The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi

The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi (Simon and Schuster, 2010, middle grade, 496 pages)

Eva Nine has lived all her 12 years underground, alone except for her robotic care-giver, Muthr.* With the help of holograms, she studies outdoor survival skills, but has never left the self-contained world she lives in; even her wondering about the world is constrained by the limited reality she's known all her life. One small scrap of a picture, showing a girl, a grown-up, and a robot, with letters spelling out WondLa, is the cornerstone of her dreams...

But one day her underground sanctuary is blown to bits by an intruder, and Eva finds herself on her own, on the surface. And so she decides that she will look for WondLa. She is not alone for long-strange life forms, that her hand held computer can't identify, abound on the surface of this planet. Some are friendly---a non-human person named Rovender, and a behemothy creature whose thoughts she can share. But one in particular is actively hostile--the hunter who destroyed Eva's home, and who is determined to capture her, for reasons she cannot guess at.

Eva journeys through her strange world, lost at times in the wonders and the mysteries of real, vibrant life. And the two threads of her story--the exploration of the strange and the fantastic, and the clues to the mysteries falling into place--work together with the interesting cast of characters to create a satisfying story, one that held my attention and interest very nicely.

Well, maybe satisfying isn't quite the right world. The further one reads on into the book, the clearer it becomes that this is just an introduction to a much, much bigger story than one girl's adventures in an alien wonderland. The mystery of who is pursuing Eva is solved, and reveled to be an insignificant compared to the greater mystery of who Eva is. And just as we reach the end of the book, we get, not answers, but The Really Big Questions....so not satisfying, exactly, but, like I said, a very entertaining story and I am very anxious indeed to read book 2!

Science fiction for the 9-10 year old is thin on the ground, and most of it seems to consist of wacky aliens visiting modern earth. This, on the contrary, is a very rare indeed example of the alien-world-explored sub genre of sci fi for kids (the only other one I know of is The Green Book, aka Shine, by Jill Paton Walsh). It's one of my own favorite sub-genres, with its exploration of fauna and flora, the meetings of alien cultures, the (optional, but gratefully received) conflicts between technology and unfiltered experiences. And DiTerlizzi does a nice job with it, keeping things complicated without drowning the story in detail (he's helped in this regard by the many intricate drawings he includes). While the plot might not seem that original to the veteran sci fi reader, I think it is an excellent one to offer one's child, for whom the wonder of it all will be fresh and new (although possibly reminiscent of Star Wars).

But I don't think this is, necessarily, "a new fairy tale for the twenty-first century," as the back of the book would have us believe. Although the book clearly strives for the numinous, hair-raising on the back of the neck-ness of a truly powerful "fairy tale," it didn't deliver at a deep emotional level. For me at least, it stayed at the level of pleasant entertainment.

Short answer: an excellent choice for a present for a child (maybe one who's read Harry Potter and not yet started The Edge Chronicles**), and a fun book to read oneself.

(The book is linked to an interactive website. To fully enjoy it, you need a webcam. A blurb about the website is one of the first things the reader comes too...and I can't help but think it's kind of unfair to kids who don't have Internet access and webcams at home...This was a problem I had with Patrick Carmen's Skeleton Creek, where it was essential that the reader go on line. Here it's not necessary to the enjoyment of the story, but still it seems unfair...or am I just being a Luddite? The thought of interrupting my reading to visit the computer seems unpleasant to me. But maybe I would feel differently if I had a webcam at home, and could try out the augmented reality experience being offered...At The Digital Reader you can watch a video of it in action, and see for yourself).

* just goes to show what sort of reader of fictional names I am that it took 150 pages or so for the muthr = mother shoe to drop. I would still be unaware of Diagon Alley if my husband hadn't pointed it out to me....Clever readers might now want to speculate about WondLa...

**I'm currently reading the most recent book of the Edge Chronicles, by Paul Stewart Chris Riddell--The Immortals. Similar in feel--human child exploring strange land full of "alien" beings, but for slightly older readers, I think).

Review copy gratefully received from the publishers for Cybils consideration.

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

Another week, another round-up! Let me know if I missed your post.

The Reviews:

Alien Storm, by A.G. Taylor, at Nayu's Reading Corner.

Archvillain, by Barry Lyga, at Coffee for the Brain.

Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld, at Biblophilia and at Coffee for the Brain.

The Crossroads, by Chris Grabenstein, at Books & Other Thoughts

The Dead Boys, by Royce Buckingham, at La Femme Readers

Facing Fire, by kc dyer, at Charlotte's Library

The Familiars, by Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson, at The Fiction Enthusiast

The Interdimensional Dumpster, by Ray Connor, at Coffee for the Brain.

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, at Charlotte's Library.

Lucy and the Green Man (ak Lob in the UK), by Linda Newbery at Kids Lit

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at Reading in Color.

Oracles of Delphi Keep, by Victoria Laurie, at Elizabeth Swigar's Book Blog.

A Practical Guide to Dragon Magic, by Susan J. Morris, at Manga Maniac Cafe.

The Rise of the Darklings (Invisible Order Book 1) by Paul Crilley, at Kids Lit.

Savvy, by Ingrid Law, at Middle Grade Ninja

The Secret Lives of Princesses, by Philippe Lechermeier, at Charlotte's Library

The Sixty-eight Rooms, by Marianne Malone, at A Patchwork of Books.

The Smokey Corridor, by Chris Grabenstein, at Back to Books

The Song of Whales, by Uri Orlev, at Coffee for the Brain.

Taronga, by Victor Kelleher, at Cane Toad Warrior.

Thornspell, by Helen Lowe, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

Toby and the Secrets of the Tree, by Timothee de Fombelle, at 100 Scope Notes.

