Charlotte's Library

11/20/10

The 2011 Debut Author Challenge!

I just had a lovely time going through the list that Kristi (aka The Story Siren) assembled of the Debut Authors of 2011, so as to sign up for the D.A. of 2011 Challenge! Here the 12 books I'm challenging myself to read. Two, Warped and Timeless, I want rather badly for Timeslip Tuesday reviewing purposes. One, The Latte Rebellion, is by a friend (Hi Sarah! Congratulations!), and the rest all sound just plain fabulous (check out the description of Cabinet of Earths, the last one, in particular). If I had time, I'd include all the covers, but I don't, so I am just showing two. The first two because I find them interesting--at first glance they looked utterly lovely to, but the more I look at them, the more, um, disturbing they become (is that neck really that long, or is it just an illusion?). The third because I really want to know if I am the only one who looks at it and sees two pink fish/aliens kissing with strangely elongated lips and weirdly wispy fins (obviously, once I blink a few times I see the humans about to kiss. But the pink fish is my default).

Maurissa Guibord -- Warped
Sarah Jamila Stevenson -- The Latte Rebellion
Alexandra Monir -- Timeless
Eilis O'Neal -- The False Princess
Beth Revis -- Across the Universe
Cameron Stracher -- The Water Wars
Elsbeth Edgar -- The Visconti House
Stephanie Burgis -- Kat, Incorrigible
Dawn Metcalf-- Luminous
Melanie Welsh -- Mistress of the Storm
Nick James -- Skyship Academy
Anne Nesbet -- The Cabinet of Earths

Whistle Bright Magic, by Barb Bentler Ullman

Whistle Bright Magic: A Nutfolk Tale, by Barb Bentler Ullman (2010, Katherine Tegen Books, middle grade, 224 pages).

After Zelly's grandmother dies, she and her mother stay on in the small country town of Plunket, where she had lived, to keep the family bookstore going. For her mother, this is only a temporary break from real life in the city, but for Zelly, it's a chance to relax into life in more friendly school. And it's a chance to find out more about her absent father--this is the place where he and her mother met and fell in love, back when they were young themselves.

The woods outside the town (at least, the remnants that haven't been chopped down to make room for housing developments) hold their own secrets. Magical secrets--Nutfold Wood is home to a fairy town fallen on hard times. Zelly can see the fairies, and one, in particular, a handsome fairy boy nicknamed Whistle Bright, becomes her friend. Their friendship leads to wishes coming true...in Zelly's case, staying in Plunket and finding her lost father, and, for Whistle Bright, new hope for his community.

Don't be put off by the cover and title (which suggest to me a cute little story of rainbowy-ness). What this is, instead, is a very interesting and satisfying story of real world and fairy world problems intersecting. Just so that those expecting grand adventure aren't disappointed, I want to quickly reiterate the main plot points: Zelly goes to a new school and makes friends. She discovers that there are fairies; she becomes friends with one. Her mother, who knew the fairies herself back when she was a girl, has forgotten about them, and wants to go back to the city. Her father, at the instigation of her mother, left when she was young (addiction issues); she wonders about him. A piece of woods is threatened by development, but is saved when it's bought by a man who turns out to be a talented artist (no surprise, really, about who he is...). The woods came with an old house--it gets fixed up.

It might not sound like all that much, story-wise, but I found it rather refreshing to read a magical story that wasn't about Good vs Evil on a Grand Scale, with concomitant violence, Artifacts of Power, etc. There wasn't any Evil at all, in fact, except for a bit of human greed. I enjoyed it lots! (although I do like a nice bit of Good vs Evil now and then...)

The relationship between Zelly and her two new human best friends, Frederick and Lupine, is, in particular, very pleasantly developed and not without bits of humour. Frederick and Lupine can see the fairies just enough to believe, and so become Zelly's companions in the discovery of the secrets of Nutfolk Wood. Whistle Bright, on the other hand, never quite transcended fairy-ness to become a character I cared that much about, but I had absolutely no objections to his story.

In short, a very nice book indeed for the reader looking for a story that blends fairy magic with the (mild) problems of real life, one I'd especially recommend to young fans of fantasy who don't like being scared. I liked it lots, but then, I'm a sucker for the old house gets fixed up sub-plot, and for stories with happy endings....

This is the second book about these fairies--the first (The Fairies of Nutfolk Wood), which I haven't read, is the story of Zelly's mother when she was a girl. It isn't at all necessary to have read that one first.

Added bonus, for those looking for multiracial characters in fantasy--Frederick's mother is African American; he's not described in terms of skin color or ethnicity, but unless he's adopted (and there's no reason to think he is), he's a bona fide kid of color.

11/19/10

Dragonsong and Dragonsinger, by Anne McCaffrey, for Retro Friday

I have a slew of books read for the Cybils whimpering to be reviewed, but my brain is fried. So today I offer two books that blew my mind back when I was 12 or so--Dragonsong (1976) and Dragonsinger (1977) by Anne McCaffrey, for Retro Friday.

I will now try to type the first line of Dragonsinger from memory (it's been a number of years since I've re-read it): "When Menolly, daughter of Yanus Seaholder, arrived at the Harper Crafthall, she came in style, aboard a bronze dragon." (I scored 100%)

Menolly lives on the planet of Pern, a place where dragons flame a deadly organism called Thread (nasty stuff, that devours anything organic it touches) from the sky. The seahold (carved out of solid rock, like most Pernese settlements, so as to be safe from Thread) where Menolly grew up had rigid ideas about gender roles. Menolly, wonderfully talented in every aspect of music, was the protegee of the harper, but when he died, her father regarded her as an embarrassment. After her hand is almost crippled by an injury that puts a stop to her playing, she can't stand life in the repressive sea hold and runs away to live by herself.

Happily for Menolly, she isn't lonely for long. The cove where she chooses to live is home to fire lizards, small cousins of the dragons, and she manages to form a psychic bond with nine of fire lizard hatchlings. They are company, but still she longs for music, and dreams of the Harper Hall, Pern's central institute for music.

Through a somewhat complex series of events, Menolly arrives at the great caverns of the Harper Hall (on board a bronze dragon)....and Dragonsinger begins.

Imagine a boarding school book in which all the lessons are about music--instrumental, vocal, composition....Imagine this boarding school is on another planet, with different customs, technology, and dragons (and marvellous, beautiful, firelizards who can share your heart...), and complicated political situations taking place that Menolly only dimly understands, but which provided much depth to the story. And imagine Menolly herself, whisked from cave life into this setting, confused and disoriented...and facing considerable disapprobation from both the pampered girl students, who are ancillary to the central school, and from masters and boys who resent her for being a girl (and for being better than them!). All the while she has to contend with the challenge of her injured hand--will she be able to regain full use of it, and achieve her full potential as an instrumentalist?

Menolly's journey from scared waif to confident musician is a truly enjoyable experience. McCaffery includes such a wealth of detail in her telling that I can hardly think of any other book that is clearer in my mind (although the fact that I've read it c. 100 times might be a factor). I especially love the detailed music-specific bits--what is it like to play in a string quartet, sight-reading the music, with some the best musicians on your planet? And the scene where she chooses a guitar from the instrument store room is the best guitar choosing scene ever.

I do hope that other 11/12 year olds girls are still finding this book...it is so much fun! And even inspirational, although as a cynical adult Menolly's musical wonderfulness grates just a tad (or maybe a bit more that a tad....).

It's interesting to look a my old paperback copy of this. I've read so much modern middle grade fiction recently that the text of this one looks horribly small and dense--it's 240 pages, but it would probably be about 500-600 as a modern hardcover, with curlicue pictures of firelizards in the margins. The modern version on Amazon, with a very different cover, is 320 pages....(I like the covers from my childhood books, shown here, best!)

Note on age--Menolly's an adolescent girl, just beginning, toward the end of Dragonsinger, to think about boys. They are both perfectly clean reads, but fairly sophisticated, language-wise. McCaffery might be writing about a young girl, but she doesn't write down to her audience at all.

I'm interviewed at Children's Books and Reviews!

Aaron at Children's Books and Reviews has honored me with an interview, which is now up and running! Find out which was the first blog post I ever read! See a picture of me, aged 18, on my first dig! And much more.

And if you are coming here for the first time from that interview, welcome!

11/17/10

Kirkus' list of the best of YA sci fi/fantasy from 2010 (replaces old list)

A kind reader pointed out to me that I had missed the full page of YA sci fi/fantasy best of books from Kirkus. Here are Kirkus' Best Books for Teens: Fantasy and Science Fiction (and sorry for my earlier truncated version!):

WHITE CAT, by Holly Black
MOCKINGJAY, by Suzanne Collins
FACTOTUM, by D.M. Cornish
MISTWOOD, by Leah Cypess
INCARCERON, by Catherine Fisher

SAPPHIQUE, by Catherine Fisher
RECKLESS, by Cornelia Funke

GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD by Karen Healey

THE ODYSSEY, by Gareth Hinds
THE GENIUS WARS, by Catherine Jinks

PEGASUS, by Robin McKinley
THE LEGEND OF THE KING, by Gerald Morris
I SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT, by Terry Pratchett

FEVER CRUMB, by Philip Reeve

THE WHITE HORSE TRICK, by Kate Thompson
A CONSPIRACY OF KINGS, by Megan Whalen Turner
MR. MENDOZA’S PAINTBRUSH, by Luis Alberto Urrea
THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, by Rick Yancey

(and here's my post about the mg titles!)

New Releases of science fiction and fantasy for kids and teenagers, the second half of Nov. 2010 edition

Here are the new releases of science fiction and fantasy for kids and teens from the second half of November; not a long list, but some good ones...my info. comes as usual from Teens Read Too, with blurbs from Amazon/Goodreads.

Middle Grade:

FAIR WIND TO WIDDERSHINS: SUNDERED LANDS by Allan Frewin Jones
"Hidden deep within the crumbling island city of Widdershins lies the Crown of Iron. It's up to Trundle Boldoak, Jack Nimble and the Roamany Princess Esmeralda Lightfoot to find it. And there's nothing that can stop them! Well, except for Captain Grizzletusk and his pirate hordes, a deadly reef of rocks across their path, and armed guards patrolling the very place they need to search. Still, at least the adventurers have Esmeralda's Aunt Millie, the Roamany Queen, to help them. She'll get them out of trouble ...won't she?"

THE FIEND AND THE FORGE: THE TAPESTRY by Henry H. Neff
Book Three of The Tapestry "... is an unforgettable dystopian adventure across a landscape overrun with goblins and trolls. The world has changed almost beyond recognition, for with the Book of Origins firmly in his possession, the villainous Astaroth now has the power to reshape history at will. Plucking pivotal discoveries from mankind’s past, he has reduced the world to a preindustrial nightmare.

But while most humans toil as slaves within four demonic kingdoms, Astaroth allows those at Rowan to thrive in peaceful isolation. Theirs is a land where magic and nature flourish . . . so long as none dare oppose the new order.

That proves too steep a price for Max McDaniels. Unsure of his place at Rowan, Max sets out to explore the shifting landscape of the world beyond. In the course of his travels, he will become many things: Prisoner. Gladiator. Assassin. But can he become the hero that mankind so desperately needs?"

MOST WANTED by Kate Thompson

(not fantasy, perhaps, but maybe, -ish). "While making his daily deliveries, a baker’s son suddenly finds himself holding a stallion’s golden lead. Soon the boy discovers that this isn’t just any horse, it’s the most powerful creature in all of Rome.

What will the mad emperor do if he finds the boy with his prized horse? Cut off his head? Or worse?"

NIGHT WHISPERS: WARRIORS, OMEN OF THE STARS by Erin Hunter
"The deadly battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan is over, but the aftermath still echoes around all four Clans. As Dovepaw grapples with the knowledge that there are realms—and cats—her senses cannot reach, Jayfeather and Lionblaze are determined to figure out how StarClan could have allowed this fight to happen. Jayfeather soon finds the answer in the darkest of places, and he and Lionblaze prepare to do whatever they can to staunch the flow of evil into ThunderClan.

The ties that bind the Clans are slowly breaking in the face of the greatest threat that the warriors—and the warrior code—have ever known. As leaf-bare closes its grip upon the territories, Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovepaw realize just how close the battle is, and how far they are from being able to succeed. And before the prey can run again, one more cat will be lost to the fight"

THE STEPS ACROSS THE WATER by Adam Gopnik

"Ten-year-old Rose lives in New York, the city of bright lights and excitement, and a seemingly endless variety of people, architecture, and food--where extraordinary things happen every day on every block. But Rose wasn't born in New York; she was adopted as an infant from a far-away country. Though Rose loves her home and her adopted family, sometimes she can't help but feel different, like she's meant to be somewhere else.

Then one day in Central Park, Rose sees something truly extraordinary: a crystal staircase rising out of the lake, and two small figures climbing the shimmering steps before vanishing like a mirage. Only it's wasn't a mirage. Rose is being watched--recruited--by representatives of U Nork, a hidden city far more spectacular than its sister city New York. In U Nork, Dirigibles and zeppelins skirt dazzling skyscrapers that would dwarf the Crysler building. Impeccably dressed U Norkers glide along the sidewalks in roller skates. Rose can hardly take it all in.

Then she learns the most astonishing thing about U Nork. Its citizens are in danger, and they need Rose's help, and hers alone..."

Young Adult:

THE BACK DOOR OF MIDNIGHT: DARK SECRETS by Elizabeth Chandler
Anna knows her family is crazy. But when she goes to visit her aunt and uncle for the summer and learns that her uncle’s charred body has been found, her life reaches a new level of insanity. Her erratic aunt’s “psychic” abilities are exaggerated by her grief, and have become borderline violent. Alone in an unfamiliar town, Anna struggles to pick up the pieces and establish any sense of normalcy. She desperately wants to trust Zack, the cute boy next door, but even he might know more about the incident than he is letting on.

But when Anna starts feeling an inexplicable pull to the site of her uncle’s murder, she begins to believe that her family’s supernatural gifts are real after all. Torn between loyalty and suspicion, Anna is certain of only one thing: she must discover who killed her uncle or she could be next….

INVISIBLE THINGS by Jenny Davidson
"Sixteen-year-old Sophie knows there is more to the story of her parents' death. And she's on a mission to find the truth. To aid her in solving the decades-old mystery, Sophie has enlisted her best friend, Mikael, whose friendship has turned into something more. It's soon clear that Sophie's future is very much wrapped up in the details of her family's past, and the key lies with information only one man can provide: her parents' former employer, the elusive billionaire Alfred Nobel.

As the threat of war looms in Europe, dangers to Sophie and her loved ones grow. While her determination to solve the mystery doesn't waver, forces beyond her control conspire to keep her from her purpose. Then, news of her great-aunt Tabitha's death sets off a chain of events that leaves Sophie questioning everything.

The more Sophie learns, the more she realizes that nothing—and no one—in her life is what it seems. And coming to terms with the dark secrets she uncovers means imagining a truth that she never dreamed possible. Full of gorgeous settings, thrilling adventure, and romance, invisible things is a novel that dares to ask, what if"

MATCHED by Allyson Condi

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glit

...more
"Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow."

THE NATURE OF WONDER: HATTER M VOL. 3 by Frank Beddor & Liz Cavalier
"In Volume 3, The Nature of Wonder, Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan follows the Glow of the setting sun into America's wild west in search of Wonderland's lost princess. Hatter's adventures will include a shamanic vision quest in the Grand Canyon and tracking Black Imagination through San Francisco's Barbary Coast where he discovers an astounding clue to his own haunted past."

NIGHT STAR: THE IMMORTALS by Alyson Noel
Night Star continues the epic love story that has enchanted readers across the world. In this installment, Ever and Damen face down bitter rivals, jealous friends and their own worst fears—all in the hope of being together forever.

PATHFINDER by Orson Scott Card
"A powerful secret. A dangerous path.

Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg's strange talent for seeing the paths of people's pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him--secrets about Rigg's own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

Rigg’s birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead. He will be forced to question everything he thinks he knows, choose who to trust, and push the limits of his talent…or forfeit control of his destiny."

X RETURNS: EXORSISTAH by Claudia Mair Burney
"Now that Emme Vaughn is finally eighteen, she's ready to strut her devil-whooping diva boots into Saint Dymphna's Psychiatric Hospital and spring her mama out. Only problem is a lady named Jane Doe beat her to it...two years ago. Jane is as mysterious as her name, but she holds the key to saving Emme's mama and revealing exactly how Emme got into this evil-fighting business -- if Emme can find her. To complicate matters, hottie Francis wants her to be his girlfriend, but Emme's not about to come between her man and God's plan. No, the Exorsistah is on a mission that even a scary three-headed demon can't stop (and the Lord knows it is trying). With a lot of prayer, a couple of archangels, and the help of some new soul-friends, X is armed for battle against a malicious force that will do anything to destroy her. But when she needs His Word the most, will she know where to find it?"

11/16/10

Kirkus' Best of -- the sci fi/fantasy section is an interesting mix!

Kirkus has announced its lists of best books for children and teens!

Here are the children's fantasy and science fiction books (Kirkus seems to be defining sff rather broadly....). It's a very nice group of books indeed, and if you click on the links, you can read their Kirkus reviews. (This looks reasonably formated on my computer, but knowing blogger, it might not be on yours. Sorry).