friendship grows between them. But suspicion and terror are the legacy of human and dragon inter­actions, and the fragile truce that has maintained peace between the species is unraveling. As tensions mount and battles begin, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle. Can their friendship change the course of a war?"

This week's round up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction

Here's what I found this week of interest to us connoisseurs of middle grade fantasy and science fiction.

The big (although old-ish) news first:

Lee and Low books has acquired Tu Publishing! Tu started as an independent imprint dedicated to multi-cultural middle grade and YA sff; in its new home, its mission will be unchanged. Why this acquisition is a good thing--the number of books Tu can publish in its first year will be larger, and the books will more easily find their way to book stores. This happened in large part because so many ordinary people contributed to Tu's initial campaign for donations to help kickstart it; this so successfully demonstrated that there was great interest in diverse sff that Lee and Low became interested.

More on diversity--at Asimov's Science Fiction, Norman Spinrad discusses "an almost textbook example in extremis of how the failure of an Anglophone writer from the outside to really embed himself in the street-level popular culture of the Third World society in which he is setting the story can place the reader at the same less-than-deeply involved remove." Rose Fox offers a response at Publisher's Weekly (thanks to Lee and Low's The Open Book blog for the links).

And not mg, but interesting--at the Tor blog, Heather Tomlinson has compiled a list of YA fantasy that offers geographical/cultural diversity.

Now, the reviews:

11 Birthdays, by Wendy Mass, at Becky's Book Reviews.

The Birthday Ball, by Lois Lowry, at Book Aunt.

Finally, by Wendy Mass, at Bookshipper

Mari Ness continues to look at Ruth Plumly Thompson's Oz books with The Hungry Tiger of Oz over at the Tor blog.

Ingo, by Helen Dunmore, at Vulpes Libris.

The Incorigible Children of Ashton Place, by Maryrose Wood, at Read Now, Sleep Later.

Knightly Academy, by Violet Haberdasher, at Book Aunt.

The Night Fairy, by Laura Amy Shlitz, at Oops...Wrong Cookie.

The Sixty-Eight Rooms, by Marianne Malone, at Read Now, Sleep Later.


At the Russell Elementary Library blog, there's a look at the Fablehaven series, in which Jana says (italics in the original) "this is one of the only series I know of that has a female as the lead character, but that boys read just as much or more than girls." Agree? Disagree?

Don't miss New Fashioned Fantasy: What does look like? over at The Enchanted Inkpot.

Finally, there's a super swell contest (for librarians only) over at the Spectacle, to win this awesome list of books:

1. INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher (hardback)
2. SACRED SCARS by Kathleen Duey (hardback)
3. THE BOOK OF NONSENSE by David Michael Slater (hardback)
4. THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE by David Michael Slater (hardback)
5. THE SECRETS OF THE CHEESE SYNDICATE by Donna St. Cyr (paperback)
6. HOUSE OF THE SCORPION by Nancy Farmer (paperback)
7. THE EMERALD TABLET By PJ Hoover (hardback)
8. NAVEL OF THE WORLD by PJ Hoover (hardback)
9. THE SEER #1: DON”T DIE DRAGONFLY by Linda Joy Singleton (revised large issue with short story bonus)
10. THE FARWALKER’S QUEST by Joni Sensel (hardback)
11. THE TIMEKEEPER’S MOON by Joni Sensel (hardback)

Please let me know if I missed your post! I do my best to find things, but every week I find things I missed the week before...which is sad for me. You can email me anytime during the week at charlotteslibrary at gmail dot com, or leave a link in the roundup comments.

A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, by Ying Chang Compestine

A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Coleman Polhemus (Henry Holt, 2009, YA, 180 pp).

In this short story collection, eight hungry ghosts from China rest unquiet in their graves, wanting revenge (and tasty snacks). Eight men and women, from ancient times to the modern era, die horrific deaths, and come back to take the living with them...and their stories make compellingly gory reading.

There's lots of blood. There are horrible deaths. I flinched. I wouldn't give it to a young reader. And yet, it's a rather cheerful book.

Partly this is because the stories aren't desperately subtle--the ghosts take vigorous action, rather than exerting hideous psychological tortures on the reader. It's even a bit over the top at times. In short, it's not going to give me nightmares.

But wait, there's more. This book is, after all, a banquet...Interspersed with the stories, each one titled with the name of a Chinese dish, are historical background notes, food chat and recipes. Engaging (and very enticing, food-wise), these non-fiction elements lift the reader briskly out of the gore. They strengthen the book not just by providing something completely different, but by making the stories rather wonderfully all of a cultural piece, educating while entertaining.

In short, I found it a pleasantly diverting read that served nicely to take my mind of my own hungry ghosts/boys (they are sadly lacking in gumption when it comes to getting their own snacks).

Other reviews at The Book Owl, Book Dragon, and The Places You Will Go.

Compestine also the author of Cooking with Green Tea, and Revolution is Not a Dinner Party, a YA novel about growing up during the Cultural Revolution.

My book spine poem

At 100 Scope Notes this Poetry Friday, there is a gallery of Book Spine Poems. I forgot to do this at home, so had to use what was at my office (but there are two YA books). I've typed my poem out with meaningless (?) line Breaks and stuff, to make it more Profound, and I'm sure Blogger will add more Special formating.

Rational lives, romantic motives.
Entangled objects

race and the education of desire.
The meeting of two worlds--the invasion within.

The limits of
interpretation beyond geography,
Cities in the wilderness, changes in the land.

Fire will fall.
Dragonfly

(or perhaps, Dragon, fly!)

The Wonder Book, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

The Wonder Book, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Paul Schmid (Harper Collins, 2010, 79pp), is a feast of poetry, puns, short story-lets, and assorted humorous snippets for kids and whatever grownup might be reading aloud.

We meet Mary Mac's friends, including

"Miss Mary Mellow Mellow Mellow
All dressed in yellow yellow yellow
Slept till noon noon noon
And then ate Jell-O Jell-O Jell-O" (page 20)


There are lots of puns:

From "Word Play (in Four Acts)"

The bicycle couldn't stand alone
(it was two tired)

The TV couldn't sleep
(it was too wired)

Read the book for Acts 3 and 4!

Lots of funny black and white line drawings, palindromes, advice for the young on such crucial topics as cookie pilfering, and many other assorted divertissements. You can see a number of the illustrations for yourself at this interview with Paul Schmid at Seven Impossible Things--I'm especially glad the twisted version of This Little Piggie is shown in its entirety.

I myself found the Index especially satisfying. "yes" appears on pages 12-13,16, and 44. hee hee.

It's a lovely book to have on the coffee table in the living room, for one's nine-year old to dip into at random and chuckle over; it's a fun book to read to your six-year old (those, coincidentally, being the ages of my own boys).

Here's another review, at A Year of Reading.

This is my contribution to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Becky at Becky's Book Reviews

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

"Ged from the Wizard of Earthsea is currently kicking the stuffing out of Edward from Twilight"

The quote that titles this post is lifted from Pat Rothfuss' blog, where I was just reading about the Suvudo Cage Match, which is pitting different fantasy heroes against each other. Each fight has an amusing scenario from the organizers, and each hero's special attacks, advantages, disadvantages, etc. are broken down in detail. But ultimately, the winners are determined by votes from readers like us.

Despite their mad swarming skillz, the Wee Free Men are currently being dispatched handily by Aragorn. And as for poor Lyra...

(I'd have picked a slightly different bunch of characters, myself...it's a bit boy heavy, yet despite that, my own boy Eugenides isn't there...sigh).

Mistwood, by Leah Cypess --giveaway!

No Timeslip Tuesday today...Blackout, by Connie Willis, travelled south with me but remained unopened...The Puzzle Ring, by Kate Forsyth, was opened, but I'm still in the middle of it.

But I do want to recommend the one book out of the 10 I took with me that I did read and enjoy despite the sad way I spent my weekend--Mistwood, by Leah Cypess (Harper Collins, April 27, 2010, 303 pp in ARC form). It's the story of Isabel, a shapeshifter who is, despite her inhuman powers and an agenda that has no room for love, one of the most endearing characters I've read in ages. There's lots of political intrigue, magic, and just enough romance, and it is a true page turner.

Cypess does an extraordinarily deft job of keeping the reader inside Isabel's point of view--like her, we aren't sure who to trust, what machinations are at work, and to whom she should give her loyalty. She's built her world with enough solidity to make it work, while avoiding information dumps, and her magic is kept nicely subservient to the plot, rather than being overwhelmingly over explained. Since all of this is done in rather lovely writing (and the aforementioned romance is rather a nice one), the result is a book to squee for.

I agree with the back of the ARC that this is one for fans of Kristin Cashore and Megan Whalen Turner*, although it felt less Dense then either of those--it seemed a faster, lighter read. Which is not bad--sometimes one wants a rich layer cake, sometimes a fruit tart, and both types of books/deserts offer their own type of complexity.

I packed Mistwood on the strength of Angie's glowing review, and it was just the sort of book I needed. I am pretty sure that I will put this on my Christmas present list, and so I would like to pass my ARC on to another reader. Leave me a comment by midnight on the 15th of March, and it could be yours.

*ha--I just saw on her website that Queen of Attolia is listed as one of her favorite books! I am not surprised.

And the winner, produced by random number generation, is Kathy! (I'll be emailing you...)

(ARC picked up at ALA midwinter)

I had a father who read to me

Many fathers read to their children when they are little. But I was one of the few whose father read Silas Marner (why???) to the whole family. That was a rather lovely winter--us girls would sew while he read (and subtly changed the text to add interest)....Although, quite frankly, I have never felt the least bit of urge to go back and revisit the book.

My father could also, when he was in the right mood, tell the best whacked out Nancy Drew stories ever, complete with three dimensional settings built from our wooden blocks, with our Fisher Price dolls (the wooden ones that were bodies with heads) as the characters....

I am thinking of this now, because I've just come from saying goodbye to him. And even though I don't much think of my blog as a place to write about real life, it would be too strange not to mention this huge event here, where I spend so much time. So I am.

Goodbye, Papa.

Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction Roundup for this week

Here's what I found around the blogging world this week; please let me know if I missed anything!

First, the news. Sea of the Dead, by Julia Durango, which has been on my tbr list for far far too long, was awarded the Golden Kite Award (given by children's book writers and illustrators) for best fiction.

That's it for the news. Now the reviews.


11 Birthdays, by Wendy Mass (2009), at One Librarian's Book Reviews, and its sequel, Finally (2010) at Kids Lit.

Beauty, by Robin McKinley, at The Best of Children's Literature.

Claim to Fame, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, at Presenting Leonore.

Falling In, by Frances O'Rourke Dowell (2010) at The Book Aunt.

Fortune's Folly, by Deva Fagan (2009), at The HappyNappyBookseller.

Havoc, by Chris Wooding (2010) , at Mr. Ripleys Enchanted Books. (this is the sequel to Malice, which teetered between MG and YA).

The Mysterious Howling: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (2010), at Fuse #8 Production.

The Pickle King, by Rebecca Promitzer (2010) at The Book Aunt.

The Timekeeper's Moon, by Joni Sensel (2010), at Fantasy Book Critic and at Charlotte's Library.

Wiff and Dirty George: the Z.E.B.R.A. Incident, by Stephen Swinburne (2010), at Charlotte's Library.

And of course there are lots of reviews out there of the Alice in Wonderland movie. My husband and I read both Alices to my nine-year old this year, and he enjoyed them very much. When it was my night with him, I read the standard Tenniel edition; my husband chose the version illustrated by Mervin Peake. At Fantasy Book Critic, Cindy takes a look at a new Alice, illustrated by Camille Rose Garcia.