Kate Coombs (aka Book Aunt) has a three for one post "Tricksters, Thieves, and Other Thuggery," and Ms. Yingling Reads has short reviews of a variety of middle grade Cybils nominees this week.

Authors and Interviews:

Henry Neff talks about his fantasy tirlogy, The Tapestry, at Grasping for the Wind.

Ingrid Law (Savvy and Scumble) at Middle Grade Ninja.
Barry Deutsch (Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword) at The Enchanted Inkpot.
Salman Rushdie (Luka and the Fire of Life) at The Book Haven.

Everything Else:

Anyone who wants to read more Steampunk should Not Miss this great list at School Library Journal.

Kate Coombs talks about fairytale reimagings at The Enchanted Inkpot, and this week's guest at Katherine Langrish's Fairytale Reflections series is John Dickinson.

I don't much mention giveaways, but some, like this one at The Enchanted Inkpot, are of such exceptional interest to fans of mg sff that I just have to.

And finally, in the just because category, here is a gallery of Steampunk Superheros (found via io9):
My favorite is "Stupendous Miss" (bottom left, below, click to embiggen). The set will be available for purchase once it stops being sold out.

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan

The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1), by Rick Riordan (Hyperion, middle grade, 576 pages)

Jason, Piper, and Leo were on a Wilderness School field trip to the Grand Canyon when the storm spirits attacked. Not what they had expected to happen during their time at a camp for "at-risk" kids...and nor did they expect, in the aftermath of the attack, that they would be whisked off to a very different camp--Camp Halfblood, where their godly parents (if all were to go according to plan) would claim them as their own. But since Jason can't remember a thing before the bus trip, expectations, for him at least, are pretty meaningless...

Soon Jason, Piper, and Leo find themselves embroiled in an eons old conflict between the gods and a sinister, mysterious power that is slowly awakening--a power that wants nothing more than to overthrow all the Olympian gods and usher in a new era of chaos. Each of the three kids must claim their heritage and become heroes....if they live long enough.

In this continuation of the world introduced in the Percy Jackson stories, Riordan introduces a trio of engaging characters, each of whom has a past full of secrets, some darker than others. The action is, as one expects from Riordan, brisk and monster-full, with death lurking at every turn, the plot full of details and devices, and the story compelling--it's a good read.

There is no reason to read this one before the Percy Jackson series, and it would probably be extremely confusing to do so. But reading it after all the excitement of The Lightning Thief et seq., it's hard not to feel that it's a bit flat. The premise that made those books so magical (kids of the Greek gods at war with immortal enemies) is by now well-known to the reader, and although Riordan put a lot of effort into making his three new protagonists interesting characters, and introducing interesting new monsters and other sundry mythological accouterments, and was not unsuccessful, the effort kind of showed. It just wasn't as naturally joyous as the first series (in my opinion). But, that being said, I can't wait to read book two--this first book sets the stage for what promises to be an immensely exciting story to come!

For those interested in books with non-white kids--check out the US cover up above: front and center, doing the hard work of mechanical dragon steering, is Leo, who's Hispanic. Behind him is Piper, whose father is Cherokee. The white boy, Jason, is in third place, and looks a bit out of it. He is the central character (as reflected by the UK cover at right), but Piper and Leo have large enough shares of the narrative limelight to make them main characters as well.

(review copy gratefully received from the publisher for Cybils consideration)

The books my boys are getting for Christmas!

I'm about to put in my final book order for books, and thought I'd share what my boys are going to be getting this Christmas:

For my 7 year old:










Two Astrosaurs books: The Star Pirates, and Revenge of the Fang, by Steve Cole (the publisher sent us Cybils mg sff panelists review copies of the most recent edition to the series, and my boy loved it! my review)

The Coloring Book, by Herve Tullet (he likes to draw)

Mouseguard: Legends of the Guard Vol. 1 (he likes brave mice)

Gon Color Spectacular (in Gon, the ferocious, taciturn, fiercely loyal and incredibly determined (in a fierce way) dinosaur that time forgot (or something), my son has found a sole mate/hero).

For my 10 year old:










Built to Last, by David Macauley (he's loved D.M. since he was two or so...and I've loved D.M. since about 1977, so there you go...)

Worst-Case Survival Handbook: Weird Junior Edition, by David Borgenicht (no explanation needed)

The Prey and the Ghost, and Daughter of the Wind, by Roger Leloup -- vols. three and four of the Yoko Tsuno graphic novel series--he loves the first two vols., which I haven't read, and which I really should...(here's a review of the fourth one)

Kubla Kahn: The Emperor of Everything, by Kathleen Krull (another I haven't read, but which sounds great--as in this review)

I'm not getting him any chapter fiction, because he is such a picky reader--for every book he reads, at least five are rejected. And there's no series to which he is addicted at present, sigh.

What he would probably enjoy very much, but which I'm not getting him--- this series of nightmare plague books, reviewed by Amanda. They just don't say "Merry Christmas" to me, but boy, does he love plagues. I gave some almost serious consideration to getting him the deluxe "diseased tissue" sampler of slides, now he has his microscope set up, but I think I'll go with the more cheerful single-celled life set instead.

And finally, the books my husband knows he is getting:

The Burglarproof Bathplug, by Oliver Postgate (creator of many fine children's television shows, back in the 20th century U.K.)

and

What Matters? Economics for a Renewed Commonwealth, by Wendell Berry

He is getting other books, but he reads my blog...and I want them to be Surprises.

If I had to pick on of these to get my self (even though I know, it's not about Me), it would be The Burglarproof Bathtub--Postgate is both wise and entertaining.

The Secret Lives of Princesses, by Philippe Lechermeier, illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer

The Secret Lives of Princesses, by Philippe Lechermeier, illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer (originally published in France, English edition Sterling Books, 2010).

On the simplest level, this is a guidebook to many strange and odd princesses, those who were never pinned down in the "classic" fairytales, and made to wear pink (although some choose to do so anyway!). Many of these princesses have peculiar habits and tastes, and live non-traditional lives--there's Princess Somnia, who sleeps her life away in a beautifully comfy looking bed, Princess Oblivia, who has no memory at all, the Princess of the Sands --"Daughter of the Queen of Saba, this princess lives in a castle of sand whose location depends on direction of the winds' (page 51), and many, many more. In true Guidebook fashion, the gallery of princesses includes informational asides on princessly accouterments-- veils and cradles, gifts and confidantes--all the elements and accessories that one associates with "princesses."

But moving beyond this straightforward-ness, this is a book that celebrates the imagination. Each princess is introduced, we read the brief synopsis, verging on free verse, that tells of her otherness, and the book moves on to the next, but each princess seems to have more story behind her...story that the reader can explore in her own daydreams. And the art that accompanies the text reinforces the sense of stories beyond the text. Some of the pictures disturbed me, others I found alien, some I found fascinatingly lovely. The style, as you can see from the cover, isn't the unicorny medievally style that some of us (naming no names) equate with princesses--in the imaginings of Dautremer, the reader is taken to stranger, more surreal worlds.

Which almost certainly means I wouldn't have liked it as a child, at least on first reading. I wanted my princesses tidily tucked into unicorn tapestries....but maybe, returning to it, as I would have done (I never had enough books) I would have let my own imaginary princesses leave the castles of Europe...I think it would have been salubrious as all get out for my walled-garden imagination.

From the Princess of the Sands (my favorite, shown at right):

She bathes in oases,
knows the name of every stone and star,
and wears a veil as protection from the storms.
She grows desert roses.

Speaking of Europe--it is a lovely thing to see the Snow Queen's great-granddaughter imagined as dark of hair and skin, petting her polar bear companion. And indeed, there are many non-European girls depicted here, earning the book a reading in color label.

At Through The Looking Glass, you can read an interview with Derry Wilkens of Sterling Books, describing how the English edition of this book came about. The translation was very challenging--among other issues, many of the princesses' names are puns, which of course don't translate, so most of them had to be re-named!

At the book's website there is a quiz that let's you find out what sort of Princess you yourself are. I am a Whimsical Princess, which pleases me.

(review copy received from the publisher, for Cybils consideration)

New releases of science fiction and fantasy for children and teenagers--the (somewhat skimpy) first half of Dec. 2010 edition

Here are the new release of sci fi/fantasy for kids and teens from the first half of December; a short list, and a tricky one from my point of view because too many of the last few precious moments of my youth were spent looking for blurbs, and a picture, that I never found. Sigh.

Middle Grade

ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE SHATTERED LENS by Brandon Sanderson "Alcatraz Smedry is on a mission to save the day! In his final adventure in the series by bestselling adult fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson, Alcatraz has a lot to prove and, as always, little time in which to do it!"



ANOTHER WHOLE NOTHER STORY by Dr. Cuthbert Soup. ""The plan was simple. Ethan Cheeseman, along with his three smart, polite, and relatively odor-free children, would travel back in time to end an ancient family curse and save their mother. Now that the LVR (a super-secret time machine) is in working order, it should be easy peasy. Except they didn't account for one basic rule of science: Murphy's Law, where everything that possibly could go wrong, does. So the Cheeseman family finds themselves on another madcap adventure, this time through stormy seas and haunted castles. And though their narrator, Dr. Soup, has a ton of unsolicited advice to offer young readers, he doesn't have much to say to help the Cheesemans. Just this one thing: Good luck!"



ARTEMIS THE BRAVE: GODDESS GIRLS by Jean Holub & Suzanne Williams





THE DOG'S DINNER: GUNK ALIENS by Jonny Moon "What could be worse than fighting snot-stealing aliens? Here's a hint: it lurks in the cafeteria. The gang face their toughest challenge yet, as they go after a terrifying flying alien. In an epic confrontation, Jack's inventing skills will be tested to the limit, one of his new friends will fall, and all of his courage will be needed when he takes on the worst ordeal of all . . . eating a school meal."

REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS by Helene Boudreau. ""Freak of nature takes on a whole new meaning...If she hadn't been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail? Most. Embarrassing. Moment. Ever. Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown? Jade is determined to find out. So how does a plus-size, aqua-phobic mer-girl go about doing that exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend, Cori, and to her crush, Luke? This summer is about to get a lot more interesting..."

THE RISE AND FALL OF MOUNT MAJESTIC by Jennifer Trafton. "Ten-year-old Persimmony Smudge leads (much to her chagrin) a very dull life on the Island at the Center of Everything . . . until the night she overhears a life-changing secret. It seems that Mount Majestic, the rising and falling mountain in the center of the island, is not a mountain at all--it's the belly of a sleeping giant, moving as the giant breathes. Now Persimmony and her new friend Worvil the Worrier have to convince all the island's other quarreling inhabitants--including the silly Rumblebumps, the impeccably mannered Leafeaters, and the stubborn young king--that a giant is sleeping in their midst, and must not be woken."

THE SEWERS CRISIS: GUNK ALIENS by Jonny Moon. "They don't want our oil. They don't want our water. They don't want our brussels sprouts (actually, neither do we). They just want our snot.

Jack and his friends have only one alien left to capture. The best is always saved for last, though, so none of them should be surprised that this particular alien only loves one thing . . . poo! But once they've made a sickening descent into the sewers, the world should be finally safe. Shouldn't it?"

SHADOW: DRAGON ORB by Mark Robson "Pell and his night dragon Shadow must find the dark orb to help save the Oracle, leader of all dragonkind. But Segun, a power-hungry tyrant, stands in their way. Pell must use his flying skills, bravery, and resourcefulness to the limit, as Segun is determined to get the orb—even if it means killing the opposition."



Young Adult

ENTICE: NEED by Carrie Jones. "Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that's not quite how things have worked out. For starters, well, Nick is dead. Supposedly, he's been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it's taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla? And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't turned into just any pixie. . . She's Astley's queen."

THE GIFT: WITCH & WIZARD by James Patterson & Ned Rust. "When Whit & Wisty were imprisoned by the wicked forces of the totalitarian regime known as the New Order, they were barely able to escape with their lives. Now part of a hidden community of teens like themselves, Whit and Wisty have established themselves as leaders of the Resistance, willing to sacrifice anything to save kids kidnapped and brutally imprisoned by the New Order.

But the One has other plans in store for them: He needs Wisty, for she is "The One Who Has the Gift." While trying to figure out what that means, Whit and Wisty's suspenseful adventures through Overworld and Shadowland lead to a jaw-dropping climax and conclusion: the highly-anticipated fulfillment of the heart-pounding opening prologue of book one... The Execution of the Allgoods."

LAST SACRIFICE: VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead "The astonishing final novel in Richelle Mead's epic series!

Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them."

THE SWORD OF ARMAGEDDON: THE NEW KID by Temple Mathews. "Things have never been darker for sixteen-year-old Will Hunter. He's lost the girl he loves, been poisoned and abandoned by the new ally he thought he could trust, and has only hours to track down a cure before the toxin coursing through his veins ends his life. He's in no shape to stop the Dark Lord from finding and using the Sword of Armageddon -- but if he can't, he's not the only one who will die.

In the fight against the Dark Lord and his demon minions, the third book in the New Kid series takes Will and friends from a mysterious island in Puget Sound to the top of the Seattle Space Needle, and ends in a battle that proves that, while to err may be demonic, forgiveness is the true path to victory"

THE REVENGE OF LORD ODA: BLOOD NINJA by Nick Lake "The slashing sequel to Blood Ninja!"

Letters to Anyone and Everyone, by Toon Tellegen

Letters to Anyone and Everyone, by Toon Tellegen, illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg (Boxer Books, 2010, 156 pages, elementary on up).

Some books just shout "Give me as a gift!" This is one of them. It is beautiful as an object--small yet solid, with a book mark ribbon--just plain nice to hold and admire.

And then there are the words and pictures inside. The book consists of twenty three small stories, each with an epistolary core. The letters in each episode are written by a group of animals--snail, elephant, squirrel, ant, and others--and are delivered by the wind from door to door. They aren't long stories, or long letters, and they are written very simply, but they are funny, piquant, and heartfelt.

Here's the first letter:

Dear Snail,

May I invite you to dance with me on top of your house? Just a few steps? That's what I want most of all.

I promise I'll dance very delicately, so we won't fall through your roof.

But of course, you can never
be really sure.

The Elephant

My favorite, though, is the squirrel's letter to the ant. Or perhaps the squirrel's letter to the letter, or maybe his letter to his table, and the note the table writes back. Or perhaps the bear's heartfelt letter to all the animals, driven by his desperate desire for cake:

I could go on, but won't.

There are lots of cakes, lots of friendships, lots of meditations on life. There are lots of things that are impossible and illogical, but which I had no trouble accepting--after all, if you accept the premise that an ant can write a letter, why not a table? Ahlberg's small and precise drawings capture beautifully the pointful-ness that is embedded even in the shortest of these stories, and bring to life the characters and their letters most beautifully.

I first tried this book while browsing in a bookstore, without much time to ponder--it didn't grab me. But second time around was very different. I got a Cybils review copy in the mail (thank you, Boxer Books!), and read it peacefully in front of the fire--and found it utterly charming. The perfect audience, though, is a tad hard to pin down. It works beautifully as a book to read out loud to an empathetic older child (say five or six), who might well pick it up to be enjoyed independently in after years. I think this would also be a lovely book to read to an infant--peaceful for the reader, as well as the baby! But I think they have grown-up appeal as well, for the right reader--anyone who can understand why one might feel that writing a letter to one's table might be a nice thing to do....the reader who finds piquancy in just about all aspects of daily life.

Tellegen is a famous Dutch author and illustrator. This is the second of his books to be translated into English and re-illustrated by Ahlberg (the Dutch illustrations, says my sister in Holland, are very bold and bright). The first was The Squirrel's Birthday, and Other Parties, and a third, Far Away Across the Sea, is coming out in September.

Other reviews of books in this series can be found at books4yourkids.com, A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Teacozy, and a Fuse #8 Production.

Facing Fire, by kc dyer, for Timeslip Tuesday

Facing Fire, by kc dyer (Doubleday Canada, 2010, middle grade, 224 pages). Sequel to A Walk Through A Window, but it's not necessary to have read that first.

Darcy's feelings about getting an extra week of spring vacation are more than a little mixed, due to the reason for the extended break--her best friend Sarah set fire to a school building. It began as a small act of protest against the racist anti-gang poster tacked to the wall, which showed a dark-skinned hand holding a gun. Sarah, who is black, couldn't stand it--and flicked her lighter...But then the flames spread.

And so Darcy, nervous about being implicated, is glad for the chance to go stay for a week in Kingston with a friend of her mom's, Fiona, who's working on a clean drinking water project. On her last trip away from home, Darcy had had the experience of a lifetime--walking through an old window into past era's of Canada's history. In Kingston it happens again, and another window becomes a gateway into the turbulent past. Her first trip back she is alone, watching as a French settlement is burned by the British. Then, with a new friend, a fellow skateboarder named Zander (short for Alexander), Darcy experiences first hand the terrors of the war of 1812 and the desperate journey to Canada of an escaped slave.

Darcy doesn't know why she's able to travel through time--it's never explained, and she's learned to accept that. She and Zander are simply spectators of the past, powerless to change it. But what they see changes them...

kc dyer does an excellent job with her historical vignettes. Darcy's experiences in the past are vivid and exciting (and education, which I, speaking as one who likes learning history through fiction, appreciate). The connection between the pasts and the present, though, felt rather forced to me.

Obviously Darcy and Zander learn, along with the reader, about the prejudices and injustices of the past, and both are confronting those issues in the present. Darcy is processing Sarah's reaction to the racism of the poster, and the injustices regarding access to clean water in Canada that are a huge part of Fiona's work (the majority of the boil water advisories in Canada are on First Nation lands, and some have lasted years). Zander's family are Mohawk--his parents are academics, but his grandfather wants him to come back to the tribal lands. He's seen his parents fighting stereotypes all his life, and feels ambivalent about his heritage.

But the story of Darcy's week in Kingston (past and present) never quite coalesced as a whole for me. This might be because of the overt didactisism of dyer's approach. I am in total agreement with the points she makes about racism in the contemporary world, and applaud her for spelling them out, but the downside of this is that they are underlined so much as slow the story down considerably. In this context, the time travel episodes seem much more like Lessons than like organic parts of a whole story....

Still, the descriptions of the past are, as I said above, first rate!

(review copy received from the publisher for Cybils consideration).

Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science

Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science, by Susan Hughes, illustrated by Michael Wandelmaier (Kids Can Press, 2010, 88 pages, ages 8 on up).

This is an utterly fascinating book, in which science, history, curiosity and determination (and a bit of luck) come together to solve mysteries from the past. All the nine cases looked at here involve people, and places, that apparently vanished -- Hatshepsut, Hsu Fu (a great Chinese navigator), the City of Ubar, the Anasazi, Sir John Franklin, Anastasia, George Mallory (lost climbing Everest), a lost airplane, the Star Dust, and finally, an Israli sub, the INS Dakar.

Each section begins by describing the disappearance in crime reporting fashion. Then the historical background is given, describing in detail the case in question. And then, enter the scientists and historians! Using a variety of high tech techniques (DNA testing, satellite imagery, robotics) and sheer determination (exploration of inhospitable places), men and women determined to find out what really happen set to work. In almost all of the cases covered, enough evidence was found to provide pretty definite answers. But still, mysteries remain...

The writing is exciting, and the science and history top-notch. The geographic coverage is great, and although there is a male bias in the scientists, women are there too. The illustrations are a nice mix of data presentation, artist's reconstructions, and actual images. But what makes this book really cool is its presentation of how directly applicable science is to history. Forget the white lab coat stereotype--here we have scientists actually doing cool things out in the world, and finding answers to mysteries! Pretty neat stuff!

This book should appeal greatly to any kid with a bent toward science, mysteries, and archaeology (who doesn't mind a few dead people)--at least, my own son loved it to pieces (here's his review, at his own blog, Pickled Bananas). In fact, the reason I am posting this review so late in the day is that I didn't get the chance I'd counted on to read it and write about it last night, when the boys were off downtown with their father, at his regular Irish music gig. Case Closed? ended up going down to the pub too...where it was read for the third time in one week.

The Non-fiction Monday round-up is at Playing By the Book today!

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

This Sunday's Round-Up of Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction postings from around the blogs

Welcome to this week's mgsff round-up! Please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews:

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-fu Cavemen from the Future, at The O.W.L. (includes giveaway)

Alcatraz Versus The Shattered Lens. Brandon Sanderson, at Becky's Book Reviews

Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld, at Eva's Book Addiction

The Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkoski, at By Singing Light.

The Curse of the Were-Wiener (Dragonbreath #3), by Ursula Vernon, at Booked Up.

Elliot and the Goblin War, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, at Coffee for the Brain

Enchanted Glass, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Becky's Book Reviews.

Forgive My Fins, by Tera Lynn Childs, at Booked Up.

Ghost of Heroes Past, by Charles Reid, at Ms. Yingling Reads.

The Girl Who Owned a City, by O.T. Nelson, at Rebecca Reads

The Goblin Gate, by Hilari Bell, at Beyond Books.

Harry the Poisonous Centipede, by Lynne Reid Banks, at Back to Books

Haywired, by Alex Keller, at Read in a Single Sitting.

The Last Dragonslayer, by Jasper Fforde, at Bart's Bookshelf

Nightshade City, by Hilary Wagner, at One Librarian's Book Reviews.

Roberto and Me, by Dan Gutman, at Charlotte's Library.

Second Hand Charm, by Julie Barry at The Allure of Books (one that is listed as YA, but seems a good fit for mg too)

Spaceheadz, by Jon Scieszka and Francesco Sedita, at Booked Up

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin, at Book Love

The Witch's Tears, by Jenny Nimmo, at Back to Books.

The Mythical 9th Division Series, by Alex Milway, at The Book Zone (for boys) "...the only remaining hope is a secret troop of yeti agents - the Mythical 9th Division."

Things of interest that aren't reviews:

Fuse #8 looks back at the Just So Stories of Rudyard Kipling.

I'm not sure if the Samarui Kids series is technically fantasy, but it sounds great, and here's author Sandy Fussell interviewed at Cynsations.

Harry Potter is on the minds of many mg sff readers at the moment--here are two articles of interest -- "Natural Selection in Homo Sapiens Alchemis," at Book View Cafe and Harry Potter is a Good Christian, says Yale professor.

At Seven Miles of Steel Thistles this week's Fairytale Reflections guest is Megan Whalen Turner, and, segueing nicely, there's "Honk if you still love fairytales," at Book Aunt

Finally, the season for gift idea lists is starting--here's a middle grade list from Polishing Mudballs that's heavily mg sff! (if you make one of your own, let me know and I'll link to it!)

(and anyone who wants to know more about how this works can read my explanation post here)

Departure Time, by Truus Matti

Departure Time, by Truus Matti, translated from the Dutch by Nancy Forest-Flier (Namelos, 2010, middle grade, 216 pages).

The girl finds herself alone on a plain of red sand. She can't remember who she is, or how she got there, but a storm is coming, so she looks for shelter. And come upon a hotel...decrepit and desolate. Inside she finds no-one, save for a rat and a fox. Suspicious at first, they become more welcoming...suspicious at first, she finds them to be friends.

In our world, a girl has lost her beloved father, a musician all too often away on tour. Only this time he won't be coming back. And the last letter she wrote to him was a burst of anger--he hadn't come home in time for her birthday.

In the hotel, the rat and the fox prove to be well-intentioned inn-keepers for their new guest. Gradually the fox's cooking improves, and the rat becomes more friendly. But still the girl, now calling herself Mouse, doesn't know why she is there, inside this strange story.

Outside the hotel is an old, old, bus, that hasn't been anywhere in years. Inside, Mouse is haunted by the sound of piano being played...just as she has once played the piano, back when her father was alive. As the mysteries of the hotel are unravelled, the girl in the real world faces her grief and guilt...and the two stories move in parallel to the departure time of the title--a time when life can go forward again.

I found it a haunting and deeply moving story--and it really is one story, with the fantastical nestled into the real. They appear at first to be competing narratives, but quite soon the mystery of the hotel becomes clear, and the pieces fall into place. But this isn't a book for the reader who Wants to Know, who wants to be Entertained and who wants Excitement. It requires a certain acceptance that things, strange though they are, will makes sense. It requires that the reader wait with Mouse, in the strange hotel, for the right time to come. It is full of metaphor, and the gradual clarification of what is happening inside the hotel serves as a lovely imagining of what is happening to the real girl, trying to live a life without her beloved father.

It is a book full of very powerful and poignant emotion, one that will stick with me for a long time.

(Kirkus included this in their 2010 list of best sci fi/fantasy for kids, but it isn't really).

Other reviews at Fuse #8 and Wands and Worlds.

Here's another great book about a fantastical old hotel that offers shelter to a bereaved girl-- The Hotel Under the Sand, by Kage Baker (my review). I'd happily read more of this very specific sub-genre...I seem to find it very appealing!

Giving Thanks, book-wise

Today I am thankful that I will have a chance to sit in front of the fire and read. And I am thankful that, if yesterday was anything to go by, my boys will be joining me. Because yesterday, and I am so thankful for this, my seven year old truly became A Reader. He started the first Harry Potter in the morning, and by bedtime he had only three chapters to go. Yep, he read over two hundred pages in one day, and resented having to stop...."I feel that I really am Harry," he said to me. Precious child. My ten-year old, whose reading has always fretted me somewhat, devoured The Wyverns' Treasure, by R.L. LaFevers, in less than an hour, read two chapters of the first book of the Edge Chronicles, and blogged about a non-fiction book he loved at his own site, Pickled Bananas (his fiftieth post!). Just for the sake of completeness- my husband, whose reading doesn't worry me, read Un Lun Dun.

Today I am also thankful that authors are writing excellent books, publishers are publishing, that I have a public library system that gives me access to all the books in over thirty public libraries, for free, and a job that's secure enough so that I can buy books the library doesn't have. And I am very thankful indeed to the authors and publishers who think enough of my blog that they send me books to review, and to the publisher who have supported the Cybils by sending review copies.

Here are some authors I'd like to give especially thanks to from my reading in the last year (I'm eschewing any mg sff thanks, because of being a Cybils Panelist--it would feel odd to start talking about my favorites, since these are my shortlisted books...)

Thank you, Hilary McKay, for writing Wishing for Tomorrow. You gave me a sequel to a book I love, A Little Princess, that manages to be its own wonderful thing.

Thank you, Megan Whalen Turner, for A Conspiracy of Kings. I am so happy your books are in the world!

Thank you, Leah Cypess, for Mistwood--not only did I enjoy it very much, but it makes me happy to anticipate more books from you!

Thank you, Sarah Rees Brennan, for The Demon's Covenant, especially with regard to the hotness of Alan...

Finally, thank you, all of you who read my blog, and thank you, all you writers of the blogs I read!

(and I guess I am thankful that even though the stove's oven doesn't work, we can still cram a small chicken into the convection oven. And I guess I am thankful that two of the sixteen windows in the upstairs sun room are back in place, newly painted and glazed, and I suppose it could have been worse, and each window could have taken 48 hours of work instead of 24 (not including the days of letting the paint stripper work and the week you have to let the glazing dry) and it hasn't really been that cold yet....and I guess I am thankful that our two chickens are still alive, but it would be nice if they started laying eggs again (it was a difficult Molt for them)...and I guess I can be thankful that one of my co-workers is going into the office today, so I will be able to call him to see if I left my purse there (with my own set of work keys attached to it), because I think I was so busy bringing a large box of books home that it didn't occur to me I was leaving my purse behind. At least, I hope that's what happened. Sigh.)

edited to add: my purse and I are now together again, for which I am, indeed, thankful.

In which I find that my blog has a greater chance of being a best seller than Twilight

I misread the title of this post at Galley Cat as "Lulu Titlescorer Tests Your Blog's Title;" it was book in the original. But by the time I realized it, I had already plugged in "Charlotte's Library" and gotten my results--"The title Charlotte's Library has a 45.6% chance of being a bestselling title!"

EDITED TO ADD: If one considers "Charlotte's Library" to be figurative, my chances jump to 72.5%!!!!

I am encouraged (Twilight only gets a 36% chance) and happy to speak with publishers at any time.

Test your own blog's title here!

Hunger, by Jackie Morse Kessler

Hunger, by Jackie Morse Kessler (Graphia, 2010, YA, 180 pages).

I'd read a couple of reviews of this one before picking it up, so going into it, I knew it was about Lisa, a girl with anorexia (and in denial about it), who is chosen by Death to become the new incarnation of Famine, riding around on her Steed of Doom in Horseman of the Apocalypse fashion, famine-ing. I also knew the cover looked Dark (see cover at left--dark). And I knew that people liked it.

So I was expecting well-written Darkness, that tackled a serious issue in a fantastical way.

But I was rather pleasantly surprised to find that Famine isn't just that--it's also incredibly entertaining! It made me chuckle!

Lisa's voice is in turns sardonic, wry, bitter, sincere, and engaging--I cared what happened to her, sympathized with her situation (not just the whole stressful business of having to be Famine, while starving herself to death, but her family circumstances), and enjoyed her company. I also liked the author's voice lots, but I can't quite find the word for it--something along the lines of wry, tongue in check, sardonic but in a nice way, a tad amused by her own story but taking it seriously, sincere but lighthearted, caring deeply about the issue she (very knowledgeably) writes about but not letting it take over the story...that sort of thing.

Anyway, I knew by the end of the second paragraph that I would enjoy the book:

"And yet there she was, Lisabeth Lewis, seventeen and no longer thinking about killing herself, holding the Scales of office. Famine, apparently, had scales--an old-fashioned balancing device made of brass or bronze or some other metal. What she was supposed to do with the Scales, she had no idea. Then again, the whole "Thou are the Black Rider; go thee out unto the world" thing hadn't really sunk in yet." (page 1)

But my favorite character is Famine's horse. Food obsessed (not surprisingly), with a special fondness for pralines. Lisa decides to call him Midnight; "Well," Death said, "at least you didn't go with Muffin." (page 53)

Yet despite light touches such as this, Kessler is tackling a serious issue here. Lisa is killing her self. The Thin voice inside her head is a harpy that gives her no peace...her hair is falling out, she is going weaker, and she isn't sure she has the will to keep on living. Her stint as Famine is the catalyst that forces her to face what she is doing to herself, but it doesn't provide a magical, easy answer or a fairy tale ending. Instead, the ending rings true--Lisa isn't "cured," but at least she's on the path toward a healthier, happier life.

So, in short--thought-provoking (not just in its educational, and very valuable, look at eating disorders, but also viz famine around the world), entertaining, and yes, a little dark, but not so much so as to Depress. Read in what would have been a single sitting if I lived alone on a rock (which I mean as a compliment--I was utterly engrossed, and would have happily read it cover to cover had there been no intrusions of reality).

Roberto and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure, by Dan Gutman for Timeslip Tuesday

Roberto and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure, by Dan Gutman (HarperCollins, 2010, middle grade, 192 pages), is the most recent in Gutman's series about Joe Stoshack (aka Stosh), a boy who has a special gift--when he holds an old baseball card, he can travel back in time to actually meet the player shown.

Stosh's Spanish teacher, Senorita Molina, uses a wheelchair. When Stosh meets with her to talk about how he can pull up his (deplorable) grade, he takes advantage of the occasion to ask a question he's had for ages--why does she have a candle burning on her desk? Turns out, she keeps it in memory of Roberto Clemente, one of the most famous Puerto Rican baseball players of all time. Roberto was more than just a great ball player--he was also a dedicated humanitarian. And one of the things he planned to do was to send a Puerto Rican hospital the hundred dollars that would pay for the drugs that young Senorita Molina needed to cure her spinal infection. But Roberto died before he sent the money, when the plane he was taking to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua crashed.

Stosh knows what his next mission back in time is going to be--he's going to go find Roberto, and tell him not to get on that plane.

Time travel being a tricksy thing, Stosh is never delivered right up to the baseball players he hopes to meet. And this time is no exception--he finds himself at Woodstock, listening (with little enjoyment) to Jimi Hendrix. But fortunately he makes friends with a savvy young teenager calling herself Sunrise, who's run away from home, and she helps him hitchhike to Ohio to find Roberto.

And Stosh gets to see for himself what a great ball player, and a great man, Roberto really is. But changing the past is harder than a person might think....even when you're showing someone the newspaper account of how they are going to die, it might not change the decisions they feel they have to make.

When he gets back to his own time, Stosh finds a further adventure waiting for him--a journey to the future, where his own descendant, a boy with the same time travel gift, begs him to somehow set in motion a pattern of environmental awareness that will change the future. Because the future is a rather hellish place, environment-wise...

Roberto and Me is thus both a time travel adventure (with a generous dose of play-by-play baseball), and a serious disquisition on a variety of issues (especially the last odd journey to the future). I don't, as a rule, leap to insert my political opinions into my reviews, but this book, I think, requires some statement in that regard. I myself agreed whole-heartedly with the humanitarian, anti-racist, anti-war, global-warming-as-coming-catastrophe messages, and so enthusiastically endorse the book from that perspective (even though I wish the author's hand had been less heavy), but those who don't think along such lines might take issue with various elements of the story.

Now, back to the Adventure part. Stosh and Sunshine's trip together, and the ball game they watch, is perfectly fine, fun reading (even for one like myself, who doesn't care a whit about baseball). But what makes the book work is the character of Roberto himself--a true hero, who doesn't require any heavy underlining of messages to make a point. I loved the inclusion of actual pictures of Roberto--they truly made him come alive.

I think there's enough baseball detail to hold the interest of the young sport's fan. And it's not unenjoyable for the time travel aficionado--the baseball card as conduit-to-the-past was interesting, and the author was both convincing and entertaining in his portrayal of Stosh's encounters with hippie counter-culture. It might seem like this book bounces all over the place, but Gutman does a nice job keeping the story going, with humor, historical fact, and baseball combining to keep the reader's attention.

(this one gets a Reading in Color label for Roberto Clemente--I'm very glad to have met him!)

(Here's a much more detailed review at BooksforKidsBlog, and another at Ms. Yingling Reads)

Astrosaurs--The Twist of Time, by Steve Cole

If you are looking for a series for your second grade son (or something along those lines), look no farther than the Astrosaurs. I received a Cybils review copy of Astrosaurs--the Twist of Time, by Steve Cole (of Z-Rex fame), the 17th (I think) in the series, and (very happily) now have a nice long list of books to buy for my own second-grade son!

The Astrosaurs are herbisaurs who live out in the Jurassic quadrant of distant space. Their vegetarian sector abuts that of the carnivores--and the brave astrosaurs, a quartet of dinos led by the intrepid Captain Teggs, are constantly running up against the ferocious meat-eaters. This particular book involves a pool of time water on a distant planet--water that makes anyone (or just about anything) that comes into contact with it become younger and younger.... A vicious Allosaur thinks this could be the Ultimate Weapon...and will use it to seize control of the whole sector, unless Teggs and crew can stop him in time!

When I read this to myself, it was clear to me that I'm not the intended audience. For instance, a bucket of baby dino pee used as a weapon doesn't do much for me, although I want to make it clear that the writing was just fine and the story nicely coherent and not uninteresting. But still, not a book for people much older than nine or so.

But then I put it in the hands of my seven year old...and prised it out of his hands again at bedtime, and when he woke up the next morning, the first thing he said to me was, "Where's my book?" And I could hear him downstairs on the sofa, reading away with gasps and cheers...until he reached the end, and asked for more Astrosaur books! So, based on my (admittedly small) sample, these books have great appeal for the intended audience.

It's a UK series, but thanks to the Book Depository, they are easy to get a hold of. There's a companion series as well, Astrosaur Academy. And as an added bonus, the books come with character cards, which my boy appreciated. He's also intrigued by another series from the same author--Cows in Action.... There's lots of information about all these books here at Steve Cole's website. (By the way, I have a link to the Book Depository at right; any commissions earned help my local public library).

This Sunday's Round-Up of Middle Grade Sci Fi/Fantasy postings from around the blogs

Hi. It's another Sunday, and another round-up of a week's wroth of gleanings from around the blogs of posts relating to middle grade science fiction and fantasy. Please let me know if I missed yours!

The Reviews:

Behemouth, by Scott Westerfeld, at Nayu's Reading Corner.

The Coming of the Dragon, by Rebecca Barnhouse, at Journey of a Bookseller.

Dragonsong and Dragonsinger, by Anne McCaffrey, at Charlotte's Library.

Flight of the Outcast, by Brad Strickland, at Charlotte's Library.

George Washington's Spy, by Elvira Woodruff, at The Fourth Musketeer.

Good-bye, Pink Pig, by C.S. Adler, at Angieville.

The Grimm Legacy, by Polly Shulman, at My Favorite Books.

How Mirka Got Her Sword, by Barry Deutsch, at Welcome to My Tweendom.

The Limit, by Kristen Landon, at Coffee for the Brain.

The Lost Children, by Carolyn Cohagan, at Coffee for the Brain.

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, at Great Kid Books, Lucy Was Robbed, and Book Nut.

Lucy and the Green Man, by Linda Newbery, at Journey of a Bookseller.

Luka and the Fire of Life, by Salman Rushdie, at Fantasy Literature and Mostly Fiction Book Reviews

Nightshade City, by Hilary Wagner, at Presenting Lenore.

The Search for WondLa, by Tony Diterlizzi, at Nayu's Reading Corner.

The Suburb Beyond the Stars, by M.T. Anderson, at A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy.

A Tale Dark and Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz, at Eva's Book Addiction.

Whistle Bright Magic, by Barb Bentler Ullman, at Charlotte's Library.

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner, at bookgeeks (and more Garner here at suite 101 which I missed last week)

Windblowne, by Stephen Messer, at Middle Grade Ninja.

Ms. Yingling tucks two mg sff books into this post--Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates, by Kim Kennedy, and The Light, by D.J. MacHale, and she has another two-for here--Reckless, by Cornelia Funke, and A Wizard of Mars, by Diane Duane.

Interviews and authors:

Steve Messer (Windblowne) interviewed at Middle Grade Ninja.

Mark Peter Hughes (A Crack in the Sky) at The Enchanted Inkpot.

Katie Hines (Guardian) at The Writing Mama.

(and I'm interviewed at Children's Books and Reviews)

Michelle Knudsen (The Dragon of Trelian) talks about writing a sequel at Through the Tollbooth (I enjoyed The D. of T. lots, so I'm very pleased to here there will be another one!)

Other News and items of interest:

Don't miss this lovely long post, Lessons from Eva Ibbotson, at Book Aunt.

Here's Kirkus' list of the best mg sci fi/fantasy of the year.

Kristi (The Story Siren) has kicked off her 2011 Debut Author Challenge--it includes both mg and ya books. I spotted two excellent sounding mg sff titles-- Stephanie Burgis -- Kat, Incorrigible, and Anne Nesbet -- The Cabinet of Earths. Kristi is happy to add more books to her list, so do check it out and let her know if there's something missing!

Edited to add: This week's Fairytale Reflections author, at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles, is Cassandra Golds, and I can't believe I forgot to put this in because she is the author of a book I love--The Museum of Mary Child!

And finally, it was Harry Potter Week at Pure Imagination